Looking around I noticed the grey gloom, the cold and heavy mist hanging like curtains almost hiding the trees.
On a day like this we could use some sunshine and light,
a bright punch of colour would be a great mood lifter...
Mushrooms
Leaves
Autumn Trees on a sunny day so much lovelier and distinctly more beautiful.
Colour is Mother Nature's best accessory...
which got me thinking
about some of my choices
which at the time seemed sensible and prudent
but now feel "boring and plain."
A prime example here is "the clutch."
I own several clutches and most are black except
for this vintage gun metal grey bag...
This one is hands down the most useful due to it's size but it could be in a brighter shade...
Hmmm....
Looks like there's a bit of a copy cat thing happening here with the ridges in bedding and the bag.
Vintage Nordstrom
Paired with the Lisa Campione skirt
Chanel inspired tweed jacket Jeremy Spenser
I'd opt for one of the black bags with this jacket.
It works with the black Velvet Jones of NY fancy pants.
not so much with the wrap top by Laura Petites...
I'd use one of the black bags with this top.
Sherman brooch
Aurora Borealis Sherman brooch
Boucher pin
unknown maker
I like to think of it as my St.Tropez brooch
Gumball Freshwater Pearls...
anniversary gift from my husband several years ago
Vintage coin necklace
Salt Spring Island silversmith artisan designed silver bangle
Venus flytrap necklace J Crew
I'm going to keep my eyes open for a classic clutch in a brighter shade.
If you have been reading my blog for awhile you'll know how much I love drinking tea.
I find teatime a wonderful opportunity to sit in peace and quiet.
I count my blessings
and reflect on all that is good in my life.
If I am having a gloomy day I always reach for a cheerful bone china cup and saucer.
Sipping tea out of a pretty cup is so soothing to the soul.
I try lots of different teas...
I have developed a fondness for Lapsang Souchong Tea.
It is a smokey tea and quite different from others that I have tried and I highly recommend it.
Abraham Darby Rose
You might also know that I am a passionate rose grower and I love David Austin roses.
Climbing Iceberg with Lady's Mantle on the table and in the background atop the cabinet Abraham Darby.
It's been quite a journey...
since I started blogging back in November of 2009.
I've learned a lot about myself in these 5 years.
I lost 30 pounds through Weight Watchers
took up walking for fitness
discovered my personal style
honed my wardrobe
I retired
I decided to follow my dream and plan a trip to Paris
I've started taking French lessons
and am trying to figure out how to pack for 3 weeks in France in a carry on!
I hope you come back frequently and read my humble blog
In celebration of the blog's 5 year anniversary I have decided to give a gift to one of my readers.
Please leave a comment telling me what you like best about my blog.
A Bone China mug with roses, of course, and a tea towel.
All the entries will go into a bowl and I'll draw one name.
The giveaway closes on November 29th, 2014 at midnight PST.
If you are the winner you'll need to email me at bungalowhostess@gmail.com with your mailing address.
Good luck!
65 comments:
Hostess, I read your blog because I like your personality. You are such a genuine person and I like to read about your life. There are interesting facets---your wardrobe, your charming Craftsman house, your cats, your garden, your sweet relationship with your mother--your journey. I am a number of years older than you are, but I feel we are kindred spirits.
I LOVE your blog! I am a fairly new follower but over the last month or so I have gone back and read EVERY post. I thoroughly enjoy how you can make even the most mundane task seem interesting. I love it! You find beauty and peacefulness in each and every day. The way you share things with us is so relaxing. I so appreciate the work you put in. Thank you for sharing your life with us!
I read your blog even with slow expensive ship internet because you have such a positive attitude and you inspired with weight loss (not achieved yet) and grey hair (love it). We seem to have similar tastes (all things beautiful and French) and background experiences (HBC charm school and teacher-librarian/resource background) so I always feel that I am visiting with a friend. Thank you for your years of blog friendship.
Such beautiful photos! You can exempt me from the giveaway, lovely and Hostess-appropriate though the mug and dishtowel are. Let someone else be so lucky as to win. But what do I like best? The cozy feeling of your words and images, and the sense I have that you really hard to be kind and comforting. <3 Happy blogaversary. You've come such a long way!
I very much look forward to your blog and photos. There is a serenity and charm to your blog that makes it a delight to read. I like the way you find beauty in each day or occasion, even if it isn't a pleasant task you find the positive in it. Keep up the good work. I am sitting in the early morning cool enjoying my lap sang sou chong and toast, waiting for a very hot day to start warming up (41 degrees celcius expected in Sydney, Australia!)
Bon anniversaire a l'une de mes favorites bloggers. Je vous lis quotidiennement et savoure les postes. Voila 3 ans depuis que j'ai decouvert votre "blog" . Succes continu !!
PS : Bonne chance a Paris !!
Congratulations on five years! I am celebrating my one year with a giveaway too; stop by to enter! You've accomplished a lot, and have a lot to look forward to -- Paris! I love reading about your wardrobe curating, love of tea and books. You seem to look for the beautiful in the every day things.
