This is my first day at my desk for weeks now and the pile of mail, emails, requests and the odd demand is VERY tall!

I have been yonking through it like a beaver building a dam.

On Monday I am in Barcelona and while I am very excited by this, I also have realised I need to slow down or I will explode.

The British election was actually much more exciting that I thought possible. There is now a Sharma in the House of Commons (an estranged cousin) ... but I have to say that being an MP is not a respectful as job as it once was. Shame.

I am also getting stressed by the fact that although the sun is shining and the sky blue ... it's stil FREEEEEEZING! Brrrr ...

Song of the Day: (Keep Feeling) Fascination - The Human League
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqqBs6kkzHE&feature=fvst

Weather: Shiny

The new look British Parliament ... in my dreams!

I am FINALLY home! Yay!

Up early and checked out of The Athenaeum. I had supper with my dear PR Julia Record ... I am lucky to have her to look after me!

This morning I popped over to The Jumeirah Carlton Tower on Cadogan Square for breakfast with Alison Wheatley (ex-The Athenaeum). I must stay there one day!

It's been a quite exhausting past few days and I know I have just a few days to recover before Barcelona on Monday. Phew.

Oh by the way, we in Britain are voting for a new Government ... I DID vote but I am not going to tell who for. The markets in the US have plunged today and Greece in staring into the abyss ... the world is confused ... and confusing.

Song of the Day: Head over Heels - Tears for Fears
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMBbJ_l0Tb4

Weather: OK

Woke up to see the sun shining and the sky blue ... a hot air balloon wandered across my view ... it would be a GREAT day ... I just felt it!
Breakfast at Claridge's with my dear friend Philippe. It's his last day here as General Manger on Friday. He's been appointed as the NEW GM at The Mandarin Oriental, Paris that opens next year. I will miss him very much ... adieu Philippe!
Had my haircut ... Waldorf (with Stackler) was on sparkling form!
Burlington Arcade has an elephant ....
or two ...
Lunch at the VERY swish Cecconi's ... wild boar ragu ... pasta ... YUM!
An afternoon with dear Eddie at Davidoff ... lovely cigars and even lovelier company!

Evening was spent with my PR Director ... Julia Record ...

A lovely day.

Song of the Day: Is this the world created? - Queen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ziFgHslcs4

Weather: Chilly but bright!

I am quite exhausted!

The 8 pm flight from J'burg landed on time at Heathrow at just after 6 am. I then grabbed a cab to my hotel in London and then went straight into the edit with Oli to have a first look at the Istanbul show.

On the way from The Athenaeum to Soho, I found the most wonderful pizza shop! Pizza for breakfast? Oh yes! DELICIOUS!

Have been in the office all day but finally escaped at 6 pm!

I am going to sleep soon ... have a BIG day again tomorrow.

I can't believe that this time just 2 days ago I was on safari watching 3 cheetahs wandering the plains of South Africa. How I miss it.

Song of the Day: Alight - Supergrass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwjXgskUN50

Weather: Pleasant

pizza .... yum!
these elephants have appeared all round London! will explain more tomorrow!
Oli laughing at me in the hamam in Istanbul!
Ah - my ride back to the airport!

Today I leave South Africa. Every time I visit this wonderful country, I promise myself a "phinda" (which means "the return" by the way!). And I am ALREADY planning a full one-hour show on safari in the Kruger for 2011!
Morning breakfast at Phinda was dominated by three warthogs ... a sow and two little ones who I christened Gemima and Bert ... they ate like two of my pets at home ... quickly and exhuberantly!
We had to say a sad farewell to the staff at Phinda who have been just amazing.
A four hour drive led us to the new King Shaka Airport - just 2 days old! It replaces the old Durban International Airport.
It looks like Terminal 5 at Heathrow! The music played inside the terminal is fabulous - ALL 80's and all my favourites!
It was time to say farewell to our driver Clifford who has driven us around superbly.
Next stop - Barcelona, next Monday!

Song of the Day: Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhaHLoK3CF4

Weather: Sad ...

This has been a superb, stunning & stupendous day! I must admit a slightly sleepless night as I worried whether I would get everything I needed to make not just a great show but an awesome one … and I think the team has pulled it off gloriously.
Wake up at 0500 – coffee & cigar and head off into the Reserve with Dale Wepener and Zama Ncube – Black Rhino ranger & tracker respectively. There are just 3,500 Black Rhino left in the world … I was going to hopefully see one in the wild and stalk it ON FOOT!
On the way we met some graceful Giraffe

My opening piece-to-camera to the show. Thankfully a couple of Zebra agreed to appear in the show – only after I had paid their agents!

We stopped in several places as Zama spotted tracks and poop … some sadly belonged to the White Rhino. There are around 20,000 Whites left … and I have seen a few on the Reserve … I needed a Black one!

The footprint showed us Black Rhino was around & about … by the way, we had been searching for 2 hours by this stage!
An hour later still and we were still searching! Zama on the front of the vehicle was getting concerned that we would not find one.
Yuk! Spiders! I HATE spiders!

