Summer In London

It’s another sunny and hot afternoon. The windows are wide open, the fans are on most part of the day, and we are eating homemade falooda to cool us down. This is our first summer in London. And it’s incredibly different from how I remember the city from when I first visited four years ago in autumn.

The main topic of conversation is about how hot the weather is.

The Met Office, in association with Public Health England, has issued an official yellow warming for extreme heat and has put the alert in place following forecasts of heatwave conditions returning to the UK over the weekend, just in time for the school holidays.

The headlines these days include“Baking Britain cracks in hot weather!” or “Hottest July in 400 YEARS as Britain becomes DEADLY hot”.

This image comes with the the following headline: UK heatwave: SHOCK images from space show UK turning BROWN.

It’s true. This year summer in London means the parks have turned brown and the flowers have mostly withered and died.

Two weeks ago I suffered from heat stroke. In the UK! To think I’ve lived in the hot Arabian desert for 11 years.

Fortunately, as I type this, a cool breeze is blowing in through my window. Thick clouds shield the city from the harsh sun.

My sister finished her Masters program and has graduated from The University of Westminster.

Masha’Allah I’m so proud of her! She has two little daughters, you guys. Family members flew in from the UAE, US and Qatar.

If you are determined, work hard and never give up, then there’s no reason for you not to succeed in achieving your dreams. And if you have a family member or friend who needs your support, give it to them wholeheartedly. Be there for those who need you.

Her convocation took place near the Eye of London. The kids had ice cream, and we ended up taking so many photos.

Summer days mean we get to stay outdoors longer!

Whenever we travel outside the UAE, we mostly wish for two things: cool weather and lush green parks. While we did not get the cool weather in the UK this time, we enjoyed several trips to the parks and farms!

Summer in London means daylight until 9 pm. This works really well for us as we mostly spend our days here outdoors. My nieces and I can’t get enough of the parks and urban farms.

A couple of days are reserved for shopping. However, we mostly avoided the malls, the beach, and the modern buildings of London. I’d rather spend my time in the parks and museums.

It’s been a month since we arrived in London, and we finally leave for our next destination tomorrow. It’s been an incredible 30 days spent with family and exploring places. A highlight for me is finally meeting my long-time blogger friend, Humaira! She’s such a sweet and positive person, both on and offline, masha’Allah.

I did initially plan on blogging regularly during my stay here, but then I decided to spend all our time with my sister and her lovely daughters. I can always write later. Creating happy memories with my nieces became a priority, and I’m so glad for the opportunity.

What are you summer plans this year?