Thursday 19 March 2020

Mad world

Doom and gloom, those terrible twins, are keeping a stranglehold on the world as we know it.

Anxiety is doing its utmost to turn me into a nervous wreck but today I'm closing my eyes and plugging my ears, opting for a la la la approach and reducing my news intake to the bare minimum.

Instead, I'm trying to keep my spirits up by reading your wonderful blogs and doing my bit by trying to lighten your hearts with mine.



Being virtually housebound - and office bound, as I'm still going out to work, in a large and nearly empty office in case you're worried - means it's back to basics, but I'm sure you won't object if these basics consist of my colourful attire!

So, let's make a start with what I was wearing on Friday before last, when I'd taken the day off as Jos's son Kris was helping us set up our new laptop. I know, we're such nitwits when it comes to the technical side of it all. It still surprises me on a regular basis that I was able to start my blog at all!



The bottle green skirt, a colour which doesn't photograph well and thus looks much better in real life, was a sales bargain from a high street shop. I fell in love with its colour, shape and length, not to mention its very stroke-able, super soft suede-like material.

The bird print shirt was a charity shop find and never fails to cheer me up. To its frilly collar I pinned a green glass brooch, while the chirpy birds in its print got the company of my green birds in flight brooch, as well as my brown owl ring. If the belt looks familiar, it is the one I found in the charity shop the other week. I've had the necklace for ages. If I remember correctly, it came from Accessorize, who used to have a shop in Antwerp many years ago.



Saturday was bright and sunny for a change, so that I gave my Winter coats a miss and opted for a green Tweed blazer, a charity shop find back in the Autumn of 2018. A red felted flower corsage was pinned to its lapel. And, as a special request from Jess, I was carrying my green handbag!



The skirt came from Think Twice and is a joy to behold with its abundant print of flowers and foliage, the eye-catching border of palest green leaves matching the colour of my blouse, with its mighty dagger collar, almost exactly. 

Both the round buckled belt and the vintage celluloid flower brooch were charity shop finds, while the wooden beaded necklace was an old retail buy.


We didn't have much luck at the charity shops that day. It was that time of the year again when all Belgian charity shops were gearing up for the upcoming Retro Day. This year, it would be on the 14th of  March, but as a part of the Belgian COVID-19 regulations which have recently come into force, the event was duly cancelled. Additionally, as from the 18th of March, all non-essential shops are closed for the duration, so there won't be any charity shopping for me anytime soon!



But let's look at the bright side for now, as I still owe you the outfit I wore on Sunday before last.  

The iridescent pleated vintage frock I was wearing was last seen on Angelica, but now it was my turn. 

As we were off to our monthly indoor flea market (the last one for a while, as they have been suspended too), I wore a short jacket, which makes rummaging in floor level boxes a lot easier. It might have been this season's last wear for my green fur collared jacket! 

My frilly pink scarf and a new-to-me dark purple beret - one of Saturday's charity shop finds - completed my outfit.


Saturday's second find was this yellow cardigan with one of the funkiest prints ever. It was never my intention to wear it with the dress, but when I put it on a hanger next to the dress which I'd already earmarked to wear on Sunday, it struck me what fabulous pattern-mixing opportunities they offered.


I wore it belted over the dress, pinned one of my lady brooches to it, and added a violet beaded necklace and a chunky green plastic ring. There, done!


The flea market might have been a tad quieter than usual, but I'd expected worse. Still, our finds were rather limited.

Our biggest buy (in terms of size) was the small beige beauty case, which has a Made in England label hidden in one of its pockets. It's in perfect condition, but unfortunately lacking its little mirror inside. For the time being, that is, as my own personal handyman will see to it when these crazy times are over.

The wooden thing on its right is an antique spinning top: childhood nostalgia for Jos.




There were jewellery stalls galore, so that at least I was able to get my fix of brooches as well as a necklace. The latter was only € 2, but again its colour doesn't photograph well.



The brooches were picked up at from a variety of stalls. The children in the bottom left brooch, and especially the girl, are the protagonists of a series of children's books which were popular in my childhood. Pure nostalgia for me, as I even have a small collection of the original issues of these books.

The lizard on the bottom right, although not articulated, made me think of the lovely Sheila!




The slightly faded lady brooch on the top left is the little sister of a bigger one I used to have but which detached itself while I was wearing it and smashed to smithereens.

The top right one contains a tiny piece of lace.

But the one I'm sure your eyes were instantly drawn to must have been the tiny plastic cuckoo clock, a souvenir brooch from Triberg in the Black Forest.

Well, that's it for now. I will be continuing my usual blogging schedule and hope you will drop me a line now and again!

