OOTD ~ Boots!

Today I wore boots and the weather is sunny and hot...
boots were required footwear as I spent the better part of the day mucking about in the dirt.

I just finished rinsing them off as they were caked with mud.

Did I mention that I am a really messy gardener?

There is no way I can stay clean...dirt smears on my face and arms.

I wear gloves but I somehow still get dirt under my nails...

I clean up fine afterwards when I come inside.

I often wonder what the neighbours who walk by and stop to chat must think.

They must be amused by my state of dress.

I garden in Yoga Capri's and a Tee shirt.

Socks and Boots!

I worked out front of our Humble Bungalow today...

I was focusing on a bed that has had a massive cull of weeds...

well they are not weeds exactly they are just behaving like weeds.

Invasive euphorbia and dog violets.

Both are on my "naughty list."

This bed is a bit of a mixed bag...

once the weeds were removed and a few random pieces of slate there was a lot of bare spaces.

Original plants are:

Japanese Red Maple planted in a pot

Eryngium (Sea Holly)

Lavender

Giant Rudbeckia

Boxwood Hedge on one side

Rose (placed on the boulevard for free)

 Libertia

Anchusa

Lady's Mantle

Ground cover the name escapes me

pot filled with spurge and a hosta

New plants:

Blue Fescue grasses

 Bugbane

 Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker) with lime green flowers

a variegated spurge

Blue Salvias 

Russian Sage 

Yellow Rudbeckia

Limelight Hydrangea

All of these are reported to be deer resistant plants.

Eryngium

slightly prickly 

The bees love it!

Black Mondo Grass with a lime green rock plant.

Sum and Substance Hosta Boxwood in urn

Hydrangea and Gertrude Jekyll Rose in background.

Coreopsis 

Lily of the Valley (used as a ground cover)

McCartney Rose (on the left)

Jude the Obscure David Austin Rose (on the right)

Hydrangeas

Nerine Bowdenii

Limelight hydrangea

on pergola Constance Spry David Austin Rose

Area at head of the gravel driveway

Assorted Grasses

Hostas

Hellebore

Variegated Iris

Variegated Sedum

Potted Hens and Chicks

Crocosmia

Mr. HB printed off a garden plan and we have been discussing some of the options to reduce the time spent toiling in the garden in order to leave some time to actually sit and enjoy the space!

On his list is a green house which we plan to have installed so that we can grow tomatoes and a few veggies.

The overhaul of the lawn is probably the biggest job and will make a huge difference.

We plan to grass in most of the north side yard behind the gate in the back and fill in many of the beds and redo the entire back lawn and remove a few other beds.

Anyways those plans are a bit off in the future.

So I must content myself with small improvements that I can do by myself until I can find a strong garden helper.

I must close for now and prepare dinner...

I've worked up quite an appetite with all the digging and planting today.

We are indulging in a seldom served treat...

BBQ Beef Burgers with coleslaw.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog...

I appreciate you stopping by The Humble Bungalow.

THe Humble Bungalow Garden desperately needs a makeover!

Our Humble Bungalow Garden has been foremost on my mind of late...
it's been giving me some unwelcome moments of total frustration...
don't like feeling this way.
I'm overwhelmed and feel rather helpless...
need some expert advice.

I'm considering (and Mr. HB is listening to my concerns) a complete redesign of the yard.
The garden has become far too "high maintenance" and I have been spending many many hours in the hot sun trying to get on top of it to no avail.

I LOVE my roses and plan to keep them. I want and need to find other plants that will look good and not demand too much of my energy and yet still look stylish.
(Mr. HB wants for us to be happy and content in the garden)

We had some friends over for lunch today to discuss this very topic and I am enthusiastic that we might have some help in the future.

The garden needs a plan...
I've pottered about for years with no grand scheme and the beds have evolved in a willy nilly fashion...and while they look pretty, there is a slapdash feel to the whole space.
Too many curves, plants that have "taken over" and a lawn that is filled with buttercups, dog violets and clover.

We invited a couple of friends who have glorious and beautiful gardens 

 a professional gardener 

to walk with us through our garden

and give us some ideas...

Lunch needed to be quick as our guests had a tight timeline.

We drank tea and ate assorted "tea type" sandwiches.

