100 up!

This is quite a celebration…

I have noticed that in fact this is my 100th post to “Living in Jozi” and I thought I would just take a short moment to celebrate that fact.

It has been quite a journey, these last 100 posts, from when I started on the 12th June this year – contemplating my boxes in my room in London, (eventually even giving them names!)

Then blogging from Heathrow at some ungodly hour of the morning, waiting for my plane to Amsterdam and then Johannesburg.

My arrival and the adventures and misadventures – getting myself a drivers licence, a new car, settling into a new job and finding myself a girlfriend – now my fiancé.

Along the way I have contemplated the Cost of living comparison using a blog that Paul Chambers had posted on Homecoming Revolution as a template (thanks Paul!)

I have met new friends who have left comments – and that is so rewarding. You know, all these posts would just be meaningless ramblings (OK – most are meaningless ramblings!) but without people leaving comments and participating, this would be no fun at all, and I may as well just take up graffiti painting!

And so, on to the next 100 posts then – and beyond. But thank you for reading these first 100 – I do hope they have brought you some level of enjoyment!

A new arrival...

Well, we have a new addition to the family…

On Sunday, we got a puppy. Or more exactly, William got a puppy, who promptly stole all our hearts – so I think puppy more got a family!

Shadow, or Puppy, or Baby, or Mama, or Shady – ok, I think you can see that we haven’t quite got the name sorted out yet – is a cross Pekinese and Pug (or was that a Chihuahua?) She is about 6 inches tall in total and is still learning what those four things are that are sticking out under her body…


She has the cutest little face and a fondness for flowers – you know, the kind you can bite off of people’s prize flower bushes. I am not so sure that felix the cat is too impressed by this additional little bundle of fur – and this evening she made quite a point of making sure she lay with Ulricha – ensuring that she didn’t miss out on any attention that was being handed out.

But there you go. We have a puppy.

Now if only we could agree a name for the poor mite.

Breaking News - we are engaged!

Yes, the lovely lass that for the last while has carried the title, "girlfriend", has said "Yes" and Ulricha and I are officially engaged!

And so begins a road of excitement and terror and stomach turning nervousness as we start preparing for our wedding, which will be some time late next year. We have some ideas for a venue, and for a time, but we will still plan these things. We have already been looking around at wedding dresses, and I think Ulricha has just about every wedding website on the Internet bookmarked on her laptop.

It is an exciting time, a nervous time, and as the eventual date slowly creeps closer, those feelings will be magnified many times over.

For now, it is just exciting and warming to be engaged, and we are enjoying that feeling and that status to the maximum!

Summer is here – because it is raining

It had finally happened – the Summer rains have arrived and on each of the two previous evenings we have enjoyed the spectacle of Highveld thunder storms, complete with magnificent lightning shows and rolling thunder that shakes you right down into your belly. And beautiful rain, lovely rain, quenching a very thirsty earth that has been crying out for some kind of moisture since I arrived back in South Africa in June.

Ulricha and I were sitting by the pool on Saturday morning just enjoying the sun, the water that is slowly becoming warmer, and more friendly for swimming, and the aftermath of the previous evenings storm. Somehow everything seemed cleaner, brighter, more alive. A small weaver bird was starting to build a nest in a palm tree, clearly eager to impress some young weaver female with his handiwork.

Actually, speaking of Weavers – I have found a very similar blog to my own – detailing the return to South Africa of an ex pat after a period in living in the UK – The Weavers Nest . In fact, our return is so close in terms of time, we may have been on the same plane! I am enjoying Kirsty’s honest and open writing as she tells how she and her family are getting back into South African life. If you have a chance, do go have a look and a read.

As for us – well we are having a quiet weekend, trying to still recover from our holiday last week. It’s ironic really how you can go on holiday and sometimes return more exhausted than when you left.

