Anniversary of our wedding day from July 20, 1974

July 20, 1974

47 years ago...

We were so young 

but we knew that we were in love 

and

ready to spend our lives together

as husband and wife.

I have kept my wedding dress, veil and blue garter.

Maybe Isla will want to play "dress up" and wear it someday?

We went out for dinner with our friends on Sunday evening to celebrate.

We went to the Snug at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel and we were waited on by Mom's favourite server.

I had a glass of the wine that Mom always ordered.

Tonight

If it is not too hot we will sit on the deck and have a cocktail.

I will make my husband his favourite spaghetti dinner and a simple salad.

The sun is shining down on The Humble Bungalow Garden.

on the north side of the bungalow we have a slate patio

that is surrounded by a riot of hydrangeas, 

Limelight and Angelina mixed in with hostas and lady's mantle.

We spent the better part of the weekend in the garden getting caught up on the weeding and the deadheading of the roses.

It feels a little bit cooler today as there is a breeze...

an exterminator is coming by this afternoon to deal with a large wasp nest.

We are planning to buy a new TV and get an upgrade on our viewing subscriptions.

There are so many options and channels that it feels quite daunting trying to decide what to order...

Do you have any suggestions on particularly good channels?

Will close with this pretty sunflower grown from the seeds that dear reader Rosemarie sent to me in memory of my mom.

Thank you for popping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Love...

Feeling love...
possibly more intense in these precarious times that we are living in.

a brightly painted heart rock on my beach walk last week

Intense Blue Skies at McNeill Bay in Oak Bay.

This is the beach where I spent my childhood..

we lived 2 blocks from the beach and we loved exploring the seashore.

I found some pretty sea glass on my walk.

Feeling so grateful for the smallest of things each day...

 European Wall Lizard

one of many living in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

 ~ Muguet des Bois ~

Intoxicating...

a heavy heady fragrance

pure white elegance.

Mother's Day

Remembering my dear Mom today  

I think of her everyday

but miss her more on these "special" days.

Mother's Day garden visit

with gifts from darling daughter and her sweet husband.

Tokens of love.

Garden visit with our son.

Flowers...a handmade card made with love.

Warm weather over the weekend...

we broke two weather records for high temperatures!

Cats are content snoozing on our bed.

Yummy dinner of chicken baked potatoes 

with

freshly harvested asparagus which is growing in our garden.

Mount Baker as seen from Island View Beach.

A wee bit blurry...

 a magnificent sight to see.

So many things to see

to appreciate 

to love.

Hope that you are finding some bright spots in your daily round.

Our eyes can embrace the beauty that surrounds us all...

take a few moments breathe in the fresh air

in awe of Mother Nature and all her glory

stay calm

be well.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~ 

Seeing Red...recipes and pops of colour

I've been struggling to come up with cheerful and inspiring posts while we are isolating and cocooning at home.
Perhaps I have hit a bit of a writer's block so instead of obsessing about why I went to the archives and found some bright red images to share.

We start off with the recipe that I made recently...
My husband absolutely loves pasta!

To start 

I roast cut up tomatoes in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes until soft.

Several cloves of diced garlic on top of the tomatoes and a bit of olive oil with fresh ground pepper.

This step makes the flavour richer and more intense.

Lidia Bastianich's meatball recipe is the best one that I have tried.

I use an ice cream scoop to make the balls more uniform.

I add the tomatoes that I have previously roasted 

as well as the other sauce ingredients

It serves 6 so we have it for two dinners with a tossed salad.

My husband usually takes the leftovers for his lunches...

as I said he adores pasta so he never tires of this dish.

We are enjoying our meals here in The Humble Bungalow.

(maybe a bit too much now that we are unable to go out for meals)

Dinnertime has become somewhat sacred...

Comfort food is being served regularly here during the pandemic.

This is the vintage ice cream scoop that I use for the meatballs...

I use it for cookies and muffins too.

I've been using leftover vegetables in my weekly soups.

Waste Not, Want Not.

Luscious juicy red tomatoes 

so pretty to look at...

Flying high up in the sky.

Full blown tulips

Heirloom tomatoes and a brioche loaf

slice the tomatoes and the bread

add butter and a sprinkling of salt

the perfect fresh sandwich

awaits

Tomatoes with fresh Mint 

drizzled with a balsamic cream reduction

makes for a tasty salad.

