December ~ love, loss and memories.

Are you ready for the Festive Season?

No matter how hard we try to make Christmas special 

we cannot be prepared or predict what might happen.

Christmas has always been one of my favourite holidays.

Family, friends, giving to others, baking, bright lights and song.

It's never been a picture postcard storybook Christmas 

but that is what makes it special

we try 

but

because we are human things can go sideways...

This past weekend we went over to the cottage and rode on the Salish Orca.

(our regular ferry is out for annual maintenance)

While we were driving onto the ferry my husband's cellphone rang

it was the nurse from the care home.

 Mr. HB's mom, who is 100, took a turn. 

The next morning

my husband boarded an early ferry and returned to town...

his mother passed away within a few minutes after he arrived.

We have lost our beloved matriarch

the last of the long lived Scottish family.

It is the end of an era...

Elaine lead a long and rich life 

she was a spunky woman, 

"a force to be reckoned with"

her gifts and talents were many

she will be missed by all of us.

I feel blessed to have met her when I was fifteen 

 she taught me so much...

she was generous with her time, fiercely loyal to her family,

 she shared so many wonderful things with all of us

her tried and true recipes

boat skills, crocheting, card games,

how to live within a budget

everything from hostessing tips to the full on turkey feast.

She will be missed...

Fortunately we all have many years of great memories to recall.

I am confident that they will help comfort and sustain us 

in the days and weeks ahead.

I made a pasta dinner for my husbands' return to the island.

I knew that he would need a warm hug and a hot meal.

We rely on comfort food to help soothe us in times of distress.

We hunkered down in the cottage as the skies grew dark and ominous...

The weekend weather was very stormy...

rain pelting sideways with powerful gusty winds

the seas churned up with choppy waves covered in white caps.

I started reading this new book by Beatrice Colin...

it is set in Paris around the time that the Eiffel Tower was under construction.

We spent most days quietly thinking of her

 reminding each other of our favourite memories.

Laughing and weeping.

We were cozy and warmed by the fire

while outside the storms raged on...

We ventured out when there was a break in the rain...

for a welcome breath of fresh salty air.

We went to the Chocolate Shop where Mr. HB enjoyed a rich hot chocolate 

I opted for a salted caramel mocha...

I've never tasted one before today!

(it was so tasty!)

I purchsed some of their delicious chocolates for a few people on our Christmas list.

Dessert in a mug.

Looking to the light...

Holding fast to the memories of Christmases past

when all our loved ones were gathered...

several generations at the tables

wearing our paper hats from the Xmas crackers

an older family member saying grace

before

 we dined on turkey and all the trimmings.

This year there are many empty chairs...

we will gather around

in their memory

and 

toast to them.

Wishing you a Very Happy Holiday Season.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

In Holiday mode for a wee bit longer....

Greetings from The Humble Bungalow.
I am still very much in holiday mode but thought I would share a few of the holiday snapshots with you.

Our faux tree with simple white fairy lights.

Boxing Day 

before the gifts were opened...

(most of these parcels are for the grandchildren)

Fraser Fir candle adding to the ambiance with the scent of a real tree.

Our tiny living room

Dining Room 

lunch table set 

food prepared 

we are ready for the family's arrival.

We had a fun filled day and the grand children were such fun to watch.

We had a small turkey with all the trimmings and a kale salad.

 Grammy's home made macaroni and cheese as the wee ones seem to like it!

This Hostess is quite pleased as Santa decided it was time to replace our 15 year old Volvo with a newer one!

That's Kyle, the salesman at Volvo of Victoria, standing beside me.

The staff at Volvo of Victoria are very knowledgable and helpful.

They made our purchase experience so relaxing and easy...

V60 Cross Country

The car has so many wonderful safety features...

and is a quiet and comfortable car to drive.

It's a fun ride.

If we are lucky 

it should be another 15 years before we need to buy another car...

Volvo's are made to last a LONG time.

So that's it for now...

I'll be posting more soon.

If I don't manage to write another post until after New Years...

Wishing you a healthy

and 

Happy New Year!

Thank you for reading my humble blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Seasons Greetings...

The Humble Bungalow is dressed up with twinkling white lights.

We are ready for the Holidays.

Food has been purchased, presents have been wrapped, the baking is finished.

This year

Our Christmas tree is a faux one.

 (blame the naughty cats who climb the tree, drink the water and munch on it)

The faux tree came with lights and has a handy foot pedal that turns it on.

There are 11 different programs for the lights,

 I prefer to have them on old school style rather than waving on and off or pulsating!

We have been enjoying casual seasonal get togethers and creating some new family memories.

Baking 

Gingerbread Men for the grandchildren to decorate.

We had fun decorating the cookies!

Many of the candied decorations were munched before they made it onto the gingerbread cookies...

This Grammy had such fun...

we will have to arrange to do this again next year.

This week a friend and I met for morning coffee in town.

Later

we went to a book store and this book tree caught my eye.

Many of our neighbours have dressed up their gardens with lights and baubles.

The holiday spirit is very much alive in our neighbourhood.

Walking along our street I noticed that more homes are decorated 

than those that are not.

I love that people take the time to participate in making our street a wee bit brighter.

Colourful lights look so pretty strung up in a tree...

a simple idea that really adds ambiance.

Our holidays in The Humble Bungalow focus on the things money can not buy.

It is not all about gifts, but rather the memories...

those that we create today and those we remember from years gone by...

the people who are no longer with us always have a way of popping up in our minds at this time of year.

