The city sun sets over me

When eventually it stopped raining, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. As we were in the run-up to Winter, this could of course only mean one thing: we were in for a - minor - cold snap. But that's OK, I can live with that as long as blue skies and a bit of sunshine are part of the bargain.

The downside was that all this happened during the week before last, when I was cooped up in the office. Oh well, at least I got to enjoy some spectacular sunsets from my perch on the 5th floor.

I took these photos with my phone and they were not enhanced in any way. The sky really was this amazing fiery mix of tangerines and pinks, with a pinch of darkest indigo thrown in.

The city does look rather lovely, doesn't she? Well, she does, as long as you keep your eyes focused on the skyscape and don't let them wander down to street level, where hordes of frenzied shoppers are hunting for presents beneath the merrily twinkling Christmas lights.

Not for me, no thank you! Working in the city centre at this time of year really is the Nightmare before Christmas!

There, rant over! 

One day, when the weather was really exceptional, I even braved the crowds and walked.

I was almost swept up in a tide of shoppers when I took these photographs of Electra. Standing on top of a building which houses a well-known department store, she seemed to be casting a spell on us, mere mortals. She was being wooed by Anthony Van Dyck, who was making eyes at her from his plinth below. Clearly not impressed, she promptly turned him to stone!

Grey clouds reigned again on Friday. As public transport was seriously disrupted by a general strike, I was obliged to take the day off. Not that I minded very much!

It must have been no later than 2.30 pm and daylight was fading already. However, we made the most of what was remaining by going for a long overdue walk in the park.

Wearing my fake fur coat, which I'd unearthed from its out of season hiding place that morning, I was well prepared for the cold.

Beneath my coat, I wore a crazily patterned, reddish brown handmade vintage dress, its tie secured by a tapestry brooch.The brooch was found at a flea market many months ago. As its fastening was broken, it had been patiently waiting its turn with the other waifs and strays in brooch hospital, for Dr. Jos to mend it.

The sleeveless Welsh wool jacket I've added on top was a present from my lovely friend Vix.

I didn't want my legs to be turned into icy pillars, so I wore a pair of nude tights underneath my burnt orange opaques. My green booties from Middelburg were cozy and comfortable.

I'd quickly grabbed this scarf in my haste to leave the house, but it wasn't nearly warm enough. Same goes for the green knitted hat with its chunky pompom. It does look deceptively warm, but it's a rather loose knit, plus it kept escaping from my ears, leaving them exposed to the icy elements.

The mustard leather gloves did do the trick, even though I had to keep removing them in order to make photographs. Should have worn my fingerless gloves!

In the fading light, the trees are blackish-green silhouettes.

I wonder, are they sleeping, their roots buried deeply in the cold, cold ground? And if they do, are they dreaming of Spring? 

Some of the ponds were covered with a flimsy layer of opalescent frost, while others were flat as squeaky clean mirrors, silently reflecting a motley crew of skeleton trees.

In Flanders parks the poppies blow ...

The bare branches of this lonely little tree were hung with bright red laminated poppies, clearly the result of a primary school project, their messages proclaiming that "war has to stop and peace must come". 

Saturday was another dry, yet bitterly cold day. I briefly braved the cold to show you what I was wearing that morning. This is yet another one of my dresses with a self-tie but, although I like the colour and print, I'm on the fence about it, as I just can't seem to style it right.

It's mainly the unwieldy tie which is the culprit! In a bid to make it behave, I added a floral scarf clip. I also wore moss green opaques, a lilac cardigan and a purple beret.

I only wore the dress in the morning, changing into jeans and a polo neck after lunch. Yes, you've read that right and no, I don't have pictures! 

The reason I was wearing such an uncharacteristic outfit is that for the last month or so, we have been dedicating part of our weekends to clearing my parental home.

We'd made a start two years ago, just after my Dad passed away, but stopped when my brother temporarily moved into the house. This temporary situation turned into two years, but now that he's moved out, we can finally finish what we started.

