Leaver's Assembly

Tina told a great story today at the leaver's assembly. She has just returned from a trip to Russia, and in St Petersburg, on the longest day, all the children finish school, and the university students finish their year, and the families go out into the town to celebrate. The celebrations last the whole day, and late in the evening, about 11.30pm, a boat sails down the river Neva with a pink sail. This is a reminder to the people of a Russian fable, that goes like this:

A girl had a dream, and in this dream she saw a boat with a pink sail coming down the Neva. Aboard the boat was a handsome prince, who fell in love with her, and they married and lived happily ever after. As the girl grew up she remembered this dream and resisted the advances of the local boys, waiting for the prince in the boat with the pink sail. Eventually, a young man came along from a neighbouring town. He admired the young woman, but the locals told him that it was pointless, she was waiting for her prince to arrive in the boat with the pink sail. Not one to be foiled, he thought about this, hired a boat and made a pink sail. He sailed the boat along the Neva and the young woman saw it. They courted, married and lived happily ever after.

The moral of the story is that even if you are seemingly ordinary, you make your own chances in life.