The Humble Bungalow Garden....Mother's Day blooms.

Our Humble Bungalow Garden is doing it's best to keep us content and focused on everyday beauty.

This recent planting was a thrifty addition to the deck.

Variegated grass, geraniums and lobelia all relatively inexpensive at the local garden centre.

Hardy geraniums...

I like these reliable plants as they last all season and if you dead head the spent blooms you get a repeat flush of flowers throughout the summer.

These pink geraniums are a surprise because I bought them thinking that they were white!

A fancy variety of primula whose names escapes me at this time...in a vivid shade of cobalt.

A Rothschild variety of azalea....almost ready to open up.

The scent is magnificent!

We purchased it many years ago after visiting Veronica Milner's Garden up island.

She was a master gardener and meeting her was a thrill.

My most vivid memory of our visit was that she was randomly picking weeds as we walked through her gorgeous garden....that and her very English gardening outfit...

a wide brimmed hat worn with a wool skirt, a cashmere twinset and a simple strand of pearls!

Montana reubens a reliable and vigorous clematis.

It has taken over the fence out front and sweetly the scent wafts softly when standing in close proximity.

Fragrant white lilac 

hanging gracefully over the fence from our neighbour's garden.

I love these but find that they are short lived when cut and brought indoors.

I'll post more garden images soon...

I've got to tackle some domestic chores and get a move on.

Loving this euphorbia

 even though it is an invasive plant I am totally won over by the chartreuse tone.

Green still has a hold on my heart...

plants, seedlings hostas anything that grows green seems to get my attention.

Hope that you've planned to have some fun this week...

I'm looking forward to a walkabout and tea at The Abkhazi Gardens this week with a friend.

I will take lots of pictures to share them with you in a future post.

Thanks for stopping by...

Hostess

Mother's Day Luncheon ~ Flip Flops and Orange Toes!

Mundane maintenance....
goes along with boats, homes, gardens, cars and so much more.

When we own "things" we have a responsibility to keep then in fine working order.
Regular maintenance is vital...it is boring, often costly but it must be done.

I schedule routine appointments with the dentist, hygienist, optometrist, hairdresser, mechanic and more.
If you let these things lapse you are going to run into trouble at some point.

Do you put off scheduling these things?

Our Humble Bungalow was re-roofed last Spring and is in dire need of paint but that is not going to happen for another couple of years so in the mean time I must avert my eyes and try not to cringe when I see the flaking paint on the porch and eaves.

Some things just cannot be put off...

We've had the boat hauled out for the annual mechanical servicing and bottom paint.

BOAT

have you heard what BOAT stands for?

"Bring On Another Thousand."

We own a small boat...

some might consider it more of a dingy and if you own a large yacht you might agree!

Here she is before the haul out...

she needs a wash, wax and a coat of bottom paint.

While she is getting some TLC I took time out to do the same.

Have you noticed that Orange is a really popular colour this Spring?

I know Radiant Orchid has been dubbed THE colour of the season but for me I keep seeing Orange at every turn.

The orange shade especially pops in the garden...

it seems like a happy tone.

For example this cheery euphorbia in the dappled sun blooming in the The Humble Bungalow Garden.

Or this fragrant and stunning Climbing Royal Sunset rose, our first rose to bloom this Spring.

I went with orange polish which is quite a departure for me...

Animalistic by OPI.

I could have opted for a soft pearly white.

Smilacena Racemosa looks quite frothy wearing this shade.

A fuchsia would have been fun...

an allium about to burst forth in flower.

Mauve might be a good choice as the Pacific Hybrid dwarf Iris shows us beautifully with her delicate petals.

~ ~ ~

We took Mother out for lunch to our favourite lunch spot Pure Vanilla to celebrate an early Mother's Day.

She ate a good lunch and had a cup of tea but she just seems to lack her usual lustre.

She seems tired...

I gave her a book which I think she will enjoy and perhaps she'll escape for a bit while she immerses herself in the story of the author's making.

A great book can be such a good tonic to what ails you...

