Mojitos or mosquitoes and my sister has a baby

 My week definitely improved since my last post and it ended on a good note, with a trip out to Wild is Life with the children I au pair for a ninth birthday party. We saw Marimba the pangolin and fed the giraffes and had a yummy tea on the lawns of the sanctuary under tents. I wished I had taken my proper camera rather than just using my phone. Hindsight is a wonderful and frustrating thing.

Our school might not start back in the classroom until after the planned October break. This suits me, although online is just not working for some of my students and it is really going to be hard trying to work with what we have to the end of the year. It does look like I might be au pairing in the afternoons which would be good. I might have to do my personal training in the early morning before school - eeek. Will be a long day, we'll see.

Am house sitting again as sadly a friend has cancer and has to go down to Joburg for treatment. It was touch and go getting clearance to travel down as the borders are still closed with COVID but they left today. I was on stand by since Thursday. Am looking after Snowy the dog and the twelve chickens. Snowy is getting used to me. They have uncapped wifi so I can watch Netflix and play music on YouTube - nice!

Had a friend's birthday braai this afternoon in Pomona. Was nice and chilled and she made very yummy mojitos at the end. Left before the others as had to feed Snowy and put the chickens in the coop. Got back to a message from my sister which simply said they now have a baby!? So they have been wanting to have a cat for a while and finally bit the bullet today and got a kitten. Haha, not a new niece or nephew but it may take that unofficial status. No name as yet.

Uncertainty

 This last week has been a hard one. My anxiety came back, along with a dose of depression. It looks like schools are starting to reopen with exam classes coming back. While this is necessary and needs to happen it also spells out the end of my job in Borrowdale Brooke and my better salary. This has left me feeling very low and a bit panicky about what next. I am also feeling a bit worn out from having to just keep going. I got some reprieve when the family in Borrowdale Brooke asked if I would consider doing the au pair job in the afternoons when schools go back. This did significantly lift some of my worry. It is going to be a juggle though and will have to work out when I will be able to fit in photocopying. It looks like two more weeks of online learning and then I am back in the classroom.

Unicorns, au pairing and TikTok

View from above Borrowdale Brooke

Since I last wrote, my anxiety has lifted and I am enjoying my new work more. I am managing OK with balancing it with school work and it is the right amount of busy-ness. It is just as well my new job covers fuel, as I use a quarter of a tank there and back each day, but I like the drive. The Brooke is an interesting place, slightly pretentious and an admixture of architectural styles. The house I go to is near to Mnangagwa's son's mansion. We have a chef, Victor, who whips out cupcakes every break time. Have just done a work out online with Cara my personal trainer to try burn it off but I need to try not to nibble so much. Am getting to know the kids I tutor. They are both dyslexic and one does NILD with someone else but I help with her NILD homework and rhythmic writing. At the moment I don't have any NILD students of my own. 

Part of my job is to take my two students and the two younger ones to activities. I was dropping one off this week and by mistake we drove into the wrong house. Turns out the house we went to knows the family so was a little awkward but they seemed to see our mistake. On Mondays and Wednesday I do a drop off and pick up at Hellenic and get a lunch box picnic packed for me to munch on. I am seeing the other side of online learning and how it is a bit stressful for parents trying to get their kids to get through all the work set by teachers and also having resources on hand for projects suddenly sprung on them. Is quite good for me to see this for my own class. Hellenic did the #jerusalemachallenge and I am getting my class to do it too. Some are keen, some not so much. I said I can compile a video of it, hopefully haven't bitten off too much of a challenge with that.

I house sat last week in Kensington and this week I'm in Milton Park looking after the lone remaining dachshund and two new cats. I am going to try pop home just now to see my own two dogs. Having a few friends over for dinner and then lunch this weekend. Just been using Pinterest to look at recipes based on a loose idea I have planned. Went back to the Pomona Farmers' Market yesterday and again they had such lovely veggies and much cheaper than elsewhere. I love that you put everything in brown paper bags, no plastic and you have a wicker basket to fill. Definitely a fan.

Have been asked to give a 30 minute talk on depression online in October. The panel discussion I was on a month ago should be shared soon.

Anxiety

 I don't often get anxiety, but this past week it has been hanging over me and I wake up feeling it acutely. I think it's trying to juggle everything and not drop a ball and feeling the pressure that I have to as otherwise we can't afford the basics. It eats into you though and hovers over your day.

This week was an ease into things as we had a long weekend. From next week it will be the real test with full weeks and trying to get it all done. It looks like I will be house sitting for two weeks for two different people.

This isn't a long post as I don't really have much more to say. I feel for those who have anxiety all the time and struggle with it daily.

