Monday 31 January 2022

Nothing ever happens

The odd sunny half-day notwithstanding, we kept being plagued by gloomy January days. Even on those days when it wasn't raining for a change, the sky was a thick blanket of dull washed-out grey. Days like these tend to knit themselves together into a blur of time in which nothing really happens. Or so it seems, anyway.

I've been keeping a journal since April 2020, jotting down my thoughts and the things I've done in order to keep track of time and disentangle the blur. Lately, however, it often slips my mind to make an entry at the end of a day and then find it impossible to recollect how I spent my time.  As I've always prided myself on having the memory of an elephant, this can be quite disconcerting!




One such day was Saturday the 15th of January. Other than that I slept late-ish, followed by a lazy morning of pottering and photographing Friday's charity shop finds, the day is a bit of a blank.

But at least I can show you what I was wearing, which I'm sure you'll agree is the main purpose of my blog. And I still had to show you the rest of Friday's finds as well.

The skirt I'm wearing, and around which my outfit was built, was one of the latter. It was love at first sight and in fact I was so smitten with it that I wasted no time in giving it its first outing the very next day. I mean: plaid and chevrons in browns, oranges and a dash of white! Well worth wrestling it off a shop dummy!



The striped jumper of many colours, including orange to tie in with the skirt, was an old sales bargain from New Look, while the vinyl and elastic orange belt was an even older high street buy, from Forever 21 of all places. Both shops have long ago departed Antwerp's shopping streets.

Further accessories were an orange beaded necklace and a cameo brooch, supplied by a charity shop and a flea market respectively.

Foot- and legwear consisted of my fake snakeskin ankle boots an ancient pair of dark brown opaques.





The cropped furry gilet I layered on top was another one of Friday's charity shop finds. I seem to have accumulated quite a collection of these gilets, which come in handy for throwing over any kind of outfit, especially around the house, or at the office. I have one which lives permanently on the back of my office chair.





The day's other finds included a purple suede belt, a long grey beaded necklace, a blue, articulated owl pendant and a pair of red carved wooden bangles.

Two blouses came home with me as well. There was a sage green pussy-bow one with a black and white geometrical pattern, and a blue one with a tie neck and the cutest of bird patterns.



To conclude the day's bounty, there was a lavender crocheted gilet, a chunky cardigan with attached cameo brooch, the furry gilet I was wearing on Saturday and a purple knit scarf. 

You'll get to see me wearing the cardigan later in this post, although I removed the sewn-on brooch, which has joined my collection. Just as I don't like designers telling me where my waist is, I can't abide it when they tell me which brooch to wear on which particular garment! 




If Saturday had some sunny spells up its sleeve, it was another utterly grey and miserable day on Sunday. On top of that, it did feel much colder than the 4°C indicated by the thermometer on both days.

My erratic journal tells me I looked for and located my (faux) furs in the built-in closet in our bedroom, washed my hair, did a couple of chores and caught up with blogland.



For the day's outfit photos we didn't venture any further than just outside our back door.

I was wearing a vintage dress in a rich chocolate brown with a pattern of circles and clusters of vibrant flowers in pink, orange and turquoise. 

I added a wide turquoise belt and a turquoise chunky plastic ring, while opting for a slightly darker cerulean blue for my tights and cardigan. The latter is by retro label Zoë Loveborn by way of a charity shop. I've got several of their cardigans, which all have delightful details. Here, its fan-like pattern and the orange and blue buttons are its stand-out features.





Cream and brown are the main ingredients of the rest of my accessories: a brooch consisting of leaves and berries picked up on a flea market, and a chunky beaded necklace which was a charity shop find.

On my feet, the ochre yellow Sasha ankle boots from an earlier treasure hunt this month.




We're swiftly skipping my Monday to Thursday working week, in which even less was happening. 

Again, rain was our lot on many a day, resulting in distorted rain-splashed views through my office window. As ever I was glad that Friday was beckoning, as I was longing to sleep just that little bit longer and live life at a slower pace. 

As again I hadn't taken up my full holiday quota at the end of last year, I'll be able to continue taking Fridays off for a while yet. 




That Friday - we were the 21st of January by now - we woke up to sunny spells which made us hope we'd be able to go for another walk in between charity shops.

Typically, clouds soon started gathering, threatening rain at a moment's notice.

Still, we stopped off at the fort domain in the nearby town of Morstel, one of a chain of forts surrounding the city of Antwerp, built between 1859 and 1864. 





Initially, we'd just planned to have a car picnic with a view but, as the rain still seemed to hold off, we decided to walk down to the path surrounding the moat.

It was quite muddy in places and as I was wearing a rather delicate pair of boots, our walk was only a short one, just enough to clear the cobwebs for the day.




You've already seen my outerwear, consisting of some of my much worn favourites, and the Oilily bag which has been part of my weekend accoutrements ever since I happened upon it on a previous charity shopping trip.

What you haven't seen yet is what I was wearing underneath that day. 



Let's start with the dress, which is vintage, from the Finnish Karelia label. It is one of my earliest Think Twice finds, and it made its debut on the blog in one of my very first posts in March 2016.

