Monday 6 September 2021

Stuck in the August rain

If all goes according to plan, by the time you are reading this we are recharging are batteries on our yearly sojourn to Belgium's west country. 

Having had a bit of a turbulent week, the weekend and our subsequent week away were obviously welcomed with open arms. However, as we were leaving on Sunday, this meant I only had Saturday at my disposal to check off my packing and to-do list, decide which clothes to take, and squeeze in the writing of this scheduled post. Not to mention giving Bess the cuddles she'll have to miss out on in the week ahead.



So, without further ado, I'm taking you back to two weeks ago on Friday, which was the 20th of August.

Although the mercury climbed to 22°C it was another wishy-washy, grey and rainy day, which only started brightening by late afternoon.

The white blouse with its black vertical stripes and scattering of tiny red and green flowers was among my charity shop haul of the previous week, but never made it to the blog. I decided to continue with the red and green theme by teaming it with a green textured Crimplene skirt. The latter is part of a set, its companion a short-sleeved jacket. I don't think I ever wore it as a set though, and of the two pieces the skirt definitely gets the most wear.



A pale green beaded necklace was added, while further accessories were all of the red variety: a woven belt, plastic ring and a vintage cherry brooch.



It was my weekly day off, and as you'll probably know by now, these usually start with a charity shopping trip. This time we drove down to the three-storey charity shop in the neighbouring town of Duffel, which is one of our favourites. I even remembered to finally take some photos!

While I was trawling the clothing aisles in the basement, Jos had a look around elsewhere, and then grabbed a coffee at the first floor cafeteria, or Koffietheria, as they are calling this particular one.




With my trolley full of treasure, I then joined Jos for a chocolate coffee and showed him my finds.

First up in yet another King Louie dress, its pattern of medley of blowsy, pink, grey and cream roses on purple. 



There's quite a bit of purple in the second dress, which is by Esprit, as well. Its lining is a solid purple, for starters. I grabbed it from a rail in passing but couldn't be bothered to return to the fitting rooms where I'd just had a massive trying on session.

I fell hard for its Paisley-esque orange, yellow, white, purple and lilac pattern, and although its silhouette is a bit out of my comfort zone, it turned out to fit me perfectly.



Yet more purple came in the form of this plastic bracelet and the purple flowers among its yellow, red and green sisters in the vintage acryl blouse. 

My final find is vintage as well. With its thick polyester fabric, it would be out of the question to wear this beige-based sleeveless dress with its cinnamon and brown rushes and birds print on a warm Summer's day. I'm thinking of wearing it in Autumn, layered over a long-sleeved top and opaques in a contrasting colour.



While Jos was finishing his coffee, I went to have a look at the bookshelves, selecting these three books to come home with me.





On Saturday, the temperature was supposed to climb to 25°C. I’m not sure it did but it was very humid, ending in a thunderstorm complete with heavy rain in the early evening.

I wore the short-sleeved Only dress I'd picked up at the charity shops the week before, picking the pale green colour from its print for my accessories.




The brooch is by Miracle and was a flea market find about three years ago. I think the ring was a flea market find as well, while the rest of my accessories were a mix of vintage, charity shop and retail buys.

Weather-wise, Sunday was another mixed bag of sunshine and showers.

We were invited to a barbecue to celebrate the 50th birthday of Jos's eldest daughter, Els, taking the inevitable rain into our strides as this seems to be something of a family tradition.




We started with drinks - mine was homemade elder flower cordial - and homemade pizza made in their state of the art outside pizza oven. 

Centre of attention, of course, was the youngest family member, three-month old Cas, here with pater familias Jos.




As it befits a milestone birthday, we'd all chipped in and bought Els a drawing table and chair to pursue her painting hobby.

But she wasn't the only one who got a present! Jos's children had chipped in to buy me a present as well, although my milestone birthday is only the 12th of September. 

I received a small bag containing a riddle I was supposed to solve first, but couldn't make head or tail of the pieces of nougat, caramel and chocolate and the cuberdon, which is a traditional Belgian sweet. 

To cut a long story short, my present was a voucher for our favourite B&B, Het Soetewater, near Bruges. And the riddle, well, it referred to the B&B's rooms, which are called ... you've guessed it, Nougat, Caramel, Cocolat and Cuberdon!



