Today is one filled with mixed emotions, concerns and thoughts. Today, 18th January 2015 is the last working day for my guide dog Vicky. We have been working together as a qualified team since 18th November 2009, and it has been an amazing 5
03
Sep 2016
So….. Today, this happened !!
It’s almost 11.00 o’clock, 12 hours after this crazy day started. The climbing arena was nothing like I had ever seen before and no matter how much I had researched and looked at photo after photo I was not prepared for the quarry that I
02
Sep 2016
Maybe I Should have said something before…..
Well, this is something new……. I am sat in the passenger seat of my friends car doing 70+ MPH on the M6 Motorway travelling on my way to Edinburgh; while typing this blog. My iPad is tethered to my phone for 4G and my voiceover
19
Jun 2018
Faith
While with a group of friends today we were talking about faith. Discussing it and questioning what our understanding of it is. One comment made about one way to look at faith was If you’re sat on a chair, you hold faith that THAT chair
22
Apr 2013
St George’s Day sewing marathon
So, tomorrow is St George’s Day and at 2.40 this afternoon my daughters school sent out a text message to say that any Beavers, Rainbows, Brownies etc are free to wear their uniforms instead of school uniform… With full badges! This created 2 panics…. 1)
02
Jan 2015
Happy New Year
It has been an interesting 2014… Lots of challenges.
Here is to an even more interesting 2015.
Thank you for your following.
11
Dec 2014
The Awards
Today is the day when Adrian Chiles, Joey Essex & many more British celebs get to meet with my gorgeous guiding girl Vicky Osborne. Tonight we join other wonderful guide dog partnerships, volunteers and staff to celebrate their achievements. In addition to the achievement that all 45,000 partnerships & 4,000 pups in training will have. To some, “they are just dogs” but to me and other GDO’s they are our independence, our guides, our eyes.
I for one as a VIP, would not even consider the train & tube journey to London today. But as a team, together, me & Vicky will fathom out Victoria station some how. And regardless of the results of tonight’s awards, she is my guiding girl, without whom I wouldn’t be half the gal I am today.
10.39
Warm, almost empty train… And off we go!!!
Whether it is a blind persons thing or any traveller. My bag has been checked, checked and checked again for travel cards, purse, headphones and phone….. Then the case, for dog food, bed, bowl and finally phone charger!
So, one final check for my travel card & off we go…… Eek !!!
12.45
I haven’t travelled to London Victoria train station since I was a very small child, it seems just as big and scary a place now as it did then. I have the time of the next tube to get me to Kings Cross, but as the tubes run every few minutes and I am in now hurry. I set Vicky out to “find coffee”. Where she weaves me through crowds and shoppers to Starbucks. Such a refreshing break and decent coffee to plan how and what to do next.
First order on the agenda, loo for me, grass for Vicky!
Then off to Victoria Underground we go.
With the help of the underground staff and a turned off escalator we made it to our tube and along to Kings Cross.
Vicky was in her element with the crowds, tourists not knowing where they were or where they were going, she guided like a dream.
If only she could read street signs and it would have been an easy trip from the underground to the hotel.
As I have said before, I rely on maps on my phone, 3G signal was good, head phones were in one ear and I was ready to go….. GPS however had other ideas.
London Kings Cross area is surrounded in its fair share of tall buildings. St Pancras International being one, The British Library, then there is the clock tower at Kings Cross, the office buildings, the hotels and the apartments.
It was at this point I discovered that high/tall buildings and GPS don’t mix!
But then, one thing you can be almost certain of in London is a police man or 3… All of whom were willing to walk me the 5 minutes to the hotel. They appeared most put out when I said directions would do! So a quick ruffle of Vicky’s head and off we went.
The directions were spot on, but the guide dog sense was even better…. The arrival of not 1 but 7 guide dog puppies as we were on the approach to the hotel symbolised that we were in the right place, and Miss Vicky’s wage to revert to her (never-forgotten) puppy years was growing by the second.
The hotel was simple, clean and absolutely perfect for a vip like me, no fuss, no frills and no silly unnecessarily placed furniture. We checked in, put the tele on promptly fell asleep !!
Eek….. Waking with just an hour to go before set off for the dinner, I laid out my clothes. Only to discover that I had not packed my tights….. Double eek.
So, on went the harness and off we rushed back down the road to Kings Cross to find a chemist, easy enough surely? Ummm Nope!!
We made it to the chemist, we located the assistant and got the tights. Then upon leaving, the reality of it hit me. The light was going down, I was in London, not entirely sure of which street I had to take for the hotel and I only had 45 minutes to get back, shower and change before te coach left.