Road Trip to the Mother City #10: The Long Road Home

Sunday was our drive home…
We set off again in the early hours and managed to arrive in Laingsburg just as the sun was rising and about to blind us.
By the time we arrived in Three Sisters Ulricha and I were both exhausted. We had already driven for just shy of 5 and a half hours, and knew the longest stretch of rode was still to come. Already the temperature was starting to reach toward the 30 degree mark – and that was at 9 o’clock, as we enjoyed breakfast in an air conditioned greasy spoon.

We decided to take an alternative route home – hoping to avoid the 6 sets of road works that are currently under way on the N1 motor way between Three Sisters and Springfontein. Instead, we opted for the alternative route through Kimberley, a route we had not tried before. We set off, Ulricha at the wheel, toward Kimberley.

The road itself to Kimberley is in good order, but the scenary is slightly different. As Ulricha said, “This is truly the Karoo” Mile after lonely mile the road stretched, like a piece of liquorice draped over a dry and thirsty earth. There was much less traffic and often we would find ourselves the only car on the road – with no companion vehicles as far as the eye could see.

By the time we had reached Kimberley, our illusions of having selected a more convenient route had been shattered, by a more than useful family member who informed me that there were no less than 5 sets of road works on the N12 motorway. My spirits sank, but fortunately, I negotiated all 5 with only a delay of 7 minutes where we had to wait for the oncoming traffic.

The quality of the road surface had deteriorated though, the yellow line hard shoulder had all but disappeared, and the driving on the streth from Warrenton to Klerksdorp was very sapping and exhausting. Once again we swapped the driver, and Ulricha “brought us home”.

By this stage we were all but exhausted. The type of exhaustion that deflates you, when your spirit is so low, and all you want to do is get home. It was then that the N12 served up its trump card – traffic lights and stop streets!

It was a good experience, and cheaper than paying for the 3 toll roads through the Free State – but exhausting, and more stressful.

But we got home. We arrived safe and sound.
We had a fantastic week in Cape Town. We enjoyed ourselves tremendously. We took nearly 1,000 photographs in that time! (I apologise that this has perhaps been more of a PHOTO BLOG in the last week than anything else – but when you are surrounded by beauty, you simply have to share it!)

But as much as we enjoyed ourselves, we were just happy to once more be home.

Road trip to the Mother City #1: Holiday by the sea

Usually one goes to the coast to enjoy high temperatures, but this holiday is a little bit reversed. For a local that has just returned from the UK, the recent high temperatures experienced on the Highveld feel REALLY warm, and so Ulricha and myself are taking a week out and visiting my parents in Cape Town.

We started off very early on Friday and were already approaching Bloemfontein by the time the sun rose. We continued extremely well, making good progress until Colesberg, when the car developed an emission system problem, which caused the engine management system to limit to power being delivered. As a result our progress was significantly slowed, though thankfully the problem is not serious enough to have caused us to stop.

We arrived safely late in the evening, welcomed to Cape Town by strong winds, but clear and sunny skies – something quite unusual for Cape Town recently.

However, along the way we managed to get some good photo opportunities – especially when we got into the Western Cape, and caught sight of some snow that has accumulated over the high mountains of the Boland. The scenery in the Cape is magnificent, with the recent higher than usual rainfall having left the flora blooming magnificently.

And no matter how much time you spend away from Cape Town, somehow the glimpse of Table Mountain from Blouberg always gives you the feeling that you have returned home.

Reasons to be cheerful

Regardless of what you might decide as to where you want to live, or what you think of London, Cape Town or any other place on Earth, I defy you to find a place that offers such brutal and beautiful scenery as the Highveld of South Africa.


Last evening Ulricha and I went out to a lovely dinner, at a restaurant that had a westward facing balcony, facing the setting African sun. I couldn't help but take a photo of the skyline as the Evening star appeared, watching over us like some kind of terrestial guardian.


And this morning, on the way to work I had to stop just to take an image of the City of Gold as sun rose at around early. This is the view that I have around me on my commute to work, and no matter how awful the traffic is each morning, somehow the soul and mind are soothed by the golden hues of an African sunrise.

