Time to post this beautiful picture again. The artist is one of my pupils who was so terrified of the water when she first started lessons with me that she couldn’t even walk across the pool. She has been making steady if slow and careful progress. She developed a beautiful and elegant leg kick and was swimming well with a float. She lives on the other side of London and I have been touched by her parents belief in me.  They have brought her to lessons every week for more than a year. At some point she told me that the reason she was frightened of the water was that she had gone under the water in her first lesson at school. I think this was an accident but interesting that she couldn’t even tell me about it until we had been working together for some time.

Then  last week she finally swam across the pool completely unaided. We were all of us, me, her parents and the little girl herself so happy.

People often say to me that children learn quickly and of course they do, but even children can be held back a long time by fear.

Her mum told me that before she came to me they had tried lots of swimming lessons but were ‘getting nowhere’ and that her fear was getting worse.

I think this picture shows what a sensitive and talented child she is. She did it ages ago, before she could really swim properly but I love the way we both look so happy, with the sun and the rainbow and the bright blue water, and the skillful way she manages to show that I am upright and walking whilst she is swimming. I love my springy blonde hair standing out from my head and her beautiful long dark hair streaming out in the water behind her.

I wish her many happy swimming years ahead.