Showing posts with label Vancouver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vancouver. Show all posts

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Weekend~ A getaway...and now a state of emergency.

 


Last weekend we hopped across the pond...
 it is a rather BIG POND 
so not being frogs we actually took the ferry!

The first time we have travelled off island other than the short trip to our cottage in over 2 years.


We wanted to see the Yoko exhibit at The Vancouver Art Gallery.


It was a very nostalgic foray into the past...




The Bed In for Peace took place in 1969 in Canada.


Yoko's art includes some interactive areas 
where people are encouraged 
to mend china, hammer a nail, leave a comment and build with stones.

We shopped South Granville Street and found quite a few Christmas gifts.
I ventured into Eileen Fisher (Gosh I have missed this store!) 
I found a few pieces...
will share them in a future post!


We were hungry by the time we were finished shopping
so we headed to The Cactus Club for a cold drink and some sushi.

Dinner was at our favourite Indian Fusion restaurant Vij's.
Vikram walked over to chat with us and we were happy to renew his acquaintance.
We have been going to his restaurant for decades.
He mentioned my pearls and said how elegant they were!!

My OOTD




Wool beret by Canadian Hat Company.

The food was amazing.
For starters we had the beef and lamb meatballs with tamarind chutney.
Our main course:
Coconut curried chicken with rice, naan bread and lamb popsicles.

We were too full to have any dessert but what a wonderful evening it was.


We were hoping to meet up with long time friends but they were stuck at their cottage on the lake just outside Merritt 
where devastating floods and mudslides damaged the local highways.

Abbotsford and areas nearby have completely flooded!

A state of emergency has been declared.
Livestock have been lost and many had to be evacuated to higher ground...
homes have been lost and people have perished.

Travel and the transport of goods and gas have been impacted.

The major highway, The Coquihalla, will not be repaired for months.
A few smaller routes have reopened and one of our friends was able to drive through the US in Washington State to get back home and the other flew out to Vancouver.

Food is being rationed at the local grocery stores and gas is limited to 30 litres per visit.

More intense rain has been predicted and they are calling these events 
"atmospheric rivers."

Finger crossed our basement stays dry...
but the back yard is saturated 
so we are on high alert.


I found a new book and read it in 2 days...
we had lots of time to read 
as we were in the ferry line up, 
then we stayed in our car on the open air deck
for the journey home.

I can recommend this book.
 It is set in Paris during war time and is based on a true story.

We are decorating the house this afternoon as the rains here are torrential 
so we cannot work in the garden and we got pretty wet on our walk.

Stay safe...

Thank you for popping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Festive sparklers...and a trip to Vancouver.


Tis the festive season and I like to add some sparkle to my outfits.


Vintage Rhinestone Pins


Most of my pins are by the Canadian designer Sherman.
Mom loved her Sherman jewelry.
My father used to buy Sherman for her at Christmas.

Beautiful velvet boxes from Birks.
They usually contained a necklace, bracelet and earrings.
She would wear them with a velvet dress that she made for the holidays.
My sister and I had dresses also made by Mom...
she used the leftover fabric from her dress to sew ours.
All three of us had the same colour of velvet for each Christmas season.
(I have pictures of the three of us all dressed up)


This pin is by the designer Boucher of Paris.
He went on to design for the House of Cartier.

Do you add sparkle to your festive outfits?


This tree is in the square behind The Art Gallery in Vancouver.
We were there to attend a meeting and see friends who just moved into their newly built penthouse condominium.



Painted entrance to their parking garage.


Shopping happens when we visit the city!
I love the Eileen Fisher shop on South Granville.
I met a delightful woman in the shop.
She reads my blog!

I loved her outfit...
black vest, sweater and pants.
Very chic black glasses that many women in Paris wore.

Hope she will email me.
It would be fun to meet up for a chat and a coffee next time I am in Vancouver either before or after I shop in Eileen Fisher or we could shop together!


Casual greyish beige top


Very cozy

I'm wearing it with the black Eileen Fisher pants from last season.


I've got to finish this post quickly as I have a dental appointment.

There is so much to get done in the next few weeks...
baking, shopping, wrapping,  decorating the house.

Hope that we can get some of these jobs done this coming weekend.

How are your festive plans coming along?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Guo Pei Exhibit at Vancouver Art Gallery

We ventured across the pond to Vancouver for a few days.
To shop, attend a workshop and enjoy the sights and sounds of a big city!

One of the highlights was to see the Guo Pei Couture Beyond exhibit.


We were in line up at 10:00 am when the doors to the Vancouver Art Gallery opened and were able to take it all in on the very last day of the exhibit.

I will share a few pictures of the magnificent gowns...
IF you ever get the opportunity to see this show I highly recommend it.

Guo Pei is China's "preeminent couturiere."
There were over 40 of her haute couture designed gowns on display from the period 2006 to 2017.

Most of us will never wear a hand made gown such as the ones that were on display.

It was amazing to see the intricate bead work, the embroidery, details that would have taken many many hours if not months to create.

I'll share the photos next and hope that you will enjoy seeing them.



















After seeing all the gowns and shoes we explored the rest of the gallery and then ventured out for a long walk in the sunshine.

A friend mentioned that she uses the IHealth app on her IPhone.
She showed me how it works and I am so excited as it tracks walking stats!
I am so grateful as it is going to be a new motivator in my goal to better fitness.


This was an exceptional day for walking...
I plan to aim for between 8,000 and 10,000 steps each day.

Hope that your week is off to a fabulous start...
thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

 ~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Vancouver weekend

We recently spent a weekend in Vancouver...
attended the AGM for the cottage strata, shopped, walked, enjoyed lunches and dinners out.
We also met up with friends we knew when my husband attended school over there...
we have kept in touch...over 40 years!


The view from our hotel.


A wee bit of snow on Grouse Mountain.


We did not stop for tea...


We opted for a Chinese dinner at a small restaurant on Robson Street 
after our afternoon walk and shopping.
The food was delicious and obviously a popular spot with the locals 
as there was a steady line up outside the door.


A fresh new candle...
and a few goodies in the bags.


Some loose tea...


A refill for my Hermes fragrance.
Mr. HB bought his Hermes scent as well.

We dined at an Italian restaurant called Cin Cin and the food was amazing!


Grilled lettuce with pancetta...
a WOW moment for this Hostess!
It was actually more like a "Meg Ryan" moment.
(the scene from When Harry Met Sally!)


Mr. HB enjoyed Osso Bucco
and I opted for the lamb chops with lentils.
NOM NOM NOM


A single bloom in the bathroom packed a powerful pop of colour.

We enjoyed our weekend getaway in the big city!


We will be busy getting ready for Christmas here in The Humble Bungalow.
The wreath has been hung on the front door 
inspired by the Country Living Christmas issue there will be more festive touches coming soon.

Hope that you are enjoying your week.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~