Tag: #RobbieCheadle

Roberta Writes – Esther Chilton’s Writing Challenge, TDWC26, The Flower Hour, and Thursday Doors

Last Sunday, TC and I went for a 5 kilometre walk at the Johannesburg Country Club in Woodmead. The trees were all dressed in their autumn best and there were plenty of birds out and about enjoying the warm day. We came across a strange scene where a cat and a peahen were living together in a little domed shelter. There were water and food dishes so they are obviously fed by the residence of the surrounding houses.

I was immediately reminded of the nonsense poem by Edward Lear, ‘The Owl and the Pussy-Cat’. It was first published in 1870 in the American magazine Our Young Folks and again the following year in Lear’s own book Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets.

This poem is for Esther Chilton’s writing challenge which provides the word dish as the prompt. You can join in here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2026/05/06/writing-prompts-114/

It is also for Dan’s Doors Writing Challenge which you can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/thursday-doors-writing-challenge-2026/

I’ve used Resa’s photograph for inspiration. You can find Resa’s art gowns blog here: https://artgowns.com/2026/03/22/growing-excitement/

The Peahen and the Grey Cat

The Peahen and the Grey Cat lived together

safe within the bird sanctuary’s fence.

They had a lovely home, in the shape of a dome,

there was no need for any defence.

The Peahen looked over her shoulder and said

“I’m so glad you’re my best friend

We have shelter and a comfortable bed

Here the rest of our lives we’ll spend

We’ll spend, we’ll spend

Here the rest of our lives we’ll spend

***

Grey Cat said to the Peahen, “I’m not a peacock

My modest looks verge on being quite dowdy

My tail doesn’t splay, and make a colourful display

And I’m certainly not at all exciting or rowdy

But if I commit to you, I promise I’ll be true,

We’ll can have an agreeable life together”

“Oh Grey Cat,” Peahen cried, “I can’t think of anything better

Than you and I being together forever

Forever

Forever

Than you and I being together forever

***

Just then, a man with a tray appeared

Filling the dishes with delicious treats

There was cream and berries, sardines and cherries

And even a variety of different meats

The two creatures tucked in, with a great big grins,

Dividing the spoils between them evenly

So easy as their tastes greatly varied

They knew they’d share their haven peacefully

Peacefully

Peacefully

They knew they’d share their haven peacefully

Click on the slideshow below to see the pictures of the grey cat and the peahen. Regrettably, I didn’t take a picture of their shared home.

The Flower Hour

I am posting some photographs from our walk for Terri’s The Flower Hour. These are local wildflowers that bloom in autumn.

Click on the slideshow to see the flowers.

Thursday Doors

Here a few doors from my recent trip to Paris for Dan’s Thursday Doors which you can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/05/07/carnegie-museum-doors/

This is an apartment building I spotted. I just liked it’s shape and design.

The next two photographs are of the Saint-Etienne-du-Mont Church in Paris.

Roberta Writes – TDWC26, Nothin’ but a hound dog

This is my second poem for Dan’s Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. Today, I’ve used a photograph contributed by Maureen from https://oddments70.wordpress.com/2026/04/30/april-30-26-coping-but-barely/

You can join in TDWC26 here: https://nofacilities.com/thursday-doors-writing-challenge-2026/

Picture caption: Photograph contributed by Maureen

Nothin’ but a hound dog

young people

hypothetical cannon fodder

lead the charge

with artificial intelligence

rushing in

where angels fear to tread

experimenting

summarising

capturing ‘its’ version

of salient details

embellishing the written word

with the soul of the soulless

creating gutless art

purpose of essential organs

missed entirely

by the mindless digital mind

photographs enhanced

excluding the unnecessary

floating heads and hands

by accident not design

mistakes will be made

some doors will open

only to be firmly closed

In the end

progress will continue

some will grasp it firmly

using it to hoist themselves

further up the ladder

others will fall

lying broken and bleeding

at the feet of the demigod

On reflection

isn’t the digital revolution

just a rewrite

of Hound Dog?*

*Hound Dog by Elvis Presley is considered to be his most controversial song. It stands out from all his music, marking a pivotal, rebellious moment in rock ‘n roll history that changed music forever. Elvis Presley’s music was criticized by establishment figures, media commentators, and religious groups as being dangerous, vulgar, and lacking artistic merit. Many condemned his music as immoral and a catalyst for juvenile delinquency. Now, Elvis Presley is considered to have fundamentally changed music for the better by breaking racial barriers in radio and merging country, gospel, and blues into popular rock ‘n roll. He is said to have revolutionised the music industry by linking image and sexuality to sound, creating a youth-orientated culture, ad setting the stage for global rock stardom.

