France, French Food and Friends...

This month is the anniversary of my trip to Paris and the SW of France...
While recalling the details of my trip...I cannot help but smile.
I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to visit Paris.
It was a dream come true.

I looked at all the France travel snapshots that I have on my lap top...
and they brought tears of joy to my eyes.

The love locks now removed as they were causing the railings to break.

Notre Dame

Saint Germain Des Pres is where I stayed and it was a lovely neighbourhood for walking,

 shops, boutiques, cafes, bistros, boulangeries and markets.

This classic bookshop is popular with tourists and has been in business for many years.

My love for Paris is very much alive and while a future trip is not in the works

 I want to read a few books that are set in Paris.

"Armchair travel" can transport you if you use your imagination...

Looking for books and novels that are set in Paris online has been fun and I and have complied a substantial list.

Many are available at our local library and a handful are in stock at my favourite book shop, 

Ivy's on Oak Bay Avenue.

Auvillar France

this wee house is where our friends John and Cheryl live.

They are moving to France on a permanent basis and we went to Vancouver to say our goodbyes...

Cheryl is a very talented artist.

She had a sale and sold most of her paintings and all her supplies from her studio.

They have sold their boat, car and are selling or giving away most of their things.

This week they are finishing up the packing and will be flying off to France.

We snapped up one of Cheryl's paintings as soon as we heard that she was having a sale.

We will miss them dearly.

The weather was sunny and hot while we were in Vancouver.

We walked for many hours exploring the city.

I had a "bee in my bonnet"

looking for a sunshine yellow printed silk scarf 

to wear with my new navy and white polka dotted trench coat.

(and my sunny yellow walking shoes)

Shopping for a scarf proved difficult as the shops are not showing much yellow.

I might have found one at Hermes 

but thought I would be patient 

and look in the consignment and thrift shops for a vintage one.

Candles were an easy fix.

Holt Renfrew keep these lovely scented Diptyque candles stocked on their shelves.

Laduree opened on Robson and there are line ups out the door!

Macarons are a sweet indulgence and now that they are readily available 

one has no excuse not to enjoy them on a regular basis...

a wee bit of Paris has come to Canada!

We dined at Vij's at their new location on Cambie.

Vikram Vij was on hand to greet us and we savoured a delicious meal.

The Bistro Wagon Rouge is the tiny little French restaurant where we enjoyed a flavourful feast.

The bistro is very popular and they do not take reservations 

so they send their diners down the street to a distillery called The Odd Society 

to have a cocktail until the table is ready.

We spent the weekend walking, shopping and eating with our friends.

My current novel...almost finished.

My Paris Book List

The Hotel on the Place Vendome

Tilar J. Mazzeo

Lessons in French

Hilary Reyl

Books, Baguettes and BedBugs

Jeremy Mercer

I'll See You in Paris

Michelle Gable

A Moveable Feast

Ernest Hemingway

My Paris Dream

Kate Betts

Bonjour Tristesse

Francoise Sagan

Madame Bovary

Gustave Flaubert

The Flaneur

Edmund White

The Dud Avocado

Elaine Dundy

The Only Street in Paris: Rue de Martyrs

Elaine Scilini

I have read so many books on Paris but there are lots still to discover.

I have a favour to ask...

if you have read a book that is set in Paris that you would recommend  

please mention it by sending me an email or by writing a comment.

Merci Beaucoup

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

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 ~