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 ~

Thoughts on living through a pandemic...and coming out a changed person.

Please join me on the porch of The Humble Bungalow.

Not in person, of course, but in the spirit of friendship.

Our porch is a quiet contemplative place to sit outside 

in the sunshine

a place to chat and perhaps sip a beverage

make yourself comfy...

The news over the past few years has been disheartening and grim.

We've suffered a catastrophic worldwide pandemic...

Covid has changed us all and not necessarily for the better.

Many of the early days of Covid were dark and filled with fear...

we couldn't see our friends or family.

We were set adrift from our comfortable and often predictable routines

left alone to endure and weather the storm.

The Nightly News was focused around the serious nature of the disease

the deaths and the spread of the virus.

Things were incredibly bleak.

We were told the scientists were already working on a vaccine.

We waited and waited

often impatiently 

for the promised vaccine.

I had to limit my exposure to the news broadcasts 

to prevent myself from going down a dark rabbit hole...

I embraced the basic simple joys to keep my spirits level...

my moods were not euphoric but the little things in my daily round kept me going.

Getting outside in the garden was a gift...

We were so fortunate that we could dig in the dirt

plant seeds and watch them grow.

I think we grew closer as a couple and relied on each other 

more than ever before in our married life.

Our "BUBBLE" was small...

two humans and two cats.

The roses rewarded us with blooms for our hard work tending to their needs.

We took JOY seeing things bloom and thrive, 

excited to see seeds sprouting.

Cutting a few blooms and bringing them inside was a luxury.

Popping them in a vessel, be it a jam jar or a crystal vase

was a tonic that enriched our days.

Escaping safely to the cottage to cocoon was an absolute godsend.

We were able to self isolate and have a change of scenery.

It helped to temporarily soothe our worried minds...

We've now come through several years living with this virus.

have had our 4 vaccinations and we have changed...

Life as we knew it will never be the same.

I've learned a lot about myself...

Discovered that I am resilient, and can rise to a challenge.

Am able to amuse myself for long periods of time without going stir crazy!

Can make do and mend.

Will laugh at the littlest things...

Found out the small (est) things can and do bring JOY...

sweeping the floor

cooking new recipes

listening to music

washing the dishes

knitting

reading a good book

collecting sea glass on the beach

walking 

the songs of the birds

butterflies

the smell of a scented candle

coffee

fragrant soap

I think expectations I have held onto for years have been drastically altered.

I no longer crave expensive things...

or even "things" if I am being honest...

I desire only the comforts of home, family and friends.

It is a shift in mindset, 

honestly it is the one huge takeaway for me, from these past two years.

 

I also decided to declutter the entire bungalow...

donated most everything that we no longer use.

Gave away a lot to charity.

We do not NEED to KEEP stuff we don't love and use.

The feeling of having less stuff is so uplifting.

I did that to my clothes closet too!

My scarf drawer has been reduced to about a dozen scarves in total...

The cupboards look really organized and some quite bare!

I don't crave designer or name brand things...

a few well made items work and I have not shopped as much as pre Covid.

I did buy two lovely linen aprons which I have happily

worn to cook and clean...

with my pearls :-))

My daily household uniform is simple...

Jeans and a Tee, or top, linen apron and a strand of Akoya pearls.

While I know that pearls might be considered a wee bit "mumsy"

I don't care if they are not "on trend."

I wear what I like and they bring me JOY.

Family and friends are so precious...

we make time to see them whenever possible.

When it wasn't safe we saw people outside from afar...

thankfully now we can see the nearest and dearest close up.

What a huge relief that is!

I drank too much alcohol during Covid...

Possibly I was trying to numb myself from reality.

I've not had a drink for 3 months now 

am sipping a tasty faux beer called Partake these days.

Enjoying a de-alcoholized bubbly from Italy called Bottega.

Surprising

it was not hard to quit drinking, but now I crave chocolate!

I haven't decided if I will drink alcohol again or not?

It is too early to know...

I know that I sleep better without the wine.

Our recycling box is not very full these days :-))

I have a lot more things that I could say about Covid and how it changed me...

 this is a good start or maybe it's enough?

How has Covid changed you?

While I am on the subject...

there is a lot of room for (self) improvement left here too...

for example I could lose at least 15 pounds.

