It's time the tale were told

Oh dear, I can't believe it's been almost a month that I last put in an appearance here. I'm sure my continuing absence from blogland has got some of you worried, but in spite of my best intentions I haven't been able to summon up the energy to virtually put pen to paper and post another update.

Things have taken a turn for the worse, you see. When we went to the hospital for a  follow-up appointment on the 4th of February - a rare sunny day, and coincidentally our 31st wedding anniversary - we were given some devastating news which needless to say has knocked us both for six.

When Jos was hospitalized back in January, a routine test revealed some fluid around his lungs in which some atypical cells were discovered. He thereupon got keyhole surgery during which some lung tissue was taken for further testing.

Unfortunately, the biopsy results showed that he's got mesothelioma or asbestos-related cancer. It's still in the very early stages, so that he's eligible for chemotherapy, eventually followed by complex surgery which, if all goes well, is expected to take place somewhere in June.

Hardly a day goes by without another worry to add to our load and it feels as if our lives are no longer our own. But some days are better than others and on the better ones we are determined not to lose hope.

My wise friend Sheila has told me that self-care isn't selfish, which I'm adopting as my motto. As part of my self-care package I am mentally preparing for my return to blogland, although I suspect I won't be able to be around as much as I used to. 

However, with my 10th Blogiversary coming up in March - where did that time go? - it would be a shame to call it a day.

Hope to be joining you again soon!

A little update

 Although I won't be returning to blogland just yet, I thought I'd drop in and give you an update on how Jos is doing.

But first things first. I would like to thank those of you who left such heartwarming comments on my previous post and those of you who kindly checked in with me through private messages.

After having spent 3 weeks in hospital during which he had surgery, Jos was finally allowed to come home last Wednesday. He's still got a way to go before he'll be back on his feet so we're taking it day by day, cherishing every step into the right direction.

Time has been unhurried but relentless, and it's truly mind-boggling that most of January has come and gone while we've been living this half-life which feels light years away from the one we used to live before our world came tumbling down.

Thankfully I had the pleasure of Bess's company while Jos was in hospital. 

She insisted on sleeping with me all night demanding cuddles and purring loudly whenever she thought I was awake. And I definitely lay awake worrying most nights, particularly during those first couple of weeks.

Obviously no outfit photos were taken - unless you count the one of me wearing pyjamas - although I promise you I did manage to dress up on most days, even if I did accessorize only sparingly and my make-up routine went out of the window.

The photos accompanying this post were taken in our back garden during the cold snap we had a couple of weeks ago or while running errands in our village.

Meanwhile, and much to Bess's joy, it's the return of the hospital bed ...

I'm desperately missing my blogging friends so I'm hoping to return soon. After all, there's still that December backlog to catch up on.

This is not a blog post

Well, technically speaking it is, but it's not one of those you would expect from me when you see my blog pop up in your reader.

After Jos had been feeling unwell all through our Christmas break, things came to a head on New Year's Eve, when he was taken to A&E by ambulance. 

They've been doing a whole battery of tests but so far we're still in the dark as to what is ailing him exactly. The main thing as that he's being properly looked after.

My days have been a whirlwind of hospital visits while trying to keep things afloat here at Dove Cottage and making sure I get some rest. The latter is easier said than done as I keep having panic attacks and lying awake at night worrying.

I'm still reading your posts whenever I'm in need of a slice of normality but I haven't got the energy for leaving comments.

Normal service will be resumed when there's some kind of light at the end of the tunnel.

The photos accompanying this post were all taken during my hospital visits the last couple of days, except for the snowy roofscape which was taken from our bedroom window on Saturday morning.

Thank you for reading and bearing with me. Hope to see you soon!

And so this was Christmas

It's day 5 of my Christmas break, and what have I done? So far, I admit I've been a total slob. Ok, vanity dictated that I dressed up every day, and we even braved the freezing temperatures we're currently experiencing to go for a couple of walks. But that's it really. 

Obviously, I also made some time to pen this post. After all, the year might nearly be over but I've still got to make a start with telling you about its final month!

However, I might have told a little white lie when I mentioned I was wrapping up the month of November in my previous post. The fact is that I completely forgot to tell you about what we did on Sunday the 30th!

After a raft of rainy days, the weather gods had finally dried their tears, treating us to a gloomy but mostly dry day. My diary mentions that at 7°C it was chilly, which actually makes me laugh now that the temperatures have taken a dive below freezing point!

Wild horses couldn't have kept us inside, though, so we wrapped up warmly and drove to Fort 5 in Edegem, our neighbouring village. 

Once again, this is somewhere I've been taking you to many times before, but here's a little recap for those who are new here.

