Tag Archive for VIP

14 Jan 2026
Blind Blog

More than a Guide Dog – This is a new journey

In the last fifteen years I have been blessed with three wonderful guides beside me. But it is with Ben that I have learnt so much more.

Both Fizz and Vicky before him, came to me after working with others. So although I had a bond and I trusted them totally; with Ben there has always been something else, something that feels different to the girls.
I have always joked that this time around I could be held fully responsible for any ‘bad habits’ Ben picked up! But I underestimated how amazing and rather magical it has been to watch Ben’s personality come out; in the last two and half years he has grown.

He is still (and probably always will be) a giant puppy; full golden retriever part kangeroo. He has certainly matured and I am in awe that I have finally had the opportunity to watch this happen.

When the girls arrived they were four and three and a half respectively; so were through that true puppy to teenager stage that I have finally been able to experience.

Ben has also reminded me of how ‘Chatty’ my first guide dog Vicky was. Being Goldem retriever and Flatcoated retriever (often nicknamed. ‘The-Double-Diva’ retriever) she too would be chatty. Making sure I was aware of how excited she was with a new toy or when I put my shoes on. Ben gets very excited when I put on my shoes, often nuzzling into me as I crouch down to do up my laces; so I am unable to miss how excited he gets about working.

Thankfully Ben does not have the same stubborn streak for walk back on himself that Vicky had, I am very grateful that I have not had to return to circular routes, which I just ‘accepted’ as something that every guide dog did… Something I only discovered was typical for a ‘diva-retriever’ when I trained with Fizz!

Both of the girls had a cheeky side; as does Ben. But where the girls arrived with theirs’ I have been able to watch Ben develop. I have found it easier to understand some of his behaviours with a deeper understanding because we have learnt together. He has a ‘tell’ when he is overwhelmed, frustrated or has some pent up energy, like when he has found a dog that has tried to initiate play while he is working in harness. With the support of our guide trainer we have worked on some additional command to reduce these behaviours.

We are two and a half years into this journey, I am sure that there is still plenty we yet have to learn from each other and I for one cannot wait.

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14 Apr 2025
Blind Blog • Training & Fitness

Who needs a comfort zone anyway?

Its been a while.

2024 threw me some pretty horrid curve balls, I was exhausted; emotionally, mentally and physically.  And I allowed myself to get lost among it all.

2025 has been about making peace with the demons, coping with the new way of doing things and finding passion in life again.

It all started with a message in a Facebook forum group little over six weeks ago, I asked for a pilot.  Not the ‘fly me to an exotic island kind’ but rather someone who would take the lead and pilot my tandem so I could start getting back to the things I love.

A few people reached out, one is just a few miles away.  Another has recently started training to be a pilot and again is within a few miles.  Then there was John, he organises social rides for groups of visually impaired people, matching them with pilots on a social ride once a month.

And it was one of these social rides that I found myself at yesterday.

This option wasn’t as local, but as I didn’t need to take my own tandem; with the help of a friend giving me a lift I joined the fun … or madness.

An early start to get to Reading for 9am on a Sunday, where I joined 4 other visually impaired riders, their pilots and several support riders for a 26 mile ride that saw us travel through Cavisham and Henley-on-Thames with some pretty good audio description from my pilot.

Realising the last time I rode anything more than ‘around the block’ was in 2022 and that was only 5 miles – so this ride threw me completely out of my comfort zone.

But I absolutely loved it.

We stopped at around 13 miles for a coffee and much required flapjack sugar fix, as the ride involved many hills and some poorly maintained roads with uncomfortable pot holes.

My pilot was brilliant, he explained all the terms to me, he warned me of cars approaching in front, cars from behind and even dogs and horses. 

He also pointed out the boats on the river, the big posh houses and the flowers in the hedgerows as we went past them.

It took about 20 minutes to get into a rhythm with him; but by the end of the ride we were pretty clued into each other.

It’s a common misconception that the stoker on the back of the bike just sits and pedals a bit.  There were actually times when I needed to put more force in to get us going on a hill start as they need a good rear push.

