Roberta Writes – W3, Esther Chilton’s writing challenge and CFFC #poetry #photography #childhoodmemories

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I will be abroad from Saturday this week. This is my last W3 and CFFC post and last Esther Chilton writing challenge until the week starting 13 July.

I’m late for W3 but never mind. Sheila’s prompt was to write a 44-word quadrille about what remains. You can read other contributions here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2025/06/18/w3-prompt-164-weave-written-weekly/

What remains (a quadrille)

On our wedding day

we threw our lives together

into one potjiekos pot

simmering over flames

Over time we both added meat,

vegetables, and spices,

sometimes it boiled

Now, twenty-five years later,

what remains is a rich broth

to sustain us through our autumn

***

Esther’s challenge for this week is outdoors. This is another childhood memory haibun. You can join in here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2025/06/18/writing-prompts-70/

Thorn phobia

When I was a young girl of eight years old, my grandparents moved to a farm in what is now the Northwest Province of South Africa. The farmhouse was old and primitive, built from stone and with a gas water heater in an outside room for washing, bathing, and all other activities requiring hot water. The kitchen had an ancient wood-burning oven and a single electric plug for the refrigerator. There was a gas hob for daily cooking.

When my father took us to visit our grandparents for a weekend, my mother was horrified by the conditions. Hayley was a baby of about six months old, and Catherine was four. I remember my mother struggling to get us all washed and ready for bed both nights. She was distressed, but I thought it was great fun. I imagined Catherine and I were Carrie and Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie.

The first morning, Saturday, the neighbouring farmer and his young son came to visit my grandparents. The son was twelve and had a diesel engine quad bike for driving around the farm. He offered to take me for a ride. I was thrilled until my father warned me about the acacia thorns. The area was densely populated with trees that grew long, sharp thorns of between 8 and 10 centimetres in length. He said, these thorns could puncture a quad bike tire and cause it to crash. Quad bikes were, in his opinion, very dangerous. I learned much later in life that his friend’s son had been killed on a quad bike. Despite his dislike of quad bikes, he didn’t say I couldn’t go for the ride. Nope, he just ruined it by scaring me to death about the thorns. “The thorns can go right through the sole of your shoe and lacerate your foot. Acacia sap and thorns contain irritating toxins which trigger a severe inflammatory response in the soft tissues and bones,” he said. I was terrified and his well-meant warning completely spoiled my quad bike adventure. I just wanted to get back to the farmhouse and stay inside where I was safe from thorns.

To this day, I am scared of thorns. If I look at a picture of a thorn or read about a thorn, my eyes start to prick, and I close them protectively. My dad’s words resulted a lifelong fear of thorns. It astonishes me, when I think back, as he was really being overly dramatic. The thorns will do the things he said, but it is rare for a person to injure themselves by stepping on an acacia thorn. They are so long, they are difficult to miss when walking. I am not, however, fearful of quad bikes.

thorn anxiety

led to phobia for life

eyes prickle and burn

Picture caption: A small acacia tree with its long thorns

CFFC – High angle

These are my photographs for Dan’s CFFC challenge: High angle. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/06/23/view-from-below-high-angle-cffc/

Picture caption: lilac breasted roller in a tree
Picture caption: My favourite picture of a vervet monkey in a tree
Picture caption: Brown snake eagle
Picture caption: a kingfisher. I think it’s called a white breasted kingfisher but I’m not sure. Perhaps one of the bird watcher readers could confirm in the comments
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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

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116 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – W3, Esther Chilton’s writing challenge and CFFC #poetry #photography #childhoodmemories”

  2. The pot is a nice analogy, Robbie. A lot can brew in 25 years. And your Dad surely was a powerful influence. Shame he spoiled the ride but he meant well. Love the monkey and woodpecker shots. Enjoy your awayness xx

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  3. Robbie, safe travels on your upcoming trip! I’ll miss your presence in the weekly circles but will be looking forward to your return in mid-July.

    Your quadrille feels warm and deeply lived-in to me—“what remains is a rich broth / to sustain us through our autumn” seems to carry the weight and comfort of shared seasons beautifully!

    The haibun brought me right into that old farmhouse. Your father’s warning felt so vivid—thorn anxiety / led to phobia for life captures just how lasting those childhood impressions can be…

    ~David

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  4. A lovely poem–happy 25 years! 💙 Your childhood memory story is so vivid, and it’s a shame that your father’s protectiveness left you with a phobia about thorns. I’d be more scared of the bike. People sometimes race them around in the streets here.

    Amazing photos, the monkey especially.

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  11. It’s interesting how large an effect little things from our childhood have on the way we approach life. And I love your quadrille–I admire a strong relationship, always.

    Enjoy your trip! (K)

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  12. I love your post. The quadrille and the story are wonderful. It is amazing what sticks in our minds for life! My embedded fear was never to go into an abandoned coal mine for fear it would collapse. We had some close by when I was a child.

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  16. Robbie I love your quadrille poem an inspired description of Marriage … Add another 29yrs and you’ll get what we have : a red wine roux.

    I always love the stories of your childhood…and this the basis to your phobia of thorns was again so interesting.

    you photos too are lovely.

    Have a wonderful holiday are you visiting the UK I think you may of mentioned that.💜💜💜💜

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  18. Nicely metaphorical poem about your wedding and life after, Robbie!

    Sorry about your understandable thorn trauma. I hope that didn’t make you reluctant to read “The Thorn Birds.” 🙂

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  20. I love the poem about marriage and the symbolism you used to build a life. Just beautiful. The thorn story made me giggle. Fathers can be a bit overprotective. 🙂 Thank you for sharing both of those AND the lovely photos!

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  21. I love the photos you choose for CFFC, and your poem (Happy Anniversary when it is/was). The thorn phobia is kind of sad. Good it didn’t spread to the quads.

