Bits and Bobs from The Humble Bungalow

Views from my walking route have been so crisp and clear.

Skies are blue and the breeze warm...

 the ocean seems to dance under the warm sunlight.

Puff ball clouds float upwards...

high above the Showy Pavement Roses.

Sweet blooms line the boulevards causing me to stop and capture the images.

I try not to stop for too long as I am mindful that I need to keep up my pace.

Like it or not, my middle is increasing in size and has become a wee bit wobbly. 

Walking much faster is my current goal.

Swinging my arms, as my physiotherapist suggested, to keep my shoulder limber.

The news on the shoulder is good ~ I am virtually free of pain.

Now I need to get the full range of motion to return.

 It will be "almost" as good as new!

Gertrude Jeykyll is a fragrant rose that is perfect for picking.

She can scent a room in no time flat!

(I think she is very beautiful too)

While I prefer to 

Enjoy the flowers outside in the Humble Bungalow Garden

occasionally I pick a few to bring inside.

"Windowsill Orchids" seem to like our Bungalow.

They blooms for months and then will a little luck they bloom again and again for several years.

They are really good value for the money...much less expensive than a large bouquet that maybe lasts 2 weeks.

I wait until the flowers fall off and the stems are dry before cutting them down to the soil level.

Water once a week and let the water drain through the pots.

Orchids do not like to sit in water for very long or the roots rot.

I keep mine in north and south windows but not in hot direct sunshine.

They prefer a bit of air circulation like they do in the wild...

rather like a tropical rainstorm and then the sun comes out and shines.

The foxgloves are back...

they are a biennial and grow every other year.

We have enough seeds from previous years plants so there are always a handful in flower.

These tall plants are perfect for the back of the border but ours have a different idea...

they bloom wherever they feel like!

I don't try to change their habits and am grateful that they are here at all.

They were about the only plant that was here when we bought The Humble Bungalow over 30 years ago...

Most of the garden was covered in Morning Glory a weed that wraps itself around everything in sight and the runners tunnel underground and if they are not kept in check a mess ensues!

That was one of our first challenges when we moved into our home...

ridding the garden of weeds, brambles and junk.

(sweat equity)

Here is a link to one of my posts in the series The Ugly Truth.

After your read this you will understand a wee bit more about how far we have come.

We have created a Garden that we enjoy 

it has taken us years of hard work

many changes ~ trials and errors

Today it looks a lot different!

Thank you for stopping by my Humble Bungalow Blog!

I'll be back soon with snippets of our weekend away on our Sea Ray.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Bye Bye Big MAC...

Good Morning!
I am saying farewell to my old MAC laptop and a sweet hello to my new MAC...

The new one is smaller and much faster...

way faster than the operator at this moment in time.

There is a bit of a learning curve but thankfully with a MAC there is so much familiarity that we can bravely navigate with very little fear.

(I have a very capable young tech just a phone call away which helps too!)

I am going to test drive this new machine by taking you all on my recent walk in Oak Bay.

I walked past one of my favourite gardens in all of Victoria.

If you ever get the chance please visit this magical place...

have lunch or afternoon tea and walk about the grounds

it is a little piece of heaven on earth.

I passed by a quiet lane where this beautiful white wisteria was growing along a cedar fence...

I love wisteria and think it looks so elegant, almost enchanting.

There were 5 deer eating their breakfast in a garden beside the path.

The birds were singing and it was very quiet.

I felt like I was in the country.

I posted a video of one of the deer to my Instagram page and judging by the amount of times it has been viewed it must be worth watching.

I took this "secret path" tucked between two houses.

I am in the area of Oak Bay where I grew up and when we were young "adventurers" we used to pretend that these paths were very secret and known only to the children in the neighbourhood.

I wandered up towards Oak Bay Avenue on a dead end street.

Ah but there is another path that winds itself through the area...

this one is known to many as there has been a booklet published detailing the route...it has been lit for night time use and safety on the rugged rocky steps.

Here is the view from the bottom of the steps...

looking onto a lovely little byway just off the beaten path.

Someone lost a bootie...

The mighty oak has fallen and the municipality knows that the Garry Oak Meadows are better off when the tree trunks are left as they fall...

(they have cut off the limbs that would have blocked the path)

I am hoping that this post will be in the Blogger feed as soon as I hit publish...

if not I need to do some sleuthing to find out what I need to fix.

Please keep your fingers crossed!

