Random stuff on Wednesday.

~ The Humble Bungalow ~

The garden out front has many plants and flowers.

Among them are yellow rudbeckia flowers 

a variety of yellow, pink, and red roses.

Limelight hydrangeas

Hostas

grasses

lime kniphofia

lavenders

boxwood 

The deer have been by munching on the Hostas and the Hydrangeas so the new garden help suggested that we try spraying with BOBEX...

it is all natural but is very stinky and it deters the deer from chowing down on the plants that have been treated.

Our tiny entry hall is rather cluttered,

it is where we hang our coats

store our brollies

hats.

Inside the picnic basket are winter woolly scarves and gloves.

No room for a wardrobe and no closets...

This wee area of the living room is where I write cards.

The quartersawn oak arts and crafts desk has many compartments inside 

which I use to store our address book, stamps, pens, and cards. 

We have such a small living area on the main floor...

about 975 square feet so we need to be careful not to collect too much stuff!

In 100 year old +  bungalows, storage was not originally a consideration.

People generally did not have a lot of extra things...

they were living on limited incomes, credit was not available and so people tended to be quite frugal.

Our bedroom closet is really small and we have to renovate that room someday. Mr. HB will redesign our closet and have some built in drawers installed.

We use the downstairs closets for our out of season clothes.

Trying to keep a minimal wardrobe is my goal but every so often I act on impulse and buy something that is usually something that I already have represented in my current wardrobe.

Buying a variation of something that I already own and don't really NEED 

is a waste of money.

This summer I paid attention to 

what I wore regularly 

what did not get worn often 

and 

what never got worn.

3 dresses were worn regularly and two others hung in the closet.

I wore 2 pairs of pants and the same few tops weekly.

The rest languished away...

 Why have something if it is not being used especially when storage is an issue?

The exercise also showed me that the clothes I wore 

were those that made me feel good wearing them

and  coincidentally 

they are the better quality more expensive items in my closet.

With that in mind, I plan to buy fewer things come the Fall and opt for better quality "investment" pieces.

It seems to me to make sense not to waste the space, time and money 

on something mediocre that is not going to be a workhorse in the wardrobe.

Walking scenery...

Clover Point on Dallas Road

the start of my regular 5 km. walking route.

Midway along the route Ross Bay

looking across at The Olympic Mountain Range in Washington State.

Ross Bay and the trees that line the edge of the historic Ross Bay Cemetery.

Walks have been lovely with the sunny warm weather...

breezes have been slight which I appreciate.

Plainsong was a good book...

a slightly different genre than I usually read but it came with high praise from the gal at the bookstore.

I have reserved the second in the series, Eventide,  at the local library.

In other news...

The scale has responded to the no alcohol regime.

I quit the wine habit last Tuesday.

Several readers have emailed me regarding me giving up alcohol.

My new tipple...non alcoholic wine.

It tastes good and has way less calories than real wine and is less expensive.

The information on the bottle 

may be of interest to you. 

I sip a couple of glasses at night, 

one before dinner and one with dinner.

Willows Beach walk

mixing up the walk locations for a variety of scenery.

There is a tearoom near the playground.

Mom and I used to stop in after our walk along the Esplanade.

I have taken tea here several times this summer and I think of her when I sip my cuppa.

My Mulberry knapsack has been getting a lot of wear this summer.

I love to be hands free when walking and it is the perfect size for my prescription glasses, wallet, lipstick, tissues and keys.

I love the colour of the leather and the details.

It is a sturdy bag that should wear well for many years.

Have you seen The New Amberley bag by Mulberry. ?

Positively Smitten with this bag...

I like the shape, the brown embossed croc finish, and the clasp detail

it is not too big 

so there is no worry that I would be carrying a too heavy bag and injure my shoulder again!

  Plus it is a bonus that it is a cross body bag.

Perhaps I will invest in this one...

it has been ages since I bought a "new" handbag.

The last two have been thrift shop finds.

Back to the garden...

One of the Hostas that the deer have munched!

Thankfully the giant Rudbeckias seem to be safe from the deer.

Are you familiar with books by Kristin Hannah?

Firefly Lane (2008) is a page turner...

Kristin has a large number of books to her credit

and why have I not read her novels before this?

 I have no clue!

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog

taking time out of your day to read the blog and glance at the pictures.

Hope that you are enjoying these last few days of August.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Holiday snippets and snapshots...part 2

The mountain of laundry has been washed, folded and ironed and it feels so good to be back on top of the chores.

Chester has definitely warmed up and is back to his former tricks...
a few more snapshots from our holidays.

Port Browning Harbour on Pender Island.

Mr. HB and I have been going there since the 1970's

when it was called Scot's Lair the bagpiper would play the pipes at the raising and lowering of the flag right atop this rocky outcropping.

The Marina is close to the Driftwood Centre which has a fabulous book shop, a gift store, pharmacy and a well stocked food market...

basically all the things we might need are a 10 minute walk from the boat.

This horse saw us walking by the fence and came over to say hello.

After checking us out it proceeded to munch on some dandelions.

The view from our walk along Razor Point Road.

This windmill was beside a farm stand that sold veggies, jams, wool and eggs.

We walked briskly for an hour in the hot sun to visit the Sea Star Winery.

I had worked up quite a thirst and the wine was chilled!

a lovely glimpse of the ocean from the top of the hill

There was a food truck from the Hope Bay Bistro on site and a Farmer's Market with veggies, breads, jewelry, pottery, flowers.

An acoustic guitarist played while we dined...

 I had tasty fish tacos for lunch with a glass of wine.

