Wednesday 27 February 2019

Always and forever

As the weather continued to play nicely, we were determined to make the most of these probably short-lived days.

I had a mid-week holiday two weeks ago, courtesy of a general strike here in Belgium. As public transport would be erratic that day, I decided not to take any chances and take the day off.

Jos was in need of some new pairs of trousers and, as the menswear rails in the charity shops are generally pretty dire, I took him retail shopping. Being mid-week, we had the shop virtually to ourselves, and I managed to persuade him to not only buy three well-needed pairs of trousers, but two snazzy shirts and a belt on top. Result!




It was in no way intentional, but I was wearing retail myself that day. I'm talking about this gorgeous plum coloured midi dress, which I grabbed in the sales back in January.

It came with a tie belt but, being me, I replaced it with a moss green belt from my collection, while I pinned a brooch with a green centre to its crossover neckline.

I added a charity shopped green Tweed blazer and fluffy sugar pink scarf on top.




I wore the dress again for work later than week, when I replaced the Tweed jacket with one of my favourites, my vintage green wool, fur-collared jacket.

My lunch break was spent having coffee with my friend Inez, after which I accompanied her to a shoe shop where she tried on and ultimately bought a pair of pink trainers.

Meanwhile, I decided to take a nap on one of the shop's generously proportioned shoe fitting stools.




Skipping Saturday, when we went to the flea market which I already told you in my last post, I'm swiftly moving on to Sunday.

It was another gloriously sunny day which had all the characteristics of an early Spring day.



One by one, the little daffodils which have been overwintering in our window box are opening their frilly trumpeted flowers while, right outside our backdoor, the diminutive Sarcococca flowers are seducing us with their heavenly scent.

Feeling a bit lazy-limbed, we decided against a longer walk, opting for a short stroll in the park instead.



The park in question is in a neighbouring village and used to be the garden belonging to a manor house, its landscaping inspired by Capability Brown.

Teal and brown were the main colours of my outfit, but the rich burgundy of my handbag and the deep aubergine of my hat provided additional pops of colour.



The air was rich with the fragrance of the sun-warmed layer of decaying leaves and soil, and invisible birds of various plumage could be heard rehearsing their Spring calls in the towering trees.




There's an old ice house with a gazebo on top, which can be reached by a narrow winding path which spirals around the mound containing the ice house, which is partly hidden behind an insulating barrier of yew hedges.

When we were last here, back in November, the thicket of yew was so dense that we could hardly make out the gazebo, which we happened upon by chance.



Reminding me of Sleeping Beauty's castle, it could have been the castle's last vestige before being swallowed by briar and bramble.

Even if the park isn't that large, we couldn't remember its exact location until, rounding a corner, Jos suddenly spotted the gazebo on its little knoll.



Climbing to the top, we had a bird's eye view of the park, with the white stuccoed manor house in the distance. This has been much modernized and turned into a hotel, losing much of its charm in the process.

The gazebo's gnarled and graffitied pillars were a whimsical backdrop for more outfit photos.

It was warm enough to briefly peel off layers, making use of one of the pillar's knobbly ridges to hang up my coat and subsequently my mustard coloured cardie with its teal buttons.


The Crimplene dress I'm wearing underneath made its first appearance here on my blog in one of my very first posts.

I wore it on a day which could almost have been a carbon copy of today's, if it weren't for the fact that it was the middle of March instead of the middle of February.

At my waist, a cream textured belt featuring a tiny dangling fish. The belt was was charity shopped, while both the beaded necklace and the brooch I pinned to my collar were flea market finds. The latter came from Carmarthen Flea Market, which we visited back in June 2015.

You might have noticed my pearly plastic ring? It actually started life as a green one, but one day the flimsy green upper layer started peeling off. Rather than binning it, I decided to finish the job and remove the layer completely, leaving a gorgeous pearly finish.


Birdsong continued to accompany us on our return walk.

Sitting down on a makeshift bench kindly provided by Mother Nature, we took time to stand, or rather, sit and stare, while soaking up the energizing rays of the sun.



And everywhere is the promise of new growth: of fresh green shoots and leaves and pussy willows.

Soon the barren soil will burst with Spring flowers, and carpets of delicate Crocuses, hoop-skirted Winter Aconites and gently nodding daffodils will appear as if out of nowhere.



This gentle giant of a tree knows this circle of life is as ancient as time itself, a mute witness to the changing seasons, year after year. Always and forever.

I'll be joining Jacqui's Chic and Stylish linkup this week.

32 comments:

  1. Such a beautifully written post to accompany your lovely photographs. I don't have much luck taking my husband shopping retail and have to rely on the internet. You're lucky to still have high street shops.

    I never would have guessed that dress was retail-it has such a delightful vintage vibe. Enjoy your improving weather and signs of spring.

