Sunday 25 July 2021

Red Letter Day

Hello my lovelies, I hope you are all keeping well?

A cursory glance at the calendar to jot down an appointment almost made me do a double take. Thinking I was seeing ghosts, I blinked and looked again but no, it really is fact rather than fiction that we're about to enter the last week of July!

Better get my proverbial skates on then and continue with the journal my blog has inadvertently turned into, as soon it'll be the first week of August, and we're off gallivanting around Bruges for a couple of days.

 


My last post ended on the Thursday of my first week back to the full-time grind, which can only mean that this is what I was wearing on Friday, the 9th of July.

The thin short-sleeved jumper I reached for was perfect, and not just for the day's weather, which brought us on and off sunshine and highs of 21°C. My other incentive for wearing it will be revealed later in this post, so please do bear with me. 

The jumper in question, with its tropical leaf pattern, is a charity shopped King Louie one from a couple of years ago.



Browsing my skirts, my eyes alighted on this peachy pink one scattered with yellow, blue and green flowers, found at Think Twice many moons ago. I shook my head in disbelief at not having put two and two together before, as surely the jumper and skirt are a match made in heaven!

Accessories consisted of a green stretchy belt with faux tortoiseshell buckle, a wooden brooch painted with a seascape and the funky necklace of wooden discs and rings which seems to pop up quite a lot lately. In spite of this being a day off, I was wearing a watch - a yellow strapped one, as obviously there has to be some degree of matching too - as I needed to keep my eye on the time ...



Talking of time, there was plenty of it that day, which we kicked off with a visit to a charity shop.
Our rewards were plentiful, which we took as a good omen for later that day!

Browsing the bulging clothing aisles, there were lots of things that caught my eye, the majority of which were put back instantly due to their size, style or crappy fabric.  

These two dresses were no-brainers, though. The red short-sleeved one trimmed with white bias tape at the collar and cuffs, is probably someone's handiwork and, with its abstract seascape decal and wave-like pattern on the skirt, it has a certain vintage feel to it.

The green floral long-sleeved faux-wrap one is ... you've guessed it ... another King Louie and is joining my burgeoning collection. The Kings of Jammy Dresses, they are. Thank you for this very apt term, Sheila!



I loved the birds and flowers print on the cap-sleeved orange cotton blouse, so it was swiftly added to my cart, as was the moss green one with its eye-confusing pattern.



In spite of their slightly scruffy appearance, there was no way I was going to leave this funky pair of green shoes behind. I couldn't find out anything about the brand name, but they do look as if they've come straight from the 1960s. Whatever the case, I have given them some well-needed TLC by treating them to a good dollop of leather restorer cream lovingly rubbed in with a soft cloth. 



A quick glance at the book shelves unearthed this 704 page whopper on the treasures of Britain. The perfect coffee table book if it didn't give me so much heartache, as visiting any of these treasures in real life is still quite out of the question.



Back at home, we had lunch, after which I retreated to the garden, where much to my delight the cutting back of our Delphinium has resulted in embryonic new flower spikes (above, top right).

No cutting back whatsoever was involved in our Aquilegia alpina (below, top right) surprising us with a second wave of flowers, albeit less prolific and much smaller than before.

I just can't get enough of the colour play of Helenium 'The Bishop' and Geranium 'Rozanne' (below, bottom left), both flowering with wild abandon.




Jos's chore that afternoon was picking the ripe ruby red gooseberries, painstakingly remove their tops and tails and making a batch of delicious jam. With 1,2 kilos of berries (and still plenty left on the canes), he ran out of empty jam pots, and had to resort to filling a glass bowl to the brim. This we covered with a reusable silicone lid and kept in the fridge for ready use.

 

Marked in my diary as a Red Letter Day, it was time for my second jab at around 7 pm, so we made our way to the local vaccination centre after an early dinner. I was in and out in no time, and the jumper I was wearing provided easy access to my upper arm. Here I am waiting out the required 15 minutes after the deed was done. 

