Mother Daughter getaway...new clothes for Spring and summer.

Last weekend our darling daughter accompanied me on a trip to Vancouver.
The focus of the trip was to shop.
And shop we did!

The first day we walked and shopped for 5 hours and the second for 6...a marathon of walking and shopping yielded quite a few bags full.

I love these shoes.

Ferragamo Varina flats...

IF I were to plunk down the cash I would insist on a pair in red.

They are quite pricey at $625 but they are beautifully made and so classic, perhaps iconic.

A gal can dream....

Aritzia is a favourite shop of darling daughter...

we have one here in Victoria

the Robson shop has three storefronts and loads of stock.

We perused the shop both days as it was on the same street as our Hotel.

Milestones restaurant was the perfect casual spot to stop for dinner.

Lots of variety and healthy options for dinner.

OOTD

Calvin Klein ponte knit pants

Style & Co. black top

Clarks boots

Burberry print infinity scarf

(My hair is a mess as we got caught in a torrential downpour!)

H&M navy and white striped top

London Fog navy and white polka dot trench coat.

White NYDJ jeans

Black flats by Pegabo with gold accents on the heels

H&M striped top

We sipped Perrier and munched on popcorn while we watched the award winning movie Brooklyn.

(I highly recommend it)

We also watched the English film Man Up.

(funny and entertaining ~ cute)

There was a gale force windstorm Sunday 

when we left the dock at the ferry terminal the wind was really intense

The crossing across Georgia Strait was lumpy but we made it to the island without incident.

Later that same day there were some ferries that had mishaps...

one bumped into a concrete dock and some sailings were also cancelled.

Are you old enough to remember Lamb Chop and Shari Lewis?

These little lamb chops were for sale in the onboard shop.

Like lamb chop I am embracing a bright paw.

Dior Adventure will do the trick.

Hope that your week is ticking along nicely.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Seeing Red ~ could this be the fortune cookie prediction?

Red has been popping up on my radar lately...

It's been a star performer in the Humble Bungalow Garden for years...

I plant red geraniums every Spring and place them in a zinc container on the front porch.

They are planted in black pottery planters in the back yard and on the sun deck.

My fortune cookie suggested something new is on the horizon.

While I don't put a lot of stock into fortune messages I did consider what it might mean...

I perused Home Sense and this shiny red Chantal kettle caught my eye.

Could the fortune be "Project Red?"

I like the pop of red.

It goes with the Le Coq towel I purchased in the south of France.

We don't have many red things here in the bungalow.

Except

The guest room's red theme is because I fell in love with this Toile de Jouy bed linen.

It was quite expensive at the time but I didn't care...I was still working and earning good money.

Hence the red pop of colour with the pillow and red hand knitted shawl on the wicker table.

I'm not a "decorator" so I am cautious with home decor items...

I subscribe to restraint over clutter.

Bedside table in the guest room.

Clock, Kleenex, a book and two antique vessels ready for fresh flowers and chocolates.

I place several bottles of Perrier on the table as well.

I want our guests to feel comfortable and welcome.

There's an extra wool throw on the luggage stand at the foot of the bed.

Look at the adorable feet on the Herend piece!

The crude staple repair on this antique bowl persuaded me to buy it.

Pink Roses or peonies are pretty pairing with this cute vase.

Oops this turned out a wee bit blurry...it's hand painted 

made by Herend,  a Hungarian Company.

"The Art of Being a Woman

a simple guide to everyday love and laughter."

by Veronique Vienne

Original watercolour painting found at a community fund raiser on Thetis Island several years ago...

I wonder what that new "fortune predicted project" might be.

 ~ I am waiting ~

I must close for now as

my sister and I are going to take Mother out for a walk and a browse in the shops.

Perhaps there's a pair of red shoes in my future!

“Book your life choices in advance the same way you would book flights, car rentals, hotels, and excursions. Figure out early on in your career whether you intend to be financially independent or marry a rich man, join the ranks of the professional elite or be the stay-at- home type, postpone having children or find part-time employment. Then fasten your seat belt and sit tight as you watch your trajectory veer off course.” 

~ Veronique Vienne ~

The Art of Being a Woman: A Simple Guide to Everyday Love and Laughter

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Dressing tactics...I wear red when I need energy ~ Saturday OOTD.

Some days one just needs a boost...an influx of energy when the physical and mental stores are depleted.
A day dawns when the kick of a coffee is not enough...

My cream in coffee habit has been replaced by foamed milk...

which is win win as there are fewer WW points and it's a fancy way to start the day.

I purchased an electric foam gadget at Starbucks and use 1% milk in it.

So easy and so delicious!

(you can see the base of it to the right of the microwave)

Our Humble Bungalow is bathed in warm sunshine this morning....

 we await word from the vet who is doing more diagnostics on our cat Pepper.

 Who by the way is celebrating her 5th birthday today.

Our lovely daughter is celebrating her birthday today...

Mr. HB's mother will be 97 today.

There are other grandchildren and great grandchildren celebrating an April 18th birthday.

When my energy is ebbing low I dress for comfort.

Opt for cozy worn in "boyfriend" jeans DKNY, a soft Tee shirt Gap, and some ballet flats Lands' End...

this will be my OOTD.

I grab my red shoes...wearing red shoes always puts a smile on my face and a little bounce in my step.

 I was out in Brentwood Bay yesterday delivering the cat to the hospital 

I perused some shops and found a new dress and belt...

Vero Moda dress

Jacob leather belt

This is an easy casual outfit and is super comfy for running errands, lunching with the ladies.

