Shoes...the basic low down.

A reader asked me to write a post on my thoughts about shoes...

Before we go too far let me just say that shoes are not my forte...

I don't really know what my forte is...
seriously, I am not an "expert"

Maybe I could be considered "gifted" at growing roses
making the most of enjoying doing the laundry
or washing dishes at my farm house sink..

Shoes?

Well you asked, so I am going to share my thoughts...

Shoes MUST be comfortable for walking.
I cannot condone discomfort when it comes to footwear...

bleeding blisters and bunions ugh!

If I were to own shoes that I only wore to sit and look beautiful on my feet,
like jewelry,
I suppose I could justify buying seriously high heels
but that seems like an extravagance
not a reasonable or justifiable expenditure with my budget.

Shoes that cost over $250 are considered too much for my budget...
I like to buy mine on sale.

(BTW I am still lusting over those long wished for red Ferragamo Varinas.)
Yes they are on my "lottery win list"
IF I won, do not think for a second that I would not run out and buy a pair...

if the lottery was vast I could buy two in different colours and then I would have to distribute the wealth to my family and local worthy organizations.

Fashion and style come second over comfort.

Colour for me is basic...you may already know where I am heading...
yes it is classic black...
I deviate once in awhile and buy a cheery colourful pair of walking shoes for spring and summer but for Fall and Winter I do not stray.

Conservative, practical, affordable.

Fall and Winter Shoes...

2 pairs of boots

3 pairs of flats

2 pairs of short sturdy heels

not shown

(one pair of black kitten heel pumps are in the downstairs closet)

Vintage shoes

these are years old and still going

Amalfi and Stuart Weitzman

(did you notice that I like gross grain bows?)

Flats that I wear with my jeans and ponte knit black pants.

(more bows!!)

Clarks are what I like to wear when I walk many many kilometres.

These came with me to Paris and my feet were happy even after 8 hours of walking.

My current crush

are these Chelsea Boots

by Clarks

I wear them with dresses and skirts with tights, 

and with socks and leggings, pants or  jeans. 

I have black Sperry rain boots and Saucony walking sneakers 

but that's it for my footwear.

How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Do you like to wear heels?

What do you consider when you buy new shoes...

comfort, style, fad, fashion, price, designer brands?

Will you pay upwards to $1000 (or more) for a pair of shoes?

I won't be offended if you think my collection of shoes is boring and unimaginative...

So please share your thoughts.

We had a fabulous weekend...

Bad news is our dishwasher is on the fritz,

good news is that the repairman is coming by...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Fresh from Seattle...

My previous post generated an amazing number of comments and responses.
Thank You!

I had no idea that it would create such a flurry of emails and comments.

Thank you for taking the time to write and for sharing your thoughts...
Just knowing that google was responsible for the sudden drop in followers makes me feel better.

I write the blog as a hobby, not as a job and post only when I feel the desire.

Readers are important...I'd be kidding you if I said it didn't matter.
It is not for the "approval" as one commenter mentioned...
there is comfort knowing that there is an audience of readers out there.

So without further adieu...

Mr. HB and I have been away on a little jaunt to Seattle and we returned last night to our cozy Bungalow, which was well taken care of by our house sitter...who also took great care of our cats.

View from the BC Ferry crossing the Strait of Georgia.

The Clarks are super comfy and we walked a lot!

The new leather cross body bag by Maggie turned out to be a winner.

Not too big and the area at the front has a pocket for my IPhone which is handy for taking pictures!

My carry on bag had plenty of room as I packed light.

I wore my Barbour jacket

NYDJ skinny version

took various Eileen Fisher tops

a dressy pair of ponte knit pants 

my new coral top and sweater.

a warm grey knit pullover

Burberry cashmere scarf

walking shoes by Clarks Artisan 

It was chilly walking around downtown in Seattle and there were rain showers.

I got a chill and so I kept sipping hot beverages.

Turns out the chill was a warning of a cold coming on.

It is the first cold that I have had in over a year!

Pike Place Market is always on our list of spots to visit when we go to Seattle.

The flowers are really beautiful and so reasonably priced...

Love white bouquets with simple greenery.

We had lunch at a French cafe...

the menu was much like those I visited in Paris.

Ham, baguettes and cornichons.

Olives, salads, oysters, terrines, sausages.

We enjoyed a steaming hot bowl of French onion soup.

When we visit Seattle we always stay at The Mayflower Park Hotel.

It is comfortable, the location is close to shopping and situated close to many fabulous restaurants.

