Home Sweet Home!

Homecoming is sweet...
all that is familiar and cozy awaits...

Our getaway was filled with mostly sunny skies
and was completely relaxing...
Mr. HB works very hard and puts in long hours... so to be able to take him away
for some well deserved rest is such a gift.

I hope that you can get a sense of the peace, quiet and serenity of this magical place.

Sunny tulips 

The rustic cabin...

"Eagle"

was our home away from home for 5 days.

we spent time in the evenings 

cozy and warmed

by the fire

Rocking chairs

arts and crafts style

private sun drenched deck 

with a hot tub

and 

red comfy chairs

which looked out across the sea

 crashing and pounding of the surf 

was heard all day and night

it lulled us to sleep

or

perhaps it was the fresh salt air and the beach walks

The Beach House 

with firepit

and 

ample seating

and a great view beyond...

barnacles

mossy rocks

  sandy playtime

rocky outcroppings

enormous mussels

wildlife!

who could resist that face?

this little Miss stole a cookie from the Steller's Jay

and she hung around quite awhile hoping for more!

Steller's Jay

eating a westcoast trail cookie

bright blue feathers

looking south to Washington State

foamy seas

 a lovely sunset

Stepping away from it all to nourish and rebalance

meant no phones or internet

no demands

 time to reflect

 read

relax 

 unwind

beach combing

 listening to the waves

padding about in boots

blown by the wind

drawing in the sand

searching for stones

thoughts meander and wander

  natural beauty

offers up many gifts...

some

souvenirs

Hostess style

simple

smooth

shades of green

with one rogue mauve pebble

something to remind me

of a holiday spent 

in a place of rugged beauty...

Stop, Look and Listen....

A few weeks ago I entered a blog giveaway...
Adrienne of  The Rich Life on a Budget  generously offered gifts from Luxuria.
I find it hard to believe, but my name was chosen randomly!

The ring that Adrienne gave away is from Vanessa at Luxuria
please do pop on over and look at all her sparkly Bling!

Good things come in small packages!

I love the grossgrain ribbon bow 

and look it's in my favourite colours

black and white!

Adrienne has her own blogger cards

a nice touch...

As is her habit

Pepper had to supervise

She is licking the tissue paper

the tip of her tongue is just visible if you look ever so close.

Playtime continues...

The ring fits perfectly 

and in case you are interested the colour is Fume

it is multi faceted and really sparkles 

I am also planning to use it as a scarf ring

because of it's size 

it makes a statement and will not be lost in a scarf.

I am thrilled!

Thank you Adrienne 

and 

Vanessa

Pepper loves the bow

she's got her paw firmly planted

and she doesn't want me taking it from her

I'll let her play with it to her hearts content.

Yesterday I meandered in the garden 

in the sunshine with my camera...

Janet at the Gardener's Cottage 

enjoyed a morning walkabout with her camera

she has roses blooming

it will be several months before ours will even hint at flowering.

King Alfred daffodils

succulents have taken over the bird bath

this is what I call a happy accident

Hellebore

Hellebore

I love these but have forgotten the names!

Hellebore

another variety unknown

English primroses 

English Country Living 

with 

a springtime theme

I'll be sipping tea while perusing this luxe magazine.

Spring-ing into

Fashion 

In Style UK

can't wait to see what they are forecasting...

I will be offline

 and

 incommunicado

for the next few days...

I plan to

 read some books

 watch some DVD's

live simply

listen to the sounds of the birds

look at details - absorb beauty

breathe in the fresh air

 eat simple wholesome food

walk

ponder and reflect

Take care,

Hostess

Monday random-ness...or what I do when the washer and dryer are going full tilt.

Spring is making her entrance very slowly in these parts...
the sun has been shy
I think she's hiding behind the clouds.

The gardening has been spotty as the grass is still boggy
the beds are waking up after the winter slumber
the weeds are poking their heads up with an alarming speed.

When I cannot be pottering about in the garden I go shopping
foraging to the garden shops for seeds...

Behold 

the loveliness 

of

Sweet Peas

Bungalow Sweet Peas 2010

Our raised beds will be getting a full work out this summer
as the cost of food continues to rise.
I am envisioning a Victory Garden....in my dreams...

"Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders." 

 Henry David Thoreau

the seeds

arranged neatly in rows

which are disheveled now that Pepper arrives

she's so nosy

I found this silk scarf on the recent road trip for pennies

it was laundered by hand in Aveda Shampure

and now needs a quick ironing before it is ready to wear.

I am currently reading this book

I cannot get enough Paris...

Paris in the Springtime 

sounds wonderful to me...

is there a place that you dream of visiting?

Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. 

Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.

- Gloria Steinem

I bought this top to wear with my black leggings

I know...

more black and white to feed my habit.

I have so much that will go with this

it's very light and will be cool

when the heat goes up

which could be any day now

in the meantime...

I can add a long cardigan or a pashmina

Remember to have fun with scarves

 tying them in a variety of ways

just adds to the fun...

My go to tie for long scarves...

do you have a favourite way of tying your scarf?

I am always looking for more.

meanwhile...

exploring more Parisian pursuits...

au revoir 

Two words...

The two words are...
road trip!

What did we do before google maps?

I know there were those cumbersome strip maps that as the navigator one needed 

to follow

and 

give advice on

 well ahead of the needed route changes...

can you say oops more than once!

I prefer these print outs

as we do not have a GPS in the car

although one day

 I might purchase one...

Hmmm

I wonder if they come with voice options of Sir Paul or Colin Firth

I have no sense of direction whatsoever!

lovely daughter (a non driver) needs to advise me on the route to the big box store area of town

I so seldom frequent it 

we have fun exploring the variety of wares when we get there...

I can lose my car in a large parking lot

it's true!

(and it's happened on more than one occasion)

I dug this big tote out and have stuffed it with all and sundry

cellphone, book, camera, a bottle of water...

sensible serious walkers

I'll be putting some mileage on these babies...

Have a fabulous weekend whatever you get up to

wishing you peace, joy, and contentment.

In Gratitude

Hostess

XO

Pepper's great Nana is on the scene 

armed with food and treats

a feather toy

and 

is expecting lots of pats and purrs...

Pepper

I hope that you behave!

Green Day with a touch of red

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
It should be a GREEN DAY here in the Bungalow
I harken from an Irish background but I am not doing a St. Patty's Day post!

Are these crazy booties or what?

Spying these cowgirl booties made me do a little happy dance
(not a square dance tho'I don't know how!)

I thought why not buy them...

I have never worn cowboy or cowgirl boots...
leather or gum boots yes
even over the knee boots back in the 70's
oh and I had a pair of white patent leather platform boots!

lovely daughter has a classic black pair of cowboy boots
hers are a well known quality brand
she let me try them on...
they were a wee bit snug
but they did whet my appetite...

J is a fashionable young woman
and she can wear almost anything and make a style statement.

She wears vintage quite a bit and mixes it up to make it personal.
She inherited my mother's fashion gene...
need I say that
it skipped a generation!

Janet from the Gardener's Cottage has a red pair...
she has a red theme going too...she's so cute...

Where do you stand on red lipstick?

A friend of my DIL who I recently met up with when we attended the same gathering
wore a very striking shade of red lipstick...Venetian by MAC

it looked really good on her
she is blonde and fair of complexion...
some women have many a gift when it comes to making a style statement.

I digress...back to the boots

These boots fit perfectly
are comfy
and considering that they are vintage they are in remarkably great shape
and the price under $20...
win win win!

What am I going to wear them with besides a big smile?

A Hermes scarf ?

and maybe some red lippy!

Wishing you a lovely Green Day!