In sickness and in health

In spite of my best efforts, I can't seem to be able to get into my erstwhile blogging rhythm of churning out a blog post every four days. I knew I'd been letting standards slip with the odd gap of five days instead of four, but the alarm bells really started ringing at six days and - gasp! - a whole week between posts! It's not exactly my blogging mojo which has gone missing, nor can I blame it entirely on the problem with my eyesight. If I have to name a culprit, it must be the clock, whose hands seem to have been accelerating the passing of time, of which whole chunks have been disappearing into thin air lately.

It didn't exactly help that I was struck down with a virus shortly after the events of my previous post.

On the evening of Wednesday 4 October, I started feeling shivery and somewhat nauseous. Although I didn't have a temperature - which I rarely do anyway - I took some paracetamol and thought a good night's sleep would settle things. It didn't, as unfortunately I'd slept quite fitfully. Still, I decided I was well enough to go to work on Thursday.

By midday, however, I was feeling exhausted, so I called it a day and went home. In a sort of light bulb moment, I'd connected my symptoms to the previous week's Covid booster jab, but this was ruled out by a phone consultation with my GP. Apparently, I'd caught a virus which was doing the rounds, its main symptom being tiredness. In short, a couple of days of rest would see me right.

I slept well and deeply that night, and indeed felt a whole lot better, if still somewhat tired, on Friday morning. I did wake up with a blocked and buzzing left ear, though.

I spent most of the day reading and dozing on and off on the sofa but although I did get dressed, making outfit photos would have been too much of an effort.

This, therefore, was what I was wearing on Saturday. We were still enjoying Indian Summer temperatures nudging the mid twenties. This offered another chance for wearing one of those as yet unworn Summer dresses. This lightweight floral Diolen one in shades of blue and aqua with a generous dollop of white made it out of my wardrobe that day.

The sparkly teal cardigan I layered on top was charity shopped in 2019, while the aqua carved heart brooch was a holiday souvenir, picked up in Cardigan in 2017. The pale blue beads came from a long-gone vintage shop many years ago. 

On my feet, my green suede Van Dalen ankle boots. They too were a charity shop find, in February 2021 to be exactly. Still one of my best finds ever!

My throbbing left ear had much improved by now, and would continue to do so as the day progressed.

Still, I persisted in taking it easy and spending my time reading on the sofa until my eyes hurt and my head was dizzy.

My latest read, Wideacre by Philippa Gregory, was definitely engrossing, although it did take me a while to finish its 600+ pages as I kept falling asleep.

The book had been languishing in my reading pile ever since I picked it up in a Shrewsbury charity shop back in June. It made it to the top of my pile when I found out it had been mentioned by Sarah Waters as one of her favourite books.

By late morning, I declared myself well enough to do some light pottering. As part of the never-ending wardrobe changeover, I swapped sandals for ankle boots and put some of my knee-high boots within easy reach. 

I also unearthed a tub full of opaques in a rainbow of colours in readiness for the chillier days ahead.

Still on a roll, I strolled into the village to run an errand in the afternoon. However, I felt quite sweaty and exhausted by the time I was back. Clearly, I'd been too optimistic about feeling better!

Therefore, on Sunday - we were the 8th of October by now - I didn't venture from Dove Cottage's confines at all in spite of the gorgeously sunny 23°C weather.

In fact, I didn’t do much at all except for resting and reading, plus working on a new blog post, which I finished ready for publication on Monday. I always work on my posts over several days, starting with photos and collages, and then adding text whenever I've got time or inspiration strikes me.

I snapped up the vintage folksy cotton circle skirt in a charity shop in the Summer of 2020. 

Looking back at my blog, I always seem to match my top to the roses in its pattern, and this time was no exception. My short-sleeved knit jumper was a sales bargain from the Belgian Sweet Soda label earlier this year, while the posy of pale pink flowers brooch came from a quirky independent shop near my office.

The rest of my outfit - the matching pale pink beads, chevron patterned stretchy belt and dusky pink retro-style shoes - were all charity shop finds.

While the garden is an absolute mess and not worthy of being blog material, there are still quite a few things to be spied to delight the eye. 

Initially, it looked as if our lovely Toad Lily (Tricyrtis hirta), which used to live in the passageway, had become a victim of next door's renovation works. But then I discovered the plant in a broken terracotta pot among the bags of compost from our bin back in Spring.

