If you scroll back in the blog archives to June 17th 2011 (ie. today’s date, ten years ago), you’ll see a small post titled The Week in Pictures #1.
Thank you, ranger Talley Smith, for this gift, that is now rapidly approaching its 500th iteration.
Talley Smith was a guide at Londolozi for many years and is one of our great legends. To find out a bit more about her story watch the video below, as we owe the legacy of the TWIP to her:
The Vomba female; just another special page in the Londolozi archives…
Names that are now just fragrant leaves pressed in the book of memory appear there; the Camp Pan male, the Ravenscourt female leopard, the Sparta pride and the Majingilane coalition…
There is also a spelling error in “Bateleur” that I will take great pleasure in informing Talley about, and that I know she will claim was simply a typo.
Bateluer
In life you always get told how that first step is the most important one to take. Every journey begins that way, with the end nowhere near in sight, and hopefully this particular one is a journey without end. It will just keep going from strength to strength.
Working on the formula of 15 photos per TWIP – although some had one or two less and some one or two more – we’re closing in on 7500 pictures selected for this weekly blog over its time
I’m not going to go back to work out the exact number, but it’s big. And I’m fairly confident that much like Talley’s denial of her spelling error, she will also have had no clue about the reach her spontaneous post from a decade ago was destined to have.
Off the top of my head something like 30 different rangers have contributed pictures over the years (this number I will go and verify), so it’s more than just a photographic archive; it’s a legacy left by some of Londolozi’s finest photographers and guides.
We’ll be running a more comprehensive post in a month’s time when we reach our 500th TWIP milestone, so for now will confine ourselves to simply saying “Happy Birthday to The Week in Pictures!”, and thank you very much to blog follower Michael Fleetwood for reminding us about this particular date (our sights were set on the 500th landmark so we might have missed the actual birthday!).
We hope that TWIP has in some small way kept you connected to the wilderness each Friday, and continues to do so for years to come…
Bravo! It has become my favourite stop if the day waiting to visiting Londolozi and I share it with other enthusiastic people first of all my sister who eagerly waits for any lion news! I just wish I could have seen the Cam pan male interactions with other leopards. I treasure Varty ‘s documentary on the Mother leopard and offsprings
I’m here EVERY MORNING with my cup of coffee and my dreams of revisiting Londolozi! Cheers to all of you guys there who bring me the joy through your pictures and stories. I will see you again.
Thank you! Sometimes the bravest things are done without thought, which is great because all too often thought slows us down! Well done Talley for making the leap.
I do enjoy these ‘throw back’ blogs. This one was lovely James. TWIP has become an institution.
Your pics are great. As for the drives, there are things i like and some that i don’t really enjoy, still thank you for what you are doing.
A great video on Tally! Congratulations
The New York Times “Daily Briefing” and the Londolozi “Blog”: the first two e-mails I open in the morning. Thanks for all you do, and congratulations on ten years.
It’s been a wonderful, “nature-ful” 10 years that I have thoroughly enjoyed each week. I came to learn about the leopards Camp Pan, Tamboti, Vomba, Tutla, Tu Tones and so many more which fed my desire to visit Londolozi – and I have, 5 times! Keep up the fabulous tradition for all of us out here, please!
Happy 10th Birthday to TWIP!!! I really do look forward to seeing these images every week!
Privileged to have spent a little time with Talley – a wonderful human being and inspiring ranger who showed us our first ever baby Leopard – less than 5 minutes viewing because it was so tiny and an unforgettable experience. Happy Birthday TWIP – it always makes our day and thank you Team Londolozi.
Thank you Jamo! And thank you Rich, Bron, Sean and all the brilliant contributors who have made TWIP what it is today. Very grateful for all of you sharing the Londolozi magic with our family around the world!
(Also, Jamo – 3rd paragraph, *Talley)
Incredible! We have always loved “The Week in Pictures” and can’t wait to see #500!!! It’s an incredible accomplishment for sure, and all should be congratulated!
And what a beautiful story about Tally! The video is so honest, humble and emotional, and we hope Tally is so proud of her accomplishments. Leading a group of super-passionate professional Rangers is no small task!
