Double birthdays

Posted on December 20, 2021 by myeye1

My younger sister shares her birthday with her daughter so this year they decided to a have a shared party. They kept things simple and ordered pizza but I like how they did the decorations. One side for my sister and her pink theme and the other side for her daughter, a baby shark fanatic.

There were also 2 cakes, one for each theme. The white and pink one was made by my sister’s brother in law, I was impressed with the colourful layers. The baby shark one my sister made who has a real talent for making cakes.

Obviously I had to try some of each (and the chocolate ones too). They were all as delicious as they looked, I’m not sure I could pick one that was best.

It was a nice gathering and I enjoyed the food and company. Happy birthday to my sister and her daughter, may they both have a lifetime of good health and happiness.

Eid gifts

Posted on May 28, 2020 by myeye1

Eid this year was a quiet one, but that didn’t mean I had to miss out on presents. My family and friends can be very generous at times and this Eid they were. And it meant so much more this year as we all spent the day apart due to the pandemic that is currently coursing across the world.

As mentioned in my last post my younger sister made and delivered delicious chocolate cakes to each of us to enjoy. She also dropped off some sweets in a fun ice lolly shaped box. My youngest sister ordered expensive chocolates for me which is a real treat.

My friend dropped off some lovely candle holders decorated in various peacock designs. My sisters all loved them and I’m sure they will be borrowed soon.

I love having flowers in the house on Eid so I bought some for my mum, and my sister had some delivered too. My oldest sister came by and gave me a bag full of treats. The rose candle smells great and I can’t wait to taste some of these luxury treats too. As you can probably tell, my family have sweet teeth!

I have to admit I felt a little sad on Eid not being able to spend the day with my family, even more so for my parents as I know they are missing their grandkids a lot. My family being generous reminded me that although we weren’t able to spend the day together they still want to celebrate and that we are all thinking of each other. Hopefully by next Eid the world will feel safer for us and we can spend time with family and friends joyfully. I also hope that it will make us appreciate the time we have together even more.

Eid-al-Fitr 2020/1441: Eid Mubarak

Posted on May 24, 2020 by myeye1

After a month of fasting, with mosques closed and opening fasts in our own households, Eid has finally arrived. Eid this year will be marked quietly, just as Ramadan was. If anything Ramadan has taught us to have strong will power, a greater connection to God and to hope that one day we can all meet our loved ones without restrictions or fear. For now we will meet loved ones via video calling or from a distance, but we are by no means alone. This delicious looking chocolate cake, baked by my sister is proof of that. May we all celebrate together with loved ones in the best way we can. Eid Mubarak everyone.

Floral Bridal Shower

Posted on July 10, 2019 by myeye1

My cousin is getting married later this month so to start the celebrations my sisters and I decided to throw her a bridal shower. The theme was pinks and florals and we spent weeks buying and organising all the decorations, food and entertainment for the day.

We had a sweet table in the colour scheme and my youngest sister and I strung up colourful balloons to complete the look.

We had pink and pastel sweets and drinks, and arranged lanterns, frames and other decorations to complete the look. My younger sister made the wonderful pink ombre chocolate cake and we had the sweet favour boxes personalised to give out to guests later in the day.

My sisters and I also made several gift baskets, adding pink ribbons, to give to the bride.

We decorated the garden as a way to make the most of the nice weather and the extra space. We strung lacey and pink bunting and balloons to match those above the sweet table. We also put a floral backdrop against the shed for people to take photos in front of.

After a late lunch we played games, there was bridal bingo and pass the bouquet among a couple of others that were quite fun and got everyone excited and up on their feet. People also had the chance to take selfies using the selfie frame my oldest sister made.

My cousin really enjoyed the day and appreciated the effort we made to make it all special for her and everyone else really enjoyed themselves too which made all the stress and effort worthwhile.

Dholki party

Posted on February 17, 2019 by myeye1

I was recently asked to take photos at a dholki party that a friend of my sister’s was having. A dholki is a party that takes place before a wedding which involves dancing and singing traditional songs to the beat of a drum – a dholki. The event was held in a private space in a restaurant meaning that we would be able to have good food and then have a space for the entertainment. Dholkis are mainly for women (and young children), giving the women a chance to let their hair down without any inhibitions.

The theme of the event was peacock feathers with colours pulled out to decorate other parts of the space which I really liked.

The bride-to-be’s friends set up dessert tables near the entrance that I though were really creative and colourful. I thought the popcorn was a nice way to keep the kids happy until food was served. I also loved the cake shaped in a cushion.

After everyone had dinner cushions, the drum and song books were placed together so that everyone could sit and sing songs together.

Once everyone had sung enough songs, the floor space was cleared so that people could dance. The bride and her friends had choreographed a few dances together, which was fun to watch.

It was a fun evening and a nice way to give women close to the bride-to-be a chance to spend time together with the her and her family.

Surprise Baby Shower

Posted on December 2, 2018 by myeye1

My younger sister recently had her second baby, a daughter, but before she did we threw my sister a surprise baby shower. There were lots of secret plans, conspiring and her poor husband getting in trouble for being difficult but the surprise baby shower went off perfectly and my sister had no idea what we had planned for her.

We decided on a rainbow pastel theme to make it gender neutral but to also make the room look colourful. On the day we asked my sister’s husband to delay my sister on her trip to our house so we could set up.

