Showing posts with label architecture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label architecture. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Love the "little things" ~ a recipe for contentment.


Reading home decor books, Instagram and magazines inspire me.
I often get frustrated and wonder how I can make our little bungalow look better.

  I actioned a quick and inexpensive DIY fix.

I purchased 3 black metal hooks 
(Mr. HB installed them for me)

I hung up my French Market basket
 gardening hat 
and
  watering can. 

As conscientious stewards 
of a Heritage home
we are required to honour the historic significance 
we do not stray too far from their original architectural design.

With one exception...
The laundry area is painted white 
the basement is dark with very little light 
with only a few small windows.

The bright white walls 
make it much more enjoyable to work in and it feels far less oppressive!


I like to do my ironing while gazing out to the garden.



Looking out and beyond at the foliage and flowers 
while ironing 
feels like a form of meditation.


A handy rolling cart in the space is used for towels.


I fold the laundry on the top of the counter
and
I have a small ironing board that I use for small jobs 
like our linen tea towels and napkins.

Domestic jobs are a necessity.
To make them a wee bit more enjoyable
I have "fluffed" my downstairs "workplace" adding a few accent pieces.
Vintage enamel tins, ceramics, bird sculptures, and trophies...

Work and chores need not be looked upon as "drudgery."

Attitude is key to making these everyday tasks pleasant.
Taking joy in the results of one's labour and effort is so important.

The feeling of accomplishment is felt...
as I stand back
admiring a stack of freshly laundered 
(scented with lavender soap)
neat and tidy crisply ironed tea towels.

It's the "little things" that make our days richer.

How do you add Joy in your daily duties?
Do you have a secret to share that you use to make your daily round feel richer?

On that note, 
I will close this post...

Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

More snapshots...OOTD

We are going for a walk along Hollywood Crescent.
It is the street that snakes and curves along the waterfront past Dallas Road.


Ross Bay Beach just across the street from the Ross Bay Cemetery.
This beach is open to the Straits and fierce storms are common in the winter.
The beach is vulnerable to the gale force winds and the crashing waves.


Large rocks were brought in and placed on the beach to help alleviate future storm damage.
There was a serious threat that the road and the graves would be eroded and washed away.

You would never know that this idyllic scene could be whipped up into a boiling frenzy of white caps and rolling waves...the water crashes over the seawall and onto the road.
When there is a storm of this magnitude the road is blocked off.
Logs are thrown high up into the air like match sticks and land "willy-nilly" on the sidewalk.


Driftwood is washed ashore along the beach.
An artist carved this on the roots of a huge log.
Art for all of the beachcombers to enjoy! 


Beach combing on a calm day is very meditative.

The sound of the waves as they greet the shore
the call of the gulls
the gentle salty sea breeze




many interesting stones and logs intertwine in muted shades


stones feature prominently in this garage
look at the "green" roof
this structure has been here as long as I can remember


A fence of flowers...all dahlia blooms.





the stone wall along the boulevard
inside is a large vegetable garden


This enchanting home and garden just oozes charm.
I like to think of it as "Dahlia Cottage."
The couple who live here are often seen tending their garden and flowers.
Geraniums run riot in the Spring and Summer and come Fall the Dahlias are the stars.


I stepped on the scale after the weekend and my heart nearly skipped a beat...
I have to get back on track and count my WW points!


OOTD
Saint James Top
Eileen Fisher Ponte knit pants
two strands of Opera length pearls
Coach loafers

Hope that your week is off to a great start!

Friday, July 24, 2015

Sea Ray Summer ~ Roche Harbour

Roche Harbour is located on San Juan Island in Washington State.
Just south of the 49th parallel across Haro Strait from Sidney, BC awaits a picturesque marina with all the amenities. It's a lovely spot to tie up our SeaRay for a few days.
It also is the permanent home to many US boats.

Modest boats mingle together with vast opulent yachts sharing dock space while the owners are free to enjoy the Resort. Boaters are an extremely friendly lot. It makes little difference that you are cruising on a 70 or 100 foot yacht or a 25 foot runabout...you are "out there" on the ocean having fun.

We observed two families sharing a "very compact" boat, which was probably about 25 feet...4 adults and 6 children..can you imagine the logistics? The sleeping and cooking arrangements would require immense planning and precision.
They were having a fabulous time and there was lots of laughter and some good natured competition.
Racing on paddle boards, floaty toys, kayaks and a sailing dingy and when they were not having races they were swimming at the pool...I imagine that they were exhausted by the time their heads hit the pillow!