AI is controversial and many people are resistant to its implementation in its current form. I have some reservations about how AI will impact young people and the growth of their mental abilities. You have to exercise the brain if you want it to grow. The fate of the Eloi from HG Wells clever story The Time Machine always comes to mind for me when I think about how AI is currently being utilised. If you are interested in my thoughts on this book and the Eloi, you can read my review here: https://latinosenglishedition.blog/2026/04/30/the-time-machine-by-h-g-wells-by-robbie-cheadle/

AI is a topic of many blog posts. All of the posts I’ve read about AI have interested me deeply. Here are a few links to interesting posts about AI I’ve read recently:

Thomas Wikman from Super Facts – https://superfactful.com/2026/03/21/large-language-models-is-just-one-branch-of-artificial-intelligence/

Grant from Grant at Tame Your Book – https://tameyourbook.com/dont-confuse-ai-with-a-benign-tool/

Rebecca Budd from Rebecca’s Reading Room – https://rebeccasreadingroom.ca/2026/04/28/ai-and-humanity-reflections-from-a-modern-reading-room/

Laura Lyndhurst of Books That Make You Think – https://booksthatmakeyouthink2.co.uk/2023/12/13/prophet-of-old/

Audrey Driscoll of Audrey Driscoll’s blog – https://audreydriscoll.com/2026/04/26/is-this-the-end-of-the-golden-age-of-indie-publishing/

Meeks from acflory blog – https://acflory.wordpress.com/2026/05/01/i-hate-what-ai-is-i-love-what-it-could-be/

Progress shot – Mona Vervet acrylic painting

Meeks asked for a progress shot on my latest painting so here it is … Mona Vervet!

Roberta Writes – W3, Dan Antion’s Writing Challenge, Thursday Doors and The Flower Hour

W3 and Dan Antion’s Writing Challenge

Dan Antion’s Doors writing challenge starts today and continues throughout May. I used one of my own doors pictures because the colours inspired a poem that also fitted Yvette’s W3 challenge to write about a fantasy world (mine’s 22 lines and not 20 – sorry Yvette!)

You can join in W3 here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2026/04/29/w3-prompt-209-weave-written-weekly/

You can join in Dan’s Doors Challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/thursday-doors-writing-challenge-2026/

Picture caption: One of Robbie’s Doors entries for Dan’s Doors Writing Challenge – its of the lifts at the Hilton Hotel in Munich

Dinah in Wonderland (freestyle poem)

Beyond the door

Dinah sees the colours

Dancing and swirling

Enticing … calling

“Come and play, Dinah

Come and play”

Squeezing through the cat door

She pitches forward

Falling … down and down

Landing softly on

Pink, blue, green, and yellow

Sweet! Her nose quivers

What? It’s candy floss

Between the bright puffs

Pale shapes swarm

Marshmallow fish

They wriggle their tails

“Chase us, Dinah, chase us”

Off she goes

Bouncing from one sugary cloud

to the next sweet indulgence

Extraordinary!

Thursday Doors

For Dan’s Thursday Doors, I’m sharing the rest of my Hilton Hotel, Munich photographs. I was only in Munich for ten hours so this is what I saw of it in the hotel from about 8pm until 4am the following morning.

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/thursday-doors-writing-challenge-2026/

The Flower Hour

These are orange and yellow arum lilies I discovered in my summer garden (it is now autumn).

You can join in Terri’s The Flower Hour here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/04/28/the-flower-hour-28-flowers-in-water/

Roberta Writes – Tanka Tuesday and Bird of the Week

Tanka Tuesday and Bird of the Week

Melissa has provided a choice of a painting by Romare Bearden as inspiration for this week’s Tanka Tuesday poem. You can join in here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/04/28/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-62-romare-bearden-4-28-26/

This is the painting I chose:

Picture caption: Calm Sea by Romare Bearden

This is also my entry for Don’t Hold Your Breath blog’s Bird of the Week Challenge. You can join in here: https://anotherglobaleater.wordpress.com/2026/04/28/common-myna-birds-of-the-week-invitation-clxvi/

Southern Masked Weaver (Tanka)

reeds adorned with nests

stretching for miles and miles

Southern Masked Weaver

energetic males building

twenty five woven nests each

  • Southern Masked Weaver

Roberta Writes – d’Verse: Haibun Monday & Esther Chilton’s Writing Challenge

d’Verse: Monday Haibun

Frank’s haibun challenge is to write about silence. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/04/27/haibun-monday-4-27-26-silence/

