Springtime ~ In the Pink

Pink Spring blossoms are found along many streets and boulevards in Victoria.

They lift the spirits even on the greyest of days.

Moms' robe now hangs in the guest room.

She wore this frequently...and it is silky satin.

One might want a pair of pink marabou slippers to go with it!

Did you notice that the hanger is in the same pattern and fabric as the robe?

I've been keeping the flowers fresh at Mom's condo for the showings...

we think it has sold and are just waiting for the buyers to secure their financing.

There were multiple offers all well above our asking price...

the real estate market here is brisk!

Mr. HB and I went to Fan Tan on Fisgard Street

in the heart of Victoria's Chinatown
 for a date night dinner this week.

Our meal was delicious and my tea arrived in a sweet little cast iron teapot.

It was really heavy especially when you consider the size.

 Pouring tea and a bit of "weight training!"

Spring cleaning, decluttering and rearranging things have been in the works.

Two bags of donations are waiting to be dropped off at the charity shops.

I culled quite a few books from this cupboard before I rearranged the shelves.

The French Market Basket was purchased years ago.

I planned to walk to the shops and wheel my groceries home...

that has happened exactly once!

I must fix that stat by going shopping in the Cook Street Village more often  pulling it behind me!

The wire heart was meant for postcards and photos.

I like it just the way it is...unadorned.

I'm going to pull these pieces together and add a few more.

My plan is to make a candle vignette of sorts...

I love how mirrors and candles can be best friends!

I took this wee painting from Mom's condo yesterday when I rearranged the flowers...

I am not sure that I will keep it forever 

but I could not part with it...

not just yet

and I did not want to regret giving it away...

it is a small street scene in Paris.

I also plan to take one of her French style chairs to add to the one that I have slip covered in linen beside the table in the hobby room.

It could be for one of the grandchildren to sit on as we read stories

or play with the toys...

another thing that is "speaking to me" 

one that I never thought would tug at my heart strings 

but one that is saying loudly...

don't let me go!

The journey is far from over...

saying goodbye

dealing with the details

is totally keeping us busy.

This emotional process is not easy

I have my ups and downs and find myself crying while standing at the kitchen sink.

I have had vivid dreams of Mom, so vivid, that when I wake I think she is still here...

My friends have been so amazing and strangers have been kind.

Every phone call that I make to advise them of moms demise 

is met with gentle soft spoken condolences...

the agency representatives in person are more than sweet

understanding 

patient

death of a loved one is obviously something that we all share in 

 it feels like it brings out the most empathetic responses 

the "best" from most...

Thank you all again for your lovely emails...

they keep coming

and 

I must say they are a delight.

XO

Week three...being proactive by getting back into healthy routines.

What I kept...

Going through Mom's things took time as we did not want to rush the process...
there were a few surprises, but for the most part, it was what we might have expected from an organized woman
whose attention to detail was evident in everything she touched.

My sister and I donated most of her clothes...
I saved a grey cashmere sweater and have been wearing it most days.
It feels like a cozy warm hug...
it is as if mom has her arms firmly wrapped around me.

I also brought home some small red spatulas...the kind that one uses when scraping out the last of the mayonnaise or mustard out of a small jar. I don't know what moved me to keep them but they are a practical tool that I will use regularly and take up very little room in our small bungalow.

I kept her recipes in the vintage recipe box.

One afternoon in the coming week I will make a pot of tea and peruse her collection.

It could be like a trip back in time...

she had a large repertoire 

that ran the gamut 

from jello whips to apple pie and meat loaf.

                             Mom had oodles and oodles of knick knacks!
     She wrote a note that specified she was leaving me her antique Maling bowl...

                a blue and white porcelain plant pot finds a new home here
                                   

Mom's condo is listed on the market.

I'll miss sitting on the deck with mom sharing a chat and a cup of tea.

There will be so many things that I will miss...

our telephone calls

walks

shopping trips

laughter

these memories will help to comfort me

 The Humble Bungalow is scented with the heady fragrance of lilies.

(I remove the stamens as they stain everything)

On the horizon...

I plan to return to the practise of Yoga

 am looking at local studios and their schedules.

It really helps with relaxation and I feel energized after the sessions.

Walking is back in my daily routine but having been away from it for almost a month my muscles were reminding me of that saying...

"use it or lose it!"

Thankfully bath salts and soaking in the tub have been helping.

I've got the urge to buy something bright and colourful.

My wardrobe of greys and black feels like it could use a punch of colour.

I haven't felt like shopping in quite some time and this might just well be what they call "retail therapy!"

The days are getting lighter

there is birdsong outside the window

spring flowers are emerging

 simple joys

one delights in

that can temper the sadness

 enfold one in a firm embrace

almost as cozy 

as Mom's cashmere sweater...

There is a sense of relief after these busy few weeks.

The pace has slowed and I was able to indulge in a few quiet days

that were spent at home

getting domestics under control

teas and cafe cremes were sipped 

while gazing out the windows

and

flipping through several French magazines

Cote Sud and Campagne Decoration.

Speaking of France...

I have been wearing the samples that I ordered from the new musc collection

by 

 Sylvaine Delacoutre

The Dovana scent is lovely and may be the fragrance that I order

it has notes of iris, neroli, vanilla, and ambrette.

You might like them too.

I am not affiliated with Sylvaine and have received no remuneration for this mention.

Her website is here.

Hope that your weekend is ticking along nicely.

Thank you for stopping by...

