Gardening :)

The weather today was glorious. We all found ourselves out in the garden, enjoying the sun and getting some work done amongst the various plants. I'll let the photos do the talking :)

 We made a little sun bed for Jejums <3 And I put some flowers in her hair.

I love her smile :D

The chickens strut about all over the garden, enjoying the sun and having dirt baths…

Jeju's sun bed area

Monkey puzzle tree

Abbi and I did some DIY

Tuesday 29th April 2014

(94)

All Together Again

7.30 am

"Ameena Baji* can I borrow your ukulele cover. Please? Ameena Baji? Hello? Can I borrow your ukulele cover? Ameena Baji? "

I reply incoherently, in the hope that Ayesha will leave me alone. I roll over and try to fall back asleep despite Ayesha's loud bathroom antics- our rooms are separated by a Jack and Jill bathroom. Only she could make this much noise washing her hands/brushing her teeth- even drying her hands with a towel sounds like a herd of rhinos crashing through the room. 

I spent the entire day catching up on correspondence. Whilst it London, I was contacted by a few people/companies I sent CVs to/ filled in applications for. And so I had to respond to a number of e-mails and try and plan how all these free-lance projects will fit around family life and the wedding plans. 

Once the projects are up and running, I'll update my other blog (The Nurustrator for those of you interested)

We waited an entire day for Meher to drive back from London. She wasn't feeling too well and had to stop every two hours or so to take a break. It took her more than 8 hours! 

I got tired of waiting and went to Zumba at 7pm- it was great getting back into that class- I've missed it while I was in Dundee. 

I came home to find Meher cuddling Jeju. I love how everyone who has been away for any amount of time- be it a few hours, days, weeks- always gravitate towards Khodeja's room. She makes us the family we are. She keeps us humble and whole :)

It's lovely to have the whole family back at McNur Manor. 

*Baji- Urdu word, meaning big sister. Not to be confused with "Bhaji" - type of pakora :P

Monday 28th April 2014

(95)

Carluccio's

Today we're travelling back to McNur Manor. Having sent most of our luggage with Meher, (she's driving back tomorrow) we felt light as two feathers, making our way to Heathrow Airport. We reached the airport four hours before our flight- aware that we'd have much more to do there than back the the Travelodge.

After checking in our suitcases, we decided to have breakfast. We chose Carluccio's, unaware of the treat that lay in store for us in this delightful Italian restaurant. 

No picture could do justice to the amazing food we devoured- but the one above is trying it's best. Poached eggs with smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce. And… the best hot chocolate I've ever had. No joke. The second best hot chocolate I had was about three years ago, in this little Italian cafe I found on Portobello Road, London. It was dark chocolate. It was the best until I had this one. Must go back for more :)

We killed time looking around the numerous airport shops and bought souvenirs for friends. I fell in love with a pair of high heels in Gucci's store display. I may have stroked the glass, knowing that I could never be closer to those shoes in real life. Ammi posed with the Harrods Bear and bought Abbi some chocolate covered coffee beans. And before we knew it, it was time to make our way to gate A1 for our departure. 

We walked patiently and filed onto the plane (much like cattle but without the smell and moo-ing) The minutes ticked by as we waited for the aircraft to take off. To our surprise, the captain informed us that we were experiencing a technical problem and that we'll be on our way shortly. 

Once the phalange was replaced, we took off and reached Glasgow on time, despite the 35 min delay. I drove us back to Maybole from the airport and we were glad to be home. Jeju was excited to see us, she giggled and sang as we all sat around her. The rest of the afternoon was spent chillaxing and "unpacking."*

*"Unpacking"- only a couple of necessary things such as lens solution, toothbrush etc. Not even daring to try and tackle anything else.

