50 Shades of Grey....

The book 50 Shades of Grey has caused quite a stir!
In recent conversations it seems to divide many readers who have read it.

I must confess that I have not read it and will probably not read it.
Have you read it?
What are your opinions on the book?

I have been greying things up quite a bit in the past year or so...
perhaps it's the cat and the kitten that have influenced my passion for grey.

Saks Fifth Avenue

sweater

thrifted when I went shopping with Sheila from the fashion blog Ephemera

long vest by Orange

purchased at Christmas time when I was shopping for others!

basic tank by Bobi

a reliable sturdy layering piece

purchased in the summertime 

on the Avenue after lunching with Mother and my sister.

Faux Fur by Gelco

a fall in~VEST~ment piece

I wear this every week at least once

it's fabulous and cozy.

The new kid on the block

a soft grey cashmere from Lands End

It's what I am wearing today.

I suppose my version would read

5 Shades of Grey!

Have you got an exciting weekend planned?

I am hosting a baby shower for a co worker who is on maternity leave

have a bunch of ladies coming over to our Humble Bungalow for food and fun

and we'll all get to meet the new baby!

I'm enlisting the help of lovely daughter who is going to help me decorate for the shower.

She's got some clever ideas as she's been helping a friend this summer who runs a wedding planning service

and can make me a banner and add a dash of fun.

Enjoy your Friday!

Pins, pans and perfume....

Life around here is nothing too out of the ordinary.
It's ticking along with a more regular rhythm
we are not complacent
just catching our breath
after some recent family medical issues which finds us breathing deeper with our pulses are slowing down.

The Fall weather has arrived with a vengeance
bringing with it gusty gale force winds and the trees are shedding their leaves swiftly.
The old furnace is rumbling as it chugs out warm blasts of air.

Sunday dinners will mostly be roasted and they will certainly be comfort food,
in the sublime form of prime rib of beef, free range organic chickens and the occasional ham.
(vegetarians and vegans look away)

Turkey is reserved for Thanksgiving and Christmas and I do love a great roasting pan.
Luckily / fortunately for me Mr. HB believes in good tools...
so it was last Sunday that found me unwrapping a vast box bearing...

a sturdy roasting pan

"All Clad"

stainless that will accommodate a turkey, chicken, rib roast or a large lasagna

this will be in use on a regular basis in The Humble Bungalow Kitchen.

Thanks Honey!

I have been wearing my vintage pins lately...

if nothing else they start a conversation...

Baroque pearl

marquisites

circa 1920

a gift from lovely daughter

I LOVE this one

it's simple and sparkly

and goes with most everything I own.

Gilmour tunic top

Lands End leggings

Hush Puppies leather boots

"Orange" vest

OOTD

please accept my apologies as

I look tired

I have been busy de-cluttering the downstairs 

as well as being a social butterfly...

I know I have been burning the candle at both ends

( I have made a reservation at the spa...)

a new discovery...

"Passionate Night"

pillow spray

I have never heard of this before and I love this scent.

It is available in a candle or this spray

sadly no perfume...

if it were I'd be buying up a few bottles as the scent is lovely

and I did slumber deep with this scent wafting up from my pillow.

I cheated and spritzed some on my vest this morning so I could enjoy the subtle scent throughout my day.

It's subtle, kind of musky with notes from the Orient.

What perfume do you wear?

Have you worn this for a long time or is it new for you?

Do you like to keep your scent a secret?

~ ~ ~ 

Hostess

The cats are ruling the roost...

Chester our youngest cat has taken to climbing in a big way.
He has been leaping up on top of our kitchen cabinets and walking along the plate rails.

We have taken to clapping loudly to discourage this behaviour when we are home but when we are away he'll be free to climb to his heart's content.

Before 

Rescued in the nick of time...

After!

`

I've got to find a new place for these jars, somewhere safe.

I think I'll display them in my glass fronted cupboards in The Humble Bungalow Kitchen.

I blame it on the birds...

they are flitting about flying and chirping outside these windows.

Chester can see them and being a hunter he'd love to catch them.

He's up on the ledges swatting at the glass, mewing and chirruping.

I know our lives have been enriched by this little fellow

so I am happy to store a few breakables away until this phase passes...

if it ever does!

Pepper and Chester are racing about The Humble Bungalow right now.

It's a game they love to play and good exercise.

I wait until they're tired out before straightening the area rugs that have flown in their wake.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I'm going to embrace random acts of kindness as my focus this week 

I'll see what things I can do to make a difference

or just make someone smile

(perhaps you'll join me)

Have a wonderful week!

And the beet goes on...

Beets are best served fresh and we have enjoyed our garden's bounty this summer.
Sweet and delicious served simply with butter, a grind of pepper and a few crystals of sea salt.

With the weather finally slinking into fall
the fog, the damp and the rain...
It seemed like a good time to pull out the rest of our beets and do something with them.

red beets

yellow beets

Pickled beets

a real treat

which we'll enjoy over the winter.

Do you remember Sonny and Cher?

The beat goes on.

They look so young and in love in this video clip.

Can you see the massive spider's web that has been woven outside our living room window?

