Adding some festive touches in The Humble Bungalow.

Welcome to The Humble Bungalow

we've started adding a few festive touches a wee bit earlier than usual.

With all the time that we are spending in our home these days...

 why not?

Festive starry candle holder 

a recent purchase from the Victoria Art Gallery gift shop.

I love to decorate with warm creamy white accents.

Sweet white hearts are hung from the knobs on the cupboard.

These were also found at the Art Gallery gift shop.

I think they would be really pretty hung on a tree with all white lights.

Cookie tins and English crackers.

We have no idea if we will be permitted to have our family come over for Christmas with the Covid cases still climbing.

I bought the crackers just in case...

I will drop them off when I pass over the gifts

 if we are not allowed to meet up in person.

The tins will hold cookies and chocolate bark...

which I will start making in a couple of weeks.

Battery powered LED lights add ambiance in The Humble Bungalow Kitchen.

These lights are warm and add festive cheer.

We plan to put up the tree this coming weekend and will pull out some of the other decorations.

Are you decorating for Christmas early this year?

Do you think Christmas will be celebrated differently this year due to lockdown?

Have you started shopping for the holidays?

Are you shopping online or supporting the local small businesses?

I am making a concerted effort to buy local.

I want to see the small shops survive...

it's so sad seeing those that have already closed up shop.

Stay safe and wear your masks!

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Cocooning....

Cocooning in The Humble Bungalow

We have been listening to the daily press conferences on the Covid-19 virus.

People have been asked to take "shelter" in their homes

 work remotely from home if possible.

Schools are closed indefinitely.

Recreations centres, libraries, and shops are closed or only open a few hours.

Grocery stores and pharmacies are open but many shelves are bare.

Restaurants and coffee shops are offering "take out" only.

Who knows how long we will need to cocoon in our homes and practise social distancing?

Our cupboards, closets and drawers have never looked tidier.

I've been baking, cooking and looking through my cookbooks for new recipes.

Tackling tedious jobs that I usually put on the back burner.

Each morning I linger longer over my coffee...

while I catch up on the news and social media.

I've been reading more than usual.

Rosemarie, a dear reader from Vancouver

sent me some sunflower seeds to sow...

she has sent me a packet each year in memory of my Mom.

Rosemarie is a generous, kind and thoughtful woman.

I hope to meet up with her at some point when we get through this pandemic.

The primulas are putting on their annual cheery display.

They bloom from February until May and then I plant them out in the garden.

Geraniums will replace these pretty plants from May through until September.

I've been embracing the opportunity to get out for my daily walk.

It is a chance to enjoy fresh air, absorb some Vitamin D and get some exercise.

With sunny days and natural beauty at every turn it is not a hardship.

Wee pops of colour elevate my daily round.

Cheerful anemone

such a pretty shade of blue

almost purple.

How are you managing during this health crisis?

Are you enjoying slowing down?

Have you been cocooning and creative?

Please chime in and share how you are spending your days.

(Safari does not allow comments so please use Google Chrome.)

Stay safe.

Wash your Hands and avoid touching your face.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Using what is on hand...

The garden is very dormant this month.

I don't have an opportunity to pick fresh flowers

to bring inside...

There are oodles of these dried limelight hydrangeas outside 

in a lovely faded sepia shade

just right for the arts and crafts hammered copper vase in the dining room.

The fairy lights stay up all year.

I've added some silver stars that I purchased about 10 years ago.

The wreath is from my husband's family.

It was made by a friend of his mom's around 1960

using rhinestone brooches

and 

Christmas tree decorations.

It's dim in the dining room 

so it might be difficult to see the wee Noel sign on the cabinet.

A flock of Ojibwa tamarack duck decoys 

sitting perched upon an arts and crafts copper tray.

The wee battery operated copper lights were purchased several years ago.

I've been toying with the idea of putting up a small tree in the kitchen 

but I think the cats would rip it to shreds !

As you may have gathered we don't over decorate.

It's mostly because of the mischievous felines that reside here with us!

I've still got some baking and shopping to get done for Christmas...

