Waking in Sunshine...but not for long!

I awoke surprised to see the sunshine pouring in through the blinds last weekend.

The other surprise was the time...
9AM!

Sleeping in is so rare these days that when I realize that I have slept in
it comes as a SHOCK!

My morning luxury is to brew an espresso and serve it in a bowl with foamed milk.

This habit started in Paris and I have never looked back.

For me this starts my day off on a positive note.

I take a few minutes to check out Instagram, Facebook and read blogs.

After my shower I dress in my walking clothes...

this helps me stay motivated to go for my walk.

If I dress up in "going out" clothes right away 

I can find a million excuses NOT to go for a walk!

black yoga pants

a long top

puffy vest or puffy jacket 

(choice is dependent on the forecast)

sock and athletic shoes

 I took an alternate route

and ventured into the Ross Bay Cemetery.

It is very beautiful, peaceful, and full of all kinds of wildlife...

birds, squirrels, deer.

Heritage Trees form a canopy over the lanes.

The seafront is just beyond the edge of the grass...

you can see the seawall and ocean if you look closely.

Spectacular Autumn colours

Inside a crevice in a tree 

I spy fungi...

Not sure what kind of toadstools or mushrooms these might be but they look quite happy here...if fungi can actually be happy in its environment.

I would like to think that happiness on some level can be felt by all living things.

Speaking of happiness...

I must confess that I had my knickers in a twist...

not my usual comfortable happy place and I had to snap out of it.

I started going for my walk...

on the regular route.

Dozens maybe Hundreds

 of people running towards me.

Dear reader I had encountered a marathon!

A loud rock band was playing under a tent at the corner

there was a water station set up where runners were grabbing cups 

guzzling down the water and then tossing the cups willy nilly on the street.

I feared that I would be knocked over so I grumbled a bit under my breath and took off in another direction...the direction of the cemetery.

All in all it was a lovely walk and I felt totally refreshed when I came home.

~ Crunch crunch crunch crackle ~

the sounds under my feet as the dried leaves collapse.

~ water droplets on a leaf ~

~ the veins in these leaves are so pretty ~

There is so much beauty in the ordinary 

it is worth looking closely at every day things that we encounter.

What surprise might we see?

Orange and yellow dinner plate sized Dahlia 

still blooming in mid October in a garden on Hollywood Crescent.

This is Chester 

the little rascal will not stay off the table.

This is where I have my lap top and where I write my blog posts.

Perhaps this pose is his way of saying I am cute, really I am, 

and you know that you love me despite my hi jinx.

There are 3 storms forecast to hit our coast in the next few days and the weather experts are advising us to charge up all our devices, buy extra food and batteries and brace ourselves for power outages and possible flooding.

So if you don't hear from me for a few days 

you'll know why!

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Weekend wrapped up... back in the Humble Bungalow.

After a particularly hectic week Mr. HB and I stole away on our boat and tied up at the dock at Otter Bay Marina on Pender Island.
We were in dire need of some "down time" and find that boating is the perfect remedy for what ails us...
Otter Bay is well maintained and features two pools, cottage rentals, a small store and a cafe. You can rent, kayaks, paddle boards, and scooters...if you want to do more than just relax!

~ OOTD ~

DKNY boyfriend jeans

Sperry Topsiders Espadrilles

Striped Tee

Straw Hat

Sunglasses

Canada Day was spent relaxing, reading, swimming and knitting.

Later in the day the Pender Island Pipe and Drum Band marched down the dock, bagpipers in kilts and full regalia.

Despite the heat they put on quite the show.

You can watch a video of a portion of the performance on my Instagram page.

The rocky shoreline had some interesting details...

Pretty flowers in planters along the docks brightened up the Marina.

Drought tolerant plants were chosen as the Gulf Islands have a limited water supply...we all need to be mindful of our water usage as there are drought conditions all over the province of BC and in many of the US states.

Both Mr. HB and I sleep better on our boat.

It could be the fresh air

or that our bunk is super cozy

and

  there is that gentle rocking motion of the boat as it bobs upon the ocean

which swiftly lulls us into dreamland...

The laundry is on...thankfully the LG machines are doing all the dirty work which frees me up to type a blog post while dinner is simmering on the stove.

Tomato Sauce for Spaghetti

Fresh basil from the greenhouse...garlic clove chopped.

Simmering and it smells so wonderful.

 ~ Tomato Sauce ~

Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil

add

2 1/2 pounds chopped tomatoes

1 diced onion

cook until softened.

Add in rest of ingredients:

small can of tomato paste

(fill the can with water and pour in)

1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. sugar

2 tbsp. minced fresh basil

1/2 small carrot grated

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 clove garlic chopped fine

salt and pepper to taste

Simmer for 45 minutes.

Boil pasta and cook until al dente and serve with a salad.

Time for me to fold some laundry so I must sign off...

