Love...

Feeling love...
possibly more intense in these precarious times that we are living in.

a brightly painted heart rock on my beach walk last week

Intense Blue Skies at McNeill Bay in Oak Bay.

This is the beach where I spent my childhood..

we lived 2 blocks from the beach and we loved exploring the seashore.

I found some pretty sea glass on my walk.

Feeling so grateful for the smallest of things each day...

 European Wall Lizard

one of many living in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

 ~ Muguet des Bois ~

Intoxicating...

a heavy heady fragrance

pure white elegance.

Mother's Day

Remembering my dear Mom today  

I think of her everyday

but miss her more on these "special" days.

Mother's Day garden visit

with gifts from darling daughter and her sweet husband.

Tokens of love.

Garden visit with our son.

Flowers...a handmade card made with love.

Warm weather over the weekend...

we broke two weather records for high temperatures!

Cats are content snoozing on our bed.

Yummy dinner of chicken baked potatoes 

with

freshly harvested asparagus which is growing in our garden.

Mount Baker as seen from Island View Beach.

A wee bit blurry...

 a magnificent sight to see.

So many things to see

to appreciate 

to love.

Hope that you are finding some bright spots in your daily round.

Our eyes can embrace the beauty that surrounds us all...

take a few moments breathe in the fresh air

in awe of Mother Nature and all her glory

stay calm

be well.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~ 

Valentines Hearts...

Good morning from The Humble Bungalow.
It is Valentine's Day today so I am sharing a few hearts with you today...
and a message of love.

Chocolate hearts 

Paris

"All you need is love.
But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."

~  Charles M. Schulz ~

"The most important thing in the world is family and love."

~ John Wooden ~

"Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses." 

~Ann Landers ~

I am sniffling today with a head cold so I plan on drinking loads of fluids.

Happy Valentines Day to my husband...

"in sickness and in health"

I remember our pledge on that wedding day back in 1974.

We've come a long way since that day and I love you more now than I did back then.

Happy Valentines Day

"The best thing to hold onto in life is each other."

~ Audrey Hepburn ~

I'll be taking a few days off while I am sick

will be back soon.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

On a sunny Sunday we gathered...

I picked Jude the Obscure roses from our Humble Bungalow Garden

for the party.

Popped them in an icy modernist vase from Finland.

Picked some limelight hydrangeas for the centrepiece in a heritage tea house

set them on the table in a vintage enamel jug

placed the photograph in front

waited for the guests to arrive.

Sunday was memorable

as it was a celebration for the newlyweds.

a lovely venue 

in the garden of dear friends 

a vast green lawn

magnificent perennial borders

vintage lamps and lighting

with views to the garden beyond...

wicker chairs

plump cushions

colourful bunting strung from the rafters

food 

family

friends

boccee ball

children running about

blowing bubbles

laughter

conversation

The lovely couple...

Darling daughter and our son in law...

welcome to the family!

Feeling such gratitude and joy...

spending time with family 

there is no better way that I know of to feel the beauty of love.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Basking in the afterglow....

It's been a heady and dizzy few days of birthday celebrations...
delicious dinners, tasty lunches, flutes of Prosecco and glasses of wine.
Surrounded by family and friends...I've felt honoured and loved.
Thankful and grateful...
for so many lovely comments on my last blog post...

Love this public art...along Dallas Road.

Lunch in Oak Bay on Estevan Avenue at The Village Bistro.

My BFF took me out for lunch on my birthday and we sat outside in the sunshine and it was so warm that we took our coats off!

I opted for the quinoa and roasted vegetable salad on a bed of spinach garnished with roasted kale 

served with a light lemony vinaigrette.

Healthy, tasty and delicious!

Too many meals out with too much wine has tipped the scales...

so I am getting back on track.

Lapsang Souchon Tea 

served in a Paragon fine bone china tea cup that I found at the Oak Bay United Church Rummage Sale.

The $4.00 price tag was too good to pass up,

  the ladies that volunteer their time have such a great time and are chatty and animated

besides they are keen to show and sell their wares.

All the proceeds go to help those in need in our community.

My breakfast today...

toast, peanut butter and half a banana.

That will hold me until lunch time 

then I plan to have a salad with some salmon lightly dressed with some balsamic vinegar.

The weather is lovely so getting outdoors for a walk is a treat.

The Clover Point Boat ramp...

I wonder if this is used very often anymore?

Looking much taller in the shadows...

and if you look closely it looks like I have some wild spiky hair!

This morning I have been busy in the Humble Bungalow.

It's a rather "normal" day for chores...

the bedding has been changed

the sheets and coverlet have been washed and dried

the kitchen has been tidied

the dishwasher has been put through it's cycle

the fridge washed out

the compost emptied

After my walk I plan to read a chapter or two...

I'll be visiting a cave in the Midi-Pyrennes this May.

 John and Cheryl gave me this book so I could read up on the history.

I've read the first two chapters and I am hooked!

What's new in your part of the world?

Have you read a great book that you'd like to recommend?

Be Well and Be Kind

Hostess

XO

Arts and Crafts Potluck...

Many of our friends are heritage buffs and live in beautifully restored arts and crafts homes.
Recently Mr. HB and I were invited to a potluck with a group of like minded people and we enjoyed good conversation, wine and delicious food.
Potlucks are such a fun way of entertaining as they take the pressure off the host and hostess...
they have enough to do making the house presentable and setting the table.

Period light fixtures illuminate the home which is chock full of English arts and crafts collectibles.

(our Hostess is passionate about purple!)

Purple table runners and napkins sourced from Sur la Table.

Thomas Rosenthal dishes circa 1970.

I took flowers and arranged them for our Hostess in her Japanese arts and crafts green vase.

It is such a luxury to have a commodious table and a large dining room.

Food was plentiful...I sampled a bit of everything.

Delicious.

The blue hydrangeas were inspiring...

they made me think of Joni Mitchell and Blue...

which makes me feel nostalgic and take a trip down memory lane.

LOVE that the ladies of our family were helping Isla on the path of life...

Looks like the water is warm...

would be nice to keep swimming...

 I went to the grocery store and they had a big sign advertising the lottery prizes...

several million and so I succumbed and bought two tickets.

Not like we stand a chance but if you don't have a ticket you cannot win.

I think we won the lottery when we had our kids...

they are our greatest gift.

And with that I will close...

love and hugs,

Hostess