I got sent these sandals weeks ago by Strive Footwear and have been waiting for the chance to put them to the test for a review.  We had a day or so of summer a few weekends ago, but I didn’t get the chance to wear them for long before it got cold again, but I did manage to take a few pictures.  Thankfully we have had a longer burst of warmer weather and I’ve been able to try out my Java Sandals out more extensively now.

Strive footwear using Biomechanical Footbed Technology to support your feet in their natural position and many wearers say that the arch contour feels prominent or the footbed feels firm to start with.  I’ve certainly been aware of the extra support for my arch. My arches are on the higher side of normal and whilst it felt a bit strange to start with, it was strange in a good way.  I’m not sure if it comes across in the pictures that well, but the footbed does support your foot in a three-dimensional way. It’s designed to provide comfort through support rather than cushioning so it can feel a little more solid under your feet if you aren’t used to that.

Whilst it’s recommended that you walk your sandals in gradually, I’ve found them quite easy to wear from the outset.  I haven’t been wearing them all day, but I’ve been gradually working up to that and I’m nearly there.

I’ve had some compliments about these sandals since I started wearing them on the school run in the nicer weather.  They are very striking and the colour goes with just about everything.  They have a real quality feel to them and I can see them lasting for ages.  I’m found them very comfortable to wear and I love slipping them on in the mornings.  They don’t have a back strap, but my feet feel very secure in them and I have no problem walking briskly wearing them.  I think these will be my ‘go-to’ sandals for the school run this summer – let’s hope the weather gives me plenty of opportunity to wear them.

Well April was certainly a month for showers and it looks like May might be going the same way if today is anything to go by.  So it seemed the perfect time to be trying out our new umbrellas from Susino, which we were sent to review.

H is sadly getting a bit too old for children’s brollies and whilst they look fun, I wanted something that he could take to secondary school without being teased.  So we went for a classic black one for H. It’s a really good quality umbrella with a wooden handle.  It has an automatic opening function which is fun, although it does make the umbrella become a bit of a toy for an eager 11-year-old. The handle is easy to hold and the umbrella feels fairly sturdy, so I can see this one lasting a long time (as long as it doesn’t get lost, which is entirely possible for a 11-year-old navigating public transport alone for the first time).   There’s a carry strap on the cover too, which could be handy for picking it up on the bus or whatever.

I decided to go for an umbrella that fulfilled two functions: a selfie stick and an umbrella.  Now I don’t take a huge number of selfies, but as a blogger it’s sometimes necessary.  H isn’t always around to take a picture of me when it suits.  Also, a selfie stick can be useful sometimes when you want to get a better angle or need to be a bit taller and you don’t fancy climbing up a tree to get the shot you want.  I figured if my umbrella was a selfie stick too, I’d be more likely to have it with me because I don’t generally pop a selfie stick in my handbag, but I would carry an umbrella.  There’s a remote control on the umbrella cover and the selfie device is part of the umbrella handle, which is a really convenient arrangement.   The selfie stick doesn’t make for as comfortable a handle as on H’s umbrella and that would be the downside of this.  I think I’ll be using it on days out and when I’m at events, rather than on the school run. I love the colour though and it’s a lightweight umbrella to carry.

TVs over the years have got thinner, but a giant plasma on the wall still dominates your living room and is a bit dull to look at when the TV isn’t on. So I was interested in the idea of trying out the  Epson TW-650 home cinema projector, which we were recently sent to review.  A projector is a great way for creating a cinema experience from the comfort of your own home and it is much more unobtrusive when it isn’t in use.

So this is what was in the box when we got it out.  It’s quite easy to set up and the controls are instinctive. In fact, H set it up in the living room for a while and I set it up in the bedroom and we both found it really easy to operate. We liked that batteries were provided for the remote – the last thing you want when you have invested in an product like this is to be hunting around for batteries and potentially not being able to be able to play with your new toy because you didn’t have any in the house. It works in a very similar way to a TV (as you’d expect I suppose).

The main thing to think about when you have a projector I think is where to site it in terms of both where you will get a good picture and the practicalities of the cabling.  Depending on how you use it you will at least need to connect it up to the mains for a power supply.  So it’s worth thinking about where you would plug it in and where the cable would go.  If you plan to connect it up to a DVD player or computer, you need to consider these cables too.  HDMI and computer cables are provided in the box with the projector and whilst they are a generous length, you might need your cables to stretch a touch further.  There isn’t necessarily a need for connection cables at all though if you use its built in wifi and the iProjection app (you can download this from the App Store or Google Play).  But, if you want to link up to your DVD player or games console that’s very possible too.

My pictures were taken in the height of the day and whilst I did draw my fairly ineffective curtains, the room was still very light.  Despite this I did feel that the image was clear and bright.  Apparently this is all thanks to 3LCD technology, which produces an equally high White and Colour Light Output of 3,100 lumens.  Epson’s 3LCD technology delivers a clear image that doesn’t have the ‘rainbow effect’ you get with some 1-chip DLP projectors.  Focusing the projector is simple and is done by a sliding mechanism on the front of the machine. You’ll also find an easy to navigate control panel which is clearly marked or you can use the remote.

As well as having built in Wi-Fi, the projector also has features such as:-

• AV mute slide
• Automatic keystone correction
• Built-in speaker
• Horizontal and vertical keystone correction
• MHL audio/video interface
• Quick Corner, Split-Screen-Function

The sound quality from the projector’s own speakers is acceptable, but you can plug it into other devices to boost the sound for the full cinematic experience.  We’ve enjoyed trying out the Epson TW650 and have been amazed by how simple using a projector TV is.

You can also buy accessories such as a soft carry case and a ceiling mount on the Epson website to help you get the full home cinema experience. The Epson Home Projector EH-TW650 retails at £599.99 inc. VAT.  To find your nearest dealer visit the Epson website.