Seeking sunny thoughts...

The terrible news from Belgium has cast a dark shadow on our world...
more lives have been lost in these attacks.

As horrifying as the news is...
I feel powerless and sad.

My sister called me to tell me a friend of hers has passed away today.
She had been battling cancer, the fight was fast and furious, but very brief.
Several types of cancer had spread and metastasized before her initial diagnosis.
She knew it would eventually take her life...
she leaves behind a husband and adult children and many friends from the local garden community.

I visited her garden at Deep Cove on the water...she and her husband had created a special oasis on the edge of the sea.
Her garden was a place of tranquil beauty.

So lovely to wander along the paths, stopping to smell the flowers, or touch an unusual plant, make notes of the interesting foliage planted together so that each plant took centre stage and stood out.
Martha Stewart once sent a crew to take photographs of their home and garden...I don't think they were ever published in the magazine.

An overblown Parrot tulip sits in a vase in Our Humble Bungalow bathroom...

the tulips are very beautiful and remind me of paintings from the Old World Dutch Masters.

Each tulip is different...just as an artist might paint them.

Mother Nature and her handiwork helps ease the spirit.

Droopy tulips 

can you see the leaves have a few cat bites?

Bowing their heads...

I forgot to pierce the stems just under the tip of each bud to help them keep hydrated and stand up straight.

Their colour is so cheerful...

(leaves with the cat bites!)

The culprit is Chester...

he is the cat that we lovingly refer to as "the troublemaker."

Keeping busy helps helps to soothe the soul...

I made a cheesy frittata for dinner and will serve it with a simple green salad.

Easy Peasy Frittata

6 large eggs whisked

1 chopped red pepper

2 green onions sliced thinly

1 cup of leftover veggies cut into small bite sized pieces

( I used squash)

leftover beef, chicken, salmon or crab cut into small pieces

2 cups grated cheese

salt, pepper, parsley and any other spice you like

(I used 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning)

Pour into an ovenproof casserole or quiche pan.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes until set.

Serve with a simple green salad tossed with a vinaigrette.

Bon appetit!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Colour me Coral for Spring...

Coral seems to be "the shade" for Spring.
It keeps popping up on my radar...

Coral, coral and more coral!
Shops showcasing the new season Spring fashion collections and at the cosmetics counters.

Fortunately I can wear coral...
if you cannot there are lots of other ways to add a smidgeon of coral.
Think of all the coral accessories you could wear.

Belts, necklaces, bangles, shoes, hand bags, scarves, and nail polish.

My "colours" are those of Cool Winter. 

"Bittersweet" is the shade of coral suggested for my colouring.

My new London Fog Trench coat in navy with white polka dots.

New Lipstick by L'Oreal in the shade called "Everbloom."

The Dior coral polish is lovely.

The shade is Adventure #551.

The formula is easy to apply and my nails shine with a bright pop of colour.

The young receptionist at my RMT's office complimented on how pretty my nails looked,

 as did the middle aged sales clerk at the pharmacy, 

the lovely woman who owns the consignment shop

and 

the cute teenage clerk at the grocery store Peppers in the Cadboro Bay Village!

It seems to appeal to women of all ages.

Our lovely DIL chose this shade for me 

she packaged up a thoughtful gift pack of nail products for my birthday

which I am enjoying immensely!

There is something so uplifting about buying a new shade of lipstick.

My grandmother said she would do without hose, or new clothes in favour of a new red lipstick.

I now understand what she meant when she told me that many years ago.

~ Cheap and cheerful ~

I wore this to the bridge luncheon and fundraiser at my club.

It was an interesting group of players.

80 keen players mostly women gathered together for a tasty lunch and an afternoon of cards.

I looked around the room and noticed that there were many well turned out ladies.

Most had grey hair, were dressed very smartly and wore statement jewelry.

Bold ethnic and artisan earrings and necklaces that were on the larger scale.

Many women opted for silk scarves tied casually around their necks.

OOTD
Calvin Klein ponte knit pants and a black and white tunic top 

new Pegabo flats

white scarf 

arm full of my silver bangles

dangly quartz earrings that my daughter made for my birthday

London Fog trench coat

Hellebore

Hope that your weekend is full of fun and laughter.

Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Mother Daughter getaway...new clothes for Spring and summer.

Last weekend our darling daughter accompanied me on a trip to Vancouver.
The focus of the trip was to shop.
And shop we did!

The first day we walked and shopped for 5 hours and the second for 6...a marathon of walking and shopping yielded quite a few bags full.

I love these shoes.

Ferragamo Varina flats...

IF I were to plunk down the cash I would insist on a pair in red.

They are quite pricey at $625 but they are beautifully made and so classic, perhaps iconic.

A gal can dream....

Aritzia is a favourite shop of darling daughter...

we have one here in Victoria

the Robson shop has three storefronts and loads of stock.

We perused the shop both days as it was on the same street as our Hotel.

Milestones restaurant was the perfect casual spot to stop for dinner.

Lots of variety and healthy options for dinner.

OOTD

Calvin Klein ponte knit pants

Style & Co. black top

Clarks boots

Burberry print infinity scarf

(My hair is a mess as we got caught in a torrential downpour!)

H&M navy and white striped top

London Fog navy and white polka dot trench coat.

White NYDJ jeans

Black flats by Pegabo with gold accents on the heels

H&M striped top

We sipped Perrier and munched on popcorn while we watched the award winning movie Brooklyn.

(I highly recommend it)

We also watched the English film Man Up.

(funny and entertaining ~ cute)

There was a gale force windstorm Sunday 

when we left the dock at the ferry terminal the wind was really intense

The crossing across Georgia Strait was lumpy but we made it to the island without incident.

Later that same day there were some ferries that had mishaps...

one bumped into a concrete dock and some sailings were also cancelled.

Are you old enough to remember Lamb Chop and Shari Lewis?

These little lamb chops were for sale in the onboard shop.

Like lamb chop I am embracing a bright paw.

Dior Adventure will do the trick.

Hope that your week is ticking along nicely.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

White Wednesday...

When I first started blogging Wednesday posts by many of the bloggers that I followed were often
"wordless" or "white" Wednesdays.
Today my focus is on white.

Walking in the garden yesterday I realized that many of our flowers are white...
this is not an accident,
we planned the plantings based on my love for all white bouquets.

We planted this magnolia last year and it is in bloom.

I love how the wee droplets of rain are clinging to the petals.

I am so happy that we chose this delicate and fragrant magnolia.

The giant Snowdrops are flowering.

Their wee flowers remind me of a baby's bonnet...

more water droplets dripping off the leaves

 With any luck these snowdrops will multiply...

my vision is for masses of these white heads bobbing in the beds!

The book I ordered from Ivy's Book shop arrived so I have put the kettle on and am brewing up a pot of tea and will sit and relax in the Humble Bungalow living room and savour the sumptuous pictures inside this lovely book.

Cheerio for now,

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

My search is over...for now.

It has taken me weeks to find a great pair of black knit pants...
who would have thought that this would have been so challenging?

Black pants are such a great basic and one that I wear several times a week...
that's why I was so desperate to replace my favourite pair.

Mine were 2 years old, a wee bit faded and they were looking less than best.

Calvin Klein makes these and they were found at Marshall's at a very good price point.
The fabric has lots of Spandex so I expect that will help retain the shape of the pants.

These knit pants are ankle length so they work great with my short legs!

They are a pull on pant...which sounds frumpy...

they are so comfy and without a zipper and pockets there is a wonderful slimming effect.

Great style to wear with a longer top.

With any luck I'll be wearing these for a few years to come.

Oh and while I was there...

I spent the money that Mother gave me for my birthday.

Linen top white with grey stripes.

Going to love this for summer 

will layer it over a tank top and wear it with my white skinny jeans.

I can see it as a bathing suit "cover up" too.

Bring on the sunshine!

I am already wearing a lighter shade on my paws.

Formula X polish 

"Thrilling"

I have been away for the weekend with lovely daughter on a shopping spree in Vancouver. 

The gale forced winds are hammering our coast and we just made it home across the strait

before the winds really picked up.

Will post soon.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~