I grew up in Kenya's Tsavo East National Park, and had a charmed childhood, surrounded by Africa's majestic wildlife and wild places...shaping the woman I was to become, and forming my lifelong loves and passions...

(Click on any image to enlarge and see the slide show.)

My adulthood has taken me all over the world, and cast me in several different roles - from a designer working in New York, to a guide leading camel treks on Kenya's coast...life has been full, and keeps leading me back to Africa...

We found a Tree Squirrel nest in the air filter of our tractor! We didn't know what it was at first, but when we opened it up we found two tiny baby squirrels. Ian and Nick hurriedly wrapped them back in the nesting material, and replaced the nest in the tractor, hoping that the mother would come back. Sure enough, when we went back to check on them the next morning, the mother had come to take them away and has now hidden them in some other (no doubt less noisy!) hiding place...

Every three years (to coincide with the elephant inter-calving interval), the Kenya Wildlife Service, in conjunction with volunteers and donors, carry out an aerial count of elephants and other animals in the whole of the Tsavo Ecosystem, which covers an area larger than Switzerland. The count takes a week, involves ten or more aircraft, and is quite a feat of organization. This year, Ian is one of the counters, flying with our friend Richard in the new Supercub he has just picked up (it's only his second time flying it!). In charge of the operational side is Danny, the Senior Warden of Tsavo West, whom I have known since we were both in nappies, and in charge of the scientific side is Patrick Omondi, head of Species Conservation for the Kenya Wildlife Service. The counting team are based at the Kilaguni Serena Lodge in Tsavo West, and each morning just after dawn, you can see 10 or more aircraft take to the skies and head for the 'block' which they will be counting on that day, flying transects up and down, while recording their findings on data sheets and GPS...It's hard work but it's a team effort, and there is always a great sense of fun and excitement throughout the week...

Read more about the Elephant Count:
Entry One: Birds, Planes & Pachyderms
Entry Two: Time flies, as do pilots counting elephants
See images of Tsavo from the air...

Following the human inhabitants of Kulafumbi through the month of January 2008...

2007 was our first Christmas at Kulafumbi...lots of fun was had with visits from friends (and their dogs), morning microlight flights, enormous amounts of turkey, a Commiphora for a Christmas tree, and a drop or two of whisky...

Click here to read about our unconventional Christmas...