The Holiday Rewind

Well, it's been a long time. I've forgotten how to construct a blog post so forgive me if this voice sounds scratchy. I'm sure it will smooth over as I go along.

Even though it's been a long time, I don't feel as though we've filled the space by doing an awful lot, you know? We've mainly been taking it easy, doing nothing in particular, dreaming of what is to come this year, being ill a little (you never escape winter illness fully, no? Although changes to our diet this year have seen us being the healthiest I've ever known masha'allah - go kale! - more on that sometime insha'allah), and basically getting over the holiday hump of everything and nothing.

But a little rewind now that gifts have been given - those sneaky peeks at all that elving can now be revealed. A hit and run visit to family over the holiday period means everyone got gifts on time (an achievement for me).







Plenty of you knew that someone was getting a Miss Maggie. It was for my little niece, who although old enough for boy band love now (really??) I hoped was still young enough for a bit of dress up doll play.



















Including a draw-string bag for the clothes with bed sewn into place for when she's a little bit played out.


These eventually became fingerless mitts in the softest baby alpaca.







And there was some more knitting in the form of a Jacques Cousteau hat for an outdoorsy ranger brother of mine.









The Briar Rose fabric from Heather Ross became an iPad bag for my sister. Heavy interfacing almost ruined it, but nothing a hot iron can't beat back into place. Leather details give this a finished look.











And then there was the Harris Tweed which was bought for this:


A handbag for my mother, which looks a bit horrible here, but once it's filled with purses and glasses I am sure it will indeed look like a bag.


And then, of course, a few handmade balms and healers for this cold time of year. Hand cream and lip salve ahoy.







And that was how we rocked the holiday period of 2013.







How were your holidays? Refreshed? Ready to get back to it?

For My Winter Babe

Islamically there has always been contention as to whether or not birthdays are 'allowed'. It's certainly not found in the example of the Prophet (saw), but rulings vary from country to country. As British Muslims birthdays form part of our culture and on that basis we have slowly succumbed to celebrating over the years, with modification. For one, we don't do presents - we have two Eids a year in which we really give it rooty-tooty and I think that's enough. Nor do I like the idea of self-worship really. So although we've bought into the idea that birthdays are something we acknowledge, it is a simple celebration here.

My winter babe had his cake, enough crisps to sink a battleship and his friends over to play. And that was more than enough for this to be a beautiful day. Because, truly, friendship and good company are more valuable than material things, right?

The decorations included handmade bunting, some tinsel, general table decorations, and fairy lights fitting a winter babe (the midget, whose birthday falls in the height of summer, has an altogether different type of vibe to his day), and old photos were rifled through to remind ourselves how far he's come, how little he was, what changes this family has been through. A wander down memory lane and a little twinge of my heart as I acknowledge that one day too, this will be a distant memory.

I do hold on a little too tightly on days like these.

Traditions

Making the effort, despite a bout of flu and food poisoning, to keep traditions alive. One last hurrah before winter sets in. Some gingerbread men, the start of the season's hot cocoa and toffee thrown into the mix.

We brave the night air for adventure. We are not disappointed. We find excitement, thrills, rides, sweets and a firework display that looks like whole galaxies exploding into existence and dying before our eyes. A little blurry around the edges, with waaaay too much music (and a deaf right eardrum... mental note, never stand next to the amplifier that long again), waaay too much sugar and probably a little too much money spent, we return home loud with excitement and chatter, minds filled with colour and noise and tales to tell. We notch it up to one more year, one more bonfire, one more firework night and one more, hopefully good, memory. And with each memory a childhood is made.

For those of you celebrating tonight, have a fun filled, but safe night.
xx