I remember when that 1st TWIP came out, and have enjoyed them ever since. Loved the video – what is Talley doing now?
Jamo, is it Talley or Tally? (Check the first few paragraphs!)
Seriously, we frequently say: “How can they top this one”…and they do.
It was interesting how many of the selected ones I recall.
Oops. I see later on that “Talley” had called you on the “typo.”
Camp Pan, Majingilanes, Mashaba, live on our walls. Four different safaris were magical!🧚🏼♀️🐘
Marvelous birthday and soon to be anniversary. We love TWIP and now the weekly VLOG. Please keep them coming!!!
Fabulous photo taken by Tallie of the Bateluer 😉! Grateful to see it. Thx.
Miss Tally, Your video is so profound. It might be a little late (personally speaking), but it’s still purposeful in thought and mind.
Today (June 17th) is my 59th birthday. God how I wish I had known about conservation when I was 18 yrs old. I have hopped from one trial to the next, to never make anything that “interested” me become my purpose or mission.
As you mentioned, when you feel that inner knowingness (“The call”) to go for it,.. – That feeling has been residing within me now for months. It feels like a trapped cry to flee to where you’re supposed to be living and fulfilling your purpose.
Your video came on the perfect day, bringing tears of WOW.
Namaste
The pictures of Londolozi’s guides are just great. And it is always one of the highlights of my days to read your texts and enjoy the beautiful pictures. Big THANK YOU!
Happy Birthday to TWIP! Look forward to the blog entry every week!
Happy Birthday to TWIP milestone. So much effort goes into these just to get that story telling shot. I enjoy the fact that you provide info about your camera as well as the f-stop. I look forward to these every week.
Congratulations on your 10th anniversary of TWIP and so looking forward to the 500th blog! But even more so, thanks go to Talley Smith for forging the path, proving that women can guide as well as men, in addition to launching a blog site devoted to a typical week’s drives including photos, animal education and keeping readers up to date on the leopard and lion personalities. I visited Londolozi for the first time primarily based on the daily blogs and especially TWIP on Fridays. The first email I check at 6:30 am (when it appears in California) is the blog. Looking forward to many more….
You probably can’t imagine how much I appreciate TWIP. It’s like oxygen!
Happy birthday and congratulations on this TWIP BLOG. It is so fantastic and I cannot do without this Londolozi blog and the TWIP and video of the week. Thank you all the Rangers for all, your hard work and dedication to this blog.
We look forward to TWIP every week! Thanks so much for creating this Friday delight.
What a wonderful story about Talley. I was not aware of her history, yet when I visited 7 years ago, she must have been there. Since my visit, I have followed TWIP faithfully and it is truly a highlight of my day, and now with the video safari on the weekends, it is almost like being there (minus the smells of the animals, fauna and food). Congratulations on your 10th anniversary and looking forward to 10 more!
I am so grateful for TWIP. Somehow, even after years of daily blogs, I always forget Fridays are for TWIP, and I get a little hit of excitement when I open my email and see them there. The video was very moving and I am inspired that Tally followed the pings that led her on a life changing journey. May we all be so brave to live in our authenticity.
TWIP is always the highlight of my week! Glad I have had the opportunity to provide a small piece of this great legacy.
Nice shout out to Michael! Your Week In Pictures is always a delight!
Nice shout out to Michael! TWIP is always a delight!
Nice shout out to Michael! TWIP is always a delight!
Learning about rangers like Talley is inspiring and also joyful that we can see the love and respect for the wild animals that is present. Bravo and well done! Oh, I always enjoy the TwiP videos. Over time they capture the essence of Londolozi.
Here’s to the next 100! Glorious.
What a lovely tribute to Talley, James and a huge thank you to all the rangers who have contributed the most spectacular photos for us all to enjoy every week. Talley you are a shining example of how anyone can achieve their goal if they take that leap, I’m sorry I never had the pleasure of meeting you. However I am ever hopeful that it won’t be long before I meet all the rangers and the Londolozi team in person after an absence of over 30 years. Till then I will continue to get my ‘fix’ on your daily videos and the TWIP 🙏🏻💗