Out and about

Excuse me for being tardy yet again! Work was rather full-on this week, leaving me with little or no energy and sore eyes so that, but for a couple of quick visits to blogland, I was forced to limit my screen time in the evenings.

However, I'd made a pact with myself to at least be caught up with the month of July before we're off on our next adventure, so I'd better stop beating about the bush and get on with things. This time next week, I'll probably be in a frenzy of packing for our week away, but for now let's return to July's penultimate week.

It was the day after my visit to the dentist and, being completely free of pain and the need for taking painkillers for the first time in many weeks, I was feeling on top of the world.

It was a day of mixed weather, with sunny spells alternating with cloudy ones, and highs into the low twenties. 

Determined to make the most of my vintage Summer frocks, which lately I'd been neglecting in favour of skirts, I was wearing this black floral butterfly-sleeved one. A Think Twice sales bargain in May 2024, with its lightweight crepey fabric it's an absolute joy to wear.

I picked up the sky blue of the forget-me-not-like flowers in its print with my swallows-in-flight brooch and even my necklace - a recent sales bargain from Mango - has a single sky blue one among its multi-coloured beads.

As I strolled into the direction of the nearest Think Twice shop to my office during my lunch break, the wide open doors of the Handelsbeurs (Stock Exchange) at the end of the cul-de-sac were beckoning me. Only open during the school holidays, it had been a while since I'd been inside this architectural gem.

Originally opened in 1531, it has been called the Mother of all Stock Exchanges since it provided the blueprint for many others across Europe. The building, which was designed by the Antwerp architect Domien De Waghemakere (1460-1542), burnt down on two occasions, in 1583 and 1858. After the last fire it was rebuilt in a rather opulent neo-Gothic style. The originally open courtyard was covered with a spectacular iron-and-glass dome, which was added in 1853 by the engineer Charles Marcellis (1798-1864).

After losing its function as a stock exchange in 1997, the building stood vacant for 20 years. However, following a thorough restoration, visitors can now once again enjoy its impressive interior. 

When I was finally able to tear myself away from all that splendour, I retraced my steps and went for a rummage at Think Twice, whose shop is situated a little further along the same street. As this was the final day of one of their famous rounds of sales, everything was going for € 1. I don't think I've ever found anything on a € 1, but apparently I was in luck ... 

Clutching my finds, I joined the long line at the till, when I suddenly noticed a girl who was wearing a dress with a very familiar print. Turned out that she'd bought it from my flea market stall the previous week! We ended up chatting and marvelling at the coincidence! 

Courtesy of Belgium's National Holiday on Monday the 21st, it was only a three-day working week, with Friday rolling along in no time.

Sunshine and showers kept playing a game of tag all day, but with highs of 24°C wearing a breezy Summer outfit was of the essence.  I fell in love with the navy, flower sprinkled vintage C&A skirt at Think Twice in May 2024, while the petrol coloured top - which is by posh label Essentiel Antwerp - was charity shopped a couple of months later. 

The skirt's double zig-zag rows of orange stitching were matched by my necklace - one of my most hardworking ones, picked up from a Welsh antiques centre in 2017 - and my recently found pleated leather belt, whose other colours refer to the ones in the skirt's pattern as well. The enamelled butterfly brooch was a flea market find.

With the weather gods in a foul mood all week, we'd kept a close watch on the forecast, as we had plans for Saturday. With rain forecasted in the morning one day, and in the afternoon the next, those who are supposedly in the know kept us on our toes all week until finally on Friday it looked set to stay dry all day.

Desperate for a change of scenery, we'd decided on a trip abroad, to the wonderful city of Middelburg in the Dutch province of Zeeland. Those who have been following me for a while might remember our previous visits here. We even stayed there for a couple of days in a gorgeous airbnb - which is sadly no longer in business - in November 2018 and November 2019.

After leaving our car in a street near our former airbnb, where parking is free of charge, a leisurely 10-minute walk crossing two canals in succession took us into the heart of the city.

Crossing the first of the canals, we were greeted by the familiar sight of whitewashed windmill De Hoop, which was originally built in 1735. For the very first time, though, we were able to see its sails turning, so that we made a detour in its direction to make this short video.

Just before crossing the bridge over the second canal, we admired the striking 17th-century Kloveniersdoelen building.  Among other things, the building has served as a training space for the kloveniers (archers), a military hospital and the Provincial Music Library. while nowadays it features a cinema and a café.

Across the bridge is Langeviele, a traffic-free shopping street. It was still too early for lunch, so we walked its length until we arrived at the Markt or market square.

