Showing posts with label gardens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardens. Show all posts

Thursday, June 15, 2023

June Roses in The Humble Bungalow Garden, swimsuit shopping and a recipe for an at home Spa Day.


June in The Humble Bungalow Garden 
is all about the roses.

Constance Spry is putting on a fabulous show here on the pergola.


The side garden patio is nestled between a lush border of Lady's Mantle
 a bed with two apple trees, various roses and foxgloves.

It's a lovely spot to sit and take tea.


I snapped this photo while sitting with my tea...
you can see the tool shed through the "jungle!"

My husband and I went on the Victoria Hospice Teeny Tiny Garden Tour.
We really enjoyed our day perusing the various gardens on the tour.

I got a few ideas to add to our garden...
for example we could use a water feature, and some more planters with annuals.

I'd also like to find some bamboo wind chimes and a tall wind ornament.

We have volunteered our garden for the fundraising tour next year...
it will be up to the coordinator in charge to decide if ours is worthy.


Climbing Royal Sunset Rose
fragrant and a vigorous growing variety.


Jude the Obscure is blooming!
It is my favourite rose.
I actually Love So Many Roses...
it is rather difficult choosing just one favourite.


The Miraclesuit shown here is 3 or 4 years old and is losing it's shape.

The Aqua Fit classes are fabulous fun!
I didn't know how much I would enjoy them.
The class is an hour and we are moving continuously.
The movements do not aggravate my arthritis or hurt my joints.

I dislike swimsuit shopping but I NEED a NEW one.
There is a limit on the number of suits that you can take into the change room
so you can try on maybe 6 then have to get dressed and take back the 6 to the clerk at the desk.
So it makes swimsuit shopping a really frustrating challenge.
It was a surprise finding this black suit.

I had already been to the Marshall's store 4 times in search of a decent style and fit.
Well this just proves that old saying...if at first you don't succeed Try Try Again.


Simon Chang


The wrap style is flattering.
I chose the size up for added comfort.


I am short so the adjustable straps are a nice feature.
The suit was $35 and I couldn't believe what good value it was.

My physio appointments are weekly and I am getting IMS treatments.
I have had two sessions so far.
I am hopeful that these will help loosen up the taut and tight muscles 
that are causing the pain in my lower back.
My doctor recommended them so I am hoping that they will make a difference.
It will be nice not to need any pain medication and be able to walk 5km as well as attend the Aqua Fit classes.


Sleep is much better with a thick pillow propped underneath my knees.
I lie on my back which is the most comfortable position.
I am learning to relax my back and get a better sleep.

Back to the garden...


Lady Angela a fragrant David Austin Rose is blooming.
She is a pretty variety and is trained as a climber.
Lots of flowers repeat throughout the summer.


I like to have some fresh flowers above the kitchen sink.
I spend a lot of time washing dishes and gazing out the window.

Eagles often soar high above in the sky floating in the air.

We live in an area quite close to the downtown and yet we have lots of urban wildlife.
Deer, raccoons, European Wall Lizards, eagles, owls, crows and various songbirds.

There are always some animal antics or birds entertaining us in the garden.


~ Hey Jude ~ 

Buds 
Blooms Present and Past

I've been busy this week and am planning some quiet time.
My energy and enthusiasm for social events are not always in sync.
Do you schedule days where you stay at home and relax?

I find I like to be out and about so much more than recharging at home.
You would think that I might not want to miss out on something!

(Life can be so full of fun that it is a challenge to wean myself off of the excitement)

After chatting with, and reading blog posts from women my age
I have found that many are "under the weather" because 
they have been "burning the candle at both ends."

So as an observer 
I have made note and am going to enact a day of quiet.
Perhaps a Spa Day?


Spa Day Bath Salt Recipe


What do you like to do when you feel the need for some self care?

Do you book yourself into a hotel?
Reserve a pampering package of treatments at a local spa?
Stay in your pajamas all day read a good book, sip tea and munch on chocolate?