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    1. Thank you Goody! The shop we went to is a big one on the outskirts of our little town. One-stop shopping is all Jos can stomach. xxx

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  2. another poetic post about a walk in a beautiful park....
    <3
    love this!
    retail takes big inspirations from the vintage fashion it seems. the purple dress could be easily from the 70s. great pose on the bench :-D
    this night we skip heating up the oven - its that warm!
    huge hugs! xxxxx

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    1. Thank you Beate! Between the warmer weather and our newly insulated roof, we hardly have had to put on the heating. xxx

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  3. That plum coloured dress is absolutely gorgeous, Ann! Your styling is fabulous, as always! ;) I love the photo of you having a quick snooze in the shoe shop! Ha! ;) I love your last paragraph and that gorgeous tree. So beautiful. Hope you're having a great week, Ann! XXX

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    1. Thank you Sasha! I'm always in awe of those huge giants of trees. The stories they could tell! xxx

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  4. What a find that burgundy dress was! With the replacement belt it could easily pass for vintage and a wonderful reward for enduring the mind-numbingly dull retail shops although with men's trousers it's hard to find a decent second hand pair. I don't blame you for having a snooze!
    The walk in the park looks lovely - so Springlike and pretty. The ice house is a joy as is your lovely hat! xxx

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    1. At least it was on a weekday, as I don't think I could stomach retail shopping during the weekend ... You're right, it's hard to find a decent pair of men's trousers second hand. I guess they wear them until they fall apart. xxx

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  5. Oh I love these pictures Ann. I love you with hat, it looks amazing. Great you decide to nap in the shoe shop :))
    This old tree ist stunning.
    A very huge hug and regards from Thailand, tina

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    1. Thank you so much, Tina. I could resist lying down on that huge footstool. I would have preferred the gorgeous chaise longue in your hotel, though ;-) xxx

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  6. woww, love these pictures! and love those autumnal shades that you've been wearing, the plum, green and brown earthy colors are so fabulous!
    Your plum dress is so beautiful and love it with both jackets!, and love to see you 'resting' on the bench, it looks like if you were exhausted after some serious shoe shopping! ;DDD
    Love your brown and blue outfit too, with the fab tights and the really cute bag!. It's a perfect color combo!
    I like particularly the spring-like feeling, you look gorgeous!
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! Autumnal shades can be worn in - almost - Spring too, can't they? I really needed a nap, and that bench looked so inviting ;-) xxx

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  7. Oh, I am so envious of your lovely weather! It's still so gloomy here, and when it's not, it's so darned COLD!

    Loving all of your dresses and looks - your accessorizing is top-notch! Good for you, dragging Jos out! I have the devil of a time shopping with L - he just wants to be DONE.

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    1. Ha, yes, Jos just wants to be DONE too. Men! We both can shop for hours, can't we? Lovely weather has gone, I'm afraid! xxx

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  8. Lovely outfits both. The dress you featured last looks a lovely shade of milk chocolate brown and I love how you paired it with the mustard cardigan. I also loved your plum coloured retail dress with the lovely green jackets and that necklace is beautiful. Painted beads that remind of the painted wooden bangles that I love and collect if I ever see any.

    Your park seems a wonderful place full of quirky buildings, wild life and beautiful plant life.

    I saw a Magnolia tree in bloom today - fabulous!

    Hope your week is going well.
    xxxx

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    1. Thank you Veronica! Can you believe I'd forgotten all about that last dress? Or rather, I'd tucked it away as I thought it had become too snug. I'm glad I was wrong! xxx

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  9. I am loving that first purple dress on you and the last outfit is great too with the mustard cardigan! It's nice you are enjoying some spring-like weather and getting to enjoy being outside in it :)
    Hope that your week is going well so far and you have a nice weekend planned :)

    Away From The Blue

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    1. Thank you Mica! Unfortunately the spring-like weather has gone, and last weekend was a bit of a wash-out ... xxx

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  10. It's so lovely seeing spring returning! Your photos are so cheery. Great to see one of your favourite dresses returning too; it's always ace seeing how people style and re-style their favourites.

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    1. Thanks Mim. I've been making a conscious effort to wear things again which I haven't worn in a while. It's surprising how much more adventurous I've become since I first started blogging. xxx

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  11. Fabulous to have such lovely parks nearby! I love your photographs of the winter landscape. Great outfit shots, and LOL! at you having a little nap while your friend tries on shoes! Thanks for visiting my blog XXX

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    1. Thank you Linda! I couldn't resist lying down on that footstool. I could have done with a nap instead of going back to work ;-) xxx

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  12. Chocolate and teal, one of my favourite combinations. A great look.
    Its lovely to start seeing a few flowers in bloom isn't it? Having said that, it's been cold and damp here today, after a gorgeous sunny week.
    I love the photo of you in the shoe shop, very chilled! xxx

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    1. Thank you Sally! I can't wait for Spring to start in earnest, but it has turned grey and damp again here as well ... xxx

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  13. I feel your pain. Himself goes trouser shopping once a year and let's just say it's always challenging! Isn't it bliss to get some sun on your bones?

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    1. It certainly is bliss, Gisela. I can't even get Jos to go trouser shopping once a year ... xxx

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  14. I love the picture of you on the shoe bench! Ha ha! Glad Jos managed to get some things. CBC has the same trouble- our charity shops are not very young-man friendly though I have found him the odd lovely item from one particularly trendy town!
    Love seeing the Ice house and I enjoyed your outfits (since you shared various versions) esp the mustard cardie!!

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    1. The charity shops here hardly have any decent menswear. I've been able to find Jos some shirts though, and several jackets too. Trousers are hopeless. xxx

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  15. I love those mini daffodils (tete-a-tete?). We don't have daffs in bloom in our garden yet, which I was a bit miffed about seeing as it was St David's Day on Friday! Sometimes you just have to buy retail - men's clothing is always thin on the ground in the charity shops here too. xx

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    1. They are indeed tete-a-tete. What a shame you didn't have any daffs in bloom by St. David's Day. Men's clothing is rather hopeless in the charity shops here, especially trousers ... xxx

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  16. I love the first few sunny days of the year, they hold such promise of the days to come, the end of the grey and cold.
    xx

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    1. So do I Hazel. They are very good for the soul! xxx

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