Sunday 27th April 2014

(96)

Gurdwara and Reception

Meher left our Travelodge in the wee hours of the morning to get Nina ready for her wedding day :)

Once we were up and functioning, we made a call to Pakistan. It was our Grandfather's 87th birthday today! It's always lovely to speak to Baba Jan (Grand Dad) and we had a few laughs. What a good start to the day. We're looking forward to seeing him at Meher's wedding- literally counting the days!! ;)

After that, Ammi and I got ready as fast as we could and arrived at the Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) where the wedding ceremony would take place and found Nina in a waiting room, looking perfect :) She looked a tad nervous (understandably) but apart from that there seemed to be a cloud of happiness around her. Nina's dress suited her perfectly; she looked like a doll- as if she'd stepped right out of a movie. (Yes, I'm using all the clichés but it was true...)

Nina informed us that there were some nibbles to be had before the ceremony- in the hall next to the "Horse Statue" and that we should invest some time in visiting the food hall. She also asked me to bring her back a cup of tea. And so Ammi and I made our way to what we thought was the food hall. I didn't see the afore-mentioned "Horse Statue" and I didn't recognise any of the people in the hall.

"Maybe they're from the Groom's side- we don't know many of them", replied Ammi when I voiced my concern.
We ate and drank what was available, all the while getting looks from the other guests. Before we left I remembered to take a cup of tea for Nina. I took it upstairs for her and we took our places in the ceremony area, ready for it all to begin.

I had never been to a Sikh wedding before and didn't know what to expect or what was expected of me as a guest. Luckily, we were given this hand out explaining everything.

The Bride (Nina) and Groom (Inder) looked really happy and absolutely perfect for each other. I wish them a lifetime of love and happiness. 

After the ceremony, the guests were asked to make their way to the food hall for lunch. This time we followed the other guests - they walked right by the hall we went to in the morning, out of the Gurdwara, through the gate and turned left. And there, lo and behold- stood a life sized horse statue outside another hall. It was at this very moment that Ammi and I both looked at each other and realised what we had done. No wonder we didn't recognise any of the guests. No wonder we had been getting odd looks through out. In the morning, we gate-crashed a random person's wedding. And ate their food. And drank their tea. AND took a cup of tea for the bride we were there for… 

We laughed heartily- surprised that we got away with it - and entered the correct food hall. This time we recognised the guests. *Phew!* The food looked delicious and before we knew it, our plates were laden down with it all. Nothing could draw us all away from our plates- except the newly-weds. All eyes turned towards the door as Mr and Mrs Kang entered the hall. Perfection :)

Everyone greeted and congratulated them and then they left to get their photographs taken. And we left after they did and went back to the Travelodge to get ready for the reception. 

Carl, Meher's fiancé came to meet us there - he was joining us for Nina's reception. He looked dapper in a suit- albeit a tad stressed- he has a few deadlines next week. As I said before, we were staying near Terminal 5. The reception was in Reading and so it took us a while to get there. We reached the hotel at around 9pm and made our way into the Reception Hall. 

As we entered, Mr and Mrs Kang were just getting ready to cut their cake. And then they had their first dance. It was lovely. They both looked so happy. I only just managed to hold back tears- the night had just begun and i didn't want my make-up running down my face :P 

After that we joined the other guests, finding a table and were fed and watered with the most delicious food. You can't beat wedding food! I can't believe how much we ate today. It's back to a strict diet tomorrow! Throughout the night, the dance floor was open, the music pumping, the guests gathering more and more to dance as the night went on. By the end of the night we found ourselves snaking around the entire Reception Hall in a surprisingly Punjabi Conga Line. 

The entire wedding had been an amazing experience; we said our goodbyes to the happy couple and steeled ourselves for the long(ish) journey home. Meher drove us back and transferred some more of our luggage into her car so we won't have to take it with us tomorrow. 

Saturday 26th April 2014

(97)

It's All About Trish

RAIN.

We pulled back the curtains to be greeted with a grimacing, grey day- that threw us both back under our duvets, into the sanctuary of our respective beds. We peeked out tentatively and felt it too precarious to even try and leave the safety of said beds. And thus we remained, exquisitely comfortable yet undeniably guilty for not even trying to be productive.

Our guilt grew, blossoming in a rather ugly manner, intertwining between our warm toes and relaxed shoulders until the feeling overcame us both and we jumped out of our afore-mentioned beds and decided to leave the confines of the Travelodge. Before we knew it, we found ourselves in Slough, our attentions diverted by the numerous shops we see everyday in Bonnie Scotland.

I had plans to meet Suzanne, Stefan, Igor and Trish ( Suzanne's Mum) in town in the evening and left Ammi in a cinema and made my way back to the Travelodge. I was (un)pleasantly surprised to have the same taxi driver as we had last night (out-dated politics) who asked about my mother and called me "Love" a few times, commenting how he liked my "Scottish Accent" and then said "Och, Aye the nooooo" a few times in quite the obnoxious manner. I grinned and bore it best I could, making a mental note not to come to London again unless it was a matter of life and death.

It was fabulous to meet up with afore-mentioned friends :D I had seen them all except Trish on my birthday and mentioned to Suzanne how I may be more excited to see her Mum than her… Suzanne replied by saying "It's all about Trish", which I replied by saying that I wish that was an actual T.V. show. We met in a Blues Bar (Ain't Nothing But Blues Bar) which had an amazing atmosphere and fantastic live music. The company as well, was beyond compare- amongst many other things we discussed the premise of "It's All About Trish" show and what it would entail. I left about quarter to 11- ("What, are you Cinderella or something?" - Trish) to get the last train back to Terminal 5.

Unfortunately, by the time I got back to Terminal 5, there were no more buses running to the Travelodge. Thank God for Meher who came to get me. (Meher- Fatima Nur : saving Ameena Nur's Ass since 1990) It was late late late and so Meshu stayed at the Travelodge with us.

Luckily for me, I was treated to a harmonising snoring concert. Who knew Meher could snore just as melodiously as our Mother Dear?

Friday 25th April 2014

(98)

When Visiting the Queen...

When visiting the Queen, one must ensure they:

1. Have washed behind their ears (because she'll surely check)

2. Have polished their shoes until they are shiny and reflective like two, personal mirrors at foot level (useful for checking if the Queen is pulling faces at you since you won't be able to look her in the eye- I hear you have to bow in her presence)

3. Are wearing clothes (the Queen despises nudity)

4. Take a snack (the Queen is on a strict diet and will be your best friend if you give her a nice treat to eat between meals)


I, of course did not know any of these rules, and so, when we reached Windsor on a bright and sunny Thursday morning, we were not allowed an audience with the Queen and so had to make do with being touristy outside her gates.


Having spent the past three months in Dundee and not having much time to go shopping with Ammi, it was brilliant spending this time together :) After a while, we were even joined by Meher and hilarity ensued- Meher and I have no shame and love to embarrass Ammi as much as we can in public. God help us when she does the same to us. Between comparing the darkness of our Henna, (Old Wive's Tale No.57: The darker your henna, the more your mother-in-law will love you) making demented faces after a coffee buzz and pretending to be stuck between two phone booths, we managed to do get some presents for friends.

During this time, Abbi was contacting the Meher and I, relating the latest news from the card printer (DUMB BUM). Quick update: I did his job for him and sent him three versions of each file so he could adjust them as required. He sent back an e-mail asking me to adjust the size of each file (THE CHEEK OF IT!!!!) Long story short, Abbi handled it and knowing how good his taste is, we asked him to pick out the final design for the wedding cards. His impeccable taste in people, (marrying Mother Dear) jewellery (picks out the best and knows who would like/suit what) and food (chocolate) made him the perfect choice to choose the cards :) (Told you he was the best Dad ever) So after a few phone calls and numerous texts, we can confirm that THE CARDS ARE ORDERED AND ARE ON THEIR WAY. Huzzah!

Once Meher dropped us off, we mentally and physically prepared ourselves for the Mehendi in the evening. We dressed up to the nines and as I told Suzanne the next day- "It was the most Pakistani I looked in over three years!"

Pictures will follow, I promise.

We ordered a taxi to take us to the event; it was lucky they sent a driver as well, we didn't know the way :P As we drove to Nina's house, Ammi endeavoured to make conversation with the driver- it went from talking in English, to Urdu/Punjabi, asking about where we/he came from, to our reason for visiting smelly London, to politics. The last thing you want to talk about when on your way to a wedding event. Tony Blair. And not even just politics- out of date politics.

The Mehendi was fun- filled with music, food, emotion, conversation, dancing and more food. Ammi and I got back to the travelodge way past our bedtime and decided to have a lie in the next day.

Thursday 24th April

(99)

London's Calling

Mother Dear and I are flying to London today to join Meher for her friend, Nina's wedding :)

We sent most of our things with Meher in her car a couple of weeks ago so we travel as light as we possibly could. After hearing me rant and rave about the haircut I got yesterday, Ammi* managed to get a hair appointment at 8.30am and got her hair put up for the day. She got back home around 9.30am and we were ready to leave an hour after that.

We arrived in London late afternoon and were collected by a stressed Meher from Heathrow. There was a buzz about her- she regaled us with tales of what she and Nina had done (the fun they had in Germany the week before) and how they were working non-stop to get everything ready for Nina's wedding. Being Nina's right hand woman, Meher was swept off her feet and was doing everything from organising minute details to making sandwiches, handling mood swings, scheduling hair and make-up, running never-ending errands, picking and dropping us from and to our Travelodge- and between all this, if she had time, she would see if Nina needed anything done… 

The schedule for the four days we are in London goes as follows:

WEDNESDAY-

Late afternoon- Ammi and I reach London

Evening- go to Nina's house to get our Henna done for the Mehendi on Thursday night

THURSDAY-

Morning- Free time (for Ammi and I)

Evening- Mehendi

FRIDAY- More Free time

SATURDAY-

Morning- Nina and Paul's Wedding

Evening- Reception

Sunday- 

We return to Bonnie Scotland

And so, we reach Heathrow, are collected by Meher and are taken to Nina's house to get out Henna done. Ammi already knows Nina's family- she met them at Nina's brother's wedding last year. (So many weddings, so little time…) 

For me, it is a new experience for sure. In true Punjabi fashion, we are welcomed into their home with lots of hugs and food (consisting of 100% deep-fried carbs filled with deliciousness and delight- none of which I am allowed in my diet and so I politely declined all the goodies (sorry)

The bride- to- be was in the middle of having her Henna done- bridal Henna is freakishly intricate and therefore non-surprisingly time consuming. Nina, animated by being caught up in our conversations, kept being told off by the Henna artist ( a lovely lady, whose name escapes me ) and was asked to sit still on a few occasions- it's really hard work. I wouldn't be able to do either- putting the Henna on or sit still for that long a time… 

By the time we got our Henna done and checked into the hotel, my legs were shaking. I never realised how tired I was until I lay down on one of those iconic, clinical, white beds of the Travelodge. I closed my eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

Sometime in the night, I was woken up by a rumbling sound close to my bed. Assuming it was coming from the nearby airport (we were staying quite close to Terminal 5) I expected the noise to fade away and leave me to visit dreamland again. 

But I was wrong. 

The noise continued. Steady and constant like someone breathing in and out. Loudly. And that's exactly what it was. Unfortunately, I stayed awake most of the night, unused to Mother Dear's snoring. 

*Ammi- for those of you unfortunate souls who do not speak Urdru- Ammi means Mum. And for future reference, "Abbi"- Dad.

Wednesday 23rd April 2014

(100)

Lots of Necessary Touching

Today the pampering continued. I woke up to the sweet sound of our fire alarm, which goes off at the slightest hint of steam let alone smoke. I came downstairs to find Mother Dear sitting at the kitchen table, with a cup of tea- she had breakfast ready. (I'm truly blessed)

As I ate, we decided that I looked too unpolished for Nina's wedding and needed some more TLC. I made an appointment to get a mani/pedi (never thought I'd use that term… "mani/pedi" - what am I? A teenager in some bad make-over American movie? If only. Well, if the movie actually starred yours truly, it would be a blockbuster :P )

The "mani/pedi" (ahem) meant I had to sit for an hour while a Chinese Man did my nails. Can't complain- he did a fantastic job. Even if he told me off for having red toe-nails- red nail polish is hell to get off. I apologised perhaps too profusely than I should have.

I then treated myself to some new make-up. The woman at the counter touched my face. She had to, she was trying to catch my nose. I told her to stop and then she finished the job at hand- matching my skin to the vast variety of colours available at the make-up counter. The make-up cost me an arm and a leg- but since I needed my own limbs, I may have borrowed them from an unsuspecting passer-by.

I then rushed back for my hair appointment and was treated like a celeb. I got four hairdressers for the price of one. They all began to touch my hair and play with it after one of them cut it. It may have been fun for them, but since I don't like people touching my hair, it was… trying.

I got back at 3pm, after a day of primping and preening and felt like a gazillion dollaaahhhsss. Now I am ready to tackle ANY wedding. London, here we come.

Tuesday 22nd April 2014

(101- days not dalmatians )

*some of the afore-mentioned events may have slightly been exaggerated, but creative licensing allows me to write with flair*

Monday Fun Day

Now that I'm not working an "am to pm" job, I find it hard to keep track of Mondays- they just feel like another day to work through- which I guess Monday's always were :P

Between the cleaning, cooking, laundry, packing (for London), Mother Dear and I managed to decided how we are going to decorate our living room for Meher's actual Wedding (Nikkah)

I got excited and started drawing up drafts of how we would dress the window in the living room - we're going to need a shedload of material, lights and mirrors… Even Dad came through and gave his opinion on how things should be done. We took his ideas into consideration and decided they made sense. (Even though Father Dear is a major minority - 5 women in the house- we do try and take his thoughts into account. Most of the time :P )

Later on, I went to the talented Miss Lauren Beesley to get a well-overdue facial. She pampered me till the cows came home (I milked them and made some glorious cheese) and I now feel a million dollaaahhs!

Monday 21st April 2014

(102)

THE SIX HOUR GROCERY SHOPPING TRIP (a.k.a the day many things were dropped)

As we were getting ready to leave the house this morning, I dropped my perfume bottle on the fireplace. I may have screamed… Luckily, it didn't break, but there's a big chip off the edge of the bottle. (close call no. 1)

Moving on- to Asda for groceries!

We did get a bit side-tracked once we got there and started to buy a few holiday things for going to London on Wed. We've been so caught up in getting things done that we forgot it's supposed to be a fun trip :P

Once again it was sunny sunny sunny! And all the Scots around us are going a tad crazy. (Us included, we have missed that big yellow ball in the sky) However, as true Pakistanis, we managed to find the only shaded spot in the Asda car park and ate our lunch there… We may have got several odd looks. 

Then, off to Primark, where I dropped my (favourite and only pair) of sunglasses- they broke :,( so I decided to go to Matalan before going home to get a replacement pair…

The 99p Store- where Mum managed to knock a few shampoo bottles off a shelf- Thank Gos(ling) they didn't hit her on the head. 

And then finally, to Matalan, where as I was getting out my bag from the back seat, I knocked a bag with things from the 99p store and out fell a BLASS BOTTLE, WHICH SMASHED EVERYWHERE ON THE ROAD. Now seeing as this bottle contained a very red sauce, it looked as it I had stabbed the road. And so, being a complete klutz yet always a good samaritan, I proceeded to pick up every single bit of glass so it wouldn't hurt any little car tyres which may roll over that particular  bit of road. 

Without any more catastrophes, we reached home and I spent most of my evening sorting out the first thing on "The List" - CARDS. The printing company Meher has chosen is located in Islamabad and at first I thought we were having trouble getting in touch because of the time difference. But, no. It seems the card man contacts us when it suits him...

The card man (who I have decided to call DUMB BUM) finally replied to Dad's e-mails and has sent images of the inside of the card. A couple of weeks ago, when I first saw his design, it appalled me. The formatting was non-existent, the wording of the text was awful and the card was over-crowded and difficult to read. I fixed a few things on Photoshop to make it look more aesthetically pleasing and sent it back- asking him to use the revised version as a foundation for the final design. 

