Thursday, August 11, 2011

Craving Comfort Food.....a tonic for sleep deprivation.

Let me seek out comfort food without judgement......
let me feed my belly with something satiating.
I am in dire need of some "feel good sustenance"
sleeping sporadically...
listening to the neighbourhood sounds as most slumber....
thoughts running through my head refusing to be still.



Mother's health has become a factor, and it's affecting her daily routine and I am quite concerned.
She says that I am the worrier in the family...it's true.

She tires more often these days and it is difficult for me to accept that she is not as spry and energetic as she was even a few months ago. Changes that I see with our regular visits and shopping trips, lunches and teas.
I do not know why I am struggling except perhaps to come to grips with the fact that she will not be on this Earth forever.

She has also become very nostalgic and wants to talk of the past and has mentioned Father more and more in her conversations. She misses him so much.
It must be lonely living alone, the hours pass slowly and her voracious habit of reading must help fill the time and be of some comfort...but it's not the same as sharing a home with a spouse.

Happily she is surrounded by a lifetime of treasures and many family photos framed and hung on the walls remind her of happier times.
Her bright condo on the top floor of an older building has views to the ocean on one side and the treetops and roofs looking toward town on the other. It's a warm and spacious place which she loves and rarely does a day go by that she doesn't thank me for finding it. (The credit goes to the realtor that we hired but she thinks it was me)

Having Mother living so close makes it easy to see her often...she is just a hop skip and a jump away!
She is close in proximity and at home in my heart.

It's funny to think how far we've come.
From our struggles when I was a teenager wanting to stay out late, negotiating to wear to school what was then a new trend, "jeans" and our disagreements over the use of make up. Those days are long gone and they lasted only a few years and in the end Mother was right about being protective and her idea of proper attire does not go unheeded as she has set the bar very high.
Her "no make up look" has stood her in good stead and the skin care routines that she instilled upon me have influenced my regime to this day.
I owe her a lot...
Thanks MOM!


Sitting here somewhat sleep deprived, sipping on decaf tea...
(I have given up caffeine for health reasons)
I have thought enough and now I need to get on with things.

So I am succumbing to a little butter melted on apricot raisin bread.


a little indulgence is going a LONG way!


Let's have some fun and forget our troubles.....

"Keep Calm and Carry On"

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

"Views from the Sink" participating bloggers

Last Wednesday Views from the Kitchen Sink was an idea...and I hoped that a few other bloggers might share their images.


I am happy to share the links of those who have participated...


Thank you!



pondside
metscan
privilege
materfamilias
Faux Fuchsia
cupcake caramel
SydneyShopGirl
une femme d'un certain age
Judy Heinrich
restinginmotion
smallbutcharming
moonlightreflections
the gardener's cottage
lovelythings
a farmer's wife
Mummaducka's kaos
SewWest
breaking ground
My Yellow House
stepping my way to bliss
Blighty

if you have posted a view from your sink on your blog
please comment and I'll add your link here!


Remember to Moisturize
I love this oil
I love the scent
it's rose
so that's probably no surprise!

Olive oil is the only oil I use in cooking and salad dressing.

Mother used to give her hair an Olive Oil treatment
she would apply it to her hair
 wrap it in a towel for several hours and then several shampoos later
resulting in glossy healthy looking hair.


Real friendship, like real poetry, is extremely rare - and precious as a pearl. 
Tahar Ben Jelloun 

I appreciate the connections that I have made here on Blogger
your email and comments are very important to me.
I am in debt to you...
in gratitude.

Thrift shopping and frugal finds.

The current economic crisis is making people nervous and the stock market is experiencing a major dip with many investors selling in a panicked frenzy.
The uncertainty has people running scared.

While I do not spend willy nilly, I do balance big ticket purchases with frugal ones.

I am more than happy that we have thrift shops in our town. I patronize them on a regular basis and have fun looking at the wares. You might be familiar with that saying "one man's junk is another man's treasure".



Shopping in thrift shops offers opportunities to acquire things at reasonable prices. It is an adventure and one must shop with an open mind, keeping your eyes open. Go slowly and peruse carefully, move things around, and you might be surprised what you'll find. Thrift shops are not just for the needy and impoverished. Well shod, bejeweled, ladies - who - lunch have been spied gathering goods and conversations are shared in the aisles over themed table settings for their upcoming dinner parties!