This, by the way, will be the one and only time you'll see me wearing one of those hateful disposable masks. They are being handed out upon arrival, even if you're already wearing a perfectly good mask.



Apart from a slightly sore arm, I didn't seem to be suffering any side effects on Saturday. What's more, I was feeling quite energetic and this in spite of getting up at what amounts to the crack of dawn that morning.

Jos usually feeds Bess in the early morning, when she comes clamouring for food. In her eagerness to get to her food bowl, she misjudged when she jumped on the kitchen table where Jos was in the processing of filling it. She ended up on top of the basket of recycling underneath the table, the racket of the empty cans giving her such a fright that she scratched both of Jos's bare feet, one of which started bleeding profusely.

A douse of antiseptic and a plaster was all that required, but it took Bess a while to get to her senses again and come out of the hidey hole she'd retreated to. Going back to sleep after this early morning adventure proved to be impossible.



I already wore this vintage green-striped dress for work earlier this week, but as it wasn't photographed at the time, I decided to give it a second outing.

Yet another Think Twice find, I'm loving its midi length - hiding a multitude of sins including pasty legs - as well as the skirt's chevron pattern.



As I usually do, I picked red to accompany it, starting with the red woven belt at my waist.

Further accessories included a red glass beaded necklace, plastic top hat brooch, polka dot bangle and perspex ring, all of which were charity shop or flea market finds at one time or another. As was the green beaded bracelet.

My Clarks shoes were charity shopped in Bridgnorth, Shropshire in June 2019.



By mid-morning, Bess had clearly recovered from her early morning mishap, as I spied her giving me the stare while sitting on top of the 1930s cabinet when I was in the kitchen. The reflections in the photo on the bottom right are due to it being taken through both the kitchen and dining room windows.




The surge of energy I mentioned earlier spurred me into action in the garden. What with all the rain we'd had some of the plants were looking a bit floppy and bedraggled, so I started the mother of all tidy-up and staking sessions.

I also swept up the debris left behind by the minor flooding of the garden path, and was rejoicing in its tidiness all day, until heavy rains that evening once again undid my efforts.



That leaves us with that week's lazy Sunday, when thankfully the sun joined us again, with the temperature a balmy 22°C.

The perfect opportunity to wear my new-to-me red dress!

Saturday's burst of energy had collapsed like a house of cards by the evening, and left me feeling tired and with a head full of cotton wool on Sunday. 




The dress's joyous tomato red and colourful pattern turned out to be real pick-me-ups, making me feel better almost instantly.

When it came to accessorizing it, I took the lead from the cobalt blue bits in its pattern, choosing a belt, necklace and sling-back shoes in that colour. The shoes are € 4 charity shopped but brand new looking Miz Mooz ones which crossed my path in September 2018.



A wooden zebra striped bangle, plastic square beaded bracelet and striped perspex ring completed my outfit. It almost goes without saying that these were all charity shop finds as well.



A round up of July's second week will follow in my next post, when I hope you'll be joining me again.

See you soon, and stay safe!


36 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your second jab! What a relief.
    The outfits are all beautiful and the garden continues to be gorgeous. This was the first year in a couple of decades that I didn't preserve anything. Of course if I had gooseberries I might think differently. It is so much work though.

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    1. Thank you Goody, it is quite a relief indeed. And the gooseberry jam is actually rather delicious! xxx

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  2. the green vintage shoes are fab!!
    and the red dress is very interesting if one thinks how the pattern was placed on the fabric #mefabricnerd.
    bess on the cabinet is to cute for words - good she came over the accident fast. love red gooseberries - mine still need some sunshine......
    xxxx

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    1. Thank you Beate! #mefabricnerd made me smile! We've harvested the rest of the gooseberries in the meantime. In spite of the distinct lack of sunshine this Summer, they seemed to have come along nicely! xxx

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  3. Oh Ann this new for you dress in red is stunning! You have such a good nose for charity shopping. And this green shoes are amazing.
    I wish you a nice week, with a very huge hug Tina

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  4. It looks like you picked up some great outfits! I'm loving your garden photos. I don't think I've seen red gooseberries before.

