Back in Brisbane Tuesday morning, after 3 weeks in Seattle. The weather is similar, although apparently it had been raining heavily in Brisbane before I arrived, it’s been crisp and sunny since I got here, cooling down towards winter. In Seattle, it was mostly rain in the morning and clean and clear and bright in the afternoons and evenings, heading through spring towards summer.
I’ve signed up for the Walk In Her Shoes Challenge, set up by CARE Australia to raise funds to help women and girls living in poverty to fulfil their potential. The idea is that such women walk many thousands of steps each day just to fetch water or run errands in order to survive, missing out on opportunities to attend school, or earn an income in a way that allows them to spend more time with their families and communities. So I’ve agreed to walk 10,000 steps a day for a week (30th May to 5th June). You can sponsor me from my Everyday Hero website, just a few dollars makes a tremendous difference.
My goal is to raise $500. I have my pedometer attached to my trousers, and I’ve begun the process of preparation for the main event. On Thursday I drove up to Bribie Island to visit my mother, took her out to lunch to celebrate her 97th birthday, then headed for the beach to begin my training.
I had a wonderful visit with Iain, Jessie, Owen, Natalie and Annie in Seattle, and I miss them terribly already. As well, I managed to catch up with the delightful Gin Hammond and her partner Jeff, although I didn’t get to meet baby Max in person, I got the full iPhone experience
It was the start of the Baseball season, and I had the joy of watching Owen join his first T-Ball team. The first game was hysterical, I overheard someone remarking that the coaches must train for this job by herding cats. I missed the second game, being struck down with strep throat. The third game was a revelation. The kids were still wild and woolly, but relatively much more disciplined than they had been on the first day, remembering to run to first base as soon as they hit the ball into the field, and only run further when the next batter hit the ball likewise. Owen is totally ace as a fielder, remembering to get the ball to first base no matter what – even if it means running all the way there and handing it over himself. Batting skills are improving by the minute.
Here’s the movie, from Opening Ceremony to game 3.
Enjoy.