Oh, the stuff my parents kept!  They hardly threw anything away. Consequently, we filled bin bag after bin bag of rubbish, while many carloads of stuff have gone to the charity shops and the recycling centre.

It was unavoidable that some things ended up at Dove Cottage too, ranging from practical items to those of sentimental value.

My Dad's nearly new food processor and retro style portable radio both found a home in Dove Cottage's kitchen. 

Bags of household linen, some of it yellowed with age, were given the charity, but I just couldn't bear to part with the tablecloths on the top right and bottom left. 

The framed document above, dating from 1930, was presented to my paternal granddad after he finished his military service. I'm sure we will find a bit of wall to hang it up!

Sorting out my Mum's sewing box and the vintage tin, both full of sewing materials, provided hours of fun on a rainy afternoon. 

I suspect that the 1950s fruit bowl and Space Age thermometer were both given to my parents as wedding presents. As long as I can remember, they lived side by side on top of our living room sideboard.

Both were covered with a layer of dust by now, but were given a good clean and a new lease of life at Dove Cottage, where they are getting the love these heirlooms deserve.

Last but not least! While clearing out the attic, we stumbled upon a rickety wardrobe, its contents a big question mark as its key had been lost.

When Jos finally managed to open it, there it was, my Mum's coat!

Not only had I forgotten all about it, I never even suspected that it was still around. Clearly it was waiting for me. I mean, look at that colour! And what's more, it's a perfect fit!

My Mum must have had it custom made back in the 1960s and now that I set eyes on it again, I actually remember her wearing it. 

I did choke up a bit when I first tried it on, and there might have been a few tiny tears ...

I simply had to wear it to the flea market on Sunday. But that'll be for a next post!

Meanwhile, I'm joining the other girls at Nancy's Fancy Friday. I'm also joining Patti and the gang as usual at Patti's Visible Monday!

In darkest December

Before I go ahead and tell you about what I've been doing and, more specifically, what I've been wearing since my last non-travel post, I would like to put something right.

When I posted this collage a while ago, based on the Kitsch Deluxe book I found at the charity shop, and mentioned that there were some impostors, both Monica and Vix immediately noticed the obvious ones: the plaster Mary's and the kitchenalia. However, there was a third one:

This jumble of odds and ends is to be found in a small display cabinet in our dining room. Apart from several kitschy deer ornaments, a pair of 1930s cat bookends and a tiny, magnetic pair of Scottie dogs live on the top shelf, while the lower shelf houses, amongst other things, a slightly battered Spanish fan, a set of Art Nouveau salt and pepper shakers and a threesome of stone doves which we bought not long after we moved into Dove Cottage.

It rained heavily and almost incessantly in the week before last. 

As if the general lack of daylight and the fact that I'm leaving the house when it's still dark and returning after the sun has set again isn't enough of a hurdle for taking outfit photos! 

We try to avoid taking indoor photos to show you my outfits, as they usually aren't even remotely flattering, so we have to be creative and take any opportunity that comes our way.

This is what I was wearing on Friday before last. I started the weekend early by taking Friday afternoon off, so I was home when there was still a modicum of daylight.

We waited for the rain to let up, even if only for a couple of minutes, but it never did. In the end, we went out in the garden using an umbrella, which as a plus  - being a purple one - added even more colour to my outfit.

There's nothing new here. The dress is an old Think Twice find that's been with me for years, but which for some unfathomable reason I hadn't worn in quite a while.  Its diagonal stripes, in various shades of blue, were counterbalanced by the horizontal red, ochre, pink and purple stripes of my cardigan. Originally from H&M, this was a charity shop find. 

The multicoloured wooden beads were also charity shopped, while the brooch was a flea market find, as were the boots.

The only things not new-to-me were the blue plastic ring and the red opaques.

