Sunday 9 January 2022

In between days

The high hopes we'd had for going on some outdoor adventures during the Christmas break were soon dashed by the weather forecast. Things were looking pretty dire for the week ahead but we kept hoping, quite possibly against hope, that they got it wrong. After all, it wouldn't be the first time, would it? One can only dream and I, for one, am a pro at living with my head in the clouds!

They didn't get it wrong on Monday the 27th of December, though. There was nothing for it but to grin and bear it and spend the day inside. 

As I still had a whole week of freedom ahead of me, I wasn't too bothered about the uncooperative weather gods. I don't get bored easily and there's always a list of chores to be ticked off if needs must. First on my list, however, was getting dressed, indulging in the luxury of time to do so.



I'd had my eye on this jumper for a while, thinking it was time it got another outing. Although it's from Zara - by way of a charity shop - it has a definite Mid-Century look.

Trawling my blog, as I wanted to make sure I wore it differently, I noticed that funnily enough its last wears dated from December 2020 and December 2019 respectively. I'm such a creature of habit!

The skirt I went for this time was this recently charity shopped bouclé one, its colours harmonizing with those of the jumper. 


Same as in its two previous incarnations, I wore it belted on top of my skirt, although I did have the presence of mind of wearing a different belt each time. Funnily enough, I've only just noticed that I pinned the same brooch to it as I did two years ago, a small wooden plaque painted with a lady wearing a red and white polka dot frock. It was a flea market find, if my memory serves me right.

Both my beaded necklace, which is made of painted wood too, and my chunky short-sleeved cardigan, are recent charity shop finds. The boots are the ones I succumbed to after spotting them at a local shop back in November. They've been one of my most worn pairs so far this season.



After Jos dropped off his supermarket purchases that afternoon, I accompanied him back to the garage so that we could make use of its white painted brick wall for outfit photos. We found a spot where the natural light - or what little there was of it - streaming in through the skylights was even much better.

Having finished my previous read on Sunday evening, I selected Judith Lennox's The Dark-Eyed Girls from my reading pile. Set in the late 1960s and 1970s, it tells the story of three friends and their changing relationships over the years. An absorbing and very enjoyable read, which I've all but finished by now.



Waking up to a pink sunrise just after eight on Tuesday morning, we started getting our hopes up. 

Needless to say, it didn't last, as a blanket of clouds soon moved in and it started drizzling while we were getting ready.

The weather forecast having promised a mild 11°C, I plucked this Swedish made vintage frock from my wardrobe, in a metallic polyester mix called Asplene + Sildorex. The latter, I guess, is a relative of  Lurex, as the dark olive green dress with its off-white, pink and lilac print and dropped waist, has quite a bit of sparkle in it.



I took the lead from the pink in its print for my opaques, ring and dragonfly brooch as well as the flower corsage pinned to my cardigan, and wore an off-white beaded necklace.

One of my favourite pairs of boots, the green ones I charity shopped about two years ago, came out to play again.  The mustard cardigan with its pale pink buttons is by retro label Zoë Loveborn and was a charity shop find back in August.

We had an errand to run in a nearby town where, due to new shopping restrictions, we had to queue outside a telecom shop for at least half an hour. In spite of the supposedly mild temperature, there was an icy wind, so that I was half frozen by the time we were finally let into the shop. I won't mention the altercation we'd had in the meantime with an aggressive woman with a walker who was trying to jump the queue. Now, if only she'd asked nicely ... 




Before returning home, we nipped into an electricals shop as I needed a new hairdryer and we were looking for a replacement for our coffee machine which was on the blink.

Again, we made use of our garage's facilities to make outfit photos when returning our car after lunch. 
On the way back, it started bucketing down so that we were soaked by the time we eventually made it home, having to hang up our dripping wet coats in the shower.



The couch was calling for another afternoon of reading, but I decided to ignore this for now and start ticking off at least one of the chores on my list. 

I'm the first to admit that, apart from the odd cursory dusting, our kitchen shelves and their kitchenalia treasures hadn't seen a cleaning cloth for a while. I probably won't have to tell you that taking everything off the shelves, cleaning both the shelves and their contents and putting everything back approximately the way it was is quite a time-consuming task.

The fun thing is having a chance to look at everything as if with fresh eyes and indulge in the memories which are part and parcel of collecting. The Smiths crisps tin, for instance, takes me back to a delightful shop called Utter Clutter in Leominster, Herefordshire.



The packets of soaps and washing powders were picked up at various flea markets, while the 1930s ceramic coffee grinder was a present from my friend Inez.

The Tala jelly moulds came from an antique centre in Newcastle Emlyn in Carmarthenshire, Wales, a favourite wet weather option when holidaying in nearby Pembrokeshire.



There are tins galore, including the ice cream wafers one from the Dutch Verkade brand, which was a charity shop find.  There's lots of enamelware too. The orange utensils rack and some of the ladles and strainers came from a vintage shop. 

What were the odds of finding the Grimwades Quick Cooker pudding bowl, previously only seen in the kitchens of National Trust properties, on a local flea market here in Belgium?

