Friday 27 August 2021

August's rare delights

Goodness me, time has really been slipping through my fingers lately! Happily churning out the episodes of my travelogue, recreating those short-lived holiday vibes in the process, I almost literally lost track of time so that I now have the mother of all catch-ups on my to-do list. I have to hurry up too, as in just over a week's time we will be going on another adventure!

Let's not waste any further time then, and see what I've been up to since we came back from our little trip. Although, in hindsight, I haven't been up to very much at all in this second month of the Summer that never was.

After our return on Thursday the 5th of August, we had a late lunch, after which I watered the thirstiest of the patio pots and baskets and made a start with unpacking with Bess following me around and demanding cuddles. What with uploading photos and catching up with blogland being next on the agenda, I was glad I'd had the foresight of taking Friday off as well.



So, this was what I was wearing on Friday. This orange and brown Diolen delight with its lethal dagger collar was found at - you've guessed it - Think Twice several years ago. 
 
It was Monica and the fabulous orange and purple outfit (see here) she recently posted that made me break the habit of accessorizing this dress with blue and use purple instead. I added a purple woven belt, purple, pink and orange wooden beads and an iridescent purple and emerald green peacock feather brooch. All of these were charity shop finds, the brooch picked up on a flying visit to Llangollen in 2019.


Even the tiny buttons on my chartreuse cardigan were a matching purple! The cardigan, being an XS, is slightly too tight in the bust area, hence its initial relegation to the giveaway and donation pile, from where I dug it out again. A regret-me-not, as Sheila would say.



I was matching the purple of the Delphiniums too! In their second flush, they were looking lush and magnificent, although overnight showers had made the tallest of the flower spikes top heavy with water so that it was in danger of toppling over. A rummage through the potting shed was rewarded with the discovery of two sturdy cast iron spikes, originally intended as garden candle holders. They turned out to be just perfect for the job!

The strawberries in their hanging bucket, which I'd given a good feed in the week before we left, was rewarding my efforts with a second flush of slowly ripening fruits.




Phlox and Foxgloves are still vying for attention wearing their brightest pink frocks. There were a couple of surprises too: the first of the Toad Lily (Tricyrtis hirta, top right) flowers had opened - and would be followed by many more - and tiny magenta flowers had appeared among the silvery carpet of foliage supplied by Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver' (bottom left).

We'd slept late-ish that day, with Bess keeping us company for almost the entire night.
Initially sunny, it soon clouded over, with scattered showers later in the day and highs of 22°C.

After our usual fruit & yogurt breakfast, Jos went food shopping, while I lavished some well needed TLC on the garden, deadheading and cutting back the Malva which has been growing too big for its allotted space. 



Saturday saw a repeat of Friday’s weather and, in spite of its 22°C, it felt more like an Autumn day than a Summer one. 

After a morning of aimless pottering, we decided on a visit to the garden centre, where it was even quieter than the last time we were there and sadly quite empty of interesting seasonal plants. 

Still, a couple of plants managed to make their way into our trolley, including an orange Garvinea to brighten up the plant tables outside our back door. We had a pink one last year which lasted well into Autumn last year, so expectations were high. 



As for my outfit, I still needed to squeeze in at least one wearing of this vintage flower infused yellow dress, so that's the one I went for. It was a charity shop find in December 2017.

Matching the mood I was in, I went for blues all the way, using the colour for all my accessories, including the delicate butterfly wing brooch (this post explains it all!) found on one of our last pre-Covid indoor flea markets in January 2020.

The jacket, from the Spanish Kling label, was charity shopped around the same time.




We also bought two Erigeron or Mexican flea bane plants, which I planted in the half basket under the awning outside our back door, to replace the very leggy Petunia and its companion I don’t remember the name of, as both were looking well past their best.

Finally, Aster ‘Alice Haslam’ and Anemone sylvestris came home with us. I planted them together in a pot at the back of the garden, where they will hopefully provide us with some Autumn and early Spring cheer respectively.

Meanwhile, the Nasturtiums are still going strong, popping up in the most unexpected of places and doing their best to take over the garden. 

And look at that splash of fiery orange supplied by Crocosmia 'Carmine Brilliant' (top left)! I'd almost given up on seeing burst into flower this year.



Sunday was yet another cloudy day, with the temperature dropping to just 20°C. 

Keeping myself busy in a bid to keep the back-to-work blues at bay, I swept the front room, hallway, staircase and dining room, after which I called it a day on the cleaning front, as it's not exactly my favourite activity.

