Boy, it has been a while since I updated my own blog and a great deal has happened in the time that has lapsed.

We moved, been in the new place for about a month and a half. The move went alright though moving into a smaller place is not as simple as saying “well we don’t use those two rooms in anycase so lets scale down a bit.” Point is we had furniture in those rooms we never used so squashing things in has been challenging.

We moved into a boomed area for increased security. In the first week we had bangs and screams which had us calling the security company in the area. They informed us that it was from a big car accident the other side of the fenced off road we live in. A Mini had burst into flames and those explosions were the cause of the bangs we were hearing. Not a pretty site.

A few days later in a house down the road a man killed his wife and on the weekend when cornered by police, killed himself around the corner from their house.

Things seemed to be quieting down but this week has seen someone try break into a car that is parked outside our bedroom. Not pleasant when they damage your car to make a tool from the windscreen wiper, capable of breaking one of the windows of the neighbours car.

All this brings back memories from my earlier years as a teen when I woke to find someone exiting my bedroom – unbeknown to me at the time, he had a camera bag with new gear I had had for two days. It has an impact on one that is for sure. I find myself sleeping less soundly, waking in the early hours of the morning and listening for the slightest sounds till the birds begin to sing.

Its amazing how more aware you become of your vulnerability, analyse the security… Its a tough ride at times. It poses the question, what can we do collectively that we might not live in fear in the future in South Africa?