Snippets from Quarter Deck Cottage

Our week at Quarter Deck Cottage has rolled around again and despite the snowy weather we decided that we would go...

We can look up from our books and (me with my knitting)
gaze out upon The Salish Sea between the flurries...

There was a weather warning which made us sit up and take notice but we were easily able to drive on the roads, visit the florist to grab our flowers and provision at the Driftwood Centre.

The snow is not as deep as we were led to believe by the forecast...

it's just a dusting here on Pender Island.

Easy Peasy dinner

Homemade Chicken wings and deli salads

I love to cook but at the cottage our life takes on a slower pace and a relaxed rhythm.

We indulge in our books, go for walks, watch the boat traffic... 

 I knit.

You can see the snow on the hills across The Salish Sea on Vancouver Island.

The ferries run regularly...

Plying the waters to and from 

Victoria

Vancouver

Salt Spring

Pender

Mayne 

Saturna

The tulips have opened up quite quickly in the warmth of the cottage.

The Lacy Batkus scarf...

this is a free pattern on Ravelry.

I used the Shoppel sock yarn from Germany.

Such cheerful colours!

This is the same yarn that I knit the socks out of...

the socks that turned out to be too big so I ripped them out!

I didn't want to waste such pretty wool.

Waste Not Want Not!

We are loathe to waste a sunny afternoon so we are going to head out for our walk.

I must close for now.

What are you up to this weekend?

Are you reading a great book?

Knitting a fabulous project?

Cooking up a storm?

Decorating?

Shopping?

Crafting?

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

OOTD...

Our dear friends from France gave me a lovely scarf for Christmas.
It is made by a company called Letol in France and I love it!

Keeping cozy wearing it
INSIDE the Humble Bungalow!
The gusty winds and freezing temperatures sneak into our home
via the single paned windows...
BRR!

In my wardrobe basic colours of black and grey 

with a smattering of green...

which just happens to be my favourite colour!

 OOTD

Grey cashmere cardigan Jones of NY

(formerly Mom's)

Tribal denim jeans

Cupio Star Tee shirt

Letol scarf

Clarks Chelsea Boots

a wee bit of a departure from my usual plain Tees...

but hey I felt like I needed to add a bit of fun and whimsy

I don't always want to be serious and conservative!

Thank you for popping by...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

I can see clearly now....

After procrastinating for months...
I finally got around to purchasing new glasses.
Several readers asked to see what they looked like when I got them...
so I took a couple of selfies in the bathroom!

The glasses are from Paris made by a company called Face a Face.

They have a few fun details that make them a bit more interesting than my previous pair which were also by Face a Face.

Check out the shoes!!!

I'm seeing much clearer now.

On the same visit I ordered Maui Jim sunglasses 

made up with my new prescription.

It was a wee bit of a splurge but the coating was wearing off my previous sunglasses 

the lenses were so scratched that when I wore them 

the world around me looked fuzzy!

And with such lovely things to admire in our neck of the woods 

why not be able to see them better?

My sister gave me a bar of pink Zote soap...

I just realized that you can see my reflection in the LG dial!

Clever perhaps?

not really

'twas an accident.

Have you ever heard of this soap?

It's new to me

she said it is an excellent laundry stain remover.

She spends time in Palm Springs in the winter and this is where she discovered its remarkable stain removing powers...

Speaking of new products...

have you tried David's Teas?

I was surprised that they carry so many different blends of teas.

This one caught my eye...perhaps it was the name

"Forever Flawless"

I like the taste 

brew a big mug full every day 

to sip it while I work around the house...

it helps to keep me hydrated and hopefully it is also helping my skin.

My skin tends to be dry, especially during the winter months 

I put that down to the the cold air outside and our forced air furnace.

I am diligent with my weekly exfoliation habit and I use moisturizer morning and night.

Avene mineral water spray helps add extra moisture throughout the day.

Drinking extra fluids...

(non caffeinated fluid)

 is important.

I read somewhere that for every cup of coffee one drinks 

that you need to drink 3-4 glasses of water to balance out 

the diuretic effect of that cup of coffee!

Made a roast beef dinner this past week...

one of the perks of making a roast is that there are leftovers to reheat the next evening.

Cook once dine twice is my kind of time saver!

Hope your week is off to a great start.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Lightening up...

Have you noticed how the days are getting lighter?
The sun is setting later and we have been fortunate with our weather lately...
as the sun has been out several days this week which lightens up my mood enormously and energizes me...making me more efficent in the home department.

Love the sliver of light shining through the front door 

illuminating the orchids and making shadows dance on the wallpaper.

Bradbury and Bradbury heritage wallpaper in the arts and crafts style

hangs in our entry hall.

Looking towards the hall from the living room of The Humble Bungalow.

You may be able to see the wallpaper border at the top from this angle.

When the sun shines I like to get outdoors for my walks.

Emma Bridgewater has such an imagination...

I bought several of her shopping bags.

One I gave to a friend for a birthday...

it said Take Me To The Shops.

I'd never give this bag to a friend...this one is mine all mine!

I've culled some of my clothes...

again...

when one has a small wardrobe and closet the clothes get worn a LOT 

the fabric of my frequently worn tops tends to pill and look yucky after a couple of seasons.

I wash then inside out and hang them to dry 

but despite the gentle care 

they still develop these nubby bits which I find unsightly...

