Sunday flowers...giving up alcohol on the blog today.

Remember these pink foxgloves?

The geraniums are still going strong but many of the garden flowers have faded away...summer is slowly but surely on its way out 

surprisingly the sunshine and warmth have not yet waned.

When we have finished working in the garden we are able to sit on the deck in our comfy chairs and survey all our hard work.

The garden has many plants that love the heat and perform well over the entire summer season...

others fade as soon as their blooms have wilted.

The lady's mantle is looking very straggly and needs to be drastically cut back.

Inside The Humble Bungalow the orchids have taken a beating...

something has crept in...

an unwelcome insect or pest

that has affected several of the older plants...

I had to throw them into the compost.

Fear not, 

I will be on the look out for a sale and find a few replacements.

They do add loads of cheer to the windowsill above the Humble Bungalow farmhouse kitchen sink.

The rose scent hunt for "the one" is still ongoing...

I have eliminated quite a few on the quest to find one or two that I love.

I will report back when I have completed my testing.

Love a pop of colour in the garden...

these chairs are perched on the railing of a porch on Denman Island

placed next to a jumble of blue flowers.

Delphiniums and bees.

Clematis

gardening is a green thumbs' way of painting!

After trying and failing to lose 10 pounds several times

I am back counting my points and have quit drinking all alcohol 

in an effort to get back to my goal weight.

The liver plays a significant role in burning fat so cutting out anything that impedes this progress is worth it.

I've been sipping non-alcoholic wines 

which are 1 or 2 WW points per 8 oz. glass.

After sampling several varieties ~ red, white and bubbly...

I have found a couple that taste great, and I have opted for the 1 point wines.

The plan is to return to weight watchers in September...

in the meantime 

I am back counting my points, making sensible food choices

and walking briskly every day.

Putting my "best foot forward" 

as I did it before

 I CAN do it again.

I have lusted after the red Ferragamo Varina's for many years 

IF I can find a pair this Fall 

providing I get back to my WW goal weight 

that is going to be my reward.

Nothing like a red shoe to make one feel cheerful.

There's a lot to do in the garden so I must hasten away and get busy.

Have you seen The Gardener's Cottage newly designed blog?

Janet has been one of the first bloggers that I discovered and I think she's just delightful and her new blog is wonderful.

Pop over and take a look.

Until next time...

Be well and Be Kind.

XO

August snippets...

It's been a food fest this past week as we celebrated Mr. HB's birthday.
He loves pasta so we went to one of the best Italian restaurants Zambri's.
Family, friends and food...a winning combination!

We shared a Caesar salad and I opted for the filet of beef with polenta.

I only ate half of this tasty meal but every bite was delicious!

Mr. HB ordered his favourite pasta dish.

His dessert was a lemon gelato with cookies!

I couldn't help but think of something else when this arrived at the table.

Does it remind you of something?

The morning of the eclipse I stayed inside.

I had oodles of laundry to catch up on and a new book to read...

A lovely assortment of stories from well known authors.

A little armchair travel in the City of Light.

I made a tasty pasta last night with some of our homegrown tomatoes.

We like to eat our pasta out of bowls

using a fork with the aid of a spoon 

which makes it easy twirling the spaghetti noodles.

The recipe is from Monet's Palate Cookbook:

The Artist and His Garden at Giverny.

it's definitely

one of my favourite ways to use ripe fresh tomatoes.

Rich in flavour and simple.

Dinner is served!

Graham Thomas, a David Austin rose, 

is blooming in the "work area" of the Humble Bungalow Garden. 

This area is where we have our rolling bins 

that we use for garden cuttings and grass clippings...

we also have a wood pile in that spot so a beautiful fragrant yellow rose is a wonderful way of cheering up this area.

Good news!

 We have found a garden helper.

She is a well known local landscape designer 

who is studying at Great Dixter in the UK 

and she has graciously agreed to help us out.

I have high hopes....

We may avail ourselves of her expert design services 

and have her improve two of our overgrown beds.

The limelight hydrangeas are really in their glory this month.

I have been on a boxwood kick too...

buying them and popping them in pots randomly around the garden.

The construction of one of the two houses next door to The Humble Bungalow.

We chatted with the neighbours a couple of days ago

when they were looking at flooring samples and they have been told by the contractor that the house will not be ready to occupy until February!

Its no surprise that it is taking so long as the local trades are so busy.

