Bungalow memories...The Plant family.

The Humble Bungalow has many faces and the one that it is showing right now is sunny yellow.
Happily the sun is shining and the light is streaming in the windows.
The plants are putting on a performance as well.

White Christmas Cactus

This Asian planter was a gift from the son of Mrs. Plant

she was the longest resident of the Bungalow.

She was a widow and earned her living by taking in sewing

and working as a seamstress at one of the better shops in the city.

She raised 3 children single handedly which back in the 30's and 40's would have been a struggle.

She had a small Victory Garden in the back yard, a King apple tree and black berry bushes.

Most of the garden had grown wild by the time we came to buy it and it took us several years to "tame it."

She had passed away a few years before we bought the house.

I researched the previous owners using the city's archives and found her son listed in the local directory.

I sent him a note and asked if he had any photo's which he did and would bring a few along for us to peruse when we got together.

We had Mr. and Mrs. Plant over for tea

they also brought this lovely planter which had been a favourite of Mrs. Plant.

They provided us with the addresses of the two daughters who had married and moved to the United States. We corresponded for a few years until such time that they were in town and they popped by for a cup of tea and a tour.

I wish that I had taken pictures of all of us together but I was so excited to meet them that I completely was lost in the conversation and their impressions and memories of their childhood home.

The planter had a healthy plant in it at the time of their visit which unfortunately I managed to kill after a few months!

I have much better luck with Christmas cactus plants.