I do love a great chocolate bar...
Lindt creamy milk chocolate with hazelnuts is my current favourite.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.

Take Care

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

June 7th ~ Lots to chat about so I have written an early blogpost


This soft Merona Tencel dress was hanging in the Thrift Shop
just waiting for me!
I couldn't buy it fast enough...
I felt like the woman in that IKEA advert that says Start The Car!!!

Target carried the brand when they had a store here in Victoria 
a few years ago, which BTW I loved.
Frankly I was VERY disappointed when they closed the store.

It reminded me of The Monoprix in France...
a little bit of everything and food too!

So I have worn this dress 6 times since purchasing it...
I pair it with white capri leggings and my blue suede sandals
or Blue Converse Sneakers.

The fabric is dreamy...SO SOFT!
It reminds me of a well worn favourite but without the wear and tear or holes.

I wore it in the garden while deadheading the roses 
(with pearls and my chartreuse green linen apron)
 my husband said "That is the perfect dress for the garden!"

It is rare that he comments on my attire, so I was both pleased AND surprised.

I LOVE getting a bargain at a thrift shop.
Of course I had to purge a few items this past week...
I don't like to have the closet too crowded.

Our Bungalow is so very short on storage 
so I am mindful of accumulating too much STUFF.
I really dislike CLUTTER but I do love to collect...
it is a fine line that I walk.

This week I picked up a plant pot and a lone floral china teacup 
left for free at the side of the road...
I have a wee bit of a problem passing up FREE stuff!


Himalayan Blue Poppies blooming at Government House.
These are very difficult to grow, you can buy seeds at Butchart Gardens.

This grouping of poppies look very happy and healthy.

Walking at Government House is even nicer now that their tearoom is open.
The exotic plants make for an educational saunter and there are plant sales as well.

I recently met up with a long time reader Sue K Blaney, 
I brought her back to The Humble Bungalow Garden for a quick peek
then up to Government House for a walkabout.

She and her husband were on a tour visiting Victoria and Vancouver.

We had a few hours to walk, admire the gardens, and enjoy the spectacular views across to the Olympic Peninsula and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Afterwards
 We went to the Demitasse Garden Center and Cafe for a coffee 
because the tearoom was closed.


Peonies are in their heyday right now at the Gardens.
The bees just love these flowers.


We had some former clients of my husband's here for a garden tour and a happy hour.
I picked a few of our fragrant David Austin Roses 
placed them on the table in the sunshine then brought them inside where they promptly wilted but they still look gorgeous.


Fragrant Climbing Royal Sunset Roses
popped into my wee vintage Elephant and Urn Vase.
I've had this small vessel for about 20 years...I paid 35 cents for it.

I've shared it here before and we talked about how it is good luck for the elephant trunk to be raised upwards.


Sourdough Starter is coming in handy for other baking projects these days.
I regularly bake the boule, but now I am baking scones and biscuits.

I found two great recipes online and they have been well received 
so now I can add them to my regular repertoire!


Ignore this tidbit of news if you want but I've got a UTI...
am on antibiotics and it's the second one in weeks.
Perhaps the first one didn't get completely cleared up?

I am trying to increase my daily quotient of water.
I have friends who are plagued with these infections and suffer a LOT!
Truly, I haven't had anything like this, in many many years.
My sympathies to those of you who struggle with them...
I hope this is not the start of a new health issue.

The Aquafit classes continue to be a source of pure JOY.
I do miss my long walks but I am getting used to getting wet in the pool!
This week a woman complimented me on my bathing suit...
another one of my bargain finds at the local Marshalls Store.
Miraclesuit.

We are constantly in motion in the pool and the lively music helps me keep the beat.
My arms are getting a great workout too using the foam dumbbells in the pool.

I must look very serious as I have to focus so much on the instructor.
Other women in the class know what to expect and I am sure 
that in time I will as well.



Current Book Stack...

