Wednesday, May 12, 2010

After the rain garden walkabout...

It was raining...I had planned to spend the day gardening but alas it is too wet.
Sum and Substance a very grand Hosta

Lady's mantle

The sun is playing hide and seek in the clouds.


Lilac

 I managed to grab my camera and pop out for a few snaps before it hid again.
Flowering thyme on the slate patio


These white tulips bloom quite late.


Wigelia at the entrance to the backyard.


Azalea Rothschild variety...so sweetly scented.


After the rainfall it's scent is released and is divinely intoxicating!


Pavement series hardy rose.
Very heavily perfumed!


Our industious and hard working local Mason bee.


Purple allium


The humble Poppy


There is a lot happening in the Bungalow Garden...and there's a lot more to follow!

Speaking of following, I have a gift away going until June 18th...see my former post if you want to enter!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

50 followers?...pinch me I think I am dreaming!

I am pleased and honoured that I have reached the 50 milestone...of followers.
I asked in an earlier post for some ideas for a gift-away...and the first blog I discovered was LPC @ privilege and she suggested something Canadian...spa related and foodstuffs....so I have taken note.
If perchance you have not yet visited her blog...GO NOW!
Do Not Pass Go or Collect $200 dollars!
She is a HIGH WASP and has a firm grasp on the monied side of society....and she lets us glimpse through the crack in the door what her Artsy Cousin,  Grande Dame and Sturdy Gal are wearing and how they are comporting themselves through their daily round.

Here's what I've come up with...

Chocolates from Terry's of Denman Island, B.C.
Gardeners Products by Upper Canada Soap from Ontario-
Protective Day Cream with Natural Mineral Defense  in Sunkissed Citrus and Intensive Therapy Hand Cream in Herbal Mint...
and something personal...a gently worn artist designed sterling silver bangle.
Terry's chocolate bars...Gardener's creams...and a sterling bangle.
 ($80 Canadian)
I'll ship anywhere...


Simply Dark, Razzle Dazzle, and Toasted Hazelnut.


Canadian all the way!


Sterling bangle...etched inside and out...gently worn by the Hostess!

I am hoping that you will become a follower and take a few minutes and leave a comment for 1 chance... 
post it on your blog or sidebar...for another....
and a third...
I'd like to know from your personal experience what you appreciate in a Hostess.

What teeny tiny details are paramount in your opinion?
I would like to be the Hostess with the Mostest!
Gift away ends...June 17th 2010

Good Luck!



Friday, May 7, 2010

If you have a minute watch this...it was sent by my BFF.


A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. 
This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward.  Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning 
is the exact opposite.
This is only a 1 minute, 44 second video and it is brilliant.   Make sure you read as well as listen...
forward and backward.
This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 
20-year old.   The contest was titled "u @ 50" by AARP. This video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause.  So simple and yet so 
brilliant. Take a minute and watch it. Click link below.
Lost Generation  here

Happy Mother's Weekend...celebrate and be celebrated.

My mother is a gem.
She is a gracious woman who has taught me well.
I have learned from what she has shared and what I have observed.
Her life has not been without it's challenges and she has risen above and claimed a life of her own.
She has always managed to look her best, even when ill.
She passed on to me her love of gardening, her joy of music and her passion for fashion!
I am forever in her debt.
She will always have a special place in my heart and I will love and honour her for eternity.

 It's Mother's Day this weekend...
my wish is for all the Moms out there to celebrate and be celebrated for all the wonderful and unselfish deeds that they do and have done through the years.

I am taking my mom out to the theatre to see a live production, flowers and a card are a given.
  I will be arranging a date for tea at a private club with a waterview sometime next week when it is not so busy...mom is getting hard of hearing so I like to go when it's quieter.

Happy Mother's Day
and thanks MOM!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

The Hostess took her toes to a school instead of a spa....what's that all about?

My houseguest Mrs. M and I went to have our toes done at the School where the Aveda estheticians learn their craft. 
I mentioned that I would report and report is what I am about to do.

I usually go to a large hotel with a spa in town where I am pampered and treated like a Royal!
I must confess I like this treatment! 
The plush terry robes, the mineral pool, sauna and steam rooms, the zen-like atmosphere, fizzy water, herbal teas and bento boxed spa lunches, candle lit rooms with silky sheets and cuddly heated blankets and beds.
Infused with the soft sounds of the rainforest the treatment rooms that are an oasis.

A girl could get used to this and if time and money were no object...I might dabble on a bi-weekly or at least a monthly basis...
(but that is not reality for the Hostess)
Did I mention that the staff are exceptional and service many a world weary traveller, the standards are above and beyond.



I am wearing OPI I am Really Not Just a Waitress and my shy toes are sporting some bling...for the camera.

The experience was less than thrilling for me, and I do not consider myself a snob.
The mainfloor storefront was immaculate and the Aveda displays were artfully arranged, there was water, tea and a variety of current magazines in the waiting room and a large and welcoming staff on hand.
We were called by name and herded upstairs through a warren of rooms to a cubicle which had curtains dividing and defining the treatment area.
The treatment area was dusty and the linens were obviously old and had been laundered so often they were off white.

The esthetician was delightful, professional and skilled.
She was neat and tidy and cute as a button.
She did all she could to make my time there a wonderful experience.
She has a job waiting her when she graduates next month.

I couldn't help but compare this pedicure with the grand spa experience...unfair I suppose, but at 1/3 of the cost of what I usually spend I would have to say it was OK.
It was a no frills pedicure...I am wondering how it will last comparing it to my usual...which lasts 4-5 weeks.

I am not looking for OK when spa-ing....I'm looking for over the top.
I don't do it often so I am willing to pay more.
I guess it just proves that you get what you pay for!

I am in need of a facial...and hope that I can convince my "Spa Buddy BFF" to arrange a date so we can indulge.

Closing now...getting the Bungalow back in order as our guests have departed, laundry is in the washer and dryer, spaghetti is simmering, Mr. HB is watching the News, he's poured me a G and T...I plan to go to bed early tonight.
Sweet dreams and Hugs from the Hostess!