I joined a million people in London last weekend to call for a ceasefire against Israel’s brutal bombardment of Gaza and for an end to the occupation against all Palestinian people. The last month has seen thousands killed, mostly children. It has to stop. Seeing so many people come out to protest was heartening to see. In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians.
I went to a Monet art exhibition in London. A lot of new exhibitions on artists work are ‘immersive‘ meaning that the art is projected onto huge walls where you can sit and take in the art, with music playing while you watch.
The Monet exhibition was also immersive but it did have sections where there were props, like this bridge over a lily pond, a reflection of one of his most famous art works.
In the main room, there were lots of seats that you could take to enjoy the art as they were shown. I liked how the artworks were collated together to show themes.
Some of Monet’s most famous artwork pieces were shown and it was nice to be able to see some of the greater details.
The show lasts about 20 minutes and includes some animation to help bring the art to life. It wasn’t busy when I went so it was calming just to sit and enjoy the art. At the end there was a VR section you pay for and a place for kids to colour in some of Monet’s art.
I’d recommend a visit but personally I enjoy exhibitions that allow me to learn about the artists and their influences and that make me think about what they are trying to portray.
I’ve been to Kew Gardens in London a number of times, it’s one of my favourite places. I always remember going as a child and seeing the giant waterlilies in a hot greenhouse but never managed to see them since. I was determined this year to try and catch them and luckily I did.
The waterlilies can grow up to 3 meters wide and grow in the summer months. Seeing the size of the lilies in person was quite spectacular. There were also some pretty flowers growing in the pond that made the view all that more amazing. It made me want to sit on one of the lilies but I’m probably too big for them now (they can support a child).
It made me really happy to see these lovely plants after so many years, and that they were as stunning now as they were then. It’s plants like these that increase my wonder about the world and about all the astonishing things in it.
Eid Mubarak everyone. Taqabbal Allahu Minna Wa Minkum (May Allah accept it from you and us).
Happy Eid to all to Muslims around the world who are celebrating Eid-al-Adha which coincides with the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia and honours Abraham’s promise to God. In these blessed days may all pilgrims’ prayers and ours be accepted.
This beautiful Islamic inspired cube radiating light is at Kew Gardens.
London, for the first time, has put up Ramadan lights to celebrate the holy month. I was able to go and see them near Piccadilly Circus, and in the daytime the lanterns, stars and moons shimmered and sparkled. I wasn’t able to stay until dark when they light up but I was delighted to see these wonderful lights celebrate a special month in a city as great as mine.
These purple crocus flowers are a lovely sight to see early in the year. I spotted these from some way away but had to go and take a closer look.
I love the vibrant colour against the lovely green grass.
Sign of Spring are approaching here in London and these swathes of daffodils are a happy and welcome sight.
With the winter days and nights being cold and dark there’s usually not a lot of motivation to do anything or go anywhere. To help with that Canary Wharf in London decided to hold a Winter Lights event, after a 2 years break due to the pandemic. I always enjoy art events so my sister and I decided to go take a look.
It was cold up so we wrapped up and went around to each of the 22 light installations. Some were really busy and it took us a couple of hours to get around to them all, but here are some of the ones I liked best.
My favourite was probably this giant floating Earth in the middle of water. I loved how it lit up in the dark.
I also really liked the glass elephants and the spinning top which reflected pretty lights around the room as it spun.
The coloured lights in the water creating shapes in the fog was fun to watch and the colourful benches were back too, always proving popular.
My sister and I enjoyed this event and it was a nice, free, family event that brought a bit of colour and creativity to winter.
Giant bubbles have appeared outside one of London’s famous landmarks – the Leadenhall building, also known as The Cheesegrater. The bubbles are an art piece called ‘Evanescent’ by design studio Atelier Sisu. The idea behind them is to entice people back into the city after the last few years and appeal to our childlike wonder and universal playfulness.
These bubble installations have been spotted in other major cities around the world too and I thought they were a lovely idea and were a pleasure to see.
Today is the last day of 2022. Reflecting back across the year, I didn’t have any grand plans at the start but it feels like it’s been an eventful one. I was finally able to travel abroad after a very long time and I managed to gain some new qualifications after a lot of hard work. There was also an addition to the family in my new little nephew. I hope the year was a fulfilling one for all of you, whatever you did.
Here are some of my favourite photos from the year gone by and as we move into 2023, I hope it’s a year full of good health and happiness, and everything we all want it to be. Happy New Year.
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