Victoria Day Long Weekend...aboard ship!

This past weekend was a long weekend so we took to the sea...

Our "humble" boat is a 27 foot 1996 Sea Ray Sundancer.

We can cruise fast or slow depending on the weather and our mood.

I always take flowers from the Humble Bungalow Garden.

My all time favourite David Austin Rose is Jude the Obscure.

I know it is not fair choosing just one rose but I cannot help myself...

as Jude is sheer perfection in a rose

Fragrance, form, and colour all exceptional.

I use silverware on the boat.

It might strike you as odd but there is a reason that we have this on board.

When I went shopping to outfit the boat with the few necessities that we needed I was trying to keep the costs down...

when one buys a boat it is usually a tad expensive so I tried to cut corners elsewhere...

I ventured into the big box stores looking for stainless sets and the ones I liked were around $100 a set.

I saw this one in the antique shop for less than half that and it is vintage WMF from Germany...I only need to polish it twice a year to keep it looking good.

I pack my tote bag full of books and magazines 

there is plenty of time to relax and read.

We eat simple meals.

I have a one burner stovetop, microwave and BBQ.

Our small fridge prevents us from bringing too much food!

I eat oatmeal with a wee bit of honey for breakfast and Mr. HB prefers V8 juice and a bagel.

Dinners and lunches revolve around salad and some type of protein...

maybe a few new baby potatoes with butter and fresh mint.

"Snacks" are often naughty...

chips and popcorn...

 chocolates.

We try to walk or swim everyday.

I read Motherland by Maria Hummel.

It is a well written story about the hardships that women and their families had to live through during the Second World War. 

It held my interest right from the very first page...

I highly recommend it.

I am a magnet for mosquitoes so I need to wear these bracelets!

Here is the beautiful morning view at Poets Cove Resort on Pender Island.

The roses in the morning sunshine.

We went for a hike in the forest.

It was cool in the shade and there was a lot of buzzing so I was glad that I wore my mosquito bracelet!

The rocky shoreline is mostly sandstone.

The weather was much better than we had anticipated...

blue skies and sunshine and very little wind.

My favourite kind of weather for cruising!

This is the view the last morning 

before we packed up and came home.

Today I am doing laundry...and the skies are grey and the weather cool.

I am so grateful that we had such nice weather for our getaway.

Our house and cat sitter made the weekend possible and I am so thankful.

I am still trying to figure out why my blog will not appear on the Feed as soon as I publish it and I have contacted Blogger but have not heard anything yet.

I am using smaller images on this post to see if that is what is the delay...

so please bear with me as I work on sorting out this issue.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Home Sweet Home and a quick recap of our Sea Ray Cruise.

We are back on dry land at home in The Humble Bungalow.
Our boating trip was mostly fun and we relaxed, read our books and ate simple meals...

The first port that we visited was Telegraph Harbour Marina on Thetis Island...probably our favourite spot.
The weather was lovely, sunny and warm during our 5 day stay and we got together with friends who live on the island.

I spent a delightful afternoon playing bridge at the Community Centre.

I wore the white scarf that I purchased in Paris at The Monoprix.

I feel particularly feminine wearing this scarf...it's got lots of volume but is light.

I wore it over top an Eileen Fisher linen tank top and some black capri length pants.

I popped on some simple pearl drop earrings and my diamond necklace.

After Thetis Island we cruised to Pender Island and our first port of call was Otter Bay.

It's a rather quaint Marina but is well protected from the straits.

Quite charming and very picturesque.

There are two pools and this one is exclusively for the adults.

(I don't know who those people are, I tried to shoot around those using the pool.)

 I didn't quite manage!

We moved to Poets Cove Resort on South Pender Island and spent 4 days tied up at the dock.

Then weather was positively beastly!
We had torrential rains, thunder, lightning and hail...more rain.

Then short patches of sunshine that teased us for the next few days.

I was very grateful to be tied up to a dock and not bobbing around on anchor or a buoy.

It was an interesting/challenging/experience as we had some leaks for the first time.
The carpet in our salon got wet and stayed wet.
I am not proud when I admit that I got exasperated and at times felt downright cranky!
(at least our bed was dry!)

Our next stop was Port Browning where we joined friends and family.
Some were on boats and other were camping in the orchard.
PIDGE  ~  Pender Island Disc Golf Extravaganza...
this year we played our 10th tournament...34 people played.
The littlest ones walked the course with their parents and grand parents.

Our trophy!

We had a crab feed!

The sun came out...

Overnight the fog rolled in...

and after it lifted we left for home port in Tsehum Harbour in Sidney.

The cats and house were well taken care of while we were away.

They do seem happy to see us...

I've got a mountain of laundry to attend to so I must close for now.

I hope to catch up on my blog reading too while the machines work their magic on grime.

Cheerio.

Awakening in September.

The month of September arriving used to be a time for me to get ready and geared up to return to work.

