London in summer is lovely. London in winter is MISERABLE! Today, I am not sure what the capital is trying tell me ...


Have you ever woken up and thought, I need to live in a new country?


I kind of felt that this morning - but where would I go? Hmmm ... today I have spent the day with Oli and Ed in the editing suite looking at the Western Australia, Bavaria and Cyprus episodes.


All looking rather good ... all making me rather desperate to get on a plane ... guess what though, I am off to Morocco next week! Yipee!


So below are a few photos that I have found (out of the 5000!) which tell a story of kind ... Fun tonight ... London IS good for that!

 With Tim at the Royal Perth Yacht Club

 With Jane Dawson - Penguin Keeper - at ... Penguin Island, WA

 I am outside with the pooches and I don't really care! Dog is always better than man ...

 With Elena and Philipp at Trader Vic's at the Bayericherhof Hotel in Munich

 Mega me ... now just need a mini ...

 I still wear my lovely hat!

 That's me ... !

 Worst EVER dive ... Cyprus ... 

Wine helps!

Prometheus - "a sci-fi freakout"! The first reviews are in and I am now even more excited today than I was yesterday to see this movie! I mean - aliens, spaceships, Charlize Theron - directed by Ridley Scott ... how could it NOT be a hit??

On the work front - London and editing are calling tomorrow ...


The weather was superb AGAIN today ... I must dust down my golf clubs ... and my tennis racket!

The last couple of days have been rather noisy. I realised that a large bird had got stuck in my chimney ... and could not fly up ... and was too afraid to fly down. My two cats also were on the prowl!


Calls to the RSPCA and RSPB (protection agencies) proved fruitless (not enough funding for emergency calls) so the future of this bird seemed b(l)eak. I could hear his friends outside calling for him ... with his replying ... it was pitiful.


It seemed that this bird was getting weaker and weaker by the hour trying to escape ... and I even climbed up the chimney to leave some water and a bowl of worms (from the garden) to keep his strength up.


This morning he was rather agitated ... and my vet suggested I put a mirror or shine a torch up the chimney to show the bird the way out! So - I spent two hours with my BlackBerry torch (better than the iPhone one! ha!) earning the bird's trust until FINALLY he came down! It then took another 20 minutes to capture him in a cloth bag and put him outside! Poor fellow was so dazed he didn't move for around 2 minutes - enough time for one of the stalking cats (Maisy - the small, cheeky one) to show a real interest!


I shooed the cat and the bird away and I happy to say that the bird is now back in a tree!


Last week in South Africa I had THE scariest moment of my decade of filming ... when I got inside a cage to feed vultures. It was like something out of Jurassic Park ... twenty or so adult, hungry vultures awaiting meat .. and me. I have never been so frightened ... NEVER again!

 It's NOT funny!

 Shoo shoo!

Scared ... but relieved!

grrrr....

Today, it's all about scripts ... Munich, Perth and Cyprus ...


My desk & office are a mess - surrounded by paper - and every time I look out of the window, I see warm, bright, sunshine ... long may it last ...


I am embracing this video stuff ... here's another outtake from last week ... from when I came face to face with a wild male leopard that had been taken in for his own safety and will be released back into the wild quite soon ...


Sorry about the "bleep" ... but please watch this ... 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89-J4LBsy5Q&list=UUzIiyVkv_mBW4TRBQYOTPQw&index=1&feature=plcp

Home - finally!


The flight home (SAA) was comfortable, punctual and uneventful ...


Next stop - in 2 weeks - is Marrakesh! What am I going to do with all this time off? Well - I do want to watch Prometheus and Men in Black 2 ... but where ... London, Paris, Rome ... who knows!


Anyway - we have delved into video clips on ILT: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azrPMzajyTo&feature=youtu.be


It was taken at the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre ... near The Royal Malewane.


Brian Jones - the chap who started the centre - has a "friendly" male lion who ... well, watch the video!

Tim, Juan, Wilson ... and Jack

Day 9 - OR Tambo (Johannesburg) Airport, South Africa


In two hours I fly home ... on South African Airways ...


Today we spent the day filming the airport, check-in, lounges etc for a piece that we are putting together for the South Africa episode.


My stay at the Intercontinental was great ... an impressive airport hotel.


So - highlights of the past few days - The Saxon, The Royal Malewane, honey badgers, cheetah cubs, leopards ... vultures ... and the wild dog & hyena in a chase - apparently a truly one-in-a-billion sighting ...


Ahhhh ... sadness is such a horrible feeling.

Ladies & Gentlemen, on the flight deck tonight ....

With the "producer" for the day - from SAA - the adorable Janet Cooper

Arrival at the Airport

First Class/Premier check-in - with Alexa - one of J'burg's top make-up artists 

SAA First Class lounge

After HOURS of trying, I finally make Janet laugh!

Tim directs

Happy and his wine wall

More wine please

Excess luggage?

The one that got away was THIS big!

What's in here then?

We like blue suede shoes

Seat 1 A please

With Shikoane - Aircrew of the Month 

With the lovely Ladies

Bye-bye South Africa ....

Day 8 - Johannesburg Airport - O R Tambo - South Africa


"Every time I say goodbye ... I cry a little ..."


It's been a week of goodbyes ... people, hotels, lodges and animals ... and I have to say that I feel quite sad this evening.


While many think that this job is fantastic (it is), it has it downsides and the "goodbyes" are THE worst.


Today was my last at The Royal Malewane (for now!) and I have to admit that there was a wee tear as I drove to the airport at Hoedspruit. I have left friends behind ...


This morning I went on a game drive with Wilson and Juan ... the first interaction we filmed was two hyenas being chased by wild dogs! This is an amazing thing to see and indeed film ... and very rare.


We finished off our filming, packed and left ...


Am now at the Intercontinental Hotel at OR Tambo Airport (Johannesburg) where we are filming a few segments with South African Airways ...


On Sunday, there will be a pictorial account of this ...


Sad, sad ...

 Thank you and goodbye.

 Hyena and Wild Dogs ...

My friendly giraffe who lives near Suite 8 ... The Royal Suite at The Royal Malewane

Day 7 - Greater Kruger National Park - South Africa


So what did I see today?

Baby nyala came to say "hello" by my suite

Many wildebeest

This hippo and some friends. First time I have seen them out of the water ...

A crocodile basking in the sun

Alone again ... naturally ...

Ahhhhhhhhhh!

A dead bat

Wilson (tracker) and me looking at a male leopard as Tim films ... 

Elephant

Buffalo

Oxpecker ... 

Warthog trotting

Giraffe


AND SO MUCH MORE ......