 Or perhaps strolling along the Seine...wandering on the cobblestones of the Latin Quarter or sauntering through the Luxembourg Gardens.

Hope you are having a lovely day.

I can hardly believe it but I'll be in Paris next week!!!

Ooh La La!

Yesterday...

Some days are better than others,
All we can do is put our best face forward and hope for the best...
yesterday was one of "those days."

Our four year old cat, Pepper is ill...
I spent a few hours at the hospital with her
and I left her there overnight for observation.
She has had X-Rays, tests and blood work...
it appears that something is amiss and so we wait...

If pets could talk and tell us what is wrong we'd be so much better able to diagnose their problem and start the correct treatment.
I wonder if she ate something that she should not have ingested...

She was throwing up...
I know it's gross and I won't mention it again,
except to say that our white coverlet on the bed has been laundered.
(I'm so grateful we own a heavy duty washing machine)

I left dinner in the oven for  MR. HB...
he coaxed Pepper into the kennel cab for me as I hastily wrote out the directions to the hospital from a google map...
I was stressed, scribbling the street names
I'm not proud of it but there was some screaming involved...

I got lost on the way to the hospital...
on a rainy dark night, country roads and unfamiliar territory...
our old Volvo wagon does not have a GPS.

I pulled over to the side of the road and "googled" maps, 

I got a message saying "Do you want to install the Google Map APP now?

NOOOOOO....

I want to get to the vet NOW...

I had to stop at a gas station and call the hospital for directions...
turns out I was two blocks short of their location.

Can you feel my tension
you shouldn't...
I'm just venting.

I had my first ever Kuerig coffee...which btw was delicious.

The "reception" at the hospital was warm and welcoming

the patient and caring staff took care of me as well as Pepper.

Let's take a break/diversion shall we?

Yes the red shoes walked with me to French Class...

they were accompanied by my favourite French made Union Jack tote.

Perhaps it is a weird "statement"

 to carry that tote to class 

but both the textbooks

the French English dictionary

  homework and papers

pencils and pens

and

a bottle of Perrier

fit 

perfectly.

C'est la vie.

I passed by a popular flower stall

brimming with colour...

a market with fresh produce...

I wore classic pearls and diamonds...

with my natural tinsel "highlights"

I'll be 60 in a few weeks so I think I have "earned the right to embrace the grey"

(have you noticed how many women "of a certain age" are blogging about going grey ?)

 Joni Mitchell and Joan Didion have been hired as representatives as the "new faces" for fashion houses.

Boomers, are quite possibly, becoming the IT generation!

I spied these gorgeous Hunter Boots in a shop window

and if I had not been running late for class

I would have rushed in 

and tried them on...

I did just buy some cute and comfy Harvest Tomato Lands' End Bianca ballet flats...

and it was not raining...

 look was hanging out in the same shop window as the Hunter Boots.

Last weekend I left this vest in "the Red Store"

(aka Target)

after conferring with my personal fashion advisor

who has never steered me wrong...

(thanks darling...it does add bulk and I am way too short to carry it off!)

so before I close...

Pepper's picture on her file at the vet clinic...

belly up!

I took it when she helped me "fold the laundry" Mr. HB's Socks!

Pepper was an adorable kitten ...

your little buddy Chester is waiting for you Pepper...

he was asleep when I took this...

Pepper snoozing onboard our Sea Ray last summer....

I'm going to phone the hospital soon and see what kind of night she had...

in the meantime...

I feel a wee bit better having written this all down and sharing it.

Who knows if anyone is out there reading these words?

there might just be an audience of empty chairs...

Seeing red...

The past weekend is a bit of a blur...

We went out on Friday night to The Oak Bay Beach Hotel pub for a quick bite and stayed up late watching the TV so we slept in on Saturday morning and had a lazy start to the day.
I went to browse the local Target store...aka "the RED STORE" as Isla calls it...
sadly they are closing all the Canadian stores and I am so very disappointed.
I have shopped there more than any other retailer since they opened. I purchased all kinds of things from...toys, bedding, clothes for the grandchildren, kitchen tools, linens, pillows, candles, home decor items to cards and books.

Sunday we had the grandchildren over for a visit and served up some comforting tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with ketchup...
Henry and Isla both love to chase the cats around our bungalow and they laugh and squeal with delight...
the cats are not used to this pace and got wise to the game and made a hasty retreat downstairs and stayed there until they left.
Grammy and Grampa had a super fun time!

I made a pot roast for dinner...

It's the easiest recipe ever...

I served it with parsnips, carrots, peas and "gravy" made from the cooking stock thickened with a bit of cornstarch mixed with water.

It was just the two of us for dinner but we lit the candles and sat at the dining room table...

not quite Downton Abbey but civilized nevertheless!

OOTD

Lands' End tunic in black and white stripes

Nygaard ponte knit pants

Mee Too black ballet flats

I have wanted to find red shoes to add some pizazz to my small shoe collection

so when I ordered the Thermacore capris from Lands' End I ordered some red ballet flats.

Harvest Tomato is the name of the shade of the Bianca flats...

They look nice with our kitchen rug...

In the style of the iconic Repetto's from France...

and as a bonus they are currently on sale so they are "budget friendly."

I'm wearing them to French class 

OOTD

 g21 denim skinny jeans

Dex grey bulky knit sweater 

 Burberry scarf.

I'm feeling more energetic and incredibly optimistic today

and Hooray for the sunshine!

Hope your week is off to a great start!