Summer roses...and the goings on here in The Humble Bungalow

Summer is my favourite time of year...
the weather is usually sunny and warm and the garden is looking its' best.
I find my days slip away quite quickly at this time of year.
Busy with the garden chores,
keeping up with the domestics, walking, and cooking.

There is a feeling of weariness after a long hot day and so I am content to sit and read or watch some TV.

The roses are at their peak of perfection...

Days are busy spent dead heading the spent blooms to encourage repeat blooming.

Black spotted leaves are removed and discarded.

So important that they do not come in contact with the soil and spread to other roses.

One of the luxuries of growing roses is that you can pick a bouquet for the home or to give to others...

The fragrant arrangements that I share are always well received and appreciated.

Jude the Obscure and William Shakespeare mingle together and make for a frothy marriage of petals and scents.

Our garden helper has moved to Sooke 

(which is about a 45 minute drive out of town)

she is not longer able to help me once a month 

and I have come to rely on her...

I am in the process of searching for someone to come once a month 

 help with the heavy work, weeding and generally tidying up.

The hydrangeas are making a big statement this month.

These are by our north patio and there are many more limelight hydrangeas 

out front of the Humble Bungalow.

Last weekend our son took us to Sidney Spit in his new speedboat.

We arrived one day after our prime minister Justin Trudeau was there kayaking.

Cuddled up with two of our grandchildren...

we are ready to scoot across the Salish Sea to Sidney Spit.

And we did scoot...40 mph!

Fortunately my hat has a strap under the chin or it would have blown away!

We found a lovely little pool of water near the beach 

Our beach umbrella stuck in the sand, beach towels laid out and the cooler at the ready.

Beach combing, wading, a few games of Frisbee and horse shoes followed before we tucked into our picnic lunch.

Isla and I are chatting and taking in all the scenery while waiting on the bench. Henry, Grampa and our son will bring the car and trailer back to the boat launch.

The bungalow is super dusty right now as we have a stone mason on site.

Our chimney was in dire need of some repair and he is installing a new liner to make it safe for us to light fires in the fireplace.

He is almost finished...

while I have had to stay home more

 I have been busy 

washing the slipcovers and sorting through our linen drawers

rearranging some bits and bobs

gathering up a bunch of things to take to the charity shop.

Oh and I started a new book!

When I was donating at the thrift shop I took a few moments to cruise through the aisles...

I found something that I could not pass up.

a silver tray

love the intricate details

I must close for now and get dinner started...

thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow.

How is your summer going?

Have you found any treasures at the shops?

What are you reading?

Recipes for a bountiful harvest...snapshots and books.

Our annual holiday is over and we had a relaxing time...
I read oodles of books and gained a few pounds.
(no surprise with the amount of reading that I have accomplished!)

Friends who live on the island introduced us to the owners of a stunning waterfront home and garden situated at the end of Pilkey Point on Thetis Island which is known for its beautiful sunsets.

We sat on their deck and sipped a cold beer and marvelled at the views.

Telegraph Harbour Marina is well run and maintained 

by the current owners Tara and Ron...

we have been going to this Marina since the 1970's when it was in Peter's hands.

Despite the lack of water they have beautiful flowers and a lovely garden.

The deep blue agapanthus attract bees.

Buzzing right into a flower.

A fun read that I found at the book exchange at the marina.

We are back home in our Humble Bungalow...
it feels familiar and cozy. The hydrangeas are in full bloom and the roses have another flush of flowers...the greenhouse is yielding our first summer harvest of produce.

Cucumbers and tomatoes

Time for a couple of salads.

I searched online for a new cucumber salad recipe

and found this gem here.

I knew that Jamie Oliver had a great tomato salad recipe in his cookbook.

He had a series on the food network that showcased his garden and he came up with recipes that used what he had growing in his garden.

The cookbook is called Jamie at Home.

I have a few weeks of laundry to catch up on and some groceries to buy...

the garden needs some attention and I have already started a "do " list.

My current book...

also found at the marina book exchange.

I love my Mulberry back pack bag.

Its perfect for the boat 

as it is great for activities like walking, beach combing, hiking.

It holds my extra glasses, cellphone, wallet, lipstick and a few assorted extras.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow today.

I'll be tackling the domestics starting with the laundry as soon as I hit the publish button.

Just out on the front porch...

Limelight hydrangeas and strawberries in a pot.

Cheerio

XO 

Week three...being proactive by getting back into healthy routines.

What I kept...