I’ll Take It – haibun

I cherish the near silence of the early mornings, suffering the rasping cough of the kettle just long enough to make a welcome cup of tea. Outside the window, a garden bird twitters and the hadedas screech their ode to the dawn. In a world that worships noise, my love of silence is just another characteristic that differentiates me from my family and colleagues. I’ll take it.

office hum

enhanced by white noise

my ears ring

Esther Chilton’s Writing Challenge

Esther’s challenge word for this week is Mobile. You can join in here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2026/04/22/writing-prompts-112/

What a Feeling – haibun

When I was a girl, children had a lot more freedom than they do now. My little sister, Cath, and I used to go out and about on our own. We both had bicycles so we had the option of riding or we walked, depending on where we were going. When I was in Grade 3 at primary school, roller skates came into fashion. The roller skates then took the form of a boot with four wheels on the bottom. The wheels were spaced out more like the wheels on a vehicle and were attached to a chassis-styled frame on the bottom of the boot, unlike the modern roller skates which are more like ice skates with wheels.

Cath and I both received a pair of roller skates for Christmas that year and I spent the rest of the December / January school holiday learning how to skate. I soon go the hang of swinging my legs correctly to enable forward motion and quickly learned to add arm movement to go faster. I learned to do spins and turns and how to skate backwards. It was an obsession for me and I spent hours practicing. As time passed, I started creating dances on skates to music. I’d set my small cassette recorder up on my bedroom windowsill and practice skating to my favourite soundtracks. The theme song to Flashdance was the track I liked the best and remember practicing my skating dance over and over to that song on repeat. Thankfully, Dad was out working during the day when I practiced so he didn’t complain about the endless refrain of ‘What a feeling’.

Skate dancing to Flashdance is one of my best memories and it was this process of mastering motion on roller skates that taught me I could learn to do anything if I set my mind to it.

freedom in movement

flowing like a waterfall

my spirit flying

CFFC – Something that took you higher

You can join in Dan’s CFFC challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/04/27/view-from-something-that-took-you-higher-cffc/

Through the window of the airplane at Dubai Airport
The Eiffel Tower which has a lift to take you up
Crane to lift up people and building materials – Paris
Tokyo Tower which has a lift to take you up
London Eye
Staircase in the Tate Modern, London

Roberta Writes – W3, Esther Chilton’s Writing Challenge, Thursday Doors, The Flower Hour

Chateau de Chenonceau

W3 and Esther Chilton’s Writing Challenge

Sally’s W3 challenge is to give a nod to another poet. I have based the rhythm and format of my poem on I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth. You can join in W3 here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2026/04/15/w3-prompt-207-weave-written-weekly/

Esther’s word of the week is flower/s. You can join in her challenge here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2026/04/15/writing-prompts-111/

This poem is another contribution to my Paris Diaries Poems.

Chateau de Chenonceau (Loire Valley, France)

A survivor of the French Revolution

Five-arched bridge its saving grace

Not sacked; it survived dissolution

Ladies chateau of flowers and lace

Due to it’s owner’s quick actions

It’s now a major tourist attraction

***

Famous for its facade of white stone

And spectacular gardens with terraces

Diana de Poitiers lived there alone

The first of its female heiresses

She planted flowerbeds, vegetables

And an orchard before the entrance

***

King Henry II favoured his mistress

Causing resentment by his jealous wife

When he died after a short illness

Catherine de Medici changed her life

Evicting Diana from castle and court

Queen Regent her vengeance wrought

***

The chateau received an Italian facelift

And a grand gallery over the bridge

Catherine was a notorious spendthrift

Living a life of splendour and privilege

Installing beautiful historic tapestries

While France fell deeper into anarchy

***

Madame Louise Dupin saved the castle

Nicknamed ‘goddess of beauty and music’

She advocated the bridge’s use for travel

Utilising her popularity and good ethics

In spring, the gardens still flourish

It’s natural beauty the soul does nourish

Thursday Doors and The Flower Hour

For Dan’s Thursday Doors I am showing you the exterior of the Chateau de Chenonceau and the separate tower as well as an outside cottage. You’ll have to wait until next week to see inside. You can join Dan’s Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/04/16/the-hungarian-room/

For Terri’s The Flower Hour, I’m giving you a peep at the flower displays inside Chateau de Chenonceau. You can join in The Flower Hour here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/04/14/the-flower-hour-26-lucky-flower-shots/

This is Chateau de Chenonceau

Walt Disney used the castle as the inspiration for one of his ‘Princesses’ castles. Can you guess which one?