Instead, I finally finished my book, Julia Glass's debut novel Three Junes. Started several weeks ago, I hadn't been making much progress until we went on our break. Not that I didn't enjoy the book, far from it, but there just didn't seem to be enough hours in the day for reading apart from at bed time, when I kept falling asleep after only a couple of pages.



Then I started my current read, The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman which seems to be faring a bit better as it's quite unputdownable.

My outfit of the day consisted of one of my rare black floral Summer dresses, its blue, pink and russet flower print joined by a blue butterfly brooch. I added a magenta beaded necklace and wood and purple mother of pearl bracelet, both of which were charity shopped. 



The tan faux leather belt with its rectangular faux leather buckle was charity shopped as well, while I stumbled across the plum coloured suede Hotter shoes on a flea market back in May 2018, where I bought them for the silly price of € 2.



In preparation for the working week ahead, Sunday afternoon called for a little nap, followed by reading in bed. I was joined by Bess, who made sure I had to stay where I was by putting her paws on my leg. As I had my phone with me, I caught the moment on camera, then sent out an S.O.S. to Jos, who was downstairs.

She's the Queen of Cuddling, and in fact we've had more cuddles with her in the six months she's been with us than we had in our twelve years with Phoebe.



My first week back at the office passed in a blur. After a busy Monday trying to catch up with work, we arrived home only to discover a dent in the back our car. Apparently some nitwit had bumped into it while it was parked out front and of course whoever it was had driven off without leaving a note. Needless to say, we were both shell-shocked. The car's only just over a year old, for goodness sake! As luck would have it, though, we'd just extended our full-coverage insurance, so that repairs would be virtually painless.



Chaos continued to reign at work, and it actually took two days without a lunch break to fully catch up and deal with the printer failure which had popped up in the meantime.

I wasn't in the mood for outfit photos on those days, and I can't for the life of me remember what I was wearing. However, this is what I wore on Wednesday. 

First wearing of the Nathalie Vleeschouwer skirt I was lucky enough to find in a charity shop in March. The outfit was one I'd assembled weeks ago, but hadn't got around to wearing yet. The short-sleeved salmon pink openwork jumper with its bow collar is vintage, and matches the waterlilies in the skirt's pattern almost exactly.



I'm wearing the same belt as I did in the previous outfit, while the butterfly brooch of the day was a green enamelled one. The jumper's bow was kept in check with a second brooch, a tiny green Cameo.

If in the photo on the top left I'm looking like the cat that got the cream, it's because I had finally been able to go out during lunch that day. What's more, the sales at Think Twice - which of course is where I was headed - were in full flow, and down to € 4.




Both the bottle green - and very hard to photograph - dress and the navy based one are label-less, so I expect they were both someone's handiwork. The green one is a bit shorter than my usual length and with its darker colour I'm thinking of wearing it with a burnt orange long-sleeved top and ditto opaques come Autumn.



This black and white midi skirt is Finnish vintage and with its wool and polyester blend will be perfect for Autumn too.

Finally, there's this gorgeous sleeveless midi Summer dress with pleated skirt and bow collar. Its exotic flower pattern in yellow, lilac and white on a blue background made me fall in love with it on the spot.



Little did I know that this would be just the tip of the iceberg of vintage and charity shop finds, as I'm definitely finding myself on a roll in that department. But that, my dears, will be for next time!



40 comments:

  1. Your flowers are stunning! Lots of great finds from your shops. Orange and purple accessories are a great combination.

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  2. I am totally in love with you accessoirizing your dresses. Sooo fabulous! You have the best coloured accessoiries ever Ann!♥
    And how cute is Bess?! and this little dotted flower!? ♥♥
    I wish you a nice weekend, with a very huge hug Tina

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    1. Thank you Tina, I do love my accessories, but I'm loving yours too! xxx

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  3. I'm so pleased Bess is a cat who loves cuddles. Most cats in my experience are very aloof and disdain much physical contact with humans - but maybe I've only met stand offish cats!

    What super outfits. Love the orange and purple and the orange and blue ensembles and the new floral skirt with the perfectly matching top was lovely. And didn't you do well at the Think Twice sale!

    I am in love with your Toad Lily; it is so gorgeous. I must look out for one for next year. I'm also determined to grow some nasturtiums next year - they're such cheerful looking flowers.

