A thousand boxes yet to tick

It's been quite a while since I went charity shopping, I've had to give flea markets a miss, and I hadn't seen the inside of my favourite vintage shops in weeks.

Come to think of it, I haven't done any outfit posts in a while either ...

On top of that, the fact that I've been blogging for six months now (the 5th of September was my first kind-of blogiversary) and that I recently published my 50th post, completely passed me by.

You know, life, with all its ups and downs, sometimes gets in the way, and all those things I mentioned haven't exactly been uppermost in my mind.

Shoes worn with all three outfits: Clarks, charity shopped at Oxfam

However, in the last week, I've made up for lost time in a big way, and so I am taking a little break from my travelling posts to give you an update of what I've been up to.

My birthday came the day after we got back from our holiday, and I treated myself to an extra day off, and a visit to one of my favourite charity shops.

Here are the things that came home with me.

First up are two hats, shown here by the faithful Twiggy.

I already wore the sunhat to work last week, as we were having a late heatwave here in Belgium. At some point Belgium was the hottest place in Europe, with temperatures of 30°C and more.

This Scottish souvenir scarf is a favourite find. As with so many things these last couple of weeks, this is reminding me of my dad, who loved Scotland very much.

Finally, this pretty handmade dress, which I wore to go to a flea market on Saturday. More about that later ...

On Thursday, during lunch break, I paid a visit to Think Twice, who were yet again in the middle of one of their famous sales. With prices down to € 4, I didn't restrain myself and bought several pieces.

As I was in a maxi mood, here are my favourites:

Handmade and lined, this Crimplene skirt was just the right length. The green shirt is made from Diolen fabric, but I replaced its tiny buttons with more appropriate ones from my stash of vintage buttons.

The label inside this polyester, bell-sleeved maxi frock reads "M. Fischer, Paris". Again, its length is just right for me.

The crocheted shawl was a birthday present from my friend Ingrid, who made it especially to be worn with my maxi dresses. I'm sure it will keep me warm and cozy on a chilly winter day.

As if that wasn't enough, a flea market was waiting for us on Saturday. It was quite a large one, being held in the streets of the nearby town of Mortsel. We try to go each year if the weather's fine, and we are rarely disappointed.

At the onset, it was quite cloudy, and I even thought I felt a couple of drops of rain, but in no time the sky had cleared and it became sunny and warm.

It didn't take long to make our first purchase, a Fire King Jadite sugar bowl, sadly minus its lid.

I love the opaque green of this glassware, and if space wasn't an issue I would collect the whole range.








Nevertheless, I can never resist picking up pieces now and again, when they are being offered at silly prices. This sugar bowl is going to join the cup and saucer and the two (!) milk jugs I already own.

A couple of stalls further on, we came across a stack of breakfast plates (Argenteuil by Boch), which we bought as we already have cups and saucers of the same design.

While I was paying for the plates, Jos bought this Lourdes music box souvenir.

Honest, it wasn't me!

Just as we were about to leave, I spotted this brown boxy handbag for € 2.

I was attracted to the flowers on this pretty wirework basket, as they are similar to the flowers on a 1940s brooch I own. As the asking price was only € 1, I could hardly leave it behind, could I?

Did I buy any brooches? Well, yes, of course!

I paid a total of € 10 for these six brooches, found at different stalls.

The celluloid brooch (top centre) alone is worth more than that and is now joining my little collection, making a total of four.

Our final purchase was this Côte d'Or tin. Côte d'Or is a famous Belgian brand of chocolate, which has been going around since 1883, and the iconic elephant is still adorning their packaging to this day.

I was sad, however, to read in last week's papers that Côte d'Or has been sold and that in future production of this chocolate will no longer be taking place in Belgium.

I remember that, when I was little, there was always Côte d'Or chocolate in the cupboard at my grandparents' house, and I wanted to eat just the squares with the elephants on them.

I'm not sure the chocolate even tastes the same nowadays ...