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Iridescent sandals, £50

 

I have been dithering over whether to get a pair of Tevas for about 18 years now.

It started when I went away with Raleigh International and the packing list for the Namibia expedition recommended a pair of Tevas. And I thought “Fucking no way. Those things are hideous.”

I went to a shop and bought a more acceptable pair of action sandals (to my eye). Then I spent the last 6 weeks of the expedition glueing the motherfuckers back together with boot glue because they couldn’t handle the heat, the dust, the sweat, the pace.

I was very sympathetic: by that time I was coming apart at the seams, too.

Of course, everyone else who had got a great big hideous pair of Tevas were laughing their heads off, diddling about happily, scampering over rocks and skipping over gravel and light scrub.

So I felt a right douche. And now Tevas come in awesome crazy colours – and with shoes at the moment, it seems like the uglier the better.

AND, we are going on two quite action-y holidays this summer, one to Devon and one to Greece, where there will, I guarantee, be a fair amount of climbing over rocks and slogging up hills carrying one or other or both my children. My shoe options are troubling me.

Also, also, also I lost litte Sam’s action sandals in Sicily so he is down to his Geox light-ups, which smell a bit of wee because he did a huge wee all over them by mistake when we were potty training last month. And, Kitty’s Crocs keep on sliding off her feet – she has inherited my Dad’s long, slim feet and narrow heels and if she runs in her Crocs they just flick off. She thinks it’s funny, of course.

So I took all the bloody hints the universe was sending me and finally went onto the Teva website and purchased three pairs of excellent and sturdy sandals – a pair of “Disco Tevas” for me, which look much better on than you think they’re going to – the iridescent sheen is very subtle – and a pair of uncompromising feet protectors each for Kitty and Sam.

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Sandals for Sam with a toe guard because he always drops things on his toes. £37.50
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Purples ones for Kitty that won’t flick off: £35

I would show you a photo of my Disco Tevas on, but they have come up a little too small – I am a shoe size 4.5 so I got a 4 because I don’t like a flappy sandal, and they came up a very true 4, which is too small. So I am swapping for a size 5.

I’m sure you will find that instructive, you always want to know about sizing.