Love the "little things" ~ a recipe for contentment.

Reading home decor books, Instagram and magazines inspire me.

I often get frustrated and wonder how I can make our little bungalow look better.

  I actioned a quick and inexpensive DIY fix.

I purchased 3 black metal hooks 

(Mr. HB installed them for me)

I hung up my French Market basket

 gardening hat 

and

  watering can. 

As conscientious stewards 

of a Heritage home

we are required to honour the historic significance 

we do not stray too far from their original architectural design.

With one exception...

The laundry area is painted white 

the basement is dark with very little light 

with only a few small windows.

The bright white walls 

make it much more enjoyable to work in and it feels far less oppressive!

I like to do my ironing while gazing out to the garden.

Looking out and beyond at the foliage and flowers 

while ironing 

feels like a form of meditation.

A handy rolling cart in the space is used for towels.

I fold the laundry on the top of the counter

and

I have a small ironing board that I use for small jobs 

like our linen tea towels and napkins.

Domestic jobs are a necessity.

To make them a wee bit more enjoyable

I have "fluffed" my downstairs "workplace" adding a few accent pieces.

Vintage enamel tins, ceramics, bird sculptures, and trophies...

Work and chores need not be looked upon as "drudgery."

Attitude is key to making these everyday tasks pleasant.

Taking joy in the results of one's labour and effort is so important.

The feeling of accomplishment is felt...

as I stand back

admiring a stack of freshly laundered 

(scented with lavender soap)

neat and tidy crisply ironed tea towels.

It's the "little things" that make our days richer.

How do you add Joy in your daily duties?

Do you have a secret to share that you use to make your daily round feel richer?

On that note, 

I will close this post...

Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

OOTD...

I've been wearing white jeans and white linen pants these past few weeks and mixing them with denim shirts, chambray tops and here with a thrifted denim jean jacket.

NYDJ white jeans

Marks Work Warehouse white top

Guess silver sneakers

No Name denim jacket

(the tag was cut out)

I am at Marshall's looking for a new top to wear with my dressy white UP pants.

You can see my messy hair...

it's growing 

but not as fast as I would like it to!

I have to persevere and be patient until the short layers are longer.

I found a top and some birthday gifts for our darling granddaughter Isla 

who is turning 8 in June!

Where does the time go?

She is growing up just so fast!

The top is striped in blue and white

the silhouette is flattering as it camouflages some of my wobbly bits!

The garden is keeping me quite busy these days...

watering all the potted plants

 dead heading the roses

weeding.

I just get "caught up" in one section and then I have to start all over again!

I love being able to pop outside and pick our roses 

 bring them inside and arrange a bouquet

or as in this case give them to a friend

who hosted a celebration of life for a former colleague 

who died unexpectedly

at the age of 70.

Which reminds us all that we need to live each day to the fullest.

Carpe Diem ~ seize the day!

We paid tribute to our dear friend and colleague Ray 

in a beautiful garden 

where we used to have our year end staff parties.

His wife attended and there were lots of hugs, tears, a toast and many stories were told.

She was very fragile 

but was so glad that she was there 

as she realized how much he meant to all of us 

 we were able to tell her about the kind things that he did for so many 

 students and the staff.

Here are two David Austin Graham Thomas roses.

They are heavily scented large sunny yellow blooms.

If you grow many roses as I do you'll come to realize

That they require attention and TLC

like offspring

if they are to thrive and grow.

I only choose varieties that are fragrant, hardy and are repeat bloomers.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

Hope your weekend has some fun packed into it.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Blooms and walking the walk.

My week has been quite quiet so far...
domestics seem to have worked their way up on my list of things to do.

At the very top of my list is walking.

I need to make it a priority or it does not happen 

too many other things can get in the way. 

After my morning shower I dress in my walking clothes so that I am ready to go.

Sunscreen, sunglasses

House keys and my Iphone in a small hands free cross body bag.

The orthopedic surgeon advised me to swing my arms when I walk.

These beautiful grapes are growing on the boulevard just down the street.

I am surprised that the birds have not been munching on them.

Hydrangeas are still putting on a spectacular display...

more blooms are on their way.

There is a second flush of flowers on the Romneya coulteri...

also known as "the fried egg plant."