I started reading Richard Osman's The Man Who Died Twice...
told my husband about the book and he's keen to read the series too...
He zipped out to the bookshop and bought the two other books.
He's reading the first one now, The Thursday Murder Club.
The third is The Bullet That Missed and there is another one due out very soon!

When I was on Pender at Talisman Books 
the owner asked if she could help me find anything...
we got chatting and exchanged our tastes in books.

She recommended The Outlander and Ridgerunner by Gil Adamson
her book club read them and she (they) loved them so much.
I chose The Mayfair Bookshop on a whim.

What are you reading?


Golden Celebration Rose

Well I have rambled on about enough stuff for now...
don't want to bore you.

Please let me know how things are going with you.
I am enjoying the refreshing dialogue that we are having on the blog.
It keeps things interesting.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Thursday, June 30, 2022

June ~ in The Humble Bungalow Garden

 


Boscobel Rose


Bouquet of Roses

Gertrude Jekyll
Climbing Royal Sunset
Abraham Darby
Jude The Obscure


Abraham Darby


Climbing Royal Sunset


John Paul ll

I've been busy watering and deadheading the roses
in the garden.

We had such a wet spring that we have a lot of black spot on the roses.
I pick off the spotted leaves which is a lot of work.
Roses are high maintenance!

They are my favourite flower.


Our weather has warmed up nicely and we are enjoying the sunshine.

My husband has been busy starting veggies from seed and potting out the plants.

He's growing 5 zucchini plants 
which means that we will be inundated with a bumper crop!

We will harvest these when they are small and tender.

Inside the greenhouse we are growing peppers and lettuce and cherry tomatoes.
Out in the raised beds there are English Peas, broad beans, radicchio, and turnips.

Pots of tomatoes are lined up beside the greenhouse...
once they are ready for picking
I'll be roasting them in olive oil and garlic for the freezer.
They add such a lot of flavour to the homemade pasta sauces we enjoy throughout the year.


Have you planted a veggie garden this year?

With the cost of food rising so quickly 
it makes sense that we add a few plants in our home gardens.

Are you a gardener?
Have you noticed the spike in food prices?
Apparently it is the highest surge since the 1970's

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Monday, February 7, 2022

Fast forward to February

 


I find it hard to believe that we are already in the month of February.
January felt like it flipped by so fast...

The crocus are showing us some much needed pops of colour.
Our snowdrops are in bud but not quite ready to fully open.

Many gardens in our area have masses of them 
naturalized in gardens and they look so beautiful.

I am of the opinion that one can never have too many snowdrops or roses!


Chester, our younger cat is 10 years old.
He's been losing weight these past couple of months and we had him to the vet.
She diagnosed him with early onset renal failure.
He's on a specially formulated kibble and we tried the canned food but he's not a fan.
It's better that he eat the canned food that he wants rather than lose more weight so we press on...
I am offering him small portions of canned food at several times each day.
He doesn't seem to have an appetite for the usual portions.

This situation is turning out to be quite stressful.
He is after all a big part of our family.
He's the cat with the biggest "in your face" personality...

We fondly call him...

"Chester the Pester"
and
"The Troublemaker"


Coffee by candlelight and fairy lights...
much appreciated and needed warm twinkle lights to ease the dark early mornings


Soups are currently the "go to" lunches here in The Humble Bungalow.
They are a great way to use up leftovers...

This soup is called chicken pot pie soup!

A store bought rotisserie chicken served us well.

Two nights of chicken and salads...
then soup for two lunches.

Economical, yes, indeed!
 I saved the carcass bones to make the rich broth.


The Boat Pond along the Victoria seafront.
We saw a group of fellows playing with their boats on our walk.

I stopped quickly and snapped this shot.

My husband is waking oodles of kilometres every day...
8 km at least.

I tag along for 5 or 6 km then head back home.
10,000 steps are my current comfort zone.
When I walk much more, my body aches.

It would be wonderful to be able to walk farther and not be in pain...
perhaps I can work up to more or is it my age?

We've been fortunate with our recent weather.
Sunshine and warmer temperatures have been lovely for our walks.
So grateful that the ice and snow have gone.


