Scarf tying tutorial...

I love the versatility of scarves.
They add so much colour to a simple outfit...
they can be worn with jeans and a tee shirt or an elegant basic black dress.

You can buy a designer scarf or opt for a vintage scarf.

They come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

One that I keep coming back to is the square scarf.

Hermes scarves are luxurious and their patterns are so beautiful.

 Their reputation and quality of workmanship is hard to beat.

In the previous post I showed you my newest thrift shop find...a bright preppy pink and green Echo silk square scarf...
I wore it several different ways and several readers asked how for a tutorial.

The best source that I have found is from The Mai Tai blog.
I have learned a lot from watching her videos and she has a lovely blog!

The Mai Tai Collection tutorial

I hope you have a great week and I will be back with some posts on our recent trip to Vancouver.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Enter the Preppy scarf...

The shades of Pink and Green in Nature have been popping up on my radar...
Spring time is such a beautiful season here in Victoria.
Flowering cherry and plum trees line the boulevards and gardens are bursting forth with blooms.

I walked with no particular route in mind 

the sun was shining

so I leisurely meandered along the streets 

weaving my way through town

until I found myself at the thrift shop.

I do not "need" anything right now so I just perused the racks...

until I spied this scarf, in new condition, with tags still attached.
You may know that I have a weakness for scarves!

They are small and do not take up much space and can be used to add a punch of colour to even the most basic of outfits...

Pink and Green Vintage Echo Silk Scarf

Here are a few of the scarf ties that I regularly wear.

I think it will go quite nicely with my new navy and white polka dot trench coat.

I'll know that I will be wearing it with my jeans and tees and black pants and crisp white shirt.

The pop of "preppy" colour makes me feel energized and happy.

I spied this wee bunny in a garden on my walk home...

it was munching the grass and seemed quite relaxed while I snapped a few photos.

Thank you for all the lovely comments and encouraging get well wishes that you have left on my blog. I really appreciate them and they have helped me immensely.

I have been catching up on some much needed sleep.

Three months of fitful sleep due to discomfort and pain have taken their toll.

The muscle relaxant that the specialist prescribed for me at bedtime has been amazing.

Two nights of restful slumber has helped me get my happy face back on!

Thank you for stopping by...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Meeting a reader...with Mother who does not understand the word or concept of blogging!

Mother and I stood in line at Good Things Consignment in Oak Bay this afternoon
we were waiting to consign some of her cast offs...
my sister and I had been at her condo the evening prior and we tackled 2 closets, a cabinet and the buffet.
Several boxes were packed and I picked Mom up today to take her things...
it is a rare scene that has Mother de-cluttering...

I am known as the "de-clutter queen" in the family.
Mother and sister hang onto their "stuff."

Mom offered these three florals and I said yes...

they were always front and centre on the mantle or a table in our home when I was growing up.

I popped them into my cabinet as a "memory keeper."

My husband is not a fan of these but they take up a small amount of space.

I am trying to rationalize and justify this "emotional stuff"...

Mother is really letting go

not her usual style

and I am wary.

Am I reading too much into this change of behaviour?

Mom thought her teacups too many,
her crystal collection too full
 and her knick-knacks were just gathering dust...
true there is less housework with fewer things.

These tulips are blooming despite their leaves being munched by the local deer.

While waiting in line we met Elaine,
a blog reader who recognized me and said "do you write a blog? are you the hostess?"
She has recently relocated to Victoria and I was happy to make her acquaintance...but with my focus on Mother I was remiss and did not get her contact information so that we might meet again...so Elaine if you are reading please email me and I would love to meet you for coffee or tea sometime soon.

I went to meet the specialist this morning
she looked about 21 years old...
and confirmed the "frozen shoulder" diagnosis.
She has prescribed 3 cortisone shots to be administered by a radiologist a month apart and told me to continue my exercises and continue massage if it is helping.
It will be the better part of a year before I heal...

So patience is going to be utmost on my agenda.

I will  look closely at the beauty in my daily round

So dear readers please indulge me as I plan to capture all and sundry on my walks.

I might bore you to tears...

the only bleeding heart will be this floral representation

as I am fortifying

with great books 

while sipping hot tea 

counting my blessings

It could be worse...

Thank you for stopping by.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

April in Victoria...

This past week the sun shone and the weather was warm and so mild.
It felt a wee bit like summer.
So I walked to town to meet a friend for lunch at Milestones on the Inner Harbour.

 Beacon Hill Park has many native lilies growing in the grassy sections naturalized under the mighty oak trees.

They are putting on a spectacular show.

a closer look...

I had to get down low to capture this view

they are so delicate

stunning in their simple form and beauty.

The walk was invigorating but I wore fashionable shoes and by the time I had walked around all afternoon and then walked back home I had a blister on my heel and now I am limping around, grimacing with every step.
The silly thing is that I thought I "should" wear my walking shoes, but opted for fashion over function...a mistake I will not make again!

I sat in the sunshine waiting for my friend to arrive and "played tourist" in my own town.

Observing the scenery and people watching.

clear blue skies prevailed

and you can see how crisp they were against the clock tower above the Victoria Visitor's Information Centre

people were out enjoying the sunshine

whale watching boats were loaded with passengers

the little harbour ferries were busy

the street vendors had their kiosks loaded up with wares

buskers were performing

the bag piper was playing and the sound carried across the harbour

the clip clop of the horse drawn carriages as they made their way along the causeway

this pretty combination caught my eye

I might steal this idea and use it here in our garden

We shared a meal...both of us watch our weight and so we opted to split a burger and a salad.

We did indulge in a glass of wine which we normally do not do but it felt like we were on holiday so we thought it would not hurt.

She is planning a trip to San Francisco so we chatted about what to see and do and where they might want to stay. It has been over 10 years since Mr. HB and I enjoyed a week in that lovely city.

SF is a walker friendly city with charming vintage cable cars that you can hop on and hop off on several downtown lines.

I remember that we walked for hours and hours every day exploring the sights and we ate really delicious meals and I did not gain any weight!

I spied this sign on my walk while going to visit Mother.

Mom is on a Spring cleaning and de-cluttering kick.

Helping her sort, pack and donate what my sister and I do not want.

I think she is grappling with her own mortality 

her 89th birthday is coming up this June

and several of the elders in her condo have recently passed away.

Here in Victoria we are having a real estate boom.

The prices have sky rocketed and there are bidding wars.

It is not uncommon for a home to sell for over 150,000 over the asking price.

On our street VERY close to The Humble Bungalow 

a wee 1912 home that straddles two lots is listed at 1.2 million dollars!

We saw on the news that a 1950's bungalow facing the Fairfield Plaza parking lot sold for a cool million!

I cannot help but think that with these prices there will be many young people who will never be able to afford a home and many will have to move away.

Spring sunshine 

 has persuaded the blooms of this lilac to open up and flower.

This week should yield some answers on my shoulder issue...

part of me wants to stay in the dark and not know 

because IF the diagnosis is surgery

or something more sinister

ignorance might be bliss.

One thing that has come out of this experience 

is that I have SO much more empathy for those who live with chronic pain.

Our health is something we should never take for granted

for many many years I have been guilty of this...

Mother has very few aches and pains

she had a bout with breast cancer and has arthritis in her hands but she has a great attitude.

I wonder if it is her nursing career that helped her put things in perspective or if she is just very accepting of her circumstances and presses on...

she rarely whinges or complains about her health.

Get her started on how much tax she pays or politics 

and fasten your seat belt as she will be on a tirade and her rant can go on for a LONG time!

Well this post just went sideways...

it started out with one thing in mind and now has gone off on a tangent.

Thank you for stopping by...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

OOTD domestic style and some good news.

Is there Glamour in the way that you dress to attend to the everyday domestics?

I do not run around in high heeled pink Marabou mules and a kimono over top of a silk chemise...
while that does sound quite luxe it is far from my reality!

OOTD

Domestics Style

The most important piece is my linen apron

Bon Appetit by Now Designs

(it keeps what I am wearing clean)

White Eddie Bauer shirt

Skinny NYDJ

JCREW Venus Flytrap necklace

slippers

I have been washing windows, clearing the clutter and sorting out some junky drawers.

The laundry is swishing away in the LG machines.

Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE doing laundry?

Ironing used to be a chore until I started ironing by the window

gazing out to the garden beyond 

where I can see the birds and admire the green grass and the flowers.

Some people iron in front of the TV but I never turn the TV on in the daytime.

I do like a great BBC or PBS series 

or something like Last Tango in Halifax or Happy Valley on Netflix 

but that is about all I watch.

The gorgeous Easter bouquet has been front and centre.

I kept it away from the cats when I was not at home as a reader kindly mentioned that the lilies were toxic to cats.

The stamens in the flowers stain anything that they come in contact with so do use caution.

I found this out many years ago and sadly my tablecloth was a goner.

Quite by accident I happened upon these vibrant autumnal leaves 

still clinging to a vine in the blazing afternoon sunshine.

Walking has taken me out of my neighbourhood

finding myself sauntering along the streets of Oak Bay 

gazing at the well tended yards 

looking for some real life garden inspiration.

We have a few beds that need some interesting plants and pots.

The tulips are putting on quite a show this Spring.

Mass planting of bulbs really do have an impact.

The deer have not eaten these...

and this patch is a block from our Humble Bungalow 

where the deer have munched ours down to the soil!

We were informed at the Garden Centre that Deer do not like Hellebores.

We popped this one in a pot out front and we will see if that is true.

There is some encouraging news...

actually it is really really GOOD NEWS!

The predicted 4-5 month long wait for that ultrasound was been reduced to a 3 month wait...

then I thought about it and wondered

why not ask to be put on the list for a priority appointment and take a cancellation.

I am retired and have a flexible schedule 

plus we live close to the office where they do the tests...

and wonders never cease

they called me!

By the end of the week I will have my test and next week I meet with the specialist.

So we are in the queue and will see what is next.

In the book front I finally finished reading The Luminaries.

It took me ages as it was 822 pages and very detailed and had a convoluted storyline.

And now for something completely different!

The Love Market from our wee library box across the street looked interesting...

It is written by an English born author, Carol Mason who now resides in BC.

The book jacket suggests it is chick lit...

will give it a whirl.

Thank you for stopping by, now I must get back to work.

There are some dishes to wash and the laundry needs to go into the dryer.

Cheerio,

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~