I guess I could count my blessings and go with the flow (it is the year of the Rabbit after all). I have full time work with the paper, security and an unlikely passion-career late in my working life. A career I guess I have earned after all these years, but still, lucky.

I am however, deliberately stepping back from full time to re-open old avenues, that in hind sight I should have left ajar and open even more doors.

The school has moved on because I forced them to and no hard feelings, but they have said they will keep me in mind. Never offering more than a supplimentary income, unfortunately supplementary to nothing in my case, it was however a very fulfilling connection, one that I am still mourning.

My situation now though is tenable, which is more than I could say a year ago and more excitingly, I am now more flexible.

Financially the tax man may also be kind. Dropping two days from my week may result in only about a reduction of one days take home pay, so making up the difference, or at least part of it, may not be too hard. A little here, a little there, but most importantly, a lot more variety and creative freedom.

I thought I missed the school at first, but I have realised, I actually miss the variety, which the school was not actually offering anyway. I had ambitions well past their needs, equipment also, so drama, portraiture, self driven projects, video and more commercial work are the focus, not just hitching my ride to a single client.