The Victoria Orchid Show Pictures of the more exotic specimens...

The Victoria Orchid Show and Sale was held earlier this month and I volunteered at the admissions table on the first day. It was super busy and after seeing the beautiful displays you'll know why so many people stopped by to admire these unique and unusual plants.

The pictures speak for themselves so have a wee gander...

There were many varieties of orchids on sale 

 many require specific conditions...

a controlled environment, heat, moisture, fans...

 a green house !

I opted to purchase a yellow Paphiopedilum, the one most commonly sold at the florist and many grocery stores.

Also known as the windowsill orchid.

Curiously orchids are one plant that my mischievous cats will not eat!

So they do not need to survive under the cloche! 

Two recent finds are these Ojibwa Tamarack ducks...

I planned on selling them in my case at Vanity Fair Antique Mall but they are so endearing I might just have to leave them here on the dining room table.

I am working on another in the Starring You series on accessories and should have it ready to post soon.

Hope you've had a great weekend and that you are energized for the week to come.

Yesterday...

Some days are better than others,
All we can do is put our best face forward and hope for the best...
yesterday was one of "those days."

Our four year old cat, Pepper is ill...
I spent a few hours at the hospital with her
and I left her there overnight for observation.
She has had X-Rays, tests and blood work...
it appears that something is amiss and so we wait...

If pets could talk and tell us what is wrong we'd be so much better able to diagnose their problem and start the correct treatment.
I wonder if she ate something that she should not have ingested...

She was throwing up...
I know it's gross and I won't mention it again,
except to say that our white coverlet on the bed has been laundered.
(I'm so grateful we own a heavy duty washing machine)

I left dinner in the oven for  MR. HB...
he coaxed Pepper into the kennel cab for me as I hastily wrote out the directions to the hospital from a google map...
I was stressed, scribbling the street names
I'm not proud of it but there was some screaming involved...

I got lost on the way to the hospital...
on a rainy dark night, country roads and unfamiliar territory...
our old Volvo wagon does not have a GPS.

I pulled over to the side of the road and "googled" maps, 

I got a message saying "Do you want to install the Google Map APP now?

NOOOOOO....

I want to get to the vet NOW...

I had to stop at a gas station and call the hospital for directions...
turns out I was two blocks short of their location.

Can you feel my tension
you shouldn't...
I'm just venting.

I had my first ever Kuerig coffee...which btw was delicious.

The "reception" at the hospital was warm and welcoming

the patient and caring staff took care of me as well as Pepper.

Let's take a break/diversion shall we?

Yes the red shoes walked with me to French Class...

they were accompanied by my favourite French made Union Jack tote.

Perhaps it is a weird "statement"

 to carry that tote to class 

but both the textbooks

the French English dictionary

  homework and papers

pencils and pens

and

a bottle of Perrier

fit 

perfectly.

C'est la vie.

I passed by a popular flower stall

brimming with colour...

a market with fresh produce...

I wore classic pearls and diamonds...

with my natural tinsel "highlights"

I'll be 60 in a few weeks so I think I have "earned the right to embrace the grey"

(have you noticed how many women "of a certain age" are blogging about going grey ?)

 Joni Mitchell and Joan Didion have been hired as representatives as the "new faces" for fashion houses.

Boomers, are quite possibly, becoming the IT generation!

I spied these gorgeous Hunter Boots in a shop window

and if I had not been running late for class

I would have rushed in 

and tried them on...

I did just buy some cute and comfy Harvest Tomato Lands' End Bianca ballet flats...

and it was not raining...

 look was hanging out in the same shop window as the Hunter Boots.

Last weekend I left this vest in "the Red Store"

(aka Target)

after conferring with my personal fashion advisor

who has never steered me wrong...

(thanks darling...it does add bulk and I am way too short to carry it off!)

so before I close...

Pepper's picture on her file at the vet clinic...

belly up!

I took it when she helped me "fold the laundry" Mr. HB's Socks!

Pepper was an adorable kitten ...

your little buddy Chester is waiting for you Pepper...

he was asleep when I took this...

Pepper snoozing onboard our Sea Ray last summer....

I'm going to phone the hospital soon and see what kind of night she had...

in the meantime...

I feel a wee bit better having written this all down and sharing it.

Who knows if anyone is out there reading these words?

there might just be an audience of empty chairs...

Out with the old and in with the new...OOTD

I culled a few garments last week from our teeny tiny closet...
they were Tees that had pilled and were looking faded.
I hang most of my clothes to dry so pilling is not usually a problem but those Tees were quite cheap and I think they were worn so often and were layered with vests and sweaters perhaps that is why they were badly abraded.

I did not replace them as I have two long sleeved Tees still in the closet.
Instead I opted for one new top...and a scarf.

Lands' End tunic top in a black and white stripe.