The poor plant was barely alive but swiftly recovered after repotting and giving it some well-needed TLC. And look: my efforts were paid off when it finally started flowering its head off in October. Just how gorgeous are those orchid-like flowers, its white petals sprinkled with purple freckles?

The leaves of the Virginia Creeper covering the shed at the bottom of the garden are getting redder (and sparser) by the day, and the Hydrangea flower heads are blushing a delicious deep rose-pink. Our Fuchsia magellanica shrub is full of pink and purple prima ballerinas. And speaking of purple, the Salvia which survived last Winter in the rejuvenated passageway isn't showing any sign of giving up just yet!

The weather gods kept treating us to temperatures well over 20°C for the best part of the second week of October, which often felt at odds with the unmistakable signs of Autumn.

Health-wise, it was a week of ups and downs which I muddled through as best as I could.

Consequentially, there isn't much to tell, apart from the fact that I once more added to my collection of boots during one of my lunch breaks. After I fell head over heels with a pair of mock croc knee-high boots in November 2021, they soon became my most worn pair. They'd become a bit worse for wear so imagine my delight when I spotted the exact same boots for just € 20. 

Still eking out my swiftly dwindling holiday quota, I once again took Friday off that week. If the weather forecast was to be believed, it would be the last of the Summer days!

Browsing my wardrobe for the perfect partner for the sage green blouse I found at Think Twice the other week, I stumbled upon this rather neglected Basler skirt. Smitten by its lined cotton fabric and exotic fruit print, it followed me home from a charity shop in July 2018.

Apart from the enamelled orchid brooch, which was a flea market find, everything else here had its origins in a charity shop as well. And yes, that includes the burgundy Fly London ankle boots with their turquoise trim.

Speaking of charity shopping, we did indulge in one of our favourite pastimes both on Friday and Saturday. So, before I bid you goodbye, here's what I found.

First up, a floaty orange skirt sprinkled with navy squiggles by the Danish Soft Rebels label, which landed in my basket on Friday. It was joined by a retro-style hand knitted brown and white jumper with square neckline, and a hot pink vinyl belt.

Saturday's finds were a navy, white and red chevron patterned cardigan by Only, which is another Danish label, and a gorgeous green half elasticated belt with lion's head closure.

That's it for now. I hope you'll join me again for my next effort to catch up!

When rain stops play

Lately, it feels as if time has been slipping through my fingers more that ever, and it truly boggles my mind that it has been almost a month since our return from our September getaway on the 13th. 

With only a half day to adjust to getting back to normal, I'm sure it won't surprise you that I wasn't at all ready for my return to work on the 14th. Normally, I would have take an extra day off, but with my colleague still being out of action and my boss having flown in from Miami especially to cover my job while I was away, I really couldn't leave him in the lurch for much longer.

The bitter pill was somewhat sugar-coated by cuddles from Bess and the birthday present from cat sitters Inneke and Maurice which was waiting for me on the dining room table. Apart from two necklaces (top left) there was a handmade card designed by their 2-year old grandson Pepijn!

Plus, it was heartwarming to be welcomed with open arms by my two bosses, who had by now both arrived from Miami, and who surprised me with a Jo Malone gift box containing a scented candle and a cologne for my birthday! The photo of me opening my present is courtesy of one of my bosses, and the vintage navy and white polka dot dress I was wearing might very well have been the last of this year's short-sleeved Summer dresses. 

Indeed, Summer had clearly ended together with our holiday! It literally started raining the afternoon we came back, and there would hardly be any let-up for days, with a drop in temperature to a chilly 14°C by the end of the week.

This is what I wore on Friday and repeated on Saturday when we were finally able to take some photos in-between showers. 

I fell head over heels for the vintage skirt with its turquoise stripes and bright pink and purple flowers in a charity shop in September 2020. As usual, I picked pink and turquoise for its companions, starting with the sparkly raspberry thin knit jumper and the turquoise cropped cardigan as a well-needed extra layer. More turquoise was added with my brooch and chunky ring. There was supposed to be a matching necklace as well, but although it was part of my outfit on Friday, I somehow forget to wear it on Saturday. Some contrast was added with one of my stretchy cream and black chevron patterned belts.