Going through Mom's things took time as we did not want to rush the process...
there were a few surprises, but for the most part, it was what we might have expected from an organized woman
whose attention to detail was evident in everything she touched.

My sister and I donated most of her clothes...
I saved a grey cashmere sweater and have been wearing it most days.
It feels like a cozy warm hug...
it is as if mom has her arms firmly wrapped around me.

I also brought home some small red spatulas...the kind that one uses when scraping out the last of the mayonnaise or mustard out of a small jar. I don't know what moved me to keep them but they are a practical tool that I will use regularly and take up very little room in our small bungalow.

I kept her recipes in the vintage recipe box.

One afternoon in the coming week I will make a pot of tea and peruse her collection.

It could be like a trip back in time...

she had a large repertoire 

that ran the gamut 

from jello whips to apple pie and meat loaf.

                             Mom had oodles and oodles of knick knacks!
     She wrote a note that specified she was leaving me her antique Maling bowl...

                a blue and white porcelain plant pot finds a new home here
                                   

Mom's condo is listed on the market.

I'll miss sitting on the deck with mom sharing a chat and a cup of tea.

There will be so many things that I will miss...

our telephone calls

walks

shopping trips

laughter

these memories will help to comfort me

 The Humble Bungalow is scented with the heady fragrance of lilies.

(I remove the stamens as they stain everything)

On the horizon...

I plan to return to the practise of Yoga

 am looking at local studios and their schedules.

It really helps with relaxation and I feel energized after the sessions.

Walking is back in my daily routine but having been away from it for almost a month my muscles were reminding me of that saying...

"use it or lose it!"

Thankfully bath salts and soaking in the tub have been helping.

I've got the urge to buy something bright and colourful.

My wardrobe of greys and black feels like it could use a punch of colour.

I haven't felt like shopping in quite some time and this might just well be what they call "retail therapy!"

The days are getting lighter

there is birdsong outside the window

spring flowers are emerging

 simple joys

one delights in

that can temper the sadness

 enfold one in a firm embrace

almost as cozy 

as Mom's cashmere sweater...

There is a sense of relief after these busy few weeks.

The pace has slowed and I was able to indulge in a few quiet days

that were spent at home

getting domestics under control

teas and cafe cremes were sipped 

while gazing out the windows

and

flipping through several French magazines

Cote Sud and Campagne Decoration.

Speaking of France...

I have been wearing the samples that I ordered from the new musc collection

by 

 Sylvaine Delacoutre

The Dovana scent is lovely and may be the fragrance that I order

it has notes of iris, neroli, vanilla, and ambrette.

You might like them too.

I am not affiliated with Sylvaine and have received no remuneration for this mention.

Her website is here.

Hope that your weekend is ticking along nicely.

Thank you for stopping by...

XO

Blooms and walking the walk.

My week has been quite quiet so far...
domestics seem to have worked their way up on my list of things to do.

At the very top of my list is walking.

I need to make it a priority or it does not happen 

too many other things can get in the way. 

After my morning shower I dress in my walking clothes so that I am ready to go.

Sunscreen, sunglasses

House keys and my Iphone in a small hands free cross body bag.

The orthopedic surgeon advised me to swing my arms when I walk.

These beautiful grapes are growing on the boulevard just down the street.

I am surprised that the birds have not been munching on them.

Hydrangeas are still putting on a spectacular display...

more blooms are on their way.

There is a second flush of flowers on the Romneya coulteri...

also known as "the fried egg plant."

I have been busy deadheading the roses and sweeping the porch.

Garden chores never feel finished but thankfully the rewards continue to delight and encourage me until the dreary rains of the winter set in...

Streaky windows, messy cupboards and too many things in my bureau drawers have side tracked me
from relaxing and sitting down
and devouring reading my book.

Why do I succumb to that nagging voice in my head?
I think it was my upbringing...
Work before pleasure.

The story line is quite different from what I usually read 

but I read and enjoyed Garth Steins' book "The Art of Racing in the Rain"

 So when I spied this in our wee library on the Common across the street

I grabbed it...

The wee library is getting a lot of use and the turnover of books is quite amazing.

Many of these small neighbourhood lending libraries are popping up.

There is a website and maps showing where they are located...

ours is on the map!

Hope all is well with you.

The Royal Family are going to be sleeping just a few blocks from Our Humble Bungalow for the next week!

I hope that they love our city as much as we do!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Home keeping...and then some pampering.

Some days it feels like I spend most of my time home keeping.
Cooking, tidying, cleaning, doing laundry, ironing, grocery shopping...

