Retail therapy ~ a date with darling daughter, my favourite fashion advisor.

Life is handing us out some stressful days...
the kind of days where tension manifests itself in painful knots in the upper back and shoulders.

Pepper our elder cat is still not well despite the meds and it looks like surgery is imminent.
More tests, X-rays, blood work, urinalysis the list goes on...
There have been tears shed and sleep has become sporadic and restless.
And somehow a ray of sunshine appears on the horizon...and it's our darling daughter!
She knew I needed her support and so she accompanied me to the vet visit.
Daughters are so lovely...I am so very grateful to have her in my life.

After our appointment we went home and got Pepper settled and went out for a healthy lunch at Pure Vanilla in Oak Bay. The day was sunny and warm so we opted to sit outside on the patio.

I had mentioned to my daughter how I had been toying with the idea of a new pair of jeans so we popped over the the mall and checked out what the Gap had and I tried on a few pair but nothing had that Wow Factor.
As we were cruising the mall we detoured into Banana Republic where I spied a cute pair of petite sized jeans...
I tried them on, and well, the rest is history!

I want to tuck my cream silk blouse into the waist so I bought the 30 inch size in petite.

The jeans can be rolled up slightly or worn straight...depends on my mood and the footwear that I choose.

Thinking the red ballet flats will be a great pairing with these and the Breton striped Tee will be "Oh So French!"

Banana Republic "touch of cashmere" sweater

heavily reduced

 longer in the back

cozy like a warm hug.

I said Yes.

It looks much better on than it does hanging here.

Chester loves bags!

Pepper watched with amusement in her eyes...

Darling daughter shared some of her secret weapons with me...

thank you sweetheart!

The lip balm is AMAZING!

It smells like roses and moisturizes like none other...

The apricot cuticle cream is going to be a mainstay in my arsenal of tricks.

As a gardener I tend to have ragged cuticles despite wearing gloves the hands take a beating.

The pot of cream will be at my bedside and I plan to rub it into my nails every night before bedtime.

I replaced my brown leather watch strap with a new black one and it is like having a new watch.

Well I must get on with my day...I need to keep busy.

so more cleaning is in order

as we await news from the vet as to Pepper's fate.

Hope your week is ticking along nicely.

A foray into the past ~ clearing the cobwebs and thinking back.

Spring cleaning is a wonderful opportunity to revisit and get reacquainted with things that we have stowed away in the deep recesses of The Humble Bungalow....things that we can not bear to part with as they are family pieces, they are intricately interwoven with memories...they have history and still hold a place in our hearts.

The vintage phone is our land line...

we have another set of phones that we use which are cordless and are current.

Our children's first baby boots have been bronzed for keeping...

does anyone do this anymore?

 I spied a few stray pairs of bronze booties in the local Value Village and wondered whose they were...

I'm curious when I see framed vintage family photos...why they have been discarded and donated?

Are there no relatives wanting to keep them?

Or is it that someone has passed away and an agency has been called in to dispose of all the personal possessions?

Our daughter's shoe is on the left and our son's is on the right.

My goodness it seems like it was yesterday when I held those wee ones in my arms...

wherever does the time go?

I can still remember how cozy and warm I felt with those babes swaddled in soft flannel receiving blankets nestled in the safety my arms...my heart was filled with joy.

Such soft pure skin

the brightness of their eyes

the smell of their hair

their wee fingers curling over mine

those tiny mouths as they rooted for my breast

latching on, suckling and swallowing in gulps

the contented sigh

slowly slipping off to sleep 

all to be repeated again in a few short hours...

You can see what I mean about how "things can transport you" back to an earlier time...

a time of such innocence

a simple time when priorities were plain to see

children, a husband, and a home.

Van Briggle Bunny

He was a potter from Colorado that worked during the arts and crafts era.

Bunnykins made sturdy bowls and cups for babies...

this is mine from the mid 1950's.

Designed and signed by Barbara Vernon.

I do not know who gave this to me and I will make a point of asking Mother later when we go for dinner.

My family were thoughtful in their gift giving...things that would stand the test of time.

