France....Food and market memories...

Warm summer evenings are perfect for dining al fresco...
at home or in France.

Fresh harvest of home grown tomatoes and cucumbers...

 the flavours are truly incredible.

Eating freshly picked vegetables reminds me of my trip last year to France 

The markets are full of farm fresh produce and the display and array of food is so tantilizing, sumptuous and inviting. 

Shopping at the outdoor markets is a real pleasure

it is also a very social event.

One meets and greets the seller before embarking on a purchase.

Weekly Market day in Southwest France 

in the village of Valence-d'Agen on the Garonne river 

a town in the Midi Pyrenees 

across from the wee village of Auvillar where our good friends reside...

Cheeses that are rich and creamy ripe and tasty.

We arrived at the market early...

White asparagus is a delicacy here but in France it is quite common.

We are more accustomed to the green variety.

The radishes look so pretty...

we purchased a bundle and served them before our dinner.

We ate them raw dipped in delicious salty butter.

With our baskets filled with fruits, veggies, lamb and cheese...

we stopped at the bakery for a fresh brioche

then a last stop at wine merchants for a bottle of rose.

A glass of rose

 fresh grilled lamb 

fresh asparagus

salad

assorted cheeses

which we ate outside in the sunny courtyard

Ah! the memories of French food are as fresh and crisp as ever...

Our backyard is an oasis on this sunny evening in July.

Not a breath of wind and perfect for dining outdoors.

Grilled steak, boiled new potatoes, and fresh veggies 

(which I drizzled with a balsamic reduction)

The Humble Bungalow Garden is such a peaceful spot on a sunny day...

the front porch is shady and overlooks the hydrangeas out front.

The side area has a stone patio surrounded by roses and hostas and hydrangeas with two comfy chairs just waiting for someone to sit in them.

The back deck looks down on the green grass a perennial border and the new greenhouse.

This may not be located in France but nevertheless is a lovely spot to relax.

A place where one can read and sip a well deserved cup of tea.

I read Michelle's previous book and am eager to start this story...

I read so many books these days since I have retired and think it is such a luxury.

There are so many things that call to me...

flowers, books, fashion, friends, family, events, food, art, scents

life is full to the brim.

The Attitude of Gratitude still rings loud and clear...

And as I draw a close to this post I would be remiss not to show you the 

the lime light hydrangeas that are really looking spectacular this year.

And as a side post Mr. HB and I spent a day with the grand children this weekend 

we wandered along the chip trail near their home and discovered a vintage tractor on a side street...

If this tractor actually works 

I am certain that there would be several eager drivers in our midst!

How is your summer going?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Weekend Paint In...

The Annual Art Gallery Moss Street Paint In was held this past weekend and Mr. HB and I wandered up the road to the Gallery perusing the artists stalls before enjoying a bite of lunch.

Of course we donated to the gallery's fund raising event.

The Victoria Art Gallery is located not far from our Humble Bungalow.

Over 35,000 people were in attendance 

and the street was full of people and dogs...

(almost) everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

This sign was situated just outside a very large pottery display

many people were lined up to get a closer look.

Two fellows were sitting here when I reached for my IPhone and when they saw what I was doing they made a quick exit!

There was another sign, 

one raising awareness of a possible site for a large sewage treatment facility...

it just happens to be on the waterfront at Clover Point Park.

IMO not the best possible site for this kind of facility...

This hydrangea was given to us when my father passed away in 2007.

The blooms are the largest that I have seen since we planted it.

With so many people parking on our street and wandering past The Humble Bungalow I decided that I needed to dress up the front porch a wee bit so I picked a bouquet and popped it on the table by the front door.

This week is going to be a very busy one 

so my computer time is going to be limited.

Hope you have a great week lined up and that you have set aside some time to stop and smell the flowers!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Seeking peace and perspective...in the Humble Bungalow Garden.

The late night news coverage of the violence in Nice, France was hard to watch.

is unsettling...
difficult to process....

I was worried for the safety of our friends who live in the South of France
so I sent off a couple of emails before retiring to bed.

When I woke up I went to the computer and read the emails from our friends confirming they are safe...

Sunshine shining through the freshly cleaned windows was a welcome gift.
The birds were chirping and the garden beckoned...

Coreopsis

I took my coffee outside and wandered in The Humble Bungalow Garden...
I am going to take you along too.

Limelight Hydrangea

Fisherman's Wand

Limelight Hydrangea blooms are quite large.

Calla Lily

The flowers and birdsong are calming...

I understand that

world events are beyond my control.

All I can do is control my own reactions to these events.

My current novel...

sitting quietly reading with a cuppa on the porch.

This lovely Hollyhock is blooming in a garden nearby...

The delicate crepe papery petals reminds me of our Romneya Coulteri.

Romneya Coulteri

I find solace when I am immersed in domestic routines 

like polishing silver,  

weeding the garden 

or 

cooking in the kitchen.

 ~ Stuffed Peppers ~

Two recipes popped up at the top of my google search for stuffed peppers

I added some other ingredients that I had on hand.

Halve the peppers and remove the seeds.

Cooked rice

add

sun dried tomatoes, corn, olives, basil, onions, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic 

Mix to blend in a bowl.

Stuff the peppers

top with tomato sauce and grated cheese.

Chill until time to bake.

Cover loosely with foil

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. 

Without them humanity cannot survive."

~ Dalai Lama ~

Chester looking rather relaxed on the front table in the entry hall.

He uses the wicker chair behind him as his scratching post.

He is a naughty boy, but is so cute that he gets away with it!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Books, Bedding, and Bouquets...

Summer reading...
I love having a stack of books ready and waiting for summer holidays.

Reading has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember...
The summer of 1960 we moved to Oak Bay and the first friend I met was Diane.

Her family lived up the block from us and we hit it off right from the start...
they resided in a charming heritage home tucked away, it was actually hidden from the street, surrounded by a lovely large garden.

We spent many lazy sunny afternoons playing in her garden that first summer.

I learned how to read at Monterey School using the Dick and Jane readers and became interested in other books. The Anne of Green Gables series, Trixie Beldon, The Famous Five series, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Box Car Children were among my favourites...

After playing outdoors all morning,
we would retire to read in her cozy bedroom nestled under the eaves.

We started reading novels voraciously...attending a library club one summer at the Public Library. Our mother's permitted us to take the bus downtown...Victoria was a small town and much safer in those days. We read so many books that summer and collected a stamp for each book we read...the program was called "Circus McGircus."

In our preteen years, we started listening to music and developed crushes on the Beatles. We owned a TV and her family did not, so she came to our house to watch The Beatles on Ed Sullivan...a lot of screaming ensued, and my parents were not amused!

We would peruse the Beatle fan magazines that her English aunt would send in the post...I had a huge crush on Paul McCartney, and if my memory serves, I think she liked John Lennon.
We even wrote fan mail to Paul and John at The Beatles Fan Club!

As we grew older our taste in reading changed and Diane and I went our different ways...she now lives back east and I stayed in town,
we are now "FaceBook friends."

The love of reading was fostered early in our lives and continues to be strong.
Fostering the love of reading is important and one needs to start early....
reading regularly to babies and children is the best way I know of to get them into the habit...and there are so many great kids books available!

Lands' End had a 50 % off sale on one item on the 4th of July.

I jumped at the chance and ordered some linen bedding 

linen sheets have been on my list for several years.

Bunny is test driving them...

These are the flax colour and soon I plan to buy a linen duvet cover.

Love love love this bouquet!

 Thorn and Thistle put this beautiful bouquet together for our darling daughter's elopement photo shoot.

OOTD

NYDJ skinny jeans

London Fog polka dot trench coat

Sperry espadrilles

I arranged to meet a friend for lunch this week.

We met at a popular Victoria institution...

Pagliacci's on Broad Street.

You need to be there early or wait in line until a table is available.

They are well known for their pasta and focaccia bread.

After lunch we perused Russell Books

then parted ways 

as I was totally immersed in searching the shelves for more books!

The newlyweds will be home soon...

looking forward to seeing all the pictures taken by Kim Kaylyn Photography.

What books are you reading this summer?

Any titles worth sharing?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Elopement flowers...

By the time you read this post
our darling daughter and her fiancee will be married...

Married!

Such a joyous occasion to stand before each other
in a beautiful setting by the sea
to pledge their love and future years together
as husband and wife.

The Humble Bungalow Kitchen 

looks like a flower shop.

Hey Jude!

Thank you for your timely blooms...

I was worried that this stellar David Austin rose "Jude the Obscure" would have finished flowering 

as it has been going steady since early May.

We also ordered flowers from our favourite shop Thorn and Thistle Flowers 

so there are going to be two bouquets.

One for the actual ceremony and one for the photos.

~ a simple garden bouquet for the bride ~

~ a boutonniere for the groom ~

The Humble Bungalow Kitchen 

was in need of tidying by the time I had finished arranging all the flowers.

Putting together floral arrangements and bouquets over the years

for special events and parties has been fun.

Flowers play such a big part in my life.

 Growing them in the garden and arranging them in vases and posies

has been a rewarding and creative endeavour.

Flowers add such beauty and ambiance to a home.

I cannot imagine life without flowers...

The wee library on our street is a great source of books 

 the neighbours read quite a lot and they drop off and exchange novels 

with great regularity.

"Sisters" by Claire Douglas sounds like a good read...

It will need to wait until after 

I finish Elin Hilderbrand's novel "The Island" 

which I am enjoying immensely...

This morning I whipped around the house and got all my chores done then I took myself out for a long walk to get some fresh air and exercise.

The sights and sounds were just what I needed.

While I was walking I got several texts and photos from darling daughter taken at the service.

The weather co-operated with oodles of blue sky and loads of sunshine 

Such a beautiful day for their ceremony.

Next time I see our darling daughter she will be married!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~