Poppies, Pipes...and pouring money "Down the Drain!"

There is a crew of workers on site here in The Humble Bungalow.
I am trying to stay out of the way and hence am sitting at my lap top with a cafe creme.
Consciously trying to keep focused (busy) and let go of any anxiety associated with the chaos and noise that has been going on for the past few hours.

Not too sure where this post is going and whether it will be worthy of publishing but I do have a few lovely images to share with you...

This book in my Paris reading list was started yesterday and it has held my interest and was a welcome diversion while the plumbers were here trying to figure out what was wrong with our plumbing.

Turns out after hours of snaking and exploration and manual digging there is a hole in the sewer pipe that services our Humble Bungalow!
The backhoe will be excavating the rest of the pipe and the plumbers hope they can attach a new piece of pipe without digging up the front garden and tearing down the fence! (fingers crossed)

Let's take a look at the purple poppies shall we?

Aren't they beautiful?

So delicate and the petals are whisper thin, almost like crepe paper.

I plan to gather the poppy seed pods and sprinkle them in other parts of The Humble Garden for next year.

We have a purple iris planted in a pot by the front stairs.

The staff at the garden centre mentioned that deer do not seem to be attracted to the plant. So far the deer have avoided munching it as have been busy feasting on the tender new foliage of the limelight hydrangeas instead.

These sweet little flowers are a ground cover plant from my recent walk to Government House.

Does anyone know what they are called?

I thought they might be an ice plant but am not sure. 

Variegated roses from The Rose Garden at Government House.

They look so pretty...

almost like an artist has mixed two paints together.

"Mother Nature's Paintbrush"

The cats have been quite stressed with the commotion here...

noisy machines and lots of men about.

Yesterday they were so happy when we let them out.

Pepper looks pretty relaxed here...

Chester looks rather sad...

perhaps he is thinking great thoughts?

Yellow Caution Tape...

Watch out for holes and broken pipes.

100 year old clay pipes

high tech tools

The underwater camera is on the job...

our pipe looks clear to the street but the City Sewer that services the street appears to be blocked.

So we have a bigger problem...and apparently the other neighbours will be having some problems soon if they do not fix it.

I called the city Water Works and they are on their way to unblock the main and will come back on Monday to scope it.

So we can flush, wash dishes and clothes and shower to our heart's content after they leave!

I have been distracting myself all day by baking a family favourite.

Great Nana's Bread.

Just waiting for the loaves to rise before baking.

Home maintenance is an ongoing responsibility and one that we take very seriously.

We have been planning to paint the house for several years and it is our summer project.

We redid the roof and gutters two years ago and the more minor projects are lined up for each year and then we have a major project every other year.

When an unexpected "oops" like the broken sewer pipe pops up

 we have no other choice but to get on with it...

We may need to tighten our belts a bit in light of this unexpected expense.

Our savings account will need to be topped up.

I wonder if any of you have a great recipe for brioche?

I want to try my hand at baking some to enjoy with our home grown tomatoes.

I loved baking bread when the children were young and it has been years since I made a loaf of bread...there is something so homey about the smell of bread baking and it so hard to resist slicing into a warm loaf and slathering a piece with fresh salty butter...

YUM YUM!

Thank you for stopping by my blog.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Strolling in a Victoria Rose Garden...

Glorious white Iceberg climbing Roses in the garden of Government House.

The roses look so elegant against the white stone wall.

One of the many Rose Gardens located within The Government House grounds.

The sound of running water adds such a calming sound to the space...

fountains are such a beautiful addition to a garden.

This gargoyle statue that has seen better days...

I wonder if someone took a hammer to his nose and ear 

or perhaps he once teetered and toppled over.

A visitor left a rose offering...

There are benches throughout the garden to sit and relax.

 The lush grounds of Government House is a lovely place for a walk.

There is a tea room located at stable and working area of the garden.

Hens and chicks are clucking away in a pen 

and last year there was a lamb onsite grazing on the grass.