XO

Spring Beauty

The Humble Bungalow Garden is showing some signs of life as the bulbs are starting to poke their heads up through the soil...
I have seen some snowdrops up in neighbouring gardens and I love their pure white blooms, so fresh and new.
I found a few images from the Humble Bungalow Garden archives to share with you today.

I feel energized and hopeful when I see these wee flowers...
Spring cannot be too far off when the snowdrops are blooming.
One cannot help but feel encouraged when the garden emerges
from its winter slumber.

Hellebores are hardy plants and they are stalwarts in January

 bursting forth with colour.

Daffodils are soon to follow...

the flower vendors have oodles for sale and I am tempted to buy a few bunches.

I adore this black Hellebore with a spot of sunny yellow in the centre.

Isn't yellow the most cheery of all the colours?

When it comes to spring time flowers yellow blooms are a ray of sunshine.

The Magnolia will be flowering in a bit too...

the buds are plumping up.

One day I hope our Humble Bungalow will have masses of these snowdrops.

We have planted clumps of them and each year they multiply.

For those of you who were curious 

here are a few more snapshots from the archives of the renovated laundry room...

Hope that you have some fun planned for the weekend.

There is a dinner party to prepare, some errands and chores...

and

 we will be spending some time with the grandchildren 

which always makes me happy and my heart full.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

The raptures of Spring...

Our Humble Bungalow Garden comes alive every Spring.
So exciting to see after cool wet Fall and Winter seasons...

Dewdrops and raindrops look so pretty resting on these leaves.

Pots of pansies and tulips make for a happy marriage.

Tulips are a favourite meal with our local deer population do they have been relegated to the area of the garden that is protected by the fence!

I have not bothered to dig up the tulip bulbs in the front garden 

so the deer just happily munch on them as they stroll by...

our garden must be on "their feeding route" 

as other gardens on our street have masses of tulips and they have not been nibbled.

Spring has come early...

Muguet des Bois

we started with a small clump and these have spread like mad in the garden.

I love their scent and love to pick a handful as gifts.

Their fragrance dissipates shortly after picking 

but for a few days a wee vase filled with them can fill the bathroom with the most amazing scent.

Looks like a wonderland of white bobbing bonnets...

Ah and the lilacs...

such beauty and another intoxicating fragrant flower.

The bees are back and busy pollinating the flowers...

one does need to be mindful and rest.

I am enjoying

slow mornings sipping my cafe creme

a good book in hand

often stopping mid sentence and staring out the window.

Pondering

appreciating the beauty of the garden

the blooms of Spring

and the sounds of the birdsong and of the bees buzzing.

I had my cortisone injection last week and it was not a very pleasant experience.

I must confess to being rather nervous.

I read up on the procedure at the Mayo Clinic website, 

the only one that I trust to give honest information 

so I had a vague idea what to expect 

but I had not really prepared myself for the sensations involved...

after three wee pricks for the freezing

a larger needle filled up the shoulder joint with what felt like goop...

thick play-dough like goop.

My shoulder is sore but I am told it should be better as time passes...

I am such a wimp when it comes to medical procedures.

How do people manage to find the strength and courage to deal with long term medical issues?

My utmost respect goes out to people who deal with disease with grace and dignity.

And there are many people out there who face these challenges everyday.

But for now I am giving myself permission to just be in the moment.

Allowing myself some moments to quietly contemplate the beauty of Spring.

Nodding as I embrace gratitude 

and

wait for the rest of the garden to burst forth with the raptures of Spring.

Take care and thank you for stopping by and visiting my humble blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Getting my Happy On!

Spring has Sprung!

The pretty pink flowers are bursting forth from the trees that line the boulevards and streets of our city.

Their sweet subtle fragrance wafts as one saunters along 

slowly savouring the scent.

This is just another example of "getting my happy on."

I look everyday for something that makes me happy.

I rarely have to look too far...

on dark days I have to invent my own happy.

Those are days when I brew a pot of imported tea in a special cup and saucer

or soak in a tub of scented bath salts.

There are many many ways to make the most of a "not so great" day.

Change is afoot...

I got my hair cropped

it has got to be wash and wear until I can hold a blow dryer again.

There is good news!

                                                            The RMT is a miracle worker!

She worked on my upper back and shoulder for an hour this week.

There was tenderness while she was giving me my treatment and a few hours after but when I woke up the next morning I could move my arm more and I felt less pain.

Hallelujah!

I made an easy dinner that was so tasty I thought you might like to try it...

busy days beg for simple suppers

I boiled up turnips, spuds and carrots until they were soft.

Then mashed them up set aside to keep warm.

In a cast iron fry pan I sauteed onions until they were soft.

Added a bit of butter and popped in some super skinny pork chops.

Cooked until no longer pink and popped in a few tablespoons of Bonne Maman Apricot Jam.

Reduce the heat and let the flavours mingle before serving.

Hope you like the recipe.

I bought a Tribal Turquoise necklace from an Etsy shop.

I had been looking on Pinterest and pinning gorgeous examples and found a smaller scale one which I thought would look pretty peeking out from the collar of my new to me crisp white shirt.

It was sold to me unpolished and I am thinking that it will stay that way.

I also have a soft faded Gap light wash denim jacket which it would pair well with my white jeans for summer.

I prefer authentic jewelry over most costume pieces.

I have a few items that are cheap and cheerful.

One cannot always justify the expense of fine gems.

There are day to day living expenses...

and one does need to be mindful of the budget!

I do love vintage and hand crafted pieces that are interesting, unusual and make a statement.

So that is about all that is new here in The Humble Bungalow.

Thank you for popping by for a wee visit and a catch up.

Have a Fabulous Weekend!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~