This was where Vicky came into her own. She seems to know what I wanted and where it was. So with a great tension on the harness I let her lead the way, through the crowds rushing in and out of the tube station, patiently waiting for the beep of the crossing despite others rushing through the traffic built up. We were off and in less than 8 minutes we were back at the hotel.
Quickest shower, hair dry and dress I have ever performed.
Quick brush of Vicky….. And we were ready !!
The only bonus of this mad panic was that the nerves I had been feeling all day had gone, I didn’t have the time to remember them. Thank goodness!
5.25pm
The coach is heading through bright coloured streets, flashes of Christmas decorations, The London Eye (I overheard someone say behind me say). Then we were at the Hilton. THE HILTON. The Christmas tree in reception was huge, thinking colours and lights. Guests were wandering around. People crowded around people asking for photos and autographs, while I found myself amongst the crowd, feeling the loneliest I have felt in a very long time. Oh, so very very alone.
A member of the guide dog team came into me, introduced themselves and offered me their arm. I was guided to the lift, up several floors and into an area with a coat check. Coat checked in, then the arm was offers again and I was walked into a large ball room, handed a glass of fizz and introduced to people who’s names I didn’t recognise and faces I couldn’t see.
It was a whirlwind of introductions, explanations of why I was there, what type of dog Vicky was and warm wishes of ‘good luck’ before being walked through to the main event. The stage was set with bright white Christmas trees, the room had a blue ice illumination to it and the tables were set with far too much cutlery and a very heavy, thick white table cloth.
The feeling of loneliness and dread filled me again, I felt myself beginning to feel anxious and clammy. That was when I found a trustee for guide dogs by my side pouring me a glass of water and reassuring me that they were there to help, with anything I should need.
I welcomed the water, quenching a thirst I wasn’t even aware of and then he offered to pour me a wine, white or red? Or both? I said I would never be able to see the white, so best make it a red.
And the rest of the evening was a whirlwind of fundraising, silly entertainment, singers and then …. The awards.
The first award was for an individual or group that had supported guide dogs, I don’t remember the name of the award. Because it was the moment I realised that Vicky wasn’t the winner of her category.
How did I know you ask?
It was simple, the winner of the first award had a short video all about what they’d had done.
I hadn’t done any video recordings.
I was gutted, so very very gutted.
04
Dec 2014
A voice for radio
Today marks one week before the Guide Dogs award ceremony. Emails about articles have come in. As a guide dog owner, I see myself as an ambassador for guide dogs, as a volunteer I see myself as someone who is able to raise awareness of what a guide dog does, including all the bits they don’t tell you about in training.
So, when the email came in from my local mobility office about taking part in a radio interview, I bit back the nerves and agreed.
That was a few days ago….. Today I woke with a stinking cold and an incredibly nervous tummy.
Today, me and Vicky went along to the studios of BBC Solent in Southamptom. Today I took part in my first ever live interview on Radio……
And it was exhilarating !!
I had the support of Katie from the Southampton guide dog team.
Here it is, the interview.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02ddl21
01
Dec 2014
Life Changing Award
Every year Guide Dogs celebrate special partnerships with their annual awards. They ask people to nominate special partnerships in one of 2 categories, life changing and beyond the call of duty.
i was lucky to hear that my gorgeous girl had not only been nominates in the life changing catagory. But she was a finalist in the catagory and as such we have been invited to the annual gala dinner in December.
Which is now fast approaching…..
Earlier this week we had a small article, thought you might enjoy the read:
Although, she is much more than my ‘Merry Mutt’ !!
Watch this space … Rumour has it we have a radio interview to do !! EEK
17
Nov 2014
Creative SparKs are Flying
Although I am only just writing about this, the things I am about to share with you actually started just over 18 months ago. But it has taken this time to get the project to where it needs to be.
A friend of mine is a magician, children’s’ entertainer and balloon artist. A role that he has played out for many years before I even knew him. Many of his clients and party gig’s he got through word of mouth and his website and business card. Both of which he admitted didn’t show his true personality.
He is known in the business as sparkey….. A play on his main profession and surname, but with no definition between the two parts.
He mentioned that he was trying to redesign his image and website, to enable him to move forward in his role. This is where my creative brain kicked in And I asked him if he would mind me having a play around with his ideas.
So, I started with my brief and his name….. And off I went.
First things first, his name….. I wasn’t going to change it, but I did ‘alter’ it a bit.
So sparkey became SparKey.
And the fun really started to begin.
I am not going to bore you all with the sleepless nights and crazy ideas that flowed (due to me suffering with insomnia, not due to the stress of the brief!) But I took the initial idea of a ‘burnt out clown’ and gave him The SparKey personality.
The brief was to work in fun, laughter, magic and balloon modelling into a single character. The balloon magic was a challenge, although it didn’t need to have been, I was missing one key feature of the package. SparKey always made and wore a 3 coloured balloon made top-hat.