She expressed her desire to have spaghetti and meatballs several times this past week and my sweet husband said that I make the best spaghetti and meatballs...I use Lydia Bastianich's recipe found online.

I took over a plate to her after lunch and she was so excited!

I am so happy and grateful to be able to spend time with Mother.

I expect that we will see more slowing down and deterioration in her as the days pass.

I hope that she perks up and feels better soon...

she'll be 87 this coming June.

It is Mother's Day this Sunday and many will be honouring their Mother's...

I'd like to think that I love and honour my Mother every single day.

It does not take a special day to remind me of her many gifts and I do not take her for granted.

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. 

Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. 

Let reality be reality. 

Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."

~ Lao Tzu ~

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

Hostess

Rosacea Help, a product I think you should know about....

It was a few weeks ago that I mentioned I was going to have a microdermabrasion treatment at the local Spa.
The treatment went well and my skin was soft and pink and looked dewy and moist.

The esthetician suggested a product that would be great for my rosacea as it is gentle and not as expensive as a microdermabrasion treatment.

It is easy to use and takes only about 5 minutes to work before you gently remove it.

The box description is accurate.

I think it is rather pricey but it IS less expensive than a professional facial or microdermabrasion treatment.

So I bought it...

and the funny thing is I used this same product a few years ago and had completely forgotten about it. 

I used it when my rosacea had a flare up and I needed to get some laser treatments to get rid of the redness that made me look like I had been slapped in the face.

So I share this with you in case you have rosacea too...

it's not really a secret now is it?

I am happy to share it if it will help you deal with your skin and it might make you feel better and more confident.

Rosacea can be an embarrassing condition to deal with as everyone can see our skin so it makes it tough to hide.

I am reading a delightful novel by a French Femme...Cecile David - Weill 

it is well written and I am enjoying it so much that I am going to get my hands on her other books. 

She has a column in La Point called Letters from New York.

Chester loves playing in boxes...actually both Pepper and Chester love them.

I have kept this one on the floor in the kitchen as they are frolicking in it several times a day.

Pepper has been munching the hydrangea leaves...you can see them if you look closely.

OOTD

I've been wearing this Peter Nygaard sweater jacket a lot.

It is warm but does not add bulk.

It has a silver fleck and those tweedy aspects that I like so much.

My anniversary pearls and the simple white tank top by Coldwater Creek.

I read that Coldwater Creek is going out of business...I used to love getting their catalogues.

I am wearing cheap g21 jeans in dark wash denim.

I was outside in the garden yesterday dead heading the spent bluebells and pulling weeds.

My hands are a mess now as I didn't put on my gloves.

I wish I could take better care of my hands but for some reason they get very little love and they do so much hard work around here that I really should treat them like gold!

The water was like a mill pond when I went for my walk the other day...

lots of people were out enjoying the warm sunshine.

I've got lots of things on my list to do so I must be off...

Thank you for stopping by and visiting.

 I hope you'll come back again soon.

En route to French class....

A crisp and sunny morning greets me as I walk out the front door of The Humble Bungalow.

The cats look through the window as I descend the steps...
If they could only talk.
I wonder what they might be thinking.

Oh look she's leaving us alone again...where is she going and how long will she be gone?
Lets nibble that new white hydrangea that she has on the counter in the kitchen!
No I think we should roll around on the new bed cover and leave as much hair as we can on it...
oh forget that...
let's just sleep until she gets home and then act aloof as if we could care less that she even went out!

I had to stop and take a few pictures en route to French Class to share with you...

Two varieties of clematis were happily tangled and twined along a cedar fence spilling forth toward the sidewalk.

I love the pretty combination chosen by the green thumbed gardener who tends this lush green space.

Wisteria loves to climb and demands a strong reinforced structure or it will pull down eaves and drain spouts.

Ah look at those delicate pendulous tendrils of mauve flowers.

Their scent is soft and fragrant rather evocative 

and I think most exotic and sweet.

We have some new class members for our new session of French.

The core group have returned and it is wonderful to be reconnecting with this eclectic group of women.

