Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Tour Down Under and other important updates




What a week it’s been! I’ve been enjoying the pleasure of international road cycling here in my own country – and I’ve spent the last week track side of the Tour Down Under celebrating the fantastic cycling talent we’ve got here in Aus. Now before I loose all my non-cycling friends, this week has also involved some ‘simple living’ challenges that I’ll mention, and for my bookish friends – I’ve got some updates on reading.

My cycling hero, Cadel Evans, came in second place, only one second behind the younger Aussie and Aussie sponsored Simon Gerrans. The competition was tough all week, and the final decision was only made on the very last day! 

To attend the Tour Down Under I take a week off work, and travel with my partner to our home town, Adelaide, and stay with friends and family. I’ve had a blast staying with my friend and her beautiful 8yr daughter, who came with me each day to the race. This made for a fun time as we waited for the gooosh of the passing peloton. We watched hill climbs, race starts, race finishes, and Circuits.  Here’s just some of my favourite shots.
 

 
Reading Updates
Holidays are a great time to set some big reading goals, however this holiday was so busy that I didn’t get to first base on some of my goals. However, I have started preparing my end of Japanese Literature Challenge 7 post and reviews of
  • the golden temple,
  • mistress oriku stories from a Tokyo teahouse by matsutaro kawaguchi 

My reading list for the holiday included the the izu dancer yasunari Kawabata and other stories by yasushi inoue. I am hoping to finish these before the end of January and to get the post published next weekend. 


 Simple living challenge Updates
My challenge this year is to remain focused, intentional and purposeful about how to live simply so that others may simply live. So during my weeklong break, I tried really hard to be conscious, considered and intentional about my daily choices. I want to post soon on my reflections recently, but for now I will simply share that this week was a good time to start with stakeholder engagement. For me to make different decisions about my impact on the world, I need my partners engagement. We had some great chats this week about what this will mean for us. 

Hemp and bamboo clothing sparked an intense discussion for us when we found a shop in Handorf (South Aus) devoted to quality designer brands of ethically made clothing. We were immediately drawn to the products knowing that clothing made from these fabrics last longer, the materials are mostly ethically grown and developed, and the companies that use these fabrics make environmentally conscious decisions. So why not purchase something? Throw in an amazing sale, so there were items at 50% normal cost – why wouldn’t you want something? I came to the conclusion that I liked the stuff, that I wanted something, but I didn’t need anything. My partner, on the other hand, decided that he did need some items, and purchased long pants and long sleeve shirts that would protect his fragile skin while he enjoys his kayaking. We agreed that our final decisions were considered, ethical, intentional and purposeful.

Stay tuned for more updates soon...

4 comments:

Heather said...

Hi Tamara,
I was just reading that you were in Hahndorf where you talked about the hemp clothing.

My ancestors founded Hahndorf. Their names are carved on a monument in the village.

They were Germans who fled religious persecution in Prussia ( now part of Germany) and they sailed on a ship with Captain Hahn. They were so grateful to him for helping them, they named the land that they bought "Hahndorf".

Tamara said...

Heather, that's amazing. I love those serindipitous connections. Thanks for sharing.

Jeanie said...

Hi, Tamara -- first of all, I just want to thank you for your comments on my past two posts. I've been a little slow responding but they have meant a great deal.

Now -- about THIS post! Oh, how I wish I could have joined you for the Tour. Part of my bucket list is to someday see a major tour -- I've seen bike races here but all in smaller cities like mine, with local or state riders. I loved your photos -- I'm a Cadel fan, too. What a great thing to introduce a kid to, as well!

And congratulations on working toward your goals so well. I was particularly interested in your trip to the clothing store and your restraint. That must have been a little tough so four stars for that! It's good to have your partner on your side, too.

Sounds like your year if off to a great start! Hooray!

Tamara said...

Jeanie, may be one day we'll see each other one day by the side of a race.... Tour down under is easy for us, but one day I'd like to see the Giro... it's a dream. There was a kids event at the tour down under, so our little friends got a chance to ride their bikes on the same track as their heros. it was a real buzz seeing them have so much fun - being physically active and happy.