Colour Me Happy!

Bright Colours that POP make me feel HAPPY.

When I go for walks I seek out colourful things along my route.

It surprises me when on a rainy grey day that I can still find something bright to 

capture in a photo. 

I might have to look a wee bit harder but I definitely find something.

I love to accessorize with a pop of colour.

This wine coloured vintage leather bag adds just the right amount of OOMPH

to the simple neutral outfit here.

Black pants ~ Eileen Fisher

White top ~ Eileen Fisher

Khaki Jacket ~ Eileen Fisher

Look at how beautiful these tomatoes look resting on a bed of basil leaves!

I added some sea salt and ground pepper with a light drizzle of olive oil.

~ FRESH ~ 

Summertime salads are a healthy addition to our meals.

I love to add other ingredients to our daily salads.

diced red onions

avocado wedges

black olives

radishes

garbanzo beans

sprouted pea shoots

fresh shelled English Peas

beets

cucumber slices

capers

blanched green beans

There are SO many options when making a salad.

I regularly have on hand a homemade vinaigrette in a Bonne Maman Jam Jar.

Easy Peasy Vinaigrette

6 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp vinegar

2-3  Tbsp runny honey

salt and pepper (to taste)

Bold yellow Italian Linen Dress

this loose fitting dress is perfect for the heat and sun of SUMMER.

Add sandals or flip flops and a straw hat and sunglasses...

and a

French Market basket. 

I absolutely LOVE linen!

There is a great shop here in the Cook Street Village called Mercedes Lane Too...

I have purchased several tops and dresses from them 

 they are easy to wear and cool in the heat.

I wash them in lavender scented linen soap on the gentle cycle and hang them to dry.

In case you missed my post on the Doocot Sweater I knit I am sharing the photos.

I chose a bright Chartreuse Green Yarn

Rowan's Brooklyn Tweed

The sweater sits slightly above the natural waistline.

It took me 3 years to knit this sweater!

For some weird reason I didn't work on it in the first 2 years of Covid 

 really it should have been a delightful diversion but I couldn't seem to concentrate!

Now I am contemplating knitting the Miriam Sweater 

(on Ravelry)

I think it will be a fun project.

 Knitting in the cooler weather this Fall and Winter will be relaxing.

I am thinking of a charcoal or dove grey yarn.

I originally thought of black yarn but an experienced knitter friend said that black yarn is quite hard to see.

Must get myself off to the Beehive and see what they have in stock.

I need to buy needles too...

There are so many needles in my stash but none are the right size.

The Brooklyn Tweed yarn is lovely to work with, it is super soft.

Knitting and Tea go so well together!

We are kept very busy here in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

The roses are riddled with black spot this year which means that most days we are picking off the spotted leaves...

then we must keep up with the regular deadheading.

The rewards from all our efforts are numerous lovely bouquets 

for the house and to take to homes of friends.

Well I think it is time to close this post and head outside.

Thank you for popping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

Hope that you are enjoying the gifts of the season.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Remembering...snippets from the archives.

I recently bought a new computer and our son and grandson 

helped to transfer 

over all my programs and photos. 

It's great having smart computer savvy helpers in the family!

I've been looking at all the photos and remembering...

Life is not always full of sparkly things 

 we have the option of adding some of our own.

I do love a sparkly brooch or necklace for some whimsy...

I currently have a pink rhinestone butterfly pin on my distressed denim jacket.

Scented candles are one of my favourite ways to add elegance and ambiance 

in The Humble Bungalow.

There are so many wonderful candles on the market it is really quite wonderful

that we have so many choices.

Meet Jude the Obscure, a David Austin Rose.

Growing Roses is a very rewarding hobby.

I didn't grow roses when we first bought the bungalow.

Those early days we spent weeding and planning the garden.

It took an inspirational woman, Vi Heslop, an award winning rosarian 

in the Victoria Horticultural Society to get me started.

She generously gave me a Peace Rose and I entered a bloom 

in the Society show and won for best rose!

That did it, I was hooked!

We now have over 35 roses in our garden, most are fragrant David Austin varieties.

Jude the Obscure

my all time favourite rose.

I have a minimalist wardrobe.

We don't have a lot of storage space here in The Humble Bungalow

I keep it simple and wear my clothes for many years.

I buy classic pieces in a neutral palette.

Accessories are the "icing on the cake."

Sterling silver bangles and pearls get a lot of wear.

I have been collecting bangles for quite a few years and many of these were gifts.

Darling daughter gave me this luxurious bag...

sadly it has been lost.

I cannot for the life of me think where it went?

I have searched in all the closets cupboards and drawers but it is not here.

It remains an unsolved mystery.

Every once in awhile I will change things up...

get out of my comfort zone

like this peacock blue toe polish!

I didn't always embrace imperfection...

patina

like this rusty piece, adds character.

Perhaps it is my coming into an age where I willingly accept that things change.

Dried up and withered...

seriously old

oh so very beautiful.