Yes; the pilot takes control of the gears and such, but it is a team effort; which going by the aching thighs and saddle sore I’m feeling today I feel the description of a gentle social ride was a little economical with the truth.

But incase you haven’t realised by now.  I loved it, I can’t wait to go again, sadly work commitments means that’s not for a few months.

But it was an amazing adventure and one that I am not going to put off any longer.

Thankfully my leg strength hasn’t completley diminished in the last year of inactivity.

And I have found a new passion.

Now to buy some good quality padded cycling shorts!

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10 Jun 2023
Blind Blog • Training & Fitness

A year already

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05 Jun 2023
Blind Blog

Short & Sweet – The First Day

We arrived safely at the hotel, checking into our room and are just about to meet the other guide dog owners, their dogs and the trainers who will be getting us through this.

Through the power of Facebook, I already know one of the other guide dog owners and as the same trainer has all three dogs that are on class, the dogs have already spotted each other and gone into play mode!

Ben is the palest of the three Golden, in-fact if we line them up right it looks like the colour started to run out by the time it got to Ben.  All three dogs are boys and the other two are actually litter-mates but having trained together with the GDMS (Guide Dog Mobility Specialist) they are all best of friends.

As I said in my previous post, I have never done this type of training before.  Which is making me feel a little anxious, but I am also excited.  I have already fallen head over heels in love with Ben, he has a quirky goofy side that comes out every so often.  And being only eighteen months he is the baby of the group, just another thing I have never had before in a guide dog.  As both the girls were past maturity when they came to me; I am learning even more about dogs than ever before.

Today is about settling in, finding our way around the hotel and getting an idea of how our days are going to play out.  We are in a beautiful hotel in Blandford, guide dogs have held classes here before, but we are only the second since Covid and the staff are so helpful.

Now for the work to begin …

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25 May 2023
Blind Blog

A New Chapter… Welcoming an addition to my family

Close up photo of a golden retrievers head with light brown nose almost booping the camera

Nobody knew that when Fizz retired in November 2021 that I would be without a guide dog for so long. However, at the end of April I got to meet a very handsome young man.

He is a full golden retriever and all being well, he will be my third guide dog.

His name is Ben and he was not even born when Fizz retired. He is a very clever pup and as such is only just 18 months old.

We are off on class in early June.

Watch space this for many ‘snap shot blogs’ of our training and new chapter together.

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25 May 2022
Blind Blog • Days Out

When you realise you know a little too much geek about crossings

Recently Open Sight hosted an afternoon tea in my town. This saw many people visiting from outside the area. I was asked to help give directions for those coming in on both the train and the bus; because they are at opposite ends of town in relation to the venue.

Fareham has a funny one-way system that was put in place to elongate the traffic entering the town.

It was when explaining this to the visitors that I realise I know a little too much about light controlled crossings, which I just assumed was ‘common knowledge’ to all.

So, thought it was time I shared some of my geeky knowledge with the rest of you

Firstly, many people assume that the button controls for pedestrian lights are always on the right hand side; that’s not actually the case. The button control is always on the side of the oncoming traffic; it is just that on an ordinary road this places it on the right hand side. However, when you are on a one-way street the button control may well be on the left to indicate the direction of traffic.

In Hampshire (thanks to Hampshire highways only using Siemens traffic lights) all button controlled lights also have a cone under the yellow box; this cone spins when the green man comes on to indicate it is safe for visually impaired and blind people to cross.

Not all button controlled traffic lights have a beep; this isn’t because the sound is broken rather it is another tactic to support those who are visually impaired or even hard of hearing. If there are multiple sets of button controlled lights close to each other then the sound will be removed from them all. Especially if different lights run on different sequences. This is to make it safer for pedestrians; to save someone stepping out in front of moving traffic because they mishear the beep from a near by button controlled crossing.

So, here it is just some of the more interesting parts of my ‘geek knowledge’ when it comes to traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.

And don’t even ask me to start to explain the different types and styles of tactile paving !!!

