A very sad day here in the Bungalow....

I weep as I type, tears that cannot be stemmed...
our most cherished cat Stickley has gone to kitty cat heaven.

Born May 28, 1993- Died July 10, 2010

She came to us as a kitten from the local SPCA.
She was part mainecoon, with a  tortoiseshell coat and she had a spot of orange on top of her head.

A furry and fluffy long haired bundle of love and sweetness.

She gave us many years of love and affection.

Here she is in the doorway this morning, Mr. HB took these...

Farewell my feline friend, I'll never forget you.

I may not be up to blogging for a few days...
I'll be checking in on your blogs to see what is happening in your neck of the woods.

I was not even looking for this, it found me!

Hooray!
The temperature has gotten very HOT, 30 plus...
I think we must be having summer weather!

I had a bunch of things to get done outside the Bungalow today...
I have an air conditioned car but I prefer to open the sun roof and the windows and feel the breeze.
If I was an equestrian like my sister or metscan I might choose to ride...metta has exceptionally good taste...she has horses, dogs, and a home and estate in Finland which will make you come back every single day...like I do...here.

I am wearing black Eddie Bauer shorts, my legs are so pale...
(I fear this must be a fashion No No)
and a white Eddie Bauer cotton sleeveless "Stand Alone Top"
(this is what  LPC at Privilege has called them lately)
I have on my old black Clarks sandals and my MK Santorini bag.

I powered through my list and had some time to spare...my car was parked in the shade and I was on a very trendy street lined with small specialty shops.
I embrace the small shops and shop keepers...so much more fun and such interesting wares.
I  browse frequently but I do not always buy.
I make it a habit to strike up a conversation and comment on what I like and it has been to my advantage as the owners know my taste and they have called me when something comes in that they feel I might like.

I wandered into my favourite country themed furnishing shop...it is very small, crowded and oozes charm.
The owner buys shabby distressed pieces and vintage accessories and I find that her taste and mine are alike.

I bought my country cupboard from her shop...I blogged about it awhile back.
You might remember I put the "unsightly" book collection in it closed the doors!

Today she had several garden urns which were old and heavy.
They spoke to me, but they were quite costly, so I looked away....
and spied this....

An enamel tin...totally useful, humble and deserving of a place in the Bungalow kitchen.

It is something that I could "hide my bread and bagels in!

Funny how seeing a loaf of bread in a plastic bag with a plastic bread tie can make me wince but it does...

I so much prefer to see the lovely homemade loaf of bread standing on end atop a pine bread board...

I read a lot of Country Living UK so that's where i am coming from.

oops I forgot to capitalize my "i"

I am going to leave it that way in honour of my friend Janet

...that's something she does,

and it's her blog birthday!

Go visit and wish her the best...

she has 70 Roses!

Anyhow I have gone sideways...and I am not usually so abstract tangental!

It must be the heat.

No worries, I am sipping homemade lemonade to rehydrate.

This enamel charmer is made in England, 

it has some chips to the lid but I feel that they add to the ambiance of the piece.

I wasn't even looking for this, it found me!

BTW Blighty rocks the bogosphere...see for yourself.

She is a great friend of the Fabulous Faux Fuchsia...she is very fashion savvy.

I also need to mention Tish, she's on the pulse of all things chic and French!

and I adore Deja Pseu...she knows what is hot and what is NOT!

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to visit so many blogs...

all different and very personal

each one has a distinctive quality....

I was not even looking for a new blog but it found me!

I have omitted many of the blogs that I follow 24/7...

see my sidebar I go and see them every day...

I comment and visit often...

you could too!

I blog from here....

This is where I sit to write my blog posts.

I am at the kitchen table beside the north facing window of the Humble Bungalow.

I have seen other bloggers who have captured the images of where they sit to write their posts.

Mine seems very pedestrian and utilitarian.

It suits me to a "T"

I peer out at the garden and listen to the birds.

There is a nest in the eave above the window, a birdbath below.

The pink rose is Gertrude Jeykll, the foamy chartruese green is Lady's Mantle.

I love the combination of roses and Lady's Mantle, if truth be told, I prefer it to baby's breath.

This wee vintage vase is made of glass which has turned to a soft blushing amethyst colour.

I found it in a thrift shop for $2.00

It's a very simple space

Honest

I am curious, where do you sit to blog?

Michael Kors Santorini makes it's summertime debut.

I have downsized and summerized my bag...
the weather has been so cool and dreary that I have not felt at all like wearing shorts or tank tops let alone putting away my dark coloured bag.

The sun is shining and it is warm today...25 celsius!

I have swapped to a lighter straw tote.

Michael Kors Santorini 

I like the way it looks sitting on the teak table, next to the iron candle holders and beeswax candles.

Shaded by the Market Umbrella...

glistening brass details; studs...turnlock and the braided leather handles contrast with the raffia weave of the bag.

Michael you've got a lot going on here!

You make a great centerpiece...

