Stormy weather

What a miserable week!

Autumn has entered its nasty stage and we were treated to foggy days with solid grey skies and relentless rain.

Just stepping outside and waiting at the traffic lights was a hazard as it's no fun being splashed by cars carelessly driving through puddles at full speed. Wet umbrellas on crowded rush-hour buses aren't much fun either.

Then, work was full on this week and added to that it was my turn to succumb to a cold, resulting in much sniffling, blocked sinuses, watery eyes and a lingering headache.

My outfit:

Warm tweedy coat and beret from Think Twice
'Tamaris' boots from Oxfam

Dress from Think Twice
Cardigan and tights: retail
Brooch: flea market
Beads: charity shopped













But enough with the moaning!

This is actually the perfect weather for staying inside and ejoying some creature comforts.
We even did some minor home improvements.

Finally, we have caught up with modern age and bought a LED TV.

We've had our old TV for 25 years and although it was still in good working order, we had some vouchers which were about to expire.

Before

Here in Belgium, each year most employees are getting a certain amount of so-called 'eco-cheques', which can be spent only on 'green products', including energy-efficient devices. Over the years, we already spent them on a new fridge, freezer and washing machine. Not bad, eh?

After

We also replaced our 20 year old pine cabinet, with something more appropriate for Dove Cottage's sitting room.

This wonderful piece of furniture is radiogram cabinet with its record player hidden in the bottom drawer. It's a Mandello de Luxe 2 from Grundig and dates back to 1968.

Jos fell in love with its shiny dark brown veneer when he spotted it at our neighbour's a couple of years ago.

Imagine our delight when about a month or so ago, our neighbour gave it to us for free!














It even still has all the instructions manuals.

Due to lack of space, and to get rid of any lingering smells, it spent some time in our garage. Now, after a good clean, it is taking pride of place in our sitting room.

 And what a difference it makes!

With its dark, shiny exterior, it's not easy to photograph properly, though.

While a storm is raging outside, I am leaving you now with some further impressions of our little sitting room, which really comes into its own this time of year.

Now bring on some coffee and cake, please!