Last Friday, we attended our first ever Culture Night in Belfast. For my readers in Europe and the UK, a Culture Night may not sound like a big deal, given the frequency and the history of such events.  On the other hand, for Northern Ireland, a relatively small country which has been through so much politically, this is a HUGE thing and such a positive step forward and hopefully, away from its tormented past and towards a future full of hope and unity! There was an impressive number of events(over 200!) taking place in Belfast last Friday; over 50,000 people took to the streets to celebrate the country’s rich past and present culture and enjoy the “mighty craic”, all in the well-known by now jovial Irish way, accompanied by family, friends and of course, beer! The weather decided to play nice too and we enjoyed a lovely, mild autumn evening out as a family crafting in the Cathedral’s quarters with Emma, strolling through the very crowded streets, observing passionately quiet games of chess and enjoying …

The summer has been flying by and all too soon (or not, for us, parents!) the kids will be back to school. I have been very busy here ordering things for Emma returning to school as a big P2: her school shoes, the name labels and loads of pretty stationery. We will be heading to Tesco as soon as we arrive for new shirts, Emma loves their embroidered collar ones and her PE shoes. Their are all good quality and very good value for money, too. One thing I will not be worrying about this year, compared to last year, when she was only starting school, are her packed lunches. Last year, with a bit of creativity, a few cheap shape cutters and loads of seasonal props, we finally managed to overcome our fear of eating sandwiches and just in time for school. These very simple changes were so very successful that her lunch box came home empty every day, without fail, and I never worried that my little girl would go hungry while in …

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 …