Maybe WW is in my future?

I'll close for now 

hope that you will chime in and share some of your thoughts...

What simple JOYS do you enjoy?

The fresh air walks are one of my favourite ways to banish

any negative thoughts and energy.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~ 

Garden snapshots, thrift shop finds and scenic views on my walks...

 

Large green bottle in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

I saw many of these when I was in Tuscany 

so when I spied one at Kay's Korner in Cook Street Village I snapped it up!

(Thanks Karin for saving it for me when I was out of town.)

Floating...

Dappled light

shadows

sunny day

 ~ Abraham Darby ~

A stunning fragrant

David Austin Rose

Fatsia Japonica 

growing

above a bed of ferns.

Dahlia season is upon us...

so many blooms and various varieties.

Which ones to choose?

Annual Tagetes Marigolds

we plan to save the seeds for next year.

Thrift shop teacups...

very cheerful and so pretty.

I don't NEED them but I HAD to buy them!

The de-cluttering binge is still underway...

I took the orchids in their big pots off the shelf above the sink.

The pots were washed and stored away

the orchids were put out on the boulevard for free

they were snapped up quickly!

My goal was to invite more light into the kitchen.

Cleaning off the shelf worked and I am very pleased that I can enjoy the view.

Candle light in The Humble Bungalow Living Room.

My morning routine...

coffee

reading.

Love the soft light and scents...

Most days I find myself 

Walking in Oak Bay...

where I spent my childhood.

Memories flood in...

Salty Air

The call of the Gulls

SeaViews

The sound of the waves

as they crash upon the Shore. 

~ Sunshine ~

Kitty Islet in Oak Bay

I collect sea glass along the rocky shoreline.

The chairs on the point are very popular...

with expansive scenic views towards Trial Island and beyond

it is not surprising that locals and tourists alike stop and gaze across the sea.

Many bring coffee and some bring picnics...

there is also a picnic table which you might spy on the right side of the rocks.

So many things to be grateful for...

had our 4th vaccination.

We hope to stay healthy and enjoy the Fall weather.

I'll be starting a new knitting project soon and am reading a fun book right now.

Rise and Shine Benedict Stone

by 

Phaedra Patrick

soon to be a Hallmark Movie.

That's all for now...

hope you are well.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

August Snippets...keeping cool, culling, a favourite scarf, hydrangeas and a fabulous book

Culling is happening here in The Humble Bungalow...

no closet, cupboard, or cranny is safe!

I've given away a LOT of things that we never use and have been donating

various items of clothing and this week I attacked the scarf drawer with gusto!

The Hermes scarves are safely tucked away in their iconic orange boxes.

There are a few scarves left to do the work of many...

one of the scarves that was never in jeopardy

is this linen multi toned scarf.

~ long whisper soft lightweight linen ~

a lovely scarf to wear as a wrap

or wrapped several times around my neck.

~ great drape with an interesting texture ~

The scarves that were culled made their way to the local WIN shop

a charity that assists Women In Need (WIN)

~ OOTD ~

My Uniform

Rough Linen Apron

Akoya Pearls

black Yoga pants

white Eileen Fisher linen top

I've been busy trying to get on top of the cleaning here...

the windows ended up being streaky and I reached out on Instagram for tips.

Several great tips and ideas were forthcoming...

I headed out for a microfibre window cleaning cloth (bought 3) and a squeegee...

windows are now sparkling clean!

Annabelle Hydrangeas

big frothy blooms.

Hope that you are doing well and enjoying the last few weeks of summer.

We are finding the heat a wee bit too HOT!

Every afternoon I find a cool spot to sit and sip some tea or lemonade

inevitably a book finds it way into my hands!

Am enjoying this book SO MUCH!

I read his first book The Rules of Civility many years ago and loved it.

His newest, The Lincoln Highway, is on my TBR stack.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Shopping and de-cluttering

 

Fan Tan Alley in Victoria's historic Chinatown.

A place of interest for locals and visitors.

I enjoy going to chinatown and perusing the shops.

There are also some fabulous restaurants for Asian cuisine.

One of my favourite shops is Fan Tan Gallery.

They stock housewares, home decor items, cards, candles, soaps, gifts.

