Good Enough to Eat - A Saudi Camel Beauty Pageant

Spot the camel among my pre lunch party detritus...

Two weeks ago I hosted a ma’salama lunch to say goodbye to a friend who was departing Saudi. There were twelve of us as well as four or five children. Because we’d all been part of a quilting and craft group, I decided to plan some kind of Saudi themed craft activity. I remembered Christmas Day and the good family fun we'd had racing Kiwis. These were small wind-up toys, which on the count of three, we let loose to race down the coffee table. That was the plan. What we learned was that small wind up toys tend towards circulatory rather than forward movement. Progression was haphazard with more than one Kiwi leaping over the edge of the table. It was total chaos and heaps of fun, as was testified by the squeals of laughter from the smallest member of our family.

Middle East Flavours

This morning I visited Diera Souk with my son. He’s visiting Riyadh at the moment and our sunny winter days have made getting out and about very pleasant. First, we walked to Al Zel Souk, the older part of Diera where more traditional Arabic merchandise is sold. We spent a happy couple of hours meandering past shops selling long fur-lined Arabic cloaks or bisht, and tailors stitching cross-legged on the ground. 

Bananas and Scream

"Bananas and cream,
Bananas and cream;

And all that we want is
Bananas and cream!”

Lazy Sundays

This morning, my toddler and I sat happily playing with Duplo as the sun streamed through the windows of the conservatory. Perhaps it was the sunshine - unfamiliar to those of us living in London, and more reminiscent of mornings in Italy - that put me in the mood for making pizza.