    Bess is so cute, I love those photos :)

    P.S. Bridgnorth isn't all that far from me!

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    1. Thank you Nikki! Before we planted them in our garden, I'd never seen red gooseberries before either. And you being not for from Bridgnorth is making me just a tiny bit envious :-) xxx

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  5. I know, I hardly can believe its almost August! I want summer to last forever. King Louis is such a fantastic brand, I love their dresses too, the colours, the prints, fabulous. And the those shoes, wow, those are amazing! Oh poor Bess, or rather poor Jos!

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    1. Thank you Nancy! Let's hope September will be gorgeous, which might make up for the lack of Summer we're having! xxx

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  6. Forgot to say, that book is a treasure. We have lots of those books, I'm sure you do too. Dream away with that one!

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    1. Oh yes, we definitely have whole shelves of those books. Still making me a bit wistful, though! xxx

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  7. As soon as I saw your new-to-you dresses, Ann, I swear, I said out loud, "That woman finds so many Jammy Dresses!" and then I saw the shout-out and laughed again! So funny, but I am jealous of the King Louie ones, as they are always so nice-looking. My dear friend Cat was wearing one of the stretchy woven belts on Saturday (you can slightly glimpse it with her dark green dress in my Winesday Pool Party post), and I started talking about you as if you both knew each other!

    I can't believe it - August? Wasn't it just April?

    I'm so in love with your new vintage green shoes - what a fabulous style. I loathe those horrid masks too - I bought one pack at the start of the pandemic, in April 2020, and have barely touched them. Ugh.

    Oh, Jos, I feel your scratches! I've been raked by Vizzini's back legs when he's sitting on me and gets startled (I have a lot of scars on my thighs!). Ouch! Poor Bess too, as that sounds like it was an almighty clangor of noise! Oh, cats, what mischief you get up to!

    I hope you had a lovely weekend, my dear friend!

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    1. How funny that one starts talking about one's bloggy friends to real life ones, I've been known to do the same! Those disposable masks are ugh indeed, and what's more, they always leave me with itchy and teary eyes. I'm limiting wearing them to the hairdresser's, where they are mandatory ... xxx

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  8. Hurrah - you're fully vaccinated!

    Lovely outfits and you did so well at the charity shop. I absolutely loved the tomato red dress with the wave patterns and it looked wonderful on you. The cobalt blue accessories were perfect with it.

    I hope you enjoy the book; take it slowly and savour it and before you know it you'll be back in the UK!
    xxx

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    1. Hurrah indeed! So glad to be fully protected now, which is making me feel less anxious about crowded place. Which I'm still trying to avoid as much as possible, but then again I've never been a fan of crowds! xxx

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  9. Hooray! You're in the double jab club! I had to wear one of those masks when i went for my breast screening - I'm sure my usual one was a far better fit and thicker, too.
    And they say cats are such elegant creatures! Poor Bess (and Jos). I'm glad she recovered from her mishap quickly. She's such a cutie!
    Loving that red dress on you and remembering your excitement at spotting the red shoes within seconds of entering that charity shop! They look wonderful with the green chevron stripes and the top and skirt in the first outfit really is a match made in heaven!
    That book looks like a cracking read, I bet you'll be scribbling notes and making plans for next year with that to inspire you. Your other chazza finds are fabulous. King Louie again!
    I bet you cannot wait for Bruges! xxx

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    1. Thank you Vix! For some reason, these horrid masks are always too big for me. At least the fabric ones I've got have adjustable straps! Those shoes always make me think of that wonderful day, can't believe it was over two years ago ... xxx

