Heatwave woes

I'm giving you - and myself - another break from the travelogue, which is nearing its final stages, by treating you to another outfit based post.

The weeks keep hurtling by at what feels like the speed of light, come and gone within the blink of an eye, and it's mind-boggling at times to look at the calendar and find that it's August already and that the summer months will soon be just a distant memory.

But enough already with being maudlin, let's proceed with a round-up of the outfits I've been wearing when we were in the throes of the Big Heat.

It's good to have a photographic record courtesy of Instagram, as left to its own devices, my mind is drawing a bit of a blank.

Sunshine and showers played a game of tag on the Saturday before the heatwave. I was wearing a butterfly sleeved Diolen dress with a dense flower print in blue, green, yellow, white and pink. 

I accessorized it with a green belt, necklace and ring, but opted for a bright blue soft leather handbag, which I found in a charity shop in Bridgnorth. The brooch I selected features tiny embroidered flowers. 

I took the blue handbag on its very first outing, which included a trip to the optician's to pick up Jos's new multifocals. Aren't they snazzy?

Then we made a slight detour to the nearest charity shop, where I found the blue suede shoes I'm wearing with my outfit, as well as a lovely lemon and lime curtain.

There was a flea market on Sunday 21st of July, which was Belgium's National Holiday, but we were both feeling a bit sluggish and not up to the 30-minute drive and one kilometer walk it would involve.

So, we stayed at home and pottered instead. 

Being a bit apprehensive about the heatwave which was forecast to hit us in the next days, we were thinking of ways to keep it cool inside the house. This would involve living in semi-darkness while it lasted. However, up until now we had no means of obscuring the sunlight streaming in through our front door's window and fan. This is where the charity shop curtain came in. All that was needed was an extending shower curtain rod and some sturdy safety pins!

A day pottering at home doesn't mean being a slob in my book, so I wore a sleeveless vintage dress in sky blue with a floral print in orange, green and white.

I pinned my Bohemian brooch to its collar and wore an orange and white beaded necklace and sparkly plastic ring.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention my main accessory, Phoebe! She wasn't too pleased to be picked up, though, and I soon had to let her go for my own safety.

I was wearing these new Clarks sandals for the very first time. Yes, you've read that right, and I'm pleading guilty: they are new and I bought them while I was in the UK.  Jos usually buys a pair of Clarks shoes when we're there as it's right in the middle of the sales, and I couldn't resist having a little browse myself.  I wasn't actually allowed to buy them as I'm participating in #slowfashionseason, but Jos said he'd buy them for me, so that they were a gift! 

I had Monday off as well, and here I am enjoying my morning coffee in the relative coolness of the garden before the sun was out in full force.

Temperatures were bound to climb into the high twenties that day, so I combined the Indian cotton skirt which I charity shopped in Shrewsbury with a stretchy cowl-necked top bought at a local charity shop last Summer. 

The massive seagull brooch was a gift from Vix and, staying within the seaside theme, I wore a shell necklace found in a Ludlow charity shop last year.

The chunky cups and saucers were made in Italy and were a lucky flea market find.

The heatwave started in earnest on Tuesday when the mercury kept rising towards the mid-thirties.

We have mobile A/C units at the office and I was fine wearing a sleeveless cotton frock until I hitched a ride home on a tram which turned out to be a mobile sauna. As I could wring a puddle of sweat from my frock by the time I got home, no outfit photos were taken that day.

None were taken on Wednesday either, when I was forced to face the heat for a hairdresser's appointment . I was wearing Monday's maxi skirt again, combining it with a cotton top which was another holiday charity shop find. You can catch a glimpse of it on the top left and bottom right. I wore colourful wooden beads with it, and this time I remembered to bring my Spanish fan.

Not that this was needed, as it was mercifully cool inside the salon. On my way there, I took some random snapshots. At least the 17th century street corner Madonna and her baby have a roof over their heads to shelter them from the heat. The inscription on the house on the bottom left made me think of Vronni!

Thursday was the hottest day ever recorded in Belgium, with temperatures leading up to and over 40° Celsius. I soon felt like a wilted flower, in spite of the fact that I was wearing this cool 1970s pink cotton sundress trimmed with broderie anglaise.

Even with all three A/C units going full blast, things started heating up in the afternoon. By 3.30 I had a splitting headache, which wasn't helped by the eternal racket these machines make, so I called it a day. Just walking the short distance from the office building to the underground literally made me gasp for non-existent air.

A slight drop in temperature on Friday, but still well over 30° Celsius. This cotton 1950s frock, in normal circumstances a joy to wear, was quite clingy by late morning. I wore it with my shell necklace and a fishy belt to create some seaside illusion.

The weather turned on Friday night and cooling rain made the temperature drop considerably. But the heat had completely depleted my energy, so that our weekend was spent not doing very much at all. Oh, what exciting lives we're leading!

Saturday's outfit was built around this cute cotton 1960s dress I found in a vintage shop in Bridgnorth. I accessorized it in white and blue, including a sailing boat brooch and the blue handbag, which I found on the same day as the dress. A match made in heaven!

I was feeling lethargic and fuzzy-brained, so that I had to literally drag myself away from the sofa and go outside for a breath of fresh air. 

In the end, the rain drove us inside a charity shop we hadn't been to since we came back from holiday. I was in luck as I found, clockwise from top left, a light blue cardigan trimmed with white and lurex, a long sleeved vintage blouse, a funky Zara top and a long sleeved top by French retro brand Mademoiselle YéYé.

On our way to the till, I spotted a rail full of new-in clothing, which contained my find of the day, this rather lovely and seemingly brand new King Louie frock!

With leaden skies and intermittent rain on Sunday, it was another day to be spent inside rather than going for a walk as we'd originally intended.

But I still wore clothes, even if it was just to step outside into the garden between showers. 

I've had the dress I'm wearing for many years, sourced from a vintage shop which has sadly stopped trading. It's got a tie and a self-belt, and this is actually one of the only dresses I'm always wearing with its own belt. The brooch is one of many bought from the Brooch Lady.

So, that was our heatwave and its aftermath.

I'll be returning with the penultimate episode of my travelogue in my next post!