The Ortega is especially nice for al fresco summer time dining and BBQ's.

When we pack for our cruising holidays on our SeaRay 

we plan ahead and bring lots of books.

One of the luxuries of being away from our usual demands and routines mean that we can devote a good chunk of time to reading.

There are no distractions like TV or the Internet as WI-Fi coverage is spotty and unreliable.

Colm Toibin's Nora Webster is a gem...I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jude the Obscure

I have another couple of instalments of the holiday snaps coming up...

with so many photos I need to break them up so that they don't bog down the Blogger site!

Hope that your week is a good one.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Silver stars ~ Roses ~ Happy and Sad news

Hope to goodness that you are not tired of seeing The Humble Bungalow Roses because I am posting a couple more...if you are bored scroll down and check out some of my favourite lotions and potions.

This vintage silver BREAD tray caught my eye at the Thrift Shop...

I know it will need polishing...many people despise silver now because of the work it takes to maintain the lustre and shine.

That's why it's showing up in so many shops AND for next to nothing you can take them home!

I quite like to spend time cleaning tarnished silver pieces...for me it's rather meditative.

I bought some French Rose and sipped a few glasses

I pretended I was still visiting France...

I can close my eyes and still recall the dizzy and giddy way I felt when I was in Paris.

I'm so glad I went and would encourage you to follow your dreams if Paris is on your bucket list.

I mentioned this mask recently and am doing so again because it is saving my face.

With our hot summer weather it has been a real challenge keeping skin hydrated.

I'm test driving a new eye product by Andalou Naturals.

1000 Roses Eye Revive Gel.

The skin around my eyes is getting very crepe-like these days.

I'm guilty of not using specific eye products very faithfully over the years.

Not expecting a miracle but a little reduction in lines would be a welcome and pleasant surprise.

I'm not one to give up and give in...

L'Occitane's Almond Milk is still a star player 

my arms and legs would be as dry as the Sahara 

without a daily dose of this wonderful silky lotion.

~ Happy News ~

Our grand daughter's name is Mira Louise Austin

she weighed in at 6 pounds 15 ounces and was born on August 10th.

We think she's a red head like her big sister Isla!

She's a precious little bundle.

It's no surprise that hearts just explode with JOY when we cuddle newborns...

they are such a gift.

Babies are just so darned wonderful aren't they?

Can you feel the excitement?

~ ~ ~

We've also had some very sad news...

there has been a death in the family 

out of respect for those involved 

I will not go into any details 

but suffice to say it was very tragic, and although expected, came all too suddenly...

~ ~ ~

And just yesterday we got the call...

dear friends lost their adult daughter to cancer.

Our hearts go out to them in love and support.

"Grief can be the garden of compassion. 

If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love and wisdom."

~ Rumi ~

Finding my way in Paris...

International travel, solo at 60...sounds rather daunting doesn't it?
I was as prepared as I could be having done my research ahead of time and I had maps, a French phrase book and a list of places that I wanted to see before my tour started.
(A few things that were not on the Ooh La La Tour.)

The direct flight from Vancouver was 9 + hours long but time passed quickly...(I was very excited!)
There were in flight movies and I cannot praise Air France enough...from their warm greetings, smartly dressed stewardesses, champagne reception and their tasty meals and snacks...their in flight safety announcement is just an example of the quality of service they offer!

When I arrived at CDG airport arrivals gate there was a sign with my name on it and I was whisked away to my hotel in a comfortable car...thank you to the Ooh La La Tour leaders Stephen Solosky and Jamie Cat Callan for arranging such a lovely warm welcome!

After I got settled into my room of Hotel Belloy in the 6th I went out and explored the streets and shops in the area near the Sorbonne...lots of people were out and about and the cafes were full of smartly dressed men and women. (The men looked particularly well turned out in their scarves and stylish jackets!)

Rue Racine near the Sorbonne where my Hotel was located.

Many cobblestone streets beckoned...

The Metro stations were conveniently located...

I preferred taking the bus or walking as I wanted to see all the sights.

I walked for several hours popping into shops along the way before stopping at a cafe for a coffee and a snack...
my Parisian instructor would have been proud of me as I spoke French when I ordered.

Everyone it seems wears scarves in Paris even the children!

Some friends were staying in the next arrondissement...they had arrived 4 or 5 days ahead of me and they kindly took me under their wing and walked me through the neighbourhood and far beyond the first two days after I landed! I was glad that I had brought comfy walking shoes as we walked 6 1/2 hours the first day and 6 the following...our stops were for coffee and a wee pastry and in the mid afternoon for lunch.

We ventured along the rues of the art district, then along the Seine where kiosk sellers have books and posters for sale...this is a very "touristy area"...with lots of shops selling souvenirs and Tee Shirts...
I was cautioned to be on the look out for pick pockets!

After crossing over the Seine we wandered through The Marais...which is full of small boutiques and cafes.
Loved this area for shopping as you get a real taste of the fashions worn here and there are so many chic Parisian femmes street sightings!

We cruised through the large BHV department store where we discovered the "pop up vintage shop" where I bought a vintage silk Jeanne Lanvin scarf.
We lunched in their cafeteria which served a wonderful array of foods and wines...and a wonderful view.

I opted for a healthy salad and a bottle of Badoit water...
after several more hours of exploring we made our way back to the 6th.
I decided that I needed a rest and went into the well stocked Monoprix to see what I could find for dinner.

Fresh strawberries, a cheese plate and a demi baguette with wine.

I nibbled this in my room and had leftovers for another day.

It was lights out by 10:00, physically tired but blissfully happy.

Pinch me I must be dreaming!