November ~ New Haircut...lipstick, thrift shop finds, shoes, and a new bag.

 

New backpack bag...

Woven leather bag made by Vilenca Holland.

I love a hands free bag for shopping and my beach walks.

This one is such a beautiful shade of brown...

it has really sturdy adjustable straps.

Think it will hold up much better that my Margot Backpack.

The Margot backpack bag from last year 

is made of fine glove leather and the straps are thinner

so

with the constant wear 

some of the seams are looking stressed.

I've been out and about looking at clothes these past few weeks...

on the hunt for a dressy rayon velvet top.

I love velvet for the festive season.

I spied a gorgeous Cut Loose shirt available in several different colours 

at a rather high price point (higher than my usual budget allows) so I didn't buy it.

After chatting with our darling daughter at brunch

she convinced me to go to the thrift shops and have a browse.

Well thankfully I took her advice...

I found a lovely rayon velvet top in a bright jewel tone

and I think it might be an Eileen Fisher piece :-))

It is in perfect condition and was VERY affordable.

I need to shorten the sleeves but that will be a quick fix.

While shopping at WIN...

I found a vintage Ann Klein leather make-up bag and coin purse.

Will come in handy in the backpack bag 

as it doesn't have commodious pockets inside the bag.

After much waffling...I decided to change my hair style.

I went to an Aveda salon and had the stylist cut it into a short bob with a fringe.

It is super simple too...

Just a bit of Aveda gel and a wee bit of scrunching and then I let it air dry.

~ Saint Germain Red ~

I like a pop of colour and lipstick is a quick and easy way to add that brightness.

New Shoes...

Vessi 

Slip ons that are waterproof for the Win :-))

Walking on wet sidewalks is what I do Fall through to the end of Winter.

These will be a game changer!

Bought the black because they will go with everything in my closet!!

I am a sensible gal and keep the colour palette pretty classic.

Black and white bowl in the downstairs loo...

Soaps are at the ready for dirty hands and the walk in shower!

I buy the Goats Milk soap with shea butter added as it is so moisturizing.

You might think all I have been doing is shopping but that's not true.

I've been attending aqua fit classes at the Rec centre, reading loads of books, 

baking a weekly sourdough boule, drinking lots of green tea, making a batch of soup every week for our lunches and continuing on the drawer by drawer, closet by closet cull of unwanted, unused and old stuff!

Maybe being busier is why I have stopped my weekly blogging habit?

I am very focused and "present" when I am writing the blog.

It seems to take me longer to get to the computer too...

so many other distractions :-))

My husband and I are always watching a british crime drama or mystery on Acorn.

We like the ease of entertainment without leaving the house.

 

What's new with you?

Have you read any good books? Seen any great films?

Well I must close for now as I have a book to finish and dinner to prepare...

Am using Pappardelle instead of the Fusilli...

meatless sauce using anchovies, capers, garlic, black olives, spices and San Marzano tomatoes with Grana Padano cheese.

Are you watching The Pasta Queen on TV?
She's amazing and makes me want to cook pasta 24/7

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

OOTD ~ Fashion Police "look away" and some thoughts on hair...

 

It's Sunday again...

I am trying to continue with my weekly posts and it seems like Sunday is THE day.

You might be surprised if you saw me today :-))

Honestly...

The Fashion Police would definitely be citing me with an infraction.

most certainly it would be an enormous fine.

After showering I put on my body lotion, washed and moisturized my face...

added some mascara and tinted lip balm.

I am not going out.

OOTD

A pair of indigo sweatpants

black camisole

 dove grey hand knit Miriam wool sweater

 slippers

&

Akoya pearls

This morning I am baking bread, doing laundry and tonight I am making a roast beef.

There will be some reading and knitting...

I am giving myself permission to stay home and cocoon.

In other news...

I found a cute top at the Win Thrift Shop

I used to see a lot of garments made by Joseph Ribkoff.

I think this will come in handy for the summertime.

I can pair it with pants and that blue linen skirt that I purchased last year.

The neckline is perfect for the pearls :-))

The sun was shining a few days ago...

today there are moody clouds blanketing the sky.

Must be craving summer with my shopping habits...

purchased a new straw tote.

a great size for our Pender trips.

It can be loaded up with my laptop, books, and a few other bits.

It will come in handy at The Farmer's Market as well.

Hubby and I went to the Tapas on Oak for dinner.

Our son and the grands gave us a gift card so we wanted to try it out.

The food was good and the tapas portions were perfect for two.

It was busy and the wait staff were super friendly and efficient.

I wore a casual outfit...

tweed Hudson pants

this black crinkle top and my Chelsea boots.

