Roberta Writes – d’Verse, CFFC, Thursday Doors and The Flower Hour

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Punam’s d’Verse Poetics Tuesday prompt is Looking back. This freestyle poem is a synopsis of my year.

Sandwich Filling (freestyle poem)

January starts with

an international bond offering

long workdays interspersed

with school collections

Dad, aka au pair, continues

in a rapid downward health spiral

until he reaches a bed bound state

culminating in a series of tests

during a three-day hospitalisation

pulmonary hypertension the diagnosis

untreatable as a condition but

continuous positive airway pressure machine

restores a level of normalcy

***

February, a month of conflict

with legal advisors and underwriters

everyone in my house

succumbs to the latest flu bug

lazily doing the rounds

and laying people low

birthday trip nearly ruined

but I gulp down pills

and try to make the most

of splendid leopard sightings

returning home to work chaos

and a very sick mother

***

March kicks off with Mom

on her fourth antibiotic

I leave my team to manage

bond closure best they can

and rush Mom to the ER

where she is admitted with

pneumonia and a fractured rib

fortune smiles and 24-hour delay

enables me to pick up work pieces

I can’t visit Mom as issuance must close

guilt wrestles relief as colleagues celebrate

***

Sinus operation in early April

much worse than expected

doctor drills a drainage hole

through bone and cartilage

recovery long and difficult

ten full days off work

yet sick leave far too short

I struggle to regain my strength

restorative trip to bush

fraught with unseasonal cold

but I got exceptional misty shots

***

May, a most unhappy month

fall out with work colleague

lack of appreciation soul destroying

I contemplate my future

while absorbing Buddist philosophies

on coping and disengaging

they don’t help me at all

is it time for me to retire?

I finish my buffalo painting

Perhaps I’ll have an exhibition

***

June passes in a flash

both sons writing mid-year exams

stress levels high at home

disillusionment with work increases

TC escapes it all, as usual

a week working in Cape Town

followed by two weeks in Amsterdam

as I hold the home together alone

he offers a holiday in London

and a few days in Brussels

as a peace offering

I take Michael with me

***

July is fabulous

London is vibrant and busy

we visit art galleries and pubs

tour of Flanders cemeteries

bucket item ticked off

horror of World War 1

mitigated by visit to Bruge

and chocolate tour in Brussels

we leave Europe to its summer

and return home to deep winter

***

August is a busy month

final school year dance

students decked out

in eveningwear and finery

champagne corks pop

celebration swings to examinations

preliminary exams followed by finals

days and days of anxiety and stress

24-hour art examination

Michael produces a masterpiece

***

work agitation settles down in September

for once promises made are kept

I feel more settled and happier

maybe I’ll last the further five years

my company is hoping for

I’m not committing though

hope always brings disappointment

Mom finally seems to be rallying

after six months of poor health

she’s so tiny and frail

I’m afraid she’ll disappear down drain

along with the bath water

perhaps I should make her shower

***

October filled with work challenges

another bloody bond issuance

my least favourite of all transactions

lots of lawyers and advisors

this one fraught with challenges

and a team new to these deals

coaching and training take on

a whole new meaning

both boys writing examinations

TC swans off to Japan

for two weeks of work and play

***

November, the heavens open

it rains day and night

the rain in Spain

takes up permanent residence

in South Africa

will the sun ever shine again?

the latest bond finally closes

on the last working day of the month

no rest for the wicked

as year-end rush commences

Michael has three visits to the hospital

and Dad has one

***

December arrives at last

with its promise of yearend shutdown

here I am, practically alone,

holding the fort and resolving

last minute catastrophes

the office shuts tomorrow

will it end, I wonder?

at least there is Christmas

something to look forward to

lots of good food and company

and a holiday to the bush

to watch the turtles hatching

watch this space!

CFFC

Dan’s CFFC prompt is Summer and Winter. You can join in CFFC here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/12/15/cffc-a-look-back-one-year/.