Fort 5 is part of a ring of eight almost identical forts - given the unimaginative names of Fort 1 up to Fort 8 - surrounding the city of Antwerp and built in the 1860s to protect the city from enemy fire.  Apart from Fort 1, which had to make way for a road and a shopping centre, they are all still in existence but have long ago been converted into nature reserves and recreational spaces. 

Fort 5 is the one nearest to us, with a plethora of paths to choose from, catering for both a short stroll or a longer walk. 

It was the former we were after on that Sunday afternoon, but then we found the gate leading to the inner fort standing invitingly open. Beyond the gate, which is usually closed, are the premises of BLWRK, which offers space for coworking, meetings and events. You wouldn't guess it from the outside, but here's a link to their website to give you an idea of what it looks like on the inside.

There was an exhibition of some sort taking place, which exceptionally allowed us to step through the gate and explore this hugely atmospheric part of the old fort. 

It was still with some trepidation that we proceeded to circuit the inner fort. While Jos walked on fearlessly, I was a bit hesitant, imploring him at regular intervals to turn around, as I was having this weird fear of finding that gate closed, with us locked inside. But then we came full circle which I've got to admit was nothing short of a relief. I guess I haven't got the makings of an urban explorer ...

Let's have a look at the symphony of blue, red and white I was wearing that day. The skirt is vintage and was part of a birthday haul at Think Twice in September 2020.  The spotty blouse is from the former Belgian Wow To Go label and was charity shopped almost exactly two years later. My necklace, another one which is making regular appearances here, was a charity shop find as well, while the elastic belt with its Celtic knot buckle was picked up from the Green Ice outlet shop near my office.

December started with yet another week of gloom, with temperatures ranging between 7 and 9°C.

I was expecting a visit from the bosses who were coming over from Miami and while I was waiting for them to arrive on Monday morning, the sun made a brief appearance, gilding the cathedral tower and the Art Deco skyscraper called the Boerentoren (transl. Farmer's Tower). That might very well have been our only bit of sunshine that week, caught when I was looking out of the office window at exactly the right moment.

Needless to say, the week was a bit of a whirlwind. As their last visit was in January 2024, we hadn't seen each other for nearly two years, and as that particular visit had ended with a bit of an altercation, I was feeling a bit nervous. We'd obviously talked on the phone loads of times since then, but I had no idea how things would be when we would be seeing each other face to face.  All I can say is that I needn't have worried!

There's nothing of note to tell you about that week but that he guys took me to lunch on Tuesday and were gone by mid-afternoon on Thursday. By then, my nerves were quite frazzled as I'm not used to the pressure of having them around physically.

As a diversion, I walked to one of my nearest Think Twice shops during Thursday's lunch break. Another round of their famous sales had started, and I found an Austrian made new wool maxi skirt at 30% off, which I couldn't wait to wear the very next day.

For fear of sounding like a broken record, Friday was mostly grey with the odd sunny spell followed by rain in the evening. The day's highs of around 10°C weren't too bad for the time of year, but the seemingly never-ending gloom kept us inside for most of the day.

I picked up the pops of cinnamon in the vaguely botanical pattern of my new-to-me skirt with an openwork knit jumper from the Danish Nümph label, a charity shop find almost exactly a year ago. Both the lilac belt and the green and turquoise wood and raffia beaded necklace were charity shopped as well. If I remember correctly, the wooden duck brooch was a flea market find.

The day was spent doing my usual Friday faffing around, tackling a couple of chores and going for a food shop. 

Then I settled down on the sofa with my latest read. Set in Kerrville, Kansas, Laura Moriarty's debut novel The Center of Everything is told by Evelyn Bucknow, a young girl living with her single mother and with a wholly refreshing way of looking at the world. Although I loved it, it is not a keeper. Alas, there is only so much - or rather, little - space on my bookshelves. Lately, only the very best make the grade.

And look who joined me on that sofa! She is demanding lap time the minute I'm daring to sit down, promptly falling asleep until I'm getting needles and pins in my legs.

Saturday the 6th of December was a grey and wet day, but still reasonably warm at 11°C.

The Diolen Delight I plucked from my wardrobe was a pre-blog Think Twice bargain and, with its joyous multi-coloured dots, was the perfect mood booster on this gloomiest of days! The green Dralon short-sleeved cardigan I wore on top came from Think Twice as well, snapped up for € 4 in November 2018.

Both my necklace, whose beads are wearing woolly jumpers, and my painted metal flower brooch,  were charity shop finds. 

As there was no improvement in the weather, and we didn't want to be stuck inside all day again, there was nothing for it but to do some shopping. Charity shopping, obviously!

