All that summer, we enjoyed it, wind and rain and shine

In spite of the fact that we are already more than halfway through summer, I can't help feeling that we are still waiting for it to happen. So far, there has been a lot of wetness and greyness, and when summer did decide to make an appearance, it was to make us wilt and sweat liberally during a short heatwave, when the air-conditioning had to be cranked up in the office and the bus home was like a sauna on wheels.

How I long for some good old-fashioned summer days, with the temperature just right and not making you dash for the shade the minute you step outside, and with just the right amount of fluffy clouds in the sky. Oh, and I want a whole string of them, not just the odd day here and there. Not easily pleased, me!

Maybe such summers only exist in my imagination, but I distinctly remember the glorious weeks in August we spent in Cornwall in 1995. Admittedly, as it was the first summer holiday Jos and I spent together, I might be looking through rose-tinted glasses here.

Cornwall, August 1995

Last week, summer went missing altogether and we were served with some true autumn weather with lots and lots of rain, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday.

By Friday we seemed to be over the worst and we actually got some sunshine although big fat rain clouds kept gathering on the horizon.

The weekend started early for me, and on Friday afternoon it was time for some fun. After a kick-starting coffee with Princess Inez at our usual haunt, we were ready for some vintage shopping. We were in luck, as Think Twice had just started another sales, with 30% off on everything.

There are three of these shops in Antwerp and not only did we visit them all, I struck gold at all three.

First I found this biscuit coloured slubbed silk jacket, tailor-made in Salzburg. Although I already own quite a few jackets, there is always a place for another one in my life, and this one was so gorgeous I couldn't leave it behind. Those buttons are works of art!

In the next shop I tried on a skirt and several dresses but only one dress, typically the one which I didn't have high expectations of, did more than fit the bill and came home with me.

Oh, and I found a cute little handbag, which I simply couldn't resist. You could already catch a glimpse of it in the opening photo of this post.

Shop number 3 yielded a dress, in fresh greens, with a vertically striped and buttoned bodice, shown here by Angelica.

Here she is again, showing you two tops I managed to find as well:

A little polka dotted button-through blouse with elaborate embroidery on the sleeves ...

... and a short-sleeved green knitted jumper with unusual stitch detail.

Saturday we did a short round of the charity shops, but my only finds were this green wool-blend jacket and a flowery scarf, which actually go quite well together.

Angelica did have her work cut out! While I was playing dress-up with her, Phoebe decided to join us. Here she is, looking decidedly bored with it all.

This is what I wore to hit the charity shops:

I chose a dress in cool blues, with a self-fabric belt. Again, I felt it needed a bit of a colour dash, and I chose some dark red accessories, especially as I wanted them to match my new bag.

Dress and handbag: Think Twice
Cardigan, bracelet and ring: retail
Shoes: Clarks, bought in the sales in the UK
Brooch: flea market
Beads: Blender Vintage Shop

Finally, here's a round-up of the things I picked up at Blender Vintage Shop when we went to collect Twiggy a couple of weeks ago.

This handmade green dress is patterned with a sprinkling of tulips. It is trimmed with red ric-rac, and look at those amazing double-layered butterfly sleeves!

My final finds were this cute white wicker handbag, which needed some TLC, and no less than ten plastic necklaces for my collection. They were ten for € 10, so it would have been rude to buy less.

Next up will be a visit to a flea market, on which I hope you will join me again!