Baby clothes, books and toys.

An assortment of clothing...

many natural fabrics ~ linen and bamboo and wool.

An array of beautiful accessories and scarves.

On my last visit I left without purchasing a thing 

 I came away with some inspiration for our home decor.

On my neighbourhood walks I try to mix up the routes so that I don't get bored.

My usual walks are along the waterfront where I enjoy the changing views.

When I wander through the streets and gaze at other gardens 

I come home and look at The Humble Bungalow Garden with fresh eyes...

I really savour these meandering wanders.

Cook Street Village is a few blocks long and it has a lot of small shops.

 Coffee, grocery stores, cafes, pharmacy, hair salons, butcher shop, 

health food store, clothing retailer, two antique and collectible shops, 

a garden centre and more...

When I saunter down to the village I am usually on a "mission." 

Frequently I need an ingredient for a recipe that I am making.

 

Sometimes I just want to peruse the antique and collectible shops.

That was my plan the other day...

As I was walking my eye wandered to a store display 

hanging in the window was a cute top.

I masked up and walked in to find my size, tried it on, it fit, and that was it!

This black and white striped top skims my wobbly bits, has 3/4 length sleeves 

in a longer tunic length great for skinny pants or yoga pants.

The V neck works best for me as I am really quite short and rather busty.

The fabric is heavy enough that it doesn't cling and drapes beautifully.

I'll wear this top a lot

Fall through Winter and into Spring.

I culled many of my cook books...

placing them in the wee library across the street and they were snapped up.

My Covid goal is to tidy every cupboard, shelf, drawer and room 

in The Humble Bungalow.

One a day...

in no time I will be finished this task.

I just took 4 large bags to the local charity shop.

Boy it feels so good to pare down.

Hope that you are doing well, staying safe, and being mindful of the Covid Protocols.

Have you taken up any new hobbies or cultivated any new habits?

Are you cooking up a storm?

Baking bread?

What is keeping you sane during these isolating times?

Thank you for popping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Travel and home keeping...

Tick Tock...

Our departure for Italy is coming up quite quickly.

  I have been collecting travel sizes of toiletries and make up.

Deciding on which clothes I will pack 

as

 the temperature looks much warmer than I expected.

To distract myself from thinking only about the trip

I've been keeping purposely busy in The Humble Bungalow.

We purchased new graphite grey IKEA Ectorp slipcovers 

to replace the "not so white" ones 

They had stains and have been washed so many times 

that they were looking very shabby...

definitely not "shabby chic." 

We found a plush grey carpet and the room looks so much better.

Chester looks quite at home with the change.

It's odd how we can live with things for a long time 

almost not noticing 

as they fall into decline 

 then one day we just stop and say this is just appalling!

Then we act immediately to remedy the situation in a weekend.

Does this happen to you too?

One of the BEST books I have read all year.

I highly recommend it.

Haunting and beautiful.

The story line is different from anything I have read recently.

It reminded me of story "The Island Of the Blue Dolphins" 

which I read as a child and remember quite vividly.

The ending had a twist which was unexpected...

I won't spoil it for you if you have not yet read the book.

Last month I did a big purge of our knick knacks...

trying to create more "space" by reducing the clutter.

Less to dust, easier to clean and it feels so good.

Our home is very dusty...

Dark wood shows every speck too which makes it difficult to ignore.

Micro fibre cloths and mops get used regularly.

It is a daily job to stay on top of it BUT sometimes I just turn a blind eye...

When I was a young mom at home with two children I was so busy being engaged with the children

that I didn't always have time to do a proper job of house keeping...

So when friends would come by for coffee or a meal 

I made sure that the bathroom was clean and that we had fresh flowers in the house.

I need to remind myself that people who pop by for a visit 

are not here to judge me on my cleaning skills...

I try to keep things tidy and organized but I am not always on top of the dust.

I love this Method cleaner...

This one too!

Autumn leaves and cooler weather...

Fall has arrived!

Green turning to Gold...

Soup weather.

Time for a little Autumnal Porch decor...

Hanging up my gloves for the time being...

going out to the garden centre for some fall decor inspiration.

I may not have time to post again.

I leave for the 3 weeks in Italy and France next week.

You can follow me on Instagram.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~