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 ~

Tuesday Morning Tidbits....some better than others!

Just checking in to say good morning....

How's your week going so far?
My week is really busy...
filled with appointments.

We are thrilled with the recent acquisition of this lovely painting 

 by the artist Kathy Leeds.

I have followed Kathy on Facebook and Instagram for many years.

When I learned that she had launched her website I zipped over and purchased this gorgeous painting of roses.

Many of you know how smitten I am with roses 

so it was an easy and natural choice for me...

we have hung this in our Humble Bungalow living room adjacent to the chair where I sit every morning while I sip my cafe creme and read emails, IG and blog posts...

it will be much admired.

My eye glass prescription changed when I had my eyes examined last fall

 I have been meaning to go and buy new glasses...

it has taken me a few months 

but I finally went and ordered new glasses.

They should be ready in a couple of weeks...I chose a rather "edgy" stylish pair.

The progress on my latest scarf...

A reader on my IG post mentioned that this looked like a pizza slice.

I'd have to agree and I pointed out that it was caloire free!!!

A couple of years ago I suffered a frozen shoulder and I was miserable for several months as I endured limited movement and intense pain...

unfortunately the opposite shoulder has now started to freeze.

UGH!

Thankfully I know all the exercises that I need to do each day

and am off to massage therapy to see if we can keep it from completely freezing.

My massage therapist is amazing and I have every confidence that we will work on this together.

Wish me luck...I am going to need it!

What is on your agenda this week?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Popping in to say Hello...and please enjoy the roses.

November Roses....

Sharing a few roses from The Humble Bungalow Garden...
It's been a crazy busy week with lots happening
unfortunately not all "good things."
We have had a death in my husband's family
a dear friend has been diagnosed with cancer has undergone major surgery.
I have been preoccupied with other "more pressing things" and I have not been able to find much time to sit at my computer.

I'll be brief with this post and share some pictures instead of a lot of text.

McCartney Rose

Jude the Obscure

Jude The Obscure

I picked one to cheer up the bathroom.

I grabbed my brush and acrylic paints the other evening when I was suffering a bout of sadness.

I was thinking of Mom and I played some of my favourite music and let the feelings flow through to the canvas...

I think Jude The Obscure is with me here!

Not a masterpiece 

I know, but "I own it"

 it felt good to push the paintbrush around on the canvas...

that's probably why they call it Art Therapy!

Cheap and cheerful chrysanthemums

in a simple terra cotta pop dress up our front porch.

Dressing up myself...

in a uniform of sorts 

for the recent chilly days.

A long sleeved top

skinny jeans rolled up

Chelsea boots

a puffy vest

my cashmere scarf

Vintage Coach Court bag...

Relaxing and reflecting in a quiet chair...

The Humble Bungalow Garden is getting a face lift in the back area...

this patio area will not be touched but we have big plans and the top stars will be:

 magnolia trees

ferns

camellias

hydrangeas

black mondo grass

and stay tuned for more.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Weekend Paint In...

The Annual Art Gallery Moss Street Paint In was held this past weekend and Mr. HB and I wandered up the road to the Gallery perusing the artists stalls before enjoying a bite of lunch.

Of course we donated to the gallery's fund raising event.

The Victoria Art Gallery is located not far from our Humble Bungalow.

Over 35,000 people were in attendance 

and the street was full of people and dogs...

(almost) everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

This sign was situated just outside a very large pottery display

many people were lined up to get a closer look.

Two fellows were sitting here when I reached for my IPhone and when they saw what I was doing they made a quick exit!

There was another sign, 

one raising awareness of a possible site for a large sewage treatment facility...

it just happens to be on the waterfront at Clover Point Park.

IMO not the best possible site for this kind of facility...

This hydrangea was given to us when my father passed away in 2007.

The blooms are the largest that I have seen since we planted it.

