"Where words are restrained, the eyes often talk a great deal."

I love reviewing great products that are sent to us, But i also love to write about places Ive been, experiences Ive had and things I'm passionate about.

It seems that I am reminded weekly that I am getting older, not in a bad way at all, I just have a completely different outlook on life these days and I'm evolving. My most recent reminder was my latest eye test, that probably sounds like a set up for 'my eyes are deteriorating and I'm falling apart' but it's not at all. My eyes are naturally getting worse that's a given but it's more about the glasses, the style of frames that are these days Gracing my face have definitely matured. Years back the aim of my look through the use of my glasses was to look a little like a cartoon character...

 (Yes that's me during my 'I'm going to wear red lip liner round my eyes' phase. I was something of a trend setter back then)

My oversized specs would get passed around by my friends for fun and there was no shortage of photos that would end up splashed across Facebook etc. It was like i was Mr Potato head and everyone wanted my accessories...

My 'play glasses' enevitably ended up in the boys dress up box (probably where they belong) and i know Mrs M was secretly happy about that. It was time for some big boy glasses.

It had been a good two and a half years since my last eye test and spec savers were starting to hound me via post with their 'you are due an eye test letters. I find eye tests depressing, it's like being stuck on an invisible conveyor belt while being examined by robots (or maybe that's just our local spec savers). It seems that customer service has taken a back seat in the optometry experience and i was never thrilled when i needed a check up.


Recently though a new opticians has opened not to far from ours. HD eyes has broken away from the conventional corporate high street eye specialists and has given the experience of the eye test a well needed makeover. I was greeted by very friendly staff and offered a hot drink as soon as i walked in, when does that happen really. The staff were friendly, fashionable and very approachable which put me at ease. The eye test was different from ones i had had previously with new techniques and a very personal approach. i chatted to Kally who owns the opticians with her husband Dil at great length during the test, she asked all about me, Mrs M and the boys. She told me about her family and we talked about the blog a little. It was like meeting up with a friend for lunch if of course you sit with your friends faces a couple of inches away from your own.

I knew that my eyes were going to be a little worse but after seeing the frames they had available i was secretly hoping for it so i had an excuse to get new ones. There's that horrible feeling after having most eye tests where the optometrist marches you out into the shop, you look at frames and you politely say 'yes they are nice' and try on about 20 different pairs of glasses that you know you are never going to buy, the styles are horrible, many of them being not far off from the old NHS frames you used to be able to get. I always see celebrities wearing nice specs and think 'where have they got those'. Well after my eye test at HD Eyes i was in frame shopping heaven. There were no end to the amount of glasses id love for my collection. Kally, Dil and Sam are definitely doing something right. Some classic, Some a little more obscure but all very stylish.

Despite pining after a beautiful pair of bright green Oko by Oko frames (I'm just desperate to go back to being that trend setter) i decided on a more classic pair of William Morris frames that i fell in love with as soon as i saw them.

They were perfect but it wasn't long before Mrs M went back there shopping for another pair as a Christmas present. I love wearing glasses, they are a part of me now and i would feel lost without them. I think i was about 14 when i had my first pair. I'm not 100% on the age but i do clearly remember how excited i was picking frames. It was the start of something big and something i was going to fully embrace. I could see exactly where my new look was going and now it was all a little less blurry.

HD Eyes may be a little out of the way for many people that read this but honestly, If i moved away from Shropshire i would come back to HD for my eye tests, it was an eye opening experience.