Sunday 19 November 2017

And when it rains all day ...

Last weekend was a quiet one and, apart from a visit to my friend Inez, involving coffee and apple pie, we hadn't anything planned at all.

We couldn't even go charity shopping on Saturday as all the shops were closed: November 11, Armistice Day, is a public holiday here in Belgium!



By a stroke of luck, though, the weekly market in our village was trading so, still on the lookout for the elusive burnt orange tights, I ventured outside. The rain we'd woken up to had diminished to a light but persistent drizzle by then, but it was still wet enough to warrant carrying an umbrella.



Sadly, the hosiery stall is discontinuing my favourite range of coloured tights and they only had some leftovers from previous years. But, hurray: they still had some burnt orange ones (actually called caramel) in my size, and I stocked up on a couple of pairs in rust, moss green and olive as well!



I'd been waiting to wear the striking aubergine blouse sprinkled with colourful spots for quite a while, but didn't hit on the right skirt to combine it with until I started pulling out my Winter skirts and found this one, in beige and brown polyester. Not really my colours and frankly speaking a bit boring: I'd actually forgotten about this skirt completely!



Once I had the skirt on, accessorizing was easy. I started by adding a brown belt with a round tortoiseshell buckle, and chose olive green tights and ditto cardigan.

The first of my brooches, a cameo, was pinned to my blouse, then a cream and brown plastic brooch, one of last week's finds, went on the cardigan. I also wore orange beads and a green plastic ring.



I have dozens of these plastic rings in different colours, picking them up whenever I find them, so they are a mix of high street and flea market finds. I store them in this 1970s orange party set, next to my collection of necklaces, so that they are within easy reach when I'm dressing.

On went the boots I can't say goodbye to and which I'll probably wear until they fall apart completely.



I wore the jacket I bought for € 2 at last week's flea market. It's dark brown with small multicoloured bobbles, which makes it less stark. I felt it needed a belt and added a dark ochre one.

My final brooch, a gold tone starburst with a large pearl at its centre, was pinned to the jacket.

I completed my outerwear with my yellow crushed velvet scarf and a red beret. If there's one thing I like about the colder weather, it's the fact that I can wear my berets and woolly hats. I've vowed that I'm not going to lose one this year, so I'm being extra careful with them!


The weather continued to be fickle on Saturday but at least the soggy periods were interrupted with a couple of dry ones, with the sun making a shy appearance now and then, especially at the end of the day.

One thing is certain: sunsets can be quite dramatic this time of year!



Sunday was a total washout, with the rain beating against our windows, daring us to go outside.



In the end, we only briefly went into the garden for these outfit photos. It started to rain again while we were taking them. I was shivering, although it was one of the rare occasions when I was wearing a jumper.



I picked up the woollen skirt for € 2 at one of the last Think Twice sales but again it took me a while to find a suitable companion. As it was cold enough to warrant a jumper, I decided on the lightweight yellow one. It was bought new in the sales a a couple of years ago, and I love its pattern and the little bow.



The blue from the skirt was repeated in my tights and accessories: belt, beads, brooch and ring, and I couldn't resist wearing the yellow beret.

Although I'm quite happy with how it turned out in the photographs, I somehow didn't feel great in this outfit, finding it too bulky on my hips, which are not really my favourite feature at the moment.

The rest of Sunday was spent pottering inside Dove Cottage, one of the other things I like about this season.


I was disenchanted with the shelves of Lourdes memorabilia in our bedroom and whittled them down to just the upper shelf, which is now crammed absolutely full of the kitschy stuff.

The other two shelves now contain a mix of old favourites and more recent finds. You might recognize the two tins bought at last weekend's flea market.



I also rearranged the mantelpiece in the spare room to make space for the latest "head" to join the collection, charity shopped for just € 1 a couple of weeks ago.



Nameless for the time being, she's already looking quite at home at Dove Cottage!

Once again, I'm taking my outfit to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style.

28 comments:

  1. Thank goodness you were able to find a few more pair of tights. Maybe you can seek out more online and stockpile? The jumper/skirt combo looks lovely on you. I have serious beret envy now ;)

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    1. Thank you Goody, I'll definitely check if I can find another supplier online. Not that I need anymore tights at the moment. Nor berets! xxx

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  2. I'm glad you found the tights and managed to stock up.
    I love berets too and yours look great, especially the red one, red being my favourite colour.
    The crushed velvet scarf is lovely and complements the jacket perfectly.
    It's absolutely freezing here today, it took me a good ten minutes to defrost the car, it's beautifully sunny though, so I hope you've had good weather this weekend too. xxx

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    1. It's getting colder here too, but I don't really mind, as I much prefer the colder weather to the non-stop rain we had last week. At least I can wear my berets! They're such an 80s thing, aren't they? xxx

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  3. Wow tights in great colours :)
    Berets are wonderful. You put it on your head and you look like someone else. I love your red one, you look amazing with this beret, Ann.
    big hug Tina

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    1. Thank you Tina! The red beret is my current favourite, and I find I'm wearing it all the time! xxx