 I am pacing myself to avoid unnecessary stress.

Keeping things simple just feels right.

We received a call from a long time family friend tonight that there has been a death in our circle...

it's been an emotional evening to say the least.

We have spent the past few hours recalling all the memories...

life is to be cherished.

How are your holidays preparations coming along?

Try not to get stressed...

Take Care 

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Travel and home keeping...

Tick Tock...

Our departure for Italy is coming up quite quickly.

  I have been collecting travel sizes of toiletries and make up.

Deciding on which clothes I will pack 

as

 the temperature looks much warmer than I expected.

To distract myself from thinking only about the trip

I've been keeping purposely busy in The Humble Bungalow.

We purchased new graphite grey IKEA Ectorp slipcovers 

to replace the "not so white" ones 

They had stains and have been washed so many times 

that they were looking very shabby...

definitely not "shabby chic." 

We found a plush grey carpet and the room looks so much better.

Chester looks quite at home with the change.

It's odd how we can live with things for a long time 

almost not noticing 

as they fall into decline 

 then one day we just stop and say this is just appalling!

Then we act immediately to remedy the situation in a weekend.

Does this happen to you too?

One of the BEST books I have read all year.

I highly recommend it.

Haunting and beautiful.

The story line is different from anything I have read recently.

It reminded me of story "The Island Of the Blue Dolphins" 

which I read as a child and remember quite vividly.

The ending had a twist which was unexpected...

I won't spoil it for you if you have not yet read the book.

Last month I did a big purge of our knick knacks...

trying to create more "space" by reducing the clutter.

Less to dust, easier to clean and it feels so good.

Our home is very dusty...

Dark wood shows every speck too which makes it difficult to ignore.

Micro fibre cloths and mops get used regularly.

It is a daily job to stay on top of it BUT sometimes I just turn a blind eye...

When I was a young mom at home with two children I was so busy being engaged with the children

that I didn't always have time to do a proper job of house keeping...

So when friends would come by for coffee or a meal 

I made sure that the bathroom was clean and that we had fresh flowers in the house.

I need to remind myself that people who pop by for a visit 

are not here to judge me on my cleaning skills...

I try to keep things tidy and organized but I am not always on top of the dust.

I love this Method cleaner...

This one too!

Autumn leaves and cooler weather...

Fall has arrived!

Green turning to Gold...

Soup weather.

Time for a little Autumnal Porch decor...

Hanging up my gloves for the time being...

going out to the garden centre for some fall decor inspiration.

I may not have time to post again.

I leave for the 3 weeks in Italy and France next week.

You can follow me on Instagram.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Surprises! Flowers and an unexpected Frock...

An unexpected bloom from one of our Calla Lilies...

they were in flower during the summer and most have become dormant.

Not this one!

This beautiful blue hydrangea bloom is outshining the rest on the plant.

Most of the other flowers have faded and are dry and crispy.

If you read my Instagram you'll know that this hydrangea was a gift from my husband's firm when my father passed away in 2007.

It was a small potted plant when it arrived.

Now, years later, it stands about 6 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter!

Am immersed in Where The Crawdads Sing and loving the story so much!

Replenished my supply of serum from IS Clinical.

This serum works hard and delivers on its promise for better skin.

A luggage strap for my carry on.

The book I plan to take on the plane.

I ran errands on Oak Bay Avenue on a sunny breezy Fall day...

to get in more steps and walking I popped into a few of the shops and browsed.

This black Nyan dress caught my eye in the Maresa Boutique

It looked interesting and has some fabulous textural details.

I had not planned to purchase anything 

BUT it spoke to me!!!

It will replace the black textured skirt I planned to take in my carry on.

It will be an easy dress to wear...with hose or capri leggings.

Perfect for the trip to Italy and France.

The garden is still quite colourful...

My desire to get out there and work and weed has completely vanished...

Busy elsewhere in The Humble Bungalow this week.

Packing lists, errands and painting.

We had to rip up the carpets and underlay as we had some rainwater seep in during the last torrential rainstorm.

