The Power of Suggestion...lovely daughter my favourite fashion advisor.

Our daughter has a great sense of fashion and when she lived here at home in our Humble Bungalow I would ask for her opinions on what to wear and what NOT to wear.
I miss having her around and not just for that reason...
daughters are lovely!

We were out and about browsing the shops and she looked so well put together... a mix of vintage and new.
Frye boots, skinny jeans and her super soft black leather "moto style" jacket.
I mentioned how great she looked when she commented that she was surprised that I didn't own a leather jacket...

I thought about it for a second and then I said something about my lifestyle change from working woman to retiree and living on a pension...

Dream Catcher made by lovely daughter in my favourite colour ~ green.

I did some thinking...

  I dreamt that I might find myself in Paris next Spring 

 I'd be wearing a buttery soft leather jacket...

Simple luxuries need not cost the earth...

Mother and I looked at W and J Wilsons and their leather jackets were in excess of $800.

The sumptuous one I spied at Eileen Fisher was over $1200.00

Much more than what I was comfortable spending...

Creamy and buttery soft...

I found this lovely Banana Republic jacket in the WIN Thrift Shop.

 My cozy cashmere pashmina will keep my neck warm when I wear this jacket.

They look good together.

love the zipper details...

Darling J...

you are one fantastic fashion advisor

 and you have made me so very proud and happy to have you in my life 

for so many many reasons

I'm very grateful...

thank you.

Hugs

XO

Ross Bay Cemetery...

We live quite close to historic Ross Bay Cemetery.
It's a lovely spot for a walk...
if you ever get to visit our city I would suggest that you put a leisurely stroll in Ross Bay
on your "things to do in Victoria list."

Heritage trees, mausoleums, monuments and graves dot the landscape.

Walking in silence in a place of great beauty and peace gives one a sense of serenity.

I felt like I was alone...

but not for long.

A deer was grazing nearby

A carpet of leaves crunch beneath my feet.

someone has lost Sophie the giraffe...

It's mossy in this place...

which is situated just below Fairfield's Moss Rocks.

I was captivated by the gnarly wood on this tree trunk.

I think that's yellow lichen growing on the bark.

A film crew were at work

I was curious what they might be filming but didn't get too close.

The cool ocean air was chilling me to the bone so I cut my walk short taking note that next time I venture out I'll need to wear gloves and a scarf.

If you'd like more information on Ross Bay Cemetery you can check out this link.

Thank you for popping by...

I really appreciate your comments and emails.

Remembrance Day

Lest We Forget...

I'm so grateful to be sitting in our Humble Bungalow...
listening to the CBC Remembrance Day coverage from Ottawa.
Honoring the memory of those who served their country, continue to serve and those who lost their lives so that we may live in freedom.

We must never forget...or take for granted, those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so the we may live in peace.

Slowing down ~ Weekend Style

Today we awoke to a beautiful cool crisp autumn day.
Mr. HB is outside repairing a defective door sill which has allowed rain to seep in onto our kitchen floor.

It's a day to cocoon and keep warm...so I am making soup.
Easy Peasy Salmon Chowder to be exact.

Salmon Chowder

Saute several strips of cubed bacon until crisp.

Add in diced onions, celery and carrots and cook until soft.

Add about 2 cups of water and a large peeled diced potato.

2 cups of leftover salmon ~ you can substitute 2 cans of sockeye salmon

Simmer until potato is soft and add in a bottle of V8 juice.

(You can use a tin of tomato paste instead if you prefer.)

Season with pepper and about a tablespoon of dill weed.

 Simmer on low for about 45 minutes and serve.

I use low sodium V8...

OOPS! 

(the maid needs to clean that ring off the silver tray)

"The Maid" has been busy elsewhere in The Humble Bungalow...

I've been de-cluttering and reorganizing the bench seats in the dining room...

these seats have a habit to be a catch all and it was time for me to get on with the job.

I took everything out, vacuumed inside and then went to Target, "the Red Store" as Isla likes to call it, and purchased some bins.

Not very glamorous but they do the trick.

Life is ticking along here, nothing out of the ordinary...

I'm feeling content as I watch Mr. HB work his magic

 wearing a cozy wool sweater while the door is off it's hinges.

Mr. HB  will have worked up an appetite for lunch.

I've got a mug of hot tea and a copy of my favourite magazine...

I'm planning on a quiet afternoon.

How about you?

What's new in your neck of the woods?

There are new fall plants in the planter boxes that line the sidewalks.

 Love this frothy frilly plant

I hope you find some beautiful moments in your day.

The Ugly Truth ~ The metamorphosis of the back deck of The Humble Bungalow

Third in the series "The Ugly Truth"
Our Back Deck...

Our fixer upper in 1982...

Not much curb appeal I know but we knew that it had wood siding underneath those shingles and the dining room was in it's original condition with dark fir waiscotting and beamed ceiling...

plus it had the granite faced fireplace that I wanted and several fruit trees in the yard.

The reason that we purchased this fixer upper was it's wonderful location;

2 blocks to the water

 good schools nearby

walking distance to Mr. HB's office

 and close to the Cook Street Village shops.

The bungalow had been rented out for about 10 years and as you can plainly see had been sadly neglected.

We were young energetic and thought sweat equity was a great way of getting into the real estate market!

We had a golden retriever and two small children so we had to act fast to get the yard cleaned up after we moved in.

 A dump truck was hired so we could remove all the junk...

Mr. HB worked with the truck driver all day and they made two trips to the dump!

The deck was rebuilt again in 2013-2014 and I love the look.

I think that Mr. HB has really outdone himself with this design.

We still have a few projects on the back burner...

the house needs painting and we have to redo our master bedroom and closet.

All in good time...