Humdrum weeks

In spite of being more than just a bit humdrum, the weeks keep hurtling past at a speed I'm unable to keep up with. Their work, eat, sleep, repeat pattern only slightly varies during my three-day weekends, with sleep getting a larger piece of the pie and work being replaced by household chores, even if the latter are being kept to the bare minimum.

But even with the somewhat altered schedule here at Dove Cottage, all work and no play just wouldn't do, and I don't think I could face one single day without dressing up. And so it is that weekend days always start with playing around with the generous contents of my wardrobe.

Friday the 15th of November was yet another one of those grey and gloomy days which were so plentiful that month, although I guess we couldn't really complain about the temperature, which kept hanging around in the low double digits.

My carefully curated outfit that day consisted of a black needlecord skirt with a white, tan, teal and turquoise cloud-like pattern - charity shopped back in March - combined with an embroidered long-sleeved denim blouse picked up in a Bridgnorth charity shop in June. 

The pussycat brooch cavorting among the embroidered flowers was a gift from lovely Goody and was joined by a brown plastic owl ring. Further outfit ingredients were a funky wooden and plastic beaded necklace and a stretchy belt with a leopard patterned buckle, both of which were found on the high street at one time or another.

Saturday saw a repeat of Friday's weather, but with the addition of a blustery wind which made it feel several degrees colder. Although I knew it would need some layering, I was adamant to give the dove grey patterned dress I found during the latest round of Think Twice sales its first whirl.

As I might have mentioned at the time I introduced it on the blog, I had a good chuckle at its label. Madame Chic indeed. That's me, right? No, you don't answer that!

Madame Chic or not, I made use of both the purple and yellow in its pattern for its layering companion - a charity shopped Esprit cardigan - and accessories. Both the yellow elephant and yellow and orange bubble-gum necklace are vintage, while the flower patterned perspex ring and the flower corsage I pinned to my cardigan were charity shop finds.

What with the weather not being inductive to being outdoors, we decided to pay the two-storey charity shop in Mechelen a long overdue visit.

Things can be a bit hit or miss here but this time we definitely didn't leave empty handed. Climbing the stairs to the clothing departement on the second floor, this coat almost literally leapt at me.

Yes, I know that I didn't really need another coat, especially not another brown one. But I couldn't resist lifting its hanger from the rail and before I knew it I was standing in front of the floor's one and only mirror and trying it on. It's by the Italian Stefanel label and would originally have had a price tag between € 200 and € 300. At a mere € 9, who was I to say no? Just look at that gorgeous lining.

I also snaffled another King Louie cardigan in a minty green colour which my collection was still lacking. 

Never mind that the mercury had dropped below 10°C on Sunday, it was a lovely surprise to wake up to blue skies and sunshine for a change.

This would have made us grab our coats and go outside after breakfast if we hadn't had to wait around for the nurse to come and bandage Jos's legs. Lately, she'd been turning up quite late which was making Jos a bit grumpy, so when she declared that his legs were much better and she would only be returning for a check-up in two days' time, he couldn't have been happier. 

While we were waiting, why don't we have a look at my outfit? 

I layered one of my vintage black florals, a shift dress from good old Think Twice, with a plum coloured chunky long-line cardigan from Hampton Bays by way of the charity shops. 

To compete with the dress's busy green, purple, tan and off-white flower pattern, I added a big vintage poodle brooch to cavort among them. You can just catch a glimpse of my off-white chunky plastic ring on the bottom right of the collage.

Too late to make a start after the nurse had left, we brainstormed on possible walking destinations while having lunch. 

What with Jos still not being up to longer walks and requiring the existence of plenty of benches in case he's in need of a sit-down, our choices are somewhat limited. 

But then I had a brainwave and suggested the small-ish but perfectly formed park in Duffel, the one that's just a stone's throw from one of our favourite charity shops and frequently visited in a not all too distant past.

Extensive road works had made it hard to reach for well over a year. Then, after resuming our visits last February, a further spanner was thrown in the works by construction work in the park itself: when we were last here in June some of the paths were closed off while a connecting rill between the various ponds was being dug.

Things had definitely improved since then and the sight which greeted us upon entering the park was truly magical. The trees were blushing in hues of scarlet, gold and brown highlighted by brilliant shafts of Autumn sunlight.

The sky above us was a dome of deep blue which nevertheless had to share its limelight with an encroaching army of clouds, fluffy white and innocent looking at first, but growing grey and just a little sinister as the afternoon progressed.

Wearing my new-to-me coat, I posed for photos among a stand of majestic trees. Looking skyward, they seemed to go on forever until, slightly dizzy from craning my neck, my eyes met their  kaleidoscope canopies.

Continuing our little walk, we passed the Brutalist fountain, which we were happy to see was once again in full working order after having been a sorry case of neglect for many years.

We just couldn't get enough from the park's Autumnal splendour and might have lingered for longer if it it hadn't been for the arrival of a group of boisterous Scout Cubs, their shouts shattering the quietness of the afternoon. 

As we were in for a week of horrendous weather, we were glad we'd made the effort, although we would return to the park sooner than we'd thought ...

But that, my friends, will be for my next post!