Enjoying Winter

Winter. Not my favourite time of the year. Long nights. Bitter cold wind that bite your bones. Leafless tress. Weak sun. Dry skin, chapped fingers.

But when snow falls it really can lift up your mood. Simply magical. The earth is transformed into a beautiful white fluffy carpet. And standing under a snowfall must be one of best feelings you can experience as a human (like eating praline chocolates and slurping air batu campur or floating with the sea waves rushing to your back, and something that only the lucky ones get to feel-baby kicking in your tummy).

Yesterday we had a heavy snowfall. Probably the heaviest since we lived here (Manchester Airport was closed down). Despite everybody having a bit of flu we decided to hit the park. You can't stay indoor on rare days like this! (Took half an hour to prep the boys).

The pictures taken from the top floor of our apartment...





Papaboyz had to scrape off the snow covering the car first...





On the way to the park...






Playing in the snow...












Grumpy boys..couldn't take it anymore. My own toes were numb...

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The cold also brings out the domestic goddess in you (because of the constantly grumbling tummy and it's very nice standing next to the warm oven). So while I'm in the mood, the best reading material is a cookbook....

Hijrah

Kita baru saja menyambut kedatangan tahun baru dalam kalendar Islam. 1 Muharam 1431 di UK tiba bersama siraman salji yang dibawa oleh angin dari Artik. Sudah beberapa malam suhu dibawah paras beku di sini. Seperti hujan, salji juga tentunya petanda rahmatNya. Semoga tahun baru ini diberkati dengan kasih sayang yang Esa.

Oleh kerana salji tidak begitu lebat di Manchester, maka saya guna gambar adik saya di Leeds.

Apakah Hijrah kita pada tahun ini?

Saya mulakan tahun ini dengan buku Karen Armstrong (seorang ahli theologi), 'Muhammad: Prophet of our time'. Sudah lama tidak membaca biografi Baginda (mungkin masa sekolah?). Sangat berbeza pendekatan Karen Armstrong kerana pendekatan beliau adalah Nabi Muhammad (saw) sebagai tokoh penting ketamadunan dunia, yang membawa reformasi lebih hebat dari Mahatma Ghandi atau Nelson Mandela, yang tidak sepatutnya dibenci oleh masyarakat Barat. Buku ini telah disaran oleh Ustaz Hasrizal. Saya belum habis baca. Nanti saya akan tulis lagi mengenainya.

Betapa sukarnya mencintai Allah dan RasulNya lebih daripada apa-apa lain di zaman yang penuh gangguan ini.

Saya petik kata2 dari Adam Hassan, hero drama terkenal NurKasih. Ini yang diucapnya ketika Katrina enggan memakai tudung untuk melawat ibunya. Katrina berkata dia tidak mahu menjadi hipokrit.

"Kita tidak boleh jadi orang lain. Tetapi kita boleh menjadi orang yang lebih baik.."

Salam Hijrah.

Abid is now 7 months

Time flies. Abid is 7 months today. He is very generous with smiles and laughs and shouts louder than his bigger brothers. Yes our house is noisy, but peaceful. No other place like it. Enjoy his pictures!

Baking with Adam

Yesterday I had one of the best experience with Adam. He came back from school and told me that he baked fairy cakes at school with his teacher. Matching his enthusiasm, I asked how to bake it and what are the ingredients. Surprisingly he remembered everything, step by step. Then he said he wanted to jot the recipe down so he won't forget.

After a few attempts he got frustrated. He wanted to cramp everything in one page but his writing were too big.



So he made me do the list. I had to, because he was already near tears.



Then he decided to give it a try straight away. I was reluctant at first because it was already near bed time for him. But he was so excited and could not be persuaded otherwise.

Adam: Mama, do you have all the ingredients?
Mama: errr... yes.
Adam: Do you have the casings?
Mama: yes.... (did not have the heart to lie)
Adam: I WANT TO MAKE FAIRY CAKESSS!! (shouting as usual, bouncing on the sofa)

So I gave in. I thought why not. The recipe is super simple. No measuring or mixer required. Just 8 spoons of flour, butter and sugar each, 2 eggs and mix with wooden spoon. I asked Adam whether he had missed any ingredients, but he was confident that he did not miss anything. Nevertheless, while breaking the eggs into a bowl I quickly add 2 spoons of milk and a drop of vanilla into the eggs, while he wasn't looking.

Then he insisted to wash hands and wear an apron. I had to fold my apron into half and tied it to him. Then he asked, with a bossy tone..

Adam: Have you washed your hands, Mama?
Mama: dahlerrr (sabar je lah)

The pictures say it all....

Then after all the cakes were eaten, Adam suddenly remembered..

"Mamaa! We forgot baking powder!!"

(I knew it, that's why I used self-raising flour)