Middelburg's magnificent gothic town hall, which was built between 1452 and 1520, is taking pride of place here. We feasted our eyes on its fascinating details, its façade featuring gargoyles, the statues of Zeeland's counts and countesses, the turrets, gothic windows and the distinctive red and white wooden shutters. Its main tower, which boasts a clock and carillon, is mockingly called Malle Betje (Mad Beth), as it used to run behind the town's other clock tower, the Lange Jan (Long John).

Hunger pangs guided us back along Langeviele, where we had lunch at our favourite restaurant, Reynaert & Co.  At 22°C, but with a gentle breeze, we were able to sit outside on its sheltered terrace at the front, where we could people watch while savouring Spanish toasties and glasses of  La Trappe Nillis, a non-alcoholic Dutch trappist beer.

Afterwards, we strolled back into the direction of the Markt, where we were slightly disappointed by the absence of the flea market which was taking place here last Summer. Instead, there were a couple of market stalls lining the square, including a giant one selling all manner of cheese. There was no denying we were in the Netherlands!

Middelburg is a city brimming with historic sites. Second only to Amsterdam, Middelburg once had the largest number of historic buildings. When the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was in its heyday, Middelburg was one of the most important cities in the Netherlands, and there are still many reminders  of this Golden Age here, with over 1100 listed buildings in the old town.

Continuing on one of the shopping streets leading away from the Markt, we soon spotted the aforementioned Lange Jan. The iconic 14th century Lange Jan tower belongs to a large abbey complex. With its 90 metres, the tower is soaring above the town and is visible from far and wide in Zeeland's flat-as-a-pancake landscape.

The Nieuwe Kerk (New Church, above) too is part of the historic Abbey complex, which dates back to the 12th century. During the 14th and 15th centuries, two churches were created from the original singel church. The Koorkerk (Choir Church) was intended for monastics and the Nieuwe Kerk for parishioners.

The Nieuwe Kerk is used by the Protestant Congregation of Middelburg, and it's where Jos took a breather while I photographed the interior, most notably its striking organs. In spite of its ancient looks, the current Van Leeuwen organ (above, top centre and top right) was built in 1954 to replace the original organ which was lost in May 1940 to the ravages of war. The second, modern, organ (above, below centre) dates from 1985.

We then sauntered through the atmospheric cloisters towards the abbey courtyard, where we stopped for outfit photos. Jos was wearing rust-coloured C&A trousers, a St. George by Duffer shirt, which was a gift from Vix & Jon, and a State of Art blazer bought from a gentlemen's outlet shop here in Middelburg last Summer. Oh, and his best Panama, which had thankfully survived the previous week's rain unscathed.

I was wearing the pleated green and white zig-zaggy maxi skirt I charity shopped back in June, combined with a green plaid patterned King Louie-by-way-of- a-charity shop blouse and topped with my beloved denim jacket from Think Twice. 

We kept wandering at will, strolling through the Kuiperspoort (above, top left), a picturesque cobbled courtyard lined with historical gabled houses and warehouses, which was built by the coopers guild between 1586 and 1642.

We emerged from the Kuiperspoort onto the Rouaanse Kaai. Around 1540, a new harbour was constructed in Middelburg, which was accessible via a canal that had been dug shortly before. Along the route to the new harbour, quays were named after the type of trade (e.g. beer or peat) or the origin of the trade – in this case, the French city of Rouen.

There are no less than 26 listed monuments on this stretch of quay, including 23 residential houses from the 18th and 19th centuries.

We watched the world go by for a while, sitting on a bench at the edge of the canal, waving back to the tourists who were enjoying a boat trip around Middelburg. 

Then we walked back to the city centre for an afternoon treat. As always, we ended up in Wooncafé for scrumptious slices of Mon Chou cheesecake and cups of cappuccino. 

Tired, but happy - it had been Jos's first full-day excursion since the start of his health problems last September - we then decided to call it a day and traipse all the way back through the town to where we'd left our car. 

I'm leaving you with a final peephole view of the Lange Jan, taken through the framework of climbers decorated with birdcages in Middelburg's quirky Reigerstraat.

If all goes well, I'll be back with a final July update on Friday. Who know, I might even be able to venture into August. Hope to see you again then!

August, continued

In spite of my best intentions, it turns out that I seriously failed in wrapping up the month of August before we're off on our September holiday. Life, and in particular, work, has got a bit in the way this week, so that you'll have to do with just the one post instead of the two I kind of promised you. 

It'll be mainly outfits you'll get to see too, which I'm quite sure you won't mind. After all, back in the mist of time - about eight and a half years ago, to be exactly - this blog was started as a vintage and second-hand clothing inspired one!

