Saturday Snippets...

 

~ Autumnal Accents on The Porch ~

The garden centres are a riot of orange...pumpkins galore!

Foraged a few fir cones in the cemetery.

Decorating for the season is mostly from Nature.

Using "real" organic items...they are often free and eventually biodegrade.

Boy do I love going to Homesense.

 Leisurely browsing but don't usually buy a lot of the seasonal items.

I tend to purchase towels, linens, bedding and pillows.

Candles and lotions.

Soaps are my weakness...

fragrant, handmade sold at the Farmer's Market.

These Nude Bar soaps are made on Pender Island and come in a variety of scents...

this one is French Lavender.

~ Pure Bliss ~

This sunset was spectacular...

went for a walk after dinner last week and WOW.

Made pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving Dinner.

Followed the recipe on the can of the pumpkin puree.

Our son hosted this year...

I made veggie side dishes and he made Yorkshire Pudding and Roast Beef.

Created a bean salad one afternoon when I realized we had used up all the lettuce.

I sauteed green beans and then plunged them into icy water.

Chopped mushrooms and walnuts.

Made a simple oil and vinegar vinaigrette with some Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste.

Mixed all the ingredients and added some grated Parmesan Cheese.

Made a frittata to go with the salad and it was a very easy dinner

and there were leftovers for lunch the following day.

Have been doing a deep dive into de-cluttering.

Took 2 boxes of stuff to the consignment shop.

I thought maybe I could use the money to buy something we needed...

will see if the items sell first :-))

I've got my eye on a small kitchen island at IKEA.

It would give me extra counter space and storage which seem to be at a premium.

De-cluttering usually involves some rearranging...

like moving this ironstone tray from the coffee table to the kitchen trestle table.

Is this the habit that some call FAFFING?

If so...I FAFFED away an afternoon...

needed to sit for awhile sip a cup of tea and gather up my energy to make dinner!

Who knew FAFFING was so exhausting?

Did I share the thrifted LBD with you?

This darling knit dress skims the body and is heavy enough for Fall and Winter wear.

Have some thrifted black leather boots and a black lacy cardigan...

Black Tights 

A La Mode Consignment 

RED SOCKS

(for the thrifted Sandro black leather loafers)

Socks found at

Oak Bay Pharmasave

You know the weather has cooled off a bit when you put on a wool sweater.

I've got all my warmer clothes out of storage...

the cool cottons and linens are back in the off season closet.

We've had some glorious sunny days but mornings and evenings are cool.

Frost is frequently on the car at dawn.

Our heat pump has been coming on during the night...

Robes and slippers are necessary again.

Seasons definitely dictate what we wear on any given day.

I've been unsubscribing to many companies emails 

as the ads have been far too frequent.

(some are daily)

There seems to be a Push to Purchase 

but seriously 

over consuming seems wasteful.

We don't need to be constantly inundated with ads...

I find it stressful.

How do you react when you see multiple emails and ads in your inbox?

 BUY THIS ~ BUY THAT

JOIN THIS  ~ JOIN THAT

No Thank you!

TRY TO

~ Keep Calm and Carry On ~

Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

Until next time...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Food and Fashion ~ Forgotten Post Cruise Post !!

 

~ Vancouver Cruise Ship Terminal ~

We opted to stay one night in Vancouver when our cruise was over...

we haven't been to Vancouver for many years.

We chose not to rush back home...

The city is busy and vibrant...

with lots of people walking around downtown

many of them (like us) are tourists.

We think of Vancouver as the "big city."

Lots of shops that Victoria doesn't have...so it's rather fun to browse.

I visited my favourite shop...

Eileen Fisher on South Granville.

When my husband and I were working we used to go to Vancouver regularly...

for weekend getaways.

We'd go to wonderful restaurants and I would usually buy a few things at this location.

I haven't set foot inside EF since before Covid...

so it was a total JOY to actually be inside.

There is something so wonderful 

seeing the clothes in person..feel the fabrics and try on the garments.

The staff are incredibly helpful and very personable.

I tried on (and purchased) this olive green striped top.

Olive Green jacket...also purchased.

On sale at 50% off :-))

I was delighted to see a familiar sign on Robson Street.

BTW their coffee is fabulous!

The last time I was in a Paul Cafe and Bakery was in Paris in 2019.

