If you were told by a well-meaning friend, “You need to get a white cane”, when you think you are coping just fine with your vision loss, do you think you would do it? Could you step out in faith and embrace the challenge? How would you feel about moving between the two worlds of […]
“In search of my mother’s garden, I found my own.”Alice Walker No matter where I have lived since childhood days, the first thing I do when moving into a new home is to set down roots by planting new shrubs and bulbs into the garden. Some family heirlooms that remind me of my mother’s pretty […]
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” Ralph Waldo Emerson I had heard a lot about the Woodford Folk Festival – that it was an amazing event and that one should experience this music extravaganza at least once in one’s lifetime. […]
“no amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart. F Scott Fitzgerald – The Great Gatsby Usually when I attend a live performance with my sighted partner, the moment the spotlight hits the stage, my visually-impaired eyes say good-night, Josephine. But not so, for the evocative […]
Rambo beeped his horn. “Hurry up, Harry! We’re ready to go.” In our blissful bubble of enjoyment, we hadn’t noticed everyone had piled back into the 4-wheel-drive. Like partners in crime, we slunk back to the prison on wheels, making a silent protest by taking as much time as we dared, under the disapproving glares […]
“Go, go, GO!” yelled our tour guide. “Get back in the car, now, now, NOW!” He clapped his hands with military vigour as we dived back into the 4-wheel-drive, nine of us crammed up like squished and confused sardines! Scrambling to find the right seat belt, I raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Harry. We should […]
It hadn’t been in my plans to go into the city last Friday. It was going to be a quiet day at home. The previous week had been busy, preparing to co-present my first webinar for the Hadley School for the Blind (USA). After our well-received presentation, I thought I could reward myself with time […]
Melbourne may be the second most populated city in Australia after Sydney, but we come out on top as a world class destination. A city that knows how to put on a great festival almost every weekend and a city that embraces a rich multicultural inheritance. With over 15.9 million domestic and 1.4 million international […]
Celebrating International Guide Dogs Day – Part 2 Listening to Henry Macphillamy’s experiences with his first guide dog, Billy, prompted fond memories of my first public walk in 2000 with my guide dog, Nev. The team work required between pilot and navigator is not as easy as one might think. To any onlooker, the interaction […]
Celebrating International Guide Dogs Day – Part 1 When my father and I arrived at the Rialto Building in the heart of Melbourne, exploding out of the lift on the 35th floor in fear of being late for this special event, we were soon calmed by a kind smile and an offer of a soft […]