So Birdsville has been a tad warm this past week with temperatures hovering above 40 degrees since New Years, and it looks like tomorrow is set to hit 47 (mind you that temperature is taken from inside a scientifically ventilated shaded box, so add another 10 or 15 degrees if you are not inside the box). It appears the weather gods have not yet clicked into The Long Walk Home and honoured my request to cool it down a little. In reality though I suppose it is summer and I do live next door to a desert so I’m not sure exactly what I had hoped for.
This week has marked a huge surge in views of The Long Walk Home with 107 taking a peek at it a couple of days ago, and also the start of my new training schedule. The first week has seen me training in the air conditioning, which has been a welcome relief from the searing heat outdoors that literally leaves your skin burning if you leave it exposed. I had a bit of a wobble on the treadmill today though, with my playing of the airdrums to Creedence Clearwater Revival sending me a little bit off balance. However with my trusty training partner (Chevy) overseeing quality control I remained in a vertical position with no unwanted conveyor belt/carpet burns.
For those who haven’t met Chevy yet, he’s my trusty mate who accompanies on my many sandhill runs and is always ready to go even if I’m not so keen. A little bit of slobber and extreme exuberence quickly tells me that it is time to go though. He has even become a favourite alarm clock with many family members over Christmas waking up to a pounce on the bed, a paw in some slightly uncomfortable places and a lick on any exposed skin which you weren’t quick enough to hide under the covers. Unfortunately for Chevy though he doesn’t particularly enjoy the heat, and hence can usually be found standing over a sprinkler, before trying to make a quick entry into the air conditioning when you walk in the door. I am still baffled as to why people think boxers are dumb…to me his actions seem quite smart really 🙂
My trusty training companion!
Back onto the walk though and the past week has been generating huge interest (well it seems huge to me anyway) with the website now having over 600 views. I have been trying to make the website a little user friendly and you’ll now see a ‘Donate Now’ button on the right hand side which will take you to my online fundraising page. With regards to the comments that are made on each post, there is a little speech bubble at the top and if there is a number in it there is a comment to read, so just click on it and read or write a comment. If you would like to be notified via email when I publish more riveting reading material, click the follow button on the right hand side and you’ll receive my words as soon as my fingers have finished typing them.
On a personal note I have been extremely overwhelmed with the response from both friends and complete strangers alike, and to be honest I find myself sending thank you emails but it just doesn’t quite seem enough. For me this walk was just something that seemed like a good idea and would be a challenge that I could set myself, but after reading the comments that people are making about it I feel that it has become something much bigger then I ever imagined. I initially thought that although people who didn’t live in the area might donate, I thought the idea and the spirit of the walk would really only mean something to the locals of the area. How wrong was I! From my perspective it is so hard to fathom that all these people are looking at something that I am doing, even people who I have never met before. Thankfully I have my 2 media mogul siblings who tell me to do this or do that, and to which I initially resist and then go ‘oh alright whatever you reckon’. I’m like a puppet, a stubborn one but a puppet none the less. It is second nature to see other people doing these amazing things for charity so it almost floors you when people start supporting something that you are doing. I know that I will say this over and over again during the next 6 months, but THANK YOU to all who read my posts, share my website and spread the word. Without you I am just a loony walking across a desert for something to do.
Stay tuned for more news from The Long Walk Home including an introduction to my support crew (they don’t know this yet..suprise!). If we can get the internet connection out here to play nice there even might be a video or 2 of what this place is like!
Uvumilivu - The Long Walk Home 