Afternoon tea....

Taking tea is an afternoon ritual but one that I most often engage in alone at home after work.
I found myself in great company
on a terrace overlooking
a beautiful garden
on a sunny day in May.

Pondside blog author H and I taking tea at Abkhazi Gardens in Fairfield.

Royal Abkhazi Tea blend with scones, jam and Devon cream

aka The Cream Tea

(Weight Watchers allows me to budget for occassional treats)

A full tea with sandwiches and sweets is available for those with bigger appetites.

The garden is enchanting

and the rhodos and azaleas are in full bloom.

there are some shady areas...under a canopy of heritage trees

rhodos grow like trees here as they are very mature specimens

the summer house

originally constructed by The Prince and Princess Abkhazi 

as a spot to take tea and lunch when they were designing their lovely gardens

Abkhazi Gardens are  a reflection of a labour of love

by a couple who were very much in love

it is worth a visit.

If you find yourself in Victoria please do stop in and take a stroll

perhaps sip a cup of tea 

 listen to the birdsong

and bring a friend to share it with...

Have a Happy Weekend!

Oak Bay ~ memories

I grew up in the area of Victoria known as Oak Bay.
It was and still is a lovely quiet neighbourhood.
Oak trees are prolific, a living green canopy providing dappled shade.

I feel very much at home in Oak Bay.

The Avenue is on my weekly rounds and I remember how quaint and small it used to be...
basically a couple of short blocks of retail shops, the butcher, bakery, banks, grocery store, cafe, real estate agent and one cannot forget The Oak Bay Theatre.
(where I sat to watch Romeo and Juliet ~ 5 times!)

Today The Avenue spans from Monterey to Foul Bay Road
there are some who like to think it creeps a little further nudging towards Richmond Road.
(I think not) The Tweed curtain officially starts at Foul Bay!

The street where I grew up is a humble block named Guernsey.
We had no sidewalks, today it is the same...
the houses are the same although they have been tarted up with fresh paint and some of the gardens have changed, including ours...
Mother had a green thumb and we had lots of flowers and beds in front of our home.
Today many of the beds have been filled in...although it has similar bones to the design.

I drive Mother by often and we stop to stare.

It is a modest 2 story home covered in pebbledash stucco, which as a child used to fascinate me.
You could see shells and broken bits of coloured glass which I tried to pry off on occasion.

Our family home transports me back to a time of innocence and freedom.
I can almost hear myself giggling as a girl...

I wonder what Mother feels and thinks as we sit silently in the car.
A few moments in time where we almost hold our breaths and listen to the echoes of dialogue from the past...
in the distance...
the voice of my Father as he flips burgers on the BBQ
two little girls playing with dolls and staking out our territory in our shared bedroom
Mother singing with abandon as she washes dishes...
her habit was to circle the rims of the crystal goblets with her fingers to make them sing with her.

It seems like such a long ago and yet like almost yesterday.

A week or so ago we stumbled upon this sign...

one block from Guernsey

we stopped for a plant sale

Gardener and author Lynn Milnes has a stand outside her home.

My sister studies the plants tags before choosing several marionberry bushes.

I couldn't resist sneaking a few pics.

Lynne's garden is a gem snuggly tucked away on a block long byway, 

like Guernsey it too has no sidewalks!

Can you see that the telephone pole has been painted a bright blue with some flowers?

I'll be back in Oak Bay every week for as long as I am able...

My 40th High school reunion is this summer

Oak Bay High

 will be demolished 

to build a new school very soon.

~ ~ ~

It will be rather strange perhaps surreal going back...

for one last time.

Where did you grow up and do you go back and visit often?

Giveaway...Ooh La La!

When I received Jamie Cat Callan's latest book "Ooh La La" I could not put it down.
I have read all of her books and think that the French Femme theme holds great interest for me.

With each new book I learn a little more about the chic and mystique that French women possess.
"French Women's Secrets to Feeling Beautiful Every Day."

Women of any nation can cultivate these habits...
you don't need to be a French Femme to feel beautiful.

Adopting a few tricks goes a long way...
delve into Jamie's book and you'll learn more.

Jamie has graciously offered to autograph and send one of her new books to one of my readers.

All I ask is that you follow my blog by email or by Bloglovin ~

google reader is phasing out their service very soon so in order to stay connected I've been advising readers to join  Bloglovin so they can keep bloggers posts coming.

Leave me a comment before May 29th telling me what makes you feel beautiful every day.