The framed ad for the famous Belgian Lu biscuits is a reproduction found in the decoration aisles of a garden centre.




There was still no improvement in the weather on Wednesday, which was dark and rainy, and generally miserable, even if the mercury had climbed to 13°C by then.

With no obligations penned into our diaries for the day, we decided to do a round of the charity shops. 

In spite of the mild temperature, I wasn't to be fooled again, so I wore my green with a bit of red tweed skirt and green fur collared vintage jacket. My scarf of many colours has featured here countless times before, but it has been a while since I wore the pink and white speckled knit beret.



While searching through my flea market boxes for something which I've probably sold on a long time ago, I came across this vintage lilac Diolen pussy-bow blouse. And no, I haven't got the faintest idea why I decided to part with it, but it must have been in a moment of madness. With its pattern of purple and orange flowers, I thought it was just perfect with the skirt.

I tamed the bow with a flower infused vintage scarf clip and added a tan belt at my waist. A green cardigan added extra warmth layered over the rather flimsy blouse. To tie in with the purple bits in the blouse's pattern, I wore a pair of purple opaques.



As usual, we visited two shops that day, starting with the Oxfam one in Wilrijk. Although pickings weren't plentiful, finding this tailor made vintage skirt suit more than made up for this. Both Angelica and me are doing the honours of modelling it for you.




There was also a vintage coffee tin, from the Belgian coffee brand Rombouts, which was founded in Antwerp in 1896. It dates from the late 1950s, and this one has some iconic Bruges scenes on it, with the belfry on one side and the city hall on the other..




Our shopping trip ended at our most local charity shop. Here, I was in luck again, as I found a vintage C&A jumper in a lilac and silver cable knit with an asymmetrical collar. 

A mustard yellow knit beret and a chevron striped Summer skirt by Belgian retro label Who's That Girl were my final finds.





I'll be back with the rest of the in between days later this week.

With the Omicron virus rampaging out there, please do take care to stay safe!



40 comments:

  1. Some fantastic outfits again there, Ann! I particularly love the rusts and oramges of the first one and your latest acquisition from Oxfam.
    How fabulous is that Smiths Crisps tin and the Quick Cooker Bowl? Fancy spotting one of those in Belgium. Like you, I've only ever seen them in National Trust kitchens.
    Rombouts! I had no idea it was a Belgian company, that was always the coffee served in cafes when I was young, it came with an individual brown plastic filter if I remember correctly.
    What a pain having to queue outside that shop. I hope your restrictions are lifted soon. I think we've escaped any further lockdowns (touch wood!) xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Vix! We too have escaped further lockdowns, it's just limits on the number of shoppers inside a shop which have been imposed. As for Rombouts, I know the plastic filters you mean. They were actually developed for marketing on Expo 58! xxx

      Delete
  2. I do agree with you about the sweater. This charity shopped Zara striped sweater has a definite mid century feel about it. I love how you styled it with that wonderful skirt and boots. I'm not surprised those boots are one of your most worn pairs recently, they look very comfy and chic. I like the way you accessorized this outfit as well, with pretty brooch and belt. How funny to discover that you wore that sweater in December before. I'm sometimes a creature of habit like that too. I noticed how I sometimes tend to reserve certain items for certain months. Beautiful outfits as always. The outfit with the purple shirt and green cardigan is very pretty. I'd love to see the skirt you wore with that tanned belt up close, its pattern looks interesting. The dark green dress and green boots combo is wonderful as well. I'm also happy to hear you enjoyed The Dark-Eyed Girls book. I will check my library for it.
    Thank you so much for your lovely message. Have a nice day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ivana! I'll have to wear that belt again, and show you a close-up. It's got a bit of an unusual buckle! xxx

      Delete
  3. So many great outfits here, and serious boot envy for them all. The pudding pot was a good find-have you used it, or is it just for décor?
    Line jumping is a dangerous chance where I live, walker or not she'd have been risking her safety. As you say, just asking nicely would have probably gained better results.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Goody! We haven't used the pudding bowl, it is purely for decoration. I'd be so scared of it getting damaged as it's quite rare. xxx

      Delete
  4. Loving all of your colourful outfits here, Ann! That first one is so evocative of fall - I love all the texture in it. The Lurex-adjacent dress is all kinds of fabulous - I love the pink with it. And your purse in the final outfit is a scene-stealer!

    Thank you for showing your kitchenalia! I am also guilty of not dusting/cleaning my collectibles for a very long time. I gave some of my amber glass a scrub a few months ago, and have not touched them since, ha ha!

    Have a great week, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sheila! Phew, I'm glad I'm not the only one shirking dusting and cleaning jobs! xxx

      Delete
  5. the warm reds of the first outfit look gorgeous together and suit you so well! and i love me a bit of lurex too....
    i´m glad my antique/vintage/decorative kitchenalia are all in regular use - so the do not gather dust at all :-D
    just seeing your shelfs makes me very tired.....
    stay warm! xxxxx
    ps: our saying: *abendrot - schön wetter bot/morgenrot - schlecht wetter bot* (von: bote) has proved right in all the years i sit here and watch the weather!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Beate, and I'm sorry I've made you tired by just looking at my shelves. It sometimes makes me tired too, but I've learned to ignore the dust. Thank you for the weather advice, I'll definitely keep that in mind! xxx

      Delete
  6. That sunrise is gorgeous! Our weather here in Wales has been quite awful and dreary over Christmas and New Year. I did find one nice day to go on an adventure though!