And then it was Saturday, and what a miserable day it was, its greyness and wetness inescapable.

Through rain-blurred windows, we watched the unnatural darkness of early afternoon, until we couldn't bear it any longer and decided to brave the steady downpour for a trip to the charity shop.

Hurray for the whitewashed brick wall and skylight in the garage where we park our car. Such a pity it isn't closer to our house, as it's the perfect place for outfit photos, whatever the weather!

When I got dressed that morning, I was determined to wear this Paisley patterned Diolen blouse and, looking for a perfect companion, I happened upon this blue and rust plaid skirt. I'd forgotten it had pockets!

I pinned a blue-rimmed flower brooch to it and added a pale blue beaded necklace. At my waist, you might recognize the snakeskin belt, a recent flea market find. I thought it made a nice contrast with the Paisley and the plaid.

If you half-close your eyes, the pattern of my charity shopped blue cardigan is reminiscent of houndstooth. Its shades of blue pick up the blue in my skirt, opaques and beret.

My Made in Berlin wool jacket went on top. I love the flash of blue provided by my cardi's cuffs peeking out from under the jacket's sleeves.

The colour blue is repeated again in the carved plastic brooch and my ring, both of which also contain red, which in turn I matched by wearing a red scarf. 

I love how this outfit simply evolved, without any forward planning. And it all started with the blouse!

We drove down to a charity shop a bit further away, which we hadn't been to in months as our last visit was a bitter disappointment. At that time, we were faced with half empty shelves and clothing rails still full of last Summer's leftovers.

It was a relief to see that whatever had been going on then had now been sorted and the shelves and rails were once again fully stocked.

A rummage in the accessory boxes yielded five belts for the princely sum of € 1 each.

After taking an armful of clothes into the fitting rooms, I ended up with these two cardigans, a chunky mustard one closing with a zipper, and a fuchsia textured one trimmed with lurex.

I also bought this skirt, which I pounced upon immediately since I already own a jacket in an almost identical pinkish Tweed. Incidentally, this jacket was bought in the same shop many years ago.

It's a real wardrobe staple (see here for my last wearing of it) and I think the skirt will be as well.

Rather than having Angelica do the honours, I thought I'd play dress-up and show you the accidental suit myself, accessorized with turquoise details. 

We did this little photo session on Monday. I'd taken the day off and as luck would have it, we had a brief respite from the stormy weather, even though it was raining again by mid afternoon.

There's still a surprising amount of green in our garden this late in the season, some of it provided by evergreens such as our rampant ivy and the foliage of winter flowering Clematis armandii growing through our lilac bush in the background. The small yellow flowers belong to Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), whose bendy flowering shoots have been embellishing our garden wall for many a year, and which it seems to be doing especially prolifically this year.

Speaking of green, Jos was more than happy to model his new-to-him coat for you!

It's an original Alpen Loden which used to belong to my Dad and which was still rattling around in his wardrobe. We happened upon it while we were having another clearing session at my parental home.

As it was in perfect condition, as well as a perfect fit for Jos, it was a keeper.

My outfit also featured a fair bit of green, starting with my beloved fake fur collared jacket. I added a mustard beret and a pair of deadstock vintage gloves, part of a lot I bought several years ago.

While running an errand in town, I finally managed to make some photographs of the delightful front garden of the local vicarage (for want of a better word), which was planted earlier this year.

Seeing all those flowers still going strong makes it hard to believe that we're actually in December! 

I'm leaving you with a glimpse of what else I was wearing that day.  

In spite of its flaws (it's got a  broken zipper pull and a visible hemline), this burnt orange and green dress is still making regular appearances. 

This time I accessorized it with a green belt, leopard strap watch, multi-coloured stone brooch, green plastic ring and orange "berry" necklace, which actually snapped later that day, leaving me with handfuls of tiny beads. 

Oh, and first wearing of these green zig zag tights, a sales bargain from last Winter.

Linking to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style.