Rome Italy....part 2

We decided to go to the Collosseum... as did many others!
It is a popular place to visit when visiting Rome...

We stood in line for quite some time before realizing that we should have purchased tickets online to skip the line up...

As it was hot and sunny we should have packed a water bottle each...
the local entrepreneurs would not have benefitted as they sold us very expensive bottles of water!

If you go, remember these tips!

It may save you oodles of time standing around chatting with strangers!

Allow yourself plenty of time to explore this amazing site.

We walked around for about an hour or so...

there is a very nice gift shop to peruse on your way out of the venue.

Next stop Villa Borghese Garden.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Rome Italy...(part 1)

My husband picked me up at the airport yesterday afternoon and I felt very emotional seeing him after three weeks away...
we are rarely apart more than a few days.

When we got home the cats greeted me warmly...
Pepper with a few high pitched chirrups and Chester with purring and rubbing up against me.

Sleep came easily about 9 pm our time... 4am Paris time!
I was woken at 4 am by fireworks going off on the street and fell back into a deep sleep until 6 am when I got up to feed the cats and make the coffee.

The carry on is unpacked, laundry is done, we went out for lunch, got groceries, went for a walk along the sunny waterfront and here I am already typing...
keen to write a blog post.

Will start off in Italy with a few snapshots of the B&B.
We stayed in the Monti area of Rome. A fabulous place to be situated for ease of walking to the Colosseum and other sites...also we loved the view!

The view from the upper terrace.

You can see the Colosseum at the top in the middle of the photo.

Several popular restaurants are on the street below the B&B.

The covered terrace...

a wonderful spot for morning coffee or a nightcap.

One evening we ate cheese, crackers and sliced meat with our wine.

The weather was hotter than I had expected...

I was glad that I packed sleeveless tops and a straw sunhat.

There are ruins dotting the streets everywhere in Rome.

Considering the vast scale of these original structures 

it would have been quite a feat to build them without modern machinery.

The Altare Della Patria monument in Rome.

I fell in love with the umbrella pine trees...just love their brilliant green foliage.

Sunset 

with the Altare Della Patria monument and statues

taken from the upper terrace at the B&B.

We visited the monument early one morning before it got too crowded.

We took the elevator up to the very top where we had a birds eye view of Rome.

We discovered a bird's nest under an over hang.

Two gulls were very comfortable with all of the photos being snapped!

They must get used to all the visitors!

I've got more photos on Rome.

The Colosseum, Borzoi Gardens and The Vatican.

Will post these

as soon as the fog of Jet Lag Lifts!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Keep Calm and Carry On...3 weeks of outfits!

Trying very hard to keep calm...to sleep and to breathe.

The excitement is building and there are not that many more sleeps before Julie and I depart on our adventure in Italy and France.

This week I kept busy with friends, reading and walking.

I enjoyed a relaxing pedicure at the Willow King Spa and chose a bright red shade of polish for my toes...I am packing sandals as the weather in Rome and Tuscany looks hotter than I expected.

Merrell sandals super comfy for long walks

Clark Chelsea Boots and New Balance trainers.

Rain jacket and yoga pants for the bike ride to the vineyard in Tuscany

They may come in handy for the fishing trip on the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Eileen Fisher top and jeans.

Cashmere sweater

I plan to wear this on the plane with the Clark Chelsea boots.

Eileen Fisher jacket 

"Sunken Garden"scarf from Butchart Gardens gift shop here in Victoria.

Hedgren lightweight Cross body bag.

Nyan crinkle dress

Eileen Fisher top and black rayon pants

Tencel chambray shirt which I can layer over the tees and tops.

Camisole and crinkly top which can be worn together with black pants or jeans.

Lingerie, capri leggings, socks, nightie, and a swimsuit.

It all fits in the carry on and there is a bit of room to spare!

I am taking the Longchamp bag as my accessory item.

I packed a similar amount of clothing in 2015 when I went to Paris and France.

Minimalistic carry on wardrobes are easier to pack than you might think.

If we encounter snow I will need to do some shopping!

Hope that the weather will be as forecast and I will purchase something fun in Paris...

It's a beautiful sunny Autumn day here in The Humble Bungalow.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

BTW

Have you seen the Downton Abbey film yet?

It's wonderful, a fabulous story line and the return of the original characters makes it a pure delight.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Travel and home keeping...

Tick Tock...

Our departure for Italy is coming up quite quickly.

  I have been collecting travel sizes of toiletries and make up.

Deciding on which clothes I will pack 

as

 the temperature looks much warmer than I expected.

To distract myself from thinking only about the trip

I've been keeping purposely busy in The Humble Bungalow.

We purchased new graphite grey IKEA Ectorp slipcovers 

to replace the "not so white" ones 

They had stains and have been washed so many times 

that they were looking very shabby...

definitely not "shabby chic." 

We found a plush grey carpet and the room looks so much better.

Chester looks quite at home with the change.

It's odd how we can live with things for a long time 

almost not noticing 

as they fall into decline 

 then one day we just stop and say this is just appalling!

Then we act immediately to remedy the situation in a weekend.

Does this happen to you too?

One of the BEST books I have read all year.

I highly recommend it.

Haunting and beautiful.

The story line is different from anything I have read recently.

It reminded me of story "The Island Of the Blue Dolphins" 

which I read as a child and remember quite vividly.

The ending had a twist which was unexpected...

I won't spoil it for you if you have not yet read the book.

Last month I did a big purge of our knick knacks...

trying to create more "space" by reducing the clutter.

Less to dust, easier to clean and it feels so good.

Our home is very dusty...

Dark wood shows every speck too which makes it difficult to ignore.

Micro fibre cloths and mops get used regularly.

It is a daily job to stay on top of it BUT sometimes I just turn a blind eye...

When I was a young mom at home with two children I was so busy being engaged with the children

that I didn't always have time to do a proper job of house keeping...

So when friends would come by for coffee or a meal 

I made sure that the bathroom was clean and that we had fresh flowers in the house.

I need to remind myself that people who pop by for a visit 

are not here to judge me on my cleaning skills...

I try to keep things tidy and organized but I am not always on top of the dust.

I love this Method cleaner...

This one too!

Autumn leaves and cooler weather...

Fall has arrived!

Green turning to Gold...

Soup weather.

Time for a little Autumnal Porch decor...

Hanging up my gloves for the time being...

going out to the garden centre for some fall decor inspiration.

I may not have time to post again.

I leave for the 3 weeks in Italy and France next week.

You can follow me on Instagram.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~