There is a building boom happening here in town and our neighbourhood is just one of many that are buzzing with building projects.

The real estate market here has gone berserk!

 Prices have sky rocketed and I keep thinking that it has to stop sometime soon...

It makes it very challenging for young families and couples starting out to get into a condo or a home.

I have been diligently applying this cream 3 times each day.

It has reduced the red area on my knee...

from my nasty fall on the dock.

Instead of a Toonie sized angry red patch 

there is a small dime sized spot

which I think will fade and there will be no scar.

I met up with some girlfriends for lunch today and had a lovely long walk.

The weather continues to be warm and sunny...

Summer is drawing to a close...

and soon we will be thinking about sweaters and dressing in layers 

but for now let's savour the last few weeks.

What are you reading?

Have you been shopping for Fall and Winter pieces yet?

Hope that your week is off to a great start.

XO

Shopping ~ a wee bit of Retail Therapy!

When one has a closet that is curated and has the basics there is no real "need" to go shopping...I have not inherited Mother's lifelong passion for fashion
and the urge to be continually purchasing and filling up more closets with beautiful things has not been my top priority.
(roses on the other hand, can one have too many?)

Mom was wearing current and up to date outfits until a few weeks before she died...always taking care of her shoes, handbags and beautiful jewelry.
She dressed up everyday as if she was going to the theatre and her neighbours would always ask her in the elevator where she was going as she looked so well turned out...her response was "I am going downstairs to get my mail!"

Since Mom passed I have been in a bit of a rut...
I would not go so far as to say depressed, but definitely content to wear my walking and Yoga gear all day...I suppose I am seeking solace and comfort in cozy comfy clothes...perhaps being a tad lazy in the process.

So with these thoughts in the back of my mind I took myself out for a shopping expedition to Sidney where Mom and I loved to look for clothes.

So I took myself to the shops...

(Emma Bridgewater tote bag)

The French company Saint James makes a variety of striped tees.

I like a V neck as I am so short and this particular top has side vents at the bottom which is helpful when one is not at their slimmest!

They make lovely sweaters, coats, tops and shirts.

I purchased this top and am very happy with it...the fabric is weighty enough to skim the body and it is smooth and soft.

Amazingly comfortable which is a priority for me.

I bought a striped Saint James umbrella last winter and a lovey raincoat.

I am tempted to buy a sweater for winter...

I consider this to be an investment purchase as it is a tad under $200.

But it fulfills my desire to have a new striped top...

the one that I bought in Paris at the COS store 2 years ago 

finally wore out from frequent wearings.

My hairdresser told me that the COS store has opened in Vancouver's Gastown district.

 I plan to make a pilgrimage to peruse their stock sometime this Fall.

The weather has been glorious for my daily walks.

The scenery is so beautiful that it encourages me to walk 

and the ocean calms at the same time.

I read this fascinating book

The Primates of Park Avenue by Wednesday Martin PHD

a memoir.

It was a peek into the lives of the privileged mommies who live in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

A world unlike anything I have ever known!

I would recommend you read it if you are at all interested in how the uber wealthy young moms dress, eat and exercise...

and the lengths they go to to be the best that they can be.

A day in the garden spent in peace and quiet 

dead heading the roses and then taking some time to sit with a glass of lemonade on the front porch of The Humble Bungalow...

Feeling grateful.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

Roses and the quest for the perfect scent...remembering Mom.

Humble Bungalow Garden Roses

Pepper seems to enjoy their fragrance.

Samples of rose fragrances sent from the Vancouver Nordstrom store.

The list of rose scented samples that I am testing and there are more suggested by readers of the blog.

Chester enjoying the box that held the samples.

William Shakespeare and Jude the Obscure 

David Austin roses from the Humble Bungalow Garden.

If I could bottle these scents I would.

I had a weepy day yesterday.

It was a combination of things...

the noise from the construction next door.

Power tools and the jack hammering of the road out in front of our bungalow 

I was thinking a lot about MOM and how much I miss having her around.

I have been frequenting some of our favourite spots:

The Willows tea room

W&J Wilson

The Esplanade

Nar bistro

Matticks Farm

Adrienne's Tea Garden

Barbara's Boutique in Sidney

This just brings it closer to home that she's gone and so I had a wee bit of a meltdown.

Fortunately my husband understood and he listened while I talked and wept.