I have kept quite a few books that were gifts from my grandmother and aunts and uncles.

Those were the days when they would write in the front of the book so you knew who they were from and when they were given.

"Dear Leslie, Happy Christmas, Love from Aunty Kay and Uncle Owen."

"Happy Birthday Leslie, Love from Uncle Alf and Aunty Georgia."

These are our children's bowls...they are from the late 1970's and early 1980's.

Such cute images of bunnies and their families.

You can see the sweet gentle innocence of life depicted here.

Happy Times.

Isn't that the way it is supposed to be when you are young?

No worries, 

and the freedom to go about growing up in a safe community surrounded by people who love and care about you.

This is what we gave our children...and this is what our son and DIL are giving to their children...

Doulton still make Bunnykins sets today.

I think they make a great baby gift even today when life is much more complicated...

Gosh I've really gone off on a tangent...

perhaps that's what happens when you tackle the dust bunnies!

Well that's my two cents worth this Tuesday...

Hostess

XO

Manic Saturday...a recipe, pretty flowers and a new book.

Saturday morning dawned crisp and sunny and I hopped out of bed to give Pepper her medicine...
the poor cat must think I am punishing her by squeezing a syringe full of foul tasting liquid down her throat.
It's hard for me to do this (I would make a terrible nurse) but I can follow orders, especially if the outcome will be favourable, and that it will relieve some discomfort and suffering.

Seeking out comfort...

I lit a scented candle, this one in the signature Aveda fragrance.

It didn't take long for the aroma to permeate the kitchen where I was working.

I was taking control...

by energetically cleaning.

Wiping out drawers and cupboards

rearranging the counter tops.

Washing things that somehow had been overlooked!

When things go awry I like to feel that I do have some measure of control...

even if it is an illusion.

It took awhile to deep clean the space...

when it was all done I looked around with a wonderful feeling of a job well done and was satisfied.

I actioned a comforting meal...

soy ginger glazed chicken

rice

and steamed broccoli.

Soy Ginger Chicken

Mix the following in a bowl:

 2 tsp of grated fresh ginger

1/2 cup soy sauce or Braggs

2 minced cloves garlic

3 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. honey

Pour over chicken pieces and bake at 350 for about an hour.

Basting once or twice during cooking.

Sauce is yummy over the rice too!

I'm loving the new Cuisinart enamelled pots.

Mr. HB drew my attention to a lily blooming in our front garden.

I seem to recall planting this many years ago but he thinks it might be a volunteer.

It matters little how it got there I am just so grateful that it has decided to thrive and bloom in our space.

A cobalt coloured primula with frilly petals has filled out and is putting on a decent showing this season.

On my frenzy of cleaning and reorganizing I added a few things to the bathroom...

The silver tray used to be on the counter in the kitchen and the perfumes were on my lingerie chest in the bedroom, now they are easy to access in the bathroom.

I think they look quite pretty on the tray.

I found a new copy of Edith Wharton's classic book "House of Mirth" at the bookstore on Sunday.

It sounds like an interesting read...

quite ahead of its time by the sound of it.

Pepper has had a quiet day today, she has been more social and gave us lots of cuddles.

 Thankfully she nibbled a bit of dinner and sipped some water tonight...

I have my fingers crossed that her health will improve with each coming day.

Chester and Pepper  

(a picture from the archives)

Chester has been very gentle and considerate and I am convinced that he knows Pepper is not feeling well.

We sprayed catnip on the cat toys to perk up Pepper and she played for a few minutes like she was a kitten 

which did my heart good to see.

Our furry family are so much a part of our lives that when they are under the weather 

they greatly affect how we feel too.

Looking at my newly arranged counters and tidy kitchen has given me a boost.

It didn't cost me any money and I like the results.

Plus I got some of that anxiety that I was feeling about Pepper out of my system.

 Hope that you have a wonderful week ahead...

OOTD walking style, cats books and grandbabies...