With the sudden drop in temperature, I spent part of Saturday morning putting away my light Summer jackets in favour of some more season appropriate ones like this hot pink suedette blazer, and exchanging sandals for the first batch of ankle boots. These included the burgundy Fly London ones with their turquoise trim which I'm wearing here. I couldn't believe my luck when the charity shop goddesses presented me with these in October 2020, only a matter of days after I'd had to say my final goodbyes to another, much treasured, burgundy pair.

Frantically opening box after box of Autumn/Winter shoes and boots in a fruitless search for a beloved pair of caramel ankle boots, it suddenly dawned on me that I'd had to let go of these as well. 

With the weather still playing spoilsport, ruling out any outdoor activities, I suggested that we drive over to some local edge of town shops to scout for a possible replacement. 

Although I didn't find what I was looking for in shop no. 1, I couldn't resist the temptation of a pair of forest green calf length suede boots with chunky rubber soles. Then, after trying on and rejecting several candidates in shop no. 2, I picked the simple no-frills caramel pair on the top right, which are very similar to my old ones. I was also seduced into buying yet another beret for my burgeoning collection.

Sunday was yet another rain-filled day, the resulting humidity making it feel quite a bit chillier than the 16°C indicated on the thermometer. 

I kept myself busy by making a feeble start with my seasonal wardrobe exchange, folding away my flimsiest Summer skirts and digging out some warmer ones. Then I played around with my wardrobe and assembled a couple of outfits to choose from during the week, thus saving myself precious time on weekday evenings. 

After more cuddles with Bess and posing for outfit photos in the jungle garden - a collaboration of the extreme weather conditions and next door's renovations -  during a rare dry moment, we were off for afternoon tea, to which we were invited by our lovely neighbour Karin. Although we've been living only a handful of houses apart for many years, we only got to know each other properly when she became our part-time cat sitter back in June. 

My outfit of the day consisted of a floaty pleated skirt with coffee and cream zebra-esque print charity shopped in Spring, and the brown floral vintage shirt which was part of my late August haul. The eagle-eyed may have detected the green butterfly brooch cavorting among the flowers. Further accessories were a yellow beaded necklace and a wide red pleated belt.

Gloomy days and lack of after-office energy meant that we didn't take any photos on Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday's sunny outlook made us stop at the museum garden on our way home.

The black and green Froy and Dind dress, which was also part of the August haul, was an absolute joy to wear. A true jammy dress, as Sheila would say. To liven things up I added loads of mustard yellow with my opaques, long-line cardigan and the same beaded necklace I was wearing on Sunday.

My brooch, a gold tone leaf filled with frosted berries, is vintage and a flea market find from the Brooch Lady several years back. 

Although not photographed, I wore my favourite teal vintage coat and a spotty mustard scarf as outerwear, which earned me a shout-out from some Dutch ladies when I was making my way to Think Twice during lunch break. This definitely made my day.  That, and the grey, black and rust plaid circle skirt I scored at Think Twice!

Wednesday's sunny interlude was clearly a one-off, as we were back to granite grey skies and rain on Thursday. In fact, it was so gloomy that light conditions were far from ideal for photographing my outfit. Not even our garage's white painted brick wall and skylight were properly up to the job.

As Autumn had unexpectedly arrived, I was thankful for the modest rail of long-sleeved dresses I'd kept out over Spring and Summer. From this temporary capsule I picked a handmade vintage dress in a silky fabric, its deep blue background enhanced by an orange and green Paisley-esque pattern.

Orange was my colour of choice for my belt, beaded necklace and cameo brooch, which I used to tame the dress's tie-neck, while a pale blue King Louie cardigan was layered on top.

A wide pleated skirt, pussy bow, peasant sleeves and a watercolour pattern in wine, blue and tan were the ingredients of Friday's dress. which was also plucked from the temporary capsule.

Its fabric being rather thin, it was in need of layering, which I did by adding a blue short-sleeved T-shirt underneath and Thursday's light blue King Louie cardigan on top. More blues, in various hues, were added with my Mango sales belt, beaded necklace, birds in flight brooch and ring. I pinned a wine coloured flower corsage to the cardigan for good measure.

