Food, friends and flowers...

Glorious pink rose blooming in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

Pretty pink shade and an intoxicating fragrance...

It has been a lovely weekend with friends and family.

We enjoyed having our dear friends from France visit 

we spent hours chatting and catching up....

There was an abundance of food and the wine flowed.

Beef Daube with a baguette followed by a green salad and rhubarb crisp for dinner the night that they arrived.

Tapas following a cruise up the Gorge waterway on the Harbour ferry on Saturday

then dinner out at a French Bistro.

We met our children and grand children for brunch on Sunday

so our friends could reacquaint themselves with Isla and Henry and meet Mira.

After brunch we drove out to the Marina and took our Sea Ray out for a scenic cruise off the Sidney waterfront.

I have a fridge full of food and will not need to cook for a couple of days!

You can see how much food played a major role in our weekend!

I refuse to step on the scale today.

I do not want a shock.

We enjoyed a cocktails on the deck of The Humble Bungalow

The weather cooperated, the sun shone and there was only a hint of a breeze...

We hosted a casual dinner party and invited a long time friend of our house guests.

The menu was simple and tasty.

veggies skewers with goat cheese in balsamic creme

grilled lamb chops 

salad

a dollop of lemon and dollop of mango sorbet 

served with a square a locally made chocolate for dessert.

A reader asked me to post some of my meals and this one is easy quick and tasty.

My plate has a healthy portion of vegetables

1/2 cup rice

small pork chop in a mustard marmalade glaze.

Brown chops in oil and butter.

Cook until no longer pink and remove from pan, cover with foil.

 De-glaze pan with orange juice

stir in grainy mustard

marmalade

add thyme and Worchestershire sauce and blend.

Add chops back into mixture and cook a few more minutes.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Domestic jobs await...

and they will not get done if I keep typing!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Fall is in the air...

There is definitely a feeling of Fall in the air...
the mornings are cool and often we wake to a foggy mist.

The sun peeks out from the clouds and the waters glisten.

Simmering pot of comfort food...

soups, stews and roasts will be back on the menu.

Planter of mums is our nod to Fall in the Humble Bungalow Garden.

The roses are almost done...they have put on a fabulous show this season.

A new book and a cafe creme...

a wonderful way to start the day.

This book is based on Elizabeth Von Arnim's Enchanted April.

I loved the book and I have watched the film many many times...it is one of my all time favourites.

The scenery on my walk has been lovely...

and with the chill in the air I am contemplating buying a few new cozy things to wear.

Perhaps a new walking jacket...

The Lands' End catalogue arrived and they have some bright coloured down filled coats and jackets...my eyes keep hovering over the page with the grape coloured parka!

My weight has also been hovering...

a few ounces up and few down but still holding around 140.

I am going to post a new recipe that is WW friendly so please stay tuned.

We have house guests arriving soon and so I will be busy in hostess mode.

Be back in a few days...

How are you doing with your healthy eating?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Labour Day Long Weekend...

We have been out on our boat for the past few days enjoying a relaxing time with friends and family.

Port Browning on Pender Island

Many boats drop the hook and anchor in the bay.

We tie up at the marina as we do not have a generator on board.

There is a lovely beach just over this rocky outcropping.

Beach combing while walking along the shoreline is an activity that I quite enjoy.

I heard that Ellie passed away...

so sad 

she fought long and hard battling ALS.

I hope that she is at rest and that her family will be supported and surrounded with friends and family to help them cope with their grief.

I read her blog and bought her book and hope that she will now be at peace.

I thought about writing a tribute to her here on the blog but after reading 

The Vintage Contessa 

Stephen Andrew Jones 

 Heather from Lost in Arles 

 I felt that they said it best.

I thought of Ellie on my beach walk.

Clam shells were scattered along the stretch of beach...

A driftwood shelter

Rock with a heart on it...

Heart shaped rocks...

might be a strange thing to collect but I do!

Mr. HB found the last two heart rocks.

Queen Anne's Lace and Chicory line the paths...

such a pretty combination Mother Nature has painted for us to enjoy.

I have been savouring every word of Louise Penny's newest mystery novel.

She is a brilliant writer and I absolutely LOVE her books.

I have several chapters left to finish and so I will close for now...

Hope that you have had a lovely weekend.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

WW pep talk, OOTD, and a few garden snippets.

Hope that you are not getting too bored with the walking and weight watching that is going on here in The Humble Bungalow.
Posting frequently is really helping me to stay on target and sharing seems to be helping some of you, especially those of you who are emailing me behind the scenes.
Keep up the good work and try not to be discouraged...
remember that this is a lifestyle change not a fad or crash diet.
Baby steps...slow and steady...keep your eye on the ball!

Visualize what your target will look like...if it is walking briskly for an hour work up to it...if it is looking at the scale with a specific number in mind...visualize what that will feel like and take note of what you need to do to get there....stay positive and embrace the healthy change.

DKNY light weight puffy hooded vest

transitional piece to wear into the Fall.

Fresh out of the shower with damp hair...

OOTD

long sleeved Tee

puffy vest

jeans

walking shoes

There is nothing glamorous about this OOTD

it is all about function and comfort.

I change out of my shoes and sox and opt for ballet flats after my walk,

~ almost 3 pounds lost ~

Several people have mentioned that they are surprised that I would post my weight on the blog...

they thought it would be so embarrassing

so public!

Well honestly I AM embarrassed

as I have let myself down

by letting the weight creep up on me

by not showing will power and discipline.

Part of the plan is coming to terms with the problem and taking action.

Now let's move on and look at the garden for a bit...

new grass 

"Pennisetum alopecuroides moudry"

planted out front in a  planter

right where the deer love to graze...

wonder if they will munch this one

fuzzy "bottle brush" flowers

variegated grass 

"miscanthus sinesis strictis"

porcupine grass

in another planter by the boxwood hedge

close up of the leaves...

spiky fronds with two tones of green

the city crews came by and poured the concrete this morning

you can see the black plastic casing for the clean out that they installed...

I will be adding some more blue fescue grasses on either side of this clean out 

and now I need to go and find a pretty pot to sit atop the plastic contraption and find some pretty plants to go in it!

New novel which I am enjoying...

I read Alice Hoffman before and had forgotten what a great writer she is 

how she weaves a tale that captures our imagination 

she delves into the most peculiar and unusual of topics.

This one is very curious so far...

I am 80 pages into it but I think it is going to be a very good read indeed.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Walking, weather and waterworks...

Walking in the neighbourhood never gets dull as there is always something beautiful to look at, people to greet in passing and things going on...

Leaves have started to fall...

which is a sure sign that Fall is just around the corner.

I'll really miss the warm weather that we have enjoyed this summer.

It is so wonderful to be able to walk without having to wear a heavy jacket.

Our Humble Bungalow

The city crews have been on site digging up the front bed and installing a sewer clean out at the property line...

of course I have our plants growing on the city's 2 foot strip!

Why would I ever want to leave that 2 foot strip bare?

I can see the trucks and back hoe from my Morris chair in the living room...

The noise was freaking the cats out so they went downstairs

I took myself out for  walk.

Lovely and calm on the waterfront.

Victoria's finest were out practising their ladder skills at Clover Point.

A small crowd gathered to watch as three ladder trucks and crew went through their paces.

This artichoke flower looks so beautiful...

the plants are growing on the city boulevard down the street from us.

(Most of the gardeners on our street have planted things on the city's 2 foot strip)

I finished Elizabeth is Missing and think it was probably the best book I have read all summer.

It is about a woman who has dementia and there is a mystery woven into the storyline.

If you have anyone in your family who suffers from dementia or Alzheimers 

(we do)

it will give you an insight into how that person must feel.

How is your week going?

The garden centre is calling my name...

we need some new plants for our planters.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~