Keep safe, my dears!

Linking to the lovely Nancy's Fancy Friday. Do go and pay her a visit!


35 comments:

  1. We're synchronising posts again.
    What an array of lovely outfits, that cardigan is utterly fabulous, I love the killer dagger collars on outfit number two and the luscious bottle green of your first picture!
    Some lovely brooch finds especially the pink swallow and the adorable cuckoo clock. Jos's bit of treen looks very sweet (and intriguing).
    Just think, when all this madness is over all that vintage stock the charity shops have been hoarding will be waiting for you - hopefully at reasonable prices instead of the dreaded vintage tax!
    Some of our shops have started shutting down here - even one of the chazzas - in fact most say that they're going to have to shut down in the next few days as most of the volunteers are over 70 and therefore being told to stay inside or they've got kids and the schools shut tomorrow. Heaven help us all! xxx

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    1. Thank you Vix! I haven't been inside a charity shop, nor Think Twice, for three weeks but it feels even longer than that. Think Twice was a lunch time diversion, and it feels very strange not being able to nip in there during a break! xxx

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  2. It's a time to focus on the little things - like fabulous and colourful outfits!
    Things are closing here left, right, and centre. I just keep thinking that if charity shops shut at least I'll save some money :)
    xx

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    1. You're right, we've certainly been saving money the last couple of weeks! xxx

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  3. I hear you - this is enormously stressful and anxiety-inducing! I am so glad you are railing against the darkness by wearing colour!

    I love your first outfit - that gorgeous skirt with the most funky bird print I've ever seen. Your dagger collar in the next outfit made me gasp! Wow, that is A Collar! It's wonderful with your pretty floral skirt and green cardi - the layering in this outfit is marvelous.

    The yellow cardi's pattern is incredible, and brava on your pattern-mixing. Who doesn't love yellow, teal and purple? They're so cheery together!

    I exclaimed when I saw the lizard brooch! I love him! I used to have a massive one in the 80s, but it broke. I do still have the matching earrings, though!

    Everything is shut down here. Restaurants are offering take-out or delivery, shops are worried about vandalism, and the homeless shelter has had to close - there are street people everywhere. It's just insane. I'm trying to maintain normalcy through dressing/blogging and taking it a day at a time. We can only control ourselves, so let's do our best to be kind and patient with ourselves.

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    1. Thank you Sheila! I'll keep on trying to be an antidote to all the darkness out there! xxx

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  4. You find the most amazing brooches! I was drawn to the cuckoo clock but the children brooch was beautiful and yes the lizard brooch immediately made me think of Sheila!

    Such lovely outfits; so many fab prints, beautiful colours and lovely accessories of every sort. Another beret for your collection; you lucky thing! I found berets thin on the ground in the chazzas this year; but I live in hope of a dark purple one.

    Try not to let all the doom and gloom get you down, Ann. People are mostly good and I think a lot of good will come out of it all. There's already a marked reduction in pollution in some places already!

    Stay safe and don't let the b******s grind you down...
    xxxx

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    1. Thank you Vronni, at least I won't have a shortage of brooches, dresses or berets while we're in lockdown :-) xxx

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  5. Stay safe Ann. I will be here to read your posts. I love your bursts of colour and I love seeing what you have found xx

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  6. I love that purple dress! I'm glad at least your office is quiet if you are still having to go into work. I'm not sure if we will be permanently working from home or not, it changes frequently and the government are saying any measures need to be in place for 6 months so I am not sure what we will do.

    I'ts a shame your charity shops will be closing. Ours are turning donations away for fear of the virus which is a little concerning - I hope they don't also close, but I'm not in a shopping kind of mood anyway!

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    1. Thank you Mica! There will be no charity shopping in a long time, I'm sure! But you're right, I'm not in a shopping kind of mood either! xxx

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  7. Thanks you wearing colour and prints. So lovely in my eyes. I can imagine how you feel. Take care of you Ann! A veeeeery huge hug Tina

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    1. Thank you so much Tina, and a very huge hug for you too! xxx

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  8. you really succeded over the dull annd doom with your colorful frocks!
    especially the funky dress & cardi combo is a winner!
    but i too love the outfit with the pale green blouse and this lovely pleated skirt......
    oh - and the green statement necklace <3
    stay safe and sane - my dear!
    xxxxxx

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    1. Thank you Beate! As long as I'm able to dress up, I will be reasonably sane! xxx

