Dear class
I hope that you are all well and enjoying school. I am still having a great time in South Africa and I have been on lots of exciting adventures. Two weeks ago my parents took me to a wine farm called Spier. They have these cool places where you can see birds of prey (birds that eat meat) that have been rescued from the wild as well as cheetahs. We went to go to watch a show with the birds of prey where they were being fed. We were allowed to sit and put on a glove. Then we had to hold out our hands so that the birds could fly onto the glove, which stopped our hands from getting scratched. I got to stroke owls and falcons, which was awesome. We also saw a huge cape vulture which is almost as big as me. In fact with its wings spread out it is bigger than me. This bird was quite aggressive and too big for us to hold. One time a bird flew onto my dad’s hat, which was very funny. You should have seen his face. I learnt that a large bird called a secretary bird kills its prey (sometimes snakes) with its feet. Falcons actually catch their prey with their feet in mid air and then eat it. What good eyes they must have. I got to hold a chameleon as well. It was very cute and felt rather bumpy. I heard the call of a Fish Eagle, which had lost its eye, which was beautiful.
Next, we went onto the Cheetahs, which was really fun. We had to wait a long time before we were allowed in to touch the cheetahs. They had to be lying down while we were with them, as it could get a bit dangerous otherwise because they did not know us. Finally we were allowed in, and I knelt down and stroked a big friendly cheetah. It was really soft and I would have loved to have been able to lie down on it as it was so comfy! Did you know that they have 2000 spots on their bodies and they can run really really fast.
Last week, I went for a walk with my dad and some friends in a place called the Green Belt, which is right next to my Granny’s home. There is a really cool swing that hangs from a tree branch way up high. It is checked every week to make sure the rope is strong. I had been on it loads of times before, but this time, I did not grip on properly and I fell off and rolled down the steep bank into the river. I got a big fright but luckily I did not hurt myself too badly. A couple of scrapes, and that is all. We met a girl before who had fallen off it before and broken her arm.
I am entering a photographic competition for Kids National Geographic. I had to take a picture of an animal, my environment or people. I took a picture of a snail in a lily. If I win, I win a really cool camera and a trip to Slovenia. So, wish me luck.
This is the end of my adventures for now, so until next time...
Love Luke
Secret Walkers
