Peeking Inside the Humble Bungalow...Summer 2014.

I was inspired this Monday by Dani BP Mop Philosopher's post...
Dani purchased a chevet after a 2 year search and it is the perfect piece for her bathroom.

We have been collecting arts and crafts quarter sawn oak furniture for the past 32 years and it took quite some time to find. We had to consider the size and scale of each piece as our Humble Bungalow is small and we were mindful  of our limited budget as we were undertaking restoration projects from the very beginning of our ownership.

We still need to do our master bedroom and there are new front stairs and an exterior paint job on the do list...
it is a labour of love being stewards of a heritage designated home.

With the glorious and bright summer sunshine and riotous blooms in the garden it has been easy to forget that we live in a dark and cozy heritage home.

You can plainly see our front stairs are in dire need of repair and the paint on the exterior is peeling.

Having said that, heritage homes are always in need of maintenance.

Thank goodness ours is not as vast as Chatsworth or Highclere Castle!

Our Humble Bungalow is filled with dark arts and crafts oak furnishings...

many have been reupholstered at a local shop which is considerably more expensive than buying new reproduction pieces.

Wendy has blogged about this recently too...

We like to add a few bits and bobs to perk up the space.

You can see that we have kept our Christmas fairy lights strung up along the beams near the ceiling...

nothing like plugging them in when we entertain for a twinkle effect and more lighting!

Rugs underfoot are a must as our 1912 bungalow can be frightfully cold and draughty in winter.

Runner rugs and area rugs add a punch of colour...

we purchased these new at Chintz and Co.

Original art hung on Bradbury and Bradbury hand made period wallpaper.

We have art in our bathroom too..

Our dear friend Cheryl Fortier gave us this one that she painted when she was in France.

Arts and crafts book shelf re purposed for towels.

Our bathroom renovation was done by a contractor friend and designed by Mr. HB

It has in floor heating and I love the results...

The standing lamps in the living room were purchased new through Sager's Furniture and they are from California. They are oak and of a scale that suits the rest of the furniture.

The lights in the rest of our bungalow were made at Waterglass Studio in town.

Mr. HB designed the kitchen and many people think it is the original one which we take as quite the compliment!

(please overlook the tea towel left casually on top of the granite countertop...)

I hope you've enjoyed the tour today...

It's such fun when other bloggers fuel and inspire a response...

 to one that they have posted.

Be Well and Be Kind.

Hostess

There are memories stirring inside these walls.

 My childhood friend Diane lives back east in Toronto and has done so for many years.
We are still in touch, as we are "friends" on Facebook.

Her Mother passed away this summer...she was well into her 90's.

Many memories resurfaced after hearing of her demise...

So many wonderful memories from our formative years...
of times spent playing in their home.

Diane's home was the sort that fueled my imagination.
It had all sorts of nooks and crannies,
there were deep closets under the eaves...where their clothes hung.
These also made a great spot to make forts and play Barbies.

We were avid Nancy Drew readers and we would lie for hours on her twin beds reading side by side while munching on 5 cent candies.

We went to the Library Reading Program "Circus McGircus"...our Mothers allowed us to take the bus together as the stop was by their doorstep at the top of our streets. The bus stopped right at the Library stairs and Victoria was a small town back then, much safer in many ways.

We loved The Beatles...she liked John and I liked Paul.
One of her aunts used to send her the fan magazines from the UK so we would drool over the pictures of all the pop stars.
Her home was without a television set so she came over to our house to watch The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. I can still hear my parents telling us to stop screaming!

Diane's home seemed a tad more refined than ours...it was architecturally different and interesting and only had a radio and a piano....yet it felt steeped in culture....romantic.

Her Mother was a former ballerina from The Royal London Ballet Company and she wore her hair in a tight bun everyday. She would practice doing the splits up a wall in the enrty hall...I remember trying to emulate this to no avail!
Both Diane and her sister took ballet and they also took piano lessons from the lady across the street from our house. They were very accomplished like their Mother.

I could share many more memories but I think I'll keep some close to my heart.

Mother, sister and I popped by to see the house after we saw the SOLD sign.
It is enclosed in a wonderful greenspace, very private and we are a tad curious if it will be restored or demolished.

Fearing the latter I took some photos...
I hope you will see the magic in the bones of this home.

It holds so much of my youth wrapped up inside its walls.

the front porch where we shucked peas and licked ice cream cones

Not much has changed...

I love this front door...

the same carpet runner on the stairs

fabulous pillars

If these walls could talk...

you'd hear the sound of laughter and maybe a secret whispered between a couple of girlfriends so many years ago.

Years have passed by...

about 50 give or take since I set foot inside.

It still has charm.

 I am a die hard romantic when it comes right down to it.

I think I fell hard for this house when I was 6 and it still has the magic to move me today at 58.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and share these memories with me.

Hostess

XO

A practical ~ casual OOTD...August attire.

My OOTD ~ walking attire...
rather unremarkable.

I have recently been on a de-cluttering binge and have donated several bags of too large and baggy clothes to the Hospice Thrift Shop.

My loss is someone else's gain...
please pardon the pun!