With so many people parking on our street and wandering past The Humble Bungalow I decided that I needed to dress up the front porch a wee bit so I picked a bouquet and popped it on the table by the front door.

This week is going to be a very busy one 

so my computer time is going to be limited.

Hope you have a great week lined up and that you have set aside some time to stop and smell the flowers!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

The view from here...

The view from here..

The Humble Bungalow Garden

Hydrangeas in front of the freshly painted exterior of our heritage home.

Since taking this picture Mr. HB has hung up our heritage plaque, 

house numbers, mailbox and the porch furniture is back in place.

The view from here...

the back deck door and steps.

Our first sweet pea bouquet cut from the garden.

I love sweet peas...

their form, colours and scent are all exquisite.

I wonder if anyone makes a sweet pea perfume?

The view from here...

walking snippets

Hollyhock up close and personal

growing on a street just off Dallas Road.

The water was calm, 

not a breath of wind 

the clouds hung like a puffy white curtain overhead.

Two handsome bucks were leisurely munching on the seaward side of Ross Bay Cemetery oblivious to the passing cars...

I stopped and watched them from just across the street.

They were more interested in lunch than taking any notice of me!

More signage along my regular walking route...

The view from here...

We enjoyed dinner out last evening with our friends at the Flying Otter on the Inner Harbour in Victoria.

This is where the local seaplanes take off...

There are the traditional Victoria hanging baskets on the dock.

On Fridays The Flying Otter offer a 2 for one appetizer special 

which I plan to order next time I go...

my BFF had the Tuna Tataki and the crab cakes and they looked amazing!

The view from here...

I started reading a new book by author Elin Hilderbrand.

Her writing style is very engaging and I have a feeling that I am going to want to read her other novels after I finish this one...

they are all set in or near Nantucket.

Our darling daughter and her fiancee are set to elope this weekend and I am feeling very emotional as my " first born ~ baby girl" is getting married.

She and her fiancee will be taking a ferry to a beautiful Gulf Island 

where they have an intimate ceremony arranged to take place in a natural setting.

~ Wedding flowers need to be assembled ~ 

after I pick them from the garden...

I hope my tears do not fog up my glasses too much.

I feel Happiness and Joy for them both...

I am certain that it is

the heart tugging mother's love

that is responsible for my mood.

I will show the bouquet and boutonniere on my next blog post.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Family, food, flowers, and a funeral...

It is a busy busy week here in The Humble Bungalow...
lots happening and I took a few moments to put this post together.

We have a guest staying with us this week, the focus has been on food, flowers and a funeral...an elderly relative's life will be celebrated.

I apologize that I have not had time to respond to all your comments and my blog reading has taken a back seat to my real life.

Oh and while all this is going on we have the painters here tarting up this old bungalow.

Peony seen on my walk in our neighbourhood.

Fuchsia blooms on Oak Bay Avenue glimpsed while running errands.

Beautiful Blue Hydrangea flowers 

in a yard on a street near Our Humble Bungalow.

We took our daughter and her fiancee out to dinner at our favourite Italian bistro Zambri's last week and gave them their wedding gifts.

Caesar Salad

Tenderloin and polenta with a gorgonzola sauce.

Gifts for the soon to be newlyweds!

This novel has captured my attention,  it was on the shelf in the wee library across the street.

I have been able to sneak in a few chapters and find this book hard to put down...

We took a ride out to the boat on the weekend and I sat and sipped sparking water and knit a few rows...

My knitting is slow going since I had my frozen shoulder.

I am able to knit for short periods each day and with any luck the poncho will be finished by the time Fall arrives!

~ Peek a Boo ~

Our grandson Henry came over for a few hours of fun and play.

Grammy was happy!

Today

Birthday dinner preparations are underway 

and the guests will arrive later.

All the food is organized and the Lemon Charlotte cake is in the fridge.

I need to set the table and put together a few things but they will not take too long...

This bee was busy working in the Poppy when I looked closely...

and it is time for me to get back to work.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~