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05 May 2022
Blind Blog

Waving Away!

I thought as it’s been a while; so I felt compelled to share my latest ‘blind fail’ with you all … It’s a good one!

Despite not having my guide dog I have pushed myself each day to enjoy at least one long walk. Some days this is in the countryside or along the beach, but more often than not it’s around my local area.

On this particular walk I was walking on a road I know very well. I was approaching the junction of a side road and preparing to cross.

As I approached the junction I heard a car engine to my left.

The sun was bright, but I could make out a bright blue car on the left directly opposite the junction, so assumed it was also the engine I could hear:

As a guide dog owner, old habits die hard and I waved the car on: this is partly because the sound of the engine could be masking the sound of other approaching traffic or even bicycles.

I waved the car on … Nothing.

I waved it on again … Still nothing.

At this point a man appeared to be speaking to me from the other side of the road.

“Wait there I am coming to you.”

He crossed over and stood beside me, he asked me what help I needed and I explained I was simply waiting for this car to move on and then I would cross:

It was at this point (with a smile on his voice) he explained that there was no car waiting to turn.

The blue car was actually parked and had nobody inside it.

The car engine I could hear was on a driveway, the car had its doors and bonnet open, so was not moving anytime soon.

So it was safe for me to cross.  And it had been for some time!

The kind man explained he was loading a van up the street and had seen me waving my arm; but he couldn’t get to me any sooner as his arms had been full.

I laughed when he explained it all, because it’s moments like this that if I didn’t laugh I could easily cry.

I made my apologies and rushed off as quickly as I could without breaking into an actual run!

When relaying this embarrassing story to a sighted friend they helpfully pointed out…

Rule 243 of the Highway Code states you must not park opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space.”

This didn’t make me feel any less embarrassed,  however one bonus to tthis sight loss journey is that I would never recognise the kind man who came to my aid, if I saw him again. So that’s a small mercy, right?

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15 Apr 2022
Blind Blog

Pain of a Cane

It’s been six months now since the whirlwind that was my second guide dog Fizz retired. She is living her best life, enjoying her retirement and even living with another black lab who is also retired; but much younger than her called Ashby. So you could even say she has found herself a toy boy!

I have been missing her terribly in all honesty.

Not just as my guide dog, but as my companion.

The house seems too quiet when the kids aren’t home.

However a friends suggestion of a weighted blanket on my bed has certainly helped. Especially because in the last few years I had allowed Fizz to slip into the habit of sleeping on my bed. The extra weight on the covers really does help.

I could have used the excuse of reverting back to ‘Candy’ (my cane has red stripes to symbolise that I am deaf blind, thus picking up the nick-name candy the cane) as a way to shut off the outside world and limit (or restrict) my independence. Especially over the winter months when the darkness was greater.

But I didn’t …

I set myself the challenge of walking each day, some days this has been the 4 mile round trip to grab a coffee from Nero. (Other coffee houses are available)

When I am on a route I know well and is fairly quiet; like the route to town. I can feel quite free, quite confident and faster in my walking pace.

However, as I approach the shops, the busier areas and the unpredictability of people I can feel quite weak. I liken it to feeling like a small child. And I get even smaller when I come across the unexpected; such as building works, market stalls or additional outside seating for cafes etc.

However, I am stubborn. I refuse to let this weaken me. I just wished that my cane had sort of robotic system in it that I could say “let’s go to the bank” and it would navigate me there avoiding all the obstacles?

Oh wait … That’s a guide dog!

What I really REALLY really need is for “That Call” to say a possible match has been found.

I am (one of) the highest priories on the Guide Dog waiting list. However, as I have explained before. They look to match the personality and lifestyle of the person to the personality and workability of the dog. Along with looking at other things such as walking speed, the persons height and workload for the dog. Which all means that there may still be some time to wait for a dog that matches my needs.

So, for now it’s back ti my love-hate relationship with Candy and asking friends for a little more support.

And trying not to cause any more bruises from the regular stomach jabs or arm jars in the process.

