RENEWAL

2017 is drawing to a close and I haven't updated this site for a LONG time, maybe five years.  This has been a momentous couple of weeks.  Zimbabwe went through a totally unexpected transition, the coup that was not a coup: leadership change after 37 years.

I have to share this image that my daughter Wendy found.  I don't have the artist name to credit so apologies for that, but this moment belonged to all of us Zimbabweans, crossing the red sea together.  Let's hope we will not be facing another 40 years in the desert.

EBUT UOY NO NRUBLIMA

So I bought myself a video camera and started catching those moments when I feel the music coming.

It's interesting that the immediacy of this has worked much better than all the previous attempts at multi-tracking with various technologies over the years.

Here are links to the first 2.  There are another 3 waiting in the wings, and the probability of 2 or 3 more each weekend while the experience remains fresh. 

Love Changing Blues

My Babe

Hopefully we can find a way of doing this with the band also.  Not quite so easy as pointing the camera at yourself though.  At practice sessions we normally sit in a triangle, pointing inwards.  3 cameras and more time spent editing ?  Unlikely.

LETS BUILD ZIMBABWE

In the mid 80s I worked as a Curriculum Developer for the Ministry of Education in Zimbabwe.  The CDU at this time was headed by Fay Chung and was very lively and active.  I was in the Technical Subjects group, developing material for Secondary School courses. 

Before independence subjects like building had been offered in "african" schools  as semi-vocational courses for the "less gifted".  We had a vision that Building could become an ideal integrating subject for pupils of all ability levels, challenging them to bring together knowledge from all disciplines and apply it to problem solving situations. 

The "Lets Build Zimbabwe" series of  booklets were written by Malcolm Davis and myself and given away free to schools.  We completed 3 out of 5 booklets, then Malcolm had an accident & I inherited a number of other responsibilities (Team Leader, Chief Examiner, etc) 

As Chief Examiner I had to set theory papers & practical exams that were conducted at schools all over the country.  Visits to schools in the more remote rural areas were a special treat.  Students were so keen to learn in spite of everything.  We were so optimistic about the prospects of newly independent Zimbabwe in those days.

BUILDINGS IN AFRICA

I spent 22 years living in Africa and for just over half of that time I was designing buildings.  There are completed projects that I contributed to in Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa, the Seychelles, Mozambique ... I think that's it. 

OK Bazaars Head Office, Harare Zimbabwe

Mount Soche Hotel Refurbishment, Blantyre, Malawi

House conversion, Hesselwood, outside Harare

Jungle Junction.  Restaurant overlooking Victoria Falls