Thank you for stoping by...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Technical Glitches....

Greetings from The Humble Bungalow

we are currently experiencing technical difficulties...

my Mac Laptop is 8 years old and will no longer support the new updates on the software I need.

As a result Blogger has been persnickety.

Bear in mind that I am not that tech savvy so the fault may be mine.

Blogger has changed the format to a more secure way for users to view blogs which protects both user and blogger from Malware and bots. They recently suggested that we check our blogs for mixed content and I am unable to do this too because of my outdated software and laptop...

 When I post a new post it takes about 5 hours for it to show up in the Blogger Feed...

Messages pop up on my screen in blue saying Aw Snap!

Parts of my posts disappear...

I am frustrated and I do apologize.

I cannot afford to spend time writing posts if they just disappear...

washed away in the sand by the ocean!

So I am in the process of getting a new Mac laptop...

and I may still need to get some expert advice.

So please bear with me.

Thank you for your patience...

I wish that technical issues were as simple and "low tech"

as sweeping...

or home keeping...

Time for Tea!

While it does not fix everything it can go a long way to making me feel better.

So with that thought in mind I leave you for a bit...

 in 5 hours you "should" be able to read this post!

(fingers crossed!)

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Getting My Happy On...

If you follow me on Instagram you are probably already familiar with my frequent use of the "hashtag"....  #gettingmyhappyon

In a nutshell, they are the small things in life that make or keep me in a happy frame of mind.

So with that thought I wondered if you would participate in a wee exercise?

Are there any particular things that you do to keep yourself feeling upbeat and positive?

I could make a list, as I have done many times on The Humble Bungalow Blog but why not throw it open to you and see what ideas you have? Let's brainstorm and see what fun we might have sharing our individual hints.

Are your favourite "getting your happy on" habits free ?

Are they luxurious and expensive?

Or vintage, minimal, classic and timeless ?

Are they creative pursuits?

Do you prefer to be alone or in the company of others?

Does the beauty of nature play a big role in "getting your happy on?"

"Love is energy of life. "

~ Robert Browning ~

I look forward to reading your comments 

and I hope that we can inspire each other by sharing our thoughts and ideas.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog today.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Weekend Dinner Party and a Yummy Salad Recipe

Our daughter is going to be wed to her Kiwi fiancee this summer in an intimate ceremony on one of the beautiful Gulf Islands just off our coast.
We were introduced to our future SIL's father and step mom on the weekend and we celebrated by hosting a casual dinner here in The Humble Bungalow.
The Marlborough area in New Zealand is where they reside and they own and run an award winning olive grove and make olive oil...they gave us a bottle and I cannot wait to try it!
Marlborough is well known and famous for their vineyards and top notch wines so we wanted to introduce them to some of our BC wine and local seafood.

We served a very simple dinner and we sipped a Sandhill Pinot Gris from a BC Winery in Oliver.

We were celebrating our future SIL's birthday and getting acquainted with his father and step mom. The conversations were animated and we really got on well.
Such lovely people, warm and friendly, it feels as though we have been friends for a long time.

Dinner menu:

Cheese and olive platter with candied smoked wild salmon for the appetizers
Salad
Baby new potatoes with butter and chopped fresh mint
Salmon glazed with soy sauce and drizzled with maple syrup
Chocolate mousse with raspberries

I tried a new salad which was colourful and full of flavour.
Here is the recipe...
I have not indicated quantities because it is so easy to adapt the amounts to make more or less depending on how many you are serving.

Yummy Salad

A variety of salad greens and I added radicchio for colour
cooked beets (I used baby beets and quartered them after cooking)
radishes sliced
roasted pumpkin seeds
sliced green onions
goat or feta cheese crumbled

Put all these gorgeous ingredients in a large salad bowl.
(I used a shallow white bowl to show the rich colours of this salad)

Dressing

1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of fresh dill or 2 tsp. dried dill weed
salt and pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Put all the ingredients in a large jar and shake until emulsified and dress salad just before serving.

I ate the leftovers today (a wee bit soggy but yummy!)

I am half way through this book and am having difficulty putting it down.

It is well written and very interesting...and yes it is on my Paris themed reading list!

(I have it on good authority that Tilar Mazzeo is residing in Victoria for several months of each year)

Well I must get a move on and tackle some of the domestics around here...

no more excuses!

 After I have finished them I am going to pop the kettle on and sit for a bit and read my book!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~