The Tea room serves light lunches and teas and it is open Tuesdays through Saturdays in the high season.

Staffed by an army of dedicated volunteers Government House grounds are well tended and beautiful.

There is a small Costume and Government House Historic museum on the site with admission by donation.

If you find yourself in Victoria BC on a holiday you might want to include this garden while you are visiting.

I borrowed this book from the library and spent a few hours sipping tea 

while perusing the many gorgeous gardens featured inside...

looking at gardens is one of my favourite things to do.

Our Humble Bungalow looks best when the roses are all in bloom...

her paint is peeling and the painters will return shortly to give her a much needed makeover.

We are having some problems with the ancient plumbing. 

(which is not much fun...)

I am expecting a plumber with a snake and a camera attached to delve deeper and tell us what we need to do to remedy the situation...

I hope it will not mean that we need to dig up the garden and install a new sewer pipe...fingers crossed it is an easy fix that does not cost the earth!

Thank you for stopping by my humble blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Victoria Day Long Weekend...aboard ship!

This past weekend was a long weekend so we took to the sea...

Our "humble" boat is a 27 foot 1996 Sea Ray Sundancer.

We can cruise fast or slow depending on the weather and our mood.

I always take flowers from the Humble Bungalow Garden.

My all time favourite David Austin Rose is Jude the Obscure.

I know it is not fair choosing just one rose but I cannot help myself...

as Jude is sheer perfection in a rose

Fragrance, form, and colour all exceptional.

I use silverware on the boat.

It might strike you as odd but there is a reason that we have this on board.

When I went shopping to outfit the boat with the few necessities that we needed I was trying to keep the costs down...

when one buys a boat it is usually a tad expensive so I tried to cut corners elsewhere...

I ventured into the big box stores looking for stainless sets and the ones I liked were around $100 a set.

I saw this one in the antique shop for less than half that and it is vintage WMF from Germany...I only need to polish it twice a year to keep it looking good.

I pack my tote bag full of books and magazines 

there is plenty of time to relax and read.

We eat simple meals.

I have a one burner stovetop, microwave and BBQ.

Our small fridge prevents us from bringing too much food!

I eat oatmeal with a wee bit of honey for breakfast and Mr. HB prefers V8 juice and a bagel.

Dinners and lunches revolve around salad and some type of protein...

maybe a few new baby potatoes with butter and fresh mint.

"Snacks" are often naughty...

chips and popcorn...

 chocolates.

We try to walk or swim everyday.

I read Motherland by Maria Hummel.

It is a well written story about the hardships that women and their families had to live through during the Second World War. 

It held my interest right from the very first page...

I highly recommend it.

I am a magnet for mosquitoes so I need to wear these bracelets!

Here is the beautiful morning view at Poets Cove Resort on Pender Island.

The roses in the morning sunshine.

We went for a hike in the forest.

It was cool in the shade and there was a lot of buzzing so I was glad that I wore my mosquito bracelet!

The rocky shoreline is mostly sandstone.

The weather was much better than we had anticipated...

blue skies and sunshine and very little wind.

My favourite kind of weather for cruising!

This is the view the last morning 

before we packed up and came home.

Today I am doing laundry...and the skies are grey and the weather cool.

I am so grateful that we had such nice weather for our getaway.

Our house and cat sitter made the weekend possible and I am so thankful.

I am still trying to figure out why my blog will not appear on the Feed as soon as I publish it and I have contacted Blogger but have not heard anything yet.

I am using smaller images on this post to see if that is what is the delay...

so please bear with me as I work on sorting out this issue.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Bits and Bobs from The Humble Bungalow

Views from my walking route have been so crisp and clear.

Skies are blue and the breeze warm...

 the ocean seems to dance under the warm sunlight.

Puff ball clouds float upwards...

high above the Showy Pavement Roses.

Sweet blooms line the boulevards causing me to stop and capture the images.

I try not to stop for too long as I am mindful that I need to keep up my pace.

Like it or not, my middle is increasing in size and has become a wee bit wobbly. 

