The end is nigh

 We've just finished exam week and now have two and a half weeks of school left. YES!! The good news is we're having an extra week of holidays in January and not starting like government schools on the 5th. That's painful - New Year on the Friday and back to school on the Tuesday - no man. This year has been an incredibly long one, with two week breaks but otherwise school since May. I went to see my gynae on Monday and when I told her I had had tick bite fever in March, she said it might have been Corona. They have similar symptoms and it turns out you treat them with the same drug, doxycycline. The only way of knowing would be to test my antibodies.

We were supposed to have been having a choir concert on Sunday at Chapman Golf Club for 100 people but yesterday government sent out a statement saying we are still under lock down and therefore the concert would be illegal. Pity, but hopefully we can do the concert at a later date. It was nice to be singing again.

Last week and the week before I developed a chicken pox resembling rash. I don't know if it was a type of heat rash but when I went to the doctor to check it wasn't chicken pox or shingles, I was told it was probably an allergic reaction to something. Trouble is I don't know to what. The doctor said the spots looked a lot like chicken pox but I should have been covered head to foot if it was.

I'm kitten sitting this weekend for a good friend. Means I have use of a pool again and uncapped internet, yay. Might try watch some of The Crown on Netflix. The weekend after school finishes am going back off to the Vumba with friends. Looking forward to that. We will have to take diesel with for the generator and use solar lighting but will be a good break.

Funeral crowd renting services

 Am jolly glad tomorrow is Friday. It's been a pretty busy week with school and then evening outings. I did decide to go to the art festival at the Old Stables Market at the Race Course on Sunday. A few people asked me why I wasn't exhibiting. If I had known the Wild Geese person was the organiser I would have applied. Next time. There was a great selection of art and my favourite ice lolly company had an ice cart. It was pretty warm so a passionfruit ice lolly was just the ticket.

On Monday we had our first choir rehearsal. Well there had been earlier rehearsals during lock down but I didn't go. I had to quickly pick up the songs they had learned then. We are going to sing those and some we had rehearsed earlier in the year for a small concert at Chapman Golf Club in three weeks time. I had a braai after choir but trying to find the car in the dark on leaving choir, I tripped and fell over a rockery. Managed to gash the instep of my foot and cut my big toe. The irony was at the braai there were seven doctors present, but my non-medic friend William applied first aid. He thought this was very funny.

Went out to Hatfield on Tuesday after an eye appointment to see my best friend Nina. Was good to catch up and we went down to the paddock to see goshawks and their nest. Nina also has hoopoes nesting under the eaves by the kitchen. This afternoon I caught up with another close friend Heather on WhatsApp. Had to get my head around the time difference now they have day light savings.

The Convent Old Girls' Association has decided to put on a reunion lunch at Alo Alo at the end of November. We had a meeting this evening to plan and coordinate as a committee. As a joke one of the others said could I organise to rent a crowd for her funeral. Never been asked to do that, lol. We are going to have a Christmas theme this year. Sadly there will be no Sr Kate or Sr Loyola this year.

To go or not to go? That is the question

 Am very glad it's Friday and we are now two weeks into term. Seven more to go til I hopefully get a proper holiday at last and a complete break. I haven't really stopped since the school holidays ended in May. We are hoping to try go back up to the Vumba just after school closes with some friends. Can revisit the famous Tony's Coffee Shop and go for walks in the forest.

There's a big art festival happening at The Stables at Borrowdale Race Course on Sunday. I know some of the artists exhibiting. I would like to go but there is a part of me that is a bit concerned about how many people there will be in a relatively small area. Although COVID is still not a major concern in Zimbabwe, it is still out there. I could try go straight after mass. Will see. A friend said a doctor advised her not to. Perhaps I should heed that advice but there is the ever present case of FOMO.

Was chatting to my work colleague at lunchtime and she said she told her class they will learn all about human reproduction when they get to my class. Ho hum, I had previously been told not to teach it as some of our kids are still very immature. There are some aspects though like hygiene and menstruation that should perhaps be taught. With my private tutoring student I have just covered sexual reproduction and the poor boy didn't know where to look. When I asked what bodily changes occur when you're a teenager he stuck to the very safe ones and feigned ignorance at the rest which was quite amusing. He was thoroughly relieved when we got to the end of the unit. In some ways, so was I.

I may be house sitting for my headmistress over Christmas. Would entail looking after two great danes, chickens and I think rabbits. She will take her small dog Yukkie with her as he got into fights with the great danes. He has been coming into school with her and is now the school mascot. Yukkie the school dog.

Back to the classroom with Corona

 I am into my second week of being back to classroom teaching. Whilst it is good to see the kids and you can make them do the work more easily, I miss having a mute button and not having to deal with classroom politics. Also trying to keep their attention all morning and be on the ball from 7 am til 1 pm is an art I am having to pick up again. But overall so far it has been OK. Although half of my class were all absent both yesterday and today. Did they all go down with Corona?! I have to do temperature checks first thing and we all have to wear face shields. Two more classes start back tomorrow. We are going to have to stagger break time so they can keep distanced. There's no sport so am doing distanced Pilates with my class. My one student after Friday's session kept muttering, "I don't feel good" to the tune of James Brown's more affirmative version.

My Borrowdale Brooke au pairing job came to an end sadly. They wanted someone who could do mornings and afternoons which I can't. I went to watch the little girl horse riding last week though and they said they possibly might call on me to tutor in the holidays. As a thank you present I was given the most beautiful bunch of purple roses and other flowers from Wild and Fresh and I was also given my first ever Patrick Mavros jewellery. Unfortunately they are earrings but maybe it's time I pierced my ears. Will see.

Choir is set to resume on Monday. They had some practices earlier on in lock down but have been told they will be doing new songs on Monday and we are going to try do a concert to a small audience on the 22nd of November at Chapman Golf Club. I haven't sung in a while, this could be interesting.

I am still house sitting. Probably for a week and a bit more but just depends on my friend's treatment down South. Am loving having a pool to cool off in at the end of each day. I pop home to see my own doggies when I can. Luckily it's not far from here.

The Return

 And just like that government announced we're all headed back to school and tomorrow is suddenly my last day of this "term". Earlier this week is was projected that my class would resume back in the classroom at the end of October. Well that has all changed, yet again and I now will start with everyone else on the 14th of October. To begin with I was told I would only get one week's break while everyone else gets two. I'm afraid I dug my heels and insisted I also get two weeks. My class don't write the government exam ZIMSEC or the Cambridge exams so at this point it really doesn't make a difference to them if we have two weeks and I need the break!! As do they. They were a rebellious bunch in the first term (uprisings usually only happen in the third term from my past experience of grade sevens but my lot started being mutinous in February!)

So tomorrow I go into school and collect this week's marking but I don't have to do a Zoom class or distribute work for the weekend or next week. The school has to be sanitized and it looks like I have to have a test for COVID. I then have to get my head around planning for a fourth term. This school year feels like it will never end. I am keen to maybe try get away to Nyanga or the Vumba before school reopens. I really would love to get out of Harare. Will see. Feels like Zim is getting into mode for 'normality'. We see what happens. My sister is wanting us to think about using our flights booked for the UK. The UK though has gone back into lock down again and we have to pay a top up on our tickets. A return ticket on Ethiopian Airways is currently at US$ 3500. I guess if more travel paths open up the price should come down, but that is pretty steep right now.

I am dog sitting currently and enjoying walks with Snowy, the black setter like pup. It is nice to have my own space and the uncapped wifi is a definite bonus. Have got into the Netflix series The Crown. Although it is a little weird to watch someone who is still alive's life being portrayed. 

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.