Hope you had a great weekend.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Enter the Preppy scarf...

The shades of Pink and Green in Nature have been popping up on my radar...
Spring time is such a beautiful season here in Victoria.
Flowering cherry and plum trees line the boulevards and gardens are bursting forth with blooms.

I walked with no particular route in mind 

the sun was shining

so I leisurely meandered along the streets 

weaving my way through town

until I found myself at the thrift shop.

I do not "need" anything right now so I just perused the racks...

until I spied this scarf, in new condition, with tags still attached.
You may know that I have a weakness for scarves!

They are small and do not take up much space and can be used to add a punch of colour to even the most basic of outfits...

Pink and Green Vintage Echo Silk Scarf

Here are a few of the scarf ties that I regularly wear.

I think it will go quite nicely with my new navy and white polka dot trench coat.

I'll know that I will be wearing it with my jeans and tees and black pants and crisp white shirt.

The pop of "preppy" colour makes me feel energized and happy.

I spied this wee bunny in a garden on my walk home...

it was munching the grass and seemed quite relaxed while I snapped a few photos.

Thank you for all the lovely comments and encouraging get well wishes that you have left on my blog. I really appreciate them and they have helped me immensely.

I have been catching up on some much needed sleep.

Three months of fitful sleep due to discomfort and pain have taken their toll.

The muscle relaxant that the specialist prescribed for me at bedtime has been amazing.

Two nights of restful slumber has helped me get my happy face back on!

Thank you for stopping by...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Checking in to say....

My week is shaping up to be another busy one...
we are in the midst of planning a catered celebration this weekend.
I'm not giving too much away, it's not a surprise...
it's a milestone birthday.

Walks with friends, French lessons, a Grammy play date, the regularly scheduled weekly Mother/ daughters get together, domestics, grocery shopping and that's just the start.

The trees are bursting forth with buds...

my energy has been ebbing on the low side so I have been trying to go to bed earlier.

My sleep patterns are changing and sleep is interrupted several times through the night.

It frustrates me no end because I used to be able to sleep most of the night.

Most of my friends have mentioned that this too is their "new normal."

The bright and shocking colours of Spring

fresh air and sunshine coupled with a good strong cup of coffee are helping me stay awake and alert.

I've been toying with the idea of making some art cards from my photographs.

I've purchased some cards and envelopes and ordered some prints...

just need to carve out some time to glue the photos onto the card stock

then muster up the courage to take them to a few of the card shops and see if they are at all interested...

if not, I will have some for my personal use.

French "homework" reading Paris Vogue!

Ines de la Fressange is the focus of this issue...

J'adore Ines.

I must close for now as I am off to meet a friend and French class follows.

Photographs from my walks have featured prominently in this post and I hope that they have elevated your spirits.
Enjoy your week!

Limelight Hydrangeas...and my OOTD

Limelight hydrangeas are in full bloom and are looking radiant...
our Humble Bungalow has 4 growing in the front yard and 2 in the back garden.

I went a bit overboard when I first discovered them a few years ago and just HAD to buy the last remaining plants in stock at the nursery!

They make a lovely statement with their large floppy moppy heads...
and when they get wet they bow their heads low to the ground.
That's when I took my handy secateurs outside and cut a few blooms before they got muddy in the soil.

With such pretty flowers one needn't use a fussy vase...

a simple white ironstone jug is more than adequate.

A reader recently asked if I had any of my paintings on display in our Humble Bungalow...

If you look at the top left of this image you can see one sitting on the plate rail above our arts and crafts trestle table in the kitchen.

They even look good outside on the deck...

Lime has snuck into my wardrobe too and my OOTD goes with the theme of this post.

Tribal ribbon top.

I wore this top with a mocha coloured skirt and some sandals...

(no picture was taken as I was late and running out the door to meet a friend)

Punctuality is very high on my priority list.

I have joined Instagram and hope that you might like to follow me at HostessofTheHumbleBungalow...

I will try to figure out how to link it on my sidebar.

I still haven't linked my Pinterest on the blog and am feeling very much like I could use a techy on staff here.

In the meantime I will plod along and hope to catch up...

Chester has been nibbling the planter on the deck...

Sleep will not come easy tonight as I went out for dinner with a few gals I knew from school and we chatted for three hours over dinner and after a couple of glasses of wine I was sipping several cups of tea, 

(which were not decaf)

so I know that I am in for an evening of tossing and turning in bed.

 I decided to work on this blog post instead of disturbing Mr. HB who has to get up early in the morning and go off to work.

Two new grand babies have been born into our circle of friends 

They are first time grand mothers so it is a joyful event.

One of the things on my do list this week will be finding gifts for these two boys.

"For happiness one needs security, but joy can spring like a flower even from the cliffs of despair."

~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh ~

 Thank you for stopping by and spending a few minutes here in The Humble Bungalow.

Take care as you go about your business this week.

Hostess

XO