Summertime blues

You might think this post's title is a bit misleading, as there isn't even a smidgen of blue in what I'm wearing.

Well, obviously, it isn't the colour blue I'm referring to here, but the state of mind.  Finishing my travelogue has left me feeling a bit deflated, as if my holiday is only now truly over.

But not to worry, as we will be going away on a short trip in just over a week's time, and obviously I'm hoping to return with a whole new set of travel stories!

In the meantime, the heatwave has come and gone, and we are left with a typical Belgian summer: an unsettled mix of fine days, with the odd hot and humid day thrown in, usually followed by a thunderstorm and, more often than not, the ubiquitous grey skies and showers.

Now that the temperature has dropped from its great heights, it's time to turn my attention to some of the unworn Diolen delights waiting patiently in my wardrobe.

Honestly, why should I care about grey skies if I can wear a dress as sunny and bright as this one? Wearable sunshine, that's what it is! Grabbed from Think Twice's rails many months ago, its green and white stripes and different sized yellow and orange flowers instantly appealed.

The dress came with a narrow white fabric tie belt, but I'm generally not a fan of such belts so I replaced it with an vinyl one in a similar yellow as the flowers.

I then started piling on the accessories, staying in the green/white/yellow/orange colour palette of the dress. 

I've had the handbag, which is in pristine condition, for years, but it rarely gets an outing, as I wouldn't forgive myself if it got damaged in any way. I mean, look at those exquisitely embroidered flowers!

It was the Saturday before last and, as usual on a Saturday, it was time to hit the charity shops. These goodies all came from the shop in our village!

There's a huge tin decorated with Nasturtiums (note how well they go with my frock!) still retaining its tiny key so that it can be locked, a set of Matryoshka dolls, and ... can you guess what the orange-red thing with the bird is?

It's an alarm clock! Apparently, it originally came from Habitat where I guess it cost more than the € 5 we paid. Our previous one, a radio alarm clock, annoyingly kept getting ahead of itself, so that's off to the charity shops now, to be replaced by this absolutely fun one!

When the alarm goes off, the bird starts tweeting, its eyes light up and it actually moves, as if hopping up and down on its perch.

Sunday was a picture postcard perfect summer's day, the temperature warm enough not to be stifling, with wispy strands of stratus clouds in a blue sky.

Having been held hostage by the hot weather for too long, we hadn't been for a proper walk since we came back from our holiday.

So, with no other plans or obligations, we packed a picnic and went off, our destination being our favourite nature reserve, Het Broek in Blaasveld.

Last time we were there was at the end of February, so another visit was long overdue!

This time I was wearing blue, which is the predominant colour of this delightful cotton Madras check dress from Think Twice, its collar, sleeves and pockets (yes!) edged in red. 

As the dress was calling out for red accessories, I added a red belt, further accessorizing it with a red and white plastic beaded necklace and red, white and blue bangles.

My hat, with its light blue chiffon scarf, was found in a charity shop on my birthday two years ago. It was made by long-established German hat-makers Mayser, yet it only cost me a couple of Euros.

At first sight, all seemed as it should be, with plenty of water in the reserve's many ponds. There must have been plenty of fish as well, as we spotted several cormorants perched among the waterlily pads, spreading their pterodactyl wings, and a pair of statuesque white herons in the far distance.

We'd expected it to be quite arid, with most of the vegetation yellowed and burned to a crisp, disintegrating at the merest touch, so we were pleasantly surprised by the abundance of green lining the ponds and paths.

Some of the ponds were pea soup green with algae, though, a direct result of the sun relentlessly working overtime.

Among the carpet of lily pads, a late and lonely water lily was displaying its delicate beauty.

We braved a path overgrown with brambles and nettles to get to my favourite corner.

There's a strange familiarity to this landscape, something I can't put my finger on.

It is utterly enchanting whatever the season: from left to right, these photos were taken in early November 2017, late February 2018 and, the most recent one, during our August walk.

A dense thicket of grasses, reeds and cattails almost obscures it from view. 

A sudden quickening of the pulse, then my muscles seem to relax in recognition of this primordial landscape, perhaps reaching its tentacles all the way back to my childhood.

Near the visitor centre, a gaggle of turkeys had escaped the confines of their pen and, accompanied by much gobbling and gurgling, were about to embark on an adventure of their own.

Continuing our walk, our nostrils detected peaty woodland smells: earthy and mossy, with a hint of old fallen leaves.

You eyes might deceive you into thinking this is a tree-lined path on the right, but it is in fact one of the brooks running through the domain, brimming with water in rainy times but now completely dried up.

Highly invasive it might very well be, still I can't help but be enchanted by the delicately sculpted, pastel coloured flowers, reminiscent of orchids, of Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera), flowering prolifically in late summer and early autumn.

Before we returned to our car, we sat on this bench and stared a while, breathing in the delicious scent of the warm summer air.

Linking for the first time to Nancy's Fancy Friday party!