I have been busy deadheading the roses and sweeping the porch.

Garden chores never feel finished but thankfully the rewards continue to delight and encourage me until the dreary rains of the winter set in...

Streaky windows, messy cupboards and too many things in my bureau drawers have side tracked me
from relaxing and sitting down
and devouring reading my book.

Why do I succumb to that nagging voice in my head?
I think it was my upbringing...
Work before pleasure.

The story line is quite different from what I usually read 

but I read and enjoyed Garth Steins' book "The Art of Racing in the Rain"

 So when I spied this in our wee library on the Common across the street

I grabbed it...

The wee library is getting a lot of use and the turnover of books is quite amazing.

Many of these small neighbourhood lending libraries are popping up.

There is a website and maps showing where they are located...

ours is on the map!

Hope all is well with you.

The Royal Family are going to be sleeping just a few blocks from Our Humble Bungalow for the next week!

I hope that they love our city as much as we do!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

The Humble Bungalow Garden ~ A Picture Gallery of Changes.

As promised I am sharing images of the on-going garden changes...
the projects are proceeding slowly as I am doing most of the work myself.

Deer, drought, over grown plants, and high maintenance borders have necessitated these changes.

The David Austin Roses...

greedy for water and slightly high maintenance 

are staying put!

There was a bed in the middle of the gravel driveway that took a lot of work and the plants were not too happy.

I laid down some landscape cloth and covered the base of the rose with bricks and filled the gaps with gravel and then spread a cubic yard of "screenings"over the cloth so none of it shows.

This will pack down nicely with time and blend in with the rest of the drive.

The romneya coulteri likes "living on the edge."

The dry gravel and sand are it's best friends!

The rampant invasive violets were pulled and the bed dug deep and we have laid black garbage bags in hopes that they will not come back.

This bed in the back side yard will be replanted after a few weeks or possibly months.

this bed is also under wraps...

ugly I know but I couldn't bear to spray with toxic chemicals.

This patio is in the side yard

and features two dwarf apple trees and a riot of Lady's Mantle and Limelight Hydrangeas.

It's shady part of the day and a lovely spot to sit with a cup of tea.

Look what we found nestled under the overgrown lilies!

It was a slow release "frog" fertilizer and now it looks prehistoric!

The view from the kitchen...

The slide is in the space where the greenhouse is going to be placed.

The grass is full of clover, buttercups and violets...we hope to find a hardy grass that will be green in winter and gold in summer as we will not be watering it much, if at all depending on the water restrictions.

The bed with the asparagus and two climbing roses will be modified and the hydrangeas will be dug out and the rhubarb and strawberries will be relocated near the green house.

Pots were planted up to add colour and interest.

The intimate patio area just off the back basement door.

Out front we planted more deer and drought tolerant plants...

in the front of the bed we chose Blue Fescue grasses.

The bees love the prickly blue eryngium and the lavenders.

Blue Russian Sage and Salvias are mixed in with yellow rudbeckias

and at the front more Blue Fescue Grasses.

Pots were replanted...

Feather Grass

Boxwood

Black Mondo grass and a Lime Green succulent.

The deer have so far, resisted munching these hydrangeas and I am so grateful!

I have several of these out in the front yard and I love them.

I'm considering swapping this blue and mauve hydrangea for another limelight...

Roses planted with lily of the valley as a ground cover.

I have kept a few Hostas which the deer love to dine on...

(as do the slugs)

I will see what happens over time and if they are munched too often I will place them in the back garden.

At the end of the drive against the fence we have a drought tolerant bed of mostly grasses.

Montbretia, sedum, hostas, black mondo grass, hellebores, variegated iris and planters with succulents.

We are planning to install a greenhouse and redo the grass in the back yard which are major projects that are a bit more of an investment and require hiring the professionals...
So they are not going to happen for awhile...
in the meantime I putter and chip away at the tasks that I can do myself.
It's a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun!

I hope you've enjoyed seeing what's happening in our patch.

These flowers look like a smiling face...

do you see it?

Hope you have a fabulous weekend.

We're on "Baby Watch" this weekend.

Fingers crossed that wee one comes soon.

We can hardly wait to meet her!

Cheerio

XO