Busy as Bees and a nasty Stinger!

It was a really hot weekend and Mr. HB and I spent most of it in our Humble Bungalow Garden.
We have some projects on the go and Mr. HB finished installing the railings on the front stairs...a project that he started while I was away in Paris. Besides weeding and deadheading the roses I have been wielding a paintbrush!

He will be painting the porch and treads one day this coming week as it was far too hot to do it today.

He has done a fine job and I am so grateful to be married to such a clever and handy man.

Thank you sweetheart!

I painted the planter on the porch black and bought some flowers to fill it.

They are bright and cheerful.

I made this fresh tomato and mint salad with balsamic cream...

Summertime and salads ~ so tasty and WW Friendly!

I know I have shown you Jude the Obscure  in our Humble Bungalow Garden many many times 

but for me this rose never gets old...

The Calla Lilies are amazing this year.

We have three big Callas in the front garden and one in the back.

Dusty Miller is in flower and I only grow it because I like to put it into flower arrangements.

The grey/silver foliage is a fabulous filler and looks wonderful with roses!

The Romneya Coulteri

aka the fried egg plant is looking so pretty.

The petals are very paper like and dainty.

It's a stunner.

and it thrives in poor soil...even gravel and sand.

Once you get it established it will be a star performer.

It's been a real scorcher of a weekend and we are all tried to stay cool...

some of us have fur coats which makes it much harder 

Mr. HB has been guzzling Gatorade while working outside and I have sipped several bottles of Perrier.

I phoned and checked on Mother 

just to make sure that she was keeping hydrated 

seniors are at high risk for heat issues

and she walks most afternoons

fortunately she was home with the fans on, sipping a cool beverage and reading a book

she postponed her walk due to the high heat.

I did not go for my walk either as I was in the garden all day.

Lots of weeding and dead heading was done...

and I painted the French vintage metal table and chair black!

Here's a sneak peek of our patio extension with the freshly painted table and chair.

I'm going to get some black pots and fill them with pretty annuals and place them at the edge of the space...

I can see myself sitting here with my book and a cup of tea or a glass of Perrier.

I got stung twice by a  hornet...

I don't remember having such a nasty bite and I had an allergic reaction.

My wrist got really red and swollen in no time flat

Mr. HB zipped off to our local pharmacy to buy some antihistamine.

It made me very drowsy...

Our Birthday dinner went ahead as normal...

On the menu:

maple syrup ~ ginger ~ soy glazed salmon

tabbouleh salad

spinach strawberry salad

roasted veggies

garlic bread

chocolate cake

I over cooked the roasted veggies and spilled half the salad dressing...

I blame it on the effects of the drugs!

We had a lovely evening and the grandchildren were a delight.

It's my favourite thing...getting together as a family.

Hope your week is off to a great start.

White Wednesday....

On Wednesdays many bloggers used to write post and title them "White Wednesdays"...
well I am resurrecting the practise with this post.
It's a short one as I am busy and cannot devote as much time as I would like to this post.
Living in the moment, being fully present and involved requires effort, energy and time.
So to sit and write at the laptop becomes less frequent...hence my daily speedy post on Instagram.

The Dogwood Tree is blooming in the front...

the branches hang over our drive from the neighbours yard and we get to enjoy the waxy blooms.

When I see the flowers I am reminded of peace, harmony and beauty.

Simple creamy white forms that can yield perfection...

grateful for the opportunity to witness and appreciate such beauty.

The tall nodding snowdrops are still putting on a show.

We purchased several packages of bulbs a few seasons ago 

they are multiplying and filling the beds our front yard...

(Hope the deer do not like to eat these!)

The broken rake that hangs on the fence has a visitor...

let's take a closer look shall we?

Behold the lowly garden snail.

The vintage crystal door knob looks quite out of place outdoors...

next to the rusted door plate... 

 on the French door that opens the weathered grey cedar garden shed.

As you can see I've taken liberties with the white themed post!

Oh and I have been shopping!

I have purchased some new white enamel pots.

Our chartreuse Dutch Oven has seen better days...

so it is out with the old and in with the new.

A wee bit of a splurge I know, but well worth it to have decent tools in the kitchen.

I'll be making soup and a stew this week...some to eat and some to give away.

There is illness about ~ some more serious than others...

we are crossing our fingers for a positive outcome but we cannot control it.

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."

~ Lao Tzu ~

"Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides."

Lao Tzu

Oodles to do before I leave for Paris and so I am focused on tending to those details...

I may be posting sporadically before I leave.

I'll be on Instagram if you want to keep in touch...

to follow

Click on the picture at the top right of the blog side bar.

Elizabeth George's first Inspector Lynley book "The Great Deliverance" beckons...

so I'll close for now.

Tell me what you've been up to this past week...

