Technical Glitches....

Greetings from The Humble Bungalow

we are currently experiencing technical difficulties...

my Mac Laptop is 8 years old and will no longer support the new updates on the software I need.

As a result Blogger has been persnickety.

Bear in mind that I am not that tech savvy so the fault may be mine.

Blogger has changed the format to a more secure way for users to view blogs which protects both user and blogger from Malware and bots. They recently suggested that we check our blogs for mixed content and I am unable to do this too because of my outdated software and laptop...

 When I post a new post it takes about 5 hours for it to show up in the Blogger Feed...

Messages pop up on my screen in blue saying Aw Snap!

Parts of my posts disappear...

I am frustrated and I do apologize.

I cannot afford to spend time writing posts if they just disappear...

washed away in the sand by the ocean!

So I am in the process of getting a new Mac laptop...

and I may still need to get some expert advice.

So please bear with me.

Thank you for your patience...

I wish that technical issues were as simple and "low tech"

as sweeping...

or home keeping...

Time for Tea!

While it does not fix everything it can go a long way to making me feel better.

So with that thought in mind I leave you for a bit...

 in 5 hours you "should" be able to read this post!

(fingers crossed!)

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Getting My Happy On...

If you follow me on Instagram you are probably already familiar with my frequent use of the "hashtag"....  #gettingmyhappyon

In a nutshell, they are the small things in life that make or keep me in a happy frame of mind.

So with that thought I wondered if you would participate in a wee exercise?

Are there any particular things that you do to keep yourself feeling upbeat and positive?

I could make a list, as I have done many times on The Humble Bungalow Blog but why not throw it open to you and see what ideas you have? Let's brainstorm and see what fun we might have sharing our individual hints.

Are your favourite "getting your happy on" habits free ?

Are they luxurious and expensive?

Or vintage, minimal, classic and timeless ?

Are they creative pursuits?

Do you prefer to be alone or in the company of others?

Does the beauty of nature play a big role in "getting your happy on?"

"Love is energy of life. "

~ Robert Browning ~

I look forward to reading your comments 

and I hope that we can inspire each other by sharing our thoughts and ideas.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog today.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Weekend Dinner Party and a Yummy Salad Recipe

Our daughter is going to be wed to her Kiwi fiancee this summer in an intimate ceremony on one of the beautiful Gulf Islands just off our coast.
We were introduced to our future SIL's father and step mom on the weekend and we celebrated by hosting a casual dinner here in The Humble Bungalow.
The Marlborough area in New Zealand is where they reside and they own and run an award winning olive grove and make olive oil...they gave us a bottle and I cannot wait to try it!
Marlborough is well known and famous for their vineyards and top notch wines so we wanted to introduce them to some of our BC wine and local seafood.

We served a very simple dinner and we sipped a Sandhill Pinot Gris from a BC Winery in Oliver.

We were celebrating our future SIL's birthday and getting acquainted with his father and step mom. The conversations were animated and we really got on well.
Such lovely people, warm and friendly, it feels as though we have been friends for a long time.

Dinner menu:

Cheese and olive platter with candied smoked wild salmon for the appetizers
Salad
Baby new potatoes with butter and chopped fresh mint
Salmon glazed with soy sauce and drizzled with maple syrup
Chocolate mousse with raspberries

I tried a new salad which was colourful and full of flavour.
Here is the recipe...
I have not indicated quantities because it is so easy to adapt the amounts to make more or less depending on how many you are serving.

Yummy Salad

A variety of salad greens and I added radicchio for colour
cooked beets (I used baby beets and quartered them after cooking)
radishes sliced
roasted pumpkin seeds
sliced green onions
goat or feta cheese crumbled

Put all these gorgeous ingredients in a large salad bowl.
(I used a shallow white bowl to show the rich colours of this salad)

Dressing

1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of fresh dill or 2 tsp. dried dill weed
salt and pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Put all the ingredients in a large jar and shake until emulsified and dress salad just before serving.

I ate the leftovers today (a wee bit soggy but yummy!)

I am half way through this book and am having difficulty putting it down.

It is well written and very interesting...and yes it is on my Paris themed reading list!

(I have it on good authority that Tilar Mazzeo is residing in Victoria for several months of each year)

Well I must get a move on and tackle some of the domestics around here...

no more excuses!

 After I have finished them I am going to pop the kettle on and sit for a bit and read my book!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Sunday morning and giving thanks...

Darling daughter (@thing_finder on Instagram) and I recently hosted a fund raising auction to aid the victims of Fort McMurray Alberta who have been displaced by a raging wildfire.
We have notified the winners, they have graciously paid for their items and their parcels will soon be on their way...
The Red Cross will receive the donation and it will be matched by the Canadian Government.
It has made me feel better knowing that a family will benefit from this small gesture.

Sending you thanks...

Small pleasures...

Mr. HB picked me a bouquet of yellow roses from the garden.

Graham Thomas is a hardy and disease resistant David Austin climbing rose.

One of my favourite roses.

(it is really difficult to pick a favourite David Austin Rose as they are all so lovely)

Humble gestures of

 helping

performing random acts of kindness

volunteering

there are so many ways to show that you care.

They need not be grand gestures...

 the thoughts and actions of a small group can come together can make a big difference.

"I am a huge believer in giving back and helping out in the community and the world. Think globally, act locally I suppose. I believe that the measure of a person's life is the affect they have on others." 

~ Steve Nash ~

(NBA star Steve Nash was raised in Victoria BC and he has just been awarded the Order of Canada.)

Wishing you all a very Happy Sunday.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Humble Bungalow Home and Garden...

It has been a frenzy of activity here these past few days...as we have had a crew of painters here scraping and prepping the exterior of our Humble Bungalow in preparation for paint.
The cats have been running around to the windows and watching the men on their ladders...the noisy sanders have been loud and I was on deck to provide refreshments (cookies) as a self proclaimed Hostess I do have a reputation to live up to!

Oops someone left a cedar shingle on the patio!

Today all is quiet and I can hear myself think...the dish washer is going through its cycles but I can still hear the birdsong outside my window and it is music to my ears!

This pretty purple plant is in a neighbours garden and the bees just love it.

When I walked by I could hear the buzzing and watched as perhaps 50 bees gathered pollen.

Further down the block these beautiful artichokes are growing right beside the sidewalk.

I'm tempted to ask for a sample...

Artichokes have such interesting and intricate details.

Our Humble Bungalow Garden is a riot of colour and the roses are in full bloom.

Our roses are really putting on a spectacular show.

They love the warm weather and the sunshine.

This pink rose is the climber Madame Gregoire Staechelin.

Joesph's Coat of Many Colours

The blooms are bright orange when they first open and then they get tinges of yellow on the edges of the petals as they fully open up.

Iceberg is a reliable and hardy climbing rose which rewards us with many pure white flowers.

The cats do not usually nap in the same place but we caught them in the act and I had to take a picture because I think they looked quite cozy. They are sleeping on top of our vintage English Pram!

You still have a day to bid on the Hermes scarf and Pyrrha necklace if you are interested...

all the details are in the previous post.

Well that's about it for now...

I must get out for my walk as it is a beautiful sunny morning.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~