I love your brooches, and those roses, too.
I love the variety of your blog and your sincerity. You are an inspiration as I look forward to my own "someday" retirement. Thanks for all you do. Keep up the good work.
What do I like best about your blog? I always feel that you are completely honest and truthful. Congrats on your 5th anniversary!
I love how you share your joy in the simple things of life. I am inspired by the way you care for yourself, your family, and your home. Thank you for sharing your life and your thoughts. Happy Anniversary!
What I like best about your blog is your wisdom and soulful insights to life in all its highs and sorrows. Plus your inspirational weight loss journey, updates and your outfits! Happy Anniversary. Lucy
I enjoyed blog for your style sense, your photos of the west coast and the glimpse of home. Congrats for on 5 years. Looking forward to your Paris adventure this year. Pat
First, congratulations on five years of blogging. Yours is one I read consistently - why? You have such a gentle spirit that is refreshing. As a blogger-in-training (for oh, so long), your kind personal communication has been encouraging. I hope doing what you do so well brings you happiness for a very long time. Jen in NY.
Congratulations on your blog anniversary and all the accomplishments and positive changes in your life. I love the cozy, "real" feeling when I come here. Please don't enter me in the giveaway, they're lovely things, but I'm trying to declutter.
I am delighted to have found your blog recently and look forward to your entries each week. Thank you for the tea recommendation; I am still trying to find an everyday tea and will try this one. Clarissa
Congratulations on your five years of blogging. Coming from a tea growing country I'd love to be counted in for this one, provided the giveaway is open to all.
I enjoy reading your blog as I lived in Victoria while I was a student - so many familiar places.
For packing tips, see this video by Catherine Jane (designer from San Francisco) - she shows how to pack for weeks in a carry-on. It's great -
http://blog.catherinejane.net/tag/how-to-pack-1-carry-on-for-2-weeks/
PS Congratulations on your blog and the many milestones during the past five years.
I enjoy reading your blog for a variety of reasons. Your thoughtfulness and attention to detail in so many areas (nature, cooking, fashion, lifestyle, etc.) are inspiring to me. Your photography is simple yet beautiful. I'm fairly new to this blog, so I wasn't away of your journey. Thank you for sharing. Congratulations and I hope you continue blogging.
There are many reasons I love reading your blog. I love hearing about your adventures. I love seeing your wardrobe. I love seeing pics of your gorgeous house and garden. I admire your dedication to everything you do.
Congratulations on 5 years of blogging
Congratulations on 5 years of blogging. They go by quickly, don't they? I enjoy reading your blog because it's a little like visiting a friend with tidbits of this and that.
Please exempt me from the giveaway as well, since I won one of yours a while back.
Congratulations on your 5th anniversary. It has been so nice getting to know you.
The joy and beauty you find in the everyday experiences, Hostess, brings me back again and again. Peace to you and your family this festive season.
Mel
Congratulations on 5 years, Leslie! That's awesome. I always enjoy the calm vibe you give off. I adore Lapsang Souchong tea!
I love your flower photos! As a fellow Canadian, I also love to read about your life on the West Coast. I have friends and family in BC; and I never "got" the lure that drew them there, and keeps them there. I read your blog in hope, of becoming a little less provincial. lol.
You inspire me. My precious husband has in the past 6 months been confined to a wheelchair and I have had to retire early to look after him. When I start to feel low and get the poor me's, I can come to your blog and be jolted, not jolted exactly, guided is a better word, back to reality. I still have my special man, I have a small but lovely home to live in, I have a small garden with a lovely rose bush in it and I have enough extra cash to buy a little something special at a second hand store if I want and I have a tea canister with tea bags in it. You help me see how much I do have not the why us, poor me side of life. Congratulations on you anniversary and keep on brightening our days. You are much appreciated.
I read because you're adorable. :o)
I love your beautiful home and garden.
Cheers,
Marsi
manon729 at yahoo dot com
Your blog resonates with me because you are "real"; especially in your devotion to your family. We have much in common in our tastes and although being at opposite ends of the country, we are both in "Oak Bay". I hope you continue blogging in the manner to which we have become accustomed. It suits you, and it suits your readers.
LmC
LmC
Thank you Susan, I love reading your comments.
Judy you've gone above and beyond reading all those archived posts!
I do that too when I discover a blogger whose posts "speak to me."
Dear Madame...
I avidly followed your Paris trips and think that they are one of the reasons I have decided to go :-)
Those are wonderful compliments and I owe blogging to you...
I am indebted to you and grateful for the introduction.
Merci beaucoup!
I'm sitting with a cup of that tea too reading your words...it is cloudy and cool here so the tea is a perfect pick me up...you might like to pour some of your LS tea over ice!
Merci beaucoup...
I am happy that you have been following along for the past 3 years...I've purchased my ticket for Paris and so looking forward to the adventure!
I saw that we share the same date although both different years...keep up the good work Deborah and soon 5 years will be here before you know it!
