I had lunch for the second time today at Lolo and Wren. It was lovely, exceeding expectations. I had light, crispy sweetcorn and zucchini fritters with goats cheese, mashed avocado, chilli jam, lettuce and salsa. The coffees were excellent, along with a moist, iced coconut tea cake (passionfruit flavoured).

Service was outstanding too, very friendly and welcoming.

Highly recommended.

Kind regards in Christ,
Naomi

Proverbs 3:6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Approximate cost: $16.50

I bought some frankincense, a little brass burner and some "Three Kings" charcoal from this shop today. The owners were friendly and helpful, one explained in detail how to light the charcoal to burn the resin. He also told me the bag of resin I bought should last "for ages" which was reassuring as it was moderately expensive.

As a Christian who has had bad experiences with New Age spirituality, I do not go in for prayer to "angels" or spirits but to God alone. Nonetheless when I stated this, in a friendly fashion, the owners remained affable and kind which testifies to their gentle benevolence to other people.

I would recommend this store as a place for Christians to buy aids to prayer such as Meditation incense and perfume, frankincense resin and the like.

Kind regards in Christ,
Naomi

Colossians 3:17
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Approximate cost: $45

Readings Bookstore has been an institution for my husband and I for many years.

Most recently, I bought a beautiful, gold leaf King James bible from them, illustrated by Gustave Dore. This purchase was very special, cost only $40, and goes to show that Readings really make an effort to procure rare and interesting books across many genres.

Readings also feature other interesting and beautiful items such as bookmarks, cards and paper samples, which make lovely gifts. I recently bought a little bookmark featuring a red fox, which went beautifully with a spiral-bound journal printed with owl wallpaper - I used both very happily as a blessings and prayer journal.

I only hope that Readings is such a specialised niche market that it is largely immune to the downturn in book buying that has hit the market since the introduction of electronic book readers such as Kindle. RMC Stamps Bookshop in Moonee Ponds has suffered due to this: may Readings long outrun such unfortunate circumstances.

Kind regards in Christ,
Naomi Chapman

and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ(Colossians 3:23-24)

Approximate cost: $40.00

I have been blessed to buy several books from RMC Stamps: mostly Christian devotional materials such as bibles (Knox and King James version), plus CH Spurgeon's best sermons. The quality of the books was excellent and the prices very reasonable: I paid just $9.00 today for 2 books.

The man behind the counter today said he was a little discouraged as more people nowadays are selling books than buying them, yet he was kind enough to give me a discount on the 2 books I bought, which was appreciated.

On another occasion the proprietor of the bookshop helped me find other texts concerning God that might be helpful, which was excellent service.

I would highly recommend this bookstore and will be back in future for sure.

Kind regards in Christ,
Naomi

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him (Colossians 3:17)

Approximate cost: $9.00 (for 2 books)

I visited Nabiha on the recommendation of my husband, who said they have outstanding service and coffee.

I was not disappointed. The lady who served me was kind and accommodating. Even towards the end of her shift, when she must have been tiring, she went the extra mile in her duties and served a wonderful latte. I also overheard her giving another customer a free treat, which made me smile.

One thing which also struck me was that Nabiha have a good range of organic juices in their drinks fridge. I am always really happy to find businesses that consider the impact they have upon the world: Form Café in Essendon does this with their usage of recycled water and recyclable plates. Nabiha does this too by choosing organic drinks over less earth-friendly options. I am a Christian, so for me witnessing such behaviour is evidence that people are being good stewards of the planet God has given us, which is always heartening.

I will be back to Nabiha for certain in future, as their food menu looked excellent too.

Kind regards in Christ,
Naomi

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him (Colossians 3:17)

I have been blessed to buy flowers from Kent St Flowers on two occasions. Both times, I was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness and honesty of the owners plus how reasonably priced their flowers were.

Today I bought a bunch of pink oriental lilies for half price as some flowers had opened: they smell beautiful and the owner was kind enough to let me know that as some flowers were opened, he was reducing the price.

I also bought a bright bunch of orange marigolds, beautifully fresh, for just $4.50.

All up, the two bunches of flowers cost just $13.50 which is excellent value. Add to this the kindness and open-heartedness of the owners and you have a business that I will most certainly be coming back to.

A unique selling point for this business is that they offer liquor as well as flowers, which is very convenient for anyone doing special shopping for a loved one.

Highly recommended.

Kind regards in Christ,
Naomi

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him (Colossians 3:17)

Approximate cost: $13.50

Excellent coffee, stylish, open-plan decor with plenty of light and reasonably priced, adventerous mains. My favourite item is the 'pop a cap' poached eggs, which come with yoghurt and fresh pesto on the side. The last time we were in, the owner recognised my partner and I as regulars so served us free short blacks and a raspberry friand to go. Delicious! He stated that Form will be changing up their menu within the next week or so, so this is definitely one establishment to keep an eye on.

We'll be back for sure.

Approximate cost: $15

Friendly and helpful, with genuine stock. Prices significantly below retail compared to other Melbourne stores such as Myer, David Jones and Paint 'N Powder. Delivery is fast and items packaged carefully (with layers of bubble wrap) to avoid damage or leaking.

I had an issue recently where I had to return several bottles of Guerlain L'Heure Bleue EDP, as they had clearly been reformulated (due to IFRA restrictions) and were missing treemoss. The staff at FragranceX.com responded quickly to my email and were very understanding and apologetic. I had no issues obtaining a full refund including shipping.

Have since ordered several perfumes from FragranceX.com including many old and modern classics such as Robert Piguet's Fracas & Baghari, YSL Cinema & Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP.

Highly recommended.

5 stars given for being reputable suppliers of high-end fragrances such as Chanel for below retail prices. Progressive discounts are also given each time you order, which adds to amount you save.

I have now ordered three 150 ml bottles of Chanel Eau Premiere EDP through this site with no issues whatever. The scents are perfectly lovely and authentic, while the bottles' batch codes (when plugged into www.checkcosmetic.net) show that these items were newly manufactured ie. they are fresh stock.

Delivery is fast with a tracking number so you can follow the progress of your package easily online. Each time I've ordered my items have been carefully packaged: there was zero chance of breakage or damage as everything was enclosed in bubble wrap and foam. The box itself was wrapped like a present with decorative paper and a fancy ribbon, adding to the sense that this company pays attention to detail and cares about their customers.

Recommended.

Great lunch place. Service is quick, and the food reasonably priced for the above-average quality. Servings are generous too compared to other Japanese establishments I've eaten at, adding to the feeling that you are being well looked after at O-Bento.

Stand out dishes for me: unagi fried rice, unagi don & tempura udon. The eel in the unagi don was tender and steeped in sweet dark soy sauce, while the egg it sat on was perfectly cooked. The gyozas are also excellent and taste home-made: they feature crisp water chestnuts and other fresh ingredients.

Sushi is also very fresh due to the high turnover of customers O-Bento gets.

One niggle is that service can be a bit brisk and unsmiling, though this is understandable to some extent as I'm usually there during peak times.

Approximate cost: $15