This is the front door of Chateau de Chenonceau

This is the original tower on the site of Chateau de Chenonceau. Walt Disney used it for one of his movies. Can you guess which movie?

I really liked this cottage covered with flowering whisteria.

Click on the slideshow below to see some of the flower displays inside the chateau.

Roberta Writes – Blog Book Tour: Fringes, Heartstrings and Lyrics by Jan Sikes

Thank you, Robbie, for allowing me to take over your blog and talk about my new book, Fringes, Heartstrings, and Lyrics.

Once I had the title for this collection, I knew the Lyrics section would need to be poems. As I thought about that, I wanted to include more than my own work. So, I spent hours combing through a folder of my late husband’s writings from the 1960s looking for things to share. I found much more than I had room for. Then, my fourteen-year-old-granddaughter began reading some of her poems to me as I drove her to dance classes, and I was compelled to include some of those as well.

Here is a teaser from each of us. I hope you enjoy!

I Am You – You Are Me by Jan Sikes

I don’t know how it came to be
That we, in spirit love were joined
Somewhere out in eternity
Then split apart like a germinating seed
And placed on earth, each other to seek

Angels Are Perfect by Rick Sikes

The snow falls, and I am plagued with loneliness
As much as any man can possess
But my mind strays to bright summer days
When I knew your fond caress

Society by Sidney Klein

Welcome to society
We hope you enjoy your stay
You can do anything you want
As long as you do it our way

Picture caption: Cover of Fringes, Heartstrings and Lyrics by Jan Sikes

Book Blurb

At the edge of the world, and the center of the heart, you’ll find stories that linger.

Fringes explores dystopian futures where survival is uncertain and hope is fragile. In  A Foreign World, The Forgotten, and Yearning for Paradise, humanity is pushed to its limits.

Heartstrings turns toward the warmth of love, resilience, and second chances. Stories such as A Promise Broken – A Promise Kept, She Dances with a Memory, and When Love Isn’t Enough remind us that the human spirit endures.

Lyrics captures life in poetry—moments of longing, faith, and reflection in pieces like Comes the Dawn, Society, and The Blind Man in the Night.

From chilling possibilities to comforting truths, Fringes, Heartstrings & Lyrics is a genre-blending collection of short fiction and poetry that will make you think, feel, and return again and again.

Picture caption: Meme featuring Fringes, Heartstrings and Lyrics book cover and the words Poetry transforms emotions into palpable words

PURCHASE LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Fringes-Heartstrings-Lyrics-Jan-Sikes-ebook/dp/B0GRWQC3SH/

Picture caption: Author photograph of Jan Sikes

About Jan Sikes

Jan Sikes is a multi-award-winning author, who writes compelling and creative stories from the heart.

She openly admits that she never set out in life to be an author, although she’s been an avid reader all her life. But she had a story to tell—Not just any story, but a true story to rival any fiction creation. She brought the powerful true story to life through fictitious characters in an intricately woven tale that encompasses four books, accompanying music CDs, and a book of poetry and art.

And now, this author can’t put down the pen. She continues to write fiction in a variety of genres and has published many award-winning short stories and novels. She is an active blogger, a member of the Story Empire group, loves to support indie artists (both literary and musical) and is the grandmother of five beautiful souls. Find out more at http://www.jansikes.com

Find Jan Sikes

http://www.jansikes.com

https://www.jansikes.com/blog

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJanSikesBooks

https://bsky.app/profile/jksikes-author.bsky.social

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jan-sikes

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00CS9K8DK  (Author Page)

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7095856.Jan_Sikes

Roberta Writes – Esther Chilton’s Writing Challenge and Tanka Tuesday

Esther Chilton’s Writing Challenge

Esther’s challenge word this week is Vision. I am continuing my Paris series of poems and posts. You can join in Esther’s challenge here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2026/04/08/writing-prompts-110/

Medici Fountain in Jardin du Luxembourg

It looms above me

a vision in sandstone,

bronze, and marble

the Medici Fountain

heard before it’s seen

water gushing down wide stairs

into a long tree-shaded basin

in white marble

the sea nymph, Galatea,

and the mortal, Acis

make love

while from behind

the jealous cyclops, Polyphemus

represented in bronze

sneaks upon them

a dead bull across his back

Is Acis’ death a tragedy?

Or is his transformation

into a river spirit

perfect immortalisation?

I wonder

my thoughts flowing

alongside the representations of

the River Rhone and River Seine

observed by Faunus and Diana

My photographs of Medici Fountain and closeups of the sculptures are in the slideshow below.

