Ramadan reflections

Ramadan is traditionally a time for reflection and introspection, and in The Cities, it's causing most smokers to reflect on how much a nicotine fix is worth. For Harper and his pals, it's worth the shame - and pain - of hiding in a bougainvillea bush where the pursuit of a closet puff is rewarded by thorns in the bottom. The City is now smoke-free, with the afflicted given nowhere to indulge... apart from building 3 foodcourt, where Mrs Cooper tells us that "anything goes".

There are many different approaches to the Holy Month. Sonya, a Brit and a non-Muslim, fasts every year and is doing "really well, and loving the dates" this year. Meanwhile, Ahmed (a Muslim) has admitted he's doing Ramadan Lite - "no eating or drinking, but quite a few impure thoughts".

It's easy for those who work in offices all day to forget the rules, not least me, who managed to fall foul of several simultaneously (drinking, chewing gum and live music while speeding down the Sheikh Zayed road) before remembering. But the most blatant offender has to be Clover, who admitted to eating pork scratchings in daylight hours.