Visiting an friend after 8 years

Today was an early start for me, I headed into Sussex to visit an old friend who came into my live 8 years ago and stopped for 2 years and then moved cities then countries. We remained in touch best we could, by telephone, email, shortly by face book. Every time we spoke it was like had never left each other for so long mashaAllah.

This lady came into my life when I was expecting my 3rd child, at a time when the rejection of my family was still very raw. At a time I longed for a true sisterhood, a friend that really cared. My dear friend filled this description and more mashaAllah.

I recall the happy days hanging out together at her flat, the endless cups of tea we drank, the social lunch's we organised for other sisters, the Islamic talks, the fundraising, the laughter and tears we shared will remain in my memory for time to come. The support this sister showed me when I gave birth to my daughter, she made sure I had an endless stream of visitors and cooked meals mashaAllah. She never let me feel the void of my family, its almost like she replaced it in other ways. She soon became my family. Then a chance came for here to make hijrah and off she went, we cried as we parted, exchanged gift and words of wisdom but her love never left my heart. So today after 8 years I headed out of London to visit her, I got the added bonus to meet her mother and sisters mashaAllah. She had talked about them so much during those years and now they were all here in the same room. Gentle and kind mashaAllah. We were treated to a special lunch on a lovely table presented just for us mashaAllah. It was lovely to meet my friend’s family and all her new additions, 3 new children who have inherited the very kind nature of their lovely mother mashaAllah.

We exchanged stories and descriptions of our host countries of hijrah (emigration). On another note the area of Sussex was a breath of fresh air for me compared to London, its greenery, cool breeze and village like feel. Roads seemed deserted compared to London's bumper to bumper traffic. We parted on the note ''when will we meet again?'' Holding back my tears I said I don't know another 8 years?
There was a resident henna artist and my daughter had her henna done.

Spring break and all things new

The children have had school holidays for spring, the weather picked up a little but still chilly cold at times, I have managed to mow the lawn (if you can call it that, that's my bald patchy grass I am taking about and not my skill of mowing) and part furnish the garden but still have not been able to sit outside and soak up the sun as of yet, soon I am hoping. I erected the outdoor airer so maybe I may just hang the washing outside today, I will see how the day unfolds.
We finally took part in the earth hour a few weeks ago but I forgot to photograph as I was too busy having fun. The children liked it and we told a one word story and had some chocolate treats during it.

It's been a while since I started writing that post and only just back to finish it. The last few weeks and more have been testing to say the least but alhamduilah, I am still here to tell the tale. Sometimes in life we have that comfy chair that has a soft cushion and when we sit in it daily we feel secure and safe. Content and happier sitting each day out with this comfort. Then one day the cushion is taken away and our comfort and security are no longer the same. We feel down , we feel stressed and times are going to be a little hard on that chair until one day we will be able to get that comfy cushion again.

can you help

I have lost that recent commet thingy that goes in my sidebar so i can see where recent comments are published to which post. I want it back does anyone know how?

Over the past two weeks

The past two weeks have been demanding and stressful to say the least but somehow by the grace of my creator alhamduilah , i made it through.

Sometimes life and what happens in it can be very overwhelming and mentally exhausting at the best of times.

These two week were such, with a leaking tank that had now spilled through to the ceiling and into the down stairs Wash room blowing out the electrics in the process. What exhausted me here was the incompetence of 4 plumbers, that it took to decide what to be done. After more delay and a leak that was getting faster by the day. Finally it was remediable and fixed much to my delight. Prompting a new heating system which now in hindsight was worth the stress and incompetence as the end result is desirable.

Just getting over the leak and the cluttered home, cleaning away the workmen's presence. My DD teenager , drops a bomb on me , so it felt at the time but had my brain not been overloaded with other stuff then perhaps it would not have seemed half as serious. The think is the matter could be resolved but it was the reaction it was having on DD that was so exhausting me.

To begin with it all started with a letter, that was not received with the sincerity it was written and instead hostility developed. I needed to conduct some of my own investigation's to make sure all was what it seemed.

I am so glad i went to discuss the mater with those concerned as nothing is ever black and white and you need to hear both sides. sometimes events become piousness by others assumptions and in maturity. honesty is a key factor and if you are dealing with dishonesty then your progress will be hindered.

After a 20 minute chat all was dealt with and the objective achieved and i am so glad i went to face this in person , otherwise i may have been sitting here still overloaded and encountering the migraine that appeared last week. Alhamduilah for honesty , alhamduilah for ability and most of all alhamduilah for the power of dua!

Brick Lane London

Looking at Bangladeshi culture In the UK part of Cultural Inclusion Project at schools. I escorted my daughters class on a trip to Bangla Town In the UK to get a feel of the culture and see foods relating to the Bangladeshi culture. Here are my pictures ;






This place does the best Bagels in town esp after a night out!

A Child’s Innocence, lost?

Who decides? This week the school informed me it will be hosting meetings for parents who wish to know what will be taught during the Sexual Relations Education (SRE) classes at the school, for form classes 2, 5 and 6. My son is in year 6, having started state school for the first time last December, I am still learning. When my children started last year it was on the day the SRE classes were being taught as the permission slips and meetings had already taken place, I had missed out. So on their first day of school when the year 2 comes home. I asked, ‘’what did you learn today?’’

She replies:- ‘’ It was haram?! They showed us pictures of women’s private parts and men ones too!’’

