Roberta Writes – Thursday Doors: Vervet monkeys and Tanka Tuesday: Pastoral ambivalence #Thursdaydoors #vervetmonkeys #poetry

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Welcome to Thursday Doors! This is a weekly challenge for people who love doors and architecture to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos, drawings, or other images or stories from around the world. If you’d like to join us, simply create your own Thursday Doors post each (or any) week and then share a link to your post in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time). If you like, you can add our badge to your post.

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2023/07/27/paying-respects/

During our recent trip to St Lucia in South Africa, we saw a lot of vervet monkeys. These little creatures are so cute with their wizened faces and tiny fingers, but they are very naughty and can be a pest.

On our first morning in town, the weather was lovely, and the vervet monkeys were having a smashing time raiding the dustbins and rushing through dining areas, grabbing an item, and making a fast get away. I never even saw the one that stole a yogurt off our table. I just saw the mummy monkey sitting on the wall, sharing it with her baby (it was very sweet).

This little monkey is sitting on an electricity box which had quite interesting doors.
This little gangster was having a good look to see what he could nip over and pinch from the restaurant tables.
This monkey was sitting on the wall of a residential garden

Vervet monkeys in St Lucia town:

Tanka Tuesday

This week, Colleen’s prompt is the following photograph:

You can join in Tanka Tuesday here: https://wordcraftpoetry.com/2023/07/25/tankatuesday-ekphrastic-poetry-challenge-no-330-july-25-2023/

I couldn’t think of anything to write for this picture. It is very beautiful but that didn’t seem exciting enough for a poem. Eventually, I wrote this rather snarky shadorma.

Pastoral ambivalence

Not for me

Domesticity

Pastoral

Gentle scenes

Untamed African wildlife

Rooted in my soul

I’m ending off with a splendid and vivid African sunset. PS I was rather pleased with myself when I captured this shot.

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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

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79 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – Thursday Doors: Vervet monkeys and Tanka Tuesday: Pastoral ambivalence #Thursdaydoors #vervetmonkeys #poetry”

      1. English pastoral beauty at its best. I live in Essex, where Constable did a lot of his work, and have visited several of the locations he painted. Some of them haven’t changed much!

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          1. I grew up being introduced to his paintings, it’s a kind of tradition here that we all know them. He didn’t paint the less beautiful parts, though 😉

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  5. Thanks for sharing these very funny and impressive photos, Robbie! From every written word one can see your very great love for South Africa. You are on the right place. Last year I thought to hear a kind of homesickness to rainy UK. Best wishes, Michael

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    1. Hi Michael, I do love South Africa but there are a lot of issues facing the country including a partial collapse of the only power utility. It makes everyday life a struggle. I go to the bush to remember what I love and recharge. Hugs

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  7. Grinning from ear to ear reading about the monkeys! Your photographs (especially the sunset) are splendid. The painting we are to write about this week reminds me of my grandfather’s property in Quebec, Cda. Was there once and bored to sobs.

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  10. My daughter took a trip to a primitive resort in Puerto Rico, and the thieving monkeys were terrible. In addition to snatching people’s food off their plates, they stole BSOs as well (Bright Shiny Objects). You outdid yourself with your sunset photo!

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    1. Hi Wayne, I have a few pictures that include hippos. This shot was from the back of the boat and aimed at catching the sunset red on the waves. No sunset pictures with birds sadly. Our water birds are nowhere to be seen at sunset 😊

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  18. The vervet monkeys are so cute, Robbie. Monkeys are very quick. I watched some documentary of the monkeys in India. They haave their own social system. Your sunset looks like a painting. I particularly love the waves. 🙂

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  21. Ha ha, not a hippo in sight in that pastoral painting!
    I love your Thursday doors Robbie as we always go somewhere interesting. Those monkeys are so cute, but I guess the novelty might wear off and one would long for breakfast in peace.

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  22. Location times three… We get very used to what we call home.
    Lovely photo. I have a collection of white flowers, I’ve yet to do anything with.
    I do like how you have captured the waves 🙂

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  24. Wow! That is a beautiful sunset, Robbie. Those vervet monkeys are cute but they must be such a nuisance when they steal food from tables. We have some ibises here (lovingly, or not so lovingly, called ‘bin chickens’) which constantly roam in hope of food.

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  27. You should be happy about that sunset photo. It’s gorgeous and awesome. The tanka is a bit sad to me as I’m in a city life and while I don’t mind it, I’d prefer a country life with occasional forays into modern life.

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