I will ask my daughter to help me choose the recipient on May 30th.

Good Luck!
Hostess

Weight loss and the weekly wrap up....

It's been a hectic and busy week at work
and there have been some euphoric highs and some challenging lows...

I'm so grateful that I live in such a beautiful neighbourhood...
grateful for friends who are just a phone call away
a wonderful life partner and husband
two crazy but affectionate cats and a wonderful family
who keep me grounded and whenever I feel that my mood might spiral downward
I ponder on all life's gifts and blessings.

I lost almost 6 pounds since my last week weigh in at Weight Watchers

it was so exciting you could have knocked me over wih a feather.

Tracking my food intake and walking really works!

I've been tired after the longer fast paced walks and have slept so soundly 

that I have not even stirred when Mr. HB gets out of bed 

and when he brings me my morning tea I am slow to respond and groggy.

Thanks Honey!

Leaving the house later than usual and feeling like I am in a bit of a stupor is not like me...

Thankfully the roofers have departed 

after finishing the noisy work and taking their immense bin away.

It looks calm...

but there is major construction just across the street

Our neighbourhood is changing...

new homes are being built

trucks

concrete mixers

tradesmen

trucks

are taking over!

Heavy equipment parking in "my spot" 

oh dear me 

OHM

breathe in deep Yogic breaths

I know

it's silly but it has been my spot to park for 30 years...

 I am not territorial at all :-)

If you want a brand new home in Fairfield 

there are two across the street which should be finished in a few months...

one is considered to be an Emily Carr replica

the other an arts and crafts style home

($865,000 asking price)

If I were to choose my new neighbours 

I would ask that you like:

to play bridge

enjoy gardening

be mindful of the noise bylaws

join in on the annual Block Party and be neighbourly

perhaps you'd like to walk with The Hostess a few times a week

and if you like to cook let's have a progressive dinner several times a year!

There is a lot of clean up required on the front porch...

fine shavings and dirt need to be swept away 

 the porch and chairs need to be washed. 

I am praying for a sunny weekend so I can remedy this quickly.

On Mother's Day in the Cook Street Village 

I found a funky distressed tool tote at a local shop and envisioned it filled with herbs or flowers.

(the singing green grocer sold me the herbs)

I decided that herbs would be the best bet as I can keep them on the porch or sundeck near the door and when I need them they are nearby and ready for snipping.

The great thing about this new planter is that it can easily be moved with it's sturdy handle.

We have a long weekend coming up and I hope to spend time catching up on my domestic chores

pottering about in the garden and cleaning up the front porch.

If the weather is mild 

I'll be taking my tea outside with the newest issue of Country Living UK...

after I clean the porch and plant the veggie seeds of course!

What have you got planned?

Lilacs and lily of the valley....sweet scent~sations.

Springtime is one of my favourite seasons.
Fresh air, milder days and longer daylight hours.

Blooms
intoxicating scents
blosssoms
lilacs and lily of the valley...

loving white blooms as I do I cannot resist picking a handful.

Fortunately I can open the door and venture a few feet along the gravel path and snip off some lilac blooms.
Picking the lily of the valley simply requires that you pull straight up and firmly and they come up clean.

I cut into the woody lilac stems to help them soak up water...

longer lasting ~ less wilting

heady fragrance.

Pretty too, do you agree?

sweet little blooms

"lily of the valley" 

sounds like a humble country plant 

"muguet de bois"

 feels ever so much more elegant!

What's a name 

when they are such a perfect posy...

I think that white always makes a statement 

subtle yet stunning

~ ~ ~

simply elegant.

If pearls were flowers 

they might be muguet de bois...

Pearls are sublime...

I love the creamy lustre that they radiate.

and they go with everything...

jeans 

a LBD 

cashmere sweaters

silk nightgowns

linen

wool

cotton

fur

Take care not to let them come in contact with perfume or cologne

which strips the nacre of the pearls 

and to my knowledge nothing can be done to repair them after that.

Have your pearls hand knotted between each bead and have them restrung them every few years.

Do you know how to tell if pearls are real?

  you gently rub a pearl on your tooth and if it is natural it will feel gritty

Chester tried testing this strand...

rather a cheeky little move don't you think?

When our children were babies Mother wore her baroque strand of opera length pearls

and she let them chew on them.

She did draw the line when they tried to tug at them though!

Are you wearing pearls with what you have on today?

Do drop me a comment if you have time I'd love to hear from you.