Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Falling in love with colour...in nature but not in my wardrobe.

Fall colours are feeding my soul...
at every turn I see beauty.


A lush bush is vibrant with a riot of orange berries.


A gorgeous canopy of Autumn Leaves on a street in Oak Bay.

We move on to The Humble Bungalow Garden.


Jude the Obscure has bloomed all summer and now is offering up more roses and buds.


Hey Jude you must be a late bloomer!


Most of the other plants have decided to take a rest.
The garden is in transition.


The "bones" of the garden are showing through and it is a great time to enjoy the hardy grasses.


The Limelight Hydrangea's are fading...
but not before changing their floppy heads to pink.
Talk about turning heads!


This white hydrangea has turned pink too...
and the boxwood in the planter is turning amber.


One lone white bloom has popped out...another late bloomer.


Obviously it is "listening to a different drummer!"


McCartney rose is on the band wagon too...


A tardy limelight just coming into it's own...


A pot of yellow mums keeping the last of the geraniums company on the front porch.


The fruit bowl is empty and I need to go shopping...
I find it so much easier to shop for food than for clothing.

I think I am fussy...
fussy about fit
fussy about style
fussy about fabric 
fussy about the cost
fussy about how much I'll wear it.

My wardrobe could use a few new items to replace those tired well worn basics that I donated last spring.
I've found a great pair of Calvin Klein medium wash denim jeans. 
They are a slightly longer length and will be worn for dressier occasions with kitten heels.

I'm looking for some colourful ballet flats to add some oomph to my basic daytime look and hope to find them in Vancouver when we next visit.

The Colours of Fall are not infiltrating my wardrobe...


I eat colourful food, the brighter the better.


I'm still comfy and confident wearing neutrals.
Black and grey are the top stars.


Chester


Pepper

I am blaming the cats and their mouse for my latest purchases!


Uniqlo tee in a blue grey shade.
A basic style that I love for layering in the cooler weather.
The fit is flattering and the weight of the top is just right.

On the days when I am not wearing  a tank top and a cashmere cardigan
I've been wearing down vests over these tees...


I've been smitten with grey sweaters.
 On a lazy morning, while sipping my tea, I went on a Pinterest binge hunting for chunky knit sweaters...
I pinned and I pinned and I pinned...
but that did not satisfy the urge to own one of my own.

I found this DEX sweater at our local Bay store for under $50.


I love the weight of the sweater...so cozy.


I like the longer length in the back and the rolled up sleeves.
I'll be wearing this a lot with a cozy scarf wrapped around my neck.

Jeans and boots will complete the look.
~ It's my personal take on casual clothing ~

Retirement has it's schleppy moments and there is no dress code as such but one does need to keep up appearances.

I own some Yoga pants but no sweats...
I don't want to dress down just because I no longer work outside the home.


My after 5 wardrobe is small and as you might have guessed is mostly black!
I find that I can get by with several skirts and pretty tops and a few LBD's.

Most places that we go...
I have something in my closet that will work so that I am not panicked and muttering...
"I have NOTHING to WEAR!"

The cats are meowing for their dinner so I must close for now.
Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow.
I hope you'll drop by again soon.

Hostess

24 comments:

LPC said...

I LOVE your hydrangeas! They look much happier than mine:(. Our drought has not been 'drangea friendly in the slightest.

Lorrie said...

Hydrangeas are pretty for such a long time, throughout their different phases. The gardens are winding down, but you've found beauty still. It's definitely time for cozy sweaters and scarves. Where do you find the Uniqlo t-shirts?

Susan said...

I have similar hydrangeas down here in Texas. Ours are still blooming, but I can detect some differences from their summer blooms. Now, the flowers are more variegated in color--pinks, cream, and green.

My wardrobe is a bit tired and not helped by the fact that we still have daily temperatures which reach the 80s which makes it difficult to dress for autumn. I have a few items waiting in the wings for cooler weather.

Anonymous said...

Just to let you know that you inspired me to bake that Olive Oil Orange cake and it turned out great! My recipe is for a smallish cake -- just 2 eggs, 3/4 c olive oil, 3/4 c orange juice, 1 3/4 c flour, etc. It wasn't dense at all! Thanks for the pictorial inspiration! :-) Emily

Anonymous said...

P.S. Your salad looks lovely! How often do you eat eggs? Is cholesterol not a problem?

LostRoses said...