‘’Authobillah! What do you mean?’’ (my worries manifesting before my very eyes on day one)

Son joins conversation ‘’yeah umi they did it for us too, they told us we have wet dreams and then he whispered... but girls are worse !?! :O they have blood coming out of their private parts.’’

My shock horror of their first day of school, all those years of home schooling and their innocence snatched in 6 hours! Robbed I tell you!?!

Yesterday was the SRE meeting for this year, I was shown the content of all 3 lessons and all I can say I was.. I was shocked, disgusted and angry. I cannot believe that ten year old children are ready for this revelation of this information that will scar their innocence at the tender age of ten. I feel it should be the parent’s choice to decide what age all she be revealed, there is no way my 10 year old son is ready for this amount of info, it also gives a incorrect impression on how sexual relationships can be formed, there was a video showing the actual acts and steps... first comes love. Then they actually make love! It showed sexual positions and promoted sexual relations before marriage. This here is what angered me severely, seeing as this contradicts our beliefs and way of life which is clearly Islam. The school my children attend is majority ethnic minorities namely Asian and African with the predominant religion being Islam. With this in mind i challenge the headmistress, enquiring why arrange marriages’ had not been mentioned. They have their own hidden agenda that they instil into our children Allah Al Must’aan. I felt it was a total saturation of Western values in relation to sex being in drenched on the minds of innocent children. Teaching them this is the way, in the video one of the characters was the aunt of the 10yr old, she was in relationship with a guy and she was expecting his baby. This aunt was very open to the 10yr olds telling them she enjoyed being touched by her lover and he enjoyed her touching him. She kept rubbing her breast whilst doing so , i think it was meant to look like she was rubbing her impregnated stomach but i clearly saw her touching her breast.

Some may think it’s an overreaction on my part but NO, my children are a trust, entrusted to me by Allah and i have a duty to ensure they are raised in accordance to Islam and good citizens to the society they inhabit. I noted not only Muslim parents at the meeting; there were English and Africans, Christian, Sikh, and atheist too. In fact the Sikh parent got up and left half way through the video. I myself wanted to leave during the video, I was disgusted. I feel this kind of exposure too early could lead to experimentation and unnecessary curiosity. I am not saying they should not know about their body parts and the functions. Reproduction and the like, it should be taught and can be taught minus the sexual content. It’s the amount to sexual promotion and sexual promotion outside marriage what ruined it. I have a 15yr old that i taught SRE to at the age of 10 as i feel in my experience girls mature much faster than boys. At ten she was ready for this input but i can see my son is not, in a year or so yes but not quite yet. It can be taught on a scientific level without so much emphasis on sexual relationship and positions. As one parent pointed out, ’’ you are showing them stage by stage the correct way to reproduce!’’

I decided to not have the school teach these lesions to my son and opted out alhamduilah we still have that right. I told him I will teach him 3 lesions covering this so he does not feel left out but I will use a scientific approach in addition will also use ayat from the Quran to explain relationships in this content and ayat related to reproduction.

Bearing in mind the UK is a country where teenage pregnancy is at its youngest in all of Europe, the headmistress argued that children knowing this information at 10 years old is deterrent to this. This is left open to debate...................what’s your opinion on this?

It's Never Too Late

Last Saturday saw a turning point in my life. I decided to finally go back to University to finish the BA Hons degree i once started inshaAllah. It's never easy when you are a full time mum and home maker to follow your own pursuits. Mother do make a lot of sacrifices for their families , myself I don't regret a single moment but its nice to be able to do something for me for a change!

I was so nervous to attended the open day at the University, my DD offered to come along for moral support. It turned out to be a very informative day alhamduilah. I must admit i was hesitating but going there really helped me make my mind up!

I am just working through the forms and transfre of credit forms at the moment as the good news is i can transfre my old creidts from my unfished degree to the new one.........so less to study. iam really excited about this whole new adventure and look forward to the brain food to come.

Here are some pictures we took on the day

The open day was here

Near the Olympic site an unusual bad to find in London but hey London is the city where its all at!

On the DLR

Fuel after a day of fun.

Random Pictures

Just some pictures i have snapped for one reason or another to share ..........
A Bed of Marigolds Orange and yellow looked really stunning at our local park!



I love this picture how the little girl took it of her shoes but didn't realise her image showed in the mirror i love the big and small effect here subhan Allah.

The same little girl taking Random pic's after touching her sisters make up!

Some childhood faves i have been enjoying!

Last Saturday as the football supporter were leaving a riot broke out we were caught in it !

Bikes a passion for the men in my life!

Devastating as the snail population ate my dd's (7yrs old) sunflowers!

Meeting up with cyber ladies

I had the pleasure of meeting up with some fellow bloggers and cyber ladies. I often get asked , ''don't you feel scared?'' i want to reasure you i don't just go off and have a coffee with everyone i share comments with. Most i have had good contact with on a forum i am part of, perhaps chatting for upto 1 year or more, also if they have linked up with someone else from the forum then the lady will say kinda offer a reference, so with in the group of many ladies someone has meeet someone or know someone!

This weekend i went out of town a little to link up with Sonya and Sarah who i have been wanting to meet for some time now. Sonya had opened up her home and made lunch for us. Some other ladies came along and i had meet them before but its always nice to meet new ladies esp those new to Islam. I must say i had a lovely afternoon but had to leave early.

Template rage

Just to let you know all the template changes are a result of an interfering teen , who has now managed to mess up the look of my blog grrrrrrrrrr

Bare with me on the tec front somehow will get it looking nice again inshaAllah.