Greetings from The Humble Bungalow.
There's not too much news here...
Still in recovery from my hip replacement and have not been away.
Life is moving quite slowly
but I'm feeling positive and content to be a homebody.
There are always things to do here...
mostly home keeping jobs.
The kettle is often boiling and there's fresh tea in the pot.
Good books at the ready and a cat that loves attention.
I've been enjoying watching You Tube Videos.
So many great people out there that are sharing their homes, gardens and hobbies.
Do you have any favourite You Tube Accounts?
~ Japanese Peony ~
Seen on one of my walks...
At Government House in The Rockland area of Victoria.
Gorgeous details and a pristine white bowl of petals.
Government House Gardens are open to the public most of the year.
The gardens are a mix of Garry Oak meadows, large areas of lawn, rocky outcroppings and perennial borders.
Several ponds with ducks, a rose garden and a fountain.
Quite a few benches are available to sit and enjoy the peace and quiet.
Spectacular views of The Olympic Mountains
across the Strait to Washington, USA.
Native plants and rock and alpine plants have there place here too...
A small museum of vintage clothing is located in the Mews where
there is a charming tea room.
Volunteers help take care of the grounds and there are plant sales during the year.
I like to visit several times each year to see what is blooming.
If you visit Victoria or live closeby this is a great spot for a walk or a picnic.
I snapped a picture of this peony just as I was leaving...
I found this antique platter at Ross Bay Villa's Saturday sale.
I was drawn to the black and white colours and the mottled age of the piece.
I popped this on our arts and crafts wooden shelf in the bathroom.
The sun has been out for a few days and we have been enjoying the warmer weather.
Warm enough for a soft ice cream cone treat!
Chester is loving this warm sunny spot.
He's been finding sunny patches to have a nap in most days...
I'd love to be able to nap like a cat.
I've been bringing out some of my summer clothes...
I love the details on the sleeves of this white linen shirt.
It's a versatile piece...can be worn as a jacket or a simple shirt.
My new denim jacket..by Angels from Marshall's.
I looked at thrift and consignment shops for several weeks but had no luck so I decided to go look at Marshall's and found one for under $40.
The silk scarf is by local artist and crafter Lise Lotte Design.
She has the scarves for sale on her website in 2 sizes...I opted for the smaller one.
It's light and lovely and has a beautiful pattern on it
she made this using a technique called cyanotype
that harnesses the power of the sun!
Do you watch the Miss Fisher mysteries on TV?
I've seen a few and was delighted when I found a new book.
I love the details, the era that the stories are set in and the opulent fashions.
Am halfway through the book and enjoying the story...
I now can see why the books are so popular.
Have you ever tried to monitor your portions by using a smaller plate or bowl?
This is one of the tricks that I am using to help me from overeating.
My lunch 5 out of 7 days
is high protein Greek Yogurt, fresh fruit and chopped walnuts.
I vary the fruit so that I am not bored.
I actually feel like I am eating dessert when I eat this lunch...
and it keeps me satisfied until dinner time.
~ Pasta ~
my husbands' favourite food.
To make it satisfying I usually serve it with a salad.
I have 1 cup of noodles and 1 cup of sauce.
The sauce recipe is pretty basic...
1 diced onion
1-2 cloves of garlic minced
2 stalks celery diced
several sliced mushrooms
saute in olive oil on medium heat until soft
stirring often.
Add sliced Italian sausages
(they look like meat balls)
saute until cooked.
Add 1 large large can of minced or chopped tomatoes.
(San Marzano are very flavourful)
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and dried oregano
(all to your taste)
Simmer for an hour and serve over top of any pasta.
Native Camas is in bloom.
Many Local Victoria Parks have these plants growing...
Beacon Hill, Playfair and Uplands Parks
Lovely spots to walk and enjoy nature at its best.
Wee auricula from the plant sale table at Ross Bay Villa.
Love love love these darling flowers :-))
I am trying to get in as many steps as I can to build my muscles up.
It is taking a longer time to get my speed back.
As a result I'm feeling stiff and have just purchased a big bag of epsom salts!!
A soak in the tub is on my radar...
Hope that things are going well for you.
Well it's your turn now...
perhaps you can share what you are up to, what you are reading
or watching on You Tube?
Until next time.
