After week 1 new life

The first time that I worked as a teacher in a classroom was teaching on a Shawco Education project in the late afternoons in Mannenburg outside Cape Town. That was in February 1988, at the age of 19. Since then I've always had some sort of an teaching related job, with the exception of 1990. Sometimes however I've had two - in the second half of 1994, and 1995 I worked at Leeukop Prison during the day and at Ikageng three nights a week. Suddenly it's twenty years that I've been in this line of work - which is a surprise to me in some ways. And it's been a great career, interesting, challenging, a feeling of contribution; I've also appreciated it's transportability, and reliability. You've got to get to the point of Zimbabwe for schools to shut down - and to my thinking that's a point a long way down from where you want to be living if you're lucky enough to be able to move away from that. I'm now one week into an attempted switch of career, not sure how it's going to turn out, but it's good to be trying something new, and particularly on the back of something that I feel lucky (in terms of my own standards) to have been successful at. I hope this one turns out OK; it would be great to avoid the pressures of unemployment and sudden loss of income. This is me on day one - entering a working world uniquely trashed by the global credit crisis, and facing record layoffs. I'm smiling here because I'm optimistic and feeling like I've achieved something in getting the position. Hope I don't look back at it later and think that I'm smiling because I was so naieve. Hold thumbs.


Last night we went to Tracy and Simon's house for a braai, and in my case to watch some Super14 rugby. Greg and Pam and Brett were also there, and lots of kids. We were having such a good chat that we didn't notice the meat was uber-fatty, and had started a significant fire inside the gas braai - because it had a lid. Ange noticed the flames. Simon ran for the rescue gear. Greg thought that the fire was big enough to put out some portrait lighting. I thought he had a point. By the time the rescue was complete, the meat was pretty well done . Later that night it got really misty, with a beautiful stillness. I took this shot and cut it into three to make a tryptich for you; Sheung Sze Wan small boat harbour in the middle of the night:

Shek O on your birthday