Wherever I lay my hat - London versus Johannesburg

An article on News24 was brought to my attention, comparing living in London with living in South Africa. The author of the article, Georgina Guedes, tells of her latest two week experience in London, and of some of the comments made by South Africans over there with regards the trade off between the weather there and the crime in South Africa.

Her article has in fact evoked such a response that the comment facility on her page was closed within a few hours of it appearing... Pity that, now I will have to comment here - and hope she sees it.

Having lived in London for more than 4 years, Bristol for just shy of 2 years, Cape Town for more than 25 years, and Johannesburg for around 3 years, I think I am well placed to comment with regard the comparison of living in London, or the UK and South Africa.

Firstly, let it be known that while Georgina complaints of "the fine drizzle perpetually soaking" everything, it is a true fact that Johannesburg's average annual rain fall is HIGHER than the average annual rainfall in London! If you don't believe me, either refer to the following:
Johannesburg statistics versus
London Statistics, or look this up yourself – you will find that Johannesburg receives nearly 40% more rain per year than London.

So now that we have that misperception cleared up, what is true to say is that it is generally grey in London and fairly often grey. But let's be honest - who in the world is not aware of that these days? To go to London and complain about the weather is to move to Johannesburg and complain that you miss the beach!

People do not move to London for the weather. Therefore the change in lifestyle that the weather brings about is part of what you accept when you move to London. If you are a sun bunny - you will hate London, so don't even get on the plane.

People move to London for the experience, the opportunity, the new doors that living in a cosmopolitan city can open up for you. A change of lifestyle is probably part of the plan if you are contemplating moving to London.

Georgina says that London Life is hard – and it is expensive.
I am not sure what she means by “life is hard” – I currently work a 40 hour week, whereas my UK contract only required a 37.5 hour work week. South Africans are in fact valued for their work ethic and the hard work they put in. It is part of being a South African. And expensive? Well, perhaps it was specific to me, I may be speaking out of turn, but I never found it expensive. Once you are earning Pounds, spending Pounds becomes more comfortable. And you can shop at Marks and Spencers – or at Lidl. Life is as expensive as you choose to make it – like shopping at Woolworths or Checkers. And Georgina may want to take a peek at my Cost of Living blog, where there appeared to be an interesting outcome.

For my own part, I loved London. I enjoyed it more than any other city I have ever lived in, I loved the public transport, I loved the fact that things generally worked, though the wrong kind of leaves on the track could bring the public transport system to a grinding halt. I loved the fact that there were so many parks to go out to, to walk in, to see families walking in - and yes, they WERE donned in their rain Macs Georgina, but that is part of the joy of being outdoors for me. Walking through Richmond Park - amongst the deer, or across Wimbledon Common to the Windmill, or along the lake in Wimbledon Park.

Like everything in life, London is what you make it. But if you want to see the sun, don't go!

Despite all that, I am now living in Johannesburg. I returned to be close to members of my family whom I needed to be close to. I have myself a lovely life, a great job, a beautiful girlfriend. I have a lot of things I didn't have in London. I get to feed geese 3 times a week, I get to lie by the pool pretty much any day of the week, I can walk with rolled up shirt sleeves at 6:30 in the morning.

And yet - for all that, YES, I miss London.

Every person will love or hate London. It is a Marmite city - there are no half measures.

But every person should at least decide their opinion for themselves.

Fair enough, Georgina hates it... But that's not to say you must.

Grounded by the weather

Having boasted liberally and to great lengths about the phenomenal weather that Johannesburg has enjoyed since I arrived at the end of June, today finally turned around and bit me in the butt – and the cloudy day has caused my flight lesson to be cancelled. Ironically though, the cloud level around home is fine enough to fly in, but at the airport I am flying out of the level is far lower, and hence I am grounded…

The weather has turned though actually, and today is a completely unusual day. The temperature is far lower than it has been (still mild by UK standards) but Felix the cat has decided that this is no day to be outside, and has curled up on the duvet – right next to Ulricha, I might add!