    I love your vintage kitchenalia treasures, how wonderful! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Niki, and I think we did share the same weather over Christmas and New Year! xxx

      Delete
  7. Loved your outfits - all so colourful and beautifully accessorised. The vintage kitchenalia collection you have is wonderful; I find tins very hard to resist, too. You have some beauties and I loved the pudding bowl! I have the same metal print of the biscuit brand as you. I found mine in a charity shop.

    What great finds in the charity shops. The two piece is beautiful and I loved the skirt, top and beret. 2 complete outfits from 2 charity shops - can't be bad!

    I do hope your weather is improving = mostly grim and grey here...
    xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Vronni! I'm afraid that - the odd sunshiny day notwithstanding - the weather still is mostly grim and grey here. Fancy finding that metal biscuit brand print in a charity shop over there, Lu being a Belgian brand ... xxx

      Delete
  8. Hello Ann, I am loving the December jumper! The Smiths Crisps take me back. What jolly little jelly moulds. Your kitchen looks like a real treasure trove. I have a thing for red enamelware! It is exciting to find out that I have a Belgian biscuit range ;) You are very lucky to find the purple blouse again. Lulu xXx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Lulu, and yes, you are famous in Belgium :-) xxx

      Delete
  9. The pink skies are my favorite part of winter.
    Love that jumper.. a great print.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love your jumper with this skirt, a marriage made in heaven!, so fabulous colours and delightfully matchy accessories!. Also love your olive green frock with the so cool green boots, and lovely pink details.
    It's so disgusting to deal with aggressive people!, it makes me feel downhearted the whole day. More and more people shout their frustration out, without even considering other people around them. So rude!
    Always lovely to have a look at your kitchenalia collection, so many cute pieces!.
    And so fab new purchases!, the suit is a beauty!.
    besos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Monica! I can't wait for the weather to be mild enough to wear that suit! I absolutely hate rude people. In the end, she tried to push and shove her way into the shop in front of us, in spite of her being "disabled"! It didn't work though, we were obliged to shove right back! xxx

      Delete
  11. I do love seeing your Winter outfits. Your orange and brown first outfit is a treat. I enjoyed a peek at your wonderful kitchen collectables . You sound like me a quick dust is mostly my way too. Hope those dark Winter days have been replaced with some sunshine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jill! A quick dust is often quite enough :-) xxx

      Delete
  12. The sweater and skirt looks amazing on you. Have a great week!
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovely.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. I chuckled when I read the phrase ‘bucketing down’, it’s so typically English haha.
    You’re wearing some lovely colours, I especially like the orange outfit.
    Nothing to report this end Ann, I’m still not feeling great, very fatigued. Take care you two. Sending our love xxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Lynn! I feel quite chuffed about having made you chuckle with "bucketing down". I often find myself thinking in English, isn't that odd? xxx

      Delete
  14. I love your posts, it feels like standing in the sunshine.

    ReplyDelete
  15. In between days.....The Cure!
    We really need to go to the UK don't we? I said yesterday to Gerben while taking a bite from my backed potato with a little bit of ketchup: this tastes like England! Haha, restrictions have milded so hopefuly we can go in spring. We went for a walk last Saturday, it rained but I really needed the fresh air. What a lovely finds again. Like you I am in a purple haze these days, clothing wise of course!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course, it was taken from that song by The Cure! What's more, I had to think of you when I chose that post title! xxx P.S. I hope we can go this year too, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for both of us!

      Delete
  16. A soak now and then is a good thing: It makes you appreciate the warmth of the house more. Otherwise you would get bored ... Stay warm and colourful! Regula

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess you're right, but I'm not easily bored :-) xxx

      Delete
  17. Love the new jumper Ann. The weather here in the UK has been awful. We are promised a few bright days though fingers crossed. The book sounds interesting. I would read that xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Laurie! The weather has been awful here too, and the bright days usually happen when I'm at the office! xxx

      Delete
  18. You have beautiful collections of sweaters and they are all styled beautifully well.

    Glowyshoe's blog

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love, love, love old packaging!!! Brilliant crisp tin!!
    Your new charity shop finds are super, esp the chevron skirt and the beret. Those three Oxfam finds are a ready made outfit!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kezzie! I'm a sucker for old packaging!
      That outfit could indeed be a ready made one, if the skirt wasn't a lightweight cotton one :-) xxx

      Delete
  20. Completely agree regarding the eye-catchingly lovely mid-century (60s/70s in my books) vibe of that Zara sweater. What a looker it is! Perfect for Christmas, Valentine's, and anytime the urge to sport red calls.

    Autumn Zenith 🎃 Witchcrafted Life

    ReplyDelete