Tabloid Edition

Exterior Shutters

As regular readers will know we've been working on sorting out this new to us house for some time. And as regular readers will also know we've got one side of the property properly sorted out. Well, sorta.

Yes, we;ve got that bathroom done, the bedrooms, the kitchen, yada, yada. But we're still not quite sure about the windows. Should we have exterior shutters or not? Internal blinds, yes, of course, this is obvious, but what about those exterior shutters ? Should we have them or not?

I have to say that my decision might change. Click through those links to find a company that will ship them to me for free....or perhaps you can tell me what I  should do in the comments?

$ 8 Prescription Glasses

I came across this company, Zenni Optical, some time ago. They've got the most amazing pricing on prescription glasses. You can actually get a pair from them for $8....OK, so you have to add shipping to that but that's an extraordinarily reasonable price for a proper pair of prescription eyeglasses. Yes, that includes the lenses and the frames.

You can of course also get better and more expensive frames if that's what you want....they'll also do bifocals, varifocals and so on. Now, to test all of this out I actually got together a few friends who wear glasses and I took their prescriptions. I then bought a pair for each of them.....sorta a test of the system if you like. Clark Howard also ordered some and you can see his results at that link.

I bought three pairs for myself, and they are just fine. They're now my everyday eyeglasses, I'm not just using them as a spare pair. I also got two pairs for my wife and they're also just fine. One friend who needed bifocals: his are just great as well.

Now the other two pairs, no, they're not so great. But that's my fault. They both needed strong prescriptions and there's something about glasses that I didn't know. The stronger the lens the more important it is to know the pupillary distance. I was guessing that...and that's what the problem was.

So, when you order make sure that you've got that information. It's doesn't matter too much for fairly weak glasses but it does for strong ones.

Other than that they're simply a great company and the sales service is excellent too. I'd made a mistake with one of the frames (I couldn't have that design with the prescription needed) and they worked with me on email until I had it right.

It's not just that these glasses are cheap, they're good too.

 

Get Yer Christmas Presents Here!

After you have bought a copy of the book for all of your relatives, both those near and dear and those you see once a decade, there remains the question of what to get as the real present for your loved ones this Christmas.

May I suggest something manufactured in the UK? You know, something real, actually made, a physical object fashioned in the heart of the original workshop of the world, Stourbridge in the West Midlands? Indeed, from the heart of the UK’s glass making industry?

Yes, I knew you would agree so get along to Ann Vernon Griffiths Glass.

Freeblown, hand made, stunning pieces of glass with a sculptural twist. Yes, my wife will be getting a piece for her upcoming birthday.

And the reason for this shilling? No, not for any grubby commercial reasons like commissions or anything, nor freebies. Solely and purely because I think it’s stunning stuff.

Well, and the fact that Ann is family.