It is remarkable to think that September is already just about at an end – the year already three quarters of the way through. Already I have been in South Africa for 3 months.

Ulricha’s parents returned from their week long holiday at the sea side, and seemingly my supervision of the pool was in fact quite good. I am relieved, I must say, as my technical experience of these things is rather limited. But even I would have to say that I am proud of myself on this particular score! Hopefully in the next few weeks it will be warm enough to enjoy the pool – without fear of frost bite!

I think for now though I am going to follow Felix’s fine example – and climb in under the duvet!

Change in plan...

It was my intention to try to get some aerial photographs of Johannesburg today when I went flying, but as my wings have been clipped by the turn in the weather, this plan has fallen through rather dramatically.

So instead I thought I would post an old video that I made while still in the UK. It is from the 2006 Farnborough Air show and is the first airshow appearance of the Airbus A380 in the UK. This plane is currently flying scheduled flights out of Heathrow for Singapore Airlines, but soon other airlines will be bringing their A380 fleets online too, and this will become a far more usual sight around the world’s larger airports.

And finally.... VIDEO!

I finally have my new computer set up, and my favorite part of that experience is the ability it has to capture and edit video.

And so, having spoken to you so often before about the geese at the small pond around the corner, and our various expeditions to feed them, I can finally share with you a little bit of that experience.

I hope you enjoy!

Feeling like Nero

I have the strangest feeling - rather like Nero fiddling while Rome burns...

When I look at the news, I see headlines about Paulson and his billions and every politician appears to be heading to Washington to twist the arm of "negotiators" - whose identities I couldn't begin to imagine... And all of this is going to save the World's economy.

At home, we have a new President, a new cabinet, and the markets appear to be returning to something resembling "normal".

And amidst all this change, upheaval and chaos, I feel like I am in the middle of an oasis of happiness and relaxation....
Today after work Ulricha and I skipped gym and rather went for a walk. Yes, in Johannesburg, in the sunshine, without an armed guard. We took ourselves on a walk to feed the geese, and enjoyed the fresh air and sound of birds chirping merrily.

In a world of change and turmoil, I am Nero, fiddling a relaxed tune and enjoying each moment of every sun filled day...

If only I had the Empire to match!

The public holiday that was...

A lovely day is coming to an inevitable end.

We have had a very relaxed day. Our plans for going out to a local park for a picnic, changed into just having a lovely picnic at home in the gardens, enjoying the lovely sunshine and the simplicity of a home cooked lunch.
The animals joined us, with the dog and 2 cats circling us in ever tightening circles as they smelled the food, though didn’t want to just ask for a tit-bit.

Ulricha’s parents have been on holiday for the last few days, and her father asked me to look after the pool. Given that my technical know-how is very limited, this was a rather ambitious request.
What has made it worse is that the pool appears to have noticed that he has gone, and so has started playing up – with the pool cleaner stopping for no reason, the winds whipping up loads of leaves and dust and dumping it into the pool, and I swear I have started noticing marks on the pool floor that weren’t there before!

I have also found out that today was Heritage Day here in South Africa – hence the reason for the Public Holiday. I am not sure entirely what that means I should be celebrating, other than the obvious “Heritage”.

And so ends our little oasis of relaxation in the middle of this week. Tomorrow we are back to the grind, but thankfully just for another 2 days.

Another week in Africa

It’s been a long while since I last put finger to keyboard and wrote something here – but it has been a busy old time.

The weather continues to be glorious. The winter has been fine and crisp, and temperatures have been wonderfully warm. But the first small signs of spring are breaking through, like a lazy bear after a winter hibernation, spring is making its presence felt – but slowly and groggily. The winds have started to blow slightly more, and today we had a build up of thunder clouds that ultimately didn’t lead to rain, but looked like a perfect dress rehearsal for the summer thunderstorms that inevitably will follow soon.

