Clare and Mabel

Blind girl… Melbourne, my way! ☀️

A beautiful 30 degrees in Melbourne for the Mazda Foundation Ball, and a proud little Candy Cane moment outside Crown.

The last two years I’ve brought Mabel, my Seeing Eye Dogs
mainly because I’ve needed her to get me here.

This year I did things differently. I organised a driver, arrived without any anxiety, and hubby was waiting to meet me.

Mabel gives me incredible independence, but there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes. Feeding, toileting, more toileting 😆 and making sure she’s happy and comfortable, especially late at night in noisy, dark, busy environments. I’m always on duty.

This weekend, with hubby as my sighted guide, I could just relax, enjoy myself and even have a sleep-in!

Sometimes independence is about having choices, and I’m fortunate to have them. ❤️

As for the ball? Got all glammed up, had a fabulous night and completely forgot to take photos!

All glammed up and no proof! 😆

Too busy living in the moment.




Image description: I’m Standing outside Crown Melbourne on a sunny day, wearing a cream dress with blue flowers, a white cap and glasses. I’m holding my red and white cane, with tall buildings and a brilliant blue sky behind me. Overlay reads: “Blind girl… Melbourne, my way.”

Coles, WHY did you move everything? 😩

I knew where everything was. Then they rearranged the produce section, and I got so upset I walked out.

Today I went back with a plan!

Using my Ray-Ban Metas (smart glasses) and a WhatsApp video call, my Mum could see what I couldn’t and guided me around the supermarket.

She was absolutely delighted to be able to help. ❤️

And me? I felt independent again.

Even if I did look like a crazy woman talking to herself in the fruit and veg section! 🤣😂

Independence doesn’t always mean doing it alone.

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A wide view inside Coles supermarket, showing the fruit and vegetable section with displays of fresh produce, shoppers, bright overhead lighting and signs for the deli and bakery.

GuideDogs assistanceDog workingDog labrador disability

Blind girl… Uluru! ❤️

I nearly didn’t come on this trip.

Travelling without Mabel, my seeing eye dog , without hubby, and knowing I’d be relying on my girlfriends to help me navigate unfamiliar places was a little daunting.

But I came. And I’m so glad I did.

It hasn’t all been easy.

I’ve missed my independence. I’ve had moments of frustration, including this morning when it took an hour and a half and three phone calls just to get a room service coffee! A splash of Kahlua helped me get over that one. 😆😂

But I’ve also had some wonderful moments.

A beautiful high tea with native Australian ingredients, plenty of laughs, and some lovely time to myself while the girls were off touring.

One of my girlfriends even sent me a photo of a native flower she’d spotted, knowing I’d enjoy drawing it.

So I did. ❤️

I can’t actually see my drawings properly until I photograph and enlarge them. It’s a little childlike, but I love that I’m drawing again.

And my girlfriends? They’ve been wonderful. I’ve been quietly teaching them how best to guide me, and we’ve worked it out together.

I’m learning to pick my battles, accept help when I need it, and enjoy the moments that matter.

I’ll probably never be comfortable with being blind, but I’m getting more comfortable being me.

And that photo of me standing in front of Uluru, Candy Cane held high?

That’s genuine happiness, relief, pride and a little bit of F**K YES, I DID IT!

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“Mabel, find the carrots.” 🥕

And off she goes… weaving us through the fruit and veg, straight to the carrots.

How does she know where the carrots are? Honestly, I have no idea. 😂

But this is one of those everyday moments with Mabel that still blows my mind.

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Video description: Filmed from my Ray-Ban Meta glasses, Mabel, my yellow Labrador Seeing Eye Dog, guides me through the supermarket fruit and veg section after I ask her to “find the carrots.” She weaves between the displays and takes me straight to them, where I praise her.

38 attempts. One strike. NAILED IT. 😆😂🎳

And just for a bit of perspective… the second photo is a rough simulation of the amount of vision I have.

I have about 5% useful vision, with no peripheral vision. But it’s not simply a neat little clear circle surrounded by black. Inside that tiny area I have floaters, flashing lights and missing bits, and my colours are faded. I scan constantly, trying to give my brain enough pieces of information to put together what’s around me.

So yes… it took me 38 bloody attempts. 😂

But I got the strike. 🎳

Image/video description:
Photo of a ten-pin bowling lane with a bowling ball in the foreground and the words, “Blind girl goes ten pin bowling.”

Video of me bowling and finally getting a strike — on attempt number 38. 😆🎳

Side-by-side comparison showing the full bowling lane and a simulation of my RP vision, with only a very small area around the pins visible.

