Monday, August 8, 2011

Advanced Age...and eyeing up some alone time.

I think it was Duchesse that steered me to a blog which I am now following with great enthusiasm.

Advanced Style is a fashion blog with older women as the focus.
It is a peek at chic older women who have amazing and I do mean amazing, style.
The women that are focused here are extremely well turned out confident women who have not "given up"
or resigned to spend their elder years in polyester pull on pants, baggy tops and sensible "old lady footwear".
They are putting themselves "out there" and getting noticed.

I applaud their energy and enthusiasm and admire the joy that they bring to their everyday round.
Go and check it out and see what you think...you might be inspired to add a flash of colour or some big chunky jewelry to your ensemble.

Things are ticking along slowly here in The Humble Bungalow.
Life does have a wee bit of routine...
home keeping, shopping, cooking, gardening, and blogging.

Many of my friends are away on holiday right now so I am feeling more alone than usual.
It's good to be alone once in awhile...a lot of reflection and deep thought can be had.

At work, coworker friendships are comfortable, easy and fall into a happy rhythm.
Rather like a work family.
I do miss that daily contact when school is out over the summer.

Lucky for me that Pepper thrives on attention!
(and the fact that I have many great books just waiting to be read.)

The garden roses have been dead headed and the foxgloves desperately need pulling.
There are no blooms left, just straw coloured stalks waving in the breeze...
saying goodbye for now...
see you in a couple of years.
Same time same place
another great display of their unfailing beauty.
Those reliable and stalwart performers never let me down.



Looking blurry
(sans specs!)



I desperately need glasses to read
am blind as a bat these days!
and 
 scared silly of Laser surgery
so I must get some hip and trendy specs.

I am leaning to tortoise shell or black
possibly larger frames
perhaps a chic pair 
like Ines de la Fressange wears 
at the Roger Vivier website.

I am currently reading Kate Morton's House at Riverton.
The lovely commenter Gretchen, suggested that I try her books
 and I am happy to say that I have bought all 3 of her novels!
Thank you Gretchen!


What books are you reading these days?
Any recommendations?

If you join in on your "Views from the Sink" from last Wednesday's post
please send me a link so that I can put them on my blog.


Friday, August 5, 2011

Family Images from the past...

My mother, sister and I recently went through some old photos.
We sat on the sun filled deck here in the Humble Bungalow garden and sipped freshly made iced tea and noshed on some antipasto, crackers, and a round of brie cheese.
My sister and I wanted to have copies of many of these images as Mother is the keeper of the albums.
I am planning to have these copied and will go hunting for some frames and plan to set up a photo gallery somewhere in the Bungalow, a shrine for want of a better word, paying homage to my family and my roots.


Father atop a sandstone rock in the BC Gulf Islands


Mother sitting on a rocky seashore
and I see my love of scarves has been inherited!


I think they make a fine pair.


No fish tales needed here
a picture is worth a thousand words!


Dad and his dog in the front yard of his family home.

Black and white images
are so evocative and rich in detail.

I love vintage family photos
they show us a bit of what we have forgotten
a time long past that can be revisited
remembered 
and 
shared.

Some of the photos are forced and staged
(say cheese!)
while others are taken quite spontaneously
capturing the reality and honesty of that moment so many years ago.

I got quite emotional looking through all the images...
so many of the people in the pictures have passed away
not to be forgotten
but to be remembered with love.


Mother and my cousin.

If you have a family member that you have been neglecting
try and make contact with them this weekend
phone, visit, or write them a letter.
You'll be happy that you took the time and made the effort
and it might just make their day a little brighter knowing that they are thought about by you.

Spread a little joy wherever you go this weekend.

Hostess
XO



Thursday, August 4, 2011

Roman Holiday....

I do so love the romantic movie Roman Holiday.
Dashing Gregory Peck and the exquisite Audrey Hepburn in her American debut performance.
The movie was made in 1953 two years before I was born and stands the test of time.
I love to watch it, and usually see it once every year.
If you have not seen it you might enjoy looking and listening here.

It's hot and sunny here and the shopping needs to be done.
I have my market basket, sunglasses and a new silk scarf...
feeling very much like I'd love to be on holiday in Roma....





I found this vintage silk hand rolled scarf in a thrift shop
and after touching the fabric
eyeing the stitching
and opening it up to reveal the intricate design
I knew it would need to come home with me.

Hermes you have some serious competition!

This colour palette will work well with denim and greys
and none of my Hermes scarves are in this colour range.
Plus an added bonus was that it was under $10!
not the $400 that I usually spend at the Hermes Boutique.

I have no idea who the designer is...
if you recognize it perhaps you would be kind enough to advise me.
Is the signature Constantino?
I am not too sure...

All this talk of Italy has made me think of pasta!

For dinner I am preparing a simple sauce made with San Marzano DOC tomatoes,
Only grown in and around Mount Vesuvius,
(sweeter and tastier than most tomatoes because they are grown in that volcanic ashy soil)
spicy Italian sausage sauteed with garlic and onions,
oregano
salt and pepper
simmered for an hour.
Yum! 
The Humble Bungalow is scented highly with this tasty goodness.
All I need to do is cook the pasta and dinner's done.
Easy Peasy.

                                                            
                                                                           Ciao for now!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Views from the sink..."White Wednesday"

Do you spend hours in your kitchen prepping dinner, washing dishes?
I know I do.
I find these simple tasks very soothing.

The radio is always on and I am alone with my thoughts.
A great song has me swaying to the beat and often I sing,
sometimes very loudly and out of tune but only Pepper can hear it so it matters little.

What I see when I look up from my sink is a high wide wooden shelf, a 98 year old window sill.
I have chosen to place things on it that speak to me...

Objects that inspire calm and reflection...
here are the kitchen sill shots.


Standing here washing veggies
I thought that it might be fun to ask other bloggers to post their kitchen views.


Matte white = Peace and Serenity


Vintage pots

I am inviting you all to post some images of your kitchen sink scene.
Please leave me a comment and a link to your blog 
so that we can all hop right over 
and 
see what you gaze at from your kitchen sink!

Come on
don't be shy
the more the merrier!

Hope that you have fun and enjoy White Wednesday.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Welcome Home with Roses...thanks Mom!

Home is where the heart is, and I feel that this is so true for me.
I love the feeling of belonging and I find it here within these four walls of this rather old Bungalow.
The smell of old wood and beeswax as they filled my nostrils upon entering and yet there was a subtle fragrance that I had not expected...
the floors shine with an age old patina brought to life with wood polish
the air is still and the scent is authentically olde.

I opened windows and let in some fresh air...
soaking in the familiar surroundings.
I have not forgotten, I've just been away for awhile.

While we were away mummy was here.
She brought in the post,
watered the beds,
and left us some welcoming posies.


She picked a few roses to welcome us back!

It took several trips to empty the Volvo wagon of all our gear.
A mountain of laundry sorted into piles sit on the floor by the washer and dryer await...
they are in full swing as I type...

Tonight we had chinese takeaway for dinner and watched the final episode of The Batchelorette.

Pepper meowed as she went room to room and has slept for a very long time on a bed that is not bobbing about in a sea of tidal action.


Jude the Obscure
in a wee glass
(mother didn't know where I kept the vases)


"The home should be the treasure chest of living." 
Le Corbusier 


I am weary and ready to slip into my nightie for a night of slumber...

I hope that you had a great weekend!