Saving face on the high seas....

High maintenance beauty routines are not in the forefront aboard ship.

I relax and use less make up

and have given up blow drying my hair.

With a little help from Bumble and Bumble my holiday hair looks just fine.

Skin and sunshine are not the best of friends...over exposure is not advisable.

I recently learned that a very dear friend has had surgery to remove a malignant melanoma.

It's scary stuff and a wake up call for all of us. 

She is doing fine but now limits her time in the sun wears a hat and uses sunscreen everyday.

My skincare routine on board is the same as at home.

I use travel sizes of the Avene products and bring the Olay battery powered facial brush.

Everything is conveniently stored in my roll up cosmetic bag and hangs in the head for easy access.

Eminence Mineral Sunscreen 

a bit of lipgloss

some mascara

and I am ready.

Eating fresh fruit and vegetables gives me a sense of health

that balance out the "naughty salty snacks" that I have been eating.

My current read

is set in Australia

I've just started this novel

and feel transported to another place and another time...

Stay tuned...

I'll check in with you periodically as we move from marina to marina in the sunny Gulf Islands of BC.

Hostess

XO

Galley "creations" are common aboard our wee craft.

Lunch time rolls around and we are famished.
With the invigorating salt air we find ourselves nibbling between meals
munching naughty snacks and our meal time portions tend to be on the larger size...
I am sure that I will gain weight this holiday.

There's a pub up at the top of the dock which serves up fabulous fare

we enjoyed lunch there last weekend. 

I like to cook and doing so in my small galley gives me a sense of satisfaction.
I rustled up a ship board lunch using swiss chard, bacon and eggs...
(vegetarians look away)

fry up pieces of bacon

Meanwhile 

look in the fridge for some veggies

~ ~ ~ 

swiss chard from our Humble Bungalow Garden

corn sheared off the leftover cob that went uneaten

asparagus spears from the previous night's dinner

after removing the bacon

wilt the veggies 

boil water in a pot 

when boiling add a glug of vinegar so the eggs stay "together"

and poach some eggs

Plate the veggies

top with eggs and arrange the bacon

a hot salad lunch is served!

Mr. HB is out setting the crab traps

we've met up with some boating buddies and they have a sleek new boat

 we dined aboard their vessel last evening

they are off hiking 

they'll be joining us for drinks and appetizers tonight.

I am alone with a cup of coffee

and have done all my boat chores.

One of which was to polish all my bangles 

as they were so very tarnished

 I had no Twinkle aboard so I used toothpaste

it worked brilliantly!

We have been thinking about selling our boat

as we have not been using it very much the past few seasons.

But when we get out and relax aboard her it feels like we are meant to live this life.

We sleep so soundly and ship life is rather carefree...

maintaining a classic takes deep pockets and lots of elbow grease.

Moorage in the boathouse is very dear.

Looking ahead to retirement one wonders if owning a boat is an extravagance that is too expensive.

It 's too confusing to think about just now

so I am going to put these thoughts far away from my mind and live in the moment.

reflections of our boat in the ocean...

The sounds of a seaplane

the seals floating by

the call of the ravens

the gentle hum of the fridge as it cycles

the smell of hot coffee

the tick tock of the ship's clock

the creaking of the dock

the flapping of the burgee in the breeze

the gentle rocking from wake of boats passing by

the scent of lavender from the soap from my morning toilette

is all I need for right now.

Have a wonderful week!

Persols and snippets on the high seas...

We are aboard our 1957 Chris Craft Constellation cruising the salty seas.
It's a quiet pace and we keep the days simple.
Meal times are 10am 2pm and 8pm...
it just feels right when on vacation to sleep late
and our bed is ever so cozy.

Our boat is 35 feet but inside is a compact space
with bunks in the V berth, a dinette in the salon and a settee.
There is not a lot of storage space so one needs to stow things carefully and keep clutter to a minimum.
The galley consists of a 2 burner stove and a fridge and a small wash basin.
The head has a shower, sink and toilet.
Most of the living space is outside on the back deck.
So we are fair weather cruisers!

our dinette and garden roses

love the sea theme aboard

faux starfish

when we were kids we'd pull starfish off the rocks and study them

we'd also fish for shiners at the dock pilings

catch them and put them in buckets before releasing them

boat gems

aqua and sea glass green

lemons and limes to ward off scurvy!

 lemonade and limeade

so refreshing 

I pop them in a glass of water to add flavour.