We toast to their memory...

stories follow

some are funny, some sad

the stories are not all "happy" 

but 

they are part of our history

our festive season is made brighter by 

 connecting with friends and family...

 if your family is far away

unable to get home

you can give of yourself 

with so many opportunities out there 

it fills ones heart to help the less fortunate

or 

you can invite a group of other friends whose families are unable to get together this year and celebrate with a simple meal

it could be a pot luck event

keep it simple.

Festive food and feasting...

treats, baking, chocolate.

Friends, who now live in France, sent us some chocolates.

We nibbled a few last night and they live up to their tasty reputation.

BETA5 is one of the top 5 chocolate makers in all of North America!

With all these extra treats I will need to be vigilant and keep up with my walking,

perhaps walking longer and farther to compensate for these delicious seasonal indulgences.

Weight Watchers will still be there for me after the holidays!

This post is a bit discombobulated and I am trying to rein it in,

 in a cohesive way,

 but I think it has gotten away from me so I had better close.

I am grateful that you are my audience and that you visit and listen...

Thank you so much for reading The Humble Bungalow blog.

Your comments and emails throughout the year are really appreciated.

Wishing you a Joyous and Festive Holiday. 

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Christmas snippets...

Long time no blog posts...
It has been a busy time here this Christmas in The Humble Bungalow!
We have been totally immersed in the festivities...
lots of food, family and fun.

Gifts from afar...

unexpected and so welcome.

Dressed up

painted my nails

put on some vintage bling.

Went out to an annual Christmas Eve Open House at the home of dear friends.

The National Lampoon Christmas Vacation Moose Cups were on hand 

to sip single malt scotch from if that is your preferred tipple.

(Mr. HB likes it)

I polished the silver and dusted off the crystal goblets.

Christmas Crackers were on the table as they always are...

the only time we ever had a Christmas without the crackers was when we went to Palm Springs 

 we could find none despite scouring the town...

I was convinced that Jurgenson's would have some....

sadly not.

Simple setting with our Sophie Conran china.

Adults only for dinner as the grandchildren would be with us on Boxing Day.

The turkey was delicious...lots of veggies accompanied the "bird."

I was spoiled with lovely gifts.

Pearls and cashmere.

An Espresso maker and two new Emma Bridgewater bowls to replace the one that chipped.

Thank you Santa!

We met friends for lunch at The Bard and Banker.

Wine

Salad...

the first of many.

Statue of Emily Carr 

on site at The Victoria Fairmont Empress Hotel.

My walking partner and I met up for lunch downtown followed by some shopping.

R convinced me to invest in a new pair of jeans...

(long overdue I might add)

so I now have some new NYD jeans that fit and flatter.

It often takes a friend to persuade you to spend some money on yourself.

The Riviera yogurt glass jars have been re purposed as spice jars.

Tops were sourced online at the company's website and I wasted no time in getting the spice drawer organized.

There will be a lot more tidying up around here in January 

but for now we are readying the Humble Bungalow for house guests...

I will be away from the blog for a few more days

but will be on Instagram every day at least once if not twice.

Happy New Year

Cheers!

Wishing you a Joyous Christmas

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow.
I appreciate all your comments and would like to extend warm wishes to you at this time.

Our Humble Bungalow

Glowing with the white fairy lights strung on the tree and the beams.

Just a few finishing touches and I am ready...

adding a bit of OPI polish.

One more sleep!

Christmas brings with it a mix of emotions...

memories bubble up and are powerful
thinking of those no longer with us
of those who may be ill or suffering

it is a time to spend with friends and family
and often we find ourselves far away from home

Christmas expectations might be set too high
you might be short of money
you may be lonely

I hope that you have someone that you care for to share your holiday with and that you are Joyful.

An unexpected gift arrived in the mail today

from a friend that I met on The Ooh La La Paris Tour

Merci Beaucoup!

Wishing you a Peaceful Holiday.

Hostess

3 days to Christmas ~ OOTD

Our weather has been a mix of sun and showers...

walking just the same as usual but wearing a warm down coat and carrying an umbrella.

I had to stop pull out my Iphone and capture this image so I could share it with you!

"HI"

The scenery has been quite varied and the evidence of the recent gale force winds is obvious on the beach...

Huge logs are lying on the beach 

making it a challenge to walk close to the waters edge.

I have never seen so many logs washed ashore.

They are stacked right to the top of the seawall in some places...making access to the beach difficult.

After the rains there are puddles...

Here you can see the sky above in the reflection...

There is a Christmas rose blooming by our front porch.

This is very unusual for this time of year.

The yellow rose bush beside the pink climber has several buds on it too!

I bought a bouquet of yellow roses to perk up the kitchen.

With the grey skies looming overhead Our Humble Bungalow just begs for a pop of cheer.

Nothing like a little splash of colour to brighten up a dreary day.

Light a candle and add some fragrance while we are in the mood.

My walking partner and I ventured out for a 5K walk and stopped for a delicious and healthy lunch when the weather became so blustery that our umbrellas were blowing inside out!

OOTD

Black Nygaard slim ponte knit pants

Grey Eileen Fisher top

Black Clark booties

(image taken with a goofy looking smile)

Three Days Left...until Christmas and yes I am counting!

Catching up on the laundry, finishing wrapping gifts, reading my favourite blogs and sneaking in a few chapters of my current novel.

Wee poinsettia perfect size for the powder room.

A pop of red and green... a classic festive flower.

Things are looking very Christmassy here in The Humble Bungalow.

Our tree is up and decorated with white fairy lights.

The beamed ceilings are all dolled up with strings of white fairy lights and there is a warm and cozy glow here in our home.

It is freezing cold outside 

the Stellar Jays are chattering with each other

we have suet hung for the birds and the hummingbird feeder is a busy place these days.

Hope all is Merry and Bright in your home.