Walking gear:

grey Cool Max capri's

(Costco)

white tank 

 (H and M)

Mondetta light weight jacket

(Costco)

sunscreen ~ Alba 45 SPF

Perrier bottle

 IPhone

keys

 Roots leather cross body bag for walking

I am amazed what I can fit into this wee bag

IPhone

prescription glasses

debit and credit cards

cash and coin

a tissue

lipstick

keys

prepared for a garage sale or a stop at the shops

I walk past this stone garage regularly

this must have taken someone hours of meticulous work ~ just imagine the dedication to this vision

the street numbers are visible just under the peak of the roof

I love the red door and the geraniums spilling forth from the planter

not to forget the grassy rooftop

the fence is built out of the same rock

the vegetable patch is large and impressive

there is even a lighthouse!

the "green roof" looks a wee bit dry

I suppose our watering restrictions prohibit roof top watering...

many people let their lawns go brown

our back lawn is dry in patches

but our wee tuft of grass out front of The Humble Bungalow is healthy and lush

Regular sprinklering helps keep this grass green.

Many homeowners opt for xeriscaped gardens

lawns are a thing of the past and they are replaced by rocks or gravel with drought tolerant plants.

This home has always captured my fancy

it feels a little out of place in our neighbourhood

and it might be more "at home" in the southern states.

This arts and crafts bungalow has just had a makeover...

new paint in a flattering shade of taupe.

It was dark brown and rather dull until the past few weeks when it has been reborn anew

like a butterfly emerging from it's chrysalis. 

WOW!

Daisies are so cheerful.

This home has great bones...and a beautiful garden.

Speaking of beautiful...

I ate every tasty morsel of this WW Points friendly dinner.

We shared a lovely evening with our besties as we sat on the deck at the marina in Sidney.

We were celebrating their recent purchase of a new boat...

which has us thinking that our boating days may not be over.

Meet Sam

he's 5 years old and rather handsome,

my sister will be training and riding him in the local equestrian events.

Mother and I went out to feed him some fresh carrots and apples

before taking tea on the deck in the Highlands this week.

The wind is brisk this evening and the wind chimes sound like a riotous drumming band.

I'm sipping a glass of chardonnay after clearing up the dishes

after a walk with Mr. HB to drop off a Santa Montefiore book to Mother.

I am looking forward to spending a quiet day in the garden tomorrow...

I bought some late summer veggie starter packs and will be getting dirty in my garden.

Hope that your week is chock full of good things.

Oak Bay ~ memories

I grew up in the area of Victoria known as Oak Bay.
It was and still is a lovely quiet neighbourhood.
Oak trees are prolific, a living green canopy providing dappled shade.

I feel very much at home in Oak Bay.

The Avenue is on my weekly rounds and I remember how quaint and small it used to be...
basically a couple of short blocks of retail shops, the butcher, bakery, banks, grocery store, cafe, real estate agent and one cannot forget The Oak Bay Theatre.
(where I sat to watch Romeo and Juliet ~ 5 times!)

Today The Avenue spans from Monterey to Foul Bay Road
there are some who like to think it creeps a little further nudging towards Richmond Road.
(I think not) The Tweed curtain officially starts at Foul Bay!

The street where I grew up is a humble block named Guernsey.
We had no sidewalks, today it is the same...
the houses are the same although they have been tarted up with fresh paint and some of the gardens have changed, including ours...
Mother had a green thumb and we had lots of flowers and beds in front of our home.
Today many of the beds have been filled in...although it has similar bones to the design.

I drive Mother by often and we stop to stare.

It is a modest 2 story home covered in pebbledash stucco, which as a child used to fascinate me.
You could see shells and broken bits of coloured glass which I tried to pry off on occasion.

Our family home transports me back to a time of innocence and freedom.
I can almost hear myself giggling as a girl...

I wonder what Mother feels and thinks as we sit silently in the car.
A few moments in time where we almost hold our breaths and listen to the echoes of dialogue from the past...
in the distance...
the voice of my Father as he flips burgers on the BBQ
two little girls playing with dolls and staking out our territory in our shared bedroom
Mother singing with abandon as she washes dishes...
her habit was to circle the rims of the crystal goblets with her fingers to make them sing with her.

It seems like such a long ago and yet like almost yesterday.

A week or so ago we stumbled upon this sign...

one block from Guernsey

we stopped for a plant sale

Gardener and author Lynn Milnes has a stand outside her home.

My sister studies the plants tags before choosing several marionberry bushes.

I couldn't resist sneaking a few pics.

Lynne's garden is a gem snuggly tucked away on a block long byway, 

like Guernsey it too has no sidewalks!

Can you see that the telephone pole has been painted a bright blue with some flowers?

I'll be back in Oak Bay every week for as long as I am able...

My 40th High school reunion is this summer

Oak Bay High

 will be demolished 

to build a new school very soon.

~ ~ ~

It will be rather strange perhaps surreal going back...

for one last time.

Where did you grow up and do you go back and visit often?

Mother's Day Tea...snapshots.

Darling daughter hosted a delightful Mother's Day Tea for my Mother, myself and sister L.
It would be remiss of me not to share the photos...
J went to a lot of trouble to make our afternoon a special one.

Considering how busy she has been with her job and all the packing and unpacking it was quite the feat, very endearing, and most appreciated.

Hans Olsen table

Finnish glassware

Rice Pattern Arabia china

vintage Mod linens

Danish cutlery

Vintage Modernist table setting

Lily of the Valley

in a gorgeous white porcelain vase

I cannot remember if this is Thomas or a Rosenthal.

Silk Road Tea was served...

Abkhazi Garden blend which is delicious!

Assorted tea sandwiches and fruit salad.

Mother's house warming gift...

bendy "branches" that have wee lights.

Rather a departure from her usual floral offerings.

Definitely a popular choice judging by lovely daughter's reaction!

It's so exciting watching J set up her new home

and sitting outside on her deck was surprisingly quiet when you consider that she is smack dab in the middle of the downtown hustle and bustle.

Hope that your week is off to a great start!