Dinners on the back burner in the Bungalow....the Hostess has her nose in a book...

I am reading this delightful book, a sequel to Chocolat, 

the story revolves around making chocolates, and I am salivating!

Mouth watering, totally suggestive, it had me running off to the store to appease my cravings!

Yum.

...and for later

Italian bubbly

I was planning on my leftover easy peasy pot roast, smashed potatoes, and peas as a shepherds pie...

Simple fare so I can indulge in reading...I am hooked on this book!

One of our resident Flickers

they love the suet and hang upside down on the feeder... 

(the wee house to the top right)

The Downy Woodpecker frequents the same suet feeder but I have not captured that on film yet.

We have resident Anna's hummingbirds and now the transient Rufous ones have flown north so we are entertained by the territorial postulations at the feeder!

This hangs beside our family room window which is very close to the kitchen.

I have a yard full of birds...and am always serenaded by birdsong...

robins, house sparrows, bush tits, kinglets, wrens, chickadees, thrushes, crows, towhees.

The Coopers Hawk comes by for a meal every once in awhile and he is very large.

The Smaller Merlins fly in swiftly and 

 catch an unsuspecting bird for dinner.

I am off back to the cobblestone streets of Montmartre to check in on what is happening to Vianne and Anouk.

I am hoping to finish this before our guests arrive!

Late News Flash...

Surprise!

son called...

he wants to come over and watch the Hockey game

 and hopes that we can chill and order in

YES!

Daughter, her man and lovely DIL....

all's good.

  even better than good...how great is that?

My family wants to come and spend time with us tonight...any plans I had have flown, my family are IT!

My planned dinner is in the freezer ready for another day.

I can read anytime....

I cherish our times together.

DIL looks amazing...

I feel so grateful!

FYI it's 5 weeks until Baby is due!

Sunny daze, a diversion and...domestics.

I am on my 4th load of laundry and my second cup of coffee and have to get the house ready for our guests. Our friends are going to be in town and staying here for 5 days as Mr. M is on course and Mrs. M is accompanying him. She will be visiting friends, shopping and joining me on a trip to the spa for a pedicure so we will be toe worthy when we lunch and dine around the town.

It's a lovely sunny day out there in the Bungalow Garden! I felt compelled to go out and capture some of the cheerfullness that awaits discovery. (I did need a diversion)

I love these yellow blooms!

Lewisia

Yellow David Austin rose whose name escapes me at the moment!

Montana reubens clematis
the most prolific and vigorous clematis that I know.

California poppy

Solomon's Seal

Smilicena racemosa a fruity fragrant shade tolerant perennial

love the leaf formation

Dwarf iris, imported from San Francisco, via a superior plantswoman, a former teacher who travelled extensively to acquire the new and exotic!

Euphorbia, new to the garden, I love the varigated foliage

White shower curtain

White towels, a Bungalow staple.

Why does soap crack... anyone know?
I guess I'll be swapping this out for a fresh bar...no self respecting hostess wants her guests to see this!

A scented candle a birthday gift from a dear friend...who is currently in the South of France.

For friends near and far I wish you all a fabulous weekend!

Hugs from the Hostess.

Humble Bungalow is Blooming in Shades of Blue

Anenome bloom

delicate petals

and shades of blue

My BFF brought over a lovely bouquet of Blue anenomes

that was last week when we had our simple supper and watched the Hockey game.

They are fresh, vibrant and full of cheer.

Hydrangea

I buy one or two of these use them indoors and then cut them back and plant in the garden. 

They are hardy and produce lovely blooms year after year.

Medalta pot

Necklace designed and crafted by the Hostess

Joni Mitchell is one of my all time favourites

Blue

will live in my heart forever.

Blue prints of the Bungalow

circa 1912-1913

Blue and White Porcelain Bowl

Harumi Ota

artist

Hermes

Lumiere de Paris

Grape hyacinths

plucked from the Bungalow garden

The tea says Grey but it's actually peppered with Blue!

delicious BTW!

Bergamot

Liberty of London tote

Aveda hair helpers and assorted oils

DKNY Blue jeans and FCUK ballerina flats

Bretonne Blue and White T

and

Saint James Navy Blue Sweater

Check out why I am

Loving the Blues!

Would you consider devoting a post to showing us your true colours?

Americano's and French novels....

I took my car in for servicing today and had some time to browse downtown...I found an new coffee press gizmo...The Aero Press. My BFF bought one and raved about it and I know it's got to be great as she has excellent taste, she's first class all the way!

Brew the coffee atop a sturdy mug, 

press gently and then add more hot water to the mug and voila you have an Americano. 

(makes 1 - 4 cups)

This is the sturdiest mug I own

I also went to a used book shop and found these books.

Veronique Vienne

sounds like fun

I like this so far....

ooh la la...

Isn't she chic?

This photo was tucked in the book and fell out when I got home.

Nice boots

she could be a blogger!

I loved Chocolat 

and now there are more adventures of Vianne

 There's a mug full of coffee and a book calling my name...

I am carving out some "me time"...

Au revoir.

Darkness at the edge of town....5 hours to be exact!

Yesterday It was a very windy afternoon gusting upwards to 90 kph...and we lost our power...for the first time in a few years which lasted for 5 hours forcing us to be resourceful and creative.

I had tea lights and tapers and fortunately some kitchen matches.

Mr. HB is handy with an axe...

and he can build a great fire!

I was wearing my Eddie Bauer down jacket for a few hours...and wooly socks too!

I have the vintage phone that is good when the power fails...and good because...we ordered in..

A pizza for dinner

and while we waited we had a cocktail!

We played Trivial Pursuit on Mr. HB's IPhone (he won!)

We had a flashlight that we could crank, a radio too, but it only had a few stations and not the ones we like to tune in to.

IT'S A SIGN!

we need to get ourselves disaster ready!

I have cornered the market on candles

we have a Honda generator

a propane BBQ

bottled water

several flashlights

a medical kit

and we live in an active earthquake zone so we should be able to be self sufficient for a minimum of 3 days...

Are you prepared?

I think that we are so much better prepared when we are on the boat, we need to be as our lives depend on it...so why do I think we can be less prepared when we are in our Bungalow in the city?

This might just be a wake up call!