As the temperature barely reached 20°C - if that - and we didn't know we'd be inside or outside, I dressed warmly, starting with the lined palazzo trousers charity shopped back in February.

The Kookai blouse, with its galaxy of stars and flowers and pink frills at the yoke, was another charity shop find, almost exactly a year ago.



A yellow suede belt, multicoloured wooden necklace and another Miracle brooch - a flea market find in Carmarthenshire back in 2015 - completed my outfit. 





The temperature in August's final full week continued to go up and down like a yo-yo, flirting around 20°C and with the by now familiar mixture of clouds, sunny spells and showers.

It's been an awful Summer so far - and technically speaking, Summer is over by now. Quite a large chunk of my Summer clothes remains unworn and I have barely touched the hot weather stuff.

The garden has long ago lost its initial Summer freshness, although our Fuchsia magellanica and Japanese Anemones are both in their prime. Can you spot the shy butterfly hiding behind the pretty in pink Anemone? You can actually see the top of its antenna peeking out in the photo on the top right!




We only managed outfit photos a couple of times that week, these ones taken on Wednesday the 25th of August. 

I hadn't worn this black-based floral dress for ages and I doubt that it ever made it to the blog. It was among my earliest Think Twice finds and I remember wearing it for the first time for a dinner date, only to discover it had several split seams while we were about to meet Jos's son's in-laws for the very first time. Oh dear! 





As I'm a firm believer of the fact that pink and green should always be seen and taking advantage of the green stalks in the dress's print, I picked green for all my accessories apart from the pearly brooch.

It was the perfect opportunity to give my green 1960s shoes - charity shopped back in July - another outing.





Meanwhile in the garden ... can you believe the size of that Nasturtium leaf? It won't be long before our old parking meter is completely hidden from view!

Now I'm sure that you'll all be wanting to see how Bess has been coming along in the meantime.

Well, we've just bought her a lovely new cat bed, which so far she is totally ignoring. Actually, madam prefers to sleep on top of her Snooze Bay, which is actually supposed look like this. Cats, you've got to love them!




So, that's rainy August wrapped up.

I'll be back with - hopefully sunny - adventures next week. See you on the other side!




38 comments:

  1. I love the red and green of the first outfit and Saturday's dress looks so good on you! how nice that you got a voucher for your birthday to your favourite place to stay :)

    Hope your week is off to a great start :)

    Away From The Blue

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  2. I like the sound of a three storey charity shop! That Esprit dress was definitely worth taking a chance on, it’s lovely!
    How fun to have a riddle to solve, and now a B&B stay to look forward to as well.
    Lovely green shoes!!
    Aww Bess, bless her, my cats largely ignore their cat beds too. I found Socks curled up in a pile of cables yesterday!
    Hope you enjoy your week away
    Xx

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    1. Thank you Hazel! It's typical cat behaviour, I guess :-) xxx

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  3. what a gorgeous pressie you got! when you will go to the praliné B&B?
    the *only* dress looks fab on you - and the maxi pttern mix too..... a 2.hand shop with a café inside would be right up our alley.....
    lisbeth does not like synthetic materials - and i hate special cat furniture in the whole - so she sleeps on a thick and cosy lamb fur. or in my bed :-D
    cuddle pretty bess from us!
    xxxx

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    1. Thank you Beate! We've just been to the praliné B&B - it's the one near Bruges - but now we have another reason to go back there :-) xxx

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  4. Cas is adorable. I love that photograph of pater familias Jos with him. Babies are always cute. Congrats to Jos' oldest daughter on her birthday. I think drawning table is the perfect present for someone pursuing art.
    It's sweet Jos' kids got you an early birthday present.

    It's nice you took photos of one of your fav charity shop. It looks like a great place. Shopping date on a day off makes perfect sense. Shopping is more enjoyable when we are not in a hurry. The King Louie dress is beautiful, such a lovely find.

    Love all your outfits! The green shirt looks fab paired with a red belt and a white red shirt.

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    1. Thank you Ivana! We used to go charity shopping on a Saturday, but it's so much quieter on a weekday! xxx

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  5. The dark dress with a punk floral pattern is absolutely gorgeous. Did you manage to fix the seams. I often seem to discover loose or broken seams when I'm about to wear a special dress for a special ocassion. Often it is my fault because I don't check and fix it in time or forget to do it. Anyway, green accessories are perfect with this dress. Such a pretty and feminine styling.

