Tony Anderson

Rosie had been a weekly visitor to the residents of the local retirement home for some years before her visits were brought to an abrupt halt by the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. She missed the visits, as did the residents, so I decided that Rosie should become a virtual visitor instead. Each week, 'she' emailed a letter with a photo detailing some event that had happened in her life the previous week, and these were printed and distributed within the home. They were a great success and were enjoyed by the residents, some of whom had never met Rosie and only knew her from her letters. They continued for more than two years. Now here they are for you to read and enjoy.

Rosie had been a weekly visitor to the residents of the local retirement home for some years before her visits were brought to an abrupt halt by the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. She missed the visits, as did the residents, so I decided that Rosie should become a virtual visitor instead. Each week, 'she' emailed a letter with a photo detailing some event that had happened in her life the previous week, and these were printed and distributed within the home. They were a great success and were enjoyed by the residents, some of whom had never met Rosie and only knew her from her letters. They continued for more than two years. Now here they are for you to read and enjoy.

This is Tony Anderson's account of when set out in the summer of 1998 to walk through Georgia. From Azerbaijan to Svaneti, Anderson found communities where the old customs and beliefs still triumphantly survive, despite years of Communist oppression and the terrible uncertainties since the collapse of the Soviet Union.