Roberta Writes – Thursday Doors, a cheetah sighting and some poems #Cheetah #ThursdayDoors

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We had a quiet festive period at home this year. TC and I were both exhausted after a year of hospitalisations and medical issues. It didn’t take long for my spirits to rally and I managed to finish editing the sixteen short stories in my first short story collection: And, the Grave Awaits. I will share more about this collection and the artworks I completed during this period over the next few weeks.

We stayed at Thakadu River Lodge in the Madikwe Game Reserve. It is a luxury tented camp (who wanted that, I wonder?) The location was marvelous, on our last morning a herd of 60 elephants came down to play and swim in the river. It was an elephant madhouse. There were also lots of vervet monkeys. These monkeys are adorable but they are dreadful thieves and very bold. More about that in another post.

This picture is of the side view and entrance door to our luxury tent for Thursday Doors which you can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2024/01/11/doors-badges-popeye/

Cheetah sighting

On our first afternoon, we had the good fortune of seeing a mother cheetah and her cubs playing and enjoying themselves in the late afternoon sunshine.

Cheetah are found in parts of Africa and Iran. There are estimated to be 8,000 cheetahs left in the world and only 50 of these are roaming in Iran. Cheetah are endangered in North and West Africa so the bulk of the remaining cheetah are found in southern Africa. Cheetah cubs are vulnerable to larger predators which is why mum is always on the lookout. Other predators also steal cheetah kills.

Just like cats, cheetah cubs play fight each other
Mum, always on the lookout. This is mum’s second litter. None of her first litter survived.

It’s time for a stroll around, says this young man:

A few poems

Haiku 

A caring mother 

Sees to the needs of her young 

Dinner is served 

Picture caption: Female cheetah with a baby impala kill 

Haiku 

Dark grey on pale blue 

With brilliant silver edges 

Festival of clouds 

Picture caption: Broody pre-storm sky in the late afternoon 

Artwork (Shadorma) 

Thunderheads 

Complemented by 

Dark salmon 

Pale yellow 

In colourful streaks and lines 

Nature’s great artwork 

Picture caption: Sunset in the bush pre a rainstorm 

Caught in the rain (Tanka) 

Heavens opening 

Rain slashing – icy bullets 

Burning my soft skin 

Exposed to the elements 

Despite my hood’s overhang 

Unsplash – free photographs

You can download some of my animal photographs for free from Unsplash here: https://unsplash.com/@r_cheadle

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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

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101 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – Thursday Doors, a cheetah sighting and some poems #Cheetah #ThursdayDoors”

  3. That was an incredible adventure. It is amazing that you saw the cheetahs. It is so sad that they are so endangered. Congratulations on finishing the editing of your short story collection. The photos are wonderful and the poems beautiful.

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    1. Hi Thomas, editing is very time consuming and I am a bit of a perfectionist. I am glad I got the editing done and the cover designed. Now I am focusing on my next poetry collection. It’s called Square Peg in a Round Hole: The Journal of a Multicoloured Pinstripe. My little joke as a Pinstripe is a chartered accountant. They wear charcoal pinstriped suits.

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    1. HI Dave, thank you. I like writing short stories, they are more manageable for me during the working year. A novel is really hard work (as you know) and I don’t get long chunks of time to write. I do love cheetahs, they have a hard life as they are not really bit enough.

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  10. Ever the inspiration! Your artistic energy lifts ME, and all you have poured into this post is no exception. Sending vibes of mutual excitement for all the exciting projects you have on the horizon and singing a song of gratitude for the cheetah population to flourish!!

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  12. I find this post fascinating, Robbie. I can’t imagine being that close to animals in the wild. I feel sad when I realize that their numbers are so few that we can actually count them. Your poetry is impressive, and it sounds like you’ve made great progress. I hope you have a nice easy weekend.

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    1. Hi Dan, I’m glad you enjoyed. This wasn’t that close. Just wait until you see next week’s Lion photographs. I shared a few on FB. I could have reached out and touched him. I’m delighted you like my poems. These are for my 2025 collection. I am busy finalising my 2024 collection which has a lot of my artwork in it.

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  13. Your proximity to many of the great wild animals of the world is difficult for me to imagine that someone lives so close to what I only see on television. I was mentally picturing the elephant scene, and smiling. Let’s hope the cheetah population improves! …. Cheers to your accomplishments and for sharing a few poems. Amazing how the changing skies inspire many of us. Artwork (picture and words) is my favorite.

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  17. I bet that back-to-nature is just what you needed after all the emergencies in 2023. I looked into luxury camping at one point, and now clicked through to your Thakadu River Camp. This all sounded very recentering.

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    1. HI Jacqui, I do like to be able to have a bath after trips into the bush. You get very dusty. This camp is great. There are very fancy places you can stay, but I really loved this location and I’m not one for spending time in the room anyway. I just want a bath and somewhere comfortable to sleep.

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  23. Robbie, the animals you see are so astounding. No wonder cheetahs are so fast. Their legs are long, and their bodies are slim. I love all your poetry. Simple descriptions, ending with the feeling you have watching them – Brilliant. I aspire to create such beauty in words.

    “Dark grey on pale blue

    With brilliant silver edges

    Festival of clouds”

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    1. Hi Marsha, I’m glad you liked these pictures. Sadly, it is the very attributes that make cheetah’s so fast that are also their downfall. They are smaller and lighter than other cats and end up being prey to those bigger predators. I’m glad you like my poems. I like to write them in the moment.

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  24. Hi Robbie–my reaction was similar to Frank’s in that I can’t imagine being so close to such animals as elephants, cheetahs, and monkeys. Thank you for all the information about cheetahs. Their long legs reminded me of our cat Mickey who had very long legs, too. When he was a kitten it took awhile for him to control them. 🙂

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    1. HI Wayne, indeed. I like to have a bath after a game drive (the Canadians and Americans call them Safaris which I find amusing). I will share about the Ellies in due course. Such delightful animals. I have a ridiculous number of photographs.

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  35. Robbie, congratulations on finishing your first short story collection and look forward to learning more soon! Wow! The cheetah photos are incredible and what an amazing sight and the luxury tent looks very cosy indeed. A much-needed break for you and glad it lifted your spirits! 😀

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  36. Hi Robbie – thanks for sharing these pictures and descriptions of your latest nature venture. My SIL went on a trip to Morocco and they called your luxury tent experience “glamping.” I especially enjoyed the cheetah pictures – nature is rough, though and I was sorry to read that the first litter did not survive. Great to see you back on the blog!

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  37. You did have a stressful 2023, Robbie. I hope that’s all in the past and 2024 is much improved with a great deal more fun and relaxation! Your time away sounds wonderful with elephants, monkeys, and cheetahs. I’m envious of your ability to see all these animals roaming freely. And your poems are exquisite. Just beautiful. ❤

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  38. I hope this new year treats you and your family much better with less stress, Robbie. Congrats on your upcoming book, can’t wait to hear more about it. Your photos and poems are stunning, and I would love to stay in one of those tents. 🙂 To see all those animals in their natural habits, such a wonderful experience. It’s great that you take us along. 💖

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  39. you always have the best sense of drama – & humor – photo after, not before mentioning dinner for kids lol – remind me to not leave any cute little baby impalas around your neck of the world hehe

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