Showing posts with label walking scenery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label walking scenery. Show all posts

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Blooms, books and sprinkles...


One of the many sunflowers that have bloomed...

A thoughtful reader sent me some seeds in memory of my mom.
I sprinkled the seed packet on a walk last spring
 on a street adjacent to where my moms condo was located.
It was a daring guerrilla gardener moment!
Don't think anyone saw me...


a whale tail
created from pieces of driftwood
on the beach where I walk


These books are waiting to be read...


I have been busy 
volunteering, cooking, walking, shopping, polishing the tarnished silver...


A few stalwart roses are still blooming in The Humble Bungalow Garden.


When you forget to buy caramel sauce for the ice cream dessert you are serving after the Sunday family roast beef dinner ...
you need to be creative.

Cookie sprinkles
 in festive Christmas colours 
are hastily used to amp up the plain vanilla ice cream!

NEEDS MUST!


A cheery yellow rose in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

If I had to choose just one colour that I associated with cheer, positivity and joy
it would be yellow.

Hands down it is my favourite colour for a rain slicker or boots...
we get so much precipitation here in the PNW that it can become tedious 
 people (myself included) often feel gloomy.

I do not own a yellow rain slicker or boots...
my Saint James rain coat is beige
and
my boots are rather pedestrian 
as they are black!


The winner of the coveted Scotiabank Giller Prize was recently announced 
 it went to a talented writer who lives here in Victoria!
She won in 2011 for her book Half Blood Blues.

You can read more here.

This book is now on my must read list and I have not read her previous book either so I will look forward to both of those novels.

One of the many perks of retirement 
is being able to make and take time to read.

Hope you are having a great week.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Rainy Day Rhythm...


Cheap and cheerful
chrysanthemums
perk me up on a grey rainy day...

The power of flowers can elevate any decor...

a simple jam jar with daisies

a Baccarat crystal vase with roses

a single bloom in a flask

an orchid in a blue and white porcelain planter

depending on your budget

you can get as creative as you like when it comes to floral arrangements.


Vintage Verlys glass satin dish bowl
etched simply with pine cones
sits empty 
beside the window
catching the light


The grandchildren made this colourful Easter Wreath at Michael's.

We were meant to go to the workshop together but I had Vertigo and had to cancel...
it sounds like they had lots of fun.


Our sunsets have been quite stunning 
this week at Quarter Deck Cottage.

I love how sculptural the arbutus trees look set against the yellow skies.

One needn't go far to find beauty 
it is outside just beyond the front door...
all you have to do is open your eyes and look around.

It may surprise you to find that there are ordinary things 
which when studied 
on close inspection
look like works of art.

I never come home from a walk without seeing something quite lovely.

Perhaps that is why I love to walk so much...
not only do I feel restored and re-energized
there are snippets of Nature's handiwork at every turn.

I make it my goal to seek out the delights that Nature has provided...


A juicy red rose hip still clinging to the vine...


Queen Anne's Lace seed head boldly standing tall against the blue sky.


A reclaimed lifeboat
re purposed as a planter at the end of the road.

The Riddle Family plant this boat with seasonal offerings...
The sign says 
"The Point...Of it All!"

A scarecrow and mums were on display for Fall
daffodils and tulips for Spring
 I am already curious what they will plant for Summer.

The rains have arrived after several sunny days so it's a day of domestic chores...
laundry and tidying.

A pot of tea now waits
 I will return to my books and knitting
after I hit the publish button on this post.



The Humble Dishcloth
(a knitting pattern that I return to time and again)

Size 6 or 7 (US) needles
Cotton yarn

Cast on 4 stitches
Row 1 - Knit 4 stitches
Row 2 -  Knit 2 Yarn over knit to end of row
Repeat Row 2 until you have 44 stitches
Row 3 - Knit 1 Knit 2 together, Yarn Over, Knit 2 together knit to end of row
Knit row 3 until you have 4 stitches left on the needles
Bind off.


so soothing to knit
useful to use
soft
makes a great Hostess Gift!

Wishing you all a Very Happy Weekend.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~