2012 has been a relatively quiet year for Lindy and I. We began by being the Chinese New Year Ambassadors for the City of Sydney. I, along with her great niece Georgia, helped Lindy dot the eyes for the Dragon Boats in Darling Harper (Harbour).
Lindy then did a few triathlons in Canberra and Penrith, finishing off with the Sydney Triathlon. This certainly was a great City triathlon event, with competitors from all over Australia as well as overseas. Lindy and her guide Rosemary swam in the harbor next to the Opera House, rode the tandem over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and then ran around the spectator filled-streets of Sydney.
Lindy then took a well-deserved breather in April and had a small knee operation. As part of her rehab, Lindy and I spent some of the winter up on the Sunshine Coast. This gave me a great opportunity to enjoy the Queensland sunshine and avoid the cold Canberra climate. Lindy also discovered Indoor Rowing there and used the rowing machine to help with her knee rehab.
During this time, Lindy decided to refocus her energy into what she is good at – “talking to people!!!” Lindy loves to share her life story and to empower people to achieve their personal best. Lindy did a Life Coaching course and also revamped her website. Lindy plans to really get into motivational and inspirational speaking in 2013.
In October, we presented the “Guide Dogs Australia NDIS: A Vision for All” petition to the minister. We also attended the Retina Australia Congress and learned of the progress by the scientists in finding a cure for all the degenerative eye conditions.
In November, we “witnessed” the Canberra Classic win Gold at the Pan Pacific Masters Games. As well, Lindy came home with three Gold and one Silver Medals in the Indoor Rowing Competition. Then as the ambassador for the Radio station 2RPH (Radio for the Print Handicapped), Lindy helped promote the station at the Glebe Street Fair.
While the knee operation kept Lindy off running for a few months, it did not stop her from riding her bike!
Apart from doing club races, Lindy also participated in a number of community charity rides. The 205km Fitz’s Challenge in October took just over 9 hours riding time on the tandem with Ashley and climbed over many of the challenging hills around Canberra. The view was fantastic, at least that is what Lindy was told!
Lindy along with 11 other Fit-ability members embarked on the Hartley Cycle Challenge in November. This is the 13th Cycle Challenge to raise funds to support the work that Hartley Life Care does. The Challenge consists of riding from Canberra to Charlotte Pass and back over three days. View some images of Lindy and Ashley.
Read more about the wonderful work that Hartley Life Care does
In the last 12 months, we also embarked on activities other than sports! We have taken kids to the movies and museums. We saw Barry Jones and Elton John perform. We went to restaurants and coffee shops. Lindy even read books while I slept! Well actually she listened to talking books rather than read the printed ones!
But of course physical activities are still Lindy’s first love. While you are reading this newsletter, Lindy and Elton (the tandem pilot not the singer) will take on the Sea to Summit Challenge. On Saturday 22nd December, the longest day of the year, they, along with seven other single bike riders, will cycle from Tathra to Charlotte Pass. I will tell you all about this in the January newsletter.
So this probably sums up our relatively quiet year. I can’t wait until we do a bit more in 2013! In the meantime, I am going to enjoy this festive season with lots of wrapping paper to play with and lots of food to clean up!!
Have a great Festive Season from the Black Labrador.
Remember: “The easiest way to climb a mountain, is one pedal stroke at a time.”
