Staycation and other moments…

in no particular order…a very pictorial kind of way…not in the writing mood these days…

an easy peasy eid Mubarak banner….add your writing and string together kind of easy…courtesy of  Hobby Crafts…

a visit to the Saatchi Gallery with dd14 and dd12…tube there and back…real tourists in your own city kind of visit…loved the ‘paper’ exhibition…got to do it more often insh’Allah…

an afternoon at the beach…just us…a first ‘use and throw’ bbq experience…girls loved in …surfing on the waves…a wind breaker , how British is that? …still can’t get used to no sand on the beach though…

my tomatoes are doing well…beans slowing down…peppers late…courgettes goodbye till next year…

staycating is not all that bad…but mine is not kind of real staycating cause on Wednesday we are off to the Basque Country….

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

Tourists for a day…

in our own city

just us

no relatives from abroad needed

just us girls, cameras in tow

plenty to see I bet
a break or two too
I might let the city rip us off
an arm and a leg for a coffee
on a pavement terrace
listening to the foreign sounds
making up stories
enjoying the view, the different , the similar

Tourists for a day
in our own town….

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

Eid preparations…

I think I have left it late enough…Every single year as far as I remember , my but does not get into gear until dh or someone else calls with the news that it is Eid. I swear , straight away I go into shock…as if I didn’t have a clue of Eid being right at the end of Ramadan…I and my eldest are the only ones going round the supermarket isles loading party foods and other items into a trolley after we have finished our iftar…baking in the middle of the night…presents wrapping just before waking them up on the day…I can’t help it, Im a lastminutedotcom kind of woman…bad but reality….

Anyways this year is slightly better…I have already bought all the food and delegated kitchen duties to my very good chinese friend. Not only does she love cooking but she produces the goods without a fuss…got to love the woman…

So food sorted…singaporean noodles, Malaysian ikan bilis with rice, bbq chicken wings, potato salad, prawn tempura and other bits and bobs…oh and no baking this year…waitrose has saved the day this time…read the following with a french accent…tart au chocolat, tart au citron, tarte des pommes ….and an ice cream or two..

Decorations sorted…almost…I mean I have bought a ready-made cardboard bunting…now  all I have to do is write ‘eid mubarak’ with a few colourful sharpies and add the decorations dd12 has been working on for a while now…( I can see myself doing it late tonight )

So let’s see what else needs doing…wash sitting room curtains, clean sitting room as the ladies will be mainly there, tidy the garden as brothers  will be there rain or shine…clean downstairs toilet…

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OMG I wrote the previous before 3 , I had to stop to put baby to sleep and guess what? I fell asleep too…It is now 18:37!!! and I just got a text wishing me a happy Eid tomorrow…Lol….well what to do?…I better get into that kitchen and start on iftar…as tradition has it around here , tonight is raid the freezer and get rid of all leftovers, bit and bobs in the freezer and fridge night…so it will be something like a few samosas, a boured or two, some chips, fried eggs, a paratha….and everybody happy with the prospect of a slow leisurely breakfast in broad daylight tomorrow…

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

There’s something about…

baking with one of my daughters or two…but that rarely happens…it seems to be a 1:1 exercise around here…and today my dd12 put on her baking Algerian t-shirt and nominated me assistant…what an honour I tell you…

 

 

 

There’s something about baking for friends…sharing it at iftar time…nothing beats homemade full of love goodies…

 

 

 

 

There’s also something about ‘sisters doing it for themselves’…

There’s something about successful thrifting trips…

There’s something about the last days in Ramadan…may Allah accept our fastings and reward all our efforts , no matter how small…amen…..

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines