I'm always on the hunt for good quality hijabs and finding them can be quite difficult. A few months ago I came across 'Skarf' hijab and was sent a few to try. Here are my thoughts:

• These hijabs are so soft, lovely and comfy. 
• They haven't gone bobbly - a problem I've found in some hijabs,
• There aren't any pin marks left in the material, 
• They don't run in the wash!!! 
• They come in a good range of colours and I love my ombre ones :)
• I have a grey one that is sparkly - hooray for sparkles 
• I can wear them all day and still feel comfy,
• They don't make me feel too hot - I did wear them on quite a few hot days and felt fine :)
• Likewise, I don't find myself feeling really cold in them either!
• They are so easy to wear and style,
• The ombre colours made them so versatile! 
• I love the patterns in the one I have - take a closer look at the photo to see it :) 

Until very recently, I'd never travelled alone abroad. It might sound bizarre to hear that a perfectly competent twenty-four year old had never travelled abroad without a parent. Yes, that was me - the reasons for this are many but in all honesty, when I hear them my mind filters out the words being said and all I seem to hear is "blah blah blah blah....".

Anyway, a few months ago I went for a short break with my lovely aunt and cousin to Turkey and I loved it! It was an experience, one I'd jump at again anytime and I don't regret any part of it. 

See, I've, Alhamdulillah, lived a very sheltered and protected life. Although I am independent and do many things alone (including travelling in the UK) I've never been away for long alone. The people in my life are very protective - often over protective and, this can be both good and bad.

*sigh*

Despite this - and I'm sure we all have different opinions which I respect - here are a few things I learnt/observed whilst away.

1. You are not alone
Firstly, there are always other people around you. Granted they may be busy trying to sort out things for themselves but they are always there. On the way back home, there were some major delays and so we spent a lot of time in a small airport. We'd already talked to someone about the delays and were directed to where we should be at the time of departure. When it came to that time, I stood in line with my cousin and my aunt stood in the line next to us. As my cousin and I had our passes and things checked, the man turned to us and asked 'Mama?' because he didn't see her with us. We pointed out that she was in the other line. There was no need for this guy to ask us where my aunty was and why we were alone but it was oddly reassuring that he noticed there were three of us. We weren't actually alone, help was around. This leads me perfectly on to point number two:

2. Never be afraid to ask for help
If you need help, ask. This isn't just whilst travelling, adopt this into your life.

3. Do something new
Do things you don't normally do or won't be able to do once you are back home. Seize opportunities people! Make the most of it all. :)

3. Meet people and make friends
Talk to people - you never know who you'll meet and the connections you'll make.

4. Language 
Languages are so beautiful and I love listening to people talk in different languages. Take a moment to appreciate them.

5. Enjoy it
Things don't always go to plan and that's ok - keep going because time spent on thinking of how things should've/could've been is time wasted. Make the most of your time.

FYI definitely visit Turkey, it is SO beautiful! (Blog post on Alanya to follow soon!)

What have you found when travelling?

I'm back :)

Hello!

The past few weeks, months even, have been quiet on the blogging front. I've blogged here and there but not as much as I'd like. This has been for many reasons but I think, finally, things are settling down a little...I think.

This morning I had a sudden urge to blog and that made me feel so good because part of the reason for not blogging, among other things, was a significant lack in motivation - I've come to realise that I miss blogging!

Anyway, how are you all? I've not been around much in the blogging community recently but I very much look forward to being back :)

What have you been up to? Leave links below for me to read your blog posts please and catch up on what I've missed! :)

Much Love,
F x

On bank holiday Monday we spent the day at Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Stratford-Upon-Avon is a medieval town in England that I hadn't visited till now. It's where Shakespeare is from and so when my lovely friend suggested we visit the area, I jumped at the chance.

It was so pretty! We drove down, four of us, and so it felt like a mini road trip - one of many more to come! I get quite excited by things like this because I love exploring new places, especially as they aren't too far away!!

The drive there was smooth as it was mostly dual carriageways and not the motorway and as a bonus, the weather was beautiful! I did apologies in advance at the heat in my car as I have no air-conditioning but luckily, it wasn't too bad - I warned them that they may experience what being a baked potato feels like.

We did a bit of exploring and there were beautiful Tudor style houses, in the centre and with the river running through! Taking a walk along the river made me feel much like a character from a Shakespeare play, or even Shakespeare and I'm sure he strolled to get ideas?!

We had some delicious food at the Royal Shakespeare Company and it really funny because we decided that before picking a place to eat, we'd have a look round. So we did. We walked up a few of the streets and looked at the options and then decided that the first place we went to was better - the RSC. So we headed back there! I'm quite glad we did because being upstairs in the RSC meant we had a lovely view as well as good food. The service was very good too and they didn't charge for water. :)

Anyway, what I wanted to share with you all - just before we were about to leave, we popped into a market and came across a jewellery stall. The two people running the stall were very lovely and saw me eying up ...well, everything. Then I found a few bangle type bracelets and tried some on and decided I liked it enough to buy it. As it was the end of the day (or she felt really sorry for me when I told her what my current job is) the lovely lady let my friends pick a dream catcher necklace for me to have for free!!!

And I love both! I love the bracelet because it's simple and the necklace is green and purple - green is my favourite colour and I wear a lot of purple. The bracelet I bought is silver plated rather than fully silver so I was told how to take care of it and that I can go back to get it re-plated at any time!

I've also decided that I may use the necklace as a headpiece - despite it being a necklace - because I think it looks nice!! Check out Viki Marks Jewellery on Facebook and pop to her stall if you are ever about in the area. I'd definitely recommend it!

So, as you know from my last post, I was ready to have my eyes lasered until I was told that I wasn't going to have the procedure I'd initially thought I could. That's when it all went a bit pants up!

I sat there for a while wondering how I'd make it back into the surgery because I was freaked out enough the first time round and they wanted me to come again?! Did they have any idea how nerve-wracking the first attempt was? But I hadn't planned to be off that long and I had made plans to do things too so I would have to go back, there was not much space to budge really.

So I went back in two weeks later armed with appropriate time off work. The second time round was much quicker than the first - they didn't need to do all of the tests as they had already done them the last round. So I was called into the surgery area and spoke to the surgeon and the nurses and then was told to wait in the waiting room till I was called. This was a smaller room where a few patients who ere also here for laser eye surgery were seated.

Whilst there, I met a girl who lived very near to me! What a coincidence!!! I talked to her and her mum and it was actually really lovely- we joked about how we could have driven in together. Unfortunately I didn't get her name so I haven't heard from her since but I'm sure she's ok. Maybe I'll run into her at some point who knows!

Meeting someone who lived close to me really helped - it felt like time went a bit faster as I was called into the operating room. There I met the nurse who would be with me and then, after we introduced ourselves, they made me lie down to begin the procedure. They began by numbing my eyes and it didn't hurt at all.

After a few rounds of the numbing drops, the surgeon came in the room to perform the procedure. He explained exactly what would happen and what to expect and he explained it all again as he did it. I found this was, oddly, comforting as he talked through the whole process with me. It made me less nervous and I was quite amazed.

Basically, what they did (if you are squeamish skip this paragraph):