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.

Colours of Spring

I love walking around and seeing all the flowers that awaken in Spring. All the different colours and shapes are beautiful in their own unique way. I came across these bushes with wonderful, vibrant colours and just had to take a closer look.

pink yellow and orange flowers in bushes

I love how the flowers have an ombre effect and have touches of difffernt colours.

pink and orange flowers

Seeing all the bright colours makes my walk in the park all the more relaxing and enjoyable I find.

Norfolk Tulip Fields

I’ve always wanted to visit the tulips fields in the Netherlands (Holland), as these are some of my favourite flowers, but in it’s stead I was able to visit some tulip fields in Norfolk. They are only open to the public for a couple of weeks and my sister was lucky enough to get some tickets for us.

There were several fields full of tulips, with rows and rows of various colours. They really were beautiful to see.

I love how block colours had sprinklings of others. And I also like the ones that looked almost hybrid, colours varying and also shapes.

We spent a couple of hours walking among the rows taking in the sight and then relaxing on one of the nearby hay bales that were dotted about the field

It was a really lovely to take in the vibrant colours of the beautiful flowers and to visit a place that you wouldn’t imagine would exist in the UK.

Eid-al-Fitr 2023/1444: Eid Mubarak

Eid Mubarak to Muslims around the world. Ramadan as always has passed by faster than imagined, with the days shorter and cooler than they have been in recent years. I pray that Allah accepts our fasts and prayers and showers us with his mercy and blessings. I hope everyone has a day full of happiness and are able to spend time with family and friends. Let us also remember and pray for all those who continue to face difficulties around the world, may they find peace and ease soon.

Blossoms

Spring has been in full force in London these last few weeks, with flowers and greenery sprouting everywhere. My sister and I visited a small park where there were some beautiful trees full of blossoms. Most parks are full of snappers but this one was tucked away, so we managed to take some pictures calmly and without lots of people around.

The blossom trees were full of pink and white blossoms. They looked so beautiful in the sunlight.

We took some time taking photos and just soaking in the lovely quiet atmosphere.

These blossoms and others really are a joy to look at and I hope to enjoy them for as long as they last.

RHS Garden Hyde Hall

It was really hot and sunny in the UK recently so to make the most of it my family and I wanted a day out. The place we chose was RHS Garden Hyde Hall, which is an outdoor space with various types of gardens.

There were so many different types of plants and flowers, some I’d never seen before and most that I’d never be able to name. We started off looking at a little garden that had a variety of flowers, my favourites were the huge, eye catching, red poppies. I’ve never seen them that size before.

We then walked down to the fish pond that also had water lilies.

As it getting quite hot, we stopped for ice cream and a little rest. Nearby was a dry garden that overlooked the far reaching green hills below.

We walked on and saw beautiful flowers wherever we looked. It was amazing to see such a variety of flowers in every shape and colour you could imagine. Although I seem to be drawn to the purple ones the most.

I also spotted some light pink poppies, again I’d never seen this colour before and never in this size (they were about the size of a melon). Maybe there’s something in the water here.

We then took a path that led us to the Sky Meadow. Curious as to what this could be we came to a field full of wildflowers and a lovely calming view. I imagine the name comes from the fact that the sky meets the meadow and that’s all you see.

After resting for a while we made our way past a huge lake and a lovely green expanse which was lined neatly with tall trees and an interesting sycamore structure in the middle. The kids wanted to play so we headed in the direction of the play area that also had some fun animal structures .

The last part we saw was the Winter garden which consisted of foliage that would keep growing and survive the cold. There were some figures of leaves, showing stages of decay as you walked along, that I really liked. Nearby was also a pathway lined with hundreds of foxgloves.

We then made our way to the shop, where we picked up some lovely plants for my mum. My favourite being these Galaxy sky petunias that were quite striking.

The visit to RHS Garden Hyde Hall was a really nice one, there was so much to see and so many winding pathways that lead to unexpected spots. I felt a little rushed on this visit and the heat tired us out too, but I’d like to come back again in another season, see what else is growing and hopefully take it a little slower.

Colours of Spring

Spring is in full swing here in London so went to our local parks and into my garden to see what kinds of flowers I could spot.

The earliest flowers to be seen are the daffodils and croci. There were swathes of bright yellow daffodils in some parks that I visited, which was always pleasant to see. The flowers blooming early in my garden was a huge camellia tree with vibrant perfect looking pink flowers and magnolias. These magnolias were on a huge tree I spotted in someone’s front garden. It was quite a magnificent sight.

Later the flowers that opened up were varied and some I haven’t seen before like Blue Pasque flowers which I thought were quite fascinating. And as always a tree full of blossoms is a sure sign that Spring is here.

I’m lucky to have a few parks where I live and am able to go for long walks with lots of visual stimulus to enjoy. I always find myself stopping to tale a closer look at flowers I come across, each that brings it’s own beauty and joy.

Pops of Colour

With the recent cold snap here in London it’s nice to see early signs of colourful life emerging. I love seeing pops of colour unexpectedly appearing, something that always brings a smile to my face. Here are some lovely flowers I came across not so long ago. I hope they cheer you up as much as they did when I spotted them.

London in Autumn

The weather in London has been fairly mild so far which means that there is still plenty of greenery still around. Taking a day off I went for a walk around London to see what I could spot.

I started off in Regents Park heading towards Queen Mary’s rose garden. The trees were bare but there was still plenty of life in the rose garden this late in the year.

Walking around the 85 rose beds I eventually came through to a tucked away Japanese style garden which was nice and serene. There was also a waterfall nearby but I ended up on a path leading towards a little island on the lake instead. There were still some lovely autumnal colours around this part of the park; the yellowing leaves on the branches of the weeping willow trees looked picturesque next to the lake.

Ending up on the far side of the park and lake there was plenty of wildlife. I love how the seagulls are perched on the wooden posts, all neatly in a line, and I was delighted to see a grey heron near some silver birch trees, standing stock still almost like a statue even as I approached it. There was also a huge tree with fiery red leaves that just seemed to glow even with the sun hidden behind thick grey clouds.

Heading out the park I headed towards Baker Street and the famous Sherlock Holmes’ address. I’ve been past before and there have been long queues outside the museum dedicated to the figure. This time due to the pandemic, there was not a person in sight.

Walking along I decided to see what Christmas decorations might be up around London. I went to Carnaby Street, Oxford Street and St Christopher’s Place. Along the way I passed some purple monkeys hanging upside down which made me smile.

Then I walked up to Piccadilly Circus and spotting a blue police box which I thought was interesting. Then went past Chinatown and Leicester Square where I caught sight of a statue of Harry Potter which was an addition to the other iconic statues dotted around.

My final stop was at Covent Garden. I usually avoid this place as it’s thronging with tourists all year round. On this particular visit the atmosphere was quite different. There were plenty of people milling around but no where near as busy as usual for this time of year.

The decorations were up but sadly not many people to admire them.

I really enjoyed walking around London, there’s always something new to explore and this trip was no different, however it did feel a bit like a ghost town in places. Where the streets and squares are normally full of people, whether they be Londoners or tourists, there were people out taking photographs like I was but not many more. I tried to make the most of this unique year by going to spots that I would normally avoid because they are so busy and enjoy being able to take photographs with no people walking in front of the lens, but I do hope that things return to how things were to some degree soon, as London just isn’t the same without the busyness and rush of the people who have things to do and places to be.