Snowdrops, greed, magnification and...magazines

I wandered out in the garden for a spell today
in a sliver of sunlight I spied a small patch of snowdrops under a rhodo
they looked so pretty and dainty
and with only a few clumps I considered carefully but
I could not resist picking a few
to bring indoors.

One of my dreams 

is to have a garden that has masses upon masses 

of snowdrops 

I plant them whenever I see them offered for sale

but they are difficult to find here

I am a victim of garden envy 

and my envy is a vivid shade of green

gardeners 

love to share

  to acquire

 new 

 beautiful 

and 

exotic

and often are secretive 

and smug 

and will not share their sources

some even resort to stealing...

I

remember hearing about 

The Orchid Thief

and later reading the book.

Driving on a shaded street nearby

I spied a profusion

en masse

of white wee poppets

the boulevards were overflowing 

littered with the tiny white drooping heads 

snowdrops...

what a sight!

green and greedy

 my gardener's envy 

reared it's ugly head...

I remarked to my mother

that I might come back at midnight and dig up some of them

they have so many would they miss just a few?

I would never actually do this

but the thought did occur to me...

I can visualize the snowdrops in my minds eye...

unfortunately my eyesight is not 20/20

all kinds of activities

beyond reading

things near and far

require glasses

so the time has come...

for

 a magnifying mirror

for

eye make up

foundation

and dare I say it

tweezing

ugh!

8X magnification on one side 

and 

an honest and true reflection on the reverse

Anything new that comes into the Bungalow needs to be inspected

and 

as you can see

Pepper is on the job.

I was surprised at how expensive these mirrors are to purchase

I have been looking for a sale

and have had no luck

so

I gave up waiting

this is more of a need than a want.

my favourite magazine

for

recreational reading

and dreaming

supreme

 UK

at first glimpse 

I thought the flowers were snowdrops...

now glasses on

 I see they are muscari album!

Town and Country 

arrived in the post

and 

looking at the cover image

I pondered who the target audience was...

funnily enough the issue is titled Spring Fashion

and flipping the pages I see that this image goes with the article

"What is a Socialite?"

not Spring Fashion after all!

Whew!

and

my current bedside read is 

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austin

by Syrie James

I'm hooked...

BTW

Mr. HB and I took in the film

The King's Speech and we both loved it...

Colin Firth's performance is superb

if you haven't yet seen it

I highly recommend it

and the book is available at the booksellers.

peeking inside these sweet snowdrops

can you see why I am infatuated with their beauty?

Galanthus atkinsii

there's so much detail

in such a small space

dreamy

in

white

and 

green

 and

The Hostess has

an embarrassingly large punch

 of greedy gardener's envy!

Cashmere weather....

Bon Chic Bon Genre

or

good taste good class

it's a wee bit of bling on my cashmere top

this logo  is subtle

and resides at the bottom of the top

I normally eschew logos

but the cashmere won me over

there are days when I would like to stay in bed 

this frosty morning is one of them...

the top has a cowl neck

has long sleeves

with 2 pockets near the hem

it's cozy and warm

 my go-to top when it is cold

today there is frost on the ground

and I am wearing grey leggings

cashmere socks

and boots

We had some bubbly last evening...

it tickled my tongue...

and 

the dinner of ribs and coleslaw was simple and tasty

Happy Post Valentine's Day!

Tell me all about your day...

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's Valentine's Day
February 14th, 2011

It's a day for
Hearts
and
Flowers...
Hugs
and Kisses

Hearts of gold and sprinkled with diamonds

They dangle and jangle from my wrist

on a bracelet of hearts

a circle of

tokens

gifts of love

from my sweetheart

Mr. HB

Today might include a movie date...

Valentine's Day

is a sweet 

romantic comedy

 a feel good

light hearted

escape

as are these...

DVD's for TV 

or the laptop 

perfect for when we are away on the boat

or snug in a cabin by the ocean

away from it all

We'll be celebrating while holidaying 

in a rustic cabin by the sea

soon

and I can hardly wait!

On Valentine's Day

whatever you do 

however you celebrate

I hope that there is someone that you love

someone you can hug

or snuggle up with

someone who enjoys spending time in your company

someone to savour 

 everyday simple moments 

with....

if you do not tell them everyday

how much they mean to you

make a point of

reminding them today...

just how special they are!

Roses

 image from  2010

Our plans involve a stay at home evening here in The Humble Bungalow

I'll be preparing a home made dinner

serving it with some wine or bubbly

Bubbly

image from New Years 2011

lovely daughter will be here too

it's her laundry night 

and our routine is to

watch 

The Batchelor on TV

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hugs from the Hostess

XO

Rain rain go away....colour me orange.

