Category Archives: Postcards 2023

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Nightwalk by the Thames at high tide

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I often walk beside the Thames, sometimes in the dark and sometimes by day. I love the movement on the river, and along its edges, especially when the bridges and their reflections add extra colour to the palette.

Last week I happened to be beside the Thames after a period of persistent rain. The water reached high up the walkway, slapping against its edges. It was easy to feel the river’s power and its threat, and to understand why the busiest lifeboat station in the country is Tower which opened in 2002, and is moored close to Waterloo Bridge.

Here are a few little facts I’ve picked up about the station. There is more on this RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) website.

  • This September Tower was the first lifeboat station to reach 10,000 launches.
  • The crews have to launch within 90 seconds of receiving a request from the Coastguard. For coastal stations that time is ten minutes.
  • It is manned 24/7 for 365 days of the year.
  • Around 50% of its rescues involve accidents or sudden ill-health on board other boats.
  • There are three other lifeboat stations on the Thames – Teddington, Chiswick and Gravesend.

I hope that the Thames Barrier will keep major flooding near the bottom of the list of risks facing these crews.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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How can war still exist?

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There’s so much talk of war, and war crimes right now – discussion about who has visited what horror upon whom, and whether such horrors are legal. It makes my heart shrink into my bones.

Why do questions like these still have to exist?

How can we claim to be ‘playing fair’ at all when we bring death and destruction to another? How can any of us walk tall when others are ripped apart by loss, and their homes cratered with corpses? Where is the honour in deliberately obliterating the hope and livelihoods of millions caught up in the storm of our actions? Where is the pride in shredding the souls of others, in stamping bootnails and bombs into generations of families? What is the justification for any form of warfare, regardless of whether it is legal or not?

Surely there is none, for we know in the deepest layers of our common humanity that the cruelty and violence of war should be banished from all lands for all times, for the sake of us all.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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‘Make Jewellery Not War’

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“Say Something”

Today was cold and grey, but it included a chance to visit an exhibition by 6Artist Collective at Farnham Pottery. That visit brightened the whole day, particularly our chat with Emily Smith about her ‘Make Jewellery Not War’ collection.

The rings in this collection were solid and definite, and each supporting a mini work of art – a sculpture featuring a tiny person (or people) made from brass shell casings. Their postures, even though so miniature, seemed full of resilience and hope, despite odds which she’d somehow also managed to convey. 10% of her sales from these pieces go to Médecins Sans Frontières. Eyes shining with emotion, she told us of her deep respect for the charity’s work. I hope that her own work, and its message, will reach far and wide. It looked so striking and beautiful in the old building.

Farnham Pottery is tucked in amongst the houses of Wrecclesham. Its brick shell has an old wooden heart, which adds to its welcome and texture. The whole fabric of the building felt creative to me, and so suited to displaying everything from Ali Tomlin’s elegant ceramics, to the rich selection of paintings, mainly landscape, by Ruth Taylor, Tamara Williams and Nic Cowper. It also showcased the gleaming mosaics of Denise Jacques, as well as including a small studio space where guest artist Jane Browne was working on her woven tapestries.

The whole visit was a gentle, thought-provoking few hours, topped off with homemade cake and scones from the Hobo Cafe below. Not bad for a grey day.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023