My husband discovered that the rain barrel

which usually stores then distributes the precipitation to the garden

 via a soaker hose 

(which unfortunately was plugged) 

 so 

it saturated the soil right beside the floor and seeped inside.

He's installed and overflow gauge with a wider solid hose. 

(in case the soaker hose malfunctions again)

Spent several days painting the concrete floor in the guest room.

We have purchased a couple of runners for now and will monitor the situation.

I pass by a garden on my way to the wee lending library and often stop to admire the unusual plants that grow in it.

This pretty pink plant is in the garden across the street.

I have no idea what kind of plant it is but will make sure that I ask 

next time I see our neighbours out in their garden.

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Bedroom renovations are done!

The renovation took several months 

due to our summer holidays 

and 

the schedules and work load of the construction crew.

Here's what the bedroom looks like today.

Built in drawers and doors replaced a very small closet space.

We have so much more room for our clothes and its much better organized.

I purchased:

new pillows

memory foam mattress protector

cotton sheets

bed skirt

throw

Chester seems to approve!

We are leaving the distressed floor as it is...

I am not planning on buying antique rugs which originally thought I would.

Not sure about art work on the white walls...

they look so peaceful and serene.

All white bedding is my favourite.

Claire Austin Rose

I am working on my list

"3 weeks in a carry on" 

 for my upcoming trip to Italy and France.

More about that next time!

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Chatting about roses...and a look back at the Humble Bungalow "before pictures"

Rose Constance Spry and Paul's Lemon Pillar together on the arbour

 in front of The Humble Bungalow.

People often stop to chat when they see me out in the front garden.

I frequently invite them in

so that they can smell the fragrance of these beautiful blooms.

We get many compliments from passers by 

about the roses and plants in our small lot garden.

I have often wondered what it would be like to have an acre...

I know that we would need many many more rose bushes.

Currently we grow about 30 roses

 an acre would require hundreds perhaps thousands!

I would need to hire a full time gardener.

Jude the Obscure rose

a David Austin variety that has had me smitten as soon as we were introduced!

LOVE at first sight...

the apricot colour of those frothy petals

( the scent is amazing)

This bloom is about to open up fully.

David Austin roses

Jude the Obscure and Abraham Darby

both very fragrant 

mixed with lacy fronds of the chartreuse green Lady's Mantle

Set atop the The Humble Bungalow bathroom sink.

Graham Thomas is a bright yellow David Austin rose.

This one is planted in our "work area" of the garden.

It is growing up a black trellis in the corner where we keep our compost bins, extra pots, wheelbarrow and stakes.

Gardeners NEED a work and storage area...

we've tried to hide ours by installing a latticework screen.

When we moved into The Humble Bungalow Garden almost 38 years ago 

it was in shambles...

it was overrun with prickly blackberry bushes and invasive morning glory.

The clean up took months as we did it all ourselves.

The children were young, 

Jennifer was 3 and Stewart was 15 months.

We worked together most weekends when the weather was decent.

The design has changed over the years 

it has morphed into a cottage garden style 

which features mostly on David Austin roses.

I pick a few roses when they are at their peak and bring them indoors to enjoy.

William Shakespeare and Jude the Obscure roses.

Constance Spry and Paul's Lemon Pillar roses.

This is Iceberg and prolific blooming climber.

This is what The Humble Bungalow Garden looked like when we moved in.

We knew that there was a lot of work required to fix this bungalow.

It had great "bones" and the location was good.

Mr HB designed and built the deck and arbour.

This picture is about 5 years old...

the rose you can see growing up the lattice is Climbing Royal Sunset.

The bed below has been completely changed...

 it has 4 black pergolas with white Claire Austin roses and a boxwood hedge at the front.

Here is The Humble Bungalow before we moved in...

the transformation is unbelievable even to me!

The house next door has been torn down and a new one built in its place.

The benefits of gardening are many...

fresh air

exercise

a creative outlet

and a 

calming refuge from life's struggles and stressors.

I hope you've enjoyed the rose parade today!

I'll be back again soon...

thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~