Rome Italy...(part 1)

My husband picked me up at the airport yesterday afternoon and I felt very emotional seeing him after three weeks away...
we are rarely apart more than a few days.

When we got home the cats greeted me warmly...
Pepper with a few high pitched chirrups and Chester with purring and rubbing up against me.

Sleep came easily about 9 pm our time... 4am Paris time!
I was woken at 4 am by fireworks going off on the street and fell back into a deep sleep until 6 am when I got up to feed the cats and make the coffee.

The carry on is unpacked, laundry is done, we went out for lunch, got groceries, went for a walk along the sunny waterfront and here I am already typing...
keen to write a blog post.

Will start off in Italy with a few snapshots of the B&B.
We stayed in the Monti area of Rome. A fabulous place to be situated for ease of walking to the Colosseum and other sites...also we loved the view!

The view from the upper terrace.

You can see the Colosseum at the top in the middle of the photo.

Several popular restaurants are on the street below the B&B.

The covered terrace...

a wonderful spot for morning coffee or a nightcap.

One evening we ate cheese, crackers and sliced meat with our wine.

The weather was hotter than I had expected...

I was glad that I packed sleeveless tops and a straw sunhat.

There are ruins dotting the streets everywhere in Rome.

Considering the vast scale of these original structures 

it would have been quite a feat to build them without modern machinery.

The Altare Della Patria monument in Rome.

I fell in love with the umbrella pine trees...just love their brilliant green foliage.

Sunset 

with the Altare Della Patria monument and statues

taken from the upper terrace at the B&B.

We visited the monument early one morning before it got too crowded.

We took the elevator up to the very top where we had a birds eye view of Rome.

We discovered a bird's nest under an over hang.

Two gulls were very comfortable with all of the photos being snapped!

They must get used to all the visitors!

I've got more photos on Rome.

The Colosseum, Borzoi Gardens and The Vatican.

Will post these

as soon as the fog of Jet Lag Lifts!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Keep Calm and Carry On...3 weeks of outfits!

Trying very hard to keep calm...to sleep and to breathe.

The excitement is building and there are not that many more sleeps before Julie and I depart on our adventure in Italy and France.

This week I kept busy with friends, reading and walking.

I enjoyed a relaxing pedicure at the Willow King Spa and chose a bright red shade of polish for my toes...I am packing sandals as the weather in Rome and Tuscany looks hotter than I expected.

Merrell sandals super comfy for long walks

Clark Chelsea Boots and New Balance trainers.

Rain jacket and yoga pants for the bike ride to the vineyard in Tuscany

They may come in handy for the fishing trip on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Eileen Fisher top and jeans.

Cashmere sweater

I plan to wear this on the plane with the Clark Chelsea boots.

Eileen Fisher jacket 

"Sunken Garden"scarf from Butchart Gardens gift shop here in Victoria.

Hedgren lightweight Cross body bag.

Nyan crinkle dress

Eileen Fisher top and black rayon pants

Tencel chambray shirt which I can layer over the tees and tops.

Camisole and crinkly top which can be worn together with black pants or jeans.

Lingerie, capri leggings, socks, nightie, and a swimsuit.

It all fits in the carry on and there is a bit of room to spare!

I am taking the Longchamp bag as my accessory item.

I packed a similar amount of clothing in 2015 when I went to Paris and France.

Minimalistic carry on wardrobes are easier to pack than you might think.

If we encounter snow I will need to do some shopping!

Hope that the weather will be as forecast and I will purchase something fun in Paris...

It's a beautiful sunny Autumn day here in The Humble Bungalow.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

BTW

Have you seen the Downton Abbey film yet?

It's wonderful, a fabulous story line and the return of the original characters makes it a pure delight.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Travel and home keeping...

Tick Tock...

Our departure for Italy is coming up quite quickly.

  I have been collecting travel sizes of toiletries and make up.

Deciding on which clothes I will pack 

as

 the temperature looks much warmer than I expected.

To distract myself from thinking only about the trip

I've been keeping purposely busy in The Humble Bungalow.

We purchased new graphite grey IKEA Ectorp slipcovers 

to replace the "not so white" ones 

They had stains and have been washed so many times 

that they were looking very shabby...

definitely not "shabby chic." 

We found a plush grey carpet and the room looks so much better.

Chester looks quite at home with the change.

It's odd how we can live with things for a long time 

almost not noticing 

as they fall into decline 

 then one day we just stop and say this is just appalling!

Then we act immediately to remedy the situation in a weekend.

Does this happen to you too?

One of the BEST books I have read all year.

I highly recommend it.

Haunting and beautiful.

The story line is different from anything I have read recently.

It reminded me of story "The Island Of the Blue Dolphins" 

which I read as a child and remember quite vividly.

The ending had a twist which was unexpected...

I won't spoil it for you if you have not yet read the book.

Last month I did a big purge of our knick knacks...

trying to create more "space" by reducing the clutter.

Less to dust, easier to clean and it feels so good.

Our home is very dusty...

Dark wood shows every speck too which makes it difficult to ignore.

Micro fibre cloths and mops get used regularly.

It is a daily job to stay on top of it BUT sometimes I just turn a blind eye...

When I was a young mom at home with two children I was so busy being engaged with the children

that I didn't always have time to do a proper job of house keeping...

So when friends would come by for coffee or a meal 

I made sure that the bathroom was clean and that we had fresh flowers in the house.

I need to remind myself that people who pop by for a visit 

are not here to judge me on my cleaning skills...

I try to keep things tidy and organized but I am not always on top of the dust.

I love this Method cleaner...

This one too!