Love the sweater and tee, they are very YOU! My kind of clothing, too. I just snipped the heads off my hydrangeas to use in a fall centerpiece. I hate to say goodbye to them in the garden but their beauty can live on for awhile!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I eat eggs about 3 times a week but I could eat them more often as I don't worry about cholesterol...earthquakes, war, and my family take up most of my worry time!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I added a link to the uniqlo page so that you can browse their site.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Emily your cake sounds delicious!
I like the fact that we usually have all the ingredients in our cupboards and fridge so it makes it easy to bake this if we have unexpected company coming.

KSL said...

I don't know if it was the drought, but my pink hydrangeas were white this year? And not very showy at all. Your's are stunning. I love gray and black too, and have added bit of fall color by buying burgundy/cordovan shoes, which look great with the grays, blacks, blues that are my staple colors.

Madame Là-bas said...

I like the look of your green beans and egg salad. I'm careful about cheese but eggs are a good source of protein with fewer calories. Grey/blue are my colours right now and I really like your
DEX sweater. I won't buy right now as I'm away for most of the winter but I love a cozy sweater. I want a cat but Monsieur is allergic. Daughter and I had a cat for 16 years that looked a lot like Chester.

Grace @ Sense and Simplicity said...

Your hydrangeas are gorgeous. Do you bring them inside when the flowers have dried. I love the look of the dried blossoms in vases and even on the Christmas tree.
I love your new sweater. The back dipping down like that will be perfect so you don't get the bare lower back when you bend over. By the way, I was wondering what necklines you prefer on t-shirts and tops. I go through binges of buying all v-necks or all round necks. I think I"m leaning toward crewnecks these days. They look so pretty with a necklace. I was just curious what you prefer.

susie @ persimmon moon cottage said...


Those hydrangeas are so pretty. I've never had any luck growing them And the Jude the Obscure rose is lovely, not very obscure at all. My Christopher Marlowe rose had its last bloom two weeks ago, and I am already missing those roses.

Chester and Pepper are some cute kitties. It looks like they like to have the pics taken.

Your neutral colored clothing always looks very stylish. The shades that look so pretty and stylish on you seem to wash me out. I like black with a colorful scarf or interesting jewelry, but am most often drawn to jewel colored blouses and sweaters. I've just started getting my fall clothes out and ready for wear. It was in the 80's here just a few days ago, but now I think we are starting in on real fall weather (50's and colder) by the end of this week.

Veronica Roth said...

I know what you mean about the more colourful foods at this time of the year. This evening I roasted some garden carrots with parley, thyme and garlic. Wonderful and delicious. Your repeat offender roses are lovely. I have one, Julia Child, which is in bud just now, and, hoping that since I'm in North Van, the weather will be just fine to see a bloom or two. :D

Duchesse said...

Gorgeous colours! I find that, retired, I wear a 'uniform' of darker pants and cashmere sweaters. Simplifying the palette and keeping the quantity down has allowed me to buy quality.

Anonymous said...

Thanks again! Yes, it's a 'convenient' cake to make. It's good that you don't worry about earthquakes and wars, but cholesterol . . . well, hope you don't have a problem with that! :-) Cheers, Emily

Susan B said...

Each season really has its own kind of beauty, doesn't it? Even though I'm not yet retired, I'm lately finding trying to work color into my wardrobe (other than with scarves) and exhausting prospect. Give me black, white, grey, denim and I'm a happy camper. Hoping to do a whole passel of grocery shopping this weekend. Your salad has my mouth watering.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

You misunderstood what I said....I do worry about earthquakes, war and my family Not cholesterol! Just setting the record straight...

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I bring the hydrangeas in when they are fresh. The cats just play with the dried ones...they end up all over the floor and get crushed!
I prefer v or round necks on tees and tops...I like a lower round shape to show off a necklace but not too low as to show any cleavage!

Anonymous said...

Oh! Sorry about that! In any case, hope you don't have cholesterol problems! Cheers, Emily

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

So far my cholesterol levels are low...olive oil apparently helps with that. My GP is a fan of the Mediterranean diet...my thoughts are everything in moderation.

Stephen Andrew said...

Someone may have already mentioned this in the comments, but there is no greater source for affordable and high quality woolens than Woolovers. I've bought almost ten sweaters from them and just love them. They are so big and thick and comfortable. They make me look about 60 pounds heavier, but I don't care. I bought many Christmas gifts from them too! Who doesn't love a cocooning sweater to wear at home or on a walk?

the gardener's cottage said...

leslie your garden and images are breathtaking. the colors! i wish we had some of that color right about now but that's not the case. thank you for sharing them! x

Greeker than the Greeks said...

Your garden looks lovely even in Winter!
I'm the same, like colour in nature but not to wear, neutrals all the way.
By the way, we live in an eartquake zone and I worry all the time!
I have no idea what my cholesterol level is!