Wee little hydrangea leaves that over wintered in The Humble Bungalow Garden.
Lacy and delicate and as light as a whisper...
tiny leaves...
Wee treasures found while weeding the beds.
Mother Nature's handiwork.
Mr. HB has been busy constructing raised beds.
We are on a long list at the Landscaping Supply Company.
Waiting for the soil to be delivered...
Apparently oodles of people locally are turning to their gardens
planting trees, flowers and veggies.
I ordered books from my favourite book seller Ivy's books on Oak Bay Avenue.
I am currently reading The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris.
It is the 4th book in her Chocolat series...
set in a small village in SW France
near where our good friends live in Auvillar.
She mentions several of the places that I have visited,
which I am remembering fondly.
Books can be a lovely way to "travel."
Dinner
of
Garden fresh asparagus
ribs
half a baked potato
I use Chef John's BBQ rib recipe from his blog Food Wishes.
It's a winner!
Made a big batch of oatmeal raisin cookies.
I've been keeping myself extra busy (happily distracted) in the kitchen.
Mr HB loves cookies...
Euphorbia bracts
photo bombed by a fly.
Brilliant blues...
a pop of colour under sunny skies.
The May skies are such a crisp blue...
have you noticed how clear the air is where you live?
Simple dinner
Shake and Bake chicken thighs
"Booth Bay" broccoli salad
Hope you enjoy this tasty salad
it is one of my summertime favourites.
Some of the restrictions here in BC are being eased this week.
The authorities have devised a plan
to gradually increase our return to the "new normal."
I look forward to resuming a wider "bubble" of people that we can interact with...
self distancing while being social should be easier with the better weather.
Picnics, outdoor cafes and bistros
will be very popular in these coming weeks and months.
Hope all is well with you.
Stay safe.
~ Be Well and Be Kind ~
18 comments:
That Booth Bay salad looks delicious. I'm going to add it to my repertoire. I've been cooking so much lately. You inspired me to follow Ina Garten on Instagram. I'm looking forward to walks with a friend or my daughter and a picnic birthday lunch in June. If we stay small and outside, I think we will be safe. I've ordered tomato plants for the balcony and it seems that we have sunny weather in the future.
Your flower pictures are always so sharply clear and colorful! I make that broccoli salad - the only difference is my recipe calls for soaking the raisins in brandy for a half hour before putting the salad together. I think it really adds something. I save the brandy after draining out the raisins and use it in brandy and Coke to drink! I often substitute dried cranberries for the raisins, too. Your meals both look delicious.
Oh, look at that kitty up there! More gardens for you! I have been enjoying all my friends' gardens and seeing how they are resurrecting them and planting more flowers and veggies. Your garden is always so lovely.
I've been working through my unread book stack and looking at re-reading some of the classics in my 9-bookshelf library.
I'm anxious about the new Phase we'll be moving into - it's always that fear of the unknown. What will it be like? All this change is really the new normal, isn't it?
Good to hear from you, L.
Your photos are delicious looking, especially the Booth Bay salad! I am looking forward to planting my vegetable garden but here in upper Michigan it will be about 4 more weeks. And we have a fresh dusting of snow here this morning! The governor just extended our stay home stay safe order to May 28! We have to do our part but many people are getting very frustrated and in this very rural area, I worry how many of these small businesses are going to come back. My husband's business is considered essential, as a building/lumber supply yard, so he has been open with safety measures added.
The salad is really worth making...I love the crunch of 🥦 broccoli and the sweet dressing with the salty bacon. Ina has been sharing lots of great recipes. I see that she has a new cookbook coming out in October called Comfort Food. I plan to buy a copy. Enjoy this sunny week!
My newer IPhone has a great camera, it’s better than my former one.
Ooh brandy soaked raisins!!!! I don’t have any brandy but maybe I could try that another time. Craisins are another great idea and the colour would be pretty with the broccoli. Thank you Jeannine!
So many people are gardening and planting veggies! The weather has been wonderful for our walks and forays in the garden. It’s getting much warmer too!
I think we will be cautious as we transition into the new phases. I plan to keep my distance from most people and will expand my bubble to close family. We will do more outdoor entertaining as the summer approaches. Picnics bbq’s and outdoor seating in restaurants. The new normal will be with us for the foreseeable future.
Stay well Sheila.
Snow! Oh my! In May? Is that usual for this time of year?
You will have a few more weeks to plan that garden. We will all need to buy local and support the small businesses if we want them to survive. I know that many will struggle to get back on their feet and if we do our best perhaps that will recover.
My husband went to the local building supply store for the wood to make those raised beds and he will go back as he plans to build me a larger potting table. Am very excited about having a bigger place to put together pots and planters and hope to find some vintage tools to decorate the shed wall where the table will be located.
Take care
Love your snippets, Leslie. This May seems especially verdant and lovely. Happy Mother's Day to you this weekend, Leslie. We are allowed to have very small family get-togethers now, while observing the precautionary protocols. I am so looking forward to spending an afternoon outside with my daughter on Sunday. Life will certainly be a new normal.
I'm in Michigan, and yes, there's been snow. Going below freezing tonight! No, it's not usual. It's usually safe to plant by Mother's Day, but I guess not this year.
Your food pics look so delicious. I just had a bowl of vegetable soup tonight and am feeling hungry just looking at those ribs!
The raised beds look wonderful. I'm definitely thinking more about gardening this year with everything that has happened. Would be nice to have vegetables in the back yard instead of having to go to the store.
Happy Mother’s Day to you! I hope to meet up with our grandchildren soon for a backyard BBQ with distancing to be safe but trying to savour the time with our family. I feel quite sad at times not being able to see my family.
We just have to embrace all the joys that present themselves in our days...be it snow or sunshine. Sounds like you are busy and focused. Stay safe!
HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS SQUINTING TO SEE WHAT WAS IN THAT SALAD!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU FOR THE OLD INDEX CARD!
PERFECT !
MAKING MY LIST NOW FOR THE STORE!
XX
I love your cat. Here in the UK our government is saying that "emerging from the pandemic will be a gradual process" but I haven't heard anything about easing restrictions. I think a lot of people were out and about yesterday though. Your Booth Bay salad looks delicious, I have saved the recipe. Your raised beds are lovely, I bet you can't wait to get started.
I didn’t know you were trying to figure out what was in the salad! It is a great summertime recipe and perfect for picnics, buffets and bbq’s. Long time friends live at Booth Bay on Salt Spring Island and they shared this recipe with us years ago on our boats so I kept the name so I would remember it better!!!
Prolly this cat is the younger one of our two...Chester and he’s such a busy boy! Always very entertaining and active, he keeps us amused!
Our restrictions are going to be in 4 phases and will proceed slowly while watching the number of new cases. If there is a spike in new cases we won’t be able to move on to the next phase. Cautiously, carefully, slowly going ahead is how the leaders are advising us right now for our successful recovery.
Lovely photos - the lacy leaves are wonderful! The raised garden beds look very smart, and I look forward to seeing what you grow. We have just planted a few lettuce and tomatoes - never done this before, so it will be fun to see if we grow something we can eat. The blue flower is stunning, and a new one to me. Your cooking looks as delicious as ever. Restrictions are being eased in Australia also, although as there is currently no cure I will continue to be extremely cautious.
A grey old day here in Melbourne, Australia.
Your lawn is a beautiful green colour!!
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