Pearls and stripes 

why not get dressed up?

Even if there is nowhere special to go...

Hope that you have enjoyed seeing some of these bright pops of colour.

A distraction from reality 

is what I am craving these days filled with so much uncertainty.

People are stressed and struggling to keep positive.

We are safe, the sun is shining, the garden is full of flowers.

There is food in the fridge and the pantry has the basic staples.

We have toilet paper!

Books to read and a knitting project on the needles.

Our world has changed but we are doing what we are told by staying home and staying safe and here in BC the curve is showing signs of flattening.

We are grateful for all the medical staff and essential services

 that allow us to remain safely cocooned at home.

We are all in this together in unity.

Please leave a comment of how you are feeling and what you are doing...

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Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog

Stay Safe

until next time....

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Birthday highlights...

Life is speeding by...

now that I have clocked 65 years

looking back

it feels like a bit of a blur.

Japanese Tapa Bar lunch out with my husband and our son

who gave me this beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Flowers are filling many vases here in The Humble Bungalow.

Chester reminds me that we need to stop and smell the flowers!

Love a green and white bouquet.

Birthday lunch out with my girlfriends.

We have a wonderful restaurant nearby called Nourish that features healthy food.

The focus of the menu is mostly vegetables.

This grain bowl had lentils, roasted veggies, kale, radish and carrots

served atop a bed of butternut squash miso.

It was incredibly delicious!

A rather silly impish smile 

as I hold the vast bouquet of flowers that my darling husband bought for me.

We both enjoyed a quiet dinner out at a local hotel.

The place that mom, my sister and I used to go to on Tuesday evenings.

I wore mom's pearl ring and had a glass of mom's favourite white wine.

Remembering her on the anniversary of the day she passed away.

It is with mixed emotions that I celebrate my birthday 

while I remember it is also mom's day of demise.

Thankfully I have a supportive family and friends who cheered me up.

I am so grateful to have had mom in my life for so many years.

I have many special memories and a few of her things 

that continue to remind me of her everyday.

A surprise package arrived in the mail.

From a dear reader of my blog 

Rosemarie

She knows me well and sent me these cute socks.

I am going to wear these a lot.

They are fun and will add some oomph to my basic wardrobe.

Thank you Rosemarie!

XO

The sun is shining and there are signs of Spring 

flowers are coming to life and popping up in the garden.

I feel more energy and enthusiasm when the sun shines.

Do you?

"I enjoy the spring more than the autumn now. 

One does, I think, as one gets older."

~ Virginia Woolf ~

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

If you would like to leave a comment and I hope that you will

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~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

OOTD ~ Valentine's Day

What to wear for Valentines Day?
I opted for a pop of red...

Jeans ~ Vintage America

Shirt ~ Tommy Hilfiger

Shoes ~ Joesph Seibel

I love these jeans

they fit well and are super soft

the length is perfect for my short frame.

I have another pair of these, in a different style

they are getting really faded and worn in

I've worn them SO MUCH!

I felt like upping my game a bit and purchased a new pair.

The pearls that my husband gave me many years ago on Valentine's Day.

We walked to our local pub in the village for a date night dinner.

A lot of people had the same idea and it was incredibly LOUD.

Hard to hear above the laughter 

and

with what we considered shouting at the nearby tables...

(some had obviously imbibed a bit too much)

We watched as they made their way to the exit and hoped that they were not driving home impaired.

The food was delicious and we both enjoyed our meal.

It was a lovely treat not to cook dinner.

Ballet flats are comfy to walk in and look great with ankle length jeans.

I am going on Jamie Cat Callan's Paris Tour this coming September and I am so excited to see her again and meet all the other women on the tour.

We all had such fun last time in 2015.

She has a couple of spaces left if you are interested.

Rose Hip with a raindrop...

a pop of colour on a grey day.

I love good chocolate and Pender Island has a wonderful shop.

One can sit and have tea or coffee and a sweet treat.

I'm looking forward to Summer 

when I can use this vintage bag that I bought a few years ago on Ebay.

I must get some things accomplished today so I will close for now...

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

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~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Wearing red lipstick in my current favourite shade.

Luscious rose hips...

XO