I don't usually have a treat but the buttery and flaky croissant was too hard to resist!

Later after a walk and a shop

Hubby and I sat out on a patio and had a drink in the sunshine.

We were still technically "on holiday" 

so a glass of beer in the mid-afternoon did not feel amiss.

 

My husband LOVES ramen...

this restaurant was very busy!

We could see it across the street from our hotel.

Obviously quite popular with a long line up,

always a good sign.

We jumped at the chance when there was no line and had a late lunch.

I opted for the "original" small bowl of ramen with mild spice.

Hubby likes his ramen HOTTER so he had the extra spicy version.

SO GOOD!

After a quiet night and a good sleep we packed up the car and headed out.

We drove out to Tsawwassen Mills Mega Mall

located a short distance from The B.C. Ferry Terminal.

Lunch at Milestones was a high protein chicken dish.

(Very tasty)

I'm thinking that my red vintage Coach bag will be a fun pop of colour with the Olive green jacket and striped top.

I might even buy some red socks to wear with the thrifted Sandro loafers.

I'll take my cue from a stuffed Olive :-))

Olives often have red pimentos inside them...

I've been busy decluttering the medicine drawer...

getting rid of outdated over-the-counter medications.

Organizing the contents.

Updating our emergency/Earthquake kit.

Sorting out a few drawers and relocating all my handbags...

they were spilling out of the bedside cupboard.

I have a few (4) vintage Coach bags...

a couple of no name leather bags and a Longchamps Tote.

The black leather Cole Haan backpack is in my bedroom bedside cupboard

 as I swap out my regular handbag for the hands free option 

when we go to Pender and when I go for longer walks.

I need to devote a day to polish all my Coach bags.

They get scuffed with use and they respond very well to Saddle Soap.

I massage the cream into the leather and then let that soak in 

before buffing them with a soft cloth.

Something to add to my rainy day To-Do-List.

The rainy days will be here soon...

those days where I like to stay indoors and cocoon...

make homemade soup, knit and read.

Polish the silver, do some decluttering. 

I have recently discovered Homeworthy England and I love watching the episodes.

What are you up to?

I've got a lot of fresh home grown tomatoes and apples to use. 

I am making applesauce and roasting tomatoes...

I'm going to sign off for now...

until next time.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

April stuff...and really it is not for the faint of heart...

 Greetings from The Humble Bungalow....

April is here and the world is not the same as before...the world feels like it is in a spin! Do you feel it too?

How are you coping? Are you feeling relaxed?

I am surprised by the news everyday...

My word is always "SURREAL"

Do you feel that way too?

I recently read this darling and most charming book by Chloe Dalton.

Loved reading her book and I felt like I was right beside her...

she wrote this during Covid and it really resonates with me.

I am still trying to cull my closet and am not buying a lot of new things...

I bought a new bra today.

Needs Must!

They do not last forever...

I found a great linen dress at a local consignment shop....

Grizas, which is a very popular brand.

Their clothes are all made from linen in the EU...

Will be a great summer dress for many things...

beach walks, dinners out, coffees at cafes, lunches...

I met my husband's cousin's for lunch at The Parliamentary Dining Room

at the Legislature here in Victoria.

Food and service was amazing...

I am doing a deep deep Spring Clean...a cull!

Hoped that our granddaughter might want these Mother of Pearl pieces...

the answer was NO Thank you Grammy!

I hope to gift them to friends...

perhaps with home baked scones and jam!

Ina Garten's Crunchy 

Mustard Chicken...

So Good!

Lemon Orzo...

Butchart Gardens...

great to have an annual pass.

We can walk there any day and be surprised by the flowers.

So many daffodils..

Frilly and frothy...

A POP of COLOUR...

MELLOW YELLOW

Read all of Erica Bauermeister's books...

this one was really good.

I got a new battery in my ages old ESQ watch...

it still works!

My next project is a cashmere scarf...

are you knitting ?

Yarn Citizen 

I am going to have to learn how to knit a bobble...

Perhaps you crochet?

Paint?

Dabble in Crafts?

Cook?

I am thinking of hibernating...

knitting and reading on rotation

are you staying safe and keeping well?

I have also thought of pulling out my acrylic paints...

painting is such a fun hobby.

What are you doing?

What is new with YOU?

Thank You for just popping by...

Hugs

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~ 

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 ~