There will be no less than eight outfits in this post, so do sit back, grab a drink and perhaps a little snack, and enjoy the ride.

We were blessed with some gorgeously sunny days and highs of 25°C in the first week of August, with the exception of Tuesday when the weather gods cranked up the heating to a sweltering 30°C.

I managed to stay relatively cool courtesy of a wildflower meadow and plenty of ice cream.

In a crisp floral cotton adorned with two fuchsia pink crocheted lace strips at the hem, the maxi skirt - a cheeky C&A buy in May 2022, is exactly the right length for me and an absolute joy to wear. It was joined by the green ice cream cone patterned Only t-shirt I charity shopped earlier this year.

A wide fuchsia pink suede belt (last year's Summer sale bargain) and charity shopped necklace and straw flower brooch completed my outfit.

Almost as certain as night follows day, a thunderstorm often follows in the wake of a hot Summer's day.

The rain continued into Wednesday morning before the sun did away with the clouds and warmed things up again to around 24°C.

The dress I was wearing that day is a bit of an oddity. In fact, it is more like a glorified apron than a dress, but just look at those details. I fell in love with its printed cotton fabric edged with red piping and that's before I noticed that it's got real pockets! 

However, its fabric was quite stiff, as it was probably starched within an inch of its life, so that wearing it felt like wearing a dress made of sandpaper. Nothing a spin in the washing machine couldn't rectify though!

Its accessories were mostly of the red variety to tie in with the red piping, although I did add a splash of blue by way of the vintage swallow brooch I found on that flea market in Middelburg at the end of July.

My red and cream slingback shoes had many admirers. They have been in my wardrobe for many years and although I know they were bought in the Summer sales, I actually don't remember where or when, which makes me think that it was pre-blog.

Friday was the start of another one of my three-day weekends, which have been nothing short of a blessing. Whenever I close the office door behind me of a Thursday evening, I'm glad that I finally took the plunge to apply for a so-called landing job, which enables employees to work only 4 days a week from age 60 onwards until they retire, with an additional bonus from the government for the 5th day.

Anyway, back to Friday the 9th of August, when I wore this skirt, which could very well end up being my most worn this Summer. Picked up from the Green Ice outlet shop near my office back in February, it accompanied me to Shropshire where I wore it twice, and it has now been added to next week's travelling wardrobe as well.

I found the brooch at the April edition of the indoor flea market, the necklace was a charity shop find, and the stretchy belt, one of the latest additions to my collection, came from a high street shop's closing down sale.

As our neighbour had received another delivery of building materials and we were expecting yet another round of neighbourly noise over the weekend, we plotted our escape.

Creatures of habit that we are, Saturday saw us driving over the border to Middelburg again. This time, though, we took a picnic as our plans involved going for a walk along the town's former defence bastions known as the bolwerken. But not before sampling a glass of that delicious non-alcoholic Trappist beer on the terrace of our favourite café!

It was while we are sitting there that Jos lamented the fact that he'd omitted to bring his jacket, which was still in the car. 

Rather than making another round trip to pick it up, we went to have a look in the gentlemen's outlet shop across the street, where we were overjoyed to find a fabulous blue, white striped linen-blend jacket from a high end label at a steeply reduced price. Happens to be that, after the demise of his charity shopped linen-blend H&M jacket we had been looking for something similar for absolutely ages!

Armed with the jacket as well as our picnic, we made our way towards the bolwerken, now filled with greenery and an oasis of calm and forming a green star around the town.

These elevated fortifications date from the 16th century and at the time provide a good view over the city in times of trouble. Around 1845, they were converted into a city park in English landscape style. With a total distance of 4 kilometres, it is one of the longest parks in the Netherlands. 

En route, we passed the Seismolen, a corn mill dating from 1728, which was actually working at the time of our visit, possibly in honour of the food truck festival which taking place nearby.

The path also skirted a Jewish cemetery, with a Jugendstil cleansing house dating from 1900. 

We left the bolwerken before reaching the end, preferring to make our way into the town centre via the Koepoort (Cow Gate) dating from 1735, the only surviving one of Middelburg's original eight town gates.

Before ending up at our favourite tearoom for cappuccinos and cakes, we briefly visited the Oostkerk

(East Church). Built in 1648, it is a prime example of Protestant Baroque architecture. The church has a distinctive octagonal shape and a domed tower. Nowadays, it is used for concerts, lectures and exhibitions.

After Saturday's intermezzo, it's back to more outfits. 

Sunday's was a viscose floral maxi skirt and striped frilly-sleeved top combo, both of which were supplied by the charity shops. The top is by high end label Essentiel Antwerp.

With its highs of 35