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Hello – a walk to support a friend

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Tomorrow I am setting off on a walk to raise money for the Royal United Hospital in Bath (RUH Bath). This is to support my friend who has worked at the hospital for several years, but sadly is not well enough to walk with me. I know this is a cause that matters a lot to her.

The hike is going to be way longer than any I’ve done for a while (over 100 miles if I get as far as I plan). It’s in England, and, my family will be joining where they can. Sadly the pandemic has made it too difficult to arrange a bigger walking group.

My aim is to write some postcard style blogs en route to let you know how it’s all going. I’d love your company if you have the time to read. I hope I’ll have the energy to write.

I have set up a JustGiving Page, and I’d be so grateful if you were able to give any amount at all.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/georgie-knaggs

These are the ladies (school friends) who inspired me to start walking. This was in 2018. The walk was organised by a friend in Madrid - the rest of us were from UK, South Africa, France and Australia. Sadly we cannot walk together now because of Covid.

These are the ladies (school friends) who inspired me to start walking. This was in 2018. The walk was organised by a friend in Madrid – the rest of us were from UK, South Africa, France and Australia. Sadly we cannot walk together now because of Covid.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2021

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Book Update: Innocent Victims – Rescuing the stranded animals of Zimbabwe’s farm invasions – by Cathy Buckle

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What a book!

Here’s the update: the book, first published as a hardback in 2009 by Merlin Unwin, has been published again this year as a high quality paperback. The publishers say that “it is most readily available throughout Africa via The Book Depository which has the title available for £14.99, with free delivery worldwide”.

Innocent Victims is a true story, based on the first hand accounts of the Chief Inspector for the ZNSPCA (Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), Meryl Harrison, who, in the early 2000s, travelled widely around the farming districts of the country as they were being wrenched apart by land reform. Supported by a small team, her mission was to rescue the animals from farms where the owners had been forced off by unpredictable, aggressive mobs, often in situations that had spiralled violently out of control.

It was an emotional, empowering read for me, as much about courage and loyalty, as it is about mayhem, and at its core is Meryl’s persistent, brave determination to help the stranded animals.

In the audio clip below I say a little more about the book, and read the first four and a half pages of Chapter One. These start with the dog that inspired Meryl and her team to begin their rescues.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2021

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Film Review: The White Tiger (Netflix)

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Image from the film The White Tiger

I still feel dazed after watching The White Tiger a few nights ago, and nothing should have surprised me. I knew for a start that it wasn’t about tigers – I’d read the book.

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