  • Side view of the Medici Fountain
  • Close up of Polyphemus looking down on the lovers, Galatea and Acis
  • Close up of Galatea and Acis
  • Close up of Polyphemus with the dead bull across his back

My Youtube video of the Medici Fountain.

Fountaine de Leda (at the back)

Fontaine de Leda

hidden fountain

depicting in stone

the seduction of Aetolian princess, Leda

by sky and thunder god, Zeus

in the form of a swan

Leda holds the bird

on her knees while

water flows from its bronze beak

the pair, encircled by roses

are shot by an arrow

from Cupid, lurking in the corner

The Fountaine de Leda is at the back of the Medici Fountain and a lot of people miss it. I saw it because I walked around the back of the Medici Fountain to get photographs on the other side.

Tanka Tuesday

My prompt for this week was to use onomatopoeia in a poem. I’ve written a tautogram poem using onomatopoeia using the American cinquain form.

spouting

sound symphony

splishing, splashing, spraying

splattering smooth, shining surface

splendid

You can join in Tanka Tuesday here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/04/07/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-59-onomatopoeia-in-poetry-04-07-2026/

Roberta Writes – d’Verse: Imperatively Yours, Thursday Doors, The Flower Hour & CFFC

Frontal view of the fountain showing the centerpiece in good light.

Bonjour! I am back from my 6-day race around Paris and surrounds.

D’verse: Imperatively Yours

Dora has asked poets to write a poem using the imperative mood. You can learn more about this here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/04/07/poetics-imperatively-yours/. I have written my poem about Paris.

Paris in Spring

You must love Paris

What’s not to love?

The sun shines brightly

The statues gleam whitely

Spring abounds everywhere

Tulips model the new colours

Bedecking flowerbed ramps

Which style do you like best?

While pansies peep shyly

From behind tulip skirts

Waiting for their moment

To steal the show

Who will win best bonnet?

And in the corner

A vivid splash of yellow

Daffodils bow their own horns

Along the path

Water splashes loudly

Come and admire me

The fountain thunders

White feather boas

Streaming upwards

Silvery drops blowing

On the treacherous wind

Sharp reminder

That Old Man Winter

Is still directing

The production

Jardin Du Luxembourg

The Jardin du Luxembourg was created in 1612 when Marie de’ Medici, the widow of King Henry IV, constructed the Luxembourg Palace as her new residence. This is the number one garden in Paris and is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, tennis courts, flowerbeds, model sailboats on its octagonal Grand Bassin. It is also home to the Fontaine de l’Observatoire and Medici Fountain. I’m showcasing the Fontaine de l’Observatoire today.

Click on the slideshow to see the Fontaine de l’Observatoire:

  • Frontal view of the fountain showing the centerpiece in good light.
  • Frontal view of the fountain into the sun. The water sparkles but the statue is a silhouette
  • Close up of the centerpiece of the fountain featuring four female figures representing the four parts of the world: Europe, Asia, Africa and America, twisting their bodies to turn the sphere.
  • Another view of the fountain featuring the horses in the basin around the fountain.
  • side view of the fountain with the water shooting upwards towards the centre

This is one of my Youtube videos of this fountain:

You can see more of my Paris Youtube videos on my channel.

Thursday Doors

The Universite de Paris Institut d’Art Et d’Archeologie is near the Jardin du Luxembourg. I really liked the brick patterning of this building which is why I took these photographs. It reminded me of lego.

These photographs are for Dan’s Thursday Doors Challenge: https://nofacilities.com/2026/04/09/heinz-chapel/

This is a shot of the Universite de Paris Institut d'Art Et d'Archeologie with its interesting brick patterning.
This is the ornate door of the University

The Flower Hour and CFFC, view as we walk

These photographs are of flowers and statues in the Jardin du Luxembourg. They are for Terri’s The Flower Hours (most of the flowers are tulips) and for Dan’s CFFC as these were taken while we walked. We walked approximately 20,000 steps a day for the 6 days I was in Paris.

You can join in Dan’s CFFC challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/04/06/view-as-we-walk-or-hike-cffc/

You can join in Terri’s Flower Hour here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/04/07/the-flower-hour-25-pop-go-the-poppies/

A picture of yellow and white tulips - closeup
White Monument to Leconte de Lisle in a flowerbed of orange and yellow tulips
Picture of me with the Le Faune dansant sculpture in the background in a flowerbed of yellow and orange tulips
Flowerbed of orange and yellow tulips with some white flowers