Their stories are interesting and romantic...

many are seasoned travellers, 

one has a French family whose children attend SJD in French Immersion

 several, myself included, are planning trips to Paris, 

another is marrying a Frenchman and will soon be living in France!

Our instructor is kind and gentle and encourages us to speak freely in French.

My ability to speak the language is very weak, although my comprehension and writing are much better.

Madame does not judge us harshly or laugh at our expense.

We laugh at each other as we struggle to find the right words which are not easily found.

I highly recommend taking a course in something out of one's comfort level 

as it forces you to get creative and use those brain cells.

"Use it or Lose it!"

Meeting new people is a bonus and easy when you have something in common...

it's surprising how fast we have connected as a group...

united by the simple desire to learn a new language.

I'm hoping to continue taking these lessons until I am fluent.

My goal is to be speaking, reading and understanding French.

I'd love to explore and expand my study of France and reading blogs is an easy way to further broaden that knowledge.

Do you have any favourite blogs that focus on French Life or travel in France?

Perhaps you'd be kind enough to share them.

Take time to stop and smell the flowers...

Bloggers Meet Up...

It's a quiet rainy soaked Sunday and I have been snugly cocooned in The Humble Bungalow indulging in a Louise Penny novel...
Inspector Gamache is experiencing post traumatic stress disorder and he is on leave recuperating from a gunshot wound as is his trusted sidekick Beauvoir...and it might not come as a surprise but there is another murder!

Penny makes it extremely difficult to put her books down...

that's what good authors do!

The cats are snoozing on the bed and there is a hush of quiet in the neighbourhood...

compared with the sound of lawn mowers and weed whackers on Saturday it is quite peaceful.

Very conducive to rest and moments of mindful meditation.

I've polished all the silver ware and used up an entire pot of Twinkle.

Many people cannot stand to own silver because it tarnishes...

I have inherited a lot from my Mother who still has a considerable amount.

 I think she got tired of polishing so much of it that she gave a lot of it to my sister and myself.

My sister does not polish hers...she likes the vintage look of tarnish.

I almost wish I did too because that would save me hours of work at the sink.

Yet there is a satisfaction when I look upon the gleaming results...

The garden is flourishing...

you can see one of our new dwarf apple trees to the right of the chairs.

It has a red tie on the post. 

We purchased two trees and are hoping to keep them pruned so they bear loads of fruit.

The woolly thyme is not looking so healthy between the stones right now.

I wonder if some of the plants have died as they usually bloom with wee purple flowers.

Maybe they are just slow to flower this Spring.

I'm looking forward to meeting up with Dani BP The Mop Philosopher later this afternoon!

She is in town this weekend to meet her new nephew and we are meeting up at The Bengal Room.

I was not too sure what she would look like as I have not seen too many pictures of her on the blog.

She recognized me though and I was able to meet her husband and youngest daughter.

We had a brief chat before they went off for a walk and then Dani and I settled in for a drink.

The Bengal Room is located in The Fairmont Empress Hotel.

I love the decor!

 You feel like you've stepped back in time...to those Edwardian days of exotic travel and adventure.

We sipped our cocktails and chatted...

We have both been blogging over 5 years and read some of the same blogs. 

Conversation flowed easily with so much to talk about and we could have kept on talking...

over an hour later we said our goodbyes.

It was such fun meeting her and putting a face to the voice of Dani BP Mop Philosophy.

I was struck by her radiant beauty and her fabulous personality.

It was an honour to spend time with her and perhaps if the opportunity arises we will do so again in the future.

Thanks Dani for taking the time to meet up with me.

I look forward to reading about your Victoria trip when you get back home.

When I left I walked out through the convention centre.

You can see the puddles if you look closely.

The bright flowers look so pretty in the planters.

The First Nations totems are spectacular in this space.

This morning life is pretty normal...

the bed linens have been changed, the laundry is going through the cycles,

the cats are chasing each other through the house and there is some French homework to do.

It's raining again and there is a Louise Penny book waiting...

I hope that you had a fun weekend and that your week is off to a great start.