Although it obviously won't be possible for me to take my usual Fridays off for the time being, I nevertheless wangled a free afternoon to give myself some breathing space.

On our way home, we stopped at our most local charity shop for a browse. There was a 50% discount on all textiles - which apparently also included belts and shoes - so I only paid € 6,70 for the lot.

Clockwise from top left: a short-sleeved  knit top in a wavy psychedelic pattern, two vintage belts, a pair of chunky bright orange shoes and twelve brand new large cotton hankies for just € 1. Lately, cotton hankies seem to have become a rare commodity, as I searched high and low for them in June, finally finding some at Hema, a Dutch-origin department store.

There were also two unopened pairs of purple opaques, which I didn't photograph. These always come in handy, particularly if they're a less common colour.

If we thought Thursday was gloomy, it was nothing compared with the rainy all-dayer we were served on Saturday.

At 14°C, it was actually far too chilly for the thin floaty floral blouse from the Danish Vero Moda label which was yet again among my August haul. There was nothing for it but to practice my layering skills once more by adding both a camisole and a T-shirt underneath and a cardigan on top, although I did remove the latter for the photos.

The orange bits in the blouse's pattern were echoed by those in the skirt, which I charity shopped earlier this year, while the greens were matched by my necklace, leaf brooch and ring.

My belt, with its fake snake panel and elasticated back is one of Friday's finds. I was also wearing the beret I picked up during our shoe shopping expedition the other week and which, together with my orange leather jacket, provided the necessary sunshine to the gloom.

A green frilly scarf and my beloved green ankle wedges - both charity shopped - completed my outfit.

And speaking of charity shopping, that's exactly how we spent Saturday afternoon, driving to two consecutive shops, which both had the 50% sale on textiles going on as well.

Here's what I found. 

The red spotted cowl neck top is by King Louie, and has been put away until next Summer, while the eye-confusing navy and red spotted shirt by Belgian label Wow To Go has already been worn in the meantime.

Same as the blouse I was wearing, the cardigan with its blowsy red and green rose pattern is by Vero Moda, and I will be wearing it belted as a jumper rather than as a cardigan. An outfit I've created around it is already waiting in the wings for a colder day. 

There was also a thin knit yellow pink-trimmed jumper by Belgian label CKS, but it didn't photograph well in the available light conditions. 

The green-hued necklace was my final find of the day.

That's it for now. I've still only made it to the 24th of September, though, so you can expect another catch-up very soon. Hope you'll join me again in a couple of days!

Jump(er) for joy

Now here's a sight you will not often see: me wearing a jumper!

Through most of winter, I can get away with wearing long-sleeved dresses by adding layers underneath and on top. However, with temperatures plummeting to below freezing point and hardly reaching positives even during the day, if I was to survive my frost-bitten commutes this week, I needed to wear something slightly warmer.

There was a time, not all that long ago, when I wore nothing but jumpers all through the winter months, but a combination of changing tastes and the "change-of-life" has put a stop to this nonsense. Nowadays, even the mention of the word "jumper" makes me break out in a sweat. Oh, the joys of being menopausal! The upside is that I don't need that many jumpers, and can be really choosy as to which ones make it into my wardrobe.

Take this bottle green jumper, for instance. It's lightweight and warm, and its front panel, with a stripy pattern in off-white, sage green and burnt orange, almost exactly matches the colours in my tweed skirt. More greens were supplied by moss green opaques, olive green beads and a cheeky Bambi brooch.

Did you notice my new boots?

I picked them up for € 4 at Think Twice last week.

Lined with a generous layer of sheepskin, they are perfect to wear in the coldest of weather.












Next up is a slightly thicker purple jumper with a diamond lace stitch at the yoke and sleeves. An embroidered leaf or flower sits in each of the diamonds. I'm wearing it with a vintage Dralon box-pleated skirt, with an op-art pattern in brown and beige.  Purple tights complete my outfit (although you'd have to be eagle-eyed to spot them), and I'm wearing my burgundy boots.

Can you believe we did these outfit photos on a weekday? On Wednesday I took the afternoon off to go to the hairdresser's and when I got home, there was still enough daylight left for a photo session. I was wearing the green jumper outfit that day, then changed into the purple one, which I was going to wear on Thursday.