I have no idea who made this top?

it has been in  my wardrobe for ages, it must have been a thrift shop find.

I took it travelling to France and Italy as when washed it dries overnight.

Great for layering !

I post on Instagram daily and several readers mentioned my hair style...

"straight and flat ironed"

the texture of the salt and pepper grey has changed and my hair is much thinner.

This would appear to be an aging issue...

many women complain of thinning hair 

my 69th birthday is a few weeks away
so I guess it is my turn...

but no complaints :-))

Do you colour your grey hair or have you gone au natural?

Was it a gradual process going grey or did you just stop dying it?

Has the texture changed like mine?

Have you changed your hairstyle?

I know many women keep their signature style over decades...

rather like a signature fragrance, many never ever stray.

I am not unhappy with my hair,  but I regularly change things up.

Covid happened and I grew my hair long.

Two years later I had it cropped in a short layered bob.

Now it appears that I am growing out the layers and wearing it straight.

I haven't been to my hairdresser for a few months.

Shall we chat about our hair?

Leave a comment to chime in...

Well I guess I better get on with my day...

lunch will not make itself

plus I want some tea...

then there is bread to bake and laundry to fold!

Hope that you are all well...there seems to be a lot of illness about.

Be Well and Be Kind 

Smokin' Sunday ~ I bagged a couple of bargains....

 

I planned to go for a long scenic walk on the waterfront...

but when I walked out the front door I was overcome with the smoke.

Forest fires are burning in the province and in Washington State south of Victoria.

I decided to go to the local Value Village store instead of my outdoor walk.

I perused the aisles for treasure...

many others were looking too!

I focused on housewares, clothing, boots and bags.

There were some used rain boots but seriously overpriced :-((

Some so worn out they were laughable...

I think I need to buy some decent new ones.

My last pair of rain boots lasted at least 10 years 

so even if I spend $100+

with any luck

the Cost Per Wearing will be amortized over many years.

I didn't spy any vintage pieces in the houseware section, it was pretty picked over.

I found a "funky denim" printed shirt which I just pulled out of the washer.

The tag inside says Reba Denim ??

I am going to wear it for my home keeping chore days

with my pearls!

The hydrangeas have been hanging to dry and are now ready for display.

I've been looking for a backpack for my walks.

Marshalls had several lovely Italian leather backpacks for $275 and $350 

but I didn't want to spend quite that much.

~ $11.49 ~

Leather backpack style purse.

Broken inside zipper, ripped leather toggle and lining, scuffed exterior.

~ DIY ~

Repairs are completed

I'm all set for hands free walking 

Not bad for the price...

the leather is very soft and the size is perfect for my needs.

(room for my wallet, extra glasses, IPhone, kleenex and stuff)

Am making progress on the Vest project...

After a busy day of laundry, baking bread and standing in line to cast my ballot for the local municipal election I popped the kettle on for a cuppa and knit for a bit.

Love the Rowan Felted Tweed Yarn 

part merino and part alpaca...

made in Italy.

Pope John Paul II

fragrant 

and

blooming in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

What's new with you?

Have you scored any bargains?

Please share your thoughts in the comments

I do appreciate them and it opens up dialogue which enriches our experiences.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Random stuff on Wednesday.

~ The Humble Bungalow ~

The garden out front has many plants and flowers.

Among them are yellow rudbeckia flowers 

a variety of yellow, pink, and red roses.

Limelight hydrangeas

Hostas

grasses

lime kniphofia

lavenders

boxwood 

The deer have been by munching on the Hostas and the Hydrangeas so the new garden help suggested that we try spraying with BOBEX...

it is all natural but is very stinky and it deters the deer from chowing down on the plants that have been treated.

Our tiny entry hall is rather cluttered,

it is where we hang our coats

store our brollies

hats.

Inside the picnic basket are winter woolly scarves and gloves.

No room for a wardrobe and no closets...

This wee area of the living room is where I write cards.

The quartersawn oak arts and crafts desk has many compartments inside 

which I use to store our address book, stamps, pens, and cards. 

We have such a small living area on the main floor...

about 975 square feet so we need to be careful not to collect too much stuff!

In 100 year old +  bungalows, storage was not originally a consideration.

People generally did not have a lot of extra things...

they were living on limited incomes, credit was not available and so people tended to be quite frugal.

Our bedroom closet is really small and we have to renovate that room someday. Mr. HB will redesign our closet and have some built in drawers installed.

We use the downstairs closets for our out of season clothes.

Trying to keep a minimal wardrobe is my goal but every so often I act on impulse and buy something that is usually something that I already have represented in my current wardrobe.

Buying a variation of something that I already own and don't really NEED 

is a waste of money.