I would buy several of the Fall Fashion issues of Elle, Bazaar and Vogue magazines and make notes of what was new and work appropriate. The lists were always longer than the funds that were available! 

These past two Septembers have come in quite quietly with very little new purchases...retirement dressing is not that demanding. I dress much more casually but am aware that if I do not make the effort to add a dash of colour or a scarf or some jewelry I am bored with myself.

I plan to edit my wardrobe and write a list of a few new things that I would like to purchase this season. 

A grey cashmere sweater is high on my list and perhaps some new ballet flats in a bright colour. 

Maybe some bright boots too for our rainy days. 

What have you got on your list so far? 

Taking note of colours that make me feel happy and cheery during the grey and gloomy weather that we have in the Pacific Northwest is very important. 

Apple season is upon us and a crisp juicy apple adds fibre and vitamins to the Ancient Grains cereal that I eat for breakfast. I add a dash of honey and skip the milk. When I do have milk it's skim. 

I am still trying hard to count my points...less walking means that I need to be more aware.

I might have to go to the pool for Aqua Fit classes if this knee is going to be an ongoing problem.

We walked to The Driftwood Centre on Pender last week and almost halfway we stopped at this rural farm stand. 

French radishes are delicious served with sea salt and soft butter....

Loved the tins and vintage touches on the rustic stand. 

Burlap, old boxes, flowers...it oozed country charm. 

I love patty pan squash and will plant some in the garden next year. 

Aren't they pretty little things? 

Green beans were served regularly when I was in France. I love steaming them until they are tender but crisp then tossing them with butter salt and pepper. What could be simpler? 

Vintage rusty old tractor and a scarecrow. 

I wonder what life on a working farm would be like?

Periwinkle blue flowers were popping out of the ditches. 

Amazing to me that they have survived a hot dry summer and still are blooming. 

These put a smile on my face. 

Mr. HB and I had natchos for dinner one night this week. 

The day's blend together and often I cannot say if it is a Sunday or a Tuesday!

Taco chips topped with melted cheese and served with "boat made" Salsa.

We had a small amount of a commercial salsa left in the jar so I cut up and seeded two small red jalapeño peppers, a small onion, half a green pepper and added about half a cup of tomato Ketchup and a few teaspoons of Franks Red Hot Sauce. I covered this and set it in the fridge for a few hours to allow the flavours to bloom. 

Boy! they did their job and WowZa that sauce was spectacular! 

What's new with you these days? 

I am blogging from my IPAD mini and have the Blogger App which works for most things but I cannot add hash tags or Facebook or Pinterest so you will just have to suffer along with these posts until I get back home from the boat. 

Take Care and be Kind. 

After the storm....

The winds were wild and gale force in the Straits near Victoria and Vancouver yesterday.

Fierce winds battered the coast, trees blew down and there were power outages. 

We stayed safe albeit a wee bit wet from the driving rain.

Today we slipped out of Otter Bay Marina and headed down to Poets Cove Resort.

The seas were lumpy and the winds moderate.

Last nights sunset....

"red sky at night sailors delight...red sky in morning sailor take warning."

Otter Bay have nesting boxes for the Purple Martin birds. 

They must have already flown south as we did not see any while we were there. 

We enjoyed our few days at this small Marina. 

Last night there was a wedding aboard a sailboat and there were dozens of people attending. 

The bride was taken out the boat in a dingy and she wore a lovely long white gown. 

Chiffon, off the shoulder, and her hair was up and she had a tiara of pearls. 

The rain held off for their nuptials and after their vows the heavens opened up and poured rain. 

I did some cleaning today as the boat was looking a wee bit unkempt. 

Living in a small space means stowing everything when it's not in use. 

I have a bad habit of kicking off my flip flops and leaving them in the middle of the floor where I trip on them later! You'd think I would be more careful. 

Tonight we are going to dine on a big crunchy salad, a BBQ steak, 

Rose French wine and some boiled new potatoes with butter salt, pepper and mint. 

Simple, easy and so satisfying. 

I have saved my favourite magazine and plan on reading it cover to cover after I finish my current novel. 

The anticipation and the lovely covers are part of the joy this magazine brings me every month. 

Do you have a particular magazine that you enjoy? 

My daily regime on board our boat is pretty close to the one I do at home. 

I don't use or bring Fresh Sugar face masks as they are far too bulky. 

All these fit into my small make up bag. 

Sunscreen is a must! 

My basket is full and the two books I have already read were donated to the previous two Marina libraries for other Mariners to borrow. 

I made this appetizer tray up earlier in the week. Small chunks of cheeses, crackers, pickled asparagus, and wine salami. These take up very little room in our tiny galley fridge and add a bit of luxury in the evening. 

I need to get some exercise that is not going to stress my knee...so laps are on! 

Well I must close for now as the swimming pool awaits...

Cheerio.

XO