OOTD

Bridge is one of my favourite card games.
It helps keep me on my toes.

I love that it challenges my brain by utilizing those "grey cells."
Scientists keep reminding us to use it or lose it...

Our club hosted a fund raising bridge luncheon last weekend and I got a wee bit dressed up for the event. It puts the fun into fundraising.

Many of the ladies who attend are much older and they take such care to dress in smart outfits, beautiful pearl necklaces, silk scarves and pretty rings.

On a regular weekday bridge game I wear..."casual clothes."
Like this black top and dark denim skinny NYDJ rolled up at the cuff
with short boots.

JCrew tassel necklace with a simple black top adds a little bit of oomph.

Clark boots  NYDJ

For the luncheon and the afternoon I wore...

Amalfi shoes with Nygaard velvet dress pants.

Burberry print scarf

Wilfred top

We had a fun afternoon and raised money for the club.

~ Win Win ~

Our darling grand daughter Isla came over on the weekend.

We had fun "playing school" made some banana bread and walked to the park.

She jumped in the leaves, swung on the swings, slid down the slide, climbed on the monkey bars and rode on the merry go round.

We collected some of the leaves...

Isla picked this "special leaf" for me...

I placed some of the leaves under the white pumpkins on the table 

on the front porch of our Humble Bungalow.

As I sit here tying on my lap top  I am wearing a new ring...

Darling daughter who is gifted at finding gems and jewels found an eternity ring in my size and we met up for coffee so that I could try it on...

It fits and was such a great price that I could not resist...

Hope that your week is off to a great start...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Sunday morning and giving thanks...

Darling daughter (@thing_finder on Instagram) and I recently hosted a fund raising auction to aid the victims of Fort McMurray Alberta who have been displaced by a raging wildfire.
We have notified the winners, they have graciously paid for their items and their parcels will soon be on their way...
The Red Cross will receive the donation and it will be matched by the Canadian Government.
It has made me feel better knowing that a family will benefit from this small gesture.

Sending you thanks...

Small pleasures...

Mr. HB picked me a bouquet of yellow roses from the garden.

Graham Thomas is a hardy and disease resistant David Austin climbing rose.

One of my favourite roses.

(it is really difficult to pick a favourite David Austin Rose as they are all so lovely)

Humble gestures of

 helping

performing random acts of kindness

volunteering

there are so many ways to show that you care.

They need not be grand gestures...

 the thoughts and actions of a small group can come together can make a big difference.

"I am a huge believer in giving back and helping out in the community and the world. Think globally, act locally I suppose. I believe that the measure of a person's life is the affect they have on others." 

~ Steve Nash ~

(NBA star Steve Nash was raised in Victoria BC and he has just been awarded the Order of Canada.)

Wishing you all a very Happy Sunday.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Humble Bungalow Home and Garden...

It has been a frenzy of activity here these past few days...as we have had a crew of painters here scraping and prepping the exterior of our Humble Bungalow in preparation for paint.
The cats have been running around to the windows and watching the men on their ladders...the noisy sanders have been loud and I was on deck to provide refreshments (cookies) as a self proclaimed Hostess I do have a reputation to live up to!

Oops someone left a cedar shingle on the patio!

Today all is quiet and I can hear myself think...the dish washer is going through its cycles but I can still hear the birdsong outside my window and it is music to my ears!

This pretty purple plant is in a neighbours garden and the bees just love it.

When I walked by I could hear the buzzing and watched as perhaps 50 bees gathered pollen.

Further down the block these beautiful artichokes are growing right beside the sidewalk.

I'm tempted to ask for a sample...

Artichokes have such interesting and intricate details.

Our Humble Bungalow Garden is a riot of colour and the roses are in full bloom.

Our roses are really putting on a spectacular show.

They love the warm weather and the sunshine.

This pink rose is the climber Madame Gregoire Staechelin.

Joesph's Coat of Many Colours

The blooms are bright orange when they first open and then they get tinges of yellow on the edges of the petals as they fully open up.

Iceberg is a reliable and hardy climbing rose which rewards us with many pure white flowers.

The cats do not usually nap in the same place but we caught them in the act and I had to take a picture because I think they looked quite cozy. They are sleeping on top of our vintage English Pram!

You still have a day to bid on the Hermes scarf and Pyrrha necklace if you are interested...

all the details are in the previous post.

Well that's about it for now...

I must get out for my walk as it is a beautiful sunny morning.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Hermes Scarf and Pyrrha Necklace ~ A Silent Auction fund raiser for Fort McMurray victims...

In my previous post I mentioned that my daughter Jennifer and I were going to be putting together a fundraiser to help the people from the town of Fort McMurray...we are ready and the auction is live!

Darling daughter has put together the silent auction post on her Instagram feed @thing _finder
and she is ready to accept bids by private message on these two lovely items. I donated the silk Hermes scarf which is made in Paris and she added the Pyrrha necklace which is made in Vancouver BC.

Fort McMurray is a town in Alberta where a wildfire has been burning for days. 88,000 people have fled, many with just the clothes on their backs and are currently living in camps or have joined family and friends elsewhere. Many homes burnt to the ground as well as buildings in the city.

After watching the news I have not been able to get the images out of my mind...so many people have been affected by the fire and the scale of the destruction is huge. I had just made a donation to The Red Cross and now I felt that I needed to do more to help.

Thank you...

                                ~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Garden daze...and a plea for help.

This unseasonably warm weather continues to be sunny and the garden is putting on quite the splashy show.

We have several different varieties of clematis in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

Incredibly lush blooms on this clematis which is only a few years old.

I think it might be Clematis Jackmanii.

Our Pink Lewisia Cotyledon grows in a pot in the garden outside the back door.

It puts on a lovely display for most of the summer and asks very little except for the occasional drink of water and a sheltered spot out of the wind.

The  McCartney rose seems happy and is incredibly fragrant...

perfect for picking and bringing inside the Humble Bungalow.

The Rothschildianum Azalea was beautiful but sadly the deer have eaten most of the flowers.

I have suggested to Mr. HB that we look into erecting some fencing out in the front yard!

I observed the doe munching happily on these flowers and thought well...

she is probably expecting fawns and needs a sweet treat.

And Today Is Mother's Day!

Joesph's Coat of Many Colours climbing rose

Madame Gregoire Staechelin climber

closer look at Madame

her flowers are drooping and heavy as she is fully laden with buds and blooms

alliums

The bees love these...

On our Instagram feed 

Darling Daughter  @thing_finder and I are putting together a silent auction to help raise funds for more than 88,000 people who live in Fort McMurray Alberta who have had to flee their homes because of a fast moving wild fire...

It is horrific to think that many of these people had to leave their homes 

and left with nothing but the clothes on their back...many driving through flames and heat to escape.

The news is very graphic and scary that I fear that many will be traumatized.

I purchased this scarf new from the Vancouver Hermes shop and have the wee booklet and original box that it came in...

it is a white with grey 

a very "painterly" scarf 

 is so neutral that I feel anyone could wear it

you could buy this scarf and help someone in need.

I am offering my 2012 Hermes silk scarf and our darling daughter is offering a Pyrrha necklace

we both hope that you will help us raise funds for the people of Fort McMurray.

The Canadian government will match all the donations received...

so let's do our bit.

Please help.

So please stay tuned for details of the auction.

Hope all the Mother's out there had a great day!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~