Hello Avizheh

Week 49	December 1, 2014	December 7, 2014

1.     Preamble:

As mentioned earlier in this blog we are completely preoccupied with birthday celebrations of our dear ones during November and December. Therefore barring a few items worth talking about in reference to the farmhouse itself, we mostly will be conversing about the real flowers in our lives, whose birthdays we will celebrate during this month. At the farm the autumn time has arrived in reality. The grape arbor is now barren of grape vine leaves and trees of Apricot, Plum, Peach and Persimmon too are shedding their leaves. Our much revered citrus trees are however bowing low with loads of lemons, tangerines and oranges of different kinds. So bountiful is the fruit that we keep harvesting them, without ever seeing them depleting. We will keep including some of their pictures in this blog as we go along. The weather is sufficiently cold to force me to put on woollen gloves and long socks in addition to sweater and a jacket that I must compulsively don before going out for my daily early morning walks.

We celebrated the birthday of  our son Saad Iqbal on November 28 last week. This week we will eulogize our grand daughter Avizheh and son Omar on their birthdays falling on December 2 and December7 respectively. In this first issue of the blog of this week, we will recount the sweet memories of Avizheh's childhood as well as in growing age. On Dec 7, our guest would be Squadron Leader Omar Iqbal insha Allah.

2.     Celebrating Family Events:

2.1   Avizheh's Birthday (Born: Dec 2, 2007)

I had gone to Vienna to work at the IAEA for a four week assignment to review the IAEA Guidelines on nuclear security at the invitation of DG IAEA. As usual, I stayed at a hotel near the workplace: The Vienna International Centre (VIC). It was the first Sunday of December 2007. Being an off day, I planned to spend it, seeing places within the precincts of the Vienna City Centre.  I had taken the UBahn from Keiser Muhlen Centre to the Vienna city centre, when I received the happy news of Avizheh's birth vide a text message on my mobile phone. It was an overwhelmingly happy news. I read it again and again. It made me homesick. On my way back I returned to Islamabad via Karachi where Avizheh was born. She was masha Allah a healthy and wholly lovesome baby. Over the years she has acquired an exceedingly adorable persona that pleases every one around masha Allah. All the infants occasionally suck at their thumb. Among the peculiarities that come to my mind, was her sucking at two of her fingers rather than just the thumb. I inquired about the meaning of her name and was told, it meant 'pure' in Persian and so she is in her temperament. What she is, she is and you can not change that. She on occasion can be extremely agitated and angry and at other times she can be endlessly jollyfull and happy but whatever mood she is in, she remains love of lives. Here is a lovely picture of her with her elder sister Eemaan  from their trip to Europe last summer.

She calls me 'Abbu' and Anjum 'Ammi'. That pleases us no ends. When we meet after a long while, she would rush to us in our open arms for a very warm hug and embrace and that too would make us very happy. She is intelligent and very good in her studies, scoring 100 out of 100 in most subjects. Before she was enrolled in a school, Tania occasionally took her along to her teaching classes at the LSE and there she would invite attention of every one, her colleagues and students boys and girls alike, so popular she was and still is! 

Avizheh like us all, can get tired and that is the time when she would refuse to participate further in any of the activities how so ever interesting those might be to others. One of my most favourite of her pictures is the one in which quite oblivious of the surroundings she is fast asleep on the bullet train between Amsterdam and Frankfurt. There is one other picture of her which I like and that is with the daughter of one of Hasan's and Tania's friends in Amsterdam.

When ever she is at the farm, she would enjoy her time with her cousin sisters. This is plenty fully obvious in the following pictures:

Before closing, it is our privilege to wish you Avizheh, a very happy birthday.  Wish we could join your party and spend a festively joyous day with you, which we so much wish you to have! Cheers!