Ramadan Journal 2015: Day 10 – Light

One thing I love about summer is the long hours of light in the evening, meaning the children can stay out in the garden longer and there is more time between prayers to handle bigger tasks. The light streaming through the gaps in my curtains in the morning helps me to wake up better, it’s a pleasure going to work or to drop the children to school when the day is already bright, unlike in winter when it’s still dark after you get to work. I have very poor eye-sight so I crave light and lack of it makes me irritable.

A Ramadan tradition that has established itself over the last few years in our home, is sitting outside in the bright summer evening before iftar time. It gets hot and stuffy inside so mum in-law will sit outside and make dhikr as the light fades. She takes the baby outside and sits her on our little trampoline with a toy. The older children will drift outside to rid their scooters or play football. This will lead to me calling out from the kitchen and telling the boys to stop flattening my flowers and be careful of their grandmother. Of course it was Gorgeous who managed to kick the ball onto her head on one occasion. As I cook, I can hear mum-in-law talking to my neighbour through the fence or Darling calling to the little girl next door or bossing the boys around. If I finish the iftar meal in time, I will head outside to sit and enjoy the cool evening breeze and company too, otherwise I will call the older children in to help set the crockery and food out before mum-in-law ambles back in, baby, darling and Gorgeous in tow.