There will be more days like this of that I am sure...

 I'll let the feelings flow along with the tears.

How's your week going?

Thanks for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

A new colour for my Fall and Winter Wardrobe...and shopping for a new perfume.

Last week after the stonemason finished his work I decided I needed to get out of the bungalow for a bit of fresh air and sunshine and clear my head of cobwebs.

The list of errands for the week had multiplied and filled an entire page on my notepad so it was a great opportunity to get some things accomplished and then go for a walk.

First stop, the pharmacy on Oak Bay Avenue...
I was running low on my Avenue products and my lipstick.
The friendly staff and great stock keep me coming back and I love chatting with the two gals at the cosmetics counter. They have so much experience between them and their knowledge when it comes to skincare is the best!

On our boat holiday I tripped going up the dock and scraped my knee quite badly on the metal grate that helps boaters from slipping in wet weather. It was a nasty abrasion that required diligent cleaning, antibiotic cream and band aids.
My excuse is that I was wearing flip flops and somehow took a misstep...
it occurred in front of a patio full of evening diners...so not only was I hurt
but my ego was bruised and I was embarrassed. I scurried away quickly blood dripping down my shin.

The antibiotic cream helped but I could see that once the scabs came off that there would probably be some scarring. I was advised by one of the gals that Avene make a product specifically for healing called Cicalfate and she advised me to apply it three times every day and it should minimize, if not prevent, scarring...so I bought a tube and will see how it works.

I also needed to buy some birthday cards...

Picked up the latest Country Living UK from Ivy's books and there I got to chat with Heidi who shares the same taste in books and she suggested a few new titles for me...one which I purchased right away as she was so excited that she is on the 3rd book by the author.

I went for a walk a little farther along the Avenue to Newport by Windsor Park and popped some cheques in the mail...

here's where things went a little sideways!

I hadn't actually planned on buying any clothes...

but there was a 50% off rack out front and a SALE sign in the window

 that's what initially lured me inside.

I tried on a few things and then I spied this Betty Barclay blush pink down vest for Fall.

It's reversible.

It will be super cozy when the temperature dips and I love a vest for layering over tees.

My favourite L'Oreal lipstick Pink Peony and Bobbi Brown's pink blush in Antigua 

will help pull this all together this fall when I wear this vest.

New fragrance samples arrived from Holt Renfrew.

With my love of roses I decided that I might like to wear the scent 

So I am on the hunt for a rose perfume...

First contenders are by Jo Malone

Red Roses

Rose and Oud

Next to try are Le Labo's Rose 31

Frederick Malle Une Rose

Diptyque eau rose

Acqua di Parma Rose Nobile

surely there will be a rose fragrance out there that I can wear.

It will be fun to try something completely different.

What fragrance are you wearing?

Do you stick to one scent or do you dabble in others?

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow.

Veggie Freekeh salad...Weight Watcher style.

Have you ever eaten Freekeh?

Freekeh are roasted green wheat grains that are high in fibre...triple that of brown rice.
The grains are also a good source of potassium and iron.
Once the grains are cooked they taste rather nutty and are a great base for a vegetarian salad.

My fridge had several small containers of leftover veggies that were just waiting to be transformed into something tasty and so I made a big batch of Freekeh salad to use for my lunches.

Here is the recipe for fridge clean out 

Veggie Freekeh salad "Hostess Style."

Chopped squash

cubed beets, 

a handful of shredded carrots, 

6 diced sun dried tomatoes

chopped cilantro

(I use kitchen shears to do this messy job!)

1/2 a small diced onion 

salt and pepper to taste

Feta cheese adds a lovely flavour 

but as I am watching my WW points I left that ingredient out.

3 WW points for half a cup of this salad.

I ate a full cup for a total of 6 WW points.

This stays with me and helps keep me satisfied until dinner time.

Breakfast was yogurt and fruit for 2 points 

which leaves me 18 points for dinner which will include a glass or two of wine.

I am trying very hard to shift the scale without feeling miserable.

You know how that goes...if one feels deprived that sabotages the whole regime.

Thankfully WW knows that and allows for the occasional treat.

Tomorrow I may add a dollop of this salad to my hummus wrap.

The sun is shining and the bees are buzzing and the birds are chirping.

Artichoke flower in bloom in the neighbours garden down the street.

I am off for my walk so I'll say goodbye for now.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

XO