Friends
As some of you may have noticed, my signature file has included a URL for the
last few
weeks regarding a Triumph Charity Run taking place this year in May. We're
hoping to raise
$16,000 from sponsors to train one guide dog. We'll be covering 850 miles in 24
hours and
16 cars have currently signed up.
Today the national fund raiser for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
visited me at
Gaydon to talk through the project - and *see* some Triumphs. He's been blind
since birth
and turned up with "Nixon" who was a more than friendly six year old labrador.
When
"Nixon's" harness was taken off, he knew he was off duty and underwent an
interesting
character change. One of these is that he gets more than a little jealous of
what his
owner does and it seems "Nixon" is more than enamoured with riding in cars.
He's not too
fussy about the make but he got positively bitter and twisted when 'Dad' sat in
the
driving seats of all the Triumphs on display. This was demonstrated on a number
of
occasions by some lusty and meaningful barks that conveyed a comprehensive
message of the
greatest discontent. By the time we reached the last Spitfire made, Nixon was
almost
hoarse, couldn't bear it any longer and promptly went in through the driver's
door, over
Dad's lap and plonked himself on the passengers seat. I never knew a Spitfire
hardtop made
such a noise with a labrador's tail thumping it from the underside!
As a result of this sudden canine lunge, the dog's lead got tangled round the
Spit's door
handle and pulled it closed as Nixon surged inside with size fourteen paws. Has
anyone
ever tried to rescue a blind person trapped in the unfamiliar surroundings ofa
spitfire,
not knowing how to get out and with an guide dog licking his face and belting
him in turn
with a long tail? Amusing and touching as that event was - I was greatly
humbled by the
enthusiasm and interest of a young man who knows nothing but darkness, gently
running his
sensitive fingertips over body contours, fingering switches and unaware of the
real
differences between yellow, red, blue and green - but obviously having the time
of his
life. As we parted company later in the afternoon, his thanks were profuse in
the extreme
for "letting me see and really enjoy such delightful cars." I truly wished he
had been
able to see them because I see them everyday and I take too much for granted the
information given to me by my eyes. He never will and as we all know, he's
missing so
much.
We've promised to do one thing before the Run sets off from Gaydon on May 6 at
11.30am.
Barry is going to have his first ride in a fully restored Triumph and "Nixon"
will be on
the back seat with the window wound fully down for a wet nose and ears flapping
in the
slipstream. I really hope he doesn't bark on that occasion - or the driver
might have
heart failure!
Jonmac
Triumph Charity Run in 2000 (in UK): http://www.toolbox.ndirect.co.uk/stories/
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