Its fabric is a sturdy textured polyester and ... it has pockets. Lined pockets, to be exact!

Not surprisingly, I picked up the splashes of teal in its pattern by adding a teal flower brooch, beaded necklace and chunky glass ring. The belt is one of my beloved elasticated ones, with a round faux tortoiseshell buckle.



The waterfall cardigan, with its tie closure, is the one which originally had the cameo brooch attached. It's from C&A, warm and cozy, and surprisingly versatile, as I already wore it twice since it came home with me.

Now, before I bid you goodbye, I've got a confession to make. I am hopelessly behind with replying to all of your lovely comments. I do appreciate each and every one of them, though, and they quite often warm the cockles of my heart and make my day. 

I wanted to give a special thank you to reader Elizabeth, who kindly left a first time comment on my previous post. She finished her comment with the words "please don't stop sharing your world!". 

Well, I have every intention to continue doing exactly that and it quite boggles my mind that I have been doing so for coming up to six years soon. 



38 comments:

  1. Every so often, I have to stop replying to all of my comments - I get overwhelmed, and even a few words in thanks takes so much time. I console myself by noting that I NEVER ever check back to see if you've responded, so you can totally skip replying to me - I'll never know! :)

    Now, let's see, what's going on in this lovely post. Outfits! Great multi-striped sweater - those are gold in a big wardrobe as they go with everything! Love the new plaid/chevron skirt (I'm a sucker for plaid, as you know). The red carved bangles took my breath away (those can be very high-end!), great find. I laughed at your furry gillets (aka Monster Vests!) - we are on the same page. On my wish list, is a floor-length or really long version!

    Your turquoise and teal accents in your other two outfits just make me happy - those shades remind me strongly of hot weather! That brown coat is a beauty! I'm glad you were able to get outside for a walk, Ann - it's amazing what balm to the soul that is.

    No Bess? I need my kitty fix! ;-P

    Here's to a drier, warmer and more positive week, my dear friend. And the 'brain fog' is real and happens to us all!

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    1. Thank you Sheila! As a perfectionist, I'll probably keep replying to comments, only at a slower pace :-) xxx

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  2. What a lovely comment to receive from a blog reader! Ann, I must say I love the photo of your rain distorted view from the office. You've perfectly captured a moment in time there. All of your outfits are amazing, but my favourite from this latest selection is the first one. Stripes, chevrons, faux snakeskin and fur - what's not to like? By the way, you're not the only one who goes a little blank from time to time when trying to recall a certain day. ;-) xxx

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    1. Thank you Claire, and phew, am I ever so glad I'm not the only one drawing a blank from time to time! xxx

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  3. The plaid and chevron skirt is beautiful, and that striped sweater is a wonderful match to it. Love your charity shop finds. I can't wait to see you in those blouses.
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovey.com

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  4. Elizabeth is a treasure and leaves some lovely comments!
    Three fab outfits, the first is a masterclass in pattern mixing and the second & third a wonderful colour combination. The shape of the brown cardi at the end is so lovely on you.
    Gah! The rain is so draining, luckily we've had very little this last month and I've just remembered its February today, yay!
    Morstel is gorheous, I love the island reflected in the water and the shrooms in the trees, very trippy! xxx

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    1. Thank you Vix! We've been having three sunny days in a row now, it's a miracle! xxx

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  5. Ha! I've started a new diary for the year Ann. And I wanted to journal my days with short paragraphs. I always forget! That's how bad I am. I write dates in diaries and forget to look at those too! I'm surprised I function at all sometimes. Love the geometric print blouses and the fur gilet. Here's to sunnier days xx

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    1. So glad I'm not the only one Laurie, although I must say I've been mostly good lately, making entrances every day! xxx

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  6. the good thing about losing memory: you always discover new things ;-D
    the first look is great fun - fab pattern mix and all the colours do sing with your skin and hair tones.... as does the brown, flowered dress.
    love all the quiet pools and lakes at yours - so beautiful in every season.
    xxxx

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    1. I hadn't looked at it that way, Beate, but how right you are :-) xxx

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  7. There will be sunshine after the rain. And I disagree. ;-) A lot is happening. Take care! Regula

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    1. I'm afraid you're right Regula, a bit too much has been happening lately! xxx

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  8. I love you wearing so many great colours. Outside grey sky, it‘s good for my mood to look your outfits. 😊 Amazing see you in this striped jumper and this outfit with blue. Sometimes I visit you again, for reading the other comments.
    Of course it's nice if you answer questions, if any were asked. Otherwise it's actually unnecessary. You can spend the time better with a picnic in the parc. 😉
    With a very huge hug Tina

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    1. Thank you for your understanding Tina, and I do hope you're having a fantastic time in Sri Lanka as we speak .. or rather, as I type :-) xxx

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  9. I used to keep a journal, maybe I should start again. I suppose blogging is a bit why keeping a journal too. I find it hard to remember exactly what I did on a certain day too. I think our brains just get overworked sometimes even if we generally have a good memory. The photographs from your Friday walk are wonderful. Beautiful outfits, my favourite is the one with stripes and an orange belt and necklace.