Today started off glorious and warm – and Felix our cat took advantage of a lazy morning on the stones of the patio. And looking around the garden I noticed how the statue I had taken a photograph of just a few days ago, was now engulfed by a fury of little purple flowers – eager to secure her dignity.

The last week has involved several more visits to the geese at the large pond down the road. They appear to be getting used to us now, and are starting to recognise us. As soon as they see us arrive they start waddling hurriedly and noisily, soon breaking into a run, and almost beginning to fly toward us, eager to get their share of the bread we have. Most recently we were treated to a “naval attack” as they were all on the far side of the pond, and when they saw us began swimming and then flowing across the pond, coming to a halt with a splash of wings and skiing on their feet – like a living re-enactment of the Spruce Goose.

My car has been well utilised over the last two weeks. It is a pleasure to drive and really is comfortable and efficient.

Last week I went flying again for the first time in a very long time. The first ten minutes were very rusty, and despite actually being in command for the take off, I only really felt comfortable a few minutes into the flight. I am progressing well and will be “in the circuit” in a few lessons time. Having been more responsible for landing this last lesson than at any previous occasion, I think I am a bit concerned. But at the same time I am really excited – Mike the Pilot feels almost in touching distance now!

More creepy crawlies from Africa

In a new episode of "The Creepy Crawlies of Africa” I found the following spider scurrying away in fright as I opened the automatic garage door a few days ago. This is very similar to the one I blogged about a few weeks ago, though somehow this one didn’t look as menacing. All the same, it was a large specimen that I didn’t wait to long to have a chat to.

Taking the time to feed the Geese

We found, quite by accident really, that there is a lovely large pond, or small dam, just around the corner from Ulricha's home. A quiet oasis of calm, amidst the bustle of a busy little suburb.

And so earlier this week, armed with our 3 pieces of white bread, we headed down there to enjoy the late afternoon and feed the geese.

Well the geese needed no second invitation, and in typical "Goose like fashion" imposed themselves upon us, bustling around us as if we were the first people to visit them this year, and greedily gulping down whole chunks of bread while noisily fending off other geese from their precious morsels of food.

But amidst all this flapping of wings and fussing over the smallest crumb, what an absolute joy to relax and unwind in a small bit of natural splendour, tucked quietly away in a busy Johannesburg suburb.

Sometimes we really do need to take time of our our busy days to feed the geese!

Miss World in Johannesburg - the official announcement

Having disclosed on "Living in Jozi" a full two weeks ago that the Miss World pageant was to be moved and held in Johannesburg, rather than the original host city of Kiev, the official announcement was made on the 9th September by Julia Morley, chairperson of Miss World Limited. And it appears the news media have now picked this story up too.

This will not be the first time the event is hosted in South Africa. It has been held at Sun City on no fewer than 5 previous occasions. however, it will be the first time that Johannesburg hosts the event, and forms part of the mandate of the Johannesburg Tourist Company to attract major world events to the City.

Indeed, the JTC, under leadership of its CEO Lindiwe Mahlangu, has seemingly done a remarkable job to not only prepare an outstanding bid package, but also to fend off rival bids that included England and China.

The event will be broadcast to an estimated 2-billion people (or put another way, 1 in 3 people on the planet!) in over 200 countries. It will feature 115 of the world's most beautiful women, who will spend from the 18th November in the country preparing for the event held on 13th December at the Sandton Convention Centre.

Not only is the hosting of this event a coup for the JTC and the City itself, but Julia Morley also announced that South African designers would be used to dress the contestants - clearly a boost for the South African fashion industry.

The current Miss South Africa is 23 year old Tansey Coetzee who won the title last December. She has the fantastic opportunity now to not only represent her country in front of her home country, but indeed in her very own home city of Johannesburg.

