Never cared much for November

Sadly, our little getaway wasn't nearly enough to sufficiently top up my batteries, especially since their charger wasn't solar powered. Having to return to the drudgery of the office the very next day wasn't any help either, nor was the murky and grey day we woke up to on Monday. 

On the upside, catching up on work was a doddle, as things had been rather slow during my absence. 

The monotony of my working week was briefly interrupted by a cappuccino fuelled catch-up with my friend Inez on Wednesday and a rummage at Think Twice on Thursday, when this glorious green and off-white striped polyester knit vintage dress insisted on coming home with me.

In spite of it having been a bit of a slow week, I wasn't at all ready to face a regular five-day one, so I once again dipped into my rapidly diminishing holiday allowance and took Friday 24 November off.

I am so counting down the days until the official start of my four-day weeks on the 1st of April - and that's no joke - by which time, we'll have said our goodbyes to Winter and enjoyed the first in a long string of Spring days. Well, one can only hope ...

For now, we were faced with yet another dark and dismal day in which rain played the main part.

My outfit was put together in an effort to steal its limelight, and what better way to boost one's mood on a rainy day than by wearing a favourite frock?

One of my dark floral Diolens, this cowl-necked and bishop-sleeved beauty has been gracing my wardrobe for many years. To add even more pizzazz, I picked up the orange in its pattern with my opaques, belt, necklace, ring and fluffy brooch. I found the latter lurking among my flower corsages but I haven't got the faintest idea of its origins. Whatever the case, I thought it did its job of standing out among the blowsy flower print perfectly.

The chunky orange short-sleeved cardigan is by the  Belgian Terre Bleue label and was a charity shop find in December 2021. The brooch I pinned to its shawl collar - a posy of pale pink flowers - is modern and came from Akotee, a shop selling an array of quirky things just a stone's throw from my office.

My fake snake ankle boots were a retail buy as well. They were a sales bargain from New Look when they closed down their Belgian shops at the end of 2019.

When we were making the most of the briefest of dry spells between showers to take outfit photos in the passageway, we were supervised by Bess from her perch on the kitchen table! 

There's only so much pottering and ticking off lists of chores you can do on days like these so, after lunch, we hopped into our car for a trip to the charity shops. Or rather shop, singular: we only visited the three-floored one in the neighbouring town of Duffel.

After negotiating the preparations for the Christmas market which would be taking place on Saturday, I descended the stairs to the clothing and textiles department in the basement.

It had been ages since I last found any covetable handbags and had been dutifully averting my eyes from any possible contenders due to my self-imposed handbags ban. However, I'm prepared to make an exception for tapestry ones, so the vinyl bag with its tapestry panel (top) and the modern tote bag with its Art Deco style pattern were swiftly added to my cart.

Other finds included a green Summer top with ice cream cone print by Only, a vintage orange and brown striped Dralon long-sleeved top, a handful of necklaces, a cute wooden rabbit brooch and a yellow and navy patterned Zoë Loveborn cardigan.

My star find was lurking among a rail of boring and lacklustre outerwear but its zingy colours were calling me from afar. How fabulous is this vintage Ben Nevis mohair cape? Its price: a mere € 8,99. I later spotted its twin on Etsy for over € 80.

Back at Dove Cottage, Bess joined me and my current read on the sofa. She loves nothing better than making herself comfortable on our laps, which she does when getting half a chance.

The weather was marginally better on Saturday, when there were a handful of sunny spells mixed in with the inevitable showers.

And no, we did not sneak off to Shropshire overnight. With next year's Summer holiday just over six months away, it was time to book our Shropshire cottage for next June before it was snapped up by someone else.

While Jos ran an errand, I photographed Friday's finds and then swept the sitting room, hallway, stairs and dining room.

Then, after lunching on Jos's delicious homemade soup, we went on yet another charity shopping trip, this time visiting two. On our way home from the two-floored charity shop in Mechelen, we stopped for a quick rummage at the small shop in the village of Reet.

But first, let me show you what I was wearing that day.

With the temperature back into the single digits, I dug out the vintage grey, white and black plaid, 100% wool skirt. The diamond patterned blouse has some grey in it as well, and with its pattern echoing that of the skirt, it couldn't have been a better match. It was my first purchase from Antwerp's latest Think Twice shop back in February.

More diamonds feature in the vintage red and white marled wool waistcoat, which was another Think Twice find. Both my necklace and stretchy belt were charity shopped, while the brown celluloid mushroom brooch was picked up at the indoor flea market in April 2022.

Now, without further ado, let me introduce you to the catch of the day!

First up are two dresses, which both happened to be in shades of blue. Shop # 1 provided the vintage long-sleeved textured polyester one, while the short-sleeved dress with its green flower pattern and front zip found in shop # 2 is from the Belgian retro label Who's That Girl.

The two knits came from the first shop as well: the dotty grey jumper is from Mango and the chunky orange and off-white cardigan is by Who's That Girl's sister label Wow To Go.

As I completely forgot to make a journal entry on Sunday,  I haven't got the faintest idea on how I spent the day. One thing is certain, though: I must have done a spot of ironing, as the vintage Lapidus of Sweden dress I'd set my heart on wearing that day was quite wrinkled.

I picked up its tan flower pattern with my belt - a naughty retail buy a couple of years ago - and a vintage leaf brooch. My necklace and ring, with their zebra-esque stripes, were flea market finds.

 

With the temperature set to plummet towards freezing point in the days ahead, I dug out the fluffy orange cardigan I charity shopped back in October.

I've nearly made it to the end of November now, only a couple of days to go. But that, I'm afraid, will be for my next post.

See you soon!