When my sister finally arrived and walked through the doors, we all shouted surpise giving her a huge shock!

We had a colourful sweet table with balloons, lots of treats and presents. My sister in law made some really cool bottle and baby grow shaped biscuits. I also thought the baby carriage favour boxes were a really cute.

We ordered a lovely two tiered button cake to fit in with the theme, and the icing inside was both pink and blue which I thought was a really creative.

As the weather was nice we decided to have everyone outside for games and socialising so we hung lots of colourful scarves and decorations to make it all look really pretty. One of the games we played was guessing the melted chcolate in the baby nappy (which looked a bit disgusting).

Everyone had a great time at the baby shower, and most importantly my sister did. She left with a hoard of presents, a big smile and hopefully lots of memories. I’m glad the baby shower went to plan and that we all gave the new addition to the family a great welcome.

Enchanting Doorways

Posted on October 29, 2017 by myeye1

I recently went around London to visit some locations that are very popular as they’re pretty and eye catching. Here’s some that I thought were great.

I started in Kensington at this cake shop. The outside was very charming with it’s pastel pink and quaint tables and chairs. The arch of flowers and pumpkins was very seasonal and made for a grand entrance to the inside where there were some delicious looking treats.

Nearby was a bakery which was also looking very Autumnal with an archway that represented the harvest at this time of year.

Next I went to see a very picturesque house that was painted immaculately in white with the shutters and door painted in a popping pink.

Walking to the station I came across a lovely restaurant with a flora and fauna decorating the front with a well placed bicycle to add to the look. There were also other well kept doorways and walkways and of course the huge beautiful building that is Harrods. The best thing I saw all day though, was a huge suspended rhino above a jewellery shop. It looked surreal and it really made me smile.

I can see why some of these locations are sought after and busy, and it’s always nice to come across something unexpected too. I have more photos of other locations that I visited, that I will post soon.

Afternoon Tea on the Thames

Posted on October 15, 2017 by myeye1

Afternoon tea is quintessentially British, and it seems to be a big craze at the moment in London. I’m not particularly keen on it (how in-British of me, I know) as I don’t particularly drink hot drinks and I prefer a big tasty lunch to sandwiches and cake, but when I was came across afternoon tea on the River Thames with a guide that would inform me of Muslim history in London, I thought it would be quite fun. As a cruise linked to Eid I decided to buy myself and my mum a ticket hoping she’d enjoy it too. My sisters, my sister in law and her mum also joined us.

The meeting point was at Tower of London and after we were all checked in we were able to get on the boat. Once we were in our seats we had tea to start with and then the some delicious looking food.

As we enjoyed our food and the view, the guide started telling us about some of the connections of Muslims to the city of London, which was quite interesting. When we reached Westminster Bridge the boat turned around to go back towards the port. By this point I’d had enough to eat so I grabbed my camera and went above deck. The sun was out and with the cool breeze it felt so refreshing. We passed some iconic landmarks that sit on the banks of the River Thames.

Blackfriars Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral

Leadenhall Building, 30 St Mary Axe, 20 Fenchurch Street aka Cheesgrater, Gherkin, Walkie Talkie Tower

Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast museum ship

After spending some time above deck taking in the sights and some photos we headed back downstairs. The organisers held a competition that my sisters and I (and it seems no one else) entered so we won a big box of chocolates, as the odds were definitely in our favour!
As we docked back into the port we gathered our things and headed for the exit. It was a lovely afternoon that we all really enjoyed, and I thought it was a real treat to actually go on a boat down the River Thames instead of just watching the waves from the shore.

Birthday bash

Posted on July 16, 2017 by myeye1

My younger sister threw her daughter a birthday party recently, making the creative cake and cupcakes herself. There were sweets, a giant bouncy castle and good company, and to top things off, the weather on the day was great too . Here’s some of the photos I took. Can you guess the theme?

We all had a lovely day and my niece had lots of fun and was exhausted long before the party’s end. I hope she has a long healthy life ahead, and that I get to spend lots more time with her.

Brighton – part 1

Posted on April 19, 2017 by myeye1

I enjoy taking day trips to places I’ve never been to before and one such place that a friend and I went to not so long ago was Brighton. It was an early start and took a few hours by train to get to but we managed to arrive just as the sun was becoming brighter and warmer. First we wandered throughout the lanes discovering lots of cool street art (which I will post separately) and just in time for the market and shops to start opening. Something I noticed quite quickly was just how quirky some of the shops and props were and that there was so much colour everywhere, which I loved.

We walked along the market stalls that had interesting products for sale and along nearby roads, some of which had some really colourful houses. One shop that I was particularly keen on visiting was a well known cake shop called Choccywoccydoodah which has some amazing cake designs and eggs just in time for Easter. We didn’t stop to buy any though as we were keen to keep moving and see everything on our list. Another shop that I was pleased to unexpectedly come across was one that sold rubber ducks and only rubber ducks.

Next we went to see the famous Royal Pavilion which upon arrival, we could see why it was so popular and considered so beautiful. The Indo-Islamic style of the building was striking especially against the bright blue sky and quite unusual for an English town. I spent quite some time just looking up at the intricate detail of the embellishments and the curves and spires that reached up high.