Summer outfits and an outing

As anticipated, I'm feeling a bit lost now that I've finished telling you all about our adventures in Shropshire and beyond. Writing those final lines was like a second goodbye and it really felt as if our holiday was now well and truly over. 

On the other hand, it most definitely was about time, as in less than three weeks from now another set of adventures awaits.  And obviously, I am running way behind with everything that's been happening chez Dove Cottage since my penultimate post.

It was Tuesday the 16th of July - eek, that's nearly a month ago! - and my first day back at the office after my long weekend which featured both our yearly flea market and my radiology test. After the latter's negative result, I was feeling on top of the world, so that neither the 275 emails which awaited me nor the heavy shower during my lunch break seemed to bother me much.

I was wearing one of my happy dresses too, a deckchair striped button through linen blend one found at Think Twice in August 2022. In spite of being spoilt with choice on which colour to accessorize it with, I always same to go for red, which this time was no exception. 

Even the thrifting goddesses were beaming down on me that day, as not only did I manage to escape the rain while at Think Twice, they were kind enough to send me a red tartan Courtelle blouse and a pair of tan clogs from the Swedish Moheda brand. As the shops had just started another round of their famous sales, they were mine for € 5 each.

After the high I was on on Tuesday, Wednesday was a bit of a letdown as I was having one of my bad eye days. The negative radiology test result obviously doesn't mean that my eye problem no longer exists and I keep on having good days as well as bad ones. 

It's hard to pinpoint what exactly is causing the unbalanced feeling I sometimes get as a result of the slight loss of vision in my left eye. Weather conditions, source of artificial lighting, eye strain due to too much screen time or even just due to reading a book, tiredness: they all have their role to play. More often than not, of course, it's a cocktail of likely triggers and what's worse, they tend to vary from day to day.

Anyway, let's skip Wednesday, and move straight to Thursday, when I was feeling much better and thus up to making outfit photos when I got home. The day's highs of 27°C made me pull this navy, flower-infused cotton frock from my wardrobe. It was a gift from Vix when we met up in 2019. Yet again, I have to admit to being a creature of habit by always using orange for my accessories.

After only a three-day working week, Friday and the start of another three-day weekend soon rolled along. 

It was a day of full-on sunshine and at 30°C actually much too warm for me. Nevertheless I insisted on putting away the rest of the flea market stuff, although I limited myself to just shoving them out of sight into the built-in cupboard in our bedroom.

I kept relatively cool by wafting around in my gloriously patterned green waxed cotton wrap skirt - found at Think Twice, where else, in April 2019 - combined with a black patterned top by Rhétorique, which was a recent charity shop find.

We needed to drop off a bag of donations, which we did at the charity shop in nearby Mortsel. While Jos was having a coffee in the cafeteria, I did my customary round of the rails. This only yielded a skirt, which you'll get to see me wearing later in this post. 

The jewellery display, however, more than made up for this! I'd already added two necklaces, a beaded bangle and a pendant to my basket, when my eye spied the vintage Edelweiss brooch peeking out from a box of tat. On closer inspection, there were more brooches to be found in there. Since they were all priced at € 0,50, these six set me back a total of € 3. 

Another hot day had been forecasted for Saturday, with temperatures up to 31°C. 

Desperately consulting our phone's weather app, we found out that it would be marginally cooler, with highs of about 26°C and with the added bonus of a bit of a breeze, in Middelburg, an hour away across the border in Holland. Which is why Saturday morning saw us going on a day trip abroad!

Having spent a couple of days in this lovely town in the Dutch province of Zeeland, both in 2018 and 2019, we know the town reasonably well. What's more, we know exactly where to park free of charge, in a quiet residential street near the Airbnb cottage we used to stay in.

It's only a leisurely 10-minute walk into town from here, taking us across a canal with a view towards a picturesque windmill on our right and some of the town's landmarks shimmering in the distance in front of us. The slender tower belongs to the  Lange Jan (transl. Long John), the 90,5 meter high tower belonging to the town's abbey complex which was established around 1100 by Flemish monks.

