Lime Time

Home Sweet Home.

Our girls meet up was filled with laughter and good conversations.
We stayed up late and rose early, played bridge, cribbage, read and walked.
The mosquitoes were terrible!
I have about a dozen bites which are super itchy and have taken an antihistamine.

The washer and dryer are working hard and dinner is in the works but I had to sit down for a few minutes and catch up on my blog reading.
You can read the blogs I follow by scrolling down and checking out their links on the side bar,
they are a very diverse group and I am always searching for more interesting bloggers...
feel free to introduce me to your favourite bloggers.

I love limes...
freshly squeezed in a refreshing glass of sparking water on a hot summer day.

I am particularly fond of chartreuse green.

I recently made a shrimp 

stir fried with pea pods, red pepper slivers, fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil grated rind,

and lime juice for dinner.

I loved the taste of all the flavours together...

A mesh bag full of limes is stored in the crisper section of the fridge.

Mouthwatering, delicious, and who says lemonade is the best summer drink?

I am thinking limeade is the flavour of summer.

A whisper soft French scarf with a smattering of lime.

Picture from the archives

(I am 30 pounds heavier in this image)

A gift from our friends who live part time in Auvillar France.

Lime light Hydrangeas

Our former boat, in the photo, a Mahogany 1957 Classic Chris Craft Constellation...

Lime Le Creuset...

Our Sea Ray looking toward Poets Cove Resort.

Smaller and much more compact and what I now refer to as  "A Go Fast!"

I'm trying to be greener with my food choices.

Organic and local and many grown in our own back yard.

Still on the kale bandwagon...

Wilted steamed baby bok choy...

packed with nutrients.

Try drizzling some balsamic "crema" over top of these and I doubt you will be disappointed.

Euphorbia

These chairs are calling my name and I feel a cool beverage is in the offing.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting The Humble Bungalow.

I have had so much fun with my gal pals....

will be back soon.

Hope you are savouring all the goodness that life has to offer...

"If life gives you limes, make margaritas.”

~  Jimmy Buffett ~

Summer salad and friendships...

My friend Ruth emailed me a handful of her favourite new recipes...
we chat a lot!
The conversation revolves around recipes, cooking, novels that we are reading, have read and want to read, hosting family dinners, lunch places in town and tea rooms when we walk along the seafront.
If you see us we are so absorbed in our conversation that we might not even see you.
We walked right by her husband as he passed us on the other side of Moss Street one afternoon.

Here is a salad that is fresh from the garden and as colourful and appetizing as one could wish for..
Perfectly portable for a picnic or a buffet, particularly nice if you have a bumper crop of zucchini.
Tasty, low calorie, a great compliment to a summertime BBQ dinner.

Ruth's Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Sweet Corn and Avocado

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

2 each medium green and yellow zucchini

2 ears fresh cooked sweet corn

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 red onion diced

2 medium ripe avocados, peeled pitted and sliced

1/2 cup queso fresco (Mexican) cheese or substitute feta cheese

In a large bowl whisk the olive oil and the lime juice together, season with salt and pepper, set aside.

Trim ends off the zucchini and using a vegetable peeler shave lengthwise into long strips. 

When you get to the seeds turn and shave other sides until you get to the center again.

Put the zucchini ribbons in a large bowl.

Cut the corn off the cooked and cooled cobs, add cilantro, red onion, and avocado to the ribbons.

Pour dressing over top and toss.

Crumble the cheese on top.

Serve chilled.

~ ~ ~

I've been thinking about friendships...

how important they are and how fragile and fleeting some can be.

Women friends are an important and vital part of my well being.

Nurturing, encouraging, supportive...

spending time together sharing life's ups and downs.

Spending time together

lunching

walking

sipping a cup of tea 

chatting on the phone

all help to fan the friendship fire

and keep it aglow.

I have had a few friendships fizzle out over the years...

 we moved in different directions or to different parts of the country and lost touch.

 I wonder, looking back, if we grew apart as our lifestyles were so opposite or if we both just stopped "trying."

 I love hosting a ladies afternoon tea...must get organized and plan another soon.

Keeping in contact is often a challenge.

 We lead busy lives and we must make our friends a priority if we want to continue to nurture the relationships.

I feel so blessed that my BFF and I have a rich long time friendship

we chat on the phone and text when we cannot visit

and can pick up where we left off if we are busy elsewhere.

 In the next few days a few friends will get together

spend some fun girl time on a lovely island 

in the waterfront home of a friend

and 

another girlfriend 

who moved off island years ago who lives on the mainland.

I'm really looking forward to our visit.

I have packed some bubbly

facial and hand masks.

 We will laze around in our pj's sipping our morning coffee

we'll walk along the quiet roads

 eat simple meals

watch a chick flick

 chat about our families

read

play cribbage

and

re-charge the bonds of friendship

working to keep the lines of communication going

despite the fact that oceans separate us

we are reconnecting to keep that spark of friendship aglow.

"A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Have a wonderful weekend.

Hostess

Black Day in July

Do you remember Gordon Lightfoot's song Black Day in July?
You can listen to it here...

It's a black day in July in The Humble Bungalow when it comes to clothing.

New Yoga capri length pants from Costco.

New Lands' End trail shoes for marathon walks.

Slip of a dress for summer time heat...

a Gilmour of Vancouver Bamboo creation.

It's a soft way to breeze through a busy day of errands, lunching with the ladies and it's taking me to a funeral.