Destination Paris...is a few weeks away and there are a few things left to attend to before I leave.
We've been really busy here in and around The Humble Bungalow.
Cleaning silver, washing and ironing linens, sorting out clothes, weeding and planting in the garden.
Oh and lots of walking...which I like to think of as "training for Paris!"
I weighed in this week and was 1 measly ounce over my 2 pound window from my "goal weight" so I had to pay to weigh in...the upside was that WW has some new chocolate treats at 2 points each that I stocked up on...
no guess work when a chocolate craving comes along and if you are like me...it will strike at some point!

OOTD

casual gear

Jacket ~ Avia

Capri's ~ Tuff Athletics

Tee ~ Joe Fresh

Shoes ~ Lands' End Trail Shoes

The deer have been nibbling our tulips in the garden so we put some up on the porch in hopes that they will not climb the steps to munch their meal.

Loving the variegated leaves...

We harvested our first feed of asparagus this season and oh they were tasty.

The violets have taken over but they make a charming ground cover....

These are new to The Humble Bungalow garden.

a native plant...known commonly as a "shooting star."

So sweet and delicate.

I finished reading Elizabeth George's first in The Inspector Lynley series...

"The Great Deliverance"

I found it quite unsettling...

It was well written but a little TOO scary for my taste.

I am a wuss and prefer lighter books.

I popped into the used book shop in the Village and found this little gem...

while I was there I spied the bonniest blond little boy...and it was none other than our fair haired Henry!

He and his mom were perusing the books in the children's section.

Of course we stopped for a hug and a kiss and we had a "wander about" while his mom chose a book.

I read this many years ago and thought it a lovely read...

My friend Ruth gave me this book as I enjoyed Rachel's first novel "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry."

I am on the look out for a used copy of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton...

Our cat Pepper was back at the vets for a complete work up...

she has been having digestive upsets for the past few days and it has been a tense time.

I spent the better part of last evening at the Vet Hospital and we are trying to figure out just what is amiss...

they think she might have IBD.

She has come home with some medications and some special food.

Fingers crossed that she will rally.

On the upside I have a play date with my darling grandson Henry!

Hope that you have a fun weekend.

Hostess

White Wednesday....

On Wednesdays many bloggers used to write post and title them "White Wednesdays"...
well I am resurrecting the practise with this post.
It's a short one as I am busy and cannot devote as much time as I would like to this post.
Living in the moment, being fully present and involved requires effort, energy and time.
So to sit and write at the laptop becomes less frequent...hence my daily speedy post on Instagram.

The Dogwood Tree is blooming in the front...

the branches hang over our drive from the neighbours yard and we get to enjoy the waxy blooms.

When I see the flowers I am reminded of peace, harmony and beauty.

Simple creamy white forms that can yield perfection...

grateful for the opportunity to witness and appreciate such beauty.

The tall nodding snowdrops are still putting on a show.

We purchased several packages of bulbs a few seasons ago 

they are multiplying and filling the beds our front yard...

(Hope the deer do not like to eat these!)

The broken rake that hangs on the fence has a visitor...

let's take a closer look shall we?

Behold the lowly garden snail.

The vintage crystal door knob looks quite out of place outdoors...

next to the rusted door plate... 

 on the French door that opens the weathered grey cedar garden shed.

As you can see I've taken liberties with the white themed post!

Oh and I have been shopping!

I have purchased some new white enamel pots.

Our chartreuse Dutch Oven has seen better days...

so it is out with the old and in with the new.

A wee bit of a splurge I know, but well worth it to have decent tools in the kitchen.

I'll be making soup and a stew this week...some to eat and some to give away.

There is illness about ~ some more serious than others...

we are crossing our fingers for a positive outcome but we cannot control it.

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."

~ Lao Tzu ~

"Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides."

Lao Tzu

Oodles to do before I leave for Paris and so I am focused on tending to those details...

I may be posting sporadically before I leave.

I'll be on Instagram if you want to keep in touch...

to follow

Click on the picture at the top right of the blog side bar.

Elizabeth George's first Inspector Lynley book "The Great Deliverance" beckons...

so I'll close for now.

Tell me what you've been up to this past week...