Good news in the time of Corona

Managed to get out into the garden and start a painting this morning. Did a wash of water colour and will work into it with ink. Before that I did some school stuff and asked my class for topics they want to cover in this next term. A lot of them said they want to learn about Zimbabwean and African history. We have done the Chimurengas and slavery before but guess we can visit them again. I think my class is going to be very #blacklivesmatter conscious with slavery and Apartheid but I guess they need to know to have a balanced view.

Did a lesson online and then drove across to Borrowdale Brooke for an interview. I got the job to tutor children who are doing online work from Hellenic and I start on Wednesday. This will really help my income and they will cover my fuel. It means I'm going to be working pretty darn hard when school resumes but I have to.

The other good news is that I have sold a painting. It's the one I did out at Mazowe the week before last.

An extra job and mental health

Have an interview for some extra teaching tomorrow. It's to support some children learning from home. I just am not going to survive on my current income. Basically earn just enough to pay our gardner on my main salary. It's going to mean working even harder but I have no choice. It's that or we may have to leave Zim as we just cannot afford to live here any more. I will also be doing some marking for the Allied Arts poetry and literature eisteddfod. I think a lot of people are barely making ends meet and living hand to mouth here.

At lunchtime I took part in a recorded online panelist discussion on mental health. There was someone from the Friendship Bench, some other support groups and health practitioners. We are going to do another session next weekend and it will eventually be posted online for a mental health virtual festival.

Otherwise have pottered round the garden, watering plants and being with my dogs. There was an art festival at Mukuvusi Woodlands today that I would have liked to have gone to but we are trying to be careful (my sister is freaking out about us going out and about). There is a third and final art auction for Daryl Nero's art which will be online.

Mental health and vet bills

This morning got off to a good start. Since we've gone back to stricter lock down again, I had organized a Google Meets with people from my depression support group, Unquiet Minds. Ended up only being four of us, but it was good to connect and one of the people is now in France and he had some great ideas from what he has experienced in France for support for depression. They have groups that offer activities for different interests. A friend in Australia who works in mental health support had also suggested this. When lock down ends can definitely try this out and in the meantime try have more regular online meet ups. Tomorrow I am a panelist speaker for a mental health webinar. Am just waiting to hear if we are live tomorrow or if the discussion with be shared later on.

Moderator: Lady K - radio personality

Panelists:

- Tony Friday - Global institute for emotional health and wellness / Radio personality

- Chenjerai Chigumbura - Lawyer / The Empowerment Trust founder

- Sandra - art therapy

- Wadzanai Garwe - Economist

- Michael Chiunda - LGBTQ+ activist / Hands of Hope / Singer/Songwriter

- Noku Sithole - DJ Noxxy / Gospel Artist /

- Ashler Jaya - The mixologist

- Rufaro - Poet

- Chengeto Brown - Singer/Songwriter

- Ruth Mbangwa - Jazz Musician

- Elli - Mental Health worker

- Indigo Saint - Musician / Activist

- Akrikka - Activist / Musician

- Chido Tengae - Actress

- Ritah The thought - Events and Creative Arts Management / Social and Community

Development / Spiritual and Mental Health Activist

- Diana Motsi - Activist / Photographer

- Michelle Juru - Visual Artist / Chief Creative Officer of Panda Stu.

- AneUnhu Gwatidzo - Creative Consultant / Multidisciplinary storyteller

- Tony Friday - Global institute for emotional health and wellness / Radio personality

- Vimbai Mukaronda - Tutor at Inspire tutors

- Sandra - Art therapy

- Dr Nyarai Paweni - Wellness coach - Naturopathic Doctor / Mental Wellness Advocate

- Wadzanai Garwe - Economist

- Katy Lanas - Unquiet minds

- Michael Chiunda - LGBTQ+ activist / Hands of Hope / Singer/Songwriter

- Agatha Chapeyama-Chipunza - The mental health trust

- Ashler Jaya - The mixologist

- Thandi Gula-Ndebele - Photographer/ Videographer

- Chengeto Brown - Singer/Songwriter

- Ruth Mbangwa - Jazz Musician

- Indigo Saint - Musician / Activist

- Akrikka - Activist / Musician

- Ritah The thought - Events and Creative Arts Management / Social and Community

Development / Spiritual and Mental Health Activist

- Diana Motsi - Activist / Photographer

Out in the garden after the online meet up, I suddenly noticed my dog Elsie had a gaping wound on her elbow. She gets pressure points there but this had turned into an abscess which had burst, and we had to take her to the vet. Coaxing her along with biscuits we got her in the car, whereafter she was very well behaved. The vets had a glass shield in front of the main counter and we weren't allowed into the consulting room with Elsie.  She panicked a bit at this but was OK. It all came to US$23, which is about an eighth of my salary, but had to be done. But between Elsie having to go to the vet and Jasper biting Given, our gardner, this week has been costly.