Terri’s topic this week is colours of lava and black. I am sharing some of my photographs from inside the Sudwala Caves in South Africa.
This is what Wikipedia says about these caves:
The Sudwala Caves in Mpumalanga, South Africa, are set in Precambrian dolomite rock, which was first laid down about 2.8 billion years ago. The caves themselves formed about 240 million years ago. They are one of the oldest caves in the world.
Picture caption: TC and I in front of Samson’s Pillar inside the Sudwala caves
My photographs are of Chateau du Chambord in the Loire Valley in France.
Picture caption: Photograph of Chateau de ChambordExit into the lavish gardens at Chateau de Chambordfront entrance to Chateau de ChambordInternal entrance at the top of a short flight of stairsInternal door in Chateau de Chambord with short flights of stairs
The Double Helix Staircase
The double helix staircase is believed to have been designed by Leonard da Vinci and is the most striking architectural featuring of the Chateau de Chambord. Positioned in the centre of the immense square-shaped keep, the celebrated staircase comprises of two sets of staircases twisting one above the other to get to the main floors of the building. When two people climb the stairs at the same time, they can see each other at intervals but will never meet. The stairs were intended to be used by each of the King’s wife and his mistresses.
The two pictures below are my photograph of the staircase as drawn by an artist and my photograph of the staircase from my visit to Chambord.
The four photographs in the gallery below are animal shots taken at sunset in two different game reserves in South Africa.
Three hippos in the lake at sunsetA single hippo in the lake at sunsetThree giraffes feeding at sunsetA single giraffe feeding at sunset
The photographs below are some of my favourite animal and other captures during the day time.
A herd of Cape Buffalo drinking at the dam in the early morningA mother cheetah and her four young cubs feedingThe dam in the Pilanesberg National Park steaming after a sudden big drop in temperaturesA leopard pausing at the top of a koppie just before disappearingFive giraffes watching a pair of lions sleeping.
People cleaning windows on a high-rise building. They are seated in a open topped cage that is lifted up by a mechanical hoist.Man seated in a cage on a mechanical hoist. He is overseeing the construction of an outdoor stage for a music concert in Grande Place, Brussels. Horse and carriage with its driver on the streets of LondonMan serving ice-creams from an ice-cream van on a hot day in BrightonLondon busCarousel with its operators in London
The two challenges fitted together naturally for me this week.
Ode to a Giraffe
My spirit rejoices, sense of well being restored
Enthusiasm, returning as though never misplaced
Patience a virtue that brings its own reward
Anxiety and stress with peacefulness replaced
I bask in the liquid depths of your calm gaze
Silent queen who uses her voice so rarely
Chewing thoughtfully as if
Viewing life through a rose coloured haze
How I wish I could see the world so clearly
Instead, change has always scared me stiff
***
Oh, that I could derive such simple pleasure
From the action of consuming my daily bread
Absorbing the sun’s warmth as golden treasure
Grateful for nature’s bounty that keep’s me fed
Your gentle expression and swaying grace
Neck swinging in rhythm with your amble
Unworried and totally at ease
In you, trouble and strife find no place
Watching you, my thoughts unscramble
Floating away on grace’s mellow breeze
***
Within the borders of this manmade sanctuary
You are free to follow your natural instincts
No familial burdens to make you weary
Societal expectations, wordless but succinct
Within the boundaries you are free to roam
Unimpeded by responsibilities choker chain
That always pulls me up short
Despite the fact we ultimately walk alone
It is necessary for us to share other’s pain
Obligation and duty not easy to thwart
***
Your environment artificially maintained
By humans who are deemed more intelligent
Yet, it seems our hands and feet are chained
To the way of life that’s our inheritance
I seek out your environment as my escape
From a frantic world spinning ever faster
Core central pillar
Pivotal in the wild and untamed landscape
My soul temporarily heals, avoiding disaster
Nature acts as my life’s tiller
Sunday Stills and CFFC
Terri’s Sunday Stills challenge is animals with antlers, horns and hooves. I am featuring the giraffe that inspired my poem above. Giraffes have hooves. Giraffes do not have horns. They have ossicones which are horn-like, skin-and-fur-covered bone structures on top of a their head’s that develop from hardened cartilage. You can join in here: http://secondwindleisure.com/2026/09/20/sunday-stills-animal-of-the-month-antlers-horns-and-hooves/
Dan’s challenge is where/what/when we vacation. Naturally, I mainly vacation in the bush either at a safari lodge or some other facility that is close to animals and nature. You can join in Dan’s challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/09/21/where-what-when-we-vacation-cffc/
Isn’t this just the most beautiful giraffe you ever saw?
This is a portrait photograph of the same giraffe. These photographs were taken at Welgevonden Private Game Reserve in South Africa.
This photograph is of TC and I celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary at Welgevonden Private Game Reserve in February this year. There is a herd of elephants in the background.
