Spring hopes and dreams

As spring is meandering upon us, I feel a renewed sense of life and its wonderful possibilities.

The last few days I have done some walking in my home town of Kent and some gardening, and it feels marvelous to have the spring sun warming me, and inspiring me with thoughts of the summer ahead.

The seasons are a gift from Allah. Within the seasons lies the cyclical nature of life which is born, grows, withers and dies, and then is born again. The season of spring offers a chance to renew ourselves, and to emerge from the metaphorical hibernation of the winter months.

I look forward to spending more time in the great outdoors, picnics, barbecues, leaving work when it is light and longer days.

Bartering: How to survive a recession

I am tucked away snug at home. The winter sunlight is beaming through the curtains warming me. I’m safe from the christmas sales, from jostling crowds, bland shops, and useless piles of clothes.

A picture of Bluewater fills me with dread, the local shopping centre near my family home. This is where I spent my weekends and holidays as a student, tidying clothes and picking scabby bits off the floor, which were ill-thought pieces of fashion.

Could there be other ways of  ’spending’ without using our hard-earned pennies, particularly through the painfully-felt recession? And ways of avoiding the stressful crowds?

The New Economics Foundation highlights an alternative to spending – the idea of bartering, which means to buy things by way of exchange of commodities. This was practiced in the good ol’ days, particularly by individuals. What a marvelous way of being mindful of the world’s finite resources; to actually make use of things, rather than letting them clutter your home and mind. There are already initiatives taking place; At LINE’s monthly forum (London Islamic Network for the Environment) members announce the things that that they no longer need, and the things that they require.

So instead of getting pushed around in crowds, why not have a clothes party? Arrange a get-together with all your friends and display your best unwanted finery and voila – they’re there for the taking. Most people have things of good quality such as unwanted gifts, and clothes which are no longer the right size. You could also include your unwanted books.

Ghazal’s advertisement

So there’s no time like the present. Here are the items I would like to swap and the skills I would like to share. Get in touch if you want any of the following:

Items:

A  handmade Yemeni duff (drum) which I lovingly carried from Hadramaut but which I have never used (I do want to learn drumming but never get around to doing it).

A range of Islamic books (Ask me which ones if interested)

Skills I offer:

Threading (For the ladies)

How to cooking South Asian food

Items I require:

A small bookshelf

Skills I want to learn:

How to bake bread

How to fillet a fish

Basic graphic design

Photography

If you teach me a skill and I have nothing to offer that you want, I am happy to make you some fresh and tasty food. I have become a bit obsessed with cooking lately and am happy to oblige.