I like the results of a little elbow grease and everything looks so much better.
The Humble Bungalow is actually a nicer place to relax when the mess is less!

I have entire days where I get out and about to walk, play bridge and go out to meet friends for tea! Playing catch up can take its toll but if I put on some music and wear my fitness clothes (with a few pearls) and my trusty French Linen apron I find that I have way more energy to tackle the jobs that need attention.

Today I tended to my orchids...
I watered them, removed the wilted flowers and cut away some of the brown stems then tied up the new shoots to the stakes in the pots.

I wiped down the counter tops and cleaned out the fridge.

Polished the silver and cleaned out a few cupboards and drawers.

Did some laundry and ironing...

love the look of my linen tea towels all pressed and ready for service.

My hands got a little special treatment...

before putting on my cleaning gloves 

I applied a layer of this wonderful hand cream,

  moving about doing chores added extra warmth inside the gloves.

The cream worked its magic and it felt like a Spa Treatment!

With the fridge cleaned out the few bits of leftovers were turned into soup.

~ Leftover Soup ~

Cook and soften in a few tablespoons of oil

 a couple of onions

a diced carrot

2 -3 stalks of celery 

1 cubed pepper (I used a yellow one)

5 sliced mushrooms

cooked about 15 minutes then added

a piece of cooked steak (about 5 ounces) cut into small pieces

tetra pack of stock (beef or vegetable)

leftover broccoli

salt, pepper, thyme (to taste)

Simmer for a few hours so the flavour really blooms

add

a handful of dried noodles

cook until soft and serve or cool and freeze for a later date.

While the soup was simmering I took a wee break and gave myself a facial.

The aesthetician at the Spa mentioned that this was her favourite formula for her clients that have rosacea so I figured it was worth a try...

you mix the mask with a wee bit of water and leave it on 5-10 minutes

(while lying down with eyes closed relaxing and breathing deeply)

 then gently wipe it off with a warm face cloth.

I loved how soft and clean my skin felt after this mask.

I used the Eminence Coconut Age Defying cream after and did not put any make up on for the rest of the day.

except for

~ Mascara and lip gloss ~ 

My home day spent productively actioning domestics and focusing on my skin...

~ life feels better with a wee bit of pampering ~

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Early Saturday morning...reflecting on the events of the week.

I awoke very early this morning and could not get back to sleep...so I got up.

Weekend mornings I usually stay in bed longer and have a slow start to my day.
The coffee creme tasted so delicious that I savoured a second bowl before sitting down and opening up my lap top.

Have you heard of this award winning olive oil from the Marlborough area of New Zealand?
Lusatori is owned by our daughter's fiancee's family.
When they visited we were given a bottle and it is truly amazing!

I made a quick aioli that Dani BP mentioned in a recent comment on my blog.

I have a great easy sauce that my friend Pat gave me last week too, a fake aioli: 1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice, tsp of yogurt and tsp of mayo with fresh herbs thrown in and lots of pepper and a bit of salt, perfect on cold roast chicken and asparagus. Perfect this time of year.

Thank you Dani as it was delicious!

I served it with freshly picked asparagus grown in The Humble Bungalow garden and a store bought roasted chicken and deli salads.

We have been enjoying the Sunshine and Yellow flowers.

Darling daughter wore her citrine and diamond ring when we went out for lunch.

We ate outside in the "secret garden"behind Sally Bun on Fort Street.

They offer healthy food and make fabulous salads.

I am not a huge fan of gnomes but this one was tucked away into the foliage in such a way that it did not scare me!

a bird house in a tree that was inhabited

The canopy of trees makes this spot an intimate place for a quiet respite.

Our hydrangeas are starting to bloom.

The poppies are finished and I am gathering the seed pods to dry until next Spring when I will scatter them about the beds for more plants.

A pale yellow rose whose name remains unknown. 

Something has been munching on the leaves and there appears to be a bit of blackspot on this plant.

Bubble blowing in the garden with our grandson Henry.

Sidewalk Chalk Fun

Henry will be 3 this August.

Isla will be 6 this week...

I marvel at the speed with which time flies.

~ My week was full to the brim ~

several long walks with a friend

some beach time

a wee bit of gardening

the usual domestics

lunches out

time to read my book

play time with our grandson

I played bridge at the club and had fabulous cards

met some new bridge players

celebrated Mother's 89th birthday by taking her out for dinner

and now the weekend is here and we have more fun things planned.

It is time for me to wrap this up and get going with my day.

Hope you have a fantastic fun filled weekend.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~