Walking much faster is my current goal.

Swinging my arms, as my physiotherapist suggested, to keep my shoulder limber.

The news on the shoulder is good ~ I am virtually free of pain.

Now I need to get the full range of motion to return.

 It will be "almost" as good as new!

Gertrude Jeykyll is a fragrant rose that is perfect for picking.

She can scent a room in no time flat!

(I think she is very beautiful too)

While I prefer to 

Enjoy the flowers outside in the Humble Bungalow Garden

occasionally I pick a few to bring inside.

"Windowsill Orchids" seem to like our Bungalow.

They blooms for months and then will a little luck they bloom again and again for several years.

They are really good value for the money...much less expensive than a large bouquet that maybe lasts 2 weeks.

I wait until the flowers fall off and the stems are dry before cutting them down to the soil level.

Water once a week and let the water drain through the pots.

Orchids do not like to sit in water for very long or the roots rot.

I keep mine in north and south windows but not in hot direct sunshine.

They prefer a bit of air circulation like they do in the wild...

rather like a tropical rainstorm and then the sun comes out and shines.

The foxgloves are back...

they are a biennial and grow every other year.

We have enough seeds from previous years plants so there are always a handful in flower.

These tall plants are perfect for the back of the border but ours have a different idea...

they bloom wherever they feel like!

I don't try to change their habits and am grateful that they are here at all.

They were about the only plant that was here when we bought The Humble Bungalow over 30 years ago...

Most of the garden was covered in Morning Glory a weed that wraps itself around everything in sight and the runners tunnel underground and if they are not kept in check a mess ensues!

That was one of our first challenges when we moved into our home...

ridding the garden of weeds, brambles and junk.

(sweat equity)

Here is a link to one of my posts in the series The Ugly Truth.

After your read this you will understand a wee bit more about how far we have come.

We have created a Garden that we enjoy 

it has taken us years of hard work

many changes ~ trials and errors

Today it looks a lot different!

Thank you for stopping by my Humble Bungalow Blog!

I'll be back soon with snippets of our weekend away on our Sea Ray.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Bye Bye Big MAC...

Good Morning!
I am saying farewell to my old MAC laptop and a sweet hello to my new MAC...

The new one is smaller and much faster...

way faster than the operator at this moment in time.

There is a bit of a learning curve but thankfully with a MAC there is so much familiarity that we can bravely navigate with very little fear.

(I have a very capable young tech just a phone call away which helps too!)

I am going to test drive this new machine by taking you all on my recent walk in Oak Bay.

I walked past one of my favourite gardens in all of Victoria.

If you ever get the chance please visit this magical place...

have lunch or afternoon tea and walk about the grounds

it is a little piece of heaven on earth.

I passed by a quiet lane where this beautiful white wisteria was growing along a cedar fence...

I love wisteria and think it looks so elegant, almost enchanting.

There were 5 deer eating their breakfast in a garden beside the path.

The birds were singing and it was very quiet.

I felt like I was in the country.

I posted a video of one of the deer to my Instagram page and judging by the amount of times it has been viewed it must be worth watching.

I took this "secret path" tucked between two houses.

I am in the area of Oak Bay where I grew up and when we were young "adventurers" we used to pretend that these paths were very secret and known only to the children in the neighbourhood.

I wandered up towards Oak Bay Avenue on a dead end street.

Ah but there is another path that winds itself through the area...

this one is known to many as there has been a booklet published detailing the route...it has been lit for night time use and safety on the rugged rocky steps.

Here is the view from the bottom of the steps...

looking onto a lovely little byway just off the beaten path.

Someone lost a bootie...

The mighty oak has fallen and the municipality knows that the Garry Oak Meadows are better off when the tree trunks are left as they fall...

(they have cut off the limbs that would have blocked the path)

I am hoping that this post will be in the Blogger feed as soon as I hit publish...

if not I need to do some sleuthing to find out what I need to fix.

Please keep your fingers crossed!

Thank you for stoping by...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~