Rachel Colenso

Tonight Jeremy and a film crew from the UK fly out to interview us together for a docu-drama for one of the bigger networks. It is a wonderful Christmas present for our family to have us all together, and filming it should be good fun. Rosemary spent the afternoon gluing her "Welcome Home Daddy" sign for the airport. She is always very pleased that her sign is the biggest and most decorative sign at arrivals. (I haven't the heart to tell her the other name boards are written taxi drivers who don't know their clients;) Jeremy bumped into the director at the airport whilst we were chatting on the phone, so they are probably sharing a glass of wine at 10 000ft right now... what an odd thought. To all who read this, from Belarus to Costa Rica (yes, there are people from Belarus and Costa Rica who have read this blog(??!)) this is my Christmas wish to you: May you be blessed with happiness this Christmas, to create a treasure of memories that weigh nothing, can never be ta

There is just one item in my handbag or rucksac that I share the ultimate 'love hate' relationship with. Everyday I use it, carry it, and I feel either excited or irritated by it. For an inanimate object to play such an important role in your life, not only physically, but also emotionally is one thing, but to go as far as to say that it actually helped to save your life, and that you wrote a book about it would sound like a wild exageration. Yes, our mobile phone did exactly that. I will never forget the moment of relief to find it had battery power and a small signal, as I pulled it from my frozen rucsac whilst perched high on an Alpine ledge during a ferocious blizzard . Nor will I forget the complete feeling of desperation and sadness when it came time to either accept our fate, and text our last goodbyes to family and friends, or to forgo that opportunity and keep fighting to survive. This link: http://www.ioltravel.co.za/article/view/5708108 shows how modern technology en

Every week thousands of butterfly pupae are flown around the world to butterfly parks. On my birthday, (a wet, blustery day in July) I asked my mother to bring her hiking boots and join us on a Boland adventure in Paarl. Being a very kind and goodnatured mother, she obliged. I think she was secretly hoping that my birthday 'treat' was not going to be a miserable climb in the rain up the barren outcrop of rocks nearby known as Paarl Rocks. Possibly not the most ideal 'treat', with a 4 week old baby, three year old and retired Mum. Needless to say it was a great relief, and pleasant surprise for her when the decoy hiking boots weren't required, and we instead walked into a tropical paradise of butterflies. Butterfly World in Paarl South Africa is the largest free flying park for butterflies in Southern Africa. Visitors move freely between the butterflies, parots and other interesting animals. Infact it was such an impressive experience that my husband and I took our t

The Avon Justine iThemba Walkathon is a family fun walk for the whole family, there will be various activities for the children as well as stalls and food vendors for walkers to enjoy. The fifth annual Avon Justine iThemba Walkathon is in Johannesburg on Sunday, 17 October and the third annual iThemba Walkathon in Cape Town on Sunday, 31 October 2010. This promises to be a great event for a very worthy cause. As a speaker at the Ithemba Ladies Day, I was moved by the courage and positive outlook of the women that this organisation supports. The iThemba Walkathon’s form part of the Avon Walk Around World – where people across the globe unite in the crusade against breast cancer and show their solidarity. ( www.ithembawalkathon.co.za ) The event in Cape Town on 31st October, and will be posted in a couple of days. Do hope to see some of you there.

David Davies was a modern pioneer in South African climbing. His kind and unasuming nature belied his great talent in climbing and having the vision to open some of the classic climbs in South Africa. Sadly he passed away recently and his memorial service at Kirstenbosch was packed with people who's hearts he had touched in so many ways. Here is Jeremy on 'Celestial Journey' in the Cederberg, South Africa. It was the first route we climbed together on our honeymoon. Jeremy thought at the time it would be lovely for us to have this as a memory of a great first climb as a married couple. (Must say it was a bit harder work getting to the top than I thought it might be:) David Davies did not live as long as many people, but what he left behind was a memory of his love and friendship, some amazing routes that will last as long as the mountains themselves, and a pioneering spirit that may inspire generations of adventurers to come.

Wow! We have just watched about half a dozen Southern Right Whales swimming, blowing flumes of water and giving a generally awe-inspiring display just 30metres from where we were standing. In fact even Madonna could not have stopped so much traffic. Then, on our way home a troupe of about 15 baboons, varying from suckling infant to the aged and infirm had us give way as they sauntered across the mountain road. I thought we were then rounding off a really good 'wildlife day' when the hadedas flew overhead, but round the next corner near our home by the game fence were Eland and Ostrich, again much closer than usual. Kruger National watch out....