It's so intricate.

No sign of the spider though...

I've noticed many webs strung and woven in the garden recently.

Which makes me wonder where these spiders have been all summer long.

When I looked at this web I thought I'd recently seen this design up close.

Then I remembered that I have a pottery bowl by potter Terry Ryals.

celadon green

look closer

The pattern looks rather weblike

perhaps he was inspired by a spider's handiwork.

I don't know how he has achieved this effect

perhaps it's in the firing or a very specific kind of glaze.

All I know is that I do like the finished product.

You can find his works locally in galleries and on Salt Spring Island.

I love to browse galleries for unique gifts for friends and family.

And on a rare occasion I find a treasure that comes home with me!

~ ~ ~

Hope you are having fun and enjoying your day.

Feathering the nest and the quest for red ballet flats...

For those of you who have been following for awhile we are in the home stretch on the renovation front...
soon there will be guests in our Humble Bungalow and I cannot wait to share our fresh new space with them.
Personally I am excited to spend some time with our friends, it is long overdue.
They have been abroad in France, the UK and exotic ports ~ there are many wonderful stories to share.

My job is to make sure they are comfortable here in our Humble Bungalow...
we have fluffed up the towels and are ready to entertain...

I asked Mr. HB if this might pass muster and be hung on the wall.

He gave it the thumbs up and hung it for me.

It's the only nod to colour in the wee bathroom.

Thanks honey!

The weekend is here...

I'm taking Mother out for lunch and some shopping

I'm searching for those illusive red flats

I fear that I may need to shop online as I have not seen hide nor hair of a pair in our city

and I have been looking for far too long!

what have you got planned?

~ ~ ~

Brooches are back...OOTD

Brooches had fallen off the radar for awhile and now I see they are making a comeback.

Six years ago I would not leave the house without a brooch on my coat, sweater or shirt.
They fell out of favour,
at least in the eyes of the fashion authorities and I think I grew tired of them myself...
coincidence perhaps, as I do not really "follow fashion."

My wee collection has been gathering dust in the jewelry chest.
It would appear that the fashion writers have declared them "back in style."

Today I pinned one on just to see if it would "feel right."
Comments and compliments were numerous...
even my students liked it.

A fellow Canadian, Carole Tanenbaum collects and sells vintage pieces.
She's written a book Fabulous Fakes about her passion for all these sparkly gems.
You can see them online and while you are there stop by her blog.

OOTD

black tank top by Symplii

dark denim jeans Gloria Vanderbilt

Black patent leather shoes Josef Siebel

acrylic sweater Devoted

say what you will

some of you will find this extremely tacky

others may think it is fun

one thing I discovered today was that it's a great conversation starter!

Brooch by Sherman

aurora borealis crescent moon

I am including this link to Nat King Cole...Paper Moon

my MIL's all time favourite singer.

She is back in her facility

happy

and the residents missed her...

we have a huge debt of gratitude to our healthcare system and providers.

If you are in the US please give Obama's vision for healthcare the nod

it's everyone's right to have health care...

and please VOTE!

I for one am thanking my lucky stars...

how about you?

~ ~ ~ 

Hostess

Cashmere come to mama...

I knew the warm sunny weather would have to come to an end.
Today we have a grey day with masses of fog draping and weaving their thick blankets in and around our bungalow. You can hardly see outside the windows.
It's frightfully damp and the furnace has come on...

I've gone shopping, from my bed.
Swiftly to Land's End for a warm cashmere sweater in a foggy shade of grey.
"Alpaca Heather."
Perhaps influenced by the weather and the need to be comfortable and cozy, cashmere to the rescue.

You can see my new cardigan details here
 if you are quick you may be able to get that 40% discount like I did!

I highly recommend Land's Ends for their cashmere. My black cardigan is so cozy and is performing well with minimal pilling and washes like a dream retaining it's shape when laundered in a warm water bath of sudsy Aveda Shampure Shampoo and laying it flat to dry.

I hope you are warm and cozy today...

if you are chilly there is always cashmere to the rescue!

Thanks for popping by...

Hostess

Thanksgiving thoughts and Flowers...

Thanksgiving was a blur of cooking and company.
Family, food and flowers...

There are leftovers in the fridge, the silverware and china has been washed and put back for another gathering.
So much preparation is required, new recipes tested and then served with love and care.
It always amazes me how fast it's over...
laughter and hugs,
an adorable red headed grand daughter,
an 84 year old Mother who is now also known as Nana
our grown kids
a husband who generously rolls up his shirt sleeves and gets busy in the kitchen after the guests have all left...
we sip wine in between washing and drying
chatting and sharing the joy that family brings to our lives.

Family mean so much.
They are at the very core of my being.
I am sitting here with my mug of coffee, a tear in my eye and a heart full of JOY.
The Bungalow is quiet but I can still hear the sounds of the family if I listen really carefully
it's as if the walls have ears...

Lovely daughter brought these.

These roses are the last flush of Climbing Royal Sunset.

I hope very much that you have much love in your heart.

It's a great day to go out and have yourself some serious fun today.

In gratitude,

your Humble Hostess

XO