This summer I paid attention to 

what I wore regularly 

what did not get worn often 

and 

what never got worn.

3 dresses were worn regularly and two others hung in the closet.

I wore 2 pairs of pants and the same few tops weekly.

The rest languished away...

 Why have something if it is not being used especially when storage is an issue?

The exercise also showed me that the clothes I wore 

were those that made me feel good wearing them

and  coincidentally 

they are the better quality more expensive items in my closet.

With that in mind, I plan to buy fewer things come the Fall and opt for better quality "investment" pieces.

It seems to me to make sense not to waste the space, time and money 

on something mediocre that is not going to be a workhorse in the wardrobe.

Walking scenery...

Clover Point on Dallas Road

the start of my regular 5 km. walking route.

Midway along the route Ross Bay

looking across at The Olympic Mountain Range in Washington State.

Ross Bay and the trees that line the edge of the historic Ross Bay Cemetery.

Walks have been lovely with the sunny warm weather...

breezes have been slight which I appreciate.

Plainsong was a good book...

a slightly different genre than I usually read but it came with high praise from the gal at the bookstore.

I have reserved the second in the series, Eventide,  at the local library.

In other news...

The scale has responded to the no alcohol regime.

I quit the wine habit last Tuesday.

Several readers have emailed me regarding me giving up alcohol.

My new tipple...non alcoholic wine.

It tastes good and has way less calories than real wine and is less expensive.

The information on the bottle 

may be of interest to you. 

I sip a couple of glasses at night, 

one before dinner and one with dinner.

Willows Beach walk

mixing up the walk locations for a variety of scenery.

There is a tearoom near the playground.

Mom and I used to stop in after our walk along the Esplanade.

I have taken tea here several times this summer and I think of her when I sip my cuppa.

My Mulberry knapsack has been getting a lot of wear this summer.

I love to be hands free when walking and it is the perfect size for my prescription glasses, wallet, lipstick, tissues and keys.

I love the colour of the leather and the details.

It is a sturdy bag that should wear well for many years.

Have you seen The New Amberley bag by Mulberry. ?

Positively Smitten with this bag...

I like the shape, the brown embossed croc finish, and the clasp detail

it is not too big 

so there is no worry that I would be carrying a too heavy bag and injure my shoulder again!

  Plus it is a bonus that it is a cross body bag.

Perhaps I will invest in this one...

it has been ages since I bought a "new" handbag.

The last two have been thrift shop finds.

Back to the garden...

One of the Hostas that the deer have munched!

Thankfully the giant Rudbeckias seem to be safe from the deer.

Are you familiar with books by Kristin Hannah?

Firefly Lane (2008) is a page turner...

Kristin has a large number of books to her credit

and why have I not read her novels before this?

 I have no clue!

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog

taking time out of your day to read the blog and glance at the pictures.

Hope that you are enjoying these last few days of August.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Recipes for a bountiful harvest...snapshots and books.

Our annual holiday is over and we had a relaxing time...
I read oodles of books and gained a few pounds.
(no surprise with the amount of reading that I have accomplished!)

Friends who live on the island introduced us to the owners of a stunning waterfront home and garden situated at the end of Pilkey Point on Thetis Island which is known for its beautiful sunsets.

We sat on their deck and sipped a cold beer and marvelled at the views.

Telegraph Harbour Marina is well run and maintained 

by the current owners Tara and Ron...

we have been going to this Marina since the 1970's when it was in Peter's hands.

Despite the lack of water they have beautiful flowers and a lovely garden.

The deep blue agapanthus attract bees.

Buzzing right into a flower.

A fun read that I found at the book exchange at the marina.

We are back home in our Humble Bungalow...
it feels familiar and cozy. The hydrangeas are in full bloom and the roses have another flush of flowers...the greenhouse is yielding our first summer harvest of produce.

Cucumbers and tomatoes

Time for a couple of salads.

I searched online for a new cucumber salad recipe

and found this gem here.

I knew that Jamie Oliver had a great tomato salad recipe in his cookbook.

He had a series on the food network that showcased his garden and he came up with recipes that used what he had growing in his garden.

The cookbook is called Jamie at Home.

I have a few weeks of laundry to catch up on and some groceries to buy...

the garden needs some attention and I have already started a "do " list.

My current book...

also found at the marina book exchange.

I love my Mulberry back pack bag.

Its perfect for the boat 

as it is great for activities like walking, beach combing, hiking.

It holds my extra glasses, cellphone, wallet, lipstick and a few assorted extras.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow today.

I'll be tackling the domestics starting with the laundry as soon as I hit the publish button.

Just out on the front porch...

Limelight hydrangeas and strawberries in a pot.

Cheerio

XO