The magic was simple with a traditional black and white magic wand.
The fun came in the form of 3 iconic metallic green juggling clubs that SparKey used within many of his shows from the very beginning.
The fun, from his oversized green and blue clown shoes.
But how to portray the laughter?
That took more work, that took many a drawing being scrunched up on the kitchen floor, over flowing the waste paper basket at the kitchen table. It turned me into, what to appear to others, unaware of the project….. A First Class Stalker.
Several hundred photographs, videos and observations of the man behind SparKey.
As the time went on, my sight went away. Graphics was part of my degree, part of my soul and a brief like this wouldn’t have taken me a quarter of the time before. This with it, bought its own demons, its own dark moments and at the same time, its own moments of creativity that may not have come, had the brief been completed in a quicker time.
One part of the design was really challenging, it was the key to bringing the whole design and character together. It was the laughter, the smile, the energy that came through from the man behind the costume that was SparKey.
At one point, I struggled to distinguish shadows and laughter lines on his face, so I even spent time, feeling his face. Touching his mouth and sketching as I felt the ever so slight small lines that made the smile. The smile that made SparKey the character come to life and also the smile, that on many a draft occasion made the character look more like a psychopath than a childrens’ entertainer!
Tweaks and re-draws filled yet more waste paper baskets. Colours and rendering took time. Then, just before Christmas 2013 SparKey was born, he wasn’t perfect…. But that was part of his charm, part of his fun and part of the cheeky personality of the man that lay behind the image.
The man that is Simon Key. A.K.A SparKey.
Then came the colour and the logo to match.
All in all not bad for a VIP like me !!!
The images above are the ‘computer tweaked’ images of my hand drawings. That have now been formed to make SparKey’s business cards and website. A website that you can find at www.thesparkeyshow.co.uk
(copyright 2014)
07
Nov 2014
Fabulous Five Years
Today marks Five Fabulous Years since I was signed off as having qualified with Vicky, my guide dog. In that time, she has given me so very much, at a time of sadness, sorrow and increasing darkness, she has given me love, support, companionship and above all else….. Independance.
Without her guid are readding ing me, protecting me, showing me the way, I honestly feel that the darkness would have taken over, and it is propable that I may not even be here today to tell you these tales.
I know you, you are reading this thinking “she has sightloss, its not terminal.” Which yes is true, but with my sightloss, came depression. And if not treated, it can become all consuming and that can be a terminal illness.
I’m not here to talk of that though, I am here to talk about how much I have gotten from my gorgeous guiding girl.
She is a dog, YES. But actually, she is a walking, breathing, living mobility aid.
Without her by my side, I wouldn’t be leaving the house. I wuldn’t be able to take the kids to the park, I most deinately wouldn’t be contemplating returning to Uni next year.
As my guideing star, a friend has nominated Vicky for an award with Guide Dogs. She is in the final 3 for the ‘life changing award’ to be decided at the annal Guide Dog Gala Dinner, to be held in December in London.
Me and Vicky have been invited to the awards ceremony, which if she wins her catagory, she will also be put forward to be crowed as Guide Dog of the Year.
I am very excited, to win this award wold be fabulous recognition of all that she has done for me. I already know all of this, so if the judges don’t pick her, it won’t change my ove for her and my appreciation for having her by my side for the past five years.
23
Oct 2014
Sticks & Stones may break my bones, but names will stay with me
People tell me to ignore the rude comments, the horrible comments, the meanness of others. Most of the time I can do this, pass off their comments and words…. They are people who don’t know me, people I don’t care about and will most probably never see again. THANKFULLY!
Every once in a while someone who I do care about, someone who I thought cared about me, says something. A few words that have real hurt and pain behind them, words that make me question myself, question my ability to be a better person, question why I do try as hard as I do just to live the way I do.
These are people that I thought loved me, people who have seen the changes I have gone through, the struggles I have had…..
Yet they have short memories, they question me about MY DISABILITY, the genuineness of it.
People who don’t ‘Believe’ it can be that bad! Because if it were as bad as I am telling them, then how do I manage to go to the gym? How do I manage to look after my children? How do I still read? Write? Swim? Cycle?
And how can I sit back while they struggle to earn a wage that barely covers the bills and just expect hard working tax payers to foot the bill for me ‘NOT WANTING TO DO ANYTHING’
….. ADDITION …..
I just want to stand on my chair in a crowded place and scream, ” I DO WANT TO DO THINGS, I want to be able to SEE”
I also have some ‘usable’ vision, which I use as much as I can, bu if I over do things then I pay, I struggle with bad headaches, exhaustion, yet an inability to close my eyes for sleep as they get very dry. So I limit myself. As I am sure I have said before, I take full advantage of technology, my phone, computer and free-view box for my tv talks to me.