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  9. Sorry that more and more countries are reaching this same spot where we are now. Obviously, I'm worried, but managing it better than expected (it took me some days).
    And I've been keeping myself so busy that had no time to think and rationing tv.
    On a more positive note, it's so fabulous to see your colorful outfits!. I'm totally in love with your blouse print, those birds are so cute no wonder that they cheer you up!. And so amazing green skirt and gorgeous accessorizing (you're so brilliant picking your accessories!, your belt and green birds brooch are so beautiful!)
    Also loving the fab colors and prints in your outfit number two, your skirt delightful leaves and flowers and how they match your blouse!.
    And the irisdiscent purple frock looks even more fabulous with the yellow cardi addition!, such an amazing combo!
    Glad you found these brooches and the cute bag too!
    besos
    (sorry, I deleted a doubled comment)

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    1. Gracias Monica! I think you've been managing just fine, Monica, and I do greatly admire you for it. I'm rationing TV and social media too, limiting myself to Instagram as they're mostly a friendly lot over there. And I'm so glad I've got my blogging friends! xxx

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  10. I love this post's outfits, most especially the first, the bottle green skirt and bird blouse are gorgeous together and the brooch at the collar and owl ring...both fab.
    I hope you have a lovely weekend despite the social restrictions. I'm hoping to use the opportunity to get cracking on my garden. xxx

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    1. Thank you Sally! That outfit is my favourite as well. Looking forward to some more gardening if weather permits. It was pretty cold out there today! xxx

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  11. Stay safe and healthy. We are nearly completely shut down, and it is very, very strange. On the positive side, neighbours that never seem to have much to say are now waving as they pass by. Maybe we'll all come out of this better people.

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    1. I do hope we'll all come out of this better people but, not to be too pessimistic, I somehow have my doubts. We are nearly completely shut down as well, which feels very unreal. xxx

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  12. Oh oh oh! I always loooove your brooches so much! Everytime you show your purchases I see myself shopping in Lees in the antique shops! Sadly we cancelled our vacation in April but we Will Go immediatly when there is a green light! There is something about blouses or dresses with birds! I always love it and think these bird brooches are amazing. Enjoy your weekend!

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    1. Thank you Nancy! We had to cancel our week in Zeeland in April too, and I very much doubt our UK holiday in June will happen. Can't think too much about it or I'll start crying again. xxx

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  13. Well thank you for a burst of colour and vintage! Lovely to take my attention away from the current grim situation. The first outfit is my favourite, the colours are stunning. The cuckoo clock is so sweet xx

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    1. It is looking very grim, isn't it? I'm sure you imagined your maternity leave very differently! xxx

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  14. Think I might take on your la la la approach too, Ann, as everywhere I turn the focus is on gloom and despair. It's getting harder and harder to keep a positive mindset. But thankfully, we have beautiful women like yourself, bestowing us with little rays of sunshine everyday, with your colourful outfits.

    Your bird blouse and suede green skirt are lovely together. The green twin bird brooch is so sweet.

    I'm still drooling over that pale green blouse with the dagger collar and of course the green bag. Every time I see it, I want it more.

    I've already expressed my love for the green fur-collar jacket. I'm always on a lookout for green jackets/coats, but so must everyone else be, because they're so hard to find!

    Your collection of brooches never fails to impress me. The other gorgeous thing that caught my eye is the orange floral tablecloth under your beauty case - sublime.

    Please stay safe on your travels to work and keep up these wonderful blogs. More than ever, I look forward to reading them.

    Oh, and sorry to finish on a depressing note, but, I'm SO, SO, SO missing my wander around charity shops and our Sunday market. I guess you are too, my lovely.

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    1. Thank you Suzy! Still taking the la la la approach most of the time, as otherwise there'll be a downward spiral, I'm sure. Getting dressed up as usual has also been a great help. I do miss my lunch time visits to Think Twice! Oh, and the tablecloth is actually a scarf. I'll have to show some of my thrifted scarves on the blog, I guess. xxx

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  15. The bad news just keep on coming, don't they? Croatia has been organizing well but this morning there was a horrible earthquake in our capital city and people are advised to stay outside while yesterday the police was hoarding them in. It is a crazy world right now.

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    1. The earthquake in your capital city on top of everything else must have been devastating! What a crazy world indeed! xxx

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  16. Moving onto brighter subjects, I like your blouse with the bird print and tbe green skirt is fabulous.

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    1. the pointy collar is amazing too. I love your brooches too.

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    2. Thank you Ivana. That skirt and bird blouse was my favourite outfit here too! xxx

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  17. Yeah, no charity shopping here either. Glad to see you got a few bits before going into lockdown!

    I'm quite enjoying the chance to go through stuff I don't wear much.

    Keep smiling, lovely!

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    1. Thank you Mim! I have been doing much the same, and now it seems I'll have even more time to go through my things! xxx

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