I have seen more Mercedes parked outside and think that thrifting has been elevated to include the upper middle classes.

I would encourage you to venture forth and seek out your local charity shops...

Here are my latest finds...



Leather wallet


Very similar to the Hobo wallet
I paid $100 for the Hobo
and $10 for this one... 


the lining is bright and cheery
in perfect condition.


A book for Grammy's Home Library
$2.00
Isla loves books!


A new release which I nearly bought at the book shop for $30.00
I found this mint one for $4.00

He who does not economize will have to agonize.  ~Confucius

Has the current economic news changed the way that you think about money 
or have you decided to stop shopping for anything that is a non essential?


Monday, August 8, 2011

Advanced Age...and eyeing up some alone time.

I think it was Duchesse that steered me to a blog which I am now following with great enthusiasm.

Advanced Style is a fashion blog with older women as the focus.
It is a peek at chic older women who have amazing and I do mean amazing, style.
The women that are focused here are extremely well turned out confident women who have not "given up"
or resigned to spend their elder years in polyester pull on pants, baggy tops and sensible "old lady footwear".
They are putting themselves "out there" and getting noticed.

I applaud their energy and enthusiasm and admire the joy that they bring to their everyday round.
Go and check it out and see what you think...you might be inspired to add a flash of colour or some big chunky jewelry to your ensemble.

Things are ticking along slowly here in The Humble Bungalow.
Life does have a wee bit of routine...
home keeping, shopping, cooking, gardening, and blogging.

Many of my friends are away on holiday right now so I am feeling more alone than usual.
It's good to be alone once in awhile...a lot of reflection and deep thought can be had.

At work, coworker friendships are comfortable, easy and fall into a happy rhythm.
Rather like a work family.
I do miss that daily contact when school is out over the summer.

Lucky for me that Pepper thrives on attention!
(and the fact that I have many great books just waiting to be read.)

The garden roses have been dead headed and the foxgloves desperately need pulling.
There are no blooms left, just straw coloured stalks waving in the breeze...
saying goodbye for now...
see you in a couple of years.
Same time same place
another great display of their unfailing beauty.
Those reliable and stalwart performers never let me down.



Looking blurry
(sans specs!)



I desperately need glasses to read
am blind as a bat these days!
and 
 scared silly of Laser surgery
so I must get some hip and trendy specs.

I am leaning to tortoise shell or black
possibly larger frames
perhaps a chic pair 
like Ines de la Fressange wears 
at the Roger Vivier website.

I am currently reading Kate Morton's House at Riverton.
The lovely commenter Gretchen, suggested that I try her books
 and I am happy to say that I have bought all 3 of her novels!
Thank you Gretchen!


What books are you reading these days?
Any recommendations?

If you join in on your "Views from the Sink" from last Wednesday's post
please send me a link so that I can put them on my blog.


Friday, August 5, 2011

Family Images from the past...

My mother, sister and I recently went through some old photos.
We sat on the sun filled deck here in the Humble Bungalow garden and sipped freshly made iced tea and noshed on some antipasto, crackers, and a round of brie cheese.
My sister and I wanted to have copies of many of these images as Mother is the keeper of the albums.
I am planning to have these copied and will go hunting for some frames and plan to set up a photo gallery somewhere in the Bungalow, a shrine for want of a better word, paying homage to my family and my roots.


Father atop a sandstone rock in the BC Gulf Islands


Mother sitting on a rocky seashore
and I see my love of scarves has been inherited!


I think they make a fine pair.


No fish tales needed here
a picture is worth a thousand words!


Dad and his dog in the front yard of his family home.

Black and white images
are so evocative and rich in detail.

I love vintage family photos
they show us a bit of what we have forgotten
a time long past that can be revisited
remembered 
and 
shared.

Some of the photos are forced and staged
(say cheese!)
while others are taken quite spontaneously
capturing the reality and honesty of that moment so many years ago.

I got quite emotional looking through all the images...
so many of the people in the pictures have passed away
not to be forgotten
but to be remembered with love.


