Beautiful pops of colour on my radar...

 

~ Camas ~

My husband and I ventured out to Playfair Park 

to have a peek at the gorgeous Native Plants that are in full bloom.

Fawn lilies, Shooting Stars and Camas

absolutely stunning!

A meadow of blue Camas under the canopy of The Garry Oaks.

My ankle injury is slowly improving...

I think it is what Google says is a grade 2 sprain.

Torn ligaments on the outer side of the ankle.

Estimated Recovery Time 

3-6 weeks

Wearing the compression brace which really helps and not going for long walks.

Having said that...I am slowly increasing the number of steps that I do in a day.

Yesterday it was almost 6,000.

Met with friends for Tea at the Union Club.

We spent a few blissful hours sipping bubbly, tea and treats.

Such a beautiful spot, views over the Inner Harbour...

great food and superb service.

In other news... I have been replacing lipsticks...

nothing like a fresh pop of colour to lift the spirit.

~ Rouge de Germain ~

Red is my go to colour for lipstick...

when I was in Paris the first time in 2015 I stayed in the Saint Germain area.

The chic Parisian women walking in the neighbourhood all wore red lipstick.

Not wasting any time, despite being jet lagged, I high tailed it to

the nearest Monoprix!

There I discovered a fabulous selection of red lipsticks...

 so dear reader I bought one!

Paris holds a very special place in my heart.

I went back again in 2019 and who knows...perhaps I will return :-))

My make-up bag was falling apart so I purchased a new one...

instead of a vinyl one, like my old bag, I chose fabric which I much prefer.

While at the Pharmasave in Oak Bay I bought 2 new lipsticks.

I am test driving a pink shade...

Softsilver Rose

These Revlon lippies are very creamy and go on easily and last!

They were also on sale, which was rather fortunate timing.

I finished knitting The Easy Goes It scarf...

worn here with my old red lipstick...

will be much better with the new rose pink shade.

New fragrance...Honey Tobacco

locally made here in Victoria.

I am enjoying this new scent very much...

body wash, cologne and other honey tobacco are available on their website.

I took a bag of clothes to the Salvation Army and then had a quick browse.

Oh my goodness...I couldn't believe my luck!

I have a Burberry scarf that my husband gave me, maybe 15 years ago. that I love.

It is the traditional beige and wine plaid colourway...

it goes with my quilted Burberry jacket.

The new to me scarf will pair well with my black coats!

New silk skirt from House Of Savoy on Oak Bay Avenue.

Made by San Tropez

This will be a fun skirt for summertime.

Love the texture...

I am thinking of outfits based on the skirt...

 a simple white top, my distressed vintage jean jacket and white sneakers

Dressy black tank top, white shawl and my white bow toed Bueno sandals.

Oh and my BIG pearls!

I love a versatile garment!

Do you like thrift shopping?

Consignment?

What is new with you?

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Colour My World...

Double daffodils blooming at the side of the road.

New Hanni variety of Auricula Primulas

added to my collection on the porch of The Humble Bungalow.

I love the sweet flowers.

Spring Flowers elevate my mood and provide a welcome pop of colour.

Money Plant 

blooming in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

Once the flowers fade...

 the plant sets seed pods which turn to thin opaque silver discs.

These can be dried and used as a floral accent inside the home.

They also look pretty as a filler in a bouquet.

My new linen apron from Rough Linen...

I chose a bright shade of mustard yellow 

as I wear them most of the time when I am cooking or cleaning.

They offer protection from a variety of sources...

splattering tomato sauces simmering being the most dangerous to my clothes!

Love this print

it reminds me of a William Morris pattern.

The tee top is pure linen and made by the Rachel Ashwell company.

Have you read her books on home decor called Shabby Chic?

I used to watch her TV series and really enjoyed her relaxed approach to home decor.

Many of her ideas were reminiscent of wabi sabi.

I heartily embrace wabi sabi 

as our heritage home has many signs of wear and in some areas is quite distressed.

It is freeing to let go of perfection too!

Emerging from the winter are these intricate flowers which soon will be leaves.

I am not sure what type of tree this is, do you know its name?

Glorious Magnolia

Some thrift shop finds...

crazed ironstone oval dish

painted wee vessel

woven small basket which will be perfect for fresh grown cherry tomatoes

~ DIY ~

Scraped the loose paint off of the outdoor furniture 

that I bought from Kay's Korner in the Cook Street Village.

I then spray painted the vintage iron chairs and table set black.

I love black accents in the garden...

lattice, obelisks, pots, plants, furniture.

Two coats of spray paint were needed to cover the set.

It was sunny, so the paint dried quite fast and I was done in one afternoon.

There is a sense of satisfaction when one completes a project.

Wow

This book by Elizabeth Jane Howard is delightful.

The first in a series of 5 books called The Cazalet Chronicles. 

It is set in the UK and follows a family of privilege throughout several decades.

I've ordered the set as these are re-readable and my husband might enjoy them.

I suppose I should draw this to a close and get some stuff done around the house!

Writing posts can be like falling down a rabbit hole...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Seeking Solace in Nature...

Sitting...

listening to the sound of the birds and the waves as they lap against the shore.

Lighting a candle...

Gazing out the window...

breathing and feeling grateful.

Reading a good book

sipping tea.

Walking along a beach

searching for sea glass

watching the otters and the gulls.

Taking time out to be soothed by the beauty of Nature.

Inviting Natural Beauty Indoors...

Bright and cheerful flowers

Diving into a new book.

Going for a walk in the misty rain...

Looking for bright pops of colour.

Taking in the views 

admiring the details

embracing the various colours and textures.

Wet logs strewn all over the beach and this one looked like a seal.

Do you see it?

Are you seeking the calm and soothing hands of Mother Nature?

Are you taking local action?

I'm looking into more ways to help...

We've made donations of money and plan to make more.

Fresh salt air 

the moist wet mist

slippery logs and mossy rocks.

The gentle lapping of the sea...

the Raven's Song.

A gentle breeze blowing 

shells crunch at our feet.

These don't solve our problems but they do help release tension.

Wishing, Hoping and Praying for Peace.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

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 ~