I met up with Mathew Quinn, (ex-Olympic sprinter) from Oakley this week and was delighted to be given some products to try out. I arrived at my daughter's play school, donning the new sunglasses and watch, which I was sure would meet her approval. Instead Rosemary took one look at the glasses, wrinkled her nose and stated, "Women who have just given birth shouldn't wear sunglasses like that." Thankfully the sports pair, 'Endure' met with her taste. I hope to be working with Mathew on a new exciting launch in the following year.

A very busy month for us gals! It would now appear that we have a whole month, not just one day set aside especially for women. Last week had a great day speaking to a wonderful audience at Old Mutual Park in Cape Town, then flew to Joburg for the Ithembi Ladies Day. Avon Justine’s iThemba Crusade of Hope is dedicated to breast health education and awareness. Look Good...Feel Better provides inspirational and motivational beauty workshops for women in active cancer treatment. Gerry Ransteli Elsdon was a truly fabulous MC. Both witty and insightful, as well of course as beautiful. I had the pleasure of being seated next to Janie du Plessis, the other celebrity guest who had me in tears with just the start of her talk. A very inspirational person and I hope to catch up soon in Cape Town with her. Karen Kay Agenberg worked wonders with her camera ensuring everyone was captured in their best light! The event was filmed for DSTV and will be sometime soon! The event was organised by 4D

Aren't we fortunate in South Africa having a day set aside because you are a woman? - Not to say the other 364 days are set aside for men. It is a chance to look at some very special women and what they have accomplished. I have chosen Sheena Iyenga, a remarkable woman who has published a book titled The Art of Choosing, and who's studies are in exactly that. Her work has been has been informing business and consumer-goods marketing since the 1990s. Her work goes further than this though. It looks at certain medical decisionmaking, on the drawbacks of providing too many choices, and on most fascinating for me, the cultural and geographical underpinning of choice, where in one example school children from opposite ends of the globe were given a choice in which puzzles they could complete. The results were fascinating, as is Sheena who speaks about them. To find out more see: http://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing.html It is worth choosing to spend the ne

July has been a month of celebrations! We have just become parents again to a little baby girl called Jasmine Kelsey who was born on 2 nd of July. Our other daughter, Rosemary, who was born on 4 th of July, has just turned three. Then on the 24 th of July I celebrated my own birthday. Then, a completely different thing to celebrate happened yesterday, when I went to collect a registered letter. It contained non other than my South African Mountain Guide's badge. It had really been on my husband's suggestion that I went through with the rigmarole of yet more training, mountaineering assessments , 3 hour exams, and a mountain of coursework. The standard set is by no means at half mast, and over the last year there were a number of times I wondered whether it was possible to complete around my other work and being a Mum. During the course I became pregnant with our second child, and again wondered whether I could really finish it. One particularly draining weekend involved n

Winter in the Western Cape is a time of howling gale force winds: downpours of rain for days at a time; chilly temperatures; colds and flu. In fact I couldn't think of a better time to grumble about things... except that I am constantly reminded of how fortunate I am in comparison to so many. The roof over our heads has not blown away (yet). Our walls are made from brick, not cardboard. We have a properly fitted indoor fire, which is safe to use. Our clothes are washed and spun in a washing machine not cleaned by hand in a bucket. We have electricity and hot running water to shower in at night.

As the new year rushes into the middle of its second month, I am all too aware that it feels like being on skiis for the first time - whizzing down a never ending slope! Help! What happened to Christmas? The New Year? A relaxed, controlled and measured start to 2010? Help! It's February and my blogs can't keep up. After a whirlwind tour of the Cederberg , guiding the renowned British photographer John Freeman on his quest to find the most scenic places to take stills, that were actually accessible with a mountain of photographic lenses, tripod etc, we settled for a quiet Christmas...well... sort of! THEN BANG! The new year happened, Cape Town Routes Unlimited held their Back2Business Conference for the business tourism and conferencing industry on the 22 January. It was an event with attitude! Western Cape Minister for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde and Dr. Platzky (Deputy Director-General of the Western Cape and coordinator of the 2010 programme) a