That 70's Show...

If you have been around as long as I have you probably have some relics from your past.
I cannot part with certain oldies because they are truly goodies.

Happily the avocado appliances have long worn out and been replaced with stainless steel!
There are a few reminders of days gone by that I unearth every so often when I go foraging in the dark recesses of the cupboards.
I have a twinge that stops me in my tracks a startling reminder of my youth when I spy these pieces.  I marvel at how much water has gone under the bridge!
Older, wiser, and a wee bit wizened...

Lavender freshly picked and popped into this circa 1970's pottery vase.

Mr. HB and I were married in 1974 and this teak salad bowl was our first wedding gift.

It has a few bumps and scratches 

but considering how many salads we have served in it since '74

it is remarkable that it exists today at all!

Crisp romaine lettuce washed, spun and torn...

the beginning of a great easy peasy meal.

Caesar Salad 

a Humble Bungalow staple.

I use a Braun whisk to blend this in a tall container.

I have one by Baumix called ZauberStab

 it is like many that come with the Braun whisk.

Whatever you use it must be taller and slimmer or you'll end up 

spattered with olive oil

trust me on this!

I dress the salad just before serving and often omit the croutons.

Remember potpourri?

I had bowls of the stuff and kept it until it got truly dusty and musty.

Today I throw a few rose petals in a bowl after the current rose bouquet starts to droop

and leave the scent to waft about the room.

What relics from your past do you have in your possession 

that you cannot bring yourself 

to part with?

Calling, texting, and cruising the net just got so much easier...

I have had a cellphone since 2003.
It was never a snazzy jazzy swanky phone...
just a simple dial and talk model in basic black.

My adult children are way ahead of me and so is Mr. HB...they all have IPhones.
Most people that I know have Smartphones, Blackberry's or IPhones and I was feeling left out as my kids text instead of talking,
it's free with most plans so that's a no brainer.

My dear Husband has been encouraging me to get one for the past few months and I was resisting.
Why? I really don't know.
So we went together and bought one.

The Humble Bungalow Roses

are carried with me as are thousand of my photos

especially my "brag book" with sweet Isla's images.

I sent my first texts to my children letting them know I was now "available to chat" (text)
The second text was to my BFF which said...

"Hi! I just got an O"...

I inadvertently hit send instead of backspace.
We were sitting on a bench in the mall laughing so much my eyes teared up and I could not see clearly for a few moments to resend the correct text message.

So I am on a learning curve...
I feel that I have entered the 20th Century...or rather the 21st Century...
(those grey haired moments have been happening a lot more frequently!)

I keep this vintage landline as it works during a power failure

and I love the sound that it makes when dialing.

When I was young we were on a party line which meant that another family shared the same line.

My sister and I would listen in and eavesdrop if Mother was busy elsewhere.

(she would have grounded us if she caught us)

Sometimes our breathing or snickers would be audible by the other party and they would say

"if you don't get off this phone right now I am going to tell your Mother"

Those were the days when Father had an egg timer by the phone and 3 minutes was the extent of our conversations.

I remember turning the sand filled vessel over before time had elapsed to see if I could talk for longer.

Often if Mother and Father were enjoying a pre dinner cocktail I'd get away with it.

Most of the time though my sister would come by and say in a very loud voice...

"I'M TELLING!"

Things have really changed.

Have you resisted embracing change

or are you the first on the bandwagon?

Wool is the word...

Metscan posted asking what we have purchased for the upcoming season.

While I have been avoiding the shops I did take my lovely daughter to The Great Canadian Superstore that offers President's Choice products...and the president is Galen Weston.

Lovely daughter does not drive and lugging numerous heavy bags of groceries is not much fun nor is it very ladylike wearing heels. Groceries were the main reason for driving for 30 minutes out of town.
I browsed the Joe Fresh section, as did she...
I found a new grey wool tunic top to pair with my leggings.
Lovely daughter found much more and reasonably priced too...she looked very happy with her haul!

While it might look like a gunny sack here

it is much nicer looking off the hanger.

Are you loving zippers as much as I am?

We had an unfortunate incident while shopping there...

when I started the car the gas tank showed empty and I had filled up the day before!

I can't believe that someone siphoned off an entire tank of gas...

well that's what I thought at the time

My trusted mechanics enter on the scene today 

and the news is not great.

The mechanic said that someone did try to get the gas 

and that Volvo's have a screen and a system which prevents siphoning

and they have broken the sensor with whatever they put into the tank

and they also keyed the side of my car...

so it's in the hands of the insurance brokers now.

Janet at The Gardener's Cottage 

is over the moon about her new luxe linen drapes and I love her enthusiasm.

 While my recent find pales by comparison it has excited me nevertheless.

I found a new bowl that makes my heart soar with joy.

It is a simple white vessel

round and olde

and I cannot put it away just yet

I want to soak in all it's simple beauty.

Bowl of beauty 

with Frog Tree Alpaca wool yarn.

My latest knitting project is a "Faux" Mobius wrap.

I googled Mobius and watched the You Tube presentation and realized that I was not savvy enough to tackle it!

I am knitting one long strip 

using the easiest garter stitch as it looks very loose and lacy

and then twisting after completion before joining the seam.

I have cast on 125 stitches on size 6.5 US needles and will knit until I have about 48 inches in length, give or take...

I'll wrap it around and see if it is adequate for the look that I want.

I highly recommend bamboo needles 

they slip the stitches as if they were silken gossamers with wings.

I will post the finished product but that will be many weeks away as I do not knit 24/7!

What projects have you got on the go right now?

I am closing with an image of the newly printed vintage photos in their new frames 

(this is for you Ida!)

Sea Scallops

While we were on our boating holiday in the Gulf Islands we invited our lovely daughter to join us for a weekend.
Seafood reigns supreme onboard our Chris Craft and not to disappoint we kept the theme going and bought some sea scallops. There are many ways to serve these tasty morsels and I have tried numerous recipes and as we sat chatting about how we should prepare these...lovely daughter grabbed her IPhone.
(which is never far from her reach!)
She googled scallop recipes...she found this great one and while my BFF (whose boat was tied up next to ours) and I sipped our cocktails she prepped this delicious appetizer...
did I mention that I have a very clever daughter?

It could be a main course if served with a salad.

Don't they look delicious?

cooked and prepared in our teeny tiny galley

served on the aft deck in the sunshine.

If you'd like to make this dish

go here for the recipe.

Bon appetit!

Adventures in Fashion!

Independent Fashion Bloggers are a breed unto themselves.
They take the time to document what they are wearing with their OOTD posts and sharing their individual thoughts on trends and highlights. There are hundreds of Independent Fashion Bloggers and I follow several of them. Today I am highlighting and sharing one that I know and love...

These bloggers are creative, colourful, stylish risk takers who manage to look chic in thrifted vintage finds combined artfully with off the rack and haute couture.
Accessories are not to be underestimated, ever!

Never wearing head-to-toe all of one designers' line, but creatively mixing it up with a flair for fashion and pushing the envelope just enough to get keep us looking a wee bit longer, in appreciation of their personal style.
I find their images inspiring and exciting and I love that they link a lot of their clothes to the source so that we might peruse the stock and make a purchase if we are so inclined.

There is so much creative talent out there and so many of these women show us hip and savvy ensembles.
I know Vickie and she has been working hard on a project which she has just posted and I thought I'd like to share her work with you.
Please go and look at her portfolio that she is submitting to Elle magazine...
to become the next Style Correspondent!
Good luck Vickie, my fingers are crossed for you.

 Adventures in Fashion 

Pop by and cheer her on and please let her know I sent you...