Autumn Migration, Northern Winter

As many a sensible swallow would tell you, heading for warmer climes is a pretty sensible thing to do at this time of year. As I sit here in my A380 in Paris waiting to fly to the South African capital with all the leg room you could wish for, I would be inclined to agree. That said I have to confess that I was initially a bit concerned about flying to Johannesburg as a result of stumbling across the following news articles this weekend http://www.economist.com/node/21536658, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/15714042.stm and also a story from a colleague about a 32 year old client who was a father of two and who was killed instantly in a head on car crash in the city last week… As I said goodbye to Maxime earlier today, I was very conscious of the fact that I really did want to get home in one (living) piece at the end of the week – we’ve still got lots of stuff to do together. I suspect being less carefree, along with an increased interest in the weather forecast, is all part of hurtling towards middle age. However I was also adamant that I’m not ready to nestle into my comfy slippers just yet, and that I am very much looking forward to this trip to see some very smart young colleagues in a new (albeit supposedly dangerous) city, in what is reputed to be a wonderful country.