I use my ‘sight’ to enjoy time with my childen, to help with homework, to cook nice meals, to shop for myself, to stay independant. I use my time when the children are at school to volunteer, to help others, to give back for all the help and support that I have been given.
I oringinally published this post when I was in a dark place, things are still pretty grey at the moment, but re-reading it, I have realised that I do not need to justify how I spend my time, I do not need to justify why I recieve disability benefits. I would much rather not ‘need’ this support. Because as any person with a disability or illness that limits their capabilities will tell you, we/they would much rather be fit, healthy an have no disability…. Even if that meant working a 60 hour week.
21
Oct 2014
An open letter to Richard Branson
OPEN LETTER
Sir. Richard Branson,
Founder of The Virgin Group.
I am writing this open letter to make you and everyone else aware of the service that I have received. A service that was far beyond my own expectations and as such has enabled me to feel confident and less anxious about a journey I will soon be taking.
My name is Theresa, I have a severe sight impairment and as such travel with my partner in crime, my guide dog Vicky. It is her (Vicky) that has enabled me to become a strong-willed, independent and adventurous young woman in the five years that she has been walking by my side. We travel everywhere together, she is my sight, my strength and my beautiful girl.
At the beginning of November, I will be travelling to Manchester, with Vicky by my side. I am looking forward to this exciting adventure. It is a real break for me, I have spent my time exploring online what to do and where to go. The hotel is booked, as is the train.
And this is the reason for my letter.
I booked my ticket online on the virgin website, I was impressed that when reserving my seat I could choose the direction I sat in, whether I sat at a table or in an airline style seat and even, probably the most important thing for a four and half hour journey, I could request to be seated with a power socket! (the little things that make for a more enjoyable journey)
All the relevant boxes were ticked, times chosen and seats reserved. The confirmation email came through and I was very happy.
A friend then asked in a joke “Will Vicky be able to find the correct carriage and seat?” Good point, no she can’t! It was something that hadn’t even crossed my mind. Although I often book my tickets in advance, I have never reserved my seat when travelling alone. I knew that there is assistance for disabled passengers, so back online I went. On the virgin website was the details for passenger assist. Which considering it was a Sunday lunchtime, I was surprised to find that the telephone number to discuss my needs was open.
I gave it a ring, and spoke with a very nice man, who talked me through the help he could offer. I explained that I would be travelling with my guide dog, so needed no assistance around the station, but just a bit of help to find my reserved seat on the train.
It was then that he asked for my booking details, so that he could cancel my reserved seats. I will admit for about 10 seconds (which felt much longer) I panicked. He explained he was doing this, so that he would reserve a more appropriate seat, along with reserving a seat for my guide dog. I told him that I couldn’t afford a seat for her, as she wold sit at my feet under my seat.
Thankfully he quickly confirmed that the seat reservation would not cost me anything, it was ‘standard proceedure’ for anyone travelling with an assistance dog, so that it would allow her space on the floor to stretch out and enjoy her journey too.
So, the call handler changed my seats, he even explained to me where on the train I would be, where I could download a seating plan for carriages.
He explained to me where to go at the station for my assistance, he even put me on hold briefly while he confirmed this with Southampton Central Station as my train was departing at 05.48 which is before the ticket office opens.
He confirmed all the details with me verbally before sending me an email. He spent a considerable amount of time on the phone with me, which is why I am unable to tell you his name.
The service I received from the Passenger Assist booking line and the additional thought of allocating floor space for my guide dog has gone a very long way to easing my anxiety about making such a big trip by myself.
So for this, I want to say Thank You.
Yours Sincerely
Theresa Osborne-Bell
(20th October 2014)
21
Oct 2014
Its been a long time
Hello All,
It has been a while, it has been a busy time, it has been a sad time, but it has also been a happy time. It has been a time of challanges, both personal through choice and personal through others makings. This is my blog for me to write down not only the good stuff, but also the different, the difficult and the emotional.
I had shyed away from putting it all down before, but its time to use this blog for the reason it was designed. To allow me to put myself out there…. Some posts (propably most actually) will be written with humour and quirks of my days as a VIP, but some may also be a personal and emotional view into my life, afterall, life can’t always be humour and giggles.
I will publicise my funny tales through my facebook and twitter accounts, the others will be published on my blog, but left for you to find.
So keep popping back and feel free to have a good look around.
As always your comments are very welcome, feel free to be honest, this blog is all me and honest, it is my opinions. as such the opinions are true to me, this does not mean that they may be true to you and that is all good. Feel free to challange my opinions.
Your thoughts and comments will be read, considered and as long as they contain no inapporpriateness or abuse, they will be published on for all to see and add to.
Thank you for reading.
xxT