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19 Jan 2022
Blind Blog

Apologies for the silence … Its taken some time

Photograph of Tee on the patio with a cream garden wall behind, with Guide dog fizz sat on the left in her harness . Both looking at the camera.

Facebook memories are a blessing and a curse.

Take today as an example, today it popped up in my memories that it was seven years ago today that my first guide dog Vicky did her last school run. And my GDMI (Guide Dog Mobility Instructor) took her harness and sash, signifying the start of her retirement.

And this day seven years ago is the very same day I started my training with my second guide dog Fizz.

So, why today is this (usually joyous) memory upsetting?

Because yesterday is 2 months since I did my last working walk with Fizz. Before she retired and was rehomed via Guide Dogs.

Landscape photograph of guide dog fizz laid on the carpet looking up at the camera with her tail wagging and a little blurred

Sadly, Fizz retired before a third dog has been found for me; what with a global pandemic, delays have been incurred and I continue to wait for ‘The Call’.

I have returned to using my cane, who has aptly gained the nickname ‘Candy’ because of her red and white stripes. (which are the universal symbol of a person with both sight and hearing loss)

And it is bit of a love – hate relationship at times, being totally honest. I am grateful it is a skill that I have maintained as I am able to keep my independence. However the regular cane jabs and bumps are something I would happily live without.

Fizz retired at the grand age of ten and half, she had worked with me for just under 7 years and it was time for her to be able to put her paws up, not have to concentrate on keeping me safe and sniff all those smells she usually has to ignore while in harness.

The Guide Dogs charity have been an amazing support to us both during her working life and this has continued in her retirement. They supported me and found Fizz her retirement home.

Fizz has also stayed within the Guide Dog Family, so her new owner has been keeping me updated on how she has settled, on her new canine companions and I have even been fortunate to receive regular photographs with the updates.

It was the right time for Fizz to hang up her harness. This however doesn’t stop me being upset that she has gone. Knowing she is working those puppy eyes and wrapping her new owner around her paws is a great comfort though. She is a very emotionally sensitive dog and it will still be taking her time to adjust to.

Although I am sure not having to guide in wind and rain is surely helping with that.

There are lots of changes happening here for me too, but that’s another post or three! Lets just say, I haven’t been sitting still.

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04 Nov 2021
Blind Blog

Remembering the day everything changed; yet stayed the same

Thirteen years is a long time:  It’s also an incredible measure.  

On this day 13 years ago I left my Consultants office feeling that my life was over; all because in that 45 minute appointment where I entered expecting to discuss a double cataract operation to DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE my sight I actually found myself leaving with my CVI (Certificate of Visual Impairment) and being told that my sight was already bad enough for me to be registered Severely Sight Impaired. (previously classed as BLIND)

And in the grand scheme of things, the risks of cataract surgery because of my eye movement (Nystagmus) would not offer me any significant benefit.

This day 13 years ago, nothing significantly or physically had changed with my sight.  The deterioration had been there all of my life, but it had been so gradual and undetectable by my optician that even though Doctors predicted that I would go blind as a child; because this hadn’t come to fruition at the age of 10/11 I had been discharged from the hospital.

And only after a chance conversation with my optician about how long it took my eyes to adjust from outside to inside has found me back seeing the consultant at the local eye hospital for the first time since I was about 12!

This day 13 years ago was actually the beginning of so many good things.  

However that wasn’t before I went through some incredibly dark times (mentally) and still do to this day.

I am so very grateful to those who have walked beside me in the last 13 years.  

As well as those who have walked away.  

Because for someone who now no longer makes out even that GIANT single letter on the eye chart or anything that is not within the 3% of my remaining central vision; the way my life has changed in those 13 years has enabled me to see many situation incredibly clearly. (Pun intended)

So with a smile, a positive outlook and an AMAZING group of cheerleaders behind me.  I am the girl I am today because of the pain I faced ON THIS DAY 13 years ago.

My sight has deteriorated dramatically from that appointment 13 years ago, but my character, my inner strength and my stubbornness have got me this far. And I have no doubt they will get me through the next 13+ years.

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