~ Be Well and Be Kind ~
28 comments:
Being home and enjoying domestic pursuits is perfect! We don’t always need to be buzzing about or travelling! It’s a challenge getting walking speed back..took longer than I anticipated and I’m still not as speedy as I thought I might be….
Love the Kerry Greenwood books and have read them all at least twice over the years! Thanks for sharing the beauty of your area and the flowers you see. Continued good luck on your recovery and keep in mind that rest is impactful in your progress as well. A lesson I am finally learning!!
Oh I so enjoy your posts! The beautiful flowers, interesting books, the yummy recipes and always the fashion. The variety of topics is interesting. It sounds like you are doing very well! Yeah!
Books, tea and that gorgeous porch! Looks like paradise to me!
Lovely to read that you are recovering well, and out and about a bit now. As you get out your Summer clothes, I am doing the same with my Winter things, which have been packed away since we moved six months ago. It is fun to plan change of season wardrobes, trying new accessories etc. Your denim jacket is great and what a good price! Yes, I have tried the plate trick and it is a good one. I like your lunch plan, and might give it a try as I want to shed the kilo I gained over Easter. The blue flowers are gorgeous, and are both new to me. They really are darling. I watch a bit of You Tube, and love Roxy's Journal of Stitchery as I do some of their projects along with the rest of the viewers. Stay well.
Hello ! I came upon your site through the Ageless Style blog. I would love to subscribe but could not find a follow button..pjmanny49@yahoo.com please let me join in on your fun ! Thank you in advance.
Glad to hear that you are getting about now. I had my hip replacement a couple of years ago here in France and it has made a difference. My husband though, has had a fall and fractured his. He is in his third week in hospital and is still not permitted to get out of bed. He will be overjoyed when they eventually let him come home to recuperate. Loving the flowers and that you are enjoying good spring weather in Victoria. Here in southwest France we are getting a bit of rain again so the garden is going crazy . C'est la vie.
I’m glad you are recovering well from hip replacement surgery. I am undergoing this surgery in July. Nervous!
It's great to read your newsy posts. That linen shirt/jacket is a lovely piece, and very versatile. I've not been to Government House since autumn and think it's time to go again. Portion control is what's happening here, too, and I'm having a bit of success. It's keeping at it that I find difficult.
I'm so glad that you are healing from your surgery. It does take time and lots of self-care.
I am trying not to stress about the speed...just the fact that I am pain free and able to walk again!!
Home is a good place to recuperate...surrounded by comforting things...a cat who loves attention and a garden that is alive with flowers and buzzing bees.
Am almost finished the mystery and will seek out some others as they cross my path. Rest is important and I am sleeping so much better now that I am allowed to sleep on my side...back sleeping was a real challenge!!
Beth B so nice to hear from you again...I often wonder if readers are put off by my variety of posts...but I am interested in so many things...and like to share :-)) Thank you for your feedback it means a lot.
On a sunny day the porch and tea with my book feels like I am on vacation!!
Patricia, I know these seasonal posts are opposites for us. You down south and us up far north...Camas are native to North America and now I see on Gardener's World in the UK there are some gardeners cultivating them !! Will check out Roxy even though I am not clever with a needle and thread :-))
Take care
Hi Peggy,
Blogger has discontinued the "follow" widget so I am unable to help...it is frustrating for sure, for readers and for me. I don't have a schedule for posts anymore either...I have been rather lazy in my habit after all these years...and it is a hobby.
So you'll probably find posts every 2 weeks and if you pop back and look there may be a couple of newer ones every so often...also there are posts in the archives from 2009 if you want to go back to read them!!
Hi Kerrie,
Oh no...so sorry to hear about your husband and his hip. We have friends that live in SW France, the village of Auvillar (between Agen and Toulouse) and they have had great things to say about the health care in France. Hopefully he'll be on the mend soon...I am happy that I am through the worst of the healing and now just need to get my muscles back in fine form and speed up my pace of walking!!
Take care
P.S. Rain is definitely needed here...we are hand watering the new plants and planters.
I was a wee bit nervous too...that's to be expected but I was pleasantly surprised by my speedy progress...hopefully you'll find it a positive experience. The relief from the pain is a real gift!