Autumn leaves and cooler weather...

Fall has arrived!

Green turning to Gold...

Soup weather.

Time for a little Autumnal Porch decor...

Hanging up my gloves for the time being...

going out to the garden centre for some fall decor inspiration.

I may not have time to post again.

I leave for the 3 weeks in Italy and France next week.

You can follow me on Instagram.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Surprises! Flowers and an unexpected Frock...

An unexpected bloom from one of our Calla Lilies...

they were in flower during the summer and most have become dormant.

Not this one!

This beautiful blue hydrangea bloom is outshining the rest on the plant.

Most of the other flowers have faded and are dry and crispy.

If you read my Instagram you'll know that this hydrangea was a gift from my husband's firm when my father passed away in 2007.

It was a small potted plant when it arrived.

Now, years later, it stands about 6 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter!

Am immersed in Where The Crawdads Sing and loving the story so much!

Replenished my supply of serum from IS Clinical.

This serum works hard and delivers on its promise for better skin.

A luggage strap for my carry on.

The book I plan to take on the plane.

I ran errands on Oak Bay Avenue on a sunny breezy Fall day...

to get in more steps and walking I popped into a few of the shops and browsed.

This black Nyan dress caught my eye in the Maresa Boutique

It looked interesting and has some fabulous textural details.

I had not planned to purchase anything 

BUT it spoke to me!!!

It will replace the black textured skirt I planned to take in my carry on.

It will be an easy dress to wear...with hose or capri leggings.

Perfect for the trip to Italy and France.

The garden is still quite colourful...

My desire to get out there and work and weed has completely vanished...

Busy elsewhere in The Humble Bungalow this week.

Packing lists, errands and painting.

We had to rip up the carpets and underlay as we had some rainwater seep in during the last torrential rainstorm.

My husband discovered that the rain barrel

which usually stores then distributes the precipitation to the garden

 via a soaker hose 

(which unfortunately was plugged) 

 so 

it saturated the soil right beside the floor and seeped inside.

He's installed and overflow gauge with a wider solid hose. 

(in case the soaker hose malfunctions again)

Spent several days painting the concrete floor in the guest room.

We have purchased a couple of runners for now and will monitor the situation.

I pass by a garden on my way to the wee lending library and often stop to admire the unusual plants that grow in it.

This pretty pink plant is in the garden across the street.

I have no idea what kind of plant it is but will make sure that I ask 

next time I see our neighbours out in their garden.

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Everyday clothes...

My basic wardrobe has gone through quite a transformation these past few years.
I've purchased a few basics from The Eileen Fisher store on South Granville in Vancouver.

This is my everyday Fall and Winter wardrobe.

Pants

Two pairs of black Eileen Fisher 

 one in rayon and the other a knit.

Jeans

Eileen Fisher 

Ralph Lauren

Vintage America

Sleeveless tops

Eileen Fisher white

Eileen Fisher black

Sympli wine

Tees

Tahari Linen white 

H and M linen white

Wilfred Free grey knit

Karl Lagerfeld printed Paris graphic 

Long sleeved tops

Cable and Guage Black with white polka dots 

Tilley black wrap style 

Sympli black knit

Saint James striped black and white V neck

David Cline grey black white print

Bailey 22 blue Tencel shirt

Holland America souvenir navy and white striped top 

with sequined cruise ship detail on front

Puffy vests

black Eileen Fisher

blue Calvin Klein

Sweaters

Black Goat camel cashmere swing coat cardigan

Black Goat black cashmere V neck tunic 

Multi coloured grey with accents rib knit long vest 

Navy cashmere cardigan

Grey hooded cardigan / jacket style

Skirt

Black textured knit A line skirt

Active wear

Black capri length Yoga pants

Black and grey long Yoga pants

Columbia active wear black jacket

Columbia active wear black rain jacket

Jackets and Coats

Eileen Fisher olive green khaki jacket

Bryn Walker charcoal grey knit 

Saint James beige rain coat

Eddie Bauer down charcoal puffy coat 

Lands' End black down puffy jacket

Vintage denim jacket

I have a few pieces of dressier clothes for special occasions 

which are stored in our guest room closet.

Most items I have had for a long time and many are vintage from thrift shops. 

Saint James striped top and Eileen Fisher vest.

I love how easy it is to get dressed with a small wardrobe.

The key is to have a few basic pieces that mix and match

accessories to add that little extra oomph.

It's been a gradual shift and I have learned a LOT from other bloggers.

Buying fewer pieces, investing in quality long lasting garments just makes sense.

I recently read that the "Fast Fashion" industry 

is the top contributor to climate change.

Eileen Fisher offers clothing recycling 

where EF garments are redesigned and made into new pieces of clothing.

The company also sources organic materials.

Her ethical approach to the fashion industry is one of the reasons that I am willing to pay a little more for a garment.

Feeling better wearing something that is not harming our planet.

Everlane is a company the Janet at The Gardener's Cottage is passionate about.

She received a lovely cashmere sweater from them made using recycled cashmere...recycling fashion is just such great news.

Comfortable too, showing up in the same or similar outfits.

No more feeling pressured to continually

spend money.

Instead the extra money I can use for...

Experiences, travel, date nights with my husband,

home improvements

lessons and clothes for the grandchildren.

Rainy day today...

perfect for getting some things done inside The Humble Bungalow.

Laundry has been accomplished...

A Fall pot roast dinner has been prepped.

I've repainted the hobby room floor as it was getting chipped by years of wear.

After I publish this post

 I plan to pop the kettle on and enjoy a few chapters in my current book

Miss You by Kim Eberlen

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~