Valet parking, an award winning bar ~ Oliver's 

a restaurant  ~ Andaluca 

wonderful ambiance 

comfy beds

lovely decor

prompt room service

fresh flowers

The staff are efficient, polite and friendly.

Old world charm built in 1927...the same year that my Mother was born!

I'll be keeping close to home until I shake this cold.

Will work on a few more snippets from our trip and post them when I get time.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog!

The writing on the wall...perhaps?

Something rather disconcerting is happening here on the blog...
while several thousand readers pop by daily to read The Humble Bungalow posts,
the number of followers on Google Friend have recently decreased...
not by too many but enough that I noticed...and am curious.
So the question in my mind is WHY?

Here are a few of my thoughts...
~ The Hostess has been here for too long and has overstayed her welcome ~
~ the writing is dull ~
~ there is nothing of value for readers ~
~ your lives are busy ~
~ Paris dreams and travel was an exciting time and now a distant memory ~
~ since retiring my life has become fairly routine, it is quiet, simple and I am content ~
~ I have very little to share that you find of interest ~

So I am going to take a break...
I will be posting on Instagram if you care to pop over there...click on the pretty hydrangeas on the side bar and the link will take you to my page.

Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity
packed a lot into a weekday morning and afternoon.
Full to the brim with new things and above all ~ it was FUN!

I did something that I have never done before...

I had a professional make up application.

This is the "after" picture

at the Spa where I had a "makeover."

I am wearing more make up than I usually do.

The gal at the Spa used various Jane Iredale products...

primer was new to me and she used just a little and it covered my entire face.

Apparently it creates a base for all the other products.

Powder, eye shadow, blush, mascara, lipstick followed...

The results were quite startling, 

it was me under all those products...

my complexion looked even

my eyes stood out more

my brows looked fuller

it does feel like a lot of fuss and bother.

I like to keep things quick and easy 

~ Simple ~

I purchased two products that I was ready to replace...

powdered foundation and eye shadow.

The powder is in Satin and the eye shadow is called Supernova.

Lovely containers and all Jane's products are mineral based and safe.

Earlier in the day I went to the Tillicum Winners Store.

You can see my skin naked "before make up" here while I was shopping.

I do look a bit anemic without make up!

I bought a coral knit layering piece

not quite a jacket or a cardigan

something in between.

(very reasonably priced)

and this top

I have been craving colour.

(another bargain)

A light cross body bag was suggested by my doctor 

who recently diagnosed me with "supraspinatus tendonitis" 

a very painful condition that has reduced the mobility of my arm and shoulder.

I need to go to physiotherapy, do specific exercises, generally try to rest the arm and shoulder

 and if that fails to bring relief he will order a cortisone shot.

 He has advised me to stop carrying heavy things...

like purses and grocery bags.

I needed new boots and these were on sale.

Clarks, comfy and somewhat stylish...

will wear them with jeans, pants, skirts and tights. 

I wear boots almost every day and the Clarks that I bought last year are showing signs of wear on the soles, so before they fall apart I pounced on a new pair.

I did not overspend

everything I purchased was reasonably priced 

and having been very frugal lately I felt no guilt whatsoever.

This pretty pink rose bloom caught my eye on my walk...

this bud will open in the warm sunshine someday soon.

Heralding that Spring must be just around the corner.

Bring on the sunshine and roses!

As always I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Hostess

OOTD ~ Boots!

Today I wore boots and the weather is sunny and hot...
boots were required footwear as I spent the better part of the day mucking about in the dirt.

I just finished rinsing them off as they were caked with mud.

Did I mention that I am a really messy gardener?

There is no way I can stay clean...dirt smears on my face and arms.

I wear gloves but I somehow still get dirt under my nails...

I clean up fine afterwards when I come inside.

I often wonder what the neighbours who walk by and stop to chat must think.

They must be amused by my state of dress.

I garden in Yoga Capri's and a Tee shirt.

Socks and Boots!

I worked out front of our Humble Bungalow today...

I was focusing on a bed that has had a massive cull of weeds...

well they are not weeds exactly they are just behaving like weeds.

Invasive euphorbia and dog violets.

Both are on my "naughty list."

This bed is a bit of a mixed bag...

once the weeds were removed and a few random pieces of slate there was a lot of bare spaces.