Our shop of choice was the one in Duffel, which boasts no less than three floors of would-be treasures. However, it was extremely busy, with cars queueing for space, so that we continued to the park a hundred metres or so up the road. Here, thankfully, there was ample space to park our car. Grabbing an umbrella, we then proceeded to walk back to the shop. 

By then the rain clouds were taking a breather, so that we briefly considered going for a stroll. But the park was looking utterly wet and forlorn and it wasn't long before those rain clouds were starting up again with renewed vigour.

Much to our delight, the gods of the charity shops had decided to make up for their weather colleagues' bad behaviour, and finds were plentiful.

The clothing aisles delivered with an orange jumper and a pink and orange tank top.

Scanning the racks of shoes, my eyes alighted on a pair of tall brown leather boots and a pair of pewter Italian made ankle boots.

My star find, however, was yet another coat! Yes, I know, coat ban and all that, but surely it would have been downright criminal to leave this King Louie stunner behind?

There was a button missing and another one which had faded, but that didn't faze me at all. It was nothing a needle, some thread and my stash of vintage buttons wouldn't be able to deal with.

So, that was my Sunday occupation! 

It was such an dismal, dark and wet day that we had to put on the kitchen lights when making outfit photos. 

I was wearing my vintage Venetia frock, which has a pattern of tiny white dots and garlands of frothy pink flowers, and was purchased from a long-gone vintage shop about 12 years ago. 

I picked a contrasting pale aqua for its companions and accessories. The belt, beads and King Louie cardigan were all charity shop finds. The pink flower corsage I pinned to my cardigan was bought on the high street. Oh, and I gave the pewter ankle boots I'd charity shopped on Saturday their very first outing. Admittedly, I only wore them for the photos as we didn't leave the house all day.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I am answering the siren call of the sofa. I might do a spot of reading or perhaps watch another episode of Bess's adventures with the Christmas tree. She has nearly dislodged all the ornaments at least once by now and there are several branches which are hanging on for dear life.

I probably won't be posting again until next year, so I'll see you on the other side!

I can't thank you enough for reading and leaving your lovely comments!

Wearing, reading and charity shopping

As promised, I'm back with a final November update. And about time too, I guess, as Christmas is almost upon at the time of writing. We put up our Christmas tree two weekends ago, deciding to leave our fragile vintage decorations for (at least) another year and using our small collection of wooden, felted, fabric, resin and papier-mâché ones instead. 

As you can see, it was a good thing that we did! Ever since Bess came to live at Dove Cottage back in 2021, it has become a tradition to post a photo of her shenanigans involving the tree, so here is this year's contribution. She wasted no time in climbing it the minute it was up and I'd finished decorating it with all those tempting toys!

As my blog hasn't actually made it to Christmas yet, why don't we retrace our steps to Friday the 21st of November? On the menu that day was my penultimate visit to Michel, my hairdresser of more than 30 years, who will be retiring at the end of next week. Sob!

I might not have been ready for the silly season yet but the streets of Antwerp were already decked out with garlands of greenery and festive light displays. 

It was a sunny but crispy cold day on which the mercury didn't climb any higher than 4°C.

I was wearing a chevron patterned plaid skirt in browns, oranges and a dash of white, which I wrestled off a charity shop dummy in January 2022. Its companion, an aubergine blouse sprinkled with colourful spots, was an old Think Twice find, its collar kept under control with a sparkly peach-coloured brooch I picked up from H&M in the late noughties. 

For extra warmth, I added a lavender tank top, bought at 70% off in the closing down sale of the Belgian Terre Bleue label in September 2024. To this I pinned one of my Autumn leaf brooches. Then I selected an orange stretchy belt with massive round metal buckle - a cheeky high street buy - to accentuate my waist.

The temperature was down to 2°C on Saturday, when we woke up to the first of the night frost having sugar-coated the plants in the jungle garden.

The sudden cold snap spurred me into action, and I spent the morning unearthing some of my warmer skirts and exchanging a shelf full of short-sleeved knits for long-sleeved Winter jumpers.

Then I walked into the village as I needed to run an errand at Kruidvat, which is the Low Countries' equivalent of Superdrug.

My blue cord skirt was bought in a high street shop in November 2023 and has become a true Autumn/Winter staple ever since. My diagonally striped polo neck, in a slightly darker shade of blue, was a € 5 Think Twice sales bargain one year later. 

Both the belt and necklace were relatively recent charity shop finds. A pre-blog rummage at the indoor flea market yielded the vintage enamelled metal brooch featuring an Edelweiss, a Gentian and a couple of smaller daisy-like flowers.  

Talking of rummages, we drove down to the Went to charity shop in Mortsel after lunch, where I found a Diolen button through skirt, a Nordic style jumper by the Belgian high street label JBC, a black and white patterned orange blouse and some aqua beads.