I've switched up my red lipstick for a pinker shade.

L'Oreal # 580 Pink Peony

It feels lighter on these sunny days.

OOTD

 a long lighter weight shirt by French Dressing

worn with my ponte knit skinny Calvin Klein pants and Chelsea boots.

Has the weather lightened up in your patch of the woods?

Have you been curating your closet?

Whats new with you?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

What a differance a day makes...

This past week of weather has been punctuated with rain and clouds...
and when the sun makes an appearance
we rejoice!

Today was a sunny day with clear blue skies...
a perfect day for walking along the seafront.
There were crowds of people out and about walking
obviously with the same thing in mind.
The views were spactacular...Mount Baker looked like an ice cream sundae.
The frosty white snow stood out against the deeper blue of the sky and it felt so much closer than its far off location in Washington State.

Just before we were leaving for our walk I spied some crocus blooms and had to stop and take a few pictures to share with you. Mr. HB is used to me delaying our departures when a garden flower catches my attention!

Earlier in the week I stopped to capture the Hellebore Blooms

One sunny morning 

the sunlight illuminated Our Humble Bungalow 

bathing it in a warm and cozy glow.

Our arts and crafts bungalow is dark

due to the use of wood in the interior

and the design of the roof overhang and front porch detail.

We rely on many lights and even more lamps during the Fall and Winter.

There is salt spray from the ocean on the windows in our living room

which always surprises me as we are a block away from the ocean.

The gusty winds carry the salt spray and deposit it on anything and everything. 

(I'll be calling our window washer in a few weeks.)

The Massage Therapist worked on my shoulder this week.

 While the session was uncomfortable (painful) 

it was so worth it 

because I have more range of motion and less pain.

I plan to go every week for awhile...

I am starting to feel like a "high maintenance" woman!

We went to the Belfry for the world premiere of Forget About Tomorrow.

I highly recommend this play if you ever get the chance to see it.

In other news 

our lovely DIL and I dined out one weeknight

then we headed to The VV Boutique for a peek.

(aka Value Village)

I found a silk twill scarf with hand rolled edges.

made by Vetter of Switzerland.

The scarf should go well with this top.

Hope that your weekend is ticking along nicely.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

 ~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Tuesday Morning Tidbits....some better than others!

Just checking in to say good morning....

How's your week going so far?
My week is really busy...
filled with appointments.

We are thrilled with the recent acquisition of this lovely painting 

 by the artist Kathy Leeds.

I have followed Kathy on Facebook and Instagram for many years.

When I learned that she had launched her website I zipped over and purchased this gorgeous painting of roses.

Many of you know how smitten I am with roses 

so it was an easy and natural choice for me...

we have hung this in our Humble Bungalow living room adjacent to the chair where I sit every morning while I sip my cafe creme and read emails, IG and blog posts...

it will be much admired.

My eye glass prescription changed when I had my eyes examined last fall

 I have been meaning to go and buy new glasses...

it has taken me a few months 

but I finally went and ordered new glasses.

They should be ready in a couple of weeks...I chose a rather "edgy" stylish pair.

The progress on my latest scarf...

A reader on my IG post mentioned that this looked like a pizza slice.

I'd have to agree and I pointed out that it was caloire free!!!

A couple of years ago I suffered a frozen shoulder and I was miserable for several months as I endured limited movement and intense pain...

unfortunately the opposite shoulder has now started to freeze.

UGH!

Thankfully I know all the exercises that I need to do each day

and am off to massage therapy to see if we can keep it from completely freezing.

My massage therapist is amazing and I have every confidence that we will work on this together.

Wish me luck...I am going to need it!

What is on your agenda this week?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Sometimes things go sideways....

The new knitting project went sideways
the finished product was not up to my standards.

Basically the "simple knitted socks" were an EPIC FAIL!

I have learned a LOT of new techniques
polished my knitting skills
but I would never wear them.

So.......
I ripped them out.

We move on...
learn from our mistakes
and I am now embarking on a lovely new project.

A pretty scarf which is a free pattern
 Lacy Baktus by Strikkelise

This project is simple...

lacy and beautiful.

I do not like waste...

Speaking of waste,

 I ruined a pair of jeans by putting them in the dryer at the cottage.

Who would have thought that 20 minutes in a dryer on low 

would shrink a pair of jeans?

I am obviously not in sync with the appliances at the cottage!

Shrank SO MUCH 

that they cling 

painfully to my thighs and calves.

Not comfy at all!

I had to go out and buy another pair...

in Sidney on my way home!

Tribal

made in Canada

 just a tad under $100

I will donate my other jeans...

I have been wearing my father rings...

my Mom gave them to me.

What to do with a mans wedding band and a diamond ring?

I asked our family jeweller Paul de Goutiere to design a pendant

 he hit it out of the ballpark...

He suggested that it should be strung on a simple black silk strand...

it looks more modern and contemporary.

I have been wearing it a lot with my black and grey wardrobe....

no idea that it would come in so handy as an accessory.

I am also trying to focus on healthy eating and drinking lots of water

 avocado's rank right up there on the healthy scale!

Mashed avocado and a cup of tea...

How is you weekend going?

I am off to a fashion show with a friend tomorrow

then serving up a roast beef dinner for the Super Bowl.

What are you up to?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~