Good luck
I hope you enjoy the walk around the grounds at Government House. The tearoom opens at the end of May and I hope to go after it opens on a sunny day. Any excuse to wear a linen dress and sunhat :-))
I find portion control is my best way of eating mindfully...i seem to look at food and gain weight!! It's that post menopausal metabolism that we are battling with...and it's not fun. I am treating myself to a soft ice cream cone or some chocolate on occasion so that I experience some small food rewards...and then I get right back to restrained meals!!
I have found you through Cindy, who I have followed for a few years. I am hoping to join your site, but like another reader, don’t know how. I live up island in the Parksville /Qualicum Beach area, was born in Victoria in 1950… so older than you … but enjoy many of the same pursuits as you. Interiors, gardens, walking and other forms of exercise, dressing with colour and enthusiasm, volunteering , and generally enjoying so much available here on Vancouver Island. Currently enjoying Oban and area on the Scottish coast , and once home will likely explore more locally . This is due to budget constraints after many solo trips to UK and EU these past 8 years. Victoria is definitely on my list to enjoy for a few days. Lovely city.
I am Cath@CoastalBC and look forward to reading more of your past blogs to learn more about you, Leslie.
You always find amazing things on your thrifting adventures. I’m hoping to get to Victoria this summer—it’s been over 10+ years!—and I will search out some of your older posts to find shops to visit.
I’m glad you’re healing and are being positive about the process. We often forget that slowing down gives us a chance to appreciate the things we miss when are lives are full speed ahead.
Have you read any books by Port Townsend author Erica Bauermeister? “The School of Essential Ingredients” is warm, interesting, and wonderfully descriptive about food & life.
Enjoy the glorious May sunshine!
So glad to hear you are pain free! Your stamina will come back to you. I have a few favorite vlogs you may enjoy since you love gardening, and older homes; Linda Vater, Kevin Lee Jacobs, and Linda Smith Davis. I have been too busy playing in my yard to read! 😊
Hi Leslie, I just love your varied posts with all the beautiful photos, fashion updates, treasures found, recipes, self-care, interior design and gardens. In a way it's a bit like magazines used to be long ago, but much better because you are a real person. Your posts are such fun! I always feel happy when I see a new one up. I just pop in often to see if you've updated and read old posts too when I feel like something uplifting/comforting. Thanks for keeping this blog up when so many bloggers have left; I'm sure it's challenging and expensive to do so. Your blog is a place of beauty and I'm so happy you are here.
Erina
You are looking really well! You're doing a great job with portion control - so true that that is the key. We fool ourselves all the time that we're not eating that much, but in reality we are. Well done!
Hi Cath Your Scottish trip sounds fabulous!
Nice to meet another islander :-)) I don't have a subscription service on the blog as Blogger discontinued that a few years ago. (frustrating) If you are on Instagram...I have a private account but you can message me with a request to follow and I post there when I publish a new post. It' sunny here very nice the crowds that line the route of the parade....Victoria Day!
I have read most of Erica's books...she's a great writer.
Sunny here today on holiday Victoria Day....parade and celebrations locally.
I have a few thrift and consignment suggestions for your visit. For housewares...Good Things on Oak Bay Ave...Super Chance in James Bay Square. WIN thrift shops, and Salvation Army carry clothes and housewares as well as the big Value Village downtown...I like a la mode consignment, Twice is Nice and Turnabout all located in Oak Bay for ladies clothes and accessories.
Take care,
Leslie
I do like Linda's You Tube...she's got lots of great garden advice and I think her thrifting adventure are tons of fun!!
I will check out those other suggestions...thank you.
Hope you are enjoying your garden!
Erina,
Am so encouraged by your comments...thank you.
Blogging on Blogger is a free service but they have discontinued a lot of the services...like the subscription option...which is frustrating for readers...I try to post on my Instagram when I publish a new post and hope that readers can then pop back and read it!
We have been out in the garden today and I have been removing black spot from our numerous roses...it seems to be a bad year for it. Hubby planted a yellow rose where one of our old roses was struggling to survive...they don't last forever.
Take care,
Leslie
Well I am holding pretty steady on the scale...still not at my "optimum weight" but I am fine with being a few pounds over what the suggested weight is on the WW site. My sweet tooth has returned...after months of no sugar! I do love a creamy milk chocolate bar...Whittaker's from NZ is my current favourite.
Lovely sunny day here and we've been out in the garden...I am not doing a ton of the work as I am still on the mend but hubby is picking up the slack!
Hope you are enjoying this month of May!
Post a Comment