The start of the auctions

Today sees the start of weekly auctions of foreign currency by the RBZ in a bid to stabilise the exchange rate. We wait to see what happens with that. At the moment the source of the black market rate has been blocked and no one is sure what the US dollar is trading at. Shops are now allowed to give their prices in US dollar amounts but this means having to whip out calculators and a random rate being given. It's a bit of a déjà vu scenario but scary in a way as we are well aware what followed last time we went down this road.

I have suddenly got a new student to tutor in maths and science. Will boost my income but will mean I am working pretty hard. It is looking like we might close for school holidays in a few weeks' time before we reopen with government on the 28th of July. This is all if COVID doesn't suddenly take off. The problem will be that my grade 7's will be writing their entrance exams for high school at the beginning of August so I might not get a holiday as I might be coaching them. It's all a bit of mess and you just take each day as it comes as the plan could change.

I had a bit of a break after my Zoom lesson this morning as I went to go get a pizza from Sorellas in Rolf Valley. I popped into the nursery at Willowmead, across the road, and got some bone meal to plant two ornamental cherry trees I have been given. Ended up with an arum lily and pelargonium to boot and had a quick look in Kava (which is amazing). On the way home from school this evening I stopped at Dandaro to get my new Karen Seager miniature framed. The man, Mr Macfayden, who does the framing was busy re-framing a giant Darryl Nero that is up for auction on Friday. It was quite funny that he was going from that size and scale to my tiny 10x10 cm piece. There were cygnets and baby crakes in the pond at Dandaro.

Karen Seager miniature.

Still had some marking when I got home and have a bit of a headache again from wearing my mask too long. Have now finished and can do some art tomorrow morning before I teach in the afternoon. The lock down life.