“Gong Xi Fa Chai”Happy Chinese New Year From Harper & Lindy For those of you who didn’t get my newsletter for a few months, you have not been struck off my distribution list. My typist, Lindy has been too busy to type it for me!!! The biggest event in 2009 was our move from Sydney to Canberra. I can’t really call this a Sea Change, so I have had to settle for a Lake Change! I don’t mind being away from the beaches, as Lindy & I have already taken advantage of the numerous Dams and Lakes that Canberra has to offer. See the section below on the FIT Christmas breakfast for our water adventure. Apart from the move, there are a few other significant events that happened in 2009 for Lindy (& sometimes for me!!). They were:Tandem Sky-Diving for Lindy & ToireasaLindy Cycled 3,200 km from Cairns to MelbourneFormation of the Para-Cycling CommissionUS visit – Lindy spoke to the Rotary ClubLindy Completed the City to Surf without tripping over FIT Christmas Breakfast Water AdventureNew Year’s Eve at the Opera House So far this YearLindy spoke at the Prudential Malaysia National Conference in Kuala LumpurAustralia Day Ambassador at Manilla (Tamworth Regional Council) A Lake Change2009 certainly marked a new chapter in Lindy’s life. We moved from the “Beach Comber” house in Beacon Hill to a town house in the suburb of Page in Canberra. This was a “Sea Change” with a difference. Instead of moving to the sea, we moved away from the sea. The swimming pool that I enjoyed at Beacon Hill has now been replaced by a little kiddie’s pool. At least it is big enough for me to lie in and flap my paws. However, it is not big enough for Lindy to get in while I am in it, and besides, this is MY POOL and I am not going to share it. It has been fun for me to be down here in Canberra. I get to see the kids very often - Lindy’s great nieces and nephews, all 11 of them. The great thing about the little kids is that they are good at dropping food on the floor. I, being a wonder dog that can multi-task, always takes up the extra duty of cleaning up! Oh, I nearly forget to tell you that my new street name is Chewings Street. How appropriate it is for a Labrador Guide Dog!! We have settled into our house in Page. At least I have finished unpacking my toys and treats, but Lindy still got a few boxes left to unpack. Apart from being busy looking for trades people to fix fences, taps, doors, etc and install air conditioning, Lindy has still had time to settle into the Canberra sporting community. She has joined the Females In Training (FIT) Club and also joined Pedal Power for bike rides. There certainly isn’t any shortage of pilots who want ride with her. Lindy has also started running. The bike path near home has a broken white line that she can just see. This enables her to run without a guide. She just has to avoid the peak hour bike traffic. I have offered to guide her but she doesn’t seem to like “Doggie Intervals”, the sprints between trees! Australia Day Ambassador DutiesWhen Lindy received the invitation from the Tamworth Regional Council, we thought we had to get out our cowboy hats and learn to sing Country Music. Then we thought we would have to go to the Phillipines, as the town was called Manilla! However, after checking it all out, we finally found out that we are going to Manilla, in the Tamworth Regional Council area. It is 45km out of Tamworth, the Country Music Capital of Australia. The Australia Day celebration was held at the local swimming pool with over 200 people in attendance, with the town population of about 1,500 people. I was not very impressed with Lindy when she turned down the invitation by the pool manager for me to swim in the kiddies’ pool. All was forgiven however, when I was taken to the local river for a swim afterwards. As usual, Lindy gave an enlightening Australia Day address. She mentioned what Australia Day means to her. The best part of her speech was when she spoke about me and how I guide her around. She even told people what happened on the plane to Tamworth! After Lindy took my harness off, the stewardess was very excited. She knelt down on the floor and was patting me, when the next passenger got on the plane. The passenger commented, “Oh my goodness, she is praying already and we haven’t even taken off”. New Year Eve at the Opera House For the last few years, Lindy had wanted to see the New Year’s Eve Fireworks from Sydney Harbour while she still has some sight. Her friends found out that the New Year’s Eve Concert at the Opera House allows patrons to stay at the Opera House after the concert to view the Fireworks.The view from the Opera House was amazing. Lindy enjoyed the fireworks and I had a great sleep while all that festive activity was going on. My motto is “Take time out to have a nap”. A smart Guide Dog always takes the opportunity to nap and the noise didn’t bother me, as I treated it as background music. The trip home was relatively smooth as we waited as least 45 minutes after the Fireworks finished before walking from the Opera House to the railway station. We only had to face the pedestrian traffic near the station. We were home by 2:30 am. We certainly would recommend this as the way to see New Year Eve Fireworks (especially for a Guide Dog) without being out all day to get a good spot. FIT Christmas BreakfastThe Females in Training (FIT) Club has many organized trainings and activities. One of those activities was the Christmas Breakfast. It was held at the farm of one of the members. It was one of the Saturday morning runs when I was invited to go along. As soon as I arrived, I took the invitation to have a run around the farm and jumped straight into the dam for a swim. Lindy didn’t quite approve of my action and ran after me. After I got out of the dam, Lindy turned around to join the other runners but unfortunately she walked straight into another pond! Well! There were two people standing next to her, but neither of them realized that Lindy couldn’t see the pond in front of her, as she thought it was just the lawn. We know how to take advantage of the numerous dams & lakes that Canberra has to offer!=========================================================== That is about it from the Black Labrador Guide Dog from Chewings Street, however I will just leave you with the following thought : “Always greet people with excitement”Woof Woof
Harper Hou+61 (0) 2 6156 2964
+61 (0) 402 113 836
harperhou@optusnet.com.au
www.lindyhou.com