    P.S. Bess looks so cozy and comfortable.

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    1. I did manage to fix those seams, I should have checked before I wore it. There's often something to be fixed if you buy vintage stuff! xxx

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  6. Hopefully sunny September is going on and on and on. It has been wonderful so far.

    xxx Regula

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    1. Thank you Regula, and sunny September is still continuing this week! xxx

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  7. Black and white? Did I hear black and white Ann?🤣🤣 don't you just love bbqs with family or friends! Especially when you are so spoiled with thoughtful presents, very sweet. Love the purple bracelet!

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  8. LOL at Bess - Vizzini will have nothing to do with the plush house we bought him last Christmas.

    Some wonderful finds - I love the purple dresses and bracelet! What a wonderful gift for your birthday, Ann! Are you turning 60?

    I adore the palazzo pant outfit (lined? get out!) and the wonderful final dress. Your green accessories rule!

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    1. Until now, Bess has appreciated everything we got her. I caught her kneading it, so we are making progress!
      Yes, 60, but age is just a number, right? xxx

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  9. Oh so cute Bess ON the top of her snooze bay 😁. Our little dogs did the same 😂 You look amazing in your dresses Ann.
    With a very huge hug Tina

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    1. Thank you Tina! Oh, cats and dogs both make up their own minds, don't they? xxx

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  10. Is there anything better than babies you can hand back to the parents when they start fussing :)
    I'm looking forward to hearing about your birthday. That was a very thoughtful gift.
    Vintage clothing always seems to have the worst timing for falling apart. It is a beautiful dress though-glad you were able to sew it back up.

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    1. Definitely yes on the babies thing :-)
      I lost track of the number of times I had to do emergency repairs at the office on fallen hems and loose buttons :-) xxx

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  11. I hope you're both having a glorious time away (in fact, I know you are, I've just seen the photos on Facebook!)
    What a gorgeous photo of Jos with baby Cas, what a proud grandpa.
    Bess looks so comfy on top of her snooze bed, cats are such weirdos.
    I'm loving your hair and all your fabulous outfits. I recently sold a chiffon maxi dress featuring the identical reed and duck print as your new acquisition!
    What a wonderful presssie and another trip to look forward to! xxx

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    1. We had a fabulous time, and I'm actually feeling totally relaxed! What a coincidence about the print of that dress! It's not really my colour, but I just couldn't leave it behind! xxx

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  12. I hope you manage to get some of the hot weather we're experiencing here in the UK Anne. I like the sound of the three storey charity shop and I like your finds. xx

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    1. Thank you Laurie! How lucky we were to have hot weather during our holiday! xxx

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  13. It really doesn't get more precious than that photo of Jos holding darling baby Cas. Aww!!!

    You've been knocking it out of the ballpark lately with your fabulous fashion finds, sweet Ann. So many fun and inspiring new pieces to add to your closet and, I'm sure, inspire tons of us with each time you wear one on (or more) of them here on your blog.

    I hope that Lady Luck continues to smile on your shopping adventures every bit as much during the coming fall months.

    Autumn Zenith �� Witchcrafted Life

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    1. Thank you Autumn, and I know, Lady Luck has definitely been good to me lately! xxx

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  14. Hoorah for a trip back to Bruges. I hadn't realised your birthday was a milestone one.

    It looks like you all had a lovely day together, all ages having fun.

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    1. Thank you Mim, yes, I know, I still can't get my head around that figure. How can I possibly be 60, I wonder? xxx

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  15. Enjoy your trip.
    Happy Birthday!
    You look wonderful in all your outfits..
    I have read The Signature of All Things.

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    1. Thank you Hena! I'm reading that book right now, and I love it! xxx

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  16. I hope you are enjoying your trip. Happy birthday dear!

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  17. Sounds like you’ve had fun! The baby is adorable and what’s not to like about a 3 storey charity shop and chocolate coffee! Great finds. Love the pale green combined with your Autumnal coloured dress. Happy Birthday! xxx

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    1. Thank you Claire! Adorable, and quite unexpected too. His parents had given up on ever having children ... xxx

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  18. Your charity shop finds are beautiful! I especially loved that sleeveless dress. Enjoy your trip!
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovely.com

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