    So sorry to hear about the dent in the car; some people are just horrible. Glad you'll be able to get it sorted without too much hassle.

    Have a great weekend
    xxx

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    1. Thanks Veronica! Actually Bess is the first cat we've had who loves cuddles. Phoebe was quite stand-offish indeed! xxx

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  4. Ooh, I just love seeing all of your thrifting finds! Each one better than the last, too - I'm salivating over that blue frock and the black and white skirt.

    Bess is a cuddler! I'm so happy to hear that - when Vizzini puts his paws on us like that, it's so proprietary ("this is my human"). Aw, she's sleeping with you! That is the best.

    Big thumbs up for the purple accessories and accoutrements in the first outfit; love that bold jacket against the yellow dress; wonderful plum shoes (and a snort of amusement at the chickens in the hanging decor), but oh, my heart, that coral and lilies skirt outfit! That is GORGEOUS, Ann, utterly stunning.

    Have a wonderful weekend - I hope your car's dent gets sorted out quickly. Some people are so rude.

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    1. Thank you Sheila! We never expected Bess to be such a cuddler, but we're loving every minute. The chickens are a remnant of our kitchen decor, which used to have a chicken theme. I know, that skirt is stunning indeed. I can't wait to wear it again, even if it's not exactly Autumnal ... xxx

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  5. You have so many beautiful dresses and I love the purple accessories with the orange-y one! But that last one you picked up at the opshop is so cute, what good finds! :)
    So sorry to hear about your car - it's good insurance will take care of it for you :)

    Hope you have a good weekend ahead of you! Fun one here, a birthday party to go to each day!

    Away From The Blue

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    1. Thank you Mica! A weekend full of birthday parties sounds fun indeed! xxx

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  6. Beautiful flowers and outfits.You styled them perfectly.

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  7. What an array of delicious frocks (both the ones you're wearing and your new finds). That Nathalie Vleeschouwer skirt has such a brilliant print.
    I'm sorry about that rude idiot dinking your poor car, I hope karma comes and bir=tes them on the bum!
    Your garden is still looking wonderful, my fleabanes flowering at the moment, I love it!
    Bess is adorable, I love a snuggly cat. xxx

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    1. That Nathalie Vleeschouwer skirt was such a lucky find. And oh yes, I do hope karma does its thing. The car's been repaired now but even with full-coverage insurance, we're still having to pay a deductible of € 400! xxx

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  8. Hi Ann, What fabulous frocks! I really like your blue jacket with the colour contrast lapels and your new finds are lovely. Burnt orange with that green dress is definitely going to make a stunning outfit. That toad lily is gorgeous, as is Bess the cat. It's so cute when cats place their paws on their humans. Sorry to hear about your car - there are some selfish people around. I can totally relate to your night time reading too. I'm exactly the same at the moment; limping through a good book simply because I'm too tired to read more than a couple of pages. xxx

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    1. Thank you Claire! Isn't that toad lily amazing? Glad to hear I'm not the only limping through a good book. I finally finished my current read during my holiday! xxx

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  9. It has been a looong time since my last unputdownable book. ;-) If summer is more of a feeling than the three months June, July and August, these summer doesn't deserve this name. However, there were sunny and summery days.
    However, being back in school means a lot of fun moments with the students besides the usual ones.

    Have a nice weekend!

    Regula

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    1. You're absolutely right, the Summer doesn't deserve its name. Glad we had a couple of gorgeous Summer days during our holiday in September, though. xxx

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  10. I'm already looking for to find out what else you purchased. The stave thing with this weather, cloudy and grey, is that when I am inside I feel cold. And when I go out it surprises me that it's so warm. Weird. The Natalie skirt outfit is gorgeous! What a beautiful colours and I always love that kind of stitch in tops and cardigans, like the KL ones right. The blue accessories are very nice too, such a gorgeous colour blue is. Isn't it so lovely when a cat is so cutely. Both our cats are like that, the black one a little less but the other one compensates for that. Enjoy your weekend!

