another brief and pictureless update…. we now have our computers with us at last, but are still waiting for some internet access….we’re getting used to the amount of time it takes to get things done here but it’s going to be frustrating for a wee bit longer for those who are waiting for us to keep in contact with a bit more frequency.

Apart from that life is rolling on quite nicely masha’allah…we have the odd frustration with psychotic teachers who’s prime role in life appears to be the ritual humiliation of the children left in their care, but it all keeps life interesting!

Now that the rest of our belongings have arrived from the UK, crafting can begin again insha’allah…our material stash arrived with the sewing machine, and we’ve been dreaming of a time in between the haphazzard and unpredictable school schedule when we can set it free from it’s shackles and go wild with it…

Just as an end note….I’d like to say sorry to anyone I haven’t had a chance to return comments to… all of your wonderful comments have been much appreciated since we’ve been here …and to my sister bloggers..whom I haven’t had time to read in ages….I’m missing you all SO much now it’s crazy…but insha’allah I’ll catch up with all your goings on soon…

xxx

we are now living in our own little flat masha’allah which we’re renting while we take our time to find something a bit more permanent…and life is beginning to move in a different rhythmn masha’allah….a day punctuated by the adhan is something altogether different and more inspiring..Life has indeed changed for us and we are all feeling alot happier and much more content masha’allah.. We have no internet as yet but life is busy and we’re not missing it too much yet..insha’allah we should have a connection up and running eventually, but things here take time…alot of time!, so we’ll have to be patient a while longer insha’allah. Ramadhan is upon us again…so for all who are fasting, may allah ta’ala accept it from you and make it a source of reward for you all in the dunya and the akhira ameen…..

xxx

we are here….it’s taken us a long time..but at last we are in  Algiers

Alhamdulillah Allah is indeed most merciful and had bless our moderate impatience with the Hijrah that we’ve been longing for…

We arrived two weeks ago, and are staying with my in-laws until we find something a little bit more permanent for ourselves, the living arrangements are a bit challenging and take an im-moderate amount of patience to deal with sometimes but the important thing is that we are finally able to start again and give our children the kind of freedom that they weren’t able to have back in the UK.

We’re cut off without landline or internet connection where we are…which hopefully will be sorted when we move somewhere more permanent, we jokingly refer to the place where my in-laws live as the black hole of Algiers..

I’m slowly but surely beginning to catch up with sisters I haven’t seen for far too long, and just generally adjusting to a new life full of new possibilities insha’allah..we’re taking lots of pictures which we’ll try and upload sometime, and dh and boys are spending plenty of time in the masjid nasha’allah…I can’t tell you  how nice it is to hear the adhan five times a day, and to see so many borthers in Qamees and sisters in Jilbabs..there is of course the same kind of lean towards fashion and commercialism that reigns supreme in the west..but this time round theres something that just feels so right about being here…this time round it feels like home

and we might be in Algeria…. nothing more to be said onthe hijrah front as yet..packing continues….there is a family visit..us to them..next week insha’allah and also the promise of some tea and cake eating with my lovely sisters this week and hopefully next insha’allah …so after a pretty dismal start to the year..we seem to be heading towards the ease after the hardship which feel good masha’allah

at present DD5 is standing on the sitting room window ledge using scare tactics at passers by, which is amusing her greatly, and from the window I can see my boys lolling about on the street talking “boy things” with their friend a few doors down…
apart from that, and the huge amount of tennis we’ve been watching in our house over the past couple of weeks, things have just been rolling on slowly, however the difference now is that they’re rolling IN our direction as opposed to AWAY from us at the alarming rate they were a few weeks ago.

there has been plenty of outdoor play in the garden for the wee and not so wee ones
and some quiet family bonding which has been much needed and extremly rewarding masha’allah

alot of changes are waiting for us on the horizon insha’allah, and we’re looking forward to them with relish…I’m loathe to say anything more..fate feels like a fickle thing sometimes, so you’ll have to wait a little longer for the rest of our news insha’allah…..

I’m becoming a bit inconsistent with my blogging lately I know…lots of things have been happening….unfortunately not the ones I wanted to happen, but thats qadr..and you can’t argue with it….

Sickness is making it’s way through the house again with the strange virus we had a few months back…one of the few pitfalls of having a large family is the fact that once illness hits it just keeps going round and round and round….and it begins to seem like it’s never going to shift…
Fortunately while sickness dwells within us, the builder have decided to grace us with their long awaited presence and have removed all but the toilet from the bathroom (including the toilet cistern!!) and they apparently wont be back in place till Friday! But hey! I have the eco loo I wanted and it’ll definately cut down water consumption for the week masha’allah…

what else??? hijrah..we dont talk about!!
cars!! we dont talk about!!!!
Mechanics..we have evil thoughts about……

the strange thing is..all this living out of boxes and cases is doing strange things to me…it’s making me crave domesticity…..I mean I’m dreaming decorating and new furniture…..and having a proper…..structure!!!!
it’s all very scarey….not sure I like it!!!!

that came to mind this morning….

*the fact that I’m feeling stifled by “stuff”…all I want to do is grab enough to keep me going and run away..I’m hugely irritated by the fact that “stuff” belonging to us has become so important that it warrents it’s own trip overseas to get settled before I can….this is WRONG!!!!

*that I think I’m slowing down internally…I seem to be folding in on myself and sinking in to my own thoughts…I’ve become very quiet..this is not like me….I think I may be depressed…or perhaps just a bit miffed by the fact that I’m STILL stuck somewhere I don’t want to be…

*I think I want to try and write again..and spend some time taking pictures that will make my heart sing….

smoothie

Originally uploaded by Seeking-Taqwa

We’re on a health kick…those of us that can  be bothered that is….

so what better way to start the day than a fruit smoothie…

here’s what went in the blender…

4 bananas
2 cups of mixed berries
a BIG tub of live brimming with friendly bac..bio yogurt
and a generous swipe of honey….

several cups of that and a probio capsule (thats an extra 4 billion friendly bacs!!) and I feel….happy….
not entirely well…..but happy
I’ve got a friendly bac party going on in my gut!!!!!

I’m trying to be more focused on the things available to me in the present…and to not look too far ahead..

I’m trying to let life happen rather than rushing at things in a desperate bid to make them happen before they can..

I need to be more aware that life will happen according to the way it’s being planned FOR me, irrespective of what I might be planning

I need to be more concious of my creator…and show more thankfulness for all the blessings I have had and currently have…

I want to learn to be more still…..