Silk scarves ~ a pop of colour and a wander about in several gardens...

 

~ Playfair Park ~

The native Camas is in bloom...

there are shooting stars, buttercups, and chocolate lilies.

Camas 

Prolific Pink Rhododendron 

There are many other azaleas and a perennial garden in the Park.

Many families were enjoying the idyllic space...

children were playing in the playground, a birthday party was underway 

and a family were having a picnic.

My friend Michelle and I had a picnic Friday in the Government House Garden.

The sun shone, the views were spectacular and the birds serenaded us...

The gardens are vast and many flowers are native to the site 

growing in the Garry Oak Meadow.

A large group of volunteers tend these gardens.

If you live in Victoria you most likely know of this gem,

 but if you are visiting our fair city try to include this on your visit.

It is a beautiful greenspace...

Humble Bungalow Front Porch 

our fresh new red geraniums are planted in pots and planters.

Tea break mid afternoon...

grabbed my new book We All Live Here

by acclaimed author JoJo Moyes.

Such an engaging story...

SO GOOD

I read it late into the night :-))

Auriculas are blooming...

These darling plants are so prolific...

I love the varieties and am keen to grow more.

Our garden is getting a big tidy up 

in readiness for the Hospice fundraising Teeny Tiny Garden Tour this June.

Wee corner of the laundry room...

I spend a lot of time doing laundry and love that I have a view 

out to The Humble Bungalow Garden.

I have been wearing silk scarves to add a pop of colour to my basic classic black and white wardrobe...

I gently washed this vintage Hermes silk scarf in my Aveda shampoo...

Vintage Hermes Scarf from my daughter Jennifer.

This scarf was purchased from the Hermes shop in Vancouver many years ago...

I chose the black and white H pattern 

as it was a good choice with my simple black and white wardrobe.

Do you wear scarves?

Many people think that the scarves are difficult to style...

they can be be a versatile and creative accessory.

I once owned a box of scarf tying cards from Hermes...

the clerk gave the cards to me when we bought one of my scarves...

Last August I thrifted a silk scarf in White Rock...

not all scarves are expensive.

They seem to be quite easy to find in second hand

and thrift shops.

Picture from the Archives...

Last August...

(Before the Fringe Trim)

A

Simple Scarf Tie

I've got to close now as I need to prepare dinner....

a stuffed pork tenderloin, lemon orzo and steamed carrots.

Hope that you are keeping well and are embracing Simple Joys.

With so much uncertainty we all must try to keep our spirits up...

Smile, listen to music, read a good book, get out for a walk in Nature

 keep in touch with friends and family.

Do something FUN everyday!

Thank you for popping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

April stuff...and really it is not for the faint of heart...

 Greetings from The Humble Bungalow....

April is here and the world is not the same as before...the world feels like it is in a spin! Do you feel it too?

How are you coping? Are you feeling relaxed?

I am surprised by the news everyday...

My word is always "SURREAL"

Do you feel that way too?

I recently read this darling and most charming book by Chloe Dalton.

Loved reading her book and I felt like I was right beside her...

she wrote this during Covid and it really resonates with me.

I am still trying to cull my closet and am not buying a lot of new things...

I bought a new bra today.

Needs Must!

They do not last forever...

I found a great linen dress at a local consignment shop....

Grizas, which is a very popular brand.

Their clothes are all made from linen in the EU...

Will be a great summer dress for many things...

beach walks, dinners out, coffees at cafes, lunches...

I met my husband's cousin's for lunch at The Parliamentary Dining Room

at the Legislature here in Victoria.

Food and service was amazing...

I am doing a deep deep Spring Clean...a cull!

Hoped that our granddaughter might want these Mother of Pearl pieces...

the answer was NO Thank you Grammy!

I hope to gift them to friends...

perhaps with home baked scones and jam!

Ina Garten's Crunchy 

Mustard Chicken...

So Good!

Lemon Orzo...

Butchart Gardens...

great to have an annual pass.

We can walk there any day and be surprised by the flowers.

So many daffodils..

Frilly and frothy...

A POP of COLOUR...

MELLOW YELLOW

Read all of Erica Bauermeister's books...

this one was really good.

I got a new battery in my ages old ESQ watch...

it still works!

My next project is a cashmere scarf...

are you knitting ?

Yarn Citizen 

I am going to have to learn how to knit a bobble...

Perhaps you crochet?

Paint?

Dabble in Crafts?

Cook?

I am thinking of hibernating...

knitting and reading on rotation

are you staying safe and keeping well?

I have also thought of pulling out my acrylic paints...

painting is such a fun hobby.

What are you doing?

What is new with YOU?

Thank You for just popping by...

Hugs

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~ 

Food shopping, a new local business, books and a striped top that popped onto my radar!!!

 

Welcome to my Teeny Tiny Closet that I share with my Hubby!!

I definitely have a minimal wardrobe...

small closets make it necessary to be restrained.

The black, white, grey and denim basics are all getting lots of wear.

I've had fun finding more denim options...faded Mom Jeans from Mango.

A fleecy denim coloured shirt from Jane Delancey.

The dressy after 5 outfits are small but stored in the closet downstairs.

They co-mingle with the summer linens...

I peeked at the selection today and think I can cull a few more items.

New striped Breton style top...made in Portugal.

Company is Mus & Bombon from Barcelona.

LOVE the texture...

Love the texture YUP I said it again!!

 Very cozy.