Roche Harbour Resort has a swimming pool, assorted shops, a spa, cafe, bar, restaurant, The Hotel de Haro, beautiful gardens, a church and tennis courts. At sunset the flags are lowered in a precision military fashion accompanied by music.
This is known as the "Colours ceremony."

I snapped a bunch of pictures to share with you...


Here we are tied up on the guest dock in front of the church.


The Hotel is a popular spot for weddings.


The historic Lime Co. building houses the grocery, clothing store, the washrooms, laundry, showers and a post office.


Crab Season opened and many boaters were setting their traps.
The cook pots on the docks were boiling away in no time and people were enjoying their haul.






The Lime Kilns.





The lovely Classic Chris Craft "Paloma" formerly known as Destiny.
She has just been professionally and lovingly restored.
Her new home port will be San Francisco, California.
We met the proud owners who had just taken her out on their maiden voyage and were cruising with their friends aboard the classic beauty "Rialto."
These beautiful Chris Craft wooden boats in "just out of the box" immaculate condition require a lot of hard work, TLC and VERY deep pockets!



The grocery store is well stocked with an assortment of food...
they carry all kinds of things that mariners might have forgotten to pack!


Wines from Washington, Oregon and California as well as imports are available.


White roses


White wedding gowns...


a perfect pairing.

It was hot weather and we needed to make shade on our boat which was quite a challenge.
We used towels and a blanket to help keep the midday sun off our lounge.


I was most surprised to see Starbucks working out of one of the kiosks in the square.
There are many local artists and artisans selling their work out of these kiosks and by the amount of people milling about I think they must do a pretty good business.


The Kayak rentals were always busy.


We took the shuttle into Friday Harbour one day to explore.
Stay tuned...
I'll show you some more of this idyllic destination...
in the next post.

Hooray!
we have had a downpour of rain this morning and we really need more to help douse the forest fires that are raging in our province.
The gardens are parched and there are water restrictions in many municipalities...
I'm praying for rain.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

The Humble Bungalow Below the stairs...

Greetings from The Humble Bungalow.
I took a very short blog break and I'm back...

In a recent post on wall treatments I showed pictures of the original dark wood interior of our arts and crafts home.
Stephen Andrew mentioned that he'd be tempted to paint the interior of our Humble Bungalow white and I have to admit that if it were up to just me I'd be wielding a white paintbrush.

Architect, Milo S Farwell designed our small home over 100 years ago...
it is a modest, small and very humble abode.
There is a historic value in these wee arts and crafts bungalows and many are being demolished in favour of larger homes. So restoration and preservation, with a nod to the integrity of the period seems appropriate...we updated the kitchen and bathrooms in the style but with new fixtures and appliances.
Our home is on the Heritage Registry which means that it can never be demolished.

We must take care to maintain the home and can apply for grants to help with big projects...
we did this with our roof and plan to apply for a grant to help pay for the painting that it so badly needs.

The interior of the living, and dining rooms of our home have also been designated heritage...
so I would not be permitted to paint them white!
In our basement it's a different matter, we went with white white and more white!!!


The quartz counter top in the laundry area.
Vintage enamel bread tin and colander.


The tools are black and white too...
this duo sports a touch of lime.


The bench by the door with an oar...


The LG washer and dryer are pewter grey and the floor tile is a mottled black.
(my goodness! I spy tan lines from my flip flops)



A basic black bamboo dress hangs to dry.


This hall would be very dark if it was not for the white walls.
You can see the guest room at the end of the hall.


The bathroom has a white tiled floor with black accents.


The bathroom shelf which I purchased at HomeSense.


Vintage mirror that I found on the boulevard...
Someones trash is someones treasure!


I threw in this picture of a black and white pillow that we have on our linen slip covered sofa in the family room.


I bought a new Cut Loose white top at Roche Harbour Resort .
We recently cruised to San Juan Island in Washington State, for a few days aboard our Sea Ray.
(Isla, our darling grand daughter is the artist behind the picture)

BTW grand baby number 3 is due any day now...
I am excited to meet the new little girl.

I'll be putting together a pictorial post of Roche Harbour sometime soon...
it's such a pretty spot and I'd like to share it with you.
In case you didn't know it's a destination for weddings.
Apparently there are over 120 weddings held in the garden every year.
While we were there for 5 days we noted 3 weddings were held in the gardens.
Loved the dreamy white gowns that the brides wore...
one wedding had 4 brides maids and they all wore white gowns and carried bouquets of white roses they looked so elegant...

It's time to relax and brew a pot of tea.


Until next time...
thank you for stopping by.