The Old Candle Factory

Today I awoke at sunrise and looked out of my window at a female Gazelle delicately picking her way through the bush outside my room. A balloon floated past from THESE GUYS and I felt twangs of wanting to be up there with them. But yesterday I had simply the most perfect flight with a maasai warrior who had never been off the ground before - and to watch his reaction was such a privilege. He loved it - until I went low over trees by a river and he ducked down !! This connection is expensive so I'll end by telling you all I christened our new balloon by landing in trees/bushes that smelled of Eucalyptus but I think was more like sage. It was the last clearing before the Ngorogoro crater See above picture). I was SO SO tempted to continue on and down the 1000ft into the ancient crater but i would be fined many thousands of pounds, have the balloon impounded etc etc... so I landed in the trees. Pictures will follow of the day-long retrieve by Maasai muscle...BOY! I was exhausted by th...

Click on images for bigger size. The night beside the Indian Ocean was truly memorable and the sound of the waves so welcome to prepare me for the first balloon flight the next morning. All went and now everybody knows what their balloon looks like The local kids enjoyed it too of course! Last night we stayed in the Coffee House Hotel in Arusha in the heart of coffee growing country. Mmmmmm delicious. And today we are heading for the higher ground of the Serengeti near the Ngorogoro Crater. My first free flight is scheduled for sunrise tomorrow morning. The drive here was a long one and the side of the road provided a constant source of amazement at how people live here in Tanzania. There are endless stalls selling everything, and workshops promising to repair everything. ashops promising every service you could ever want. We have good careful drivers who have keep their wits about them. And last night we had one van modified for the difficult terrain ahead!! This will be the last blo...

Earlier today, I borrowed $500 from a total stranger in the queue for the plane I wanted to catch from Kilimanjaro back to Dar es Salaam. I promised I'd pay it back as soon as I got to a 'working' cash machine at Dar airport. He was very suspicious but it worked once I gave him Sam's passport. Later I'll show you a picture of Sam, and the plane that took us so far away from Dar. And also pictures of the area we plan to fly the balloon. And I'll also tell you how we missed the 7.30 pm flight back to Dar, and also the 7.30 am flight this morning. Watch this space...... I'm going to get some tea..... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We got to Dar airfield about 12 and Sam went off to file a flight plan and get the weather etc. I found a cafe and bought a couple of ham and tomato toasties to last us the 3 hour flight. Sam re-appeared wanting some dollars because they didn't accept credit cards. So I ga...

This is the moment of lift off from Nairobi en route for Dar es Salaam. The bright sun creates a nice shadow of the hi-tech prop on the tarmac. I could hardly keep my eyes open after an all night flight from UK and some work in Nairobi airport. So I nodded off in such a way that my right arm muscle jerked my elbow into my neighbour's ribs. I apologised. Then I slowly nodded off again... and jabbed him again. Very embarrassing. The Captain pointed out Kilimanjaro poking out through the top of some clouds. Brother Adam has climbed half way up that mountain in his relentless search for the ideal strain of BEE to breed in UK at Buckfastleigh Abbey. Today I scooted about town looking for propane and found a good man who can supply all we want. That's a relief. Sam and his guys are still working on getting the vehicles out of customs. I shan't relax until I've got my hands on the basket and started to go through the procedures with my new crew. They are good guys and we...

Sunday morning.....plane leaves 6pm and still lots to do. An eery pre-sunrise pink sky reminds me that the sky alone is worth a trip to Africa. My trusty camera will record some and the results will appear here, providing I get access to cyberspace! But first, I must finish this cuppa tea, pack my final bits and pieces, clear the decks, and try and cross off all the things on this long list of things to do. 10.45. Still packing..... kettle on :-) 19.20. Boarded plane at Heathrow thanks to an easy comfortable lift in my sister Lindy's classic Volvo. Thanks.x 06.30 monday morning. Online on a very slow line in Nairobi airport. We slid gently down through thousands of African feet with a perfect view of Mt Kenya, although the Captain described it as Kilimanjaro! If he was half asleep his flying didn't show it. A perfect landing to herald an exciting adventure on this continent! Hey.... I smell coffee .........

I always become very nostalgic when the BBC produce BIG CAT DIARY. But this year is special - having talked about it for years at Governors' Camp , they finally have webcams in the Masai Mara and the infrastructure to produce the web content is amazing. Seven editing suites all hosted in the camp! And their big generator still en route from UK on the high seas somewhere. Have a look..... And here is the sweetest montage of cats and cubs put to inspired music. And a little more action please!! News from the candle Factory is mostly sweeping up all the colourful leaves that descend at this time of year in their hundreds from the virginia creeper. I have a bonfire going on this saturday evening just as the daylight fades beneath a very blustery sky with a night of rain threatened which will not stop until the end of sunday. A neighbour has left his stressful corporate job with AUDI and as part of his leaving present, he has been lent an R8 for the weekend! A true 'supercar'. O...