(triangle sandwiches with the crusts cut off)

We served cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks and olives on the side...

Dessert was home made lemon loaf and clusters of red grapes.

We bantered about some ideas and my friend will plot out some plans

his gardener will give us the names of a few professionals that might be able to assist us in our quest.

David Austen Jude the Obscure Rose

The Humble Bungalow bathroom

Mr. HB designed the remodel of this wee space years ago.

This room is so well planned and it makes me very happy too.

Good design is SO important, in the house AND in the garden.

You can see how small the room dimensions are here as the claw foot tub nearly hits the two walls!

Mr. HB had some great tile patterns in mind...

he showed me several options and we agreed on this one.

We opted for a modern pedestal sink

and a pair of new period style lights from Water Glass Studios.

A lovely original painting on vintage linen of French country side 

a gift from our dear friend and talented artist, Cheryl Fortier.

(In the reflection you might notice all my silver bangles)

There is no storage other than a medicine cabinet in the bathroom.

 We re-purposed an oak arts and crafts bookcase to use for the towels.

Hope you have enjoyed this peek 

"Inside the Humble Bungalow."

Hooray Hooray!

we got a smattering of rain this afternoon.

 A welcome gift as we are experiencing a very dry summer here.

I hope it will help with the forest fire situation.

Our garden certainly needs the extra moisture...

the roses and hydrangeas are "needy and greedy"when it comes to water.

In other exciting news...

a group of neighbours have agreed to join me in building a small neighbourhood library box.

We plan to donate books to share 

We have a glass fronted cabinet which we will paint and build a roof overtop.

We will attach some posts and erect it.

It's one of a number of neighbourhood libraries in our city.

This video is very inspiring...

Take care,

Hostess

Waxing poetic...

I awoke very early this morning.
The cats were restless, the birds were chirping and I had thankfully enjoyed a decent night of sleep.

Good Morning from The Humble Bungalow!

 The 100 Year Old House by Rebecca Makkai...
she wrote The Borrower (which I now want to read!)

This book has hooked me from the minute I picked it up yesterday afternoon.
The chapters are short, the characters are strange and eccentric...there's something hiding in this old house...a ghost perhaps, or secrets from the past.

I am already halfway through it...and I don't want to put it down!

Life is ticking along...my hornet stings are not bothering me much now thanks to some quality aloe vera gel but there is an angry red patch which I refer to as the "venom path" which criss crosses my hand and wrist and I hope, in time, it will fade.

I've been really focusing on the garden and reading and have not devoted much time to blog.
It's curious how one's habits can change...you get out of the habit and new habits arise.

Life is like a journey and it is never dull...

opportunities 

challenges

adventures 

pop up

along the way.

We plough ahead...

maintaining a sense of order when at all possible.

Resting when we need to...

but not long enough to rust.

hoping 

for the fruits of our labours 

to be real

tangible

worthy

ripe

red

tasty and sweet

simple

yet glorious

from the first sniff of a ripe red tomato

until you bite into the flesh that gives a little resistance before allowing you to savour the incredible burst of flavour and then inevitably the juice drips down your chin....

(if you are wearing a white tee  you'll be spot treating the stain before it hits the laundry!)

I'm storing up thoughts and ideas and hoping that they will turn into something type-able...

a post or posts that might delight and entertain.

I've noticed many bloggers have taken blogging breaks

and I wonder if we are tired of hearing our own voices?

Are those bloggers voices going to remain silenced forever ?

Or are they soaking up life and about to burst forth like flowers?

I await the sounds and am patient...

nothing to do but wait.

It's quiet here as the neighbourhood starts to come to life.

I can hear my heart beat

the clocks chime

the gentle hum of the bees outside as they flit from flower to flower

a few cars go by

a neighbours dog barks

someone is singing

an unfamiliar song 

as they walk by our bungalow

 on their way 

good morning!

the day has begun.

Summer reading is one of my little luxuries...

as are farm ripe fresh vegetables

I'm off to visit the farm stand today

before I recommence reading

and in between 

I'll do some weeding and watering

and make some dinner

before 

retiring to a comfy bed for another night of slumber.

What are your favourite summer treats?

Are you reading a fabulous book that you'd care to share?

Sea Ray Adventures...and wildfires.