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Today I did a photoshoot for the City of Greater Bendigo’s GB Magazine, showcasing the new artwork in Pennyweight Lane.

There was just one small problem…

They chose a blind person to showcase the art. 🤣😂

I got there early and tried to make out the artwork, but I really couldn’t.

So while Mabel walked me down the laneway, I filmed it on my phone.

And suddenly… I could see it.

When everyone arrived, I pointed out the slight irony of having the blind girl there to look at the art. 😂

Then I showed them my footage and explained that through my phone, I could actually see and enjoy it.

There was a brief moment of, ohhhh… we didn’t think of that. 😆

And then someone said…

Hang on. Maybe this is the story.

And I think they might be right.

I couldn’t experience the artwork the way most people could.

But I could still experience it.

Just differently. ❤️

Image/video description:
Slide 1: Clare stands in Pennyweight Lane with Mabel, her yellow Labrador Seeing Eye Dog in harness, and the City of Greater Bendigo’s Community Inclusion Officer – Access and Inclusion. A photographer is taking their photo in front of the colourful new artwork. Text reads, “Blind girl… apparently here to look at the art 😆🤣”

Slide 2: A comparison showing the colourful artwork as most people see it, beside the same image blacked out except for a very small circular area representing Clare’s approximately 5% tunnel vision.

Slide 3: Video filmed on Clare’s phone while Mabel guides her along Pennyweight Lane, allowing Clare to see the artwork on her phone screen. Text reads, “Turns out… I could see it through my phone 😆”

Slide 4: Clare and Mabel walk through Pennyweight Lane alongside the Community Inclusion Officer, surrounded by the colourful new artwork.

Today I got a sneak peek at the redevelopment of Red Energy Arena Bendigo , representing DIRC (disability inclusion reference committee )and the City of Greater Bendigo as a disability advocate.

And I have to say, there was a lot to be impressed by.

A Changing Places facility for people with higher support needs, including a hoist and change table. Accessible toilets. Wide corridors. Electric doors. Good contrast. And in the areas we toured, I didn’t encounter a single step.

But the whole point of having people with lived experience in the room is that we all notice different things.

For me, one was the tactiles. There are warning bumps at the pedestrian crossing outside, but no directional tactile bars to help a blind person find their way towards the main entrance.

I also asked about sanitary disposal bins in the men’s toilets — something that doesn’t affect me personally, but is important for men who need them. It hadn’t been considered, but it’s now on the agenda. Such a simple fix.

That’s what I really liked about today.

It wasn’t about finding fault. It was about looking at what’s been done well, asking questions, noticing what might have been missed and having those conversations while there’s still an opportunity to make things better.

Because accessibility isn’t about one disability.

And sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference to whether someone can actually use a space independently.

This is why lived experience belongs in the conversation. ❤️

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The side eye I got when I left Mabel at the front door while I ran back in to get my phone. 😆😂

Harness on. Ready to work. Ready to go.

Apparently “I forgot my phone” was not an acceptable reason for delaying our walk.

She was ready.
I was not.
And she wanted me to know it. 🙄🐾😂

Image description: A view down my hallway towards the open front door. Mabel, my yellow Labrador Seeing Eye Dog, is standing outside in her harness, peering back through the doorway at me with a very unimpressed expression while she waits for me to come back outside.

Quick trip to Lennox Head. 🌊

Mabel LOVES the beach.

And so do I.

There’s something ridiculously freeing about walking along the sand knowing I’m not going to trip over a gutter, a step, a chair, a bloody e-scooter… 😆

No Mabel guiding me.
No cane.
Her harness is over my shoulder like a handbag, and she’s off being a Labrador. 😂

Just me walking.

Meanwhile Mabel is off duty, living her best Labrador life. ❤️🐾

Image description: Three photos from a sunny day at Lennox Head beach. In the first, I’m standing on the sand in jeans, a black top and cap, with Mabel’s Seeing Eye Dog harness slung over my shoulder while the ocean rolls in behind me. In the second, Mabel is walking through the shallow water, with her reflection beautifully mirrored in the wet sand. In the third, she’s further along the beach with her nose buried in the sand, happily exploring while off duty.

Nailed Sydney. 😎

Did all the fancy stuff…

Then spent the entire day with my shirt inside out. 😆😂

My therapist nearly wet her pants when I told her.

Blind people… if you know, you know. 😂

Image description: Clare smiling at a waterfront restaurant in Sydney with Mabel beside her. She’s wearing a white shirt that, as she discovered much later, was inside out. 😆