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  4. congrats to the tights in your favorite colors!!
    combined with the funky blouse and the dotty jacket the beige/braun skirt looks not boring at all - hooray for pattern mixing :-)
    your colorful accessories do the rest! btw - i have the same mustard yellow beret: http://bahnwaerterhaeuschen.blogspot.de/2016/12/celebration-midlife-fun-bloghop.html
    well done re-dekorating dove cottage - this actual weather are the best time for such activities - the BWH´s nooks and corners get an overhaul too at the moment......
    hugest hugs! xxxxxx

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    1. Thank you Beate! I'm slowly learning the tricks of pattern mixing. I was quite pleased with the results this time. xxx

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  5. Finding tights in a particular colour always seems to be a mission. Dusty rose is the colour currently eluding me. Your outfits are always so thoughtful, does it take you a while to get dressed or are decisions made quickly? X

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    1. That's an interesting question. Some outfits come together without much thought but sometimes I have to abandon a "project" half way, as I can't find the right balance. I usually have a general idea, though. xxx

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  6. Hooray for finding the tights you love! And your pattern mixing is brilliant. Thanks for linking up, xo

    -Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

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  7. Glad you managed to find some tights Ann.
    Hah! I was obviously reading your post too fast and thought you'd described your aubergine blouse as stinking before doing a double take! xx

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    1. Haha, isn't it funny how you can sometimes read things the wrong way? Happens to me all the time, especially when I'm in a hurry. xxx

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  8. What fabulous outfits! I love the belt with the jacket and I can see why you love those boots. I also love berets and your velvet scarf is so beautiful! The Sunday outfit was very chic and i do like blue and yellow together.

    Wonderful shelf displays - so many interesting things to look at. I loved your ring storage idea - how clever!

    Glad you got your tights...
    xxx

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    1. Thank you Veronica. The shelves really are a mix of old favourites and new old things. The elephant, for instance, is a piggy bank which belonged to my maternal grandparents! xxx

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  9. well, I'm admiring your talent to create a fab outfit wearing a beige skirt! ;DDD. I love this outfit, and love all the details, the textures, the polka dots (that shirt is pretty cool!), the olive, tan, aubergine shades, all the brooches, and your fab style!.
    As a huge fan of bold color tights, I also buy them everytime I have a chance!. Glad that you found a pair of orange tights!
    So lovely to see your 'bijouterie stall', all those rings and necklaces!.
    I like your yellow jumper and it looks stunning with your plaid skirt, they make a fab color combo. And so cute beret!, well, I like berets and you rock wearing them!
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! I fell in love with that aubergine shirt, but didn't know what to wear it with, so it stayed in my closet for months! I have boxes full of coloured tights, but there's always room for more ;-) I'm glad you like my "bijouterie stall". xxx

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  10. I'd never have picked out that skirt for you but it looks brilliant on, the perfect match with the rest of your killer ensemble!
    Those tights look wonderful, what a find!
    Dove Cottage (and Phoebe) are looking fabulous! Your ring keeper is exactly the same thing as I keep my nail polishes in - haven't we got great taste? xxx

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    1. I most definitely agree that we do have great taste! I love using things for other purposes than they were made for! xxx

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  11. I love how colourful your posts are. They're so cheery, even when it's raining. (Very clever of you to get a black cat, so she will go with everything.)

    I saw a little glow-in-the-dark midcentury Lourdes souvenir in an antiques centre over the weekend, it was much pricier than I'd imagined. (Maybe that's the Bath Effect - everything is more expensive in Bath!) But it made me think of you.

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    1. I have to disappoint you, Mim, as we didn't actually choose Phoebe. After we lost our previous cat, we got an email from Jos's daughter asking wouldn't we be interested in this stray cat. It turned out to be Phoebe. One look at the attached photo and we were smitten. We pick up these Lourdes souvenirs in our chazzas for just a couple of € maximum, but maybe they are more commonly found here? xxx

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  12. I love that mustard coloured jumper!! It looks so good on you and goes so perfectly with that wool skirt. Now I want to find a tartan wool fabric that has mustard in it to make a skirt to match my jumper! xx

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    1. Thank you Cate! I picked up that skirt because it had yellow in it, thinking it rather unusual. Good luck on finding the fabric you are after! xxx

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  13. Oh, my gosh, using a party tray for your jewelry is GENIUS! I am going to do that - I have a beautiful 70s amber glass one that's been just sitting unused. Thank you for the inspiration.

    I also just LOVE the attention to detail that you put into your outfits, Ann! You are an artist. Your house is amazing too - wow!

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    1. Thank you my dear! Glad to have inspired you. xxx

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  14. I sometimes take a while to pair things together, but when I find a good match I wear it over and over again! I love the aubergine shirt, and the check skirt really does look fab. I hope you wear it again.
    I have a pair of boots I'm clinging on to, there's something about favourite items that I find hard to part with. I think it's the fear I'll never find a suitable replacement
    xx

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    1. Thank you Hazel, and I do promise to wear the check skirt again! I've made an attempt to replace those boots, but the ones I got aren't nearly as comfy, and I find myself wearing the old ones a lot more .. xxx

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