Riotous Roses in The Humble bungalow Garden...Home Sweet Home!

Fragrant mauve phlox, a volunteer plant in our garden.

Roses on the arbour...

Constance Spry and Paul's Lemon Pillar climbing Roses intertwined together

a marriage that gets better every year.

I've got loads of deadheading to do...

and I plan to pick a bouquet to bring indoors.

We have been away on a road trip to Cranbrook BC this past week 

to meet up with family for a celebration of life.

It was a great opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery of BC...

we rarely travel long distances by car

as we usually fire up the Sea Ray and head out on The Salish Sea...

or catch the ferry to our cottage.

We are home,

the cats are happy

they have been tended by a  house and cat sitter

and 

we are nestled into our comfy sofas.

Happy to be HOME!

Hope you have enjoyed seeing the garden roses...

they keep us busy but they do provide us with an amazing display....

and their fragrance is intoxicating.

People stop and sniff the blooms out front when they walk by our bungalow!

 ~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Esquimalt Lagoon Walk ~ An Artist's driftwood sculptures

My sister and I met up for a beach walk at The Esquimalt Lagoon and were able to take in the wonderful sculptures that "Brother Paul" has created...

Hope that you enjoy the various beach art creatures by Paul Lewis.

Public art is free for all to enjoy 

 this beach art has brought more people to the lagoon

 many people

like myself were taking photographs.

It's wonderful to mix up the areas and vistas that one can emjoy while getting some fresh air and exercise.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

 ~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

White Wednesday...published on Tuesday!

Do you remember when bloggers posted White themed posts on Wednesdays?
There were bloggers who also posted Wordless Wednesdays...

I have not been aware of either of these Wednesday themed posts of late...
have you? I know its only Tuesday but I am publishing this early as I have it ready ahead of time!

I was recently driving by on my way to get groceries

when I spied a few tables out on a lawn 

there was a garage sale in full swing...

a parking spot was open out front 

so I stopped to browse.

It's been ages since I've stopped at a garage sale.

The usual bits and bobs were on offer 

books, jewelry, kitchen and household stuff and clothes.

These matte white pottery elephants caught my eye.

I think they are quite sweet.

I do love how they look like a happy family...

a trunk show of sorts.

Have you heard that it is good luck 

if the elephant ornaments have their trunks pointed up in the air?

I was told that years ago...who knows?

I wasn't sure where I would find room for them 

but I knew that I had to buy them and fortunately I had a toonie in my wallet!

The McCoy matte white basket weave jardiniere's that hold our kitchen utensils and wooden spoons have been serving us well over the years.

Alliums in the Humble Bungalow Garden

 my post would not be complete unless I shared a few more of our roses...

in keeping with the theme

these ones are white.

Climbing Iceberg Rose

Close up...

pure white, pretty and elegant.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by

The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

OOTD...

I've been wearing white jeans and white linen pants these past few weeks and mixing them with denim shirts, chambray tops and here with a thrifted denim jean jacket.

NYDJ white jeans

Marks Work Warehouse white top

Guess silver sneakers

No Name denim jacket

(the tag was cut out)

I am at Marshall's looking for a new top to wear with my dressy white UP pants.

You can see my messy hair...

it's growing 

but not as fast as I would like it to!

I have to persevere and be patient until the short layers are longer.

I found a top and some birthday gifts for our darling granddaughter Isla 

who is turning 8 in June!

Where does the time go?

She is growing up just so fast!

The top is striped in blue and white

the silhouette is flattering as it camouflages some of my wobbly bits!

The garden is keeping me quite busy these days...

watering all the potted plants

 dead heading the roses

weeding.

I just get "caught up" in one section and then I have to start all over again!

I love being able to pop outside and pick our roses 

 bring them inside and arrange a bouquet

or as in this case give them to a friend

who hosted a celebration of life for a former colleague 

who died unexpectedly

at the age of 70.

Which reminds us all that we need to live each day to the fullest.

Carpe Diem ~ seize the day!

We paid tribute to our dear friend and colleague Ray 

in a beautiful garden 

where we used to have our year end staff parties.

His wife attended and there were lots of hugs, tears, a toast and many stories were told.

She was very fragile 

but was so glad that she was there 

as she realized how much he meant to all of us 

 we were able to tell her about the kind things that he did for so many 

 students and the staff.

Here are two David Austin Graham Thomas roses.

They are heavily scented large sunny yellow blooms.

If you grow many roses as I do you'll come to realize

That they require attention and TLC

like offspring

if they are to thrive and grow.

I only choose varieties that are fragrant, hardy and are repeat bloomers.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

Hope your weekend has some fun packed into it.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Book chat...at Quarterdeck Cottage

I devoured the book Bella Figura written by Kamin Mohammadi

It "spoke to me" on many levels and the author included Italian recipes at the end of each chapter...I am going to keep it and put it on my cookbook shelf!

I was so inspired by her descriptions of the food 

that I made the pasta dish for dinner at the cottage.

Kamin describes the Italian city of Florence and the hills and villages of Tuscany so exquisitely that I felt that I was right there with her...

I am not going to give away any of her "secrets" but I did take away some very important tips that I will be incorporating into my daily regime.

I highly recommend this book...

Look at these fresh heirloom tomatoes!

Seriously flavourful and an easy salad to prepare...

you could dress it with a smidgen of good quality olive oil or do as I did.

I used Julia Childs' basic vinaigrette that I mix in a Bonne Maman Jam jar.

'Tis the season for Farmer's Markets and fresh produce...

I love the variety and availability of these roadside stands

 my basket is stuffed full to the brim

overflowing 

with healthy tasty veggies.

The bounty of beach combing is the expanding collection of sea glass.

Fresh air and exercise are benefits of this hobby.

Clam Shells with barnacles dot the local beaches.

The twinkling light bouncing off the Salish Sea

 a million diamonds dazzling....

the melodic waves are licking the shore

the seabirds are swooping

the cacophony of songbirds is music to my ears

contentment found in the beauty of nature

to slow down

to notice

to be silent and observe

these are times that I treasure

for they present me with

opportunities

 for reflection and gratitude

Do you find solace in the beauty that surrounds you?

Are you able to be still, sit quietly and absorb the gifts of Mother Nature?

We had a busy weekend here in The Humble Bungalow Garden...

there is a bounty of flowers

a riot of roses blooming 

the wee hummingbird babies can be seen in the nest...

two very tiny beaks pointing skyward waiting for food from their parents.

Hope you have a lovely week.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~