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  10. Wow, love your peachy skirt and jungle print top ensemble, totally a match made in heaven with fab accessories (even the brooch is delightfully matchy) and you look so fabulous in it!
    Totally in love with both your new dresses, particularly the red one. It looks even better 'in action' and no wonder you feel better wearing it, it's really vitaminic!. Lovely red color and summery details!.
    Love your green midi-lenght dress, so cute shape and perfect red accessorizing!
    Glad that you had your second jab, and hadn't experienced any side effect. It was just a sore arm for me!.
    Poor Bess and Jos!. As I said previously, living with a cat is always interesting (even if sometimes can be stressful!).
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! I still can't believe I never thought of wearing that peachy skirt and jungle top together!
      I did feel rather tired a couple of days after my second jab. Not sure if it had anything to do with it, or if it was just the eternal grey weather ... xxx

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  11. I had a visitor yesterday and guess what ... we talked about your cat Bess! :-) Have a nice week! Regula

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    1. How funny that you talked about Bess with your visitor :-) xxx

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  12. Glad to hear you have had your second vaccination without any problems , mine is next Tuesday. I bet you are so looking forward to your few days in Bruges . Look forward to your photos as Bruges is on my list of places to visit one day (who knows when).
    I do like your tomato red dress , so good on you.
    Your garden look simply wonderful in its Summer glory. xx

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    1. Thank you Jill! I hope you didn't suffer any side effects from your second jab! I'm sorry to have to disappoint you, as we didn't go to Bruges itself this time. I did post about our previous visits, so you can have a look at those if you like. It really is very beautiful, the tourist brochures do not exaggerate! xxx

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  13. Oh those green shoes Ann, they are gorgeous and remind me of my pink Orla Kiely ones. Isn’t the colour glorious.
    Well done on getting your second vaccination, I think it does have a positive affect on the mind, even if it’s subconsciously.
    Enjoy your days in Bruges. We are off to the Lake District today. Mum is going to stay in the cottage she loves in grange over sands and we will be at the caravan some ten minutes away.
    Take care and lots of love xxx

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    1. Thank you Lynn, and I guess you're right about those shoes. I've always loved those pink shoes of yours! I hope you had a wonderful time in the Lake District! xxx

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  14. That's the epitome of wonderful regarding receiving your second shot. I'll be eligible for mine in a couple of weeks and will be (just as with my initial vaccination) booking my shot the nanosecond that I become eligible to do so.

    Such lovely, inspiring outfits here. The dreamy tropical sunset-like design of that red dress is really something special.

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. Thank you Autumn! I hope you've had your second jab, or at least were able to book it, by now! xxx

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  15. I love you mixed prints in the first outfit. The green dress with the red belt looks amazing on you. The red dress with blue details is gorgeous as well. I love how you accessories it with a blue belt and necklace as well. You look great in all of these outfits. Have a great day.

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    1. Thank you so much Ivana, you are very kind! xxx

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  16. I love that newly found red dress on you - it's so beautiful! And it's such good news you got your vaccination too. I got an email the other day thanking me for getting on the waitlist early, that they hadn't forgotten about me, but that there are just not enough vaccines and I have to wait another few months. It's so frustrating! I went on the waitlist after my colleague was on it for a couple weeks - it means you get access to a vaccine if someone cancels or doesn't turn up, but I think too many are on the waitlist now for me to replicate his good fortune!

    Hope your week is going well and you have a nice weekend ahead of you :)

    Away From The Blue

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    1. Thank you Mica! I'm sorry to hear there aren't enough vaccines. We initially had the same problem here, but now we're among the best in the world. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! xxx

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  17. It's the dreamy red dress again!!!
    It's so nice and you've styled it to perfection! The Cobalt shoes are BEAUTIFUL!!!.
    Poor you, having to wear one of those hateful masks. I've not had to do it but I know I'm going to be furious if I must.
    Poor Bess, must have been a shock for her. My sister's cat did something similar recentmy where she climbed on a wicker bike basket and knocked it off with her. It landed ON TOP OF HER!!!

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    1. Thanks Kezzie! Isn't that dress gorgeous? One of my best finds lately!
      Apart from at the vaccination centre, I've had to wear one of those hateful masks at the hairdresser. But I absolutely abhor them and what's more, they're giving me sore eyes each and every time! xxx

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