I wore this to the Winter Harp Concert with black leggings and Mee Too ballet flats.

Lands' End did a great job matching the stripes when sewing this top.

I snapped this picture from the car when driving home from the concert...

(I was in the passenger seat)

the legislative buildings in Victoria are lit up for Christmas.

This patterned scarf folded in half ~ black, grey and creamy beige shades.

The fabric has a felted texture and was purchased from the Oak Bay Avenue Pharmasave.

It has no tag to say what the fabric content is or who or where it was made...

As it mixes and matches with almost everything in my closet it is going to get a LOT of wear...

it may even come with me to Paris.

I spy with my little eye something that is silver...

I found a carry on that meets the strict requirements of Air France...

an early Xmas gift to myself 

purchased at 60% off regular price AND I used my senior's discount!

It's good that it expands,

just in case I buy some things in Paris and need to check it on the flight home!

Mimi Thorisson author of the blog Manger has a cookbook out and it is full of fabulous French Country recipes.

This would make a great gift for the foodie on your Christmas list.

I have been drooling over her seasonal menus and cannot stop staring at the beautiful, sensual and sumptuous photographs in this book...

 artfully captured by her talented husband Oddur.

I whipped up a couple of loaves of fruit bread

read most of  "The House I Loved"...

I caught up on some much needed sleep...

Darling grand daughter Isla has been ill and my mind has not been able to completely turn off worrying about her.

She is on the mend thanks to antibiotics and I am looking forward to my "Grammy Day" this coming week.

I hope that Henry doesn't come down with the bug.

I was surprised when I recently got a thank you from Hermes in the mail.

I must admit that I am very impressed...

"Good Manners are Always in Fashion."

Must close for now 

as I need to get dinner organized.

Thank you for your comments and book suggestions...

until next time...

Be Well.

I've got Paris on my mind...and it is a lovely distraction.

Since hearing the news that I am one of the lucky ladies to accompany Jamie Cat Callan on her Paris Ooh La La Tour this coming May I have let my thoughts stray to all things Parisienne...
By the way, I think there are a couple of spots left on Jamie's Tour if you want to come along, but act fast if you want to join in!

I have been looking online at Paris blogs and websites and many kind readers have emailed me behind the scenes offering their thoughts on what to pack and what brand of carry on they prefer and several of my readers who live in Paris have suggested we meet for a drink while I am there...
more about Paris later in the post.

We recently went to a Scottish Celebration...
my husband's ancestors hail from Scotland...
The Campbell's and the MacDonald's.
Two clans that were constantly warring with each other!

Have you ever attended a Ceilidh?
Do you know what it is?
I had to look at this sign to spell it correctly as it is pronounced "Kay Lee."

An online source describes a Ceilidh ~
"a social event at which there is Scottish or Irish folk music and singing, traditional dancing and storytelling."

It was a fun evening filled with entertainment and a plethora of tartan kilted regimental musicians.

We were happy to be invited as it was a fund raising event for the local band's upcoming tour to Europe.

Isn't this a beautiful pin?

I love the acorn and the oak leaf.

I do love to see a man in a kilt and kitted out smartly to play in the band with those bagpipes and drums...

My Irish background can appreciate those who hail from the Highlands, after all we were practically neighbours! 

I made a Freekeh grain salad last week and it was delicious.

How does one pronounce Freekeh?

I have been saying Freak Ah!

I used the recipe on the back of the box.

Spinach, roasted red peppers, Greek olives, feta cheese, and I added some red onions.

It called for a dressing of lemon juice with a pinch of nutmeg and a bit of cinnamon but it really tasted delicious without it.

It made a large bowl full and I served it to Mother and my sister at our weekly dinner.

The verdict was that it was a keeper.

There was some leftover so it made for easy lunches for me for the next few days.

I made our favourite prawn bisque.

The recipe is in the Whitewater Cooks  cookbook as shrimp bisque but I use prawns for more flavour.

I posted about this shrimp bisque way back in the day...

This recipe has big flavours and is loaded in WW points so make sure that you proceed with caution!

The roses in The Humble Bungalow Garden are laden with rose hips... 

perhaps a sign of a harsh winter to come?

The cushions have been removed from the front porch chairs as the colder wet weather is almost upon us...

the pockets of sunshine continue teasing us into believing that summer is still here.

Stews will be back on the menu as the temperatures dip.

I'm thinking about what I will pack when I go to Paris!

I always love reading posts on packing by un femme d'un certain age.

I've been reading quite a bit...

New Year New Dreams blog author Madame La Bas suggested these mysteries set in Paris.

The stories are well written, engaging, and I am enjoying reading about the different areas of Paris.

So much is happening here in and around The Humble Bungalow.

We are living in busy times.

I really must run and get some things done.

Thank you for visiting!

I am planning a wardrobe post next...so please come back soon.