I love the sunny, calm Autumn days that we can get. The crisp air and the blue sky really awaken the senses and make a walk in the park quite wonderful.
Perfect Autumn day
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Umbrella street
Who doesn’t love an umbrella street? This one in Camden town market certainly brightens up the place and perfect for upcoming wet Autumn days.
Fiery colours
I love the changing shades of autumn, the reds, oranges and yellows, the colours of fire but without the heat. The ArcelorMittal Orbit in the bright sunlight fits right in with it red exterior.
Knole house
I recently visited Knole house. It is said to be a calendar house, having 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and 7 courtyards. The house was built by Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, between 1456 and 1486. We didn’t have time to look in many the rooms but we did climb up steep spiral staircase in the tower up to the roof which gave us great views.
Knole house also has medieval deer park, with deer roaming the grounds for 500 years. The deer we encountered were quite timid and let us get fairly close, which was amazing.
With large grounds to walk in and with the deer and nearby stream Knole house is a lovely place to visit.
Aquilegia Earlybird
I saw these lovely Aquilegia ‘Earlybird’ purple flowers in a park in London. I’ve never seen them before and thought they were quite unusual but really pretty. Always a better walk when you spot something new and eye catching.
Eid-al-Fitr 2025/1446: Eid Mubarak
Eid Mubarak to all the Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr. The days of fasting were quite short this year and the month of Ramadan sped by, just as I was getting used to the change of routine. It was a difficult Ramadan to see the ceasefire broken in Gaza and Palestinians subjected to more bombardments and bloodletting, May Allah have mercy. Eid is a day of celebration, and as we spend time with our loved ones, we will be thinking and praying of the Palestinians and others around the world that have empty places at their dinner tables. May Allah accept our fasts, prayers and forgive our sins, May Allah have mercy on us all.
Ramadan Mubarak 2025/1446
Ramadan Mubarak everyone. The days of fasting this year will be a bit shorter than they have been for many years now, as they fall before the clocks change for summer time. Although shorter the fasts will be just as important and I hope that Muslims can reflect, earn forgiveness and blessings during this holy month. We will also be thinking of those that are facing hardships in the world, wars, displacement and oppression and pray for their ease.
Best of 2024
We’ve come to the end of 2024. It has been an eventful year for me personally and on the world stage. I was lucky enough to travel to lots of different countries as well as spend time with family and friends and doing my part in calling for peace and justice in the world.
Wars also still continue, in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and other parts of the world. They have taken a toll on me and many others and I pray that an end to these come swiftly and permanently.
Here are some of my best and favourite photos of this year, as I prepare for the next. Happy New Year to everyone and may it be one that is calmer, more peaceful and positive one for us all, with plenty of adventure.
Athens, Greece
I’ve read about some of the ancient civilizations in books and stories since my childhood, but hadn’t had the chance to visit the remains of places, until now when I was lucky enough to visit Athens the heart of Ancient Greece.
I visited the Acropolis, an ancient citadel where there are ruins of temples, the most famous being the Parthenon, built in ancient Greece for the goddess Athena in 438 BC. Another temple I saw was the Temple of Nike. On the way up was the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a stone Roman theatre structure, and also the Theatre of Dionysus, the world’s first theater and the birthplace of Greek drama.
The view from the top of the Acropolis was pretty amazing, even with the grey and looming clouds, that then dropped it’s load and drenched everyone!
On the second day we decided to take a ferry to the nearby island of Aegina. Being off season, lots of the shops were closed but we were still able to look around and explore. We found a pretty umbrella street and then visited the archaeological site of Palaiochora of Aegina with a temple and then the Holy Monastery of the Holy Trinity. We bought some souvenirs, pistachio being grown and harvested on the island as a must buy, before heading back to Athens.
On the final day we visited the Acropolis museum, and then looked around the Plaka neighbourhood which had some pretty lanes and houses. We then visited the Roman Agora and Hadrian’s Library, both architechural ruins. We then ended up in Monastiraki square and found a great rooftop view with the Acropolis in the background.
I had a great time in Athens and the nearby islands, there was so much to learn and see. Amazing to think that these structures were built centuries ago and that we can still see some of them intact and still looking grand.
Algarve, Portugal
I had the opportunity to go to the south of Portugal recently. We went to the Albufeira area of Algarve for a few days. While the Algarve is known for it’s sandy beaches there is also an Islamic heritage, with the names of places beginning with ‘al’ once being Arab. Albufiera in Arabic means ‘castle on the sea’.
We did a jeep tour, visiting a farm and and small villages. It was great to see how homes had been created in the slopes of the hills and I loved seeing all the creative artistic touches that were dotted about everywhere. We stopped in a cafe to enjoy Portugal’s signature dessert pastel de nata which was sweet and quite delicious.
The tour guide also pointed out the famous piri piri chillis that was fun to see. At the top of one hill was a swing to take in the rural landscape which was great. We also passed many orchards of oranges but also saw lots of pomegranate, olive and cork trees which I was delighted to see.
On another day we went on a boat ride to look for dolphins but sadly they didn’t appear. We did move on to look at the Benagil caves though which were quite beautiful.
I enjoyed my trip to Albufeira, learning about it’s history and seeing what delights it held. It’s a scenic rural and beachy area and a great place to unwind and experience something new.
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