The versions he sent back are (if possible) a step back from his original design. And so I spent a good few hours formatting E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G and intend to send him the files tomorrow and arrange a phone call so I can make sure he understands what is expected. 

My worst nightmare would be if he decides to change anything last minute and mis-spells a word. A prime example of this was given to me by KP Uncle who said he knew of someone who ordered cards from a company in India. The cards arrived just in time to inform everyone of the happy couple's "Engorgement" (Engagement) Of course I couldn't breathe for laughing at the time… 

But I do believe I may wake up in a sweat, breathless at the idea of anything like this happening to us. 

Sun 20th April 2014

(103)

CARDS, CAKE, CATERER…CAWALWI

Mother Dear and I were cleaning ALL DAY today- which isn't really anything to shout out from the roof tops to be honest- we do it most days. But for some reason today felt like it would never end.

We cleaned and tidied and worked non-stop- I didn't even get out of my jammies today! Awful.

Around tea-time though, we took Jeju (Khodeja) out into the back veranda to soak up some sunshine. Madamme had taken a short walk around the grounds in the morning and was delighted to take in some more early summer air. We of course felt truly graced by her presence and ran around, trying to make sure she was comfortable in every single way :P
Jeju sang, shouted and giggled as she lay with her feet up on her bean bag and I do believe we managed to bother our neighbours as usual with our noise level set to: NUR

It was during this time we got a phone call from our amazing Sabina Khala. I don't know if she called to ask about the wedding but of course that's all we talk about these days and so we regaled her with tales about what hasn't been done yet.

"The List" of things to do is as follow: CARDS, CAKE, CATERER and MAWLAWI- (Mawlawi- The Mosque Official who has to be booked to perform the actual wedding ceremony) and since we love alliteration, we've lovingly altered Mawlawi to Cawlawi. Hence the title of this post… We're mad, I know. Get used to it. )

Later we all took a nap and then, I managed to unpack all my Dundee stuff. Things are starting to look a bit more back to normal in my room (which had been taken over by Dad's Cacti collection and Mum's various cushions and photo-frames)


I have been thinking all day about "The List" (cards, cake, caterer, cawlwai) And have been trying to find the best way to approach the Man/Company that we are ordering the wedding cards from. He took a deposit and hasn't done anything yet. I intend to give him an ear-full if he doesn't pull up his socks soon. And once "cards" is off the list, of course we'll move onto the next one.

Wish us luck.

As Mum would say, "Himat Say Kaap lo, mera Beta"… Which Ayesha beautifully translated as, "Be strong in your work, my child" *cue uncontrollable laughter*

Sat 19th April 2014

(104)

Be Jewelled

The sun shone bright today and the birds sang in the trees. Not a single grey cloud clouded our sunny, bird-song filled disposition as we set out to the fair land of Glasgow in search of jewellery.
Next week, we are joining Meher in London for her friend, Nina's wedding!!

We went first to our seamstress to pick up the dresses (for said wedding) she had made. They were AMAZING. A cup of tea, a glass of Diet-Coke and 2 hours of non-stop chat later, we made our way to the jewellery shop and proceeded to buy shiny things and what-not to wear with those dresses.

I'm really starting to get into the wedding mode/mood now.

Fri 18th April 2014

(105)

Ayesha and the Chocolate Factory

So this is my first proper day back at home and already I've been pushed into the deep end. That's what our home life is like- there is no rest/holiday/intermediate/easing in part. No.

You do or die.


Dad, Ayesha and a couple of her friends are away to Dumfries today to a Chocolate Factory to be poked and prodded by Willy Wonka himself. Umm.. That sounds wrong. Moving on!