Although it was crispy cold, the days were mostly bright and sunny, tempting me to go out for a walk during my lunch breaks.

Wrapped up in my fake fur coat, warm woollen scarf and hat and a padded pair of gloves, obviously!

I made a beeline for Think Twice to have a look at what was left of their sales, which was nothing much. But never mind: I already had my fill last week.

Apart from the boots, I found a couple of dresses   ....

...  one of which even menopausal me won't be wearing any time soon!

Oh, and in spite of a self-imposed handbag ban, I couldn't resist buying three for € 5 each. The fourth one (top left) was a flea market find from two weeks ago.

But I swear: one of these days (or weeks, or months), I'm going to have a good clear out!

I've added some close-ups of the bags. If my eyes don't deceive me, the top right one is an unusual greyish green colour, almost exactly matching the first dress I bought.

I'm particularly pleased with the two tapestry covered bags. It's nothing short of a miracle that they made it to the € 5 sales, and weren't picked up long ago. The bottom right one even has Lucite handles!

As freezing temperatures have been predicted for next week as well, I'm sure you'll get to see more of my vintage jumpers.

I have them all at the ready now.












Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Go slowly

Second hand shopping cannot be hurried. I call it slow shopping. It needs time, patience, and a certain amount of dedication. There's no quick fix or instant gratification. Of course, everything can be found online nowadays, but that doesn't work for me. I love hunting for things "in the wild", to coin Goody's phrase ... The pleasure of finding the unexpected or finally stumbling upon one of your "holy grails" is incomparable!

I'd been looking for a pair of burgundy boots for almost two years. During that time, I did come across several pairs, but none were right.  If they weren't too small or too large, they were made for girls with stick legs, and wouldn't close. The heels were either too high or too low. Or they had too many pesky details. I quite like a plain boot!

Imagine my delight when last Friday, while out shopping with my friend Princess Inez, I came across the perfect pair at last!

They were made in Finland and have a cosy layer of woolly insulation inside.













I also bought this pussy-bow blouse ...

and this brooch ...

... both of which Princess Inez cleverly found for me.

Of course, I already had to wear the boots on Saturday! They went perfectly with my stripy green pussy-bow dress.

The dress came with a self-fabric belt, but it looked rather plain, so I added a burgundy vinyl one.

A dark red cardigan and ditto tights completed my outfit.

Before leaving the house, I grabbed this thick chocolate brown woollen jacket, which is part of a suit I charity shopped last year.













We tried taking photographs outside our garage this time. Although the wall I'm posing against isn't as picturesque as the one inside, I love the little tufts of moss growing on top of the wall and the autumn leaves in the background.

I'd spent the morning sorting out some of the things I brought home with me from my dad's house last week. So, when we went to the charity shop in the afternoon, we took a boxful of no-longer-loved china, glasses and cutlery with us in order to make some much-needed space.

Perhaps because of that, for the first time in weeks the Gods of the charity shops smiled down upon us.

We knew we'd be alright when, just minutes after walking into the shop, we spotted this kitsch Lourdes wall frame for our collection.












A pair of black retro style lace-up booties, a gorgeous dark green velvet jacket and a Pringle scarf came home with me as well.

The jacket actually complimented the dress I was wearing like a dream, so I couldn't resist posing in it when we got home, although the artificial lighting wasn't ideal for taking photographs.

As you can see, I am also wearing the booties ...















On Sunday, we had an indoor flea market in Antwerp to look forward to. As we hadn't been there since last Spring, we were rather excited, especially as I'd read on their website that it was fully booked.

A quick peek at what I was wearing. The dropped waist dress came from Blender Vintage Shop. It was in my "I'm not sure" pile, but I decided to give it another go. I'm still not sure though ... Now, should it stay or should it go?

I've been racking my brain, but I can't for the life of me remember where I bought the brooch.

Speaking of brooches, I was glad to see that the "brooch lady" was having her usual pitch at the flea market. I happily browsed through her stash, which she keeps in folders, and after some debate I decided on these four:

The rest of the flea market was rather disappointing and my only other purchase was this shiny black vinyl handbag. I love its decorative white metal frame.

All in all, not a bad haul at all last weekend.

As I've had quite a hectic week so far, I'm now going to plonk myself down in front of the telly for some mindless entertainment.

See you soon!