Thursday, March 5, 2015

Basking in the afterglow....

It's been a heady and dizzy few days of birthday celebrations...
delicious dinners, tasty lunches, flutes of Prosecco and glasses of wine.
Surrounded by family and friends...I've felt honoured and loved.
Thankful and grateful...
for so many lovely comments on my last blog post...


Love this public art...along Dallas Road.


Lunch in Oak Bay on Estevan Avenue at The Village Bistro.
My BFF took me out for lunch on my birthday and we sat outside in the sunshine and it was so warm that we took our coats off!


I opted for the quinoa and roasted vegetable salad on a bed of spinach garnished with roasted kale 
served with a light lemony vinaigrette.
Healthy, tasty and delicious!

Too many meals out with too much wine has tipped the scales...
so I am getting back on track.


Lapsang Souchon Tea 
served in a Paragon fine bone china tea cup that I found at the Oak Bay United Church Rummage Sale.
The $4.00 price tag was too good to pass up,
  the ladies that volunteer their time have such a great time and are chatty and animated
besides they are keen to show and sell their wares.
All the proceeds go to help those in need in our community.


My breakfast today...
toast, peanut butter and half a banana.
That will hold me until lunch time 
then I plan to have a salad with some salmon lightly dressed with some balsamic vinegar.


The weather is lovely so getting outdoors for a walk is a treat.





The Clover Point Boat ramp...
I wonder if this is used very often anymore?



Looking much taller in the shadows...
and if you look closely it looks like I have some wild spiky hair!

This morning I have been busy in the Humble Bungalow.
It's a rather "normal" day for chores...

the bedding has been changed
the sheets and coverlet have been washed and dried
the kitchen has been tidied
the dishwasher has been put through it's cycle
the fridge washed out
the compost emptied


After my walk I plan to read a chapter or two...
I'll be visiting a cave in the Midi-Pyrennes this May.
 John and Cheryl gave me this book so I could read up on the history.
I've read the first two chapters and I am hooked!

What's new in your part of the world?
Have you read a great book that you'd like to recommend?

Be Well and Be Kind
Hostess
XO

30 comments:

LPC said...

What pretty light! How wonderful to live near the ocean like that.

Stephen Andrew said...

Can't believe how warm it looks! It's 19F here now and there is a solid two inch thick ice base on my driveway. Glad you had such a nice birthday!

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Lapsang Souchon Tea is my favorite tea! It looks so WARM in your photos...and I am so jealous.

Susan B said...

It's so pretty where you live! I haven't had Lapsang Souchon tea in ages, and now I want some! In a pretty cup, of course.

Madame Là-bas said...

The weather looks beautiful! We didn't really have a winter. I have not found any beautiful salads being offered here. I always enjoy quinoa with salmon at home. I'm reading a book called Fire and Song. It is about the Spanish Inquisition in Mexico and it's really depressing. I think that I need a good mystery.

Susan said...

Oh! I have read about the caves of Perigord and would love to read that book.

Anonymous said...

Are you going to Lascaux? because now they have closed the real caves due to the pollution people would bring in with their breath, which would have destroyed them in the long run,and they have built reproductions that you can visit.

Annie v.

Anonymous said...

I long for your beautiful weather. Only 12 degrees today in my neck of the woods!

Happy birthday to a classy lady! Salute!

Jim & Sonya Guthrie said...

I've been busy helping organize our 40th Reunion from Mt. Doug High School!! I'm finding it hard to believe that it's been that long since we Graduated!! Also, in the planning stages to fully renovate our rental property....SUPER busy these days!!

Kerrie Roberts said...

I've read all of the Martin Walker books set in the Perigord region as it is near where I live and I've been able to visit the villages, including the one where he lives. Met him at a Saturday morning market in our local town and he was very charming and friendly. All the stories are exciting and he really creates that feeling of living here in south-west France. If you haven't had the opportunity to come here then reading his books is the next best experience. Highly recommended.

Sheree said...

I walked nine miles yesterday but one of my feet is a little sore on top. I adjusted the tongue of my shoe and it is helping a lot. I read only twenty minutes a day makes a big difference for health. You seem to be enjoying walking more than you used to and I am so happy for you.

I love your meals. I have a table like that and one has to be careful. Any spills go right through.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

The weather has been exceptional these past few weeks...

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

It is hard not to post pictures of our early Spring...I hope you find a wee bit of warmth and westcoast cheer when yo see them...I love seeing the images of Barbie frolicing in the snow.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Lapsang Souchon is a relatively new tea to me...I think I've been addicted to it ever since I sampled it about a year ago!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I hope you've been able to find a source for the tea...if not please email me and I can help you find some!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Have you read Louise Penny's newest mystery? She has a new one too that will be out soon...she just posted on her website a snippet from the book!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

They do sound fascinating...it will be interesting to see them when I visit. I have heard rumors though that they might be recreations of the original paintings as they are vulnerable to light...

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Our friends are taking me to a small village where there is a cave that is open to the public...I apologize but the name of the wee village escapes me at the moment.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Try to keep warm and cozy!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

You are busy Sonya! What fun to be on the inner circle of the committee...we had our 40th last year. It was a great evening chatting, reconnecting and showing off pictures of our grandchildren!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I'll be visiting this Spring! My friends will be staying in Auvillar...I don't know how close that is to where you live but from what I have seen on the internet the countryside is gorgeous! You live in a place of exquisite beauty.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

My goal is to walk 5K everyday and 10K once or twice a week...
like to think of the walks as "training for Paris!"

Cate said...

You've had a wonderful week of being coddled and enjoying the lovely BC weather. Still a few feet of snow where I am, but it won't be long now till spring comes in with a bang. What was the green spiral sliced fruit or veggie in your salad ..... looked very interesting.

Kristien62 said...

I've just begun reading "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up." Hopefully, it will spur me to begin spring cleaning with lasting effects. Although spring actually feels far off here, I know that it can show up very quickly and I will be thrilled.

Isn't it amazing how wine seems to aid in packing on the pounds? I truly enjoy good wine, but a weekend away and a few extra wines are almost a guarantee of a 2 - 3lb weight increase for me.

Anonymous said...

Avocado

No Sacrifice Bags said...

I'm currently reading several business related books, and "There Goes Gravity" by Lisa Robinson.
My granddaughter (Sadie) made an early, and thankfully healthy entrance; so life is grand, for this Grandee.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

The green was indeed an avocado on the salad that my BFF ordered.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Oh that is SO true...

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Congratulations on the birth of your grand daughter!

Karen said...

Hostess I'm glad you birthday was a special time for you. My 60th was last year and I too had a fabulous birthday thanks to family and friends.