Editorial Ovi issue 8

Ovi thoughts have turned to food, a tasty subject that you can really chew upon and feel your waistline increase with each paragraph. Grab the tracksuit bottoms, the ones with plenty of play in the elastic, because this issue could make members of WeightWatchers weep into their salad, there is no calorie counting here; so let your eyes feast upon issue eight.

Eight issues and over 300 articles is an impressive statistic. Averaging about 40 articles an issue is a sure sign that we are thoroughly enjoying what we are doing and the drive is not waning. Thanos and I discuss Ovi every day and we are never bored, even the strangers we meet show an interest that motivates us further.

Last month we were interviewed by an online radio show* about our aims with the Ovi project, we were told that we sounded self-assured and confident talking about Ovi and that has driven us on even further. Every bitchy comment or envious swipe reminds us of an Arab proverb: Love sees sharply, hatred sees even more sharp, but Jealousy sees the sharpest for it is love and hate at the same time.

Are some people frightened by the juggernaut known as Ovi? The truth is that I am at times. This project has taken on a life of its own, it has exceeded our hopes at the planning stage and taken twists that neither of us dared hope for. The new site is on the horizon and we will be waving a fond farewell to the multi-frame layout as soon as possible.

This issue has a number of guests offering a variety of styles, from Linda Lane's fantastic food photography to Jan Sand's creative prose. My brother, Tony Butcher, upset me by being particularly creative with his '40 Questions' article in fART and Oli maintains his emotional outrage at the destruction of our planet, plus chooses the ten words in U Do - I Don't.

Naturally, Thanos and I have been the busiest researching, writing and shaping the pages of Ovi 8 for your pleasure - or maybe jealousy! Food is our theme and you'll find a variety of theme-related articles dotted among the sections. Be sure to read Thanos' 'Bacon and Chicken', my dig at Finland's supermarkets in 'Ayran Vegetables' and the new iBite section in the S#&T Happens section.

Thank you for reading Ovi, but do one job for us: share Ovi's existence with a friend.

Asa