Should we talk about the weather?

As in most countries with temperate climates, moaning about the weather is a national pastime in Belgium.  And I'm guilty as charged, as I don't particularly care for weather that's too hot or too wet, nor am I a fan of snow and ice, all of which offer plenty of moaning opportunities.

Take Summer weather, for instance. In my book, the perfect Summer's day is a sunny one, with the temperature not exceeding 25°C and a light shower overnight to keep the garden happy. Surely that's not too much to ask?

The official Summer season being imminent on Sunday the 20th of June, the day was almost but not quite perfect. Initially overcast, there were sunny spells as the day progressed, reaching highs of about 24°C.

I'd already worn one of my favourite Summer dresses to work on Friday but, after a day's airing, I decided to wear it again that Sunday before chucking it into the laundry basket.

This sleeveless cotton shirt dress with its funky floral pattern was a Think Twice sales bargain back in June 2017. When I walked into the shop wearing it a couple of days later, I was stopped by a lady who told me she'd been dithering over the dress but didn't buy it as she didn't have a clue how to style it! Well, what can I say but that I'm glad she put it back. It just had to be mine, as its former owner was an Ann(e) too. Anne K Lindefjell, to be exactly, so I'm guessing she was either Norse or Swedish. 

With its different shades of green, and dashes of orange and pink, I actually think its's a doddle to style. 

This time, the starring role went to orange, which I added with a vintage necklace, a vinyl, half-elasticated belt and a polka dot cardigan. The latter two were once bought on the high street but have more than earned their keep in my wardrobe by now.  Oh, and I almost forgot to mention my orange shoes, which were a charity shop find.

The green swallows-in-flight brooch is modern and was bought in a lovely shop called Mundos on Cardigan High Street during one of our Welsh holidays.

It was the sudden drop in temperature - coming down from the low thirties - which made me grab for the cardigan to cover my bear arms. That, and the copious amount of rain which had fallen overnight, and which had left quite a bit of dampness in its wake.

The garden had received a thorough drenching and some of our plants were in desperate need of a helping hand. Swathes of Nepeta had flopped across the garden path and needed staking (top left), as did the pink Foxglove which was lying horizontally on a bed of Geranium sanguineum. I also gave a gentle push into the right direction to the herbaceous Clematis 'Mrs. Robert Brydon', who was refusing to grow towards the dead wood climbing structure we'd provided it with (bottom right).

Something old, something new! The old being our faithful Hydrangeas and the curry plant (Helichrysum italicum) which, after a year of dormancy, is now regaling us with clusters of bright yellow flowers.

New to our garden are Achillea ptarmica 'The Pearl' (top left), which turned out to be an absolute delight with its informal heads of lacy, button-like white daisies, as well as the two-tone pink Lupines, which have produced several flower spikes. Behind the Lupines looms Malva alcea 'Fastigiata', bought as a tiny scrap of a plant last Summer. Now it is absolutely huge and brimming with the promise of dozens of flowers.

I needed to stake Geranium 'Rozanne' as well, to give some breathing space to the woolly Lamb's Ear leaves (Stachys byzantina) growing underneath.  On its right, Helenium 'The Bishop' will soon provide delicious colour contrast.

We had some adulting to do that day, including applying for a free parking permit, as our street will soon become a restricted parking zone. I'm notoriously bad at adulting, I should add, always have and always will be, but quite often needs must. 

That finished, Jos discovered that the submersible pump in our basement had given up the ghost.

As our washing machine is in the basement, Jos has devised a clever construction to pump up the waste water to street level and, as we'd just done a load of washing, we were lucky our basement wasn't flooded! Obviously, Jos wasted no time in driving down to the DIY store to buy a new one, which was promptly installed. 

More adulting and more than enough to be the cause of the dreaded Sunday blues!

On Monday, the official start of Summer, we woke up to rain, which lasted for most of the day and came accompanied with a drop in temperature to 18°C. The upside was that we didn't have to water the garden, leaving me with plenty of time to catch up with blogland.

More of the same weather on Tuesday, too wet and cold to even contemplate any outdoor activities.

It was, however, the perfect weather for one of my beloved Diolen frocks and, as the day definitely needed brightening up, I opted for this mustard yellow one sprinkled with white, green and orange flowers. We were halfway through our photo session when Jos noticed that I wasn't wearing my necklace!

Again, I picked orange for some of my accessories, which included said necklace - which I'd quickly retrieved from upstairs - and a vintage flower brooch, a charity shop and flea market find respectively.

A green belt was added at my waist, and a green cardigan layered on top. On my feet, the green suede ankle boots I charity shopped a couple of months ago.

Speaking of charity shops, with anything outdoorsy ruled out, this is where we were headed to. The charity shopping gods must have taken pity on us, as we were amply rewarded.

On our return, however, we noticed that the tangle of ivy, Winter jasmine and Clematis growing up the wall above the rock garden had taken a bit of a tumble. This called for emergency measures, so we cut back armfuls of the rampant climbers in the pouring rain, taking care not to damage the Clematis which had deigned to grow flower buds in the face of neglect.

There, much better, although it needs neatening once the weather stays dry for long enough.

And now, without further ado, here's what I found in the charity shops that day. 

First up are these two knee-length skirts, which are both lined and label-less. In the meantime, I already wore the one on the left, with its painterly watercolour print

Both these tops are modern. The green plaid-patterned one on the left is ... you guessed it ... King Louie, while the jewel coloured long-sleeved one with its sweetheart neckline is from retro label Zoë Loveborn.

This gauzy, lined maxi skirt is modern as well, originating from that quintessential high street shop, C&A, still going strong here in Belgium. It's a tiny bit too long for vertically challenged me so I'll have to wear a bit of a heel with it.

If you think this is another maxi skirt, well, you're wrong! It's a pair of palazzo trousers! The background colour is a deep bottle green, which was very hard to catch on camera. I fell head over heels for its colour and yellow, white and grey Dahlia pattern and was overjoyed to find it was my size.

One of the first things I pulled from the rails was this handmade cotton jumpsuit which, in spite of initial doubts, turned out to be a perfect fit. It's gloriously slouchy, with an elasticated waist and pockets! 

It looked totally rubbish when I photographed it on a hanger, and as it's not exactly a garment I can put on "legless" Angelica, there was nothing for it but to showcase it myself. As it was only 15°C at the time, I'm sure you'll appreciate the effort and dedication.

Last but not least are these orange and red Spanish made sandals. They are ridiculously comfortable to wear but, again, they will have to wait for their first outing until Summer is back on track. Brr, it did feel more like mid-Autumn these last couple of days!

If the temperature has been quite sub-standard, here's something to warm your hearts!

She might look like butter wouldn't melt, but she's the devil in disguise ...

I'm wishing you all a wonderful weekend, whatever your up to, and surely I don't have to remind you to stay healthy and happy!