Mother and my cousin.

If you have a family member that you have been neglecting
try and make contact with them this weekend
phone, visit, or write them a letter.
You'll be happy that you took the time and made the effort
and it might just make their day a little brighter knowing that they are thought about by you.

Spread a little joy wherever you go this weekend.

Hostess
XO



Thursday, August 4, 2011

Roman Holiday....

I do so love the romantic movie Roman Holiday.
Dashing Gregory Peck and the exquisite Audrey Hepburn in her American debut performance.
The movie was made in 1953 two years before I was born and stands the test of time.
I love to watch it, and usually see it once every year.
If you have not seen it you might enjoy looking and listening here.

It's hot and sunny here and the shopping needs to be done.
I have my market basket, sunglasses and a new silk scarf...
feeling very much like I'd love to be on holiday in Roma....





I found this vintage silk hand rolled scarf in a thrift shop
and after touching the fabric
eyeing the stitching
and opening it up to reveal the intricate design
I knew it would need to come home with me.

Hermes you have some serious competition!

This colour palette will work well with denim and greys
and none of my Hermes scarves are in this colour range.
Plus an added bonus was that it was under $10!
not the $400 that I usually spend at the Hermes Boutique.

I have no idea who the designer is...
if you recognize it perhaps you would be kind enough to advise me.
Is the signature Constantino?
I am not too sure...

All this talk of Italy has made me think of pasta!

For dinner I am preparing a simple sauce made with San Marzano DOC tomatoes,
Only grown in and around Mount Vesuvius,
(sweeter and tastier than most tomatoes because they are grown in that volcanic ashy soil)
spicy Italian sausage sauteed with garlic and onions,
oregano
salt and pepper
simmered for an hour.
Yum! 
The Humble Bungalow is scented highly with this tasty goodness.
All I need to do is cook the pasta and dinner's done.
Easy Peasy.

                                                            
                                                                           Ciao for now!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Views from the sink..."White Wednesday"

Do you spend hours in your kitchen prepping dinner, washing dishes?
I know I do.
I find these simple tasks very soothing.

The radio is always on and I am alone with my thoughts.
A great song has me swaying to the beat and often I sing,
sometimes very loudly and out of tune but only Pepper can hear it so it matters little.

What I see when I look up from my sink is a high wide wooden shelf, a 98 year old window sill.
I have chosen to place things on it that speak to me...

Objects that inspire calm and reflection...
here are the kitchen sill shots.


Standing here washing veggies
I thought that it might be fun to ask other bloggers to post their kitchen views.


Matte white = Peace and Serenity


Vintage pots

I am inviting you all to post some images of your kitchen sink scene.
Please leave me a comment and a link to your blog 
so that we can all hop right over 
and 
see what you gaze at from your kitchen sink!

Come on
don't be shy
the more the merrier!

Hope that you have fun and enjoy White Wednesday.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Welcome Home with Roses...thanks Mom!

Home is where the heart is, and I feel that this is so true for me.
I love the feeling of belonging and I find it here within these four walls of this rather old Bungalow.
The smell of old wood and beeswax as they filled my nostrils upon entering and yet there was a subtle fragrance that I had not expected...
the floors shine with an age old patina brought to life with wood polish
the air is still and the scent is authentically olde.

I opened windows and let in some fresh air...
soaking in the familiar surroundings.
I have not forgotten, I've just been away for awhile.

While we were away mummy was here.
She brought in the post,
watered the beds,
and left us some welcoming posies.


She picked a few roses to welcome us back!

It took several trips to empty the Volvo wagon of all our gear.
A mountain of laundry sorted into piles sit on the floor by the washer and dryer await...
they are in full swing as I type...

Tonight we had chinese takeaway for dinner and watched the final episode of The Batchelorette.

Pepper meowed as she went room to room and has slept for a very long time on a bed that is not bobbing about in a sea of tidal action.


Jude the Obscure
in a wee glass
(mother didn't know where I kept the vases)


"The home should be the treasure chest of living." 
Le Corbusier 


I am weary and ready to slip into my nightie for a night of slumber...

I hope that you had a great weekend!