English Summer Weekend

This weekend was a scorcher by English standards (30°C) after the wet spring we have had, so we decided to make the most of it.

I usually avoid going out in the evenings with friends as it takes even more time away from the children and I fret about missing prayers. But with the long days and encouragement from mum-in-law I managed to get out on Friday night for a Thai meal with some very funny ladies and have a good laugh.

Saturday was Ladies Day in aid of Algerian Action and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I met bloggers Sister Rainbow, Emma, Umm Imran and Ammena at the event, much to my delight and enjoyed browsing through lots of eye-candy.

Little Lady got her henna done...

...and we ate lots of yummy food:

Sunday, myself and hubby headed off into the countryside at dawn whilst the kids were still asleep with their gran to watch over them. We came back with lots of fruit, some card-making books, a tan and probably mild sunstroke.



Sunday was also the day of a Sisters Summer bazaar. It was too hot to stick around for long, but we managed to fit in samosa's, bouncy castle and a little shopping (a sweet lady sold us two brand-new heavily embroidered suits for £5 in total - one for Little Lady to wear on Eid, the other for Kooky Little Sister). The kids got their faces painted, whilst I got told off by a Sister for letting them put crosses on their faces....

Judging by the look on Gorgeous's face, he had already had a premonition of the results of the game.

Having spent all weekend skiving, I thought I would be a good little desi housewife and make a good old-fashioned desi dinner: spinach and split chana-daal and mango milkshake (tinned mangoes, ice and milk whizzed very briefly in the blender).

It's now barely time for Isha (night prayer) and the kids are still awake and I have to still get everyone's things ready for Monday morning. Work is rather stressful at the moment, but only because I am being given lots of interesting things to do - I just have to rise to the challenge insh'Allah.

In the meantime, I am off to pray, get everyone their bedtime drinks, find myself a Monday-morning-start-the-week-right-hijab for tomorrow, ignore the luandry that is still hanging in the garden and the bathroom I didn't get round to cleaning and read in bed.