The above photograph is of a Cape buffalo. Cape buffalo have large, heavy horns that typically curve downward and then sweep upward. In mature Cape buffalo bulls, the bases of the horns fuse together across the forehead to form a heavy, hard bone shield called a “boss”.
Today, I’m participating in six challenges. I think that is a record for me. Between the new job, my parents and their medical and other needs, and my painting, I run out of time every single week. I do write three articles a week for LatinosUSA and two a month for Writing to be Read and those are of my own crafting, so I don’t feel to bad about not posting personal blog posts as often. There are only so many hours in a week. I have also been experimenting with cakes for my parent’s wedding anniversary celebration next week. My new firm closes on 15 December. I am very excited as I think I’ll be able to create a gingerbread house this year. I need about a week pre-Christmas to do that.
Anyhow, on with this week’s poems and photographs. PS, I am having trouble with WP which is flipping all my portrait photographs landscape if I use a slideshow or gallery format. Is anyone else having this problem?
Kim’s beautiful challenge is Adagio for Strings. I had a tough week trying to solve some complex accounting problems. The muse was stubborn and only brought this when I listened to the beautiful music Kim provided for inspiration. Bad muse!
A single clivia with the sun shining on its front blossoms
Picture caption: Two clivia with the sun creating dappled patters on some blossoms
A single clivia in full sunshine
Picture caption: Lion Scream – a protest cake that was based on The Scream painting by Edvard Munch. The burning volcano in the background and the river of blood represent the Sixth Mass Extinction that is currently underway. This one is manmade and not a circumstance of nature …
CFFC & Thursday Doors
These two challenges, hosted by Dan Antion, just went together this week.
Dan’s CFFC theme is where/when/how we shop. I decided to take you on a shopping tour of a few places in Brussels, Bruges, Bath, and Borough Market, UK (but not shopped at as I don’t like shopping). You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/09/14/where-what-when-we-shop-cffc/
Bruges and Brussels
Chocolate shop in BrusselsPaul’s in BrusselsA display of sweet treats in BrugesShop window in Brussels with a delightful display of mice families toys
Amsterdam
A street lined with shops in Amsterdam
The window of an art gallery in Amsterdam. I took the picture because I liked the artwork.
Entrance of the van Gogh Museum shop in Amsterdam. I like how van Gogh’s self portrait is displayed on the door.
Bath, UK
People queueing in Bath to go into Sally Lunn’s bakery
Borough Market, London
People shopping at Borough Market
I took this photograph as I walked into Borough Market
Well, that was enough poetic suffering, oops I mean creativity, for this week. Now on to some photographs …
Thursday Doors
These are some doors photographs from my trip to Paris in April. These photographs are of the Pont des Arts, Institut de France is located at one entry point of the bridge in Paris which crosses the River Seine. You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/09/10/bbq-dam-lock-tour/
The Flower Hour
More beautiful wisteria photographs from this past week. They are starting to go off now so this will be the last of them. The purple irises benefited from the rain early this week and are plentiful and vivid.
Terri’s challenge is beach views. At first I couldn’t think of any beach pictures as I’m not a beach lover, but then I remembered the ones I took in January at St Lucia when I went to Cape Vidal at night to see the loggerhead turtle.
Last year I got no flowers at all. So this late July I started tending the vine. I watered it and fed it with fertiliser. This spring I have been rewarded with several lovely flowers.
Picture caption: A cluster of four wisteria flowers against the garden wall.
A close up of a single wisteria flower. Its petals are white and purple.
We haven’t had wildfires in Johanneburg but I have had scary experiences with wildfires during my lifetime so Terri’s story is close to my heart. I didn’t think I had any photographs to contribute for this topic but then I remembered a couple of photographs I took when we travelled out of Joburg early in the morning a few week ago. The sky was full of pollution from the winter fires people light to keep warm. The pollution in Joburg has become so bad we are planning to retire to the coast. I’m worried about the health effects as we all suffer with coughs, burning eyes and other air pollution nasties.
Picture of a dull gold disc rising above a red, smoke filled sky.A more distant picture of the dull golden disc of the sun rising into a red, smoke filled sky. you can see the traffic on the road.
I had a crazy week and ended up working until 9pm on Thursday which through my week off. I also had to take Dad to the hospital for lung functioning tests. The doctor says there is no deterioration but he’s turned into an old man and is shuffling around using a walking stick. No-one seems to have an answer for his problems. I think its long Covid.
Picture caption: Yellow Banks Roses – I love thesePicture caption: Jasmine buds and blooms. They smell delightful. Picture caption: White plum blossom against a blue skyPicture caption: I like this photograph of a single spray of white plum blossom against a blue sky
Reminder: Sunflower Tanka Anthology submissions are open until 31 August
Picture caption: Beautiful yellow sunflowers
Submissions to the Sunflower Tanka syllabic poetry anthology are open until Monday, 31 August.
Colleen and I look forward to reading your submissions. I am starting to work on the anthology tomorrow.
