Girls on the run

Before I plunge myself headfirst into January, starting with what I was wearing to welcome in 2021, I would like to thank you all for your comments and advice on the pale green, grey and off-white dress I wore on the last day of 2020. Although the outcome, both here and on Instagram, was indecisive, I'm going to go with my gut feeling and let it go.

A sales bargain from Think Twice a couple of years ago, it has never felt right, which is how it ended up in my flea market boxes in the first place. I dug it out again during a recent rummage in said boxes, thinking I would like to give it another go, but as it made me feel like Cinderella wearing one of her stepsisters' cast-offs, it has now been banished from my wardrobe for good!

 

No such issues with what I wore on New Year's Day! The psychedelic sunburst print of this vintage maxi skirt is not for the faint-hearted and this modern day Cinderella would gladly wear it to the ball, if any such things were permitted in this day and age.

Snapped up at Think Twice (again) in August 2017, it initially was far too long for a vertically challenged girl like me, so it needed shortening and, as it is lined, I needed to shorten that as well. Quite a job for an unskilled sewer like yours truly, but I'm rather proud of my - quite literal - handiwork.

I was originally going to wear it with a cobalt blue polo neck, but as our plans for the day didn't involve leaving the confines of Dove Cottage, I thought this long-sleeved top in the same shade of blue would do. It's in a lovely thick fabric, quite tight-fitting, and zips up at the back. 

Both the top and the white felted flower corsage were old retail buys which have by now earned their keep, while the belt and the orange long-line cardigan were recent, post Lockdown 2.0, charity shop finds. 

The multi-coloured beaded necklace was charity shopped as well, serving as a holiday souvenir at the same time, as it was part of my haul from the little charity shop in Poperinge in September 2019.

We hung around not doing very much at all, although my journal insists that I washed my hair as well as a batch of face masks and caught up with blogland.

As the day was unexpectedly sunny - those bothersome weathermen had predicted rain! - I ventured out into the garden, noticing with delight that two of the Hellebores I planted in October have developed flower buds already. Here and there, early Spring bulbs are poking up, as if to test the weather. Apart from the snow drops - which I hope against hope will flower in their first year - I have little recollection of what I planted where, so I'm sure Spring will bring a couple of surprises!

As befits the first day of the year, we exchanged some New Year messages with friends and family. Here, Jos was calling his youngest daughter for a chat, with Phoebe being her usual grumpy self whatever the day of year!

The weather was a mixed bag on Saturday the 2nd of January, cloudy and dull, with some light rain in the morning and the odd ray of sunshine from midday onwards. It was quite chilly at only 3°C.

After breakfast, I scared away a whole army of dust bunnies when I treated the upstairs rooms to a long overdue vacuum cleaning session.

The sun put in a hesitant appearance while we were having lunch, so we thought we'd risk it and go for a walk. After tossing around some ideas, rejecting quite a few options due their muddy nature, we decided on the sculpture park, Middelheim. This was against our better judgment, as it tends to be quite busy with walkers and the inevitable Pokémon hunters on weekend afternoons. 

The weather not being at its best behaviour, however, played in our advantage, as it turned out to be not too crowded, especially when we kept well away from the main paths.

Our meanderings always seems to take us to the Braem Pavilion, to which we are drawn like moths to a flame. Designed by architect Renaat Braem (1910-2001) and completed in 1971, it merges organically with its natural surroundings.

The flying saucer in front of the pavillion is by legendary Belgian artist Panamarenko (1940-2019). 

Panamarenko is considered one of the greatest Belgian artists of the second half of the 20th century. Many of his works are based on the dream of flying and the mythical character of Icarus. 

When I was living in digs in the North of Antwerp in the early 1980s, I often passed the house he lived and worked in, which was at the opposite end of my street. In 2007, Panamarenko donated the house and its contents to Antwerp's Museum of Modern Art, who restored the building and reconstructed Panamarenko's life down to the smallest details. At the artist's request, a helicopter platform was constructed on its roof. The house is currently closed to visitors but I'd love to visit one day, combining it with a trip down memory lane.

The two ghost-like plaster figures are called Dialogue (1974) and are by the Antwerp-based but German-born sculptor Albert Szukalski (1945-2000).  He used living people as the models for plaster figures, laying lengths of fabric soaked in plaster over their bodies and allowing them to harden. The remaining husks of pale plaster were then coated in polyester to weatherproof them. 

The day's chilly temperatures prompted me to wear my beloved Princess coat for the first time this season. Thankful for its generous layer of fur at its collar and hem, I added additional warmth with my higgledy-piggledy striped knit scarf and woolly hat. I forgot to wear gloves, but regularly made use of  my coat's generous pockets.

Ah, look at those wonderful curves and flowing lines! The two curved screens at the back of the building serve as sun screens blocking direct sunlight and providing soft lighting within the exhibition space, while a large floor to ceiling glass wall with two doors connects it with the landscape the pavillion nestles in, linking them both visually and functionally. Organic Brutalism at its very best!

As more and more people had started to arrive, and it became a pain to do what Vix is aptly calling the Covid Shuffle, we started making our way back to our car.

There was still time for a socially distanced meet-up with one of my favourite sculptures. No prizes for guessing her name as yes, it is Running Girl (Kurt Gebauer, 1976). For a moment, frozen in time by a click of the camera, she let me share her limelight.

She has always intrigued me, this running girl. I mean, what is she running for, and why is there such a look of fear in her eyes? Now, more than ever, I can relate with her, as like her, I am running on the spot, with nowhere to escape to. I am sure that sometimes the look in my eyes matches hers, too.

We said our goodbyes and drove home, where the only thing left on the agenda was showing you what I was wearing underneath the Princess coat.

If I seem to be drawn to orange lately, it is purely subconsciously. I have read that it offers emotional strength in difficult times, so perhaps that's the reason.

I certainly didn't set out to combine this grey and white patterned dress with orange. The outfit was built around the dress, which I was determined to wear. It's a double knit polyester which was perfect to combat the chill of the day, and I just love its wallpaper print. Then I started playing around with accessories, which is a game I love to play, its end result often surprising me.

After adding the belt and the opaques, the rest was a doddle. I wore the pink, purple and orange wooden beaded necklace again - last seen with the unfortunate pale green dress - and selected an orange enamel flower patterned brooch from my collection. Et voilà!

I'll be back with another installment of the Covid-19 diaries in a couple of days.

Until then, I am counting on you to remain as safe, sensible, sane, and sensational as possible!