It had actually snowed overnight on Sunday the 23rd of November, but apart from the odd dot of the fluffy stuff, it had all gone by morning. In its wake, we were left with a gloomy and utterly grey day on which an icy cold wind made it feel considerably colder that the day's highs of 2°C.

As Bess had been having episodes of regular vomiting, which we suspected was hairball related but wanted to be sure, we made an online appointment with a local vet for Tuesday morning. Much to our regret our former vet, whom we'd had since Phoebe's predecessor Poesie back in the mid-1990s, had recently closed her practice. As she used to do house visits, it would be the first time we'd have to take Bess anywhere in the cat carrier we last used when we picked her up from the shelter which, needless to say, we were a bit nervous about ...

Thankfully we were able to take our minds off things by visiting our friends Ingrid and Luc in he afternoon. We hadn't seen each other for a while, so it was nice to be able to catch up.

Ingrid and I were at secondary school together, where we were the one and only punks. Those were the days!

Monday was the start of a three-day general strike in Belgium, with little or no public transport, which meant that Jos not only had to drive me into Antwerp like he usually does, but pick me up again as well. This was easier said than done, as, due to parking restrictions, there is nowhere for him to park the car and wait for me. This meant leaving the office ahead of time to make sure I'd be at our designated pick-up point by the time he arrived.

After a foggy commute on Tuesday morning, this was my view from the office window (above, left): apparently Antwerp's cathedral had gone AWOL!  I'm including the view on the right, taken a couple of hours later, for comparison.

It was the day of Bess's appointment with the vet, where she was declared to be in perfect health and was given an injection to help her with the hairball issues. Jos reported that she meowed loudly during the car trip - which took all of five minutes - but that she was on her best behaviour at the vet's. 

I walked to the nearest Think Twice shop during lunch break, where I found this amazing vintage dress from a German label called Rawe Rheda. When I posted my find on Instagram that day, I was told by Lynn that she used to have the exact same dress.

And just like that, another week had gone by!

Another gloomy and mizzly day was our lot on Friday the 28th of November, accompanied with a neither here nor there 9°C.

I had a dentist appointment for a check-up at 11 am, but as there were no issues I was in and out in less than 15 minutes.

Back at home, I tackled a couple of minor sewing jobs after lunch, after which we went food shopping.

My outfit was based around the olive green polyester knit vintage dress I found at the vintage per kilo shop back in October. 

Both the chunky knit long-line orange cardigan and the orange fake-snake belt were charity shopped, while the orange and green mottled brooch was a flea market find. My necklace is a holiday souvenir, bought from an antiques centre in Newcastle Emlyn, Wales in June 2017. It seems that it's one of the necklaces I'm reaching for the most.

The rest of the day was spent engrossed in my latest read, Muriel Spark's The Girls of Slender Means. This early 1960s vintage Penguin has been on my shelves for decades but caught my eye as I was rearranging the latter to make some space. I couldn't actually remember ever reading it, so that was my next read sorted.

The novel is set in London in 1945 at the end of the war in a shabby boarding house for young ladies called the May of Teck Club. It follows their lives and love affairs over a period of a few weeks but ends in tragedy. It's a very witty novel which I loved, although I initially had a difficult time getting into it.

There was no improvement in the weather on Saturday.  Apart from a handful of sunny days, it had been a gloomy month of November, but still an improvement on October, which was considered the bleakest month here in Belgium since records began.

As it was once again left to yours truly to provide a daily dose of sunshine, I plucked this teal cowl-necked and pleated dress from my wardrobe. A Think Twice find back in March 2022, I initially left it behind, but as luck would have it, it had been reduced by 30% when I went back for it the next day.

From its groovy colourful pattern, I selected ochre for my fluffy cardigan and tan for my belt, adding even more colour with my beaded necklace and brooch. Apart from the latter, which was a flea market find, all were supplied by the gods of the charity shops.

Speaking of which, the weather dictated that we went for another rummage, for which we selected the shop at the edge of our village.

Here I found no less than three vintage dresses, which I'm sure were leftovers from the infamous Day of the Charity Shops, on which they break out all of the vintage items they've hoarded for months, to be sold at inflated prices. 

There were two modern dresses as well. The burnt orange floral shift dress is by Belgian label Claude Arielle (I've already got a couple of blouses by them) while the tropical patterned one is a King Louie.

My final finds of the day were two more books to add to my already toppling pile. I must be one of the only people in the world who hasn't yet read Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring ... and nor have I seen the film!

So, that's it for now. I've just finished my final day at the office this year and, as I'm only due back on Monday the 5th of January, I'm looking forward to 12 days of freedom from the shackles of time.

All that's left is to wish you all a wonderful Christmas. 

See you on the other side!