I'll wear a light sweater over top and wear my Born sandals.

Polartec jacket by Lands' End...

warmth without weight.

Great for a chilly evening on the boat or a walk in inclement weather.

I've been doing a bit of shopping lately at the thrift shops...

I found a new to me "almost new" pair of Gap jeans.

Great straight leg style in a short ankle length.

Love the $5.00 price tag too.

Life is not all black here...

there is some sparkle and highlights.

Darling daughter and I had a wonderful day this week getting together for lunch and some thrift shop adventures.

We enjoyed a delicious Thai chicken noodle salad at Bubby Roses in the Cook Street Village which is always a busy place to go...such good value, with healthy choices and two size servings available.

We opted for the small salad and it was ample.

Hand hammered vintage silver is very near and dear to my heart.

I think it must be my crow like tendencies as I am drawn to shiny things...

diamonds and crystals and icy sparkles.

"Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world."

~ Mary Shelley ~

Weekend snippets and snapshots...

Our 40th anniversay weekend was wonderful.
As we met boating it seems fitting that we celebrate on the boat.
We were moored snugly at the Otter Bay Marina on Pender Island.

I brought along some boat flowers as we did not take the cats with us.

Our house and cat sitter, a good friend, moves right in and makes herself at home when we are away.

 She is a cat lover and takes excellent care of Pepper and Chester.

These cantilevered decks are shaded and offer a quiet spot to sit and read or sip a beverage.

Summer is time for swimming in pools.

 Otter Bay Marina pool just waiting for a swimmer...

A little shell with barnacles was left on the table.

Yucca flowers towered overhead...

I am just a tad taller than 5 feet so they were probably 6 feet high.

Apparently our warmer weather has contributed to their massive flowers this season.

Fancy drinks at lunch.

I love these sea green sealer jars as glasses.

Fish tacos for the Hostess.

Yum

Clam Chowder and a Burger for Mr. HB.

 Hope Bay is a short drive from the Marina and has a great gift shop, real estate agent, gallery, goldsmith as well as the fabulous and delicious Hope Bay Cafe.

I've been busy playing catch up on the laundry this week and have had very little time to blog.

There's been a luncheon with the gals and the meet and greet with a new baby and an outing with my Mother and sister and a few dinners to make and we have a funeral to attend.

 I have a long list of things to do so I musn't tarry long here...

I'll be back when time allows...

until then 

Be well and Be Kind

OOTD ~ circa 2014 and circa 1974.

After much deliberation and a wee bit of anxiety I caved in and bought a pair of shorts...
I don't know why I feel so silly about wearing shorts, they are really not much more than a divided slim skirt.

Jumping on and off the boat docking in a skirt or dress just didn't make sense from a safety standpoint as there was too much fabric to get hung up on the rigging and made for a safety hazard....
Big Splash!  Hostess has gone overboard!

OOTD

 Santana black denim shorts

Tribal black and blue top

Born sandals  

This is as good as it gets 

 with my distinct aversion to shorts...

This Tribal ribbon top is actually one of my favorite tops.

I've got several other white tops which I can wear with the shorts.

We pack lightly on the boat in the summer time and use our large Lands' End totes.

I throw in a few pairs of pj's, bathing suits, pants, tee shirts and a few cool cotton dresses.

Polartec jacket, a sarong and a rain proof jacket round out the gear.

Speaking of shopping I did a quick turnaround in Sears and picked up a black one piece bathing suit so that I would have a second one on board.

I found that my bathing suit did not dry overnight and so I was squeezing into a damp suit for the morning swim...

not as easy as I thought it would be and much huffing anf puffing and wriggling was required!

I enjoy swimming in the outdoor pools in the heat and find two swims a day quite refreshing.

I love Audrey's writing and her novels are unusual and unique...

this one did not disappoint but I was not prepared for what would transpire...

I suppose the surprise is refreshing even if it is a bit strange.

My BFF loaned me this book when we were at Poets Cove on Pender Island this past weekend.

We enjoyed several lazy days of swimming in the pool and soaking in the hot tub...

a walk and dinner out squeezed in between sun bathing and reading rounded out the trip.

The funny thing was that when she showed it to me I said "Oh I am reading one of her novels right now!"

Niffeneger and Diffenbaugh...two distinctly different names and yet I thought I saw the same letters in the same order and yes I was wearing my sunglasses but I have no excuse as they are prescription Maui Jim's!

Sweet Peas

 a fragrant flowery fantasy in a vase...

Buying shorts might not seem like a big deal to you but for me it was a huge leap...

I have my fingers crossed that the Fashion Police are out of the country on holiday.

Shorts are what most boaters are wearing these days...

perhaps I have just come to the party late which is no surprise as that is my usual modus operandi!

OOTD

July 20th, 1974

Our wedding day under the rose arbour at Government House.

I cannot believe that we are at year 40 as husband and wife but it's true and yet it feels like yesterday 

when we stood in the church in front of over 100 of our friends and family saying I Do.

So young, so naive, and so completely in love.

With many dreams in our hearts for a future together.

My husband is a wonderful partner, a great friend and I am so grateful that we met.

I might call it fate how we met and my husband might refer to it as a mere coincidence.

We met when we were out boating.

 I was a guest on my BFF's family boat in the late 1960's...

so we've actually been a couple longer than 40 years.

We will be celebrating this weekend.

"Marriage is the golden ring in a chain whose

beginning is a glance and whose ending is Eternity."

~ Kahlil Gibran ~