Small buy mighty

I like details and well designed and crafted bags....

I love bags,

and I love shoes... 

if you come here often you already know that about me!

There's just one thing about this bag...

my cat loves to scratch wicker, straw, seagrass and baskets 

so I need to keep this away from her or it will be a ratty tatty mess!

I can pop it in here at the end of the season to store it safely.

This bag is large enough for my cat...but I don't think she is savvy enough to untie the cord.

I think she'd rather hang out with my shoes than the bags.

Semi retired Tory Burch...

stored away for another day.

I found a few tidbits of info and care tips here.

Oh my...Blighty!

I have been tagged, memed and I am wondering how I can respond to all these questions and sound as smart and witty and as fresh as Blighty...see her answers here.

Mrs Trefusis had tagged Blighty and Blighty tagged me and then I am to tag 3 more bloggers....
OLLIE OLLIE OXEN FREE!

I am going to try and answer these as best as I am able.

What experience most shaped you, and why?

Giving birth and becoming a mother.
The experience was humbling and beyond any of my wildest dreams. It made me realize how much family means to me and I discovered so many qualities in myself that I had never knew I possessed.
I was repeatedly challenged and tested by this process and surprised myself by my ability to cope, to change, and to take such enjoyment out of simple everyday events and be completely satisfied.
It has made me a much better and stronger person on many levels, from empathy and patience, to giving and selflessness. I discovered it was the best gift I could ever have been given...and I am grateful for that gift everyday.


If you had a whole day with no commitments, what would you do?

I'd go to the spa for a massage...have a tasty lunch with a girlfriend...go for a leisurely walk in town and buy something that I do not need that is purely frivilous and fun... and then go out for a romantic dinner with my husband!

(I'd really like to go to one of those fat farms for a week...like the Golden Door where I could eat spa food, hike, do Yoga, have massages and facials,  and at the same time get svelte...in my dreams I would anyway)

What food or drink could you never give up?

Potatoes, Potatoes, Potatoes!
Mashed, scalloped, baked and stuffed, twice baked, hash browns, pommes frites love them all.
Our family came from Ireland during the Potato famine so I am assuming my love for Spuds is purely genetic.

If you could travel anywhere where would that be and why?

Do you have to ask?
PARIS darlings!

Lisa, a  librarian and friend from our school district is there now, she and her husband Steve have taken a year off to travel the globe.

Interesting piece of art, if you enlarge this you'll see that it is made up of hundreds of photos!

I love the idea...the cityscapes, the boulevards, the architecture, the museums, the galleries, the cafes, the shops, the fashions...I can see myself wandering Rue Faubourg St. Honore...
I am wearing an Hermes scarf...a Chanel 2.55 bag dangles from my wrist...
I probably am wearing jeans, a white T shirt and flats...
You can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl!

Who do you have a crush on?

You might laugh...but honestly, Colin Firth!

I think he's brilliant and sexy and I love his British accent....he's funny, self deprecating, and charming and I do have a huge crush!
He had been spotted about town a few years ago...a friend saw him walking barefoot on a sandy beach nearby and another saw him wearing a long wool winter coat walking on the street downtown and yet another sat near him while he dined at a local Italian bistro...
IF I met up with him what would I say?...
I am certain to bumble along and mutter something wickedly ridiculous and be totally mortified and have to slink away in self loathing.

Love Actually clip...

BAFTA award

If you were a leader of your country, what would you do?

End poverty and homelessness for a start...make university and college tuition free...provide those who want to be stay at home moms (or Dads) a tax deduction that would equal a basic annual salary so it allows children to be reared by their natural parents instead of going to daycare.

Give me one savoury recipe that doesn't include cheese.

Crab cakes... 2 c. fresh cracked crab, 2 tbsp. minced onion, 1 egg, mix with hands until blended...add in a few tablespoons of flour mix until it holds together, shape into balls, flatten with a fork, saute in butter until golden. Enjoy!


If you could spend just one day in someone elses body, who would it be?

Oh this is a very odd idea...to imagine being in another persons body...an "out of body experience"
I had that feeling when I was having an operation and was given an anesthetic....very spooky.
The body of the person that I'd like to have spent a day in is actually not with us anymore...but if she were alive it would be Audrey Hepburn. I adore her....the way that she comported herself and her graceful willowy figure...I would go straight to Tiffany's and have breakfast!

Which woman writer-- living or dead-- do you most admire, and why?

It is a terrible thing to have to choose just one...I love so many.
I read mostly women writers, I prefer their slant on things, their insights, the retelling of events...maybe it's a chick thing...I hope that I have not offended anyone but I am being honest.

Jane Austin- She has written many novels which I have thoroughly enjoyed...I love her style and the romance that springs to life from the printed page.
Go here for more about Jane Austin

I am tagging....
LPC at Privilege
The Gardener's Cottage
mette

After visiting Mrs. Trefusis I am now a follower...check her blog out, she's great !