Rather like laugh lines on an older woman's face...

In Japan they have "Wabi Sabi" which is a wonderful and freeing idea.

The Japanese embrace ~ the imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.

I love natural beauty

like this collection of Mother of Pearl cutlery...

I find them in antique malls, thrift and local consignment shops.

I love how they add elegance and as Marie Kondo advocates "They Spark Joy!

Walking in Nature always pleases...

and eases away troubles

so soothing.

Seafront views along Dallas Road in our neighbourhood.

~ beach treasures ~ 

collecting shells and sea glass make me happy.

~ Simple Joys ~

a bar of scented soap and a bath or shower 

help to refresh and wash away stress.

Domestic chores feature prominently here in The Humble Bungalow.

I couldn't resist these tins at Marshalls

Polka dots are just so cheerful!

This is my everyday "uniform" pearls and a linen apron!

Life is not all glamour...

It is time to get busy and do a few jobs that are calling my name!

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing some of these archival images...

Will be back soon to share more.

 ~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

June ~ in The Humble Bungalow Garden

 

Boscobel Rose

Bouquet of Roses

Gertrude Jekyll

Climbing Royal Sunset

Abraham Darby

Jude The Obscure

Abraham Darby

Climbing Royal Sunset

John Paul ll

I've been busy watering and deadheading the roses

in the garden.

We had such a wet spring that we have a lot of black spot on the roses.

I pick off the spotted leaves which is a lot of work.

Roses are high maintenance!

They are my favourite flower.

Our weather has warmed up nicely and we are enjoying the sunshine.

My husband has been busy starting veggies from seed and potting out the plants.

He's growing 5 zucchini plants 

which means that we will be inundated with a bumper crop!

We will harvest these when they are small and tender.

Inside the greenhouse we are growing peppers and lettuce and cherry tomatoes.

Out in the raised beds there are English Peas, broad beans, radicchio, and turnips.

Pots of tomatoes are lined up beside the greenhouse...

once they are ready for picking

I'll be roasting them in olive oil and garlic for the freezer.

They add such a lot of flavour to the homemade pasta sauces we enjoy throughout the year.

Have you planted a veggie garden this year?

With the cost of food rising so quickly 

it makes sense that we add a few plants in our home gardens.

Are you a gardener?

Have you noticed the spike in food prices?

Apparently it is the highest surge since the 1970's

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Loving Linen ~ OOTD ~ a new skirt

 

Naif

linen skirt

made in Canada

a whisper weight that will be very swishy

worn with a variety of tops and shoes

thinking of a white top with casual flip flops for a walk on the beach

OOTD

kicked it up a notch with my pearls

an Eileen Fisher tank top with Nanette Lapore cropped sweater

blue leather Rieker flats

smocked elastic waist with drawstring ties

So comfy and great for warm summer weather...

just waiting for it to warm up a few degrees!

Read this page turner in 2 days

Am already into this new book!

Such great writing and another riveting story set in Paris.

Hope that you are enjoying your weekend.

A gentle mist has just rolled in here bringing light rain...

an opportunity to stay indoors and read.

One of life's little luxuries.

What are you reading ?

Thank you for popping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Beautiful Blooms ~ The Humble Bungalow ~ Butchart Gardens and a Seafood Chowder

These lovely blooms are Lewisia Cotyledon

we grow them in pots and pop them in the perennial border

where there may be a gap in the plantings.

They are available in a variety of colours and are very sturdy plants.

Alliums are wonderful

 they are tall and narrow and can be planted in between other plants 

they offer an interesting pop of colour.

The bees LOVE these blooms.

Madame Gregoire Staechelin

a climbing rose 

in The Humble Bungalow Garden.

Our roses are behind this year due to the cooler unseasonable weather.

May usually is a riot of roses on the garden.

Alas, we will need to be patient,

and

 wait for warm sunshine to encourage the blooms.

Last week a friend and I walked at Butchart Gardens.

The azaleas are out in a full flush of flower

this apricot shade was so fragrant!

The Himalayan Blue Poppies are exquisite.

I have grown these from seed but they are very difficult to keep year after year.

These are blooming in the Japanese section of the gardens.

Their petals look so delicate and thin

like crepe paper.

This yellow azalea was fragrant and sweet

their bright colours look quite stunning

a much needed pop of colour on a cloudy day.

It's a cloudy day here this morning and it feels cool.

I've made a fish chowder for our lunch today.

Fish Chowder

Saute: 1 diced onion, two chopped carrots and 2 stalks of diced celery

cook until soft.

Add to the pot 1 piece of whitefish chopped into bite sized pieces

I also added some clam juice (1/2 cup)

two chopped up crab cakes that I had in the freezer.

I simmered the ingredients until they were cooked through 

added 1/2 cup of cream

salt and pepper to taste and a tsp of dill 

Serve with cracker, toast, or a soft bun.

Enjoy!

Hope that your week is off to a great start.

Thank you for popping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~