When I think of the abayh, the long, loose dress that many Muslim women wear, I think of how elegant it looks: image source or how chic: image source or how smart and conservative: When I see sisters wearing it, I usually think the same, especially some of the younger sisters who really know how […]

I managed to sneak in some time today between grocery shopping, freezing kebabs and marinating chicken legs to make some Eid banners/bunting. The hardest bit is always getting the triangles for the banners right.  It took me a few attempts and lots of wrong pencil lines to figure it out. Little Lady helped to choose colours and […]

Learning to read Quran is a subject I return to again and again, because it is so important to me and also because it has been a journey for both me and my children.At times I struggle to ensure that there is a lesson everyday, but I am seeing the benefit of five straight lessons […]

I decided to wear something nice to work today and felt rather elegant in my plain purple abayah, the nice two-tone scarf Kooky gave me and some pink diamante bangles. It was only when it got to mid-day and I took my shoes off to make wudhu (ablutions for prayer) that I realised I was […]

I have always been of the belief that being a working mother does not make you any less competent or capable of handling complex and high profile work, nor of handling work that puts you under intense pressure. That sounds like an obvious thing to say but I think working mothers are sometimes considered as […]

I have been meaning to visit the Victoria & Albert museum for years and kept telling Little Lady the two of us would go.  I visited with my school as a teenager and remember two things, the beautiful Mogul jewellery and textiles and getting shouted at for trying to take a rubbing from one of […]

As Friday is our special family night, we are always on the lookout for somewhere new to eat. Brother-in-law suggested a new Pukhtoon-style place called the Khyber Pass. I thought the decor and food were fascinating: Menu’s covered in traditionally embroidered cloth There were a row of these little teapots hanging from the roof This […]

The title of this book piqued my curiosity when I swapped it for another book with a friend. I had never heard of it although it is described as a classic.The pair of the title are Ali Khan Shirvanshir a young Muslim aristocrat and Nino Kipiani, a Georgian Christian living in the old-fashioned yet strangely […]

With five children and action packed weekends (or packed to-do-lists anyway), my days can be full and hectic.  I love the bustle of family life and I am grateful for the busy-ness of a full day.  Taking care of my grandmother in the years before she died really made me appreciate how lucky I was to have […]

Today is the last day of school for my children.  They all had fantastic teachers this year (though they might not agree) and all grew so much. I think it’s important to take the time to thank people and show your gratitude, so every year at the end of the school year, the kids take […]

It seems to me that Pinterest is a wonderful place for beautiful ideas that I save with the intention of making, baking, trying, and drawing later, but never get round to.  Little Lady in contrast likes to try things out and I wondered what she was up to when she asked for a kilner jar. […]

It’s the annual craziness that is Red Nose Day which this year more than ever feels like it is becoming a national institution. As usual the children were expected to wear red to school and pay £1 for the privelege. We did buy them red noses but the baby bit both in half. I had […]

I forgot it was Pakistan Independence Day today until someone reminded me they were going to have a flag-raising outside the town hall I work in and sing the National Anthem. The Civic Ambassador who is Pakistani gave a horrendously bad speech, The Deputy Mayor reminded us, that we may be Pakistani, but really we […]

Every year Pantone release their colour of the year. Harlequin  promptly messages the Whatsapp group for us sisters and my sister-in-law to tell us and we all pass verdict: “Hmm…not sure” “Oooh I used to have a top that colour” “Love the colour, but wouldn’t wear it” ”I was thinking of buying something in that colour” […]