Today I walked to town and met a friend for lunch.
I spied this lovely clump of crocuses on my way home.

The crocus would add to a future blog post and they were actually what prompted me to sit for a few minutes to write a quick blogpost.

My teatime and knitting await...
my reward for getting in 10,000 steps
so will close for now.

Thank you for popping by the Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Friday, September 10, 2021

Roses and reading...

 


Golden Celebration 
a beautiful yellow David Austin Rose

This rose has black spot on the leaves 
besides dead heading the roses 
I hand pick the leaves that have black spots on them.


Jude the Obscure Rose
what a stunner!
 Now showing off with a second full flush of blooms 


The fragrance is unbelievable...
a hint of citrus and a deep scent.


Loved this book!
The story is perfect for those of us who love to look at gardens,
work in gardens, plan and dream about gardens.
Set in three different eras all revolving around the British country home and garden.


Those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile 
will know that I absolutely adore Louise Penny's mystery series set in Three Pines Quebec.

I read this one in 3 days...
could not put it down!

Louise is such a gifted and brilliant author.

I understand that there is a series being produced by a UK film studio that will feature her mysteries. It will be streaming on Amazon this coming fall and winter.
I look forward to watching the series with a friend who has Amazon.


Romneya Coulteri
a member of the Poppy Family.

Grows in gravel and looks like a fried egg...
I love the delicate crinkled petals.

Our weekend is going to be super busy...
lots going on here in The Humble Bungalow and Garden.

Hope that you are keeping safe.
The 4th wave of Covid is now infecting the unvaccinated.
We obtained our Vaccination Passports and will be required to show these at restaurants and all venues.

The only exceptions are essential services like grocery shops, medical clinics and such...
Take care and thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Friday, May 21, 2021

Abkhazi a jewel of a garden...created by Prince and Princess Abkhazi.

 


Abkhazi Garden is an oasis of beauty.
It is full of rhododendrons and azaleas which are full of blooms in April and May.

This magical place was created by Prince and Princess Abkhazi.
It's a hidden gem here in Victoria.


The profusion of peachy pink blooms on this azalea are incredibly fragrant.


The shed was built when the royal couple were beginning the garden in 1946.
 It used for tool storage and picnics.

You can read more about the history in the book 
A Curious Life: The Biography of Princess Peggy Abkhazi by Catherine Gordon.


From here there is a fabulous view of the curving lawns under the vast Garry Oaks.


You can see the house that they built on the left
this is now a gift shop and tea room.


We sat on the patio in the sunshine.
The tea room has 3 teas on the menu, this is Elevenses.
It was the smallest of the three but it was plenty of food.


There are two resident turtles 
one was swimming and the other one was sunning itself on the rocks.


This driftwood cat is a newly installed art piece from a local Fairfield artist who specializes in creating woody creatures.

We enjoyed our walk, the tasty tea and the incredibly beautiful flowers.
I felt like I was transported away on a lovely holiday.

Parks, local gardens, and the seaside, are such a tonic in these unusual times.

Hope that you are staying safe and taking care of yourself.

~Be Well and Be Kind ~

Saturday, May 15, 2021

Tulip mania courtesy of Butchart Gardens...


I've been busy here in The Humble Bungalow with little time spent on the computer.
So posting here on the blog has been rather spartan. 
Today 
I am sharing a lush group of tulips 
seen on my recent walk at Butchart Gardens.
I hope you will enjoy seeing the pictures.

Tulips are in full bloom at Butchart Gardens.


Pretty in pink...


Pink on Pink
Tulips and masses of pink forget-me-nots.


A striking combination of colour.


Frilly feathery fringed tulips.


Close up


A painterly mixture of tulips.

We wandered through the gardens and enjoyed the bold colourful planted beds.

Many others, like us, masked up and delighted in the beauty of the gardens.

We sat outside after our walk and had a cold drink and a wee bite of lunch.

It felt like we were on holiday.

Hope that you are enjoying your weekend.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~