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 ~

Wardrobe edit: Scarves...those that made the cut

I've recently been editing and culling my wardrobe.

I like to do this regularly as it helps me refine my style, allows me to see what regularly gets worn, who are the key players and what features make them the workhorses in my closet.

My wardrobe is kept small...the closet is also small and I share it with my husband! One day we will redo it and install some features that will improve its storage capacity...in 1913 a "pedestrian bungalow owner" would not have had many clothes...daytime wear (house dresses) and Sunday best.

First on the chopping block are the scarves...

Too many scarves and they were spilling off the shelf in my bedside cabinet
not enough space so some had to go...
7 scarves were donated to the charity shop and two were consigned.

Silk Hermes collection
 (which I wear mostly in the Spring and Summer)

Three orange boxes

Small square purchased in Paris

Black and White silk from Vancouver Hermes store

The original from the San Francisco Hermes shop.

Long scarves

some worn in summer and some in the Fall and Winter

Large white scarf (shawl size) from the Monoprix 

 St Germain, Paris

Burberry print infinity scarf

(gift)

Two Linen scarves:

black and grey 

blue and white 

(purchased at the Pharmasave in Oak Bay)

Burberry cashmere

(gift from my husband)

I tend to wear the Burberry cashmere all through the Fall and Winter as it offers warmth and is so cozy and goes with my wine coloured puffer coat.

That's all the scarves and they neatly fit inside the cabinet now with some "breathing room!"

The new Bosch dishwasher arrived and was installed today...

looking forward to clean dishes and no more leaks!

I am taking a wreath making workshop this week with our lovely DIL

Hopefully my efforts will be worthy of a photo and if the wreath looks OK

 I will share it here in a future post.

Have you started decorating for Christmas?

For some strange reason this year I feel like putting up our decorations and tree already and it is not even December!

I recently read this book the subject matter was quite disturbing...

extremely well written but rather graphic

 a NY Times bestseller.

I'm reading a much lighter book right now...

(Chick Lit)

Set in London and the South of France...

love the style in which it is written

just the thing to put a smile on my face as I sit with my mug of tea on these rainy afternoons.

What is new with you and 

what are you reading?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Springtime ~ In the Pink

Pink Spring blossoms are found along many streets and boulevards in Victoria.

They lift the spirits even on the greyest of days.

Moms' robe now hangs in the guest room.

She wore this frequently...and it is silky satin.

One might want a pair of pink marabou slippers to go with it!

Did you notice that the hanger is in the same pattern and fabric as the robe?

I've been keeping the flowers fresh at Mom's condo for the showings...

we think it has sold and are just waiting for the buyers to secure their financing.

There were multiple offers all well above our asking price...

the real estate market here is brisk!

Mr. HB and I went to Fan Tan on Fisgard Street

in the heart of Victoria's Chinatown
 for a date night dinner this week.

Our meal was delicious and my tea arrived in a sweet little cast iron teapot.

It was really heavy especially when you consider the size.

 Pouring tea and a bit of "weight training!"

Spring cleaning, decluttering and rearranging things have been in the works.

Two bags of donations are waiting to be dropped off at the charity shops.

I culled quite a few books from this cupboard before I rearranged the shelves.

The French Market Basket was purchased years ago.

I planned to walk to the shops and wheel my groceries home...

that has happened exactly once!

I must fix that stat by going shopping in the Cook Street Village more often  pulling it behind me!

The wire heart was meant for postcards and photos.

I like it just the way it is...unadorned.

I'm going to pull these pieces together and add a few more.

My plan is to make a candle vignette of sorts...

I love how mirrors and candles can be best friends!

I took this wee painting from Mom's condo yesterday when I rearranged the flowers...

I am not sure that I will keep it forever 

but I could not part with it...

not just yet

and I did not want to regret giving it away...

it is a small street scene in Paris.

I also plan to take one of her French style chairs to add to the one that I have slip covered in linen beside the table in the hobby room.

It could be for one of the grandchildren to sit on as we read stories

or play with the toys...

another thing that is "speaking to me" 

one that I never thought would tug at my heart strings 

but one that is saying loudly...

don't let me go!

The journey is far from over...

saying goodbye

dealing with the details

is totally keeping us busy.

This emotional process is not easy

I have my ups and downs and find myself crying while standing at the kitchen sink.

I have had vivid dreams of Mom, so vivid, that when I wake I think she is still here...

My friends have been so amazing and strangers have been kind.

Every phone call that I make to advise them of moms demise 

is met with gentle soft spoken condolences...

the agency representatives in person are more than sweet

understanding 

patient

death of a loved one is obviously something that we all share in 

 it feels like it brings out the most empathetic responses 

the "best" from most...

Thank you all again for your lovely emails...

they keep coming

and 

I must say they are a delight.

XO

Fabulous Finds

Darling daughter has an incredible gift for finding things...
she recently found me a couple of fabulous finds.

On Instagram she is known as thingfinder and she has an Etsy shop thethingfinders.

She works hard at finding things...
regularly frequenting the shops and antique dealers in town.
Her knowledge of jewelry, antiques and collectibles is vast...
I am in awe of her skills.

She knows a bargain and here are two of her latest finds
which she sold to me for a song.

Vintage leather Fossil bag in mint condition.

Cross Body bags are the only bags for me now

as I am not supposed to carry heavy handbags anymore.

"Doctor's orders"

A leather wallet, also in mint condition,

please look closer...

Kate Spade

gold lettering

immaculate even stitching

soft supple leather

polka dots

luxurious 

a quality piece in every way

lots of compartments 

plenty of room for money and cards

looks great with pearls

 a classic watch

or a silk scarf...