This is a fantastic opportunity both for Johannesburg and for South Africa to silence some of the sceptics who are voicing trepidation over the hosting of the 2010 World Cup in this country.

A shift in marketing to returning ex-pats

You may recall that a few days ago I made a big hoo-hah about being a published author, and that I had a testimonial printed in the September issue of SA Promo Magazine… Well if you looked at it, and looked closely at page 78 of the magazine, you will notice a very interesting advertisement. It appears that St Andrews School for Girls, a private school in Senderwood, Johannesburg, is going to be exhibiting at the forthcoming HCR Woza Ekhaya event in London .

And not only St Andrews, but other schools are going to be present too. St Peters (Sunninghill) and St Johns College (Houghton) are also confirmed exhibitors. Admittedly, this does start to look like the guest list to the Last Supper - but it was always going to be private schools that would go down this route with regard marketing their brand.

There definitely is a twofold reason for their involvement. Firstly, a recruitment drive to attract back to South Africa the ex-patriot teacher population.
But secondly, and to my mind more interestingly, this represents an opportunity to market to ex-pat parents in London and the UK, who are concerned at schooling for their children when they return.

To me this marks a very interesting shift in the marketing and focus of attracting South Africans back to South Africa.
Not only will companies continue to market to the young professionals who have been over in the UK for only a few years – but the scope is being broadened seemingly, focusing on those who have been overseas for several years, who have perhaps begun families, and are now at a point of considering returning with their families.

It will be interesting to know what responses these schools get from parents at the HCR event.

Spring has sprung

It's that time of the year - or at least it is in the Southern Hemisphere...

Having endured some really torrid weather in Cape Town last weekend, and seen the Eastern Cape get lashed on Monday and Tuesday, it was wonderful to end the week with some really beautiful weather in Johannesburg. The mervury climbed steadily throughout the week, and eventually today we have a temperature of very close to 30 degrees - and that's just the start of Spring!

But it really is a beautiful time of year.
On Friday I was away from the office early in the morning and enjoyed a cup of coffee at a coffee shop local to my office - but outside, in the morning air. There were small finches all around us, tweeting and chatting as they enjoyed some seed specifically left out for them. The whole scene somehow made the office seem much further away.

On Friday afternoon - with out finance ledger system having finally given up the ghost, after threatening to do so for most of the week, I was out for lunch with Ulricha, at a resturant overlooking a small lake. There were a few water fowl at the edges, that after the meal we went to see, and even a family of ducks with a shy brood of little ducklings - and a rather angry parent, concerned that I was getting too close for my photo shot.

It's that time of year when I am looking around and seeing all kinds of beauty in nature - and even in the inanimate. The statue at the top of this piece is in Ulricha's parents garden, and just looked so stoic on Friday when I took the picture.

This really is just the beginning of Spring, but it promises to be quite some Spring, and seemingly a very warm Summer.

But we do need the rain - oh how we need the rain!

Is there a gap in the recruitment market?

I was very interested to find my Homecoming Revolution Testimonial posted on the HCR blog this morning, but read with more interest some of the comments that had been posted - a whopping 12 comments, which on an article I have written, I find awesome.

But many people express the same view - when talking to recruitment agencies in South Africa from overseas, most people seem more willing to show you the door. "Come see us when you arrive" is the general comment back.

It is interesting that when I moved over to the UK in 2002 I used a service called "First Contact" (or 1st Contact) and they set me up with some really cheap hostel accommodation, a briefing session at their offices about the UK and London, and most significantly, assisted in me opening a bank account. Without their help I would have had severe difficulty getting that bank account, and everything that follows.

In the same way, when returning I would have had problems opening a bank account for myself. Fortunately I still had accounts open from when I lived here.

But with an increasing number of senior staff and experience and skills disappearing overseas, it seems significant that there are no agencies set up to assist getting these people back.

There were SEVERAL time during my drivers licence saga that I could happily have returned to the UK - where things just seem to work.

There must be a gap in the market here that someone is overlooking.