Ramadan Journal 23-26

 23.From Where I Stand:

I was standing in line at Primark yesterday, where they have baskets of lip glosses, argan oil, and candies, when I saw packs of Haribo Gold Gummy Bears with a halal sticker on them!  The ingredient list on the back also said halal beef gelatin.  They used to be sold in Asda, but haven't been there for awhile, so I was excited to see these.  Southall also has some.

24. Watching:

I haven't been watching much tv in Ramadan.  Instead I've been playing and listening to Nouman Ali Khan's Gems of the Quran videos
http://www.quranweekly.com/category/nouman-ali-khan/

25.  Drink:

Today's smoothie was one frozen banana, 1tabspn  peanut butter, a teaspoon of slivered almonds, and milk.

26.  Out and About:

This weekend I went to Southall to get some gifts, I was looking for cotton shalwar suits and found a few. And I got a child-sized red janamaaz (prayer mat) and scarf for a little girl.   I also got some lightweight summer scarves for myself and friends.

Ramadan Journal Day 9, 10, 11

9. This happened Today:

I went to the library and they were having a book sale.  I found a copy of Whatever Next! by Jill Murphy which is one of our favorite picture books.

10. Grateful For:

Having the opportunity to live in London, where so many great places are nearby, Southall being one of them.  With the current heatwave, I needed some summer clothes and found some lightweight cotton shalwar suits there.  I also got a small cardigan and flower pin from New Look, which was having a sale.

                                             A Sha Posh cotton suit with embroidery down the front

11. Iftar/Evening:

I make cold glasses of Rooh Afza for iftar, nowadays with water instead of milk because it's so late, and it's hard to eat dinner if you have a lot of other iftar items.  We usually have some fruits and sometimes either samosas or pakoras.  I've made samosas and spring rolls in the oven instead of frying them to cut down on the oil.  Tonight for iftar it's going to be dates, an apple or banana, and kaale chane, which are stir fried black chickpeas.

Kashmiri Chai

We spent the weekend at Southall, where I tasted Kashmiri chai for the first time.  It was pink and sweet, tasting a little like kulfi (Indian ice cream) with crushed pistachios.  I drank two cups and will try to make it at home, it's that good.  We also had chicken samosas, magic corn, and jalebi.  There's always something new to see and taste in Southall.

 
Then we went to Westfield, which is one of the largest malls in Europe, where we had hot soft pretzels and caramel and chocolate gelato from Zaza, which makes the best coconut gelato.  There is a childrenswear store there called Trotters which has beautiful dresses and blouses, though they seemed overpriced.  We ended the weekend with a trip to Asda, where I found these sweet shoes for my daughter.