I found these Persols in the basket under my sun hats.

I'd completely forgotten that I still had these.

They are polarized which is so necessary for the glare from the sun as it reflects off the ocean.

Here is where I sit to blog.

As I closed the pages on Rules of Civility I wished that I was just starting it again.

It's was a fabulous novel.

Here's a little fluff read

to keep me entertained...

But then there is

cracking crab

dock walks

watching the Ospreys, Blue Herons and Eagles

the Farmer's Market

evening cruises in the dingy

playing cribbage

nibbling appetizers

enjoying seafood

sleeping soundly

laughing

there's

lots of action.

~ ~ ~

Must close for now 

the sun is shining

and there's a book calling my name.

I'll post again in a few days...

thanks for stopping by.

Pearls amid the Picasso's

Mr. HB and I were with our friends when we stumbled upon a studio in the most surprising spot on  Pender in the Gulf Islands.
Renaissance Studio is definitely off the beaten path.
The artworks massed here are stunning...
Chagall's, Picasso's and an assortment of contemporary artists make up this collection.
Antiques, collectibles and designer jewelry.

It was in this wee shop that I spied some freshwater pearls,
almost gum ball size and very colourful.
FUN!

They called my name...
and what could I say but "Happy Anniversary Honey!"
We did have dinner out on the date to celebrate, but these are a forever reminder...
(38 years)

Pinch me...
Dear reader I think I am very lucky!

I have them on my neck and have been wearing them everyday since we bought them.

On another tack I am reading a fabulous book!
The writing is crisp and evocative, the story rich.

If you decide to read it let me know what you think.

We are cruising the salty seas in our classic Chris Craft Constellation and while I am able to produce blog posts for some reason I am having trouble commenting on all the blogs I read.
It's frustrating because there have been so many great posts in the past few days...
marina Wi Fi can be very slow.

Please know that I am keeping current with your blogs I'm just mute for now!

Crab cakes 

for lunch.

A very special visit from our son, wife and their precious daughter.

I am savouring life from the slow lane....

pondering

reflecting

resting

and 

giving gratitude for the multitude of blessings in my life.

Be well

Namaste

Savvy sales assistant gets a sale.

Perusing the local boutique in the Village is something I do frequently when on my walking route.
I never look particularly fashionable in my walking attire, it's just your simple basic black plants and a tee shirt with a fleece jacket or my ancient Lululemon hoodie. Today the weather was so mild I did not need one.

The shop is chock full of a bright array of tunics, dresses and tops...
it's actually a vast space and I find it rather challenging to find any one item to buy.

I must have looked exasperated because a clerk rapidly descended on me and asked if I could use some help.
She was very young and her outfit was quite quirky, but cute and I thought hm I wonder if she has any idea what an older gal like me might choose to wear. I must say she surprised me. She had a rather daunting group of things for me to try on which I did in rapid succession and they were all "no keepers" mostly because I am so fussy and I abhor anything that is too tight and I am so short that many things swamp me.
She did give it her best effort and was wanting to find me even more...she wasn't pushy or rude either,
I think she actually saw me as a bit of a challenge!

I thanked her for her time and she smiled.
In her hand was one top that she really wanted me to try.
"What do you think of this?"
"I saw another women try this on and it looked really great on her"...

 Hostess...
"Honestly it has absolutely no hanger appeal and the colour is rather drab."
Reader, I did buy it and it does look much better on that it does hanging here and the colour is actually quite nice a neutral backdrop to bangles, scarves and necklaces.
I need a camisole or tank top as the V is far too revealing but that's an easy fix.
It's from the Vancouver BC company Gilmour and is made of Bamboo.
I'll be wearing this with black leggings and a wide array of accessories.

Our little Chester has had a busy morning chasing his toy mice.

I love the way the light is coming in through the French door.

I'm curious, like a cat...

~ ~ ~

Do you ever listen to sales clerks suggestions or take their advice?

Do you feel that their opinions are trustworthy?

Have you ever been convinced to buy something that you later regretted?

I am curious, do you shop alone or with a friend?

Do you impulse buy or plan ahead and go with a list?

Tell me everything!

Gertrude Jekyll

looking fine

"A garden is a grand teacher. 

It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; 

above all it teaches entire trust."

~ ~ ~

Gertrude Jekyll