I’m combining CFFC with Thursday Doors this week. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/12/18/more-christmas-from-osv/

These are photographs of paintings by Vincent van Gogh taken by me at the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

It is the amazing Rebecca Budd who inspired me to share my photographs of van Gogh’s paintings. You can find Rebecca in her Reading Room here: https://rebeccasreadingroom.ca/2025/12/16/jane-austen-at-250-emma-and-the-art-of-missteps/

Picture caption: A winter scene painted by van Gogh. This is the only winter painting I photographed.
Picture caption: This picture is a harvest painting by van Gogh so probably autumn. Oh well!
Picture caption: This painting is definitely summer. I really liked it.
Picture caption: This is the cabinet owned by Vincent’s brother, Theo. It is where Theo stored all his letters from Vincent. Lots of doors on this beautiful cabinet.

The Flower Hour

I’ve been saving these red roses for Christmas. You can join in Terri’s The Flower Hour here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2025/12/16/the-flower-hour-11-last-chance-holiday-florals/

I was trying to be artistic with the sun on the raindrops.

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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

Published

35 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – d’Verse, CFFC, Thursday Doors and The Flower Hour”

  3. You did a wonderful work with this recap of the year, Robbie! A fully packed year, i hope you are now able to find some silent moments for yourself. The cabinet is so wonderful. Thanks for sharing all these great moments. Best wishes, Michael

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  4. God Bless you, me dearest friend. Such a 2025 you have had, and what a Spirit you have embodied to come through it all with head held high. Life is what we make of it and you have made such beauty out of that which might have lured others to a darker path. Seeing your 2026 as a steady climb to more happiness!

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  6. 2025 sure had its ups and downs, Robbie! I retired at 55 (I was eligible) because people at work got ridiculous. I went into university teaching and ended my career on a high note. I hope work life gets better for you. I love the roses you shared for Flower Hour, as well as the Van Gogh paintings. Wishing you a Merry Christmas in case I don’t “see” you next week…I have one more Sunday Stills post coming, then a short break!

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  8. Robbie, this is such an honest and quietly powerful way to hold a year. Month by month, it reads like endurance rather than drama. Work pressures, family fragility, small reprieves, moments of beauty caught almost in passing. I was especially moved by how art and travel thread through it, not as escape but as sustenance. Thank you, too, for the Van Gogh paintings. That gesture felt like a moment of stillness placed gently into a very full year. This poem doesn’t tidy anything up, and that’s its strength. It tells the truth of how a year is lived, not how it’s supposed to look. I will be using these paintings in my Letters to Vincent podcast. Sending hugs!

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  10. Robbie, you are very courageous. You have had a year of life events and trials. And yet still, you are full of positivity and joy.
    Love your photo gallery… the rose close-ups… are superbly artistic!
    Wishing you peace.

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  12. You had a difficult and challenging year, Robbie. You were very busy but you met all the challenges and maintained your spirit. You produced some wonderful works of art during the year, and completed many other creative projects. I loved reading the poetic journey through your year, and I enjoyed the photos.

    I want to thank you for supporting these challenges with your participation. On top of everything you have dealt with. I appreciate the time you put into the posts, photos, poetry and artwork that you shared. I wish for all the best for you and your family during the holidays and in the new year ahead.

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    1. Hi Jo, it is not the work, it is the leadership that I find difficult. There doesn’t seem to be much leadership at all. I’ll try and do five more years for my colleagues who benefit from my knowledge and experience. I’m not stuck on it though.

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    1. Thank you, Dwight. Our young colleagues require more coaching and training because they come from disadvantaged backgrounds. It does get tiring but it is also rewarding. My run in at work was because I always defend the staff. My mother says I’m a shop steward 😊🌈

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  17. Robbie, I am a huge fan of your multi-tasking abilities and the year 2025 really stretched you to the limits. I admire you for finding little pockets of serenity and peace amongst the chaos. May 2026 bring good health for all, order in work place and more time for you to pursue your beloved activities.

    Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a new year that is smoother. Sending you hugs and love. 💖

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  18. WHEW!

    You made it through 2025, Robbie.

    It’s crazy to believe all the trials you’ve been through, and how positive you are. You have so much passion and energy. Admirable!

    Cheers to a 2026 anthology, where everyone’s health is in a better place!

    🕊🎄🕊

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  20. you did so well, Robbie…your whole year captured to keep … systematically and still with all its importance and emotions.

    Wishing a better year ahead for you and yours…Happy Holidays, Robbie …🤍

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