PH level eating...who knew?

The Humble Bungalow Garden is providing us with some great produce this summer.
Zucchini, swiss chard, potatoes, and red and yellow beets to name a few.

I love yellow beets and not just for their sunny colour 

they taste delicious.

We use the beet greens too.

No waste here, 

just rinse well and gently steam them in a little water 

until slightly wilted.

Vitamin packed with goodness,

and one of Mr. HB's favourites.

I've been reading about inflammation in the body.

The kind that causes aches and pains.

If the body is too acidic it is inflammatory and can cause all manner of troubles...

who knew?

Apparently some problems can arise that are much more serious than just an occasional ache or twinge.

Reducing the consumption of meat, grains and dairy helps rectify this situation.

Greens and veggies are touted to be the body's best friend.

If you want to read more...

Town and Country published an article in the September 2011 issue.

Amy B. Thomas discusses going alkaline

and she mentions a book by Robert O. Young 

 "The PH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health"

I am not prepared to give up all meat, grains and dairy.

My thoughts are to have a wide variety of all the food groups.

As Mother and Father used to say...

"everything in moderation"

Avocados are very alkalizing...

tomatoes too...

Here is an alkalizing tasty salad recipe...

(thank you BFF!)

If you have a mandoline slicer 

you might like to use it for the zucchini 

you'll save some time.

Fresh goodness in a bowl

which accompanied a BBQ Sockeye Salmon dinner.

I served the Whitewater Cooks recipe for Arugula Salad

Vegetable Rotini Pasta Salad 

Stuffed Devilled Eggs

with artisan bread

dessert: 

Cantaloupe melon slices with

 "homemade chocolate cookies."

(Thank you to lovely DIL!)

Whitewater Cooks Arugula Salad

Hope that you enjoy this interesting salad

it has a peppery flavor from the arugula 

and the sweet dressing is complimented 

by the Manchego cheese and toasted hazelnuts.

It really works well together.

YUM!

Dishes are loaded in the dishwasher

counters wiped

all is quiet

even Pepper has gone to bed.

I'll be turning in very soon myself

It's been a busy day.

I love having the family come by for visits

the house feels more like a home when my kids come by

the sounds of young voices

the laughter...

The lovely Miss Isla's visit was a highlight!

I have to admit I am totally under her spell.

I could sit and watch her every movement for hours

she is perfection.

The Westminster clock has chimed 10 bells

so I am off to slumber.

Sweet dreams to all.

Happy Birthday Mr. HB

Mr. HB is celebrating his birthday.
Last evening we dined with friends and lovely daughter at a waterfront restaurant outdoors.
I should have snapped a few images on my new IPhone but I was engaged in the conversation and enjoying the view.

Mr. HB comes from a Scottish background 

and he does love single malt scotch.

 Lagavulin is his tot of choice.

I thought this card was suitable for this occasion.

I am having the family come by for an afternoon and dinner.

I am immersed in food preparations so without further ado I must run.

I've got to harvest some beets, make a few salads, stuff a few eggs, and go buy a salmon for the BBQ.

Cheers!

Have a lovely weekend

and stop and smell the flowers.

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!)