They had a lovely day and as they did, Mum and I were at home, cornered in by the Electrician who decided to show up today.
"Sorry I haven't been for a while, I've been busy!" He said
"Not a problem!" We said, for "Busy" is a word we are closely familiar with. In fact, we breathe it. We even say it in our sleep… We set him to work and promised him a coffee and biscuit break as he took off his shoes and entered the kitchen. (NO OUTSIDE SHOES IN HERE!)

And then we had to wait for a man to come fix Mum's cracked car windscreen. That took ages and we couldn't leave the house until the electrician and car man had home and so we began to clean our home- not a task for the faint-hearted. I don't understand how it gets so messy every day.

All through this I was trying to calm down mother dear as she had panic attack after panic attack about how things won't get done in time for the wedding.


Then at 6pm, the happy campers came back (high as kites on E numbers and junk food) to see the new addition, Rani the rabbit, to our animal farm (we have 8 chickens, with more chicks on the way and an existing rabbit, Charlie.) Once the children had run about for an hour like three headless chickens and played with all the other animals, they were fed and returned to their respective families.

On the way back from dropping them off, Ayesha, Mum and I stopped at a friends' house to say hello. It was there, between the good company and jokes, that KP Uncle said that I should write a blog about the days leading up to the wedding. And so I am.

Thurs 17th April 2014

(106)

A bag of mixed emotions

Today I moved back home after three months at an amazing internship in Dundee.

Of course I was sad to leave, but at the same time I was looking forward to being at home. 

Let me paint you a picture of what home life is like:

Our house is open ALL THE TIME. There's always food, noise, animals, cars, people, daily catastrophes such as the chickens escaping from their run, or the eggs running out ( "We're down to 90 eggs!!! Stop eating eggs! We can't get anymore till next week!" - Misbah Gul Nur, 9.42am)

Never a dull moment! And I love every instant. 

I could easily write an entire blog about our every day life but something has happened and it needs to be properly recorded. Something amazing. Something life changing. Meher-Fatima Nur, The First Born, Miss Perfect, My beautiful older sister, is GETTING MARRIED… in 107 days. 

So I came home today (Wed 16th April) and was informed of ALL of the things that still need to be done. (cake, cards, dresses, food, *hyperventilates*)

And Miss Meher has taken a well deserved holiday… Yes, she's gone. For her friend, Nina's Hen Party. In Germany. Then she'll be in London and won't be back until the 27th- which is when her Nina's wedding will finish. (WHAT!?!????)

Wed 16th April 2014

(107)

Introductions

For those of you who don't know us, we are the Nurs of Scotland and reside in Maybole. We inhabit a lovely home, which our friends lovingly call the "McNur Manor"

There's Nasser Ali Nur- (56) 

Best Father in the entire world. Also the most blessed since he has the most amazing (yet surprisingly modest) four daughters and of course, a loving, caring, wife. Surgeon, Secret Farmer/ Gardner, Photographer, Sit-down Comedian, Slow Driver, Friend, Guide, King of the Castle.

Then, Misbah Gul Nur- (50) 

Best Mother in the entire world (Not surprising, since she rules the roost with afore mentioned Father- they make quite a pair) Doctor, Green fingered genius, Seamstress, Stand-up/Roll-Around Comediene, Friend, Guide, Queen (First in Command) of the Castle.

Their First Born, Meher-Fatima Nur- (26) 

The epitome of every parent's first child- fair of face, graced with an intelligent mind, caring, hard-working and responsible. 

Their Second (and instantly their favourite) Ameena Nur- (24) 

The Artist and author of this blog. You don't need to know much about her. You'll find out soon enough. 

The Third (and most important) Khodeja Nur- (20)  

Lovingly known as "The Terrorist" Her Special needs demands all our love and attention, which of course we unconditionally bestow on Madame. Princess Kohdeja has us all wrapped around her little finger. 

And lastly but by no means least; Ayesha Gul Nur- (11) 

The unexpected gift from God, for which we are thankful for each and every day. She keeps us insane. Yes, insane. She also asked me to say that she's amazing... And "Swag" - that's a word all those youths are using these days. God give me strength. 

Now that you're a bit more acquainted with all our names, personalities, occupations etc. Let's begin.