Before crossing a second canal, we passed the building the other tower belongs to. This is the Kloveniersdoelen, an impressive 17th century building now housing a cinema and a restaurant with a garden terrace.

We were now on the final stretch into the town centre. However, Jos, who's even worse with temperatures exceeding 25°C than yours truly, was in need of a sit down. Raring to explore, I left him sitting on a shady bench and walked into the direction of the Market Square.

Imagine my delight when the first thing I saw was row upon row of flea market stalls under deckchair-striped awnings. Having ascertained that they would be there all day, I made my way back to where I'd left Jos sitting on his bench.

But not before admiring the magnificent Gothic town hall which dominates the square! 

Although construction began in 1452, it wasn't completed until 1520, almost 70 years later. The impressive Gothic façade features red and white shutters, turrets and 25 statues of Zeeland's noblemen and women. 

The clock tower of the town hall is popularly known as Malle Betje (transl. Mad Beth) because its clock always chimes a few seconds after the one belonging to Lange Jan!

Reunited with Jos, it was now time for lunch, for which we sat down on the terrace of Reynaert & Co., a cosy café on the traffic free Langeviele shopping street.

The cheese sandwiches, on Italian flat bread and accompanied with oodles of vegetables, were absolutely delicious. They were washed down with non-alcoholic Affligem 0,0 beers from Belgium. We were only 30 minutes from the Belgian border after all. 

Suitably sated and refreshed, we were now ready for an adventure à deux. 

After cursory scanning the flea market stalls on the Market Square, we walked into the direction of the abbey courtyard, our aim being to walk through the atmospheric cloister passageway to the three interconnected churches which are part of the complex.

Much to our disappointment the door giving access to the cloisters was closed, so that there was nothing for it but to traipse all around the complex to the entrance at the south of the abbey. 

It was wonderfully cool inside the 14th century Koorkerk (transl. Choral Church) and the 16th century Nieuwe Kerk (transl. New Church) which are joined by a central choir called the Wandelkerk (transl. Walking Church). 

We briefly strolled through the cloisters, which thankfully could be entered from here, making use of the tranquillity of the courtyard leading off them for outfit photos. 

I was wearing the skirt I'd charity shopped on Friday. It's from an Antwerp based label called Black Rose.  My label-less t-shirt top was a charity shop find too. I thought its funky print worked well with that of the skirt. The stretchy belt with its leopard print buckle was picked up in the Summer sales on the high street.

By the time we'd visited the picturesque cobbled Kuiperspoort (above, top right) built by the coopers guild between 1586 and 1642, walked through the Reigerstraat known for its seasonal decorations (bottom right) and marvelled at the colourful cheeses and typical Dutch clogs which were being  sold on the market, we were tired on our feet. 

In need of a sit-down and some sustenance, we made a bee-line for our favourite tearoom in town, the wonderful Wooncafé. Situated in Segeerstraat, which leads off the town's main shopping street, they've got the most delicious home-made cakes on the menu.

Passing the Market Square on our way back, I left Jos once again sitting in the shade, while I did a final round of the flea market. 

Priced at a reasonable € 3 and € 3,50, I selected these four to come back to Belgium with me. I've already got the swallow in grey and grey and white, while the pink-rimmed floral one is joining its blue rimmed sister in my collection.

I was recently asked by Veronica how large my brooch collection has grown in the meantime. As counting them seems to be verging on the impossible, I can only take a rough guess, but I'm sure I've got at least 900 of them by now. No chance of running out of storage space any time soon, though: I've still got a whole stack of those shallow drawers from Jos's friend.

We had one more drink before setting off for home, enjoying glasses of amber coloured La Trappe Nillis beer, which rightly claims to be the first non-alcoholic Trappist beer in the world. Definitely worth a try if you've got the chance!

I'll be back with a final July catch-up in a couple of days. See you soon!