We went out on our SeaRay this past weekend and left the cats at home with a friend.
 The forecast was for record high temperatures...and records were broken, we were glad that we didn't take them along as they would have been miserable in the heat.

OPI : "This colour is making waves."

Polka dot PJ's and our new nautical mat.

A trio of blues...

Breakfast is blue too.

Our wee Galley.

Ah...

it's Dusk at the Maple Bay Marina...

and we are finally cool.

Keeping hydrated was tough and we had to seek out shade from the mid day sun.

Taconite is the lovely Fantail Cruiser from the 1920's that you can see in the middle of this image
and to the right a tug that has been converted into a live aboard vessel.

Metal wall art on a house boat at the Marina.

In the afternoon...

the water was calm so we went out in our dingy for a ride to explore the cove.

Pretty orange Nasturtiums

I love the variegated leaves.

A wee bit of whimsy...

some one has been busy carving.

We had asparagus with our BBQ steaks, mushrooms and salad.

We went to bed early and had a sound sleep.

When we woke up there was a fire red sun, smoke in the air and ashes all over our boat.

There are quite a few wildfires burning out of control in our province and the wind has carried the ash and spread it all over the lower mainland and the south of Vancouver Island.

It feels very eerie...

there is a red glow in the sky and you can smell the smoke.

We stopped on the way home at Mill Bay Marina and had a bite of lunch.

This family of Canada Geese and a lone seagull greeted us...

you can see the strange colour of the sky.

Ferocious Forest fires have displaced many people who have had to flee from their homes...

it's very alarming and I can imagine how upset they must feel.

Many brave fire fighters are risking their lives to help get these wildfires under control.

Alaska and the Yukon have dispatched experienced firemen to help our Province.

Hope that you are safe and sound where ever you are...

Post #1189...garden snapshots on a sunny Canada Day

Greetings from The Humble Bungalow.

Before you read much more be warned that The Hostess is feeling a wee bit GRUMPY

you may even want to click away and go read another blog and I don't blame you at all...

Look away from the computer screen...

Last Sunday two hornets stung me on my right hand...

Mr. HB drove me to the clinic as the swelling was immediate and then the redness starting going up my arm almost to my elbow.

Three days later I am still  puffed up like a balloon.

Itchy, hot and the worst thing is that I need to take antihistamines to try to control the reaction.

I've iced it and put a soothing salve to help calm the itch 

but I don't feel much like doing anything else...

So instead of gardening today I took some pictures to share with you.

Our birdbath has seen better days

the concrete is falling apart so we popped a flat pottery dish on top to keep the water in

the birds are very thirsty and I am trying to do my bit so I have a few spots where they can drink.

Some annuals for instant colour to perk up the patio extension...

The Garden Shed

we have left the grass to go brown as we are very aware of the water situation

 and with this drought we all need to do our best to conserve.

"Grampa's Peas" are ready.

We'll have to pick a bag and deliver them to Isla and Henry so they can taste garden fresh peas.

fragrant sweet peas 

Abraham Darby, a David Austin Rose

Onions

Hosta ~ White Astilbe ~ Bleeding Heart

the name of this plant escapes me...

I have a foggy brain with these antihistamines...

I'm so grateful 

that the exterminator was able to stop by and take care of the hornets nest 

 he had to gear up in a white suit, mask and a hat with mesh netting.

He needed to cut away some of the clematis as the nest was secured to the fence behind many many branches.

He sprayed the nest and then knocked it down before sealing it in a bag and taking it away.

I hope they don't decide to rebuild...

my little vintage French chair and table are right beside the fence just a few meters away...

we want to feel safe when we are outside in the garden and I certainly don't want the grand children getting stung.

Here's my new weapon for wasps and hornets...

and now that the pity party is over 

I'd like to share with you a blogger who will confirm that the attitude of gratitude is alive and well...

meet Ellie who lives in Paris and has serious health issues (ALS) but it does not prevent her from living life to the fullest.

Go and visit her blog and say hi...

you'll be amazed by her strength and creativity.

I challenge you to share random acts of kindness...

I'd love it if you could report back on the things that you did....

I think we can all benefit and be inspired to make our communities a better place to live one random act at a time.

Happy Canada Day!