Monday, May 31, 2010

Peaches n' Green....

I love roses!
Abraham Darby is a top notch performer.



 Petals of peach
 with the chartruese of Ladys' Mantle.



Peaches n' Green
a beautiful pairing.




This is the pairing today.




Our new teak deck furniture arrived.


I enjoy walking in our neighbourhood.
We are a block from the ocean where I tend to walk most often.
 I love to breathe in the salty air
there is usually a breeze
  and fierce gusts of wind are not uncommon.
I find myself garden sleuthing
looking at and making mental notes of ideas and plantings.

The drought tolerant gardens fascinate me...
river rocks, wood features and masses of grasses.
There are the cottage gardens which stop me in my tracks...
I am compelled to smell the roses that are near to the sidewalk.
 The gardeners who are out digging and weeding their patch are easily engaged in conversation...
I wonder about the owners of the gardens where the weeds have grown large and the grass is not trimmed...I am not judging, just curious.
I think perchance an elderly resident
or possibly the home is vacant.

Thinking and breathing come naturally when walking....
meditative mulling of minutiae.

My posts may be shorter and less frequent as I am embracing the walking regime...
 less time sitting at the computer...
 more time pounding the pavement!







Sunday, May 30, 2010

Children and babies....a family they make.


My darling children
born 21 months apart and all grown up now.
It's been over 30 years since I was expecting lovely daughter.
I can remember how I felt during my pregnancies.
Happy and content.
I remember feeling tired at times and napping during the day, 
something I cannot do now unless I am ill.
I was young and in good health.

I am so grateful that we were blessed with healthy babies early in our marriage.
I needed lots of energy to maintain the home and be a mom.
I look back fondly at our days of play.

We were very fortunate that I could be a full time stay at home mom.
We made difficult decisions and did without in order to facilitate this lifestyle choice.

I walked with the buggy everywhere...we had one car and Mr. HB used it for work.
I had to buy a second set of tires for that buggy as I wore the first ones down to the rims!


We lived very simply, partly out of necessity, but mostly because of the children.
I was devoted to them 100%
They were my world, my work, my pride and joy.

It seems like yesterday...
many yesterdays have come and gone.

Today as I sit here and write I can only wonder at the feelings that a grandchild will evoke.
I am certain that my emotions will well up and spill over.



The grandbaby could be born anytime now...the "official date" is June 9th.
Every time the phone rings I wonder if it will be my son telling me that the labour has started.

Grammy's ready and waiting.


Saturday, May 29, 2010

What's in the black box? and it's time for a change.


Piaget, watches and jewelry...since 1874.
A watch brand of quality...they are still creating masterpieces...see them here.


It's a simple black leather box...


made in Switzerland the home of watchmakers for centuries
I do not own a Piaget, or a Cartier, or even a Rolex.
My timepiece is a humble one
and I do not wear a watch often.
I have an armful of sterling bangles jangling and dangling from my left wrist.

When I need to keep tabs on time I wear this,


A large dial which I can read without glasses!
The band is brown leather it is a Swiss made ESQ
If memory serves, it is a man's watch, and I bought it for a modest price.



I wear a vintage gold chain link bracelet or my gold bracelet with diamond hearts when I wear this for dressy occasions or if it's casual the watch is solo.

What do I keep in the box?


      ...an assortment of earrings...
my daughter made me some of these.


Others were made by friends,
 a few are as old as the hills!
My classic pearl studs were a gift from my dear mother...
they were worn non-stop until my first diamond studs made their appearance in 1984.

Some get more play than others, I have my favourites.
I just remembered that my heavy gold hoops are in a safety deposit box...



I tend to wear my diamonds every day....2 paris of studs.
Or a pair of studs and the channel set diamond U- shaped hoops.
I am wearing these now.

This weekend I plan to get into my new book...

It sounds like fun...I've read a few chapters already.



There's a wind of change blowing in here at the Bungalow and I can feel it.

I am drinking lots of water with fresh lemons as I am upping my hydration....
I am soon to start a walking regime.
I have been inspired by Janet
 (who BTW has radiant skin!)

Enjoy your Weekend.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

More Hermes....and scarf thrift shopping.

I throw on my Hermes scarves with just about any outfit.
They are so versatile.


they add colour and interest
and they keep my neck warm.


Dark denim jeans, patent leather Mee Too kitten heels, Quilted Eddie Bauer vest...
just add a tee and
I am ready to go to the Market or run errands.
How simple is that?


Switch the Hermes for this one...


or this one...
wanna be equestrian!


or swap out the vest and the scarf. 



Royal Robbins vest...at least 3 years old and still going strong.

Any scarf can add colour and interest.
I have a few other scarves and enjoy them as well.
I am definitely not a scarf snob.
In fact, I find many great silk scarves in thrift shops.
Many designers have done fabulous scarves over the years.

A few years ago I came across a lovely vintage Balanciaga silk scarf which I sold for a tidy profit in a high end consignment shop.
I bought a vintage Hermes twill for under $20 but the colours were not right for me so I sold it as well.
When in a thrift shop I always look at the scarves because you never know what you'll find.
Who knows it could be your lucky day!
Happy Hunting.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Hermes scarf expose in the Bungalow...

Hermes is all in the details...
from the hand rolled edges and the neatly spaced stitching,
 to their signature twill weave,
and then the talented artist designed prints.
And of course there are the orange boxes, 
the brown embossed grossgrain ribbons 
and the gift enclosure cards!


There are tips in the giveaway books and cards on how to wear and tie these lovelies.


This was the way my mom wore her scarves in the 60's and 70's.
It suits her and the Queen...but not me!



I wore mine like this in the mid 70's with my long wavy hippie chic hair and sterling silver hoop earrings.
In fact I had mine on at our wedding rehearsal dinner at the Chinese restaurant...
we had been renovating the suite that we were moving into and time was of the essence, 
so I did not have time to coif my hair...
just shower and go.
Those were the days when a lick and a promise were all it took!
I was a bit of a flower child anyhow.


This is one way I like to tie my scarf.
I love how "French" she looks!


and another...



I will be showing some more scarves in another post...