Original plants are:

Japanese Red Maple planted in a pot

Eryngium (Sea Holly)

Lavender

Giant Rudbeckia

Boxwood Hedge on one side

Rose (placed on the boulevard for free)

 Libertia

Anchusa

Lady's Mantle

Ground cover the name escapes me

pot filled with spurge and a hosta

New plants:

Blue Fescue grasses

 Bugbane

 Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker) with lime green flowers

a variegated spurge

Blue Salvias 

Russian Sage 

Yellow Rudbeckia

Limelight Hydrangea

All of these are reported to be deer resistant plants.

Eryngium

slightly prickly 

The bees love it!

Black Mondo Grass with a lime green rock plant.

Sum and Substance Hosta Boxwood in urn

Hydrangea and Gertrude Jekyll Rose in background.

Coreopsis 

Lily of the Valley (used as a ground cover)

McCartney Rose (on the left)

Jude the Obscure David Austin Rose (on the right)

Hydrangeas

Nerine Bowdenii

Limelight hydrangea

on pergola Constance Spry David Austin Rose

Area at head of the gravel driveway

Assorted Grasses

Hostas

Hellebore

Variegated Iris

Variegated Sedum

Potted Hens and Chicks

Crocosmia

Mr. HB printed off a garden plan and we have been discussing some of the options to reduce the time spent toiling in the garden in order to leave some time to actually sit and enjoy the space!

On his list is a green house which we plan to have installed so that we can grow tomatoes and a few veggies.

The overhaul of the lawn is probably the biggest job and will make a huge difference.

We plan to grass in most of the north side yard behind the gate in the back and fill in many of the beds and redo the entire back lawn and remove a few other beds.

Anyways those plans are a bit off in the future.

So I must content myself with small improvements that I can do by myself until I can find a strong garden helper.

I must close for now and prepare dinner...

I've worked up quite an appetite with all the digging and planting today.

We are indulging in a seldom served treat...

BBQ Beef Burgers with coleslaw.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog...

I appreciate you stopping by The Humble Bungalow.

Brunch, Boots, and a Beret...the Paris Planning continues.

Last Sunday Mr. HB and I were up early and the weather was sunny and warm so we decided to go for a long walk. We left our bungalow early in the morning and wandered downtown and before too long we had worked up appetite and we needed to eat...

The interior of The Atrium building on Yates and Blanshard Streets 

this picture was taken from our table inside the restaurant.

We decided to brunch at Zambri's, as it is one of our favourite spots to dine.

Poached free range farm fresh eggs on a bed of spinach atop a sliver of in house made bread lightly toasted

 served with a creamy bechamel sauce....

Oh my this was so delicious.

Looking at these daffodils blooming sunny yellow, they cannot help but cheer one's spirit.

The flowering trees that line Meares Street are a riot of blossoms...

their petals are falling like snowflakes...a westcoast version of snow!

Mother was under the weather and phoned me bright and early to cancel our weekly 

Mother and Two Daughters Shopping and Dining Date...

Mom thankfully is feeling better now, 

I checked on her... (so did my sister!)

It turns out she had a sleepless night.

Didn't I just write a post on this very subject?

 I took advantage of the time and got some domestics done around here...

laundry, sorting, cooking and a wee bit of Paris Planning.

 At Vanity Fair Antiques last week I mentioned that I was going to Paris...

I was thrilled to find out that one of the women who works there is going too.

She and her husband are renting an apartment for 6 weeks and it is conveniently located quite near my hotel. 

 We are planning a few outings and I hope one will be to go to the Antique Markets in Paris.

Uber comfy boots ~ Clarks Artisan line

for walking many kilometers along the cobblestone rues, avenues and boulevards of Paris...

a wooly beret just in case the days are chilly or damp

a feather in my cap..."ahem beret"...just because

The French lessons are helping but I have a LONG way to go...

it is a much steeper learning curve than I could have imagined...

Alors! I continue to press on.

I decided that I would take two cashmere cardigans...

the orange one and this one in a soft grey...they are light and offer cozy warmth.

Will need to decide which strand of pearls to take...

Want to take my perfume but this bottle exceeds Air France's limit for my carry on...

So much planning

details ~ details

it's hard to imagine how I will feel when I am in Paris.

Friends who have been to Paris say that the streets in Paris are alive with people.

The architecture, culture, and fashion are fabulous.

 They have been advising me to wander the avenues and soak in all the beauty.

Then stop for a bit and sit watching the people stroll by from an outdoor cafe.

"Paris is a place where, for me, just walking down a street that I've never been down before is like going to a movie or something. Just wandering the city is entertainment."

~ Wes Anderson ~

It's still weeks away so I have lots of time to dream.

The Paris obsession is becoming a daily routine on Pinterest.

What is your most memorable moment in Paris?