Rachel Colenso

Very busy time here in London. Met up with Louise Bush, the TV and West End actress who played me in our film, 'First Date Nightmare', for the T V Series, I Shouldn't Be Alive. Am not so sure I love the name, (First Date Nightmare doesn't sound like a wedding proposal...) nevertheless Darlow Smithson did an excellent job, with the assistance to two great actors, (Duncan Pow, ex Holby City doctor played Jeremy.) Thanks to the crew and cast it is now considered one of the ISBA greats. Hooray! It was super to meet Louise in the flesh. A very warm and friendly person with a big heart. My children thought she was great! Quite bizarre meeting someone who looks a bit like you, (on an extremely good day!) and has acted you... Louise and I have planned to do a charity hike up Snowdon, where Jeremy and I will guide her and perhaps Duncan to the top... although both are very fit so don't need much guidance... should be fun. The Eilidh Brown charity supports families with ...

This weekend is the premiere for our TV Drama Documentary. Catch the details below! I SHOULDN’T BE ALIVE SERIES 5 First Date Nightmare Premiere On a complex mountain descent, Jeremy and Rachel must dig deep to survive as the thunder begins… “I’d rather be here with you than with anyone else” – Rachel Colenso

These words below are not my own. They are words of someone who is living through the disastrous consequences of arsenic, benzene and other chemicals being pumped into their water and air due to Shell's fracking process. Every study, and every report I have read is similar. The full impact will only be realised once Shell and their service company have made their millions and paid off politicians. Please do not support Shell, who already have a shocking track record. Send on this message: "South Africa, you need to fight this with all you're worth. I live in Pennsylvania in the United States in the heart of the Marcellus Shale region - a shale basin touted as one of the largest, if not THE largest shale area in the world. They've been fracking here for several years. Our municipal water supplies have been contaminated, our private water wells have been contaminated. On top of this, our AIR has been contaminated. This process involves far more than just a drilling rig a...

Today I was invited to a wake for two baboons, Fred and Rude Boy. Sounds quite odd, and in some ways possibly comical. Fred was known for jumping into occupied cars to steal food. Naturally most ordinary human beings vacate their car pretty smartly when this occurs, so it proved to be a fairly successful, albeit rather bold tactic. How Fred reached this conclusion was not so smart. Close up wildlife photos make for great pictures to brag about back home. What easier way to get your one in a million picture than to offer food. Tourists and possibly tour operators have offered, and still do offer animals food just to get a photo. Fred's life was sadly cut short because he had become accustomed to the handouts and took things that obvious next step. When not supplied with what he expected to receive, on a few occasions he became aggressive. The State Vet was called in to intervene, and end the lives of these two well known characters. Today I watched about twenty tourists who had purc...

Don't forget to switch your lights off at 8pm for Earth Hour! Over 5 million people supported Earth Hour last year in India alone. Other things I will think about in that hour of darkness: 1. How lucky I am to have electricity and running water 2. Eating and showering in the dark is quite novel, but takes a bit more planning. 3. Wish I had brought more candles

Had a super day guiding one of my favourite clients and a friend of his up the sheer cliff faces of Table Mountain. They were shooting an advert on location and today, the day off, was perfect. Was also quite interesting speaking to someone whose passion for the mountains is on skis and the similarities between off piste skiing and technical climbing. Both very fit men, and we all had a super time.

Just enjoyed a whirlwind week with my good friend Dale Templar, who has produced a phenomenal documentary series for the BBC called 'The Human Planet.' It has been wonderful to spend time together and do some really cool things... like sitting next to my three year old, (Dale's god child), and watch her stroke a cheetah. The only sadness in an experience like this is the realisation that there are just 5 000 cheetah left in the world, and we as humans are continuing their path to extinction. However there is distinct hope for their survival in countries like South Africa, where new methods for conservation are being trialled and used. The Anatolia sheep dogs have been used for thousands of years in Turkey and the middle East to ward off predators of livestock as large as bears and wolves. Today they are being introduced onto South African farms to protect livestock. So far the results are outstanding.