These two leather pieces will be so useful.

There is ample room in my closet now as I recently consigned all my big bags.

I took a bag of clothes that "I fell out of love with" to the charity shop.

There's a piece of vintage Navajo turquoise en route to my house from a dealer in the States.

I plan to wear it with my thrifted crisp white shirt and faded blue jean jacket 

for Spring and Summer.

Can hardly wait for it to arrive!

Garance has a list of her favourite things in this gem of a book.

I hope you plan to read it if you have not yet done so...

she is a breath of fresh air.

Have you happened upon any Fabulous Finds?

Rather a busy weekend...

This past weekend was full of activity but it was a pleasant balance of work and play...

A little bit of shopping

(these did not come home with me)

I wore my pearl pendant...

a 60th birthday gift from my kids.

(They are grown adults now but they'll always be my "babies!")

J'adore Pearls!

A little time was spent in the garden 

dead heading hydrangeas and harvesting our first Liberty apples.

Mr. HB took me out for lunch to the Oak Bay Beach Hotel.

I had a huge salad...a Weight Watchers friendly choice.

Delicious and so very healthy.

My weight is up a couple of pounds over my "goal weight" but I am working at getting it back down.

I weeded my closet...donated a bag to the charity shop.

Then I took the remaining summer clothes downstairs to the guest room closet.

My dressy clothes are made up mostly of black and grey shades.

I ordered some new long sleeved tees from Lands' End.

They had a 30% off sale this weekend which ends today ~ Monday.

One white, a bright purple blue and a raspberry.

Last Spring in Paris I had my colours done.

Turns out that I am a Winter...

(who knew?)

Slowly embracing colour and they all go with my black basics and my Hermes scarves!

I made Jamie Oliver's Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Tomatoes.

Jamie at Home Cookbook.

Delicious and an easy one pan dinner.

This was the scene that I saw when I walked along the seafront this week...

I'm exploring a new hobby.

Mah Jongg.

The lessons start this week.

Want to keep my brain cells vibrant and stimulated...

learning something new is always exciting.

Hope that your week is off to a flying start!

Spring ~ Skincare, habits and tackling "the list."

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and well wishes during my recent bout of flu.
I am so glad that I am over it....and the weird thing, is that I had a flu shot earlier this year.

If you had told me that having a week "off" with nothing much to do but lay in bed would be "productive" I would have shrugged and shaken my head. I am not accustomed to lying around and find it quite a challenge.
Drowsy from cough and cold medication I managed to leaf through many magazines reading articles on everything from lingerie, lotions, sunscreen and shoes. My husband was willing to pop over to the market at my request and buy food, boxes of Kleenex and fashion magazines. Thank you Honey!
I discovered, as many of you already know, is that sunscreen is the most important anti aging product on the market. I have never found a sunscreen that worked well under my foundation and the brands that I tried were thick and often left a white residue...until now.

This formula is light and blends easily so there is no excuse not to use it every day.

Good 'cuz anti aging skin care is now up there on my radar.

I read that the second most important ant aging product is Retinol...

it has been scientifically proven to minimize wrinkles.

I thought that Retinol was too harsh for my skin until I read the latest Allure magazine.

ROC make a Retinol cream for night 

(which apparently is the best time to use it)

the ROC formulation has some "buffers" which make it gentle to use on the skin.

I am following the directions and using it every other night for 2 weeks to make sure my skin will not over react.

This is the extent of my invasive skin care action...no fillers, or Botox for the Hostess.

(I have had some IPL treatments for my rosacea in the past but they are expensive.)

I plan to book a microdermabrasion treatment in the next couple of weeks..

Moisturizer and hydration are both very important and I have always focused on these habits.

Drinking lots of water and using an emollient cream or serum to plump up the skin just seems like common sense.

I've just received L'Occitane's Divine Cream in the post, just in time as I am scraping the jar to get the last bit out!

I had lots of time to mull over focusing on a healthier regime.

There is always room to tweak one's diet, amp up weekly activity and add a new proven skin care product.

Eating. walking and skincare all things that I try to be mindful of and embrace.

The downside of being out of commission is that my stamina for walking the 5 K and 10 K routes have been reduced and so my pace is much slower and I am much more aware of fatigue.

Fortunately my walking partner is understanding so we are working up to my former speed.

So that's about it on the health front...

I like lists and use them regularly...

what I really love is crossing off the things as I complete them.

Not bad work!

Our mushroom coloured coverlet looks so shabby it's actually embarrassing.

How can things like this hover just under the radar without getting noticed?

 I zipped off to the newly opened Marshalls and found a suitable replacement.

The white towels were purchased online from Lands End at 30% off and will be arriving shortly.

The new shower curtains are installed and the old ones were bleached and will be ready when it is time to launder the new ones.

The Gap denim jacket should be here any day now and I need to spend a few moments on the phone with my day book so I can book those appointments.

The de-cluttering has started and I took a bag of things to Good Things Consignment in Oak Bay.

Stuff that just collects dust and offers no Joy is on it's way out of The Humble Bungalow!

I've declared war on dust.

Makes it easier to keep on top of the house work with fewer knick knacks.

Mr. HB likes it better this way too.

Re-arranging is a Spring time activity...

Our Pacific Northwest First Nations Baskets were moved about.

I've washed a few of the windows and am working in one room at a time.

But not trying to overdo things ~ I am pacing myself.

Going through my book shelf looking for titles to donate.

If I don't plan to re-read a book it needs to go to a new home.

I'm excited just thinking about how good it is going to feel to have reduced the clutter in The Humble Bungalow.

What Spring things are you doing in your home?

Are you doing a major clean or a total purge?

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow.

Hostess

XO