Can't get it out of my head

This blog post, which is all about what we did two Sundays ago, was planned for last week, but my dad suddenly passing away made me put it on the back burner.
Here's a big thank you for all your lovely comments. You kind words mean a lot to me, much more than I can say.

Now, back to that particular Sunday! We had plans of going to a flea market but unfortunately the weather let us down and we woke up to lots of wind and rain, exactly as predicted.

This meant that we were at a bit of a loss, so for want of something better to do, I tackled some ironing, and rearranged my growing collection of scarves ...

... and brooches

We then had the brainwave of visiting a big cavern of a shop, selling all sorts of reclaimed things, big and small.

Although it isn't too far from our home, this was only our second visit.

Maybe it was the fact that on our first visit it was freezing cold, inside the shop, which is more of a half-open hangar, as well as outside, or that we didn't find anything worth buying ... In fact, we both completely forgot about the shop and couldn't even remember its name.

Now we know the shop is called "Oud & Nief", which basically means "Old & New".

It is quite a fascinating shop, well worth a visit even if you are not intending to buy, with many unusual items, some with eye-watering price tags.

I almost fainted when I saw this cupboard full of 1920s-1930s hat mannequins, as I had been lusting after one for ages, despairing of ever finding one at the right price.

They were almost all men's heads, though, most of the women's heads having been sold long ago, but there she was, lurking in a corner:

She just had to come home with me!

Now, with Twiggy and Angelica already being part of the family, I still need to christen her with a suitable 1930s name.

I think she does look a bit like Idina Sackville in this photo, but I'm not totally convinced she is an "Idina", so any suggestions are welcome!









I will now leave you with some impressions of the rest of the shop:

Bottles in all shapes and sizes

Boxes and an intriguing metal chest of drawers

Michelin men, a sleepy stone lion and a brown-shoed boy mannequin

A vintage projector, a child-size car (probably from a merry-go-round),
a rusty tin and some old photographs

Oh, and this is what I wore:

The dress is deadstock and I was wearing it for the first time, the material still being a bit scratchy.

It will be my dad's funeral tomorrow, and although I'm certainly not looking forward to it, I do hope that we will do him proud, and that there will be laughter as well as tears. It will be quite emotional, so I will be taking a mega box of hankies.

On Tuesday, we are going on a short holiday in Belgium's beautiful west country, near the coast, leaving one day later than planned because of the funeral.

To say that we are looking forward to it is an understatement.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some packing to do ...

See you on the other side!