of ‘ hot-house ’ colours . The parable is one that , no doubt , benefits the boys , as their natural surroundings increasingly compete for attention with screens of all sizes . Both feeding into and feeding off the energy of the school , Alan and Tim both agree that less is more when it comes to aesthetics . “ The idea is to fit respectfully into the surroundings , rather than to impose upon them .” The school ’ s surroundings will continue to be carefully amended in the coming few years . “ At the end of the day , it is all about feel ;” remarks Alan , “ if it feels right , you ’ re half way there .” It takes many years of intuition , mixed with intelligence , before careful planning eventually evolves into the fruit of a full effect . Dons know this inherently as part of their profession , and Alan and Tim will be sharing the patient practice of rearing young roots as they turn their attention towards the garden outside Common Room . “ If you plant artificial roots , they will never remain strong .” Tim adds , “ Gardening inherently involves patience , and central to patience is trust . In gardening , sometimes you can plant all the right seeds in all the right places , but at the end of the day ,
it is always down to mother-nature to define what happens next . Sometimes , you just have to do your best , and trust that it ’ s going to work .” “ One is always tempted to remember Voltaire ’ s Candide ”, says Tim . It is a story about a man who ventures through the world , learns all of its foibles , only to find a great final solace and meaning in the cultivation of a garden . Without doubt , this would trigger more than the faintest nod of approval from Old Wykehamists , who have a great debt of gratitude to pay to those who have carefully coloured the backdrop to some of their fondest memories .
The Wykeham Journal 2016 23