Blogs • Josh Pemberton (Blog Scholar 2009)

The Whitehead building in Selwyn may be old, but the oldest part of the college is actually a pear tree. The tree is located in the quadrangle, adjacent to the tennis court, although of course it was there before either the quad or the court existed. One of the long-standing legends in Selwnyn is that by the time the pear tree blossoms, you must have already started studying for end of year exams... or else you'll fail. As I write this the tree has well and truly blossomed, and indeed most of the blossom replaced by new spring leaves. However myself, and I'd guess most people in Selwyn, most definitely have not started exam prep. Every time I look out my window I'm confronted with the sight of the tree, a continual reminder that I probably need to start doing some work. In addition, my exam timetable arrived a few days ago - and my first one is in 22 days. So I think now might be the time to pay heed to the legend of the pear tree, and get into the books.