A Charmed Life

I am so lucky that my parents are adventurers
At three we went to Los Palmas and stayed there
until I was five living in a wonderful house with 
a flat roof that hosted our garden and I had a dolls
house that I could walk in and so many dolls that I 
took apart to see how they worked but couldn't repair.

Mum and I spent our days mainly at the beach
each day a man came by with a cart and donkey
but I was never allowed to stroke him as he bit people
I was given a rare butterfly that I never saw hatch
I was so disappointed to miss seeing it before it flew away.

One time I cut myself on sugar cane and the brute of a doctor
poured iodine on it and boy it stung I would not let him stitch it
sand kept getting in it and I was left with a scar that I used to
tell right from left I bare it still this day. We drove up in the mountains
and both me and my sister saw a lady dressed like a witch high up
on a cliff ridge we had to turn back after a few miles due to landslides
and she was gone but we both remember her she had a pointed hat.

Shortly after we returned to London and spent nearly three years there
and once more we were on our travels to East Africa we arrived in
Dar-es-Salaam harbour on my eight birthday I promptly went down
with malaria and missed the first week of our stay there and then we
moved to Dodoma where we stayed for 2 years before going back to 
Dar for the next eight years we had many unforgettable adventures.

Like being chased by an angry rhino he landed so close to us as we 
went down the embarkment nearly on our roof and on the way back
we were chased by a bull elephant ears flapping  he nearly caught
us we were lucky that the road flattened and we could speed up
but boy it was a close one my father has it on his cine camera.

Safaris were great fun we stayed in a great tent the poles were about
three inches thick but not much protection if a lion came into camp
we could hear them roaring to each other close by. We saw them a
few times a we drove around exploring the Serengeti and watched them 
bring down a deer and the feeding frenzy that followed they are vicious.

Africa is a place of magic and to this day holds a special place in my heart
what a childhood we had. Days spent sailing Dar harbour and out to sea
once our catamaran started to sink about half a mile from Honeymoon
Island and it took ages before people saw we were in trouble and help
arrived to help us and in barracuda waters we got saved just in time.
as I said I have lived a charmed life there were many other adventures
I have picked some of them to share with you.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2025


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Date: 4/22/2025 12:48:00 PM
Dear shadow, your bio is so interesting and yes charmed it is! Must have been so terrifying and an unforgettable experience being chased by elephants! Iv been on some safaris and they are fun, but never in africa! Iv heard of how it is way more wilder there, the safaris! Such precious and fun and some challenging times youve captured them all so well here! Pleasure reading you! Hope you are doing well! Sending you light always
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Hamilton Avatar
Shadow Hamilton
Date: 4/22/2025 1:08:00 PM
Yes Ink ty I was so lucky many times but I am an Aries and often jumped into things without stopping to weigh them up. Africa is very different one of the few truly wild places left and has its own distinct smell. hugs Shadow
Date: 4/22/2025 9:52:00 AM
A charmed life Shadow, with a few lucky escapes, which I suspect comes with the territory, love the scar that tells left from right, I have one too lol! Each stanza could be a poem in itself you’ve so much to work with! Cheers David
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Hamilton Avatar
Shadow Hamilton
Date: 4/22/2025 12:56:00 PM
Ty David yes many escapes I am lucky to be alive after some of them but hey it was fun at the time I have several poems about East Africa one of my fav's is Come walk with me, gosh you too how did you get yours? hugs Shadow
Date: 4/22/2025 9:17:00 AM
WOW!!! What a wonderful "A Charmed Life" write/story you have here. I enjoyed reading this one. How about part 2 and 3??? This needs to be a book. Have a wonderful spring day.........
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Hamilton Avatar
Shadow Hamilton
Date: 4/22/2025 9:34:00 AM
maybe Paula good to see you and have time to write and read poetry I have been very busy with my latest book which should be published in June and really missed not being here ty for reading and enjoying hugs Shadow
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