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    1. Exactly, it's chilly inside but quite warm and humid outside. I never know what to wear, so it's cardigans at the ready all the time. You're right about that stitch being very King Louie! xxx

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  11. Hello Ann, I 've followed you over from your comment on Claire's blog (and seen your smiley face on Vix's and Jess' too) . Your Delphiniums and Toad Lilies are stunning. What handsome floor tiles you have in your garden. I too have suffered from a new car undeclared dent in the past, how very irritating! Looks like you are keeping the summer going in your lovely yellow dress. Your cat Bess is so adorable. Lulu :)

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    1. Thank you so much for your comment, Lulu! Those floor tiles were inherited with the garden. We think they might have been Dove Cottage's original kitchen tiles! xxx

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  12. Late summer is such a hard time to keep a garden interesting, but you've found some beautiful flowers to fill the patches.
    I'll never understand the sort of person that does a hit and run, and I'm so sorry it happened to your new car.
    That bottle green dress has both 40s and 70s vibes to it and will be so interesting to style. Such a good, if underappreciated colour in clothing.
    Can't wait to see what else you found in the sales. I know it will be great.

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    1. By late Summer, our garden has transformed into a lush green jungle, so I'm grateful for any flower providing a bit of colour! I've been eyeing that bottle green dress, but I'll wait until it's time for opaques! xxx

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  13. Your garden is really stunning.
    The purple looks wonderful with the orange dress.
    I love that blue jacket as well.

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  14. I ended up buying some grasses to give the table by our kitchen window some interest now we are near the end of the summer. I'm looking forward to seeing your new purchases.

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    1. Thank you Gisela! Grasses, now that's an idea! xxx

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  15. Hasn’t your garden been a delightful riot of colour this year Ann, much like all your lovely frocks. Sounds like life is pretty full on again now you’re back at work. You’ll need those snuggling up times with Bess and a good book.
    Take good care all of you. Lots of love xxx

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    1. Thank you Lynn! I must admit, though, that I struggled a bit with the garden this Summer. Last year's was much better in my book! xxx

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  16. Wonderful photos and interesting post dear!

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  17. woww, so lovely that you mentioned my outfit as an inspiration to wear purple and orange together, I feel honoured and admiring your brilliant ensemble!. Love the way the beads and accessories tie everything together so nicely, and the purple buttons are such a cute detail!.
    Your yellow dress is so beautiful and looks even better with the blue jacket and blue details!, a favourite colour combo!. Love the dark florals dress and cute suede shoes. Also love the delightful floral skirt with the salmon pink top, looking gorgeous!
    Lovely to see Bess cuteness in action, she's a star!.
    Glad that your insurance covers the dent in your car, people can be totally stupid! (and I feel that this kind of bad behaviour is becoming 'normal' this days, so annoying).
    So fantastic purchases you made!, these are some cool dresses!, looking forward to see them in action!
    besos

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    1. Your colourful outfits are always an inspiration, Monica, so credit where credit's due!
      I agree that this kind of behaviour seems to be a "sign of the times", which is very sad indeed! xxx

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  18. DING-DONG to the pleated dress! What a beauty.
    I adore your first two outfits- they are just sublime- that's the only word I can use. The matching of items and the gorgeousness of the prints on the frocks (and that collar OH that collar, on the first one). You are the queen of accessorising.
    I think it was a splendid idea taking 4 day weeks. I think that was a really smart move!

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    1. Thank you Kezzie! Sadly, I still haven't had the occasion to wear that pleated dress. It'll be first in line for next Summer though! I'm so glad I've got the opportunity to take 4-day weeks. It'll be hard going back to 5, if I ever will ... xxx

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  19. Excellent foresight. Unless it is simply impossible for some rare reason, Tony and I always, always try to take at least one day off before (for packing) and after almost any trips we take so as to feel less stressed, rushed, and/or frazzled - especially post travel.

    All of your outfits here are so, so, soooo pretty, dearest Ann. The coral and green one in particular stole my breath away - very much including the placement of that gorgeous brooch.

    Awesome recent fashion finds! One trick I've long been employing if there's a dress I love, but which is too short for my personal comfort level is to layer it over a skirt that coordinates with it. Usually, you'll want the skirt to be a-line or wider and in a lightweight fabric, so that the two layers don't combine to create unwanted or unneeded bulk and/or warmth. And, if a dress is really on the shorter sider, teaming it with trousers or capri pants and treating as a tunic style top can be oodles of fun as well.

    Autumn Zenith �� Witchcrafted Life

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    1. Thank you Autumn! I only once went back to work the day after I got back from my holiday, and I swore I'd never do that again. The coral and green outfit was my favourite of the bunch too! xxx

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  20. That Kling jacket is very Mod - I really like it.

    How lovely that Phoebe is so cuddly. It's very heartwarming to have something furry snuggling up.

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    1. Thank you Mim! I got Mod vibes from that jacket too! xxx

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