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  26. I love both, Robbie 🙂 It is interesting how those good intentioned warnings grew up with us. Mine was bees and mushrooms. Enjoy your time off. Xo

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  27. Isn’t it interesting how childhood memories remain ever present within us, Robbie. When I was young, I would put my hand outside the car window. We lived in the Brazilian rainforest and I loved to feel the soft leaves as we travelled on narrow jungle roads. My parents tried to keep my hand in the jeep but I did surreptitiously put my hand out once just in time to have a leaf with thorns collide with my hand. OUCH!!! I still remember the feeling!!! Safe travels wherever your adventures lead you!!

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  30. I really enjoyed reading about the farmhouse. As a parent I would have been very worried about you going on the quad bike! But those thorns also sound very nasty and best avoided. I can feel for your poor mother. Your grandparents sound like they were made of tough stuff, I wonder what sort of age they were at the time?

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    1. Hi Janet, it was a short trip around the area near the house so Dad allowed it. He never encouraged quad biking. I never bought my sons quad bikes so they never had the opportunity to ride one. My Granny Joan’s mother was one of the first settlers in Johannesburg when it was called ‘canvas city’ because it was all tents and covered ox wagons.

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  35. The beautiful poem is a good description of a marriage. The photos are amazing. I had to look up what potjiekos was. The acacia thorns sound scary. I believe quad bike is called ATV here in Texas. We used to drive those when we visited a country resort south of Dallas called Rough Creek Lodge. However, my wife’s father had an accident and he got injured. His ATV tipped over at 60 km/hour. He survived though. On the same outing my younger son crashed into a tree with his ATV/quad bike. At that point I turned around and took him back to the Rough Creek hotel while others continued. Quad bikes / ATVs are not safe.

    Rough Creek brings back some other interesting memories. We stopped going there after a well known double murder happened there and also the hunting guide manager was sent to jail for stealing hunting licenses from the customers. Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield was murdered there at the shooting range where we used to go. Chris Kyle was a famous sniper. They made a movie about him called American Sniper. Their reputation took a hit but Rough Creek survived but they are selling part of their land to people who want to buy.

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    1. Hi Thomas, what a story. I’ll have to look up why they were murdered. I know a few people who have lost brothers through quad bike accidents on farms. Youngsters tend to be silly when driving them and don’t exercise good judgement. I’m pleased you like the poem.

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      1. About the murders, it was a guy with PTSD who shot them because they wouldn’t talk to him. He felt left out. He also had schizophrenia. After the accident with my father-in-law Rough Creek imposed a speed limit of 40 km/h on all ATVs / quad bikes on the ranch. An 82 year old man tipping over an ATV at 60 km/h and having to be rushed to the hospital made them nervous.

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          1. It looked bad. He had blood all over him, but he was fine. For being 82 he was in good shape. This was a while ago. Now he is 94 years old. What happened was that we had a guide taking the whole group on an ATV excursion and the kids wanted to go faster, and the guide did what they wanted. Then apparently, after I had turned back to the lodge with my younger son, and they were rid of us slow-pokers, they sped up even more. My father-in-law tried to keep up and he tipped over at a high speed. After they realized they had lost him they turned back and found him on the ground covered in blood and with a tipped over ATV. Panic set in and after that the Lodge changed the ATV rules.

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          3. You are right. The guide was young himself and unwisely got caught up in this go faster request by my older son and his friend. However, he was a nice guy and just made a mistake. The guide was crying afterwards and we did not file a complaint. Well everybody knew what happened.

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  40. I can see how your father’s words gave you a life-long fear of thorns. I smiled imaging you and your sister like Laura and Carrie at your grandparent’s farm. Enjoy your trip, Robbie.

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  42. Your marriage poem is especially beautiful, Robbie. The verbs you use-boiling, simmering and then sustain at the end show the progression of a life together. I’ve never seen a vervet monkey. He looks so relaxed. My son had an accident when he was five. I let him ride on the back of a mini bike with my sister who was 12 at the time. It’s a small type motor bike.They both got hurt when the bike hit some rocks and they fell off on a dirt road. My sister had bruises and scrapes. My son Richard cut his forehead so deep that I could see his skull. He had to have around 200 stitches inside and out. We were so lucky that a plastic surgeon was on duty in the ER that day. Richard still has the y-shaped scar that is 5-6 inches long. He is 50 years old now. I was a 19 year old teen mom who had my son at age 15. I just didn’t realize he was too young to go on that ride.

    Have a fun vacation in London. When I was there, I tried to find some landmarks or areas featured in books. The Tower of London has been written about in so many stories and biographies! The meat pies were my favorite-ground beef, potatoes , peas and gravy in a pie crust.

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    1. Hi Kay, thank you for your lovely comment. Your son’s injury must have given you a terrible fright. 19is still very young. I’m glad he had a good doctor to help him. We are going to see more unusual places on this trip. I’ll share pictures.

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  44. Love your Haibun tale.

    It is so true that certain childhood experiences scar us forever.

    The bird pics are wonderful.

    Thank you for everything Robbie! I wish you the most wonderful trip!

    I will work on my answers for you while you are away.

    It’s crazy how long it took me to do the Underground Art post.

    All good vibrations for travelling!

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  45. I love your meaty poem. The broth should be very flavorful by this time. Ours is boiling down a little bit, thickening. I might have added too many potatoes, mmm. We are both astounded to have reached 30 years of marriage, and very happy about it. 🙂 I love the farmhouse story. Your poor mother, but I identify with you more. The primitive building reminded me of my great-grandmother’s house. My great-grandfather built an indoor bathroom when my brother was born. I was two. It was an adventure.

    Have fun in London. You have done a lot of traveling this year. Good for you.

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