Suddenly Zama saw one in the distance. We stepped out of the vehicle and carefully & cautiously approached the Rhino! It was a cow – big & grumpy. Black Rhinos can charge people and kill if they get upset or feel threatened. We got our shots and left … being as quiet as possible. My heart was pounding as I knew one noise could get her to charge as us.

Just as we backed away, she DID hear us and started walking towards us! The stalkers were being stalked! She came within 30 metres of us … and the vehicle was still around 100 metres away. We just froze for 10 minutes until a plane flew overhead and distracted her! She could smell and see us … it was VERY, VERY frightening!

We ALL celebrated on returning to the vehicle because we got the shots AND we didn’t get charged! WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! It took over four and a half hours to get what we needed … it felt like four and a half days! After lunch we rejoined Jono and Thembinkosi to find the game that had so far eluded us! We drove for around 30 minutes and found a shallow watering hole that had a crocodile living in it. He was rather shy!
There are simply hundreds of species of birds, insect and trees in South Africa .. my favourite being this “thorny acacia”. It is the tree I picture when I think of Africa …

Impala

We carried on driving and suddenly at a corner we bumped into 3 cheetahs – all brothers sitting in the sun! They have been introduced into the Reserve and 2 still have tracking collars. They mewled at us … but generally ignored the fact that we had a camera on them!

Suddenly one of the cheetahs jumped onto a tree stump – less than 1 metre from me! He did a wee and a poop (marking his territory), mewled at me, smiled and wandered off! I was in total awe of him! He was so close that I could have given him a tummy tickle! I was only marginally tempted! Ha! A herd of Zebra were just 20 metres away and while they could see the cheetah, they carried on munching on grass.

As we left the cheetahs, another of the brothers headed into a tree to check out the view of the plain. They all looked full of food so maybe they were checking for female cheetahs…

From there we went in search of the “king” … and on the way met some hippos keeping cool. They can’t swim … and walk on the floor of the river or lake they are in. A hippo can hold its breath for up to 7 minutes! Not bad …

Finally under a tree on the plain, we found 3 lionesses having an afternoon nap.

From nowhere another lioness wandered into the picture and plopped herself with the other three and soon all were snoring with their tails flicking away!

It was a fantastic sight!

Finally – the end of show piece to camera! As you can see, a giraffe was rather interested in what was going on and joined in …
The afternoon & indeed this part of the show in Phinda has been an enormous success due to Jono and Thembinkosi. Bravo boys – take a bow!

Tomorrow I leave Phinda, ZwaZulu Natal and indeed South Africa. This makes me VERY sad …

Song of the Day: Africa – Toto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeEJYtUr89o

Weather: Animal-tastic

It’s the 1st of May! Where has the year gone …?

So – awoke with start as I spotted some nyala drinking out of my swimming pool. That really has been the story of the day … animals wandering over to my villa for a drink-stop! I am not complaining … it’s all part of the experience. The monkeys here are VERY cheeky and in fact Happiness at the restaurant has to walk around with a stick shooing them away. At lunch one of these little chaps managed to get past her and whipped a bread roll from a diner’s table. It was actually quite funny – but Happiness was NOT amused… I know this happens at nearly every reserve but sometimes I wish something like this would happen in New York or London!

After breakfast I interviewed Jane Braack – the General Manager of all the Phinda lodges. There are a total of six lodges in the south and north of Phinda. Here in the north there is The Homestead for a large family, Vlei Lodge (six suites with pools) and Forest Lodge (16 suites with glass walls) … each Lodge has its own different characteristics. I am in Vlei (pronounced Flay) Lodge … in suite number 5 … complete with four-poster bed, free-standing bath, outdoor pool, deck … and fully stocked mini-bar! The suite has glass walls which was VERY unfortunate for a game-drive last night who saw the lesser-spotted, ever-smiling Varun-monkey having an evening shower while they were searching for leopard( who apparently slept on my deck last night!) … Oops!

Jane has been with &Beyond (formerly CCAfrica) for 14 years and along with Jonathan – her husband – is a veteran of running successful properties. The private reserve is 23,000 hectares of land … looking after this and the staff is a major undertaking!

Following the interview, I met the chef Matt Hancock (“as in the super-hero”) … who taught me how to make nyala burgers! We filmed out in the open … and it was roasting hot! We cooked over an open fire … with nyala and the impala looking on. I did have the odd pang of guilt. It MUST be pointed out that the reserve does not kill any of its animals for food – this is bought in!Lunch was nyala burgers! Yum!

The boys have spent the afternoon in the Bush getting me footage … while I have been working in my suite! I have had several interruptions from zebra, nyala and wart-hogs who have wandered by to say “hello”. I LOVE SAFARI!I also received a massage from a lady called Kim … it’s been a long time since I have had a massage in the Bush … it’s quite a wonderfully unique experience. The Lodge provides “citronella splash” a brilliant liquid that keeps mozzies and other creepy crawlies away … so far, so good!

Tomorrow is a VERY important day for the show!

Song of the Day: Mister Wendall – Arrested Development
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyqp2f6VPos

Weather: Hot! Hot! Hot!
Jane

Monkey!
Female Nyala
HANCOCK

Male Nyala having a drink!
Warthogs
Green Monster!
Elephants with BIG ears