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One thing about Damaraland – it’s dry as old boots.  Every time I go there I forget my chapstick and moisturiser and believe me, you need it in this part of Namibia.  Even in late May when we were there, at the very end of the ‘wet’ season, there’s no mistaking this is a desert, receiving bugger all rainfall every year. And you get a sense of that as soon as you drive  into the camp, which is situated on a high kopje (rocky outcrop), and take in the incredible vast vista of Damaraland and the red and purple Etendeka mountains.  The view takes your breath away.

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In case you missed it, you can see my 3 minute elephant segment on Sunrise this morning – click here or enter http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/play/-/7375408/elephant-wars/

Hi folks!

After an amazing trip to South Africa and Namibia, Andy, little Solo and I are home in a haze of jetlag and with some wonderful memories of the little guy’s first African adventure.  I’ll write more soon about our trip, including a fantastic encounter with the amazing desert elephants in the Huab River near Doro !Nawas camp (wow) and what it was like to return to my old black-faced impala haunt in Etosha National Park and Ongava Game Reserve, but this is just to let you know that I’ll be on Channel 7’s Sunrise tomorrow morning (Thursday 10th June) around 8.50am talking elephants and a bit about our latest safari.  I’ll also be uploading a video blog from Namibia as soon as I can work out how to do it so stay tuned!

Back in May when we took Sol (then almost 6 months old) on his first African safari, I wrote a blog that I thought had gone out but turns out either mummy-brain or Africa-itis kicked in and it never sent.  Lots of people questioned us before we took our wee little man to South Africa and Namibia earlier this year – I mean seriously, what were we thinking taking a little one to Africa??  Truth was, I had never thought much about it until then.  I mean, there are millions of babies in Africa and most of them are doing fine!  But then it got me thinking…  malaria, mugging, HIV, lions….!!  (more…)

Hi folks

Just to make you jealous, Andy and I are on our way to South Africa and Namibia for a few weeks of fun among the animals.  Sol is 6 months old and about to see his first elephant.  While he might not remember it, his parents certainly will!

If I can find a decent internet line over there I’ll drop you all a line from the wild, but chances are most of the time we’ll be suffering through crisp white wines at sunset on the savannah, watching elephant dust baths and enjoying the peace and serenity of Africa… It’s a tough job but someone’s gotta do it!

I”ll be back back in a few weeks with a full report on Kruger, Etosha and even a little bit of Damaraland!  In the meantime please bear with me if it takes me a while to respond to emails.   Hippo and lion watching is about to take priority over my cyber addiction for a little while.

Thanks to everyone who voted for me in In Style magazine’s Women of Style awards.  I didn’t have a chance against the lovely Nicole Kidman who took out the Readers’ Choice award last night.

However, I did win the category for which I was nominated, the environment!  I can now safely say that having a baby a short while ago (read sleep deprivation, pooey nappies & breast explosions!) as well as a severe addiction to khaki and boots is – after all – no impediment to being a woman of style!

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A study that has just come out of Kenya by Oxford university and Save the Elephants researcher Lucy King has confirmed that elephants respond to the sound of African bees by fleeing and rumbling to signal to the herd to flee too.  This is great news as it may signify a new way to deter elephants from crops: African bees – or even just the sound of their buzzing.  Check out the story here.

I love reading stories like this.  A young man from Cambodia, Sereivathana Tuy, has been rewarded for his work using peaceful methods to deter elephants from crops, being awarded a top environmental prize in San Franscisco.  There are only 400 elephants left in Cambodia due to extreme deforestation, so programs like this one are essential.  And what I especially love about what Tuy and his team are doing is that it just goes to show how effective you can be when you empower a local community to work together towards a common goal.  Read the full story here.

Well, it’s not every day that you have a baby and then get contacted by a very posh fashion magazine to say you’ve been nominated for an award that is all about well… style.  But there you go, wonders will never cease, this is what happened to me a few weeks after Sol was born, as I was leaking breast milk and covered in fresh baby pooh, feeling just about as stylish as a bullfrog in mud.  I’ve been nominated for a Women of Style award.

So fellow Africaphiles and elephant lovers, I’m writing to ask you to vote for me!  A vote for me could well be classified as a vote for elephants as hopefully lots more people will hear about the issue if I win in mid May.  So all you have to do is click here and say in 25 words or less why I’m your favourite one of the 29 nominees in InStyle magazine’s Women of Style awards, bearing in mind that style isn’t just about fashion (thankfully for me, given my excess fondness for all things khaki), but also about attitude and a whole lotta other stuff.  I’m up against the likes of celebs and glamour girls like Nicole Kidman and Elle Macpherson, so frankly I could really use your support!

Thanks in advance, Tammie

It’s that time again!  Earth Hour is this Saturday night so don’t forget to switch off your lights along with the rest of the world for one hour at 8.30pm.  Register now at http://www.earthhour.org .  It’s a great night for a candlelit dinner with your loved ones or a picnic on the harbour to watch the lights go off in the city.  What started as an idea in Sydney several years ago has grown into a worldwide movement – you’ll be sharing the night with millions of people doing the same thing from as far and wide as Zimbabwe, China and Brazil.

It’s not too late to get your tickets to the elephant dinner at the Firehouse Hotel, North Sydney but you’ll need to be quick.  Tickets are still available at  http://www.enfaust.com.au/shop/fundraising-dinner – look forward to seeing you there!