Author: Oana

GlassesShop – A Review

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This post is long overdue; I have some sunglasses from GlassesShop.com that I have been looking forward to write about since the end of June. They have done the tour of the world twice in order to reach you through this review and the pictures I have of them so do give them a minute, would you :-)! At the end of June, the lovely people who represent the company which sells “online glasses at doctor quality”, contacted us and offered us these beautiful he and she sunglasses to try out and enjoy during our prolonged summer getaway. Unfortunately, the mail(and the glasses) arrived after we left for Greece and we only got our hands on them weeks later, when Alex went home to do a bit of work(and collect our parcels and mail, of course!). The company prouds itself in providing beautiful, cheap glasses which nevertheless do not compromise on quality nor attractive design. The two pairs we were sent, which you can see in the picture above, are light, of an elegant design …

On Love: A Letter to God

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I will always think of our relationship in terms of before and after. Not in the “Christian” way of before and after I received you as my Lord and Saviour. No, Siree! But in the way of before and after my son died. It is no surprise to you, this redefinition of relationship terms on my part. I have never doubted that You had known from the very start what You had put in my womb. You knew my baby was only being lent to me for a very short time. You also knew me, as you had created me and You knew where his death would lead me. You had made me  head strong. You had given me the gift of questioning the givens. And the gift of writing. And the one of being loud about my upsets. So You had known, from the word go, that I would not stand by and accept the pain of losing my son with “dignity.” You had known that his death would transform me. Profoundly and forever. …

Vivobarefoot – School Shoes With A Difference (A Review)

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Emma has been lucky from the word “go” when it comes to good shoes. Her Greek auntie took the task, as soon as toddler Emma was able to be fitted with shoes, to buy and send over the best shoes she could find on the market. When I say good shoes, I do not mean only pretty. I mean shoes which not only look good but fit well and more importantly, prevent long-term damage of tiny, delicate feet. Once Emma started school last year, things got a bit more difficult when it comes to sourcing good shoes. My sister in law could not find black Mary Janes easily, the usual shape requested and accepted in most British public schools does not sell very well in Greek children’ shoe boutiques. I took Emma for her first ever pair of school shoes to Clarks and got the best we could find: leather, half a size bigger for her foot to grow in and pretty but as soon as she started wearing them in school, she started complaining …

A Gourmand’s Guide to Thessaloniki-Part 1

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My love affair with Thessaloniki started a long time ago, in my late teens. During my last summer holidays in secondary school I had the opportunity to spend a week in a youth camp near Thessaloniki. Funnily enough, the camp was close to Perea, the small town where Alex and I decided to set home years later! That first time, I wasn’t exposed to the Greek culture much. The camp we were in was an international Christian camp and English was spoken more than Greek. But at the end of the week, that Sunday, our small group was invited to a Greek Orthodox assembly and that is there I met for the first time what is described at typical Thessalonians, warm, genuine and very hospitable people who are still my friends, even after all these years! The draw was so strong that when I was doing my master’s degree in Romania and was offered an Erasmus scholarship, I immediately decided to go for Thessaloniki. I spent four and a half months then learning a bit …

My Nametags- A Review

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Emma attends a lovely school in Northern Ireland which tends to be on the organised side. So, as expected, as soon as she finished P1 we were presented with a list of things for Emma to bring along when she return to school at the end of August, as a big P2 :-). A quick glance at the list and you would notice that the word “named” is recurrent at an alarming rate. This is a big school and name tags are the only way to keep track of everybody’s possessions and ensure the forgetful ones don’t go home missing cardigans or coats or school bags! So I did feel overjoyed and very relieved when the very kind people at My Nametags approached me on Instagram and asked me if we would be interested in reviewing their new Hello Kitty name tag range! The PR girls kindly forwarded us the relevant link and let us choose our preferred Hello Kitty design. Emma went for the pink and white stripes, with a Hello Kitty ballerina on. …