A rhapsody in blue...OOTD

Blue and white are a complimentary pairing, indeed they are a happy marriage.
Antique Chinese and English porcelain come to mind as does the iconic classic Blue Willow patterns which were mass produced by so many companies over the years.

This beautiful planter was a gift from the son of Mrs. Plant,

she was a former owner and resident of The Humble Bungalow

this wee antique bowl is so thin you can almost see throught it...

I know nothing about it except to say that it called out to me when I was perusing the tables at an antue and collectible show.

I've collected these Ball Sealers for the past few years...

it's the soft shade of blue that attracts me to these jars.

Trees were painted cobalt blue in this downtown plaza...

I captured this image on a Seattle trip a few years ago.

The Chihuly Gardens in Seattle...

right below The Space Needle!

It's a wonderful place to visit and view many of Chihuly's glass masterpieces.

A gorgeous blue necklace at the jewelers in the lobby of The Empress Hotel.

Harumi Ota porcelain.

Harumi lives in Victoria and sells his work at The Eclectic Gallery and at The Moss Street Market.

Downtown Victoria sidewalk display

Looking out over the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington State is in the distance.

Wee heart shaped art glass paperweight....

Grape and wood hyacinths, a spring time bouquet in a matte white jug, a gift from my bestie.

Hydrangeas

White vintage compotes.

Blue hydrangeas

playing with paint...

Macarons at Bon Macaron on Broad Street in Victoria.

My favourite outfit of all time is a simple one...

Blue Jeans and a White top.

OOTD

accessorized simply with pearls and an armful of sterling bangles

Do you have a favourite outfit?

One that you feel totally at ease wearing and can see yourself taking it to a desert island with you?

Wendy McLeod MacKnight's recent post inspired me to write this one today...

go over and say Hi and please tell her that I sent you!

A Rhapsody in Blue....

Thank you for stopping by.... 

Mother Nature's Paint Brush...

I look to Mother Nature for inspiration and appreciate her flair for colour.

I have always been attracted to white bouquets.

Arrangements that mix shapes and textures of a variety of white blooms complimented with a flush of greens...

Lady's Mantle makes a wonderful filler, Hosta leaves add interest, fern fronds, the list of greens is endless.

I've had the pleasure of arranging flowers for several weddings for friends and have enjoyed the experience immensely...not being on the payroll or having design constraints made it fun.

Do you love weddings?

I do and I cry at every one that I attend...

not out of sadness

It's the over whelming emotions welling up when I see two people commit to a lifetime together. 

Traditional brides tend to wear white gowns and many carry white floral wedding bouquets.

I find them terribly romantic...

 Pinterest is more than I could ever have imagined and I am drawn to the wedding Pins...

like a moth to a flame.

White blooms evoke purity and serenity...

Mother carried white calla lilies with a white leather bible down the aisle when she got married in the early 1950's.

I love looking at the wedding photos ~ they show a very young couple with "stars in their eyes."

They went on to spend many years together separated by the death of my father in 2007.

Mother has never completely come to terms with his demise...

she talks of him often as if he might be in the next room.

the contrast of the green foliage makes the white glow brighter

BC dogwood flowers

Pure and White

Hosta in the center and at top and right Lady's Mantle.

Mother picked a pink peony in the garden at the back of her condominium.

The flower is stunning in this gorgeous shade of pink.

She floated it in a crystal footed bowl and placed it on the Duncan Phyfe table beside her chair. 

That table has an amusing story...

if only it could talk.

It is the same table that Father had to refinish.

One morning early, before my parents were up, I got into a wee bit of mischief.

(not something I did often or so I am told!)

I was about 3 or 4 years old when I discovered Mother's red nail varnish left on the table...

I wanted to paint my toes like Mother.

 Unfortunately I was not too skilled with the brush and so more red was on the table than I put on my toes!

I don't remember getting into trouble...

maybe because there were late night cocktail party remnants littering the room...

Mom tells me that I had a few sips from the martini glasses that they neglected to put away before they went to bed!

These lovely roses climb up the wall by the front porch of The Humble Bungalow.

Mr. HB has tied them to the pillars so the bloom laden branches don't snap with the weight of the flowers.

Their scent lingers and is carried on the breeze.

Hydrangeas in white vessels

 (images from last summer)

I love this shade of green!

I wore this coin necklace to my appointment with my doctor...

where I recently got some great news.

No more high blood pressure medications needed at this time.

Obviously walking, weight loss and lifestyle changes have had a positive impact...

I've slipped a bit in the walking (reading too much) and need to rev up my regime...

another 3 pounds!

I have ordered some new trainers from Lands' End and plan to hit the pavement big time this week.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads young and old and those who we have lost and are holding close to our hearts.

Hostess