Your positive comments are going to fuel my desire to raise the bar...I hope that i am up to the task!
I hope that all my posts are honest representations of who I am and what I do...some are rather mundane but they are my reality.
Hi Susan...it's so much easier to enjoy the routines of homekeeping when you like living with order over chaos! I do not do well in a muddle.
Thank you Lucy...I hope you'll continue to pop by and visit, and your comments are always welcome and appreciated.
I think I'll be posting pictures on Instagram when I get to Paris instead of writing indepth posts while I am there as I will not want to miss a moment in the city of light...will write the posts when i get back!
Jen...I would love the opportunity to read your blog...in my experience the "training" started when I pressed the publish button on my first post! It is a learning curve and fun to see how it evolves.
Thank you for taking the time to comment Kathy...I always appreciate seeing you and Pearl on FB...
Clarissa...this tea has a punch of flavour that is quite unique...great for an afternoon tea.
I love an English Breakfast and Earl or Lady Grey teas for mornings.
As long as you can provide a valid mailing address that the post office recognizes I am confident that if your name were drawn I could send it to you....good luck!
I watched her video and she has some great ideas.
Anonymous if you want to be entered in the draw please post a first name and initial at the end of your comment so I know who you are!
Welcome Louise!
I hope that you'll continue to read and enjoy my blog.
Nice to see that you are reading my blog!
I never really know who reads my blog and I think this might be the first time you have commented and thank you Lizzie!
I like seeing your pictures of your walks and boating adventures and hearing what you are doing. Your vast summer veggie garden and canning and preserving always inspire me.
Thank you Adrienne...I love seeing what projects you are working on in your home and garden. I am happy to have been introduced to you on your blog.
Thank you Mel...
wishing you a wonderful holiday.
Do you have a favourite brand of Lapsang Souchong tea?
The only one I have tried is Murchies blend.
Deana,
You are an inspiration to me.
I applaud your devotion and dedication.
We never know what life has in store for us do we?
It is so important that we savour the small joys everyday...
I know when my dear husband had cancer I was not the calm woman that you see now...there were many days when I could not to keep it together. But that experience taught me a lot about myself, the way that I chose to react to things I could not control and ways in which I could change the way I looked at life...
Remember to take care of yourself and continue to enjoy those cups of tea.
I am honoured to have you on my readers list!
Thank you Marsi...
LmC,
Oak Bay is a lovely spot...it sounds as if you know of it.
Victoria is a very scenic city...
I'll try to maintain a level of decorum that Oak Bay residents and previous residents would be proud of!
Hi - thanks for your generosity. The offering is lovely; and I am downsizing, so don't need to be in the draw. Thanks for reminding me, though.
Congratulations Hostess - wow 5 years - I have been dipping in and out of your blog from before you retired, and have enjoyed every post. You sound so reassuringly normal with similar attitudes to mine with regard to family and friends and the way that you are so content in your skin. Hope that you can keep it up.
Cindy F from Oz
That sounds delicious, will try it!
I am a new reader to your blog. I love your positive attitude as well as fashion info with the French flair! I too love fashion and France. I am 64, retiring in May and moving to France! I am so excited. When are you travelling to Paris?
Take care,
Denise
Hostess.. Congratulations on your blogaversary!! From the beginning I found several common threads of interest between us. I enjoy reading about your home, family, and other personal shares. You have such a lovely relationship with your mother so for someone like me who lost hers so many years ago, your posts are quite dear! Also, love hearing about life on the other side of our vast continent! Smiles... Susan
Nice to hear from you Cindy and I am happy to be seen as somewhat normal...I consider that a compliment. I feel so grateful for my family and friends as they add such riches to my life.
Susan it is great to have you along for the ride...
I cherish my Mother and our closeness, I cannot imagine a life without her so I can empathize with how you might feel when you read about our jaunts.
I appreciate your perspective on my posts and always welcome your comments.
Congratulations on your upcoming retirement and move to France. That sounds like a great adventure. I'm planning to be in Paris next spring!
Hostess, I'm not sure when I started reading your blog but I found it on the blog roll of Une Femme d'un Certain Age and have enjoyed reading your posts over the years.
Your recent postings on your French lessons recall "Madame" from my school years who was (and is) a very stylish French lady who makes chic look effortless.
I also enjoy your posts about your tea times with your mother.
Happy blogiversary and here's to many more!
Cheers,
Lynne
Along with all the other ladies, I'm wishing you a happy anniversary. I so look forward to your posts as they remind me of my time in Victoria (we had an apartment in Fairfield while our son was going to UVic). But you also are an inspiration as I start to plan towards retirement - so much to look forward to. I had that same china mug, bought in Victoria at the (no longer there) china shop across from the Empress, but my husband accidentally broke it and I couldn't find the same one again over here in Vancouver. I did enjoy having my Murchies tea in it. I hope you continue to bring us your insights for years to come.
Lyn
What I like best about your blog is your direct honest writing. :)
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