classmates, who were still quite
unsure. Over time, Georgia seldom
went to school alone. Baby birds
needed feeding with pipettes, tadpoles
turned to frogs, spiders weaved webs,
praying mantis babies huddled in
small bug boxes, and cocoons hatched
into butterflies before the very eyes of
the class. We even found a baby owl
on our walk to school, still warm from
the night’s activities.
The power of a child’s utter
passion, coupled with the absolute
support of a teacher, meant that
by year end no child would arrive
without a bug. We were
told that Georgia had
“single-handedly
changed the class’s perception
towards animals”. As nature lovers
ourselves, we were very proud.
Nature calls
As a toddler, Georgia could be found
knee-high in mud fishing for crabs,
saving baby mice from the cat’s jaws
and feeding them with a teaspoon,
much to the horror of my mother.
When our cat had kittens, Georgia
acted as midwife. Her knowledge
of wildlife is exceptional, and she’ll
spend hours in the garden with the
binoculars. She swam with whale
sharks before her third birthday, and
rode elephants bareback just after.
Invariably we have “guests”: once, a
April 2014
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