Have been reading library books every afternoon with a cup of tea...

read the Nina Stibbe book in a couple of days..I liked her other books.

 I have started on The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan...

his books are new to me.

Have you read his books?

World news is TOO much right now...

Am taking a break from it and exploring (escaping) in the fun shops of our fair city!

Victoria Gourmet Food Market on Broughton is FABULOUS!!!

The owner is friendly and so knowledgeable...the food is above and beyond!!

All the charcuterie board basics are available and

with an extra punch of unique and exotic items to make it an incredibly special experience.

I like to think of this as "The Wall of Pasta!"

Please go in and introduce yourself to Cherilee and tell her I sent you!!

I am going to go back and get my charcuterie board and pasta favourites soon...

We are so fortunate to have so many energetic women entrepreneurs here in Victoria!

Wherever you live please support your local businesses.

Buy Local...chat with the owners

 like they do in France and become regular shoppers it is a wonderful experience...

knowing who sells you the goods that you use and need on a weekly basis.

It feels real and genuine to have a dialogue with the people who supply our foods.

We are planning some changes in The Humble Bungalow Garden...

busy getting ahead of the season with our wonderful local garden crew

from

Susanne Osmond Garden Design.

We are going to be on the Victoria Hospice Fundraising Teeny Tiny Garden Tour this June.

It is finally "pay back" for the care they gave Mom in her final days.

I hope to auction off a painting too for garden visitors...proceeds go to Hospice.

Well I haven't much more news to report...

BUT

perhaps I should mention that My Instagram is now Private.

I had a deluge of "MEN"...all claiming to be doctors 

who were wanting to follow me!

REALLY?

I think they were JUST BOTS...

so I am now hoping to stay under the radar...

Hope you are staying sane with all the crazy stuff going on in our world...

What are you doing these days?

Any exciting news to share...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Jumble Sale Table ~ Brooches, Yoga and some easy (Super Bowl) Recipes...

All is calm...

Sparkly Pink Puffer Fish...

Small enough to wear on a hat or beret.

Found at the local Market in a jumble sale table.

Marcasite Brooch

the sparkly "beads" are made from polished hematite

also from the jumble sale table.

Jumble sales are rather like a car boot or garage sale.

They are rather exciting...treasures can be found in these sales.

The items are not curated but heaped together in a jumble!

You may find a treasure.

Yoga is happening...

(albeit a solo practice)

I could benefit from a Zoom session from my instructors.

Our WiFi here is dodgy at best 

with many of the transmissions being pixelated.

So we can never depend on the reliability of the WiFi.

We sit near the window looking out across the Salish Sea 

while we read and where I knit...

many boats pass during the day and are all lit up at night.

The BC Ferries look like birthday cakes!

Local Fiadh Academy Aura Rose Quartz scent...

I use this on my wrists and neck.

It offers a calming fragrance which is lovely for my Yoga practice.

There are very few fragrances in my collection...

I've given up using heavy scents as so many people are allergic to them.

I read and enjoyed Geraldine Brooks recent book Horse...

so when I spied her Pulitzer Prize winning novel March I grabbed it.

Started it early this morning and I am already hooked...

I had to put it down for Yoga and then I met up with a friend for coffee.

I did a bit of shopping at Island Girl...

white Bamboo Yoga Top from Blue Sky.

Lovely chat with the new shop assistant...

saw some really cute Bueno white sneaker high tops...

Oh Dear could be trouble!!

If I dream of them tonight I will go back tomorrow...

What are you reading?

Do you enjoy a wee bit of chocolate?

I find these Ritter Sport bars from Germany quite delicious!

I do TRY to keep my habit under control...

BUT

Milk Chocolate and Hazelnuts are my favourite.

What are your favourite chocolates?

Did you watch the Super Bowl?

If you want a quick and easy Spread for crackers...

try this recipe.

Chutney Spread

2 ~ 8 ounce packages of Philly cream Cheese (room temp)

1/2 cup of mango chutney

1/2 cup of toasted chopped almonds

1 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Mix together in a bowl

 Chill for several hours

Perfect added to a charcuterie board.

Nice with a whole wheat cracker.

We had Spicy Szechuan chicken wings (2 dozen) and an orzo pasta salad for dinner.

Easy Peasy Wings

Put the wings in a bag with about 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and shake.

Place wings on a parchment paper lined sheet pan for an hour at 350 degrees.

Then add a jar of Spicy Szechuan sauce and liberally cover the wings.

Bake at 350 for another 30 minutes until sticky.

Orzo Salad 

Cook about 2 cups of orzo until al dente, drain.

Add a jar of Naam miso sauce, 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, 1 cup frozen green  peas

Mix and chill in fridge.

Bateaux Mouches Scarf/Shawl...

using

Bamboo Rayon 

soft with oodles of drape.

Will be an ongoing project for a few more weeks...

depending on how much time I plan to sit and knit.

The work is meditative, as it is a simple repeating pattern.

Add a pot of tea, a cozy warm seat by the fire and it's my idea of idyllic.

Simple Joys 

There is a lot of stress and crazy things happening in our world.

Fasten your seat belt and find some quiet tasks to keep your hands and mind busy.

Try to breathe, stay calm, eat healthy food, and don't forget to hydrate.

Let me know how you are doing...

 

Actions that you can control help with negative feelings...

Use your energy to do something positive...

pick up litter, do a good deed, pay it forward

Go for a walk, run, meditate, read a good book, call a friend,

eat some chocolate.

Take Care of You :-))

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~