It’s the end of Dorje’s first year of school proper, and the Grade 1 parents in Dorje’s class got together to give his teacher, Ruby, a present. If a wormy apple is supposed to be a sign to the teacher, I’m not sure what to make of this one. For her present she was asked to leap off a mountain. Safely tied to a paraglider of course, with an instructor to boot.

I’ve tried to climb Lion’s Head with Dorje once before, but about 100 metres in started complaining about his sore legs. There was no backing out this time though if he wanted to see teacher take her leap of faith.

The class gathered for a final photo – of the year, that is.

The instructions are simple. Run, don’t stop, don’t sit, just run. A surprising number of people apparently get it wrong, sending instructor and passenger tumbling into the bushes. Ruby got it right.

The take-off point is about a quarter way up Lion’s Head, and after taking off the paragliders usually soar on the updraft towards the summit. Dorje and Sankara kept a close eye to make sure she didn’t crash on the top. Dorje kept asking me if we could climb higher, so he was probably half hoping she would land there rather than Camps Bay beach below.

No such luck, and we raced Ruby to the beach. Most of us got there before her, but, being a Saturday afternoon, it was quicker to get to Camps Bay then to find parking, so by the time we got to the beach, Ruby was sitting safely, waiting for us.

I look forward to next year’s present: