Cozying up at Quarter Deck Cottage

With all the chaos is going on in our world these days I decided that a quiet post was in order...

Quarter Deck Cottage...
a cozy place where there is ample opportunity for reflection...
time for daily walks exploring the local beaches and country roads
a place to quietly sit and read our books
watch the ferries pass by
and to cocoon and relax.

A welcome respite in these troubled times...

Salish Sea shimmering in the sunshine.

Autumn foliage

Quarter Deck Cottage

Welcome Bay

a beach walk not far from historic Hope Bay on Pender Island.

Someone has been busy making a driftwood shelter.

The view from the living room of the cottage.

Ferries come and go and we watch as they pass by on The Salish Sea.

This larger ferry in the distance is one of several that carry cars and passengers from Swartz Bay To Tsawwassen on the lower mainland.

The smaller ferries service the Gulf Islands of

Pender, Mayne and Galiano.

It is Cozy inside the cottage...

a gas fireplace and in floor heating really make a difference 

as there is an autumnal chill in the evening.

Arbutus trees are now shedding their bark...

A pod of orcas swam by this morning...

there must have been a dozen of them.

It was difficult trying to capture a picture of their fins

you can just glimpse a small tip of one fin in this snapshot.

Sunset last night watched from the deck outside...

Life takes on a gentler rhythm at the cottage.

Grateful for this place of peace.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Meat Pie for the Mister

Lately on my WW regime I have been eating different food than my husband.
Mr. HB likes to have a hearty meal and I have been avoiding heavy meals, preferring to nibble on salads with a small amount of protein.

The reduced point plan has definitely been a success as I am closing in on my goal weight and have about 5 pounds to lose.
Last week, or rather the past 10 days I hit a plateau and the scale stayed at the same weight which I find rather discouraging, but I press on...

Encouraged by the results so far I continue to be mindful of what I eat and the portions that I put on the plate...if I have a larger lunch, I'll opt for a smaller dinner.

The meat pie recipe that I served Mr. HB follows...

Meat Pie

Brown 1-2 pounds ground and stewing beef in a small amount of oil.
Add 1 large onion and cook until soft.

Chop and dice:
3 carrots
3 ribs of celery
3 medium sized potatoes
1 parsnip
1 small turnip

Add to beef and onion mixture 1/4 cup flour,
blend to coat and cook for a few minutes then add 2 cups beef stock.
Season with salt, pepper, and thyme.

Add all the vegetables and simmer with the lid on until they are cooked.
Pop in a cup or 2 of frozen peas and put lid back on and let simmer while you make the pastry topping.

Pastry

In a bowl measure 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 tsp salt then mix it together.
Cut in 1/2 cup cold butter with a pastry blender until butter is coarsely blended.

In a cup measure
beat 1 small egg with 1 tsp vinegar
add just enough ice water until it measures 1/3 cup.
Drizzle into flour and butter mixture and mix to form into a disc.
Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill.


Place stew mixture into an ovenproof dish.
Roll pastry put on a lightly floured board large enough to cover stew and leave a little bit overhanging the edge to crimp and seal it in.

Cut vents in top of pastry and bake at 400 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or just until pastry is golden brown.

Before baking

Dinner is served !

I highly recommend this wee Weight Watcher calculator.

It has simplified my shopping choices and makes it fast and easy to calculate the points of any products using the nutrition information on the package.

My favourite snack these days is a tart crisp freshly sliced apple 

served with 2 wedges of Laughing Cow cheese and 2 Wasa rye crisp crackers.

I will opt for this mid afternoon with a cup of tea and it keeps me satisfied until our dinner is served  around 7 o'clock.

How is your weekend going?

Anything fun and exciting to share?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Thrift shopping...OOTD

The Thrift Shops have been so good to me lately...

This freshly purchased vintage leather bag is coming home.

I have posted about how I have been lusting after the Mulberry Amberley bag.

 The Oxblood leather is sumptuous

the details are simple 

classic and stylish.

I have been slow...

hesitating to make a move 

for several reasons...

there is no store here in Victoria or Vancouver 

where I can see and try on it on

the price point is higher than what I usually spend

so I have been re-evaluating

so when I saw this vintage bag 

which is made with embossed leather

about the same size

with a flap and similar interior compartments

I decided to give it a try.

OOTD

The new Ralph Lauren denim shirt 

with my skinny NYDJ jeans

Clark flats

Casual dressing making the rounds at the thrift shops 

paired with a silk scarf tied at the neck.

This shirt will get plenty of outings...

I am considering wearing it with:

 a boiled wool grey skirt and pearls

black skinny Calvin Klein knit pants

white denim NYDJ jeans

Ralph Lauren pull on denim pants

black leggings and a black Barbour quilted vest

Not sure why I have not had a denim or chambray shirt in my wardrobe for so many years...

I feel like I have been missing out on a major workhorse in ones repertoire!

I also found a lighter blue Tencel shirt with similar features...

am wearing it today with black leggings.

Feeling such gratitude for so many reasons...

friends, family, grandchildren, a roof over our head, our cozy home, the cats, flowers in our garden, the veggies that Mr. HB so lovingly cultivates and grows,

I vow NEVER EVER to take life for granted.

It's a beautiful rainy morning

one of the first Fall days.

Hope you have a fabulous week!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Inspired by Janet at The Gardener's Cottage

Janet writes the beautiful blog The Gardener's Cottage from Redlands California.
I've been an avid reader and follower for many years and every time I see her new post pop up I get excited! I know that I am in for a treat!

There are many reasons that her blog is a favourite of mine...
from the charming cottage that she and her husband Larry have lovingly restored, to her exquisitely curated furnishings and home decor,
the tasty recipes,
her beautiful garden and oasis of calm,
and of course her refined and honest personal style...
Janet's is a "must read blog" in my humble opinion!

Janet has recently redesigned her blog...
and she has been posting more frequently which thrills me no end!

Janet posted about an outfit that we probably already own here..
I do own jeans...but did not have the shirt.

It's been on my radar ever since I read this post and I must admit that I have been obsessing about finding the right shirt...

I discovered after trying on several styles that I need an extra large size.
The buttons and snaps were gaping at the chest and everywhere else
the shirts would fit, so finding "The One" proved to be a challenge...
but I do love a challenge!!

Yesterday I found a shirt that fits and flatters.

It's by Ralph Lauren and in a Petite size

and it was on sale!

It has pearl snap details.

Which made me think of my bubble gum pearl necklace.

Pearls and denim 

perfect paired

with my skinny NYDJ jeans.

A new look for this Hostess thanks to Janet at The Gardener's Cottage.

How's your week going?

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

New dress...

The black bamboo dress that I donated left a void in my closet that begged to be filled. A few empty hangers are now languishing in our closet...

That bamboo "understated" black dress was the one that I wore to many events...
from my retirement celebration...to the theatre, dinners out, Christmas, a staff party, a funeral, bridge luncheons, date nights....

I knew that I needed to find a replacement dress
but I had no idea that I would find one so quickly.

The dress I found is patterned and has body and weight so it hangs well.

I plan to wear black or grey tights with it and depending on the event either my new Chelsea Boots or black shoes.

 For a dressier look I can opt for sheer charcoal hose and black kitten heels

and add a vintage brooch for some pizazz.

Hard to capture this well as the fitting room is so tiny.

(I also am wearing my NYDJ boyfriend jeans underneath!)

You can see the jeans underneath 

but I was in a hurry 

as I was meeting up with my DIL and the grandchildren for a lunch date!

pockets come in handy

sleeve detail

Made by Masai and purchased at a consignment shop in Oak Bay.

Not everything I own has to be new.

New Clark's Chelsea Boots

I'll be wearing these most days every week for the forseeable future.

It has been a wee bit of a shopping frenzy lately...

not my usual habit but I have been fortunate to find some of the things that I need to replace the tired and worn out pieces that I have purged from my closet.

I've been very lucky at the thrift shops too...

several new key pieces have been found at bargain basement prices.

I'll post more on these soon.

Have you found anything on your list for Fall and Winter?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~