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    1. Thank you Ivana and you're right, my blog is my journal too. Only as I'm usually a week or two behind real life, I need to jot things down or I won't remember them by the time I'm blogging about them ... xxx

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  10. Wonderful outfits and some fabulous charity shop finds! I loved the skirt and the wooden bangles in particular. I had 2 suede and fur gilets but re-donated both as I though they made me look even chunkier than I am. I wished I hadn't now as they're so versatile....

    I use my blog as my journal as I write it on a daily basis. I would never had the time to keep a journal when I worked so respect to you for keeping yours!

    Hope your week is going well!
    xxx

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    1. Thank you Vronni! Writing your blog on a daily basis is actually not a bad idea ... xxx

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  11. So lovely outfits, being the first one my favourite because of the mixed patterns and the orange details, but loving all of them!. I'm a huge fan of striped tops and yours is truly versatile and cool!, love the furry gilet too, so fab that you have a collection of them. I keep an unglamorous fleece cardi on the back of my office chair!.
    Great finds, love particularly the blouses, the bracelets and the owl pendant!.
    And love how you match your tights and cardi and enhance your dress print with fab accessories, so brilliant ensemble in brown and turquoise and cerulean blue!
    I like the impressionist photo from your office window. Even if the rainy weather can be so dull and annoying you know you can send me some of your rain (;D). Sorry to tell that I've also given up on replying comments, but they're highly appreciated.
    Love your brown and teal outfit, such a fab colour combo and so beautiful coat!. Great to see you rocking it in your walk!

    I'm writting on my agenda/diary almost everyday, even when nothing happens (apparently). But it makes me feel better.
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! That's exactly why I started writing my journal at the beginning of the pandemic. And yes, it makes me feel better too if I remember making an entry :-) xxx

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  12. I love all the outfits! The first one is fantastic,to me that skirt is a perfect winter plaid skirt and the gilet with the sweater looks so good on it, and the accesories look great too of course. The two bloused look like Steps blouses especially the birds one! The other outfits are fabulous too as I love brown and blue together. And your coat is even more fabulous! All and all a pleasure for the eye!

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    1. Thank you Nancy! I had to go and have a look but it's not a Steps blouse! Actually I would have remembered as I have to think of you every time I see something by Steps in the charity shops! xxx

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  13. You're not alone losing track in the blur of days. If it weren't for Instagram I wouldn't be able to tell one day from another-it serves like a diary for me.
    I laughed at your not being told where to wear your brooch. Indeed!
    That chevron skirt is fab. It looks great with the striped sweater.
    Don't worry about replying to comments. I try to keep up too, but end up doing it just before posting the next installment.

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    1. Thanks Goody! I used to reply to comments just before posting a new installment too, but I'm afraid I've let standards slip a bit :-) xxx

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  14. I love the blue accessories with the last two dresses, and the fun striped top with the tartan skirt in the first outfit! :)

    Although I'm about 3-4 weeks behind in blogging what I've worn I try get posts written as soon as I can as otherwise I find the same - I can never remember what I did on the days I wore things, ha! I think with all the days running together in the summer holidays here it's easy to lose track of things that happened on each day! Sometimes I have to scroll through my phone to see what photos I took on the day to remember where we went!

    Hope that you are having a good week :)

    Away From The Blue

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  15. Hello my friend. (ANN’S)
    I’m hopelessly behind in reading blog posts as I’ve been obsessed with creating online jigsaws. My sister put me onto it.
    Funny you should say that about the daily journal entries because I’ve gone the same way. At the start of the pandemic I was writing every day and now it’s as and when I get the urge or remember to do it.
    You have some fabulously patterned blouses there Ann, it’s hard to choose a favourite.
    The comment by your new reader is lovely and yes you must keep on writing your blog. Yours and Vix’s are the best around xxx

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    1. I'm glad I'm not the only one letting standards slip a bit Lynn. Not going to have a look at the online jigsaws though, or I'd even have less time to reply to my comments :-) xxx

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  16. Mutual love at first sight all the way for that gloriously autumnal hued - and very cozy + warm looking - skirt. Indeed, your whole splendidly styled outfit there speaks of fall time, which makes me adore it all the more.

    Despite my immense passion for writing, I've never (especially as an adult) been a regular journal keeper. I think that in a way, my blogs, social media, and poetry (and some of my scrapbook pages, too) act as quasi-journals in their own right.

    I so admire those who actively (or even quasi-actively) keep journals and commend you on doing so throughout these past two years of the world being turned on its head.

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. Thank you Autumn! I did start my journal at the onset of the pandemic as I wanted to chronicle the whole thing, but found it hard writing about my actual feelings, so it kind of developed into writing down how my day went and what I did instead... xxx

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  17. What a gorgeous stripe jumper! And that long brown coat looks stylish and warm.
    Glad to hear you’re not thinking of giving up your blog. It’s sad when long term bloggers call it a day.
    xx

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    1. Thank you for your support Hazel, I'm not going to give up my blog any time soon! xxx

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  18. I have the same owl necklace :) Loving the outfits and here's to a few more brighter spring days. xx

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    1. Thank you Gisela, and fancy us being owl necklace twins! xxx

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