It's raining 

it's pouring

coming down in buckets

the gutters are gurgling

the windows

splattered and smattered with rivulets of raindrops

it's chilly

and the wind has come up

 skies are grey

and

weeping 

I'm 

snug and warm

cocooning 

inside today = domestics 

later errands = actioned

boots, brolly, beret

and a raincoat

kept the Hostess

dry-ish

I dodged some puddles but the drops

coated my specs

there's nothing like trying to read labels 

through a rain-dotted lens

one's

perspective

is skewed

ducks must love it

starfish are at home in the wet

I refuse to feel sorry

 or entertain sad thoughts

they are party poopers

and who wants them to rain on a parade?

I will choose to dream in colour

day dream,

so I may remember

the colours

and vividly, if you please!

I rarely remember dreams

from slumber

I prefer to think that I must not dream

because if I do not remember 

and if I do in fact dream

why

 do I not remember?

la belette rouge

dreams vividly

go visit

she knows a lot about dreams 

 Poppy blooms are dreamy

there's a patch of my garden where they have gone wild...

and grow like weeds

a very good friend has asked me

to paint some for her hallway...

a

long time friend

I hope that she likes what 

flows 

from the brush and the brain...

I am gathering ideas and inspirations

researching

and given the fact that I love orange

 in nature...

I am well on my way...

take heart

harness some courage

and proceed....

Rothschild variety of Azalea

sweetly scented

perfuming the garden in the sunshine of summer

Abkhazi Gardens

a

romantic 

and special place

David Austin summer blooming rose

Abraham Darby

rubbing shoulders with Lady's Mantle

a marriage

in a vase

I highly approve!

heirloom tomatoes

sweet

orange goodness

that one can eat

Cheddar Cheese

sharp

a long time love affair

Mac n' Cheese = Comfort Supreme

Hermes

 in the signature luxe orange

Hermes scarf 

with a touch of orange

Oranges

sweet 

juicy

vitamin C

parcels of goodness

Collection d'orangerie...

Hermes

Ranunculas 

painted in 2009

by the Humble Bungalow Hostess

 now hanging

in a retail shop

not far from the Bungalow

a gift to a friend

It's a wet weekend

the forecast is for a week of wind and rain

don't be surprised 

if by the end of the week

that

I have dreamt in all the colours!

Sweet dreams to all....

Hugs 

from the Hostess

XO

Prints charming...an infusion of colour

Colours...
I am inviting colour to play a bigger role in my life...

It has been a major player in my diet
Bright Foods make up the bulk of what I choose to eat...

The J. Peterman catalogue arrived in the post

the cover shouted colour

and had me lusting after something bright.

Brights

are a smidgen left

of my comfort zone

After a heart to heart with my inner voice

(the conservative one)

I

decided 

why not?

What transpired was an expedition

and excursion

an exercise 

in

exploration

and 

dialogue 

with the assistance of the gorgeous gals at the makeup counter

and 

the savvy and svelte sales clerks at the shops

To get started

2 new eye shadows

a soft mauve-y pink

and a darker accent colour in a taupe- y brown

Dust the lid with the lighter shade using a sable brush

and in the outer 1/3 of the lid and a little above the natural crease

dust with the accent colour 

blend well to soften

it creates depth

and makes the eyes 

stand out

Pepper 

feline photographic assistant

very photogenic 

when she sits still long enough for me to capture her image.

Prints charming

wooed me

but I had to get beyond the colours and put this garment on

I have trouble finding dresses that suit my figure

separates are much friendlier.

OK

 the shape flatters

wrap tops are kind

and very forgiving

and I seek them out 

the fabric has body

 and substance

 woven

 more like a knit

and

skims the middle bits

with a dark navy lining

hooray

 no need for a slip

it has a full flirty girl skirt 

feminine and fun

I twirled in the fitting room

 I bought the dress

Amber

terra cotta

black

cream

and splodges of a tealy blue

Shiny black patent belt

came with the dress

I am thinking that I will go a thrifting for a brighter belt

maybe in the amber shade

I can see this with denim jacket and strappy sandals

or

a pashmina and kitten heels

I visualize this dress going for lunch

for dinner

to the theatre

and 

shopping

it's packable too

so 

I'll be taking it away with me!

Pepper on a break

New toothpaste from the Health Food Store

Green Beaver 

is a Canadian company

with an interesting selection of flavours

this one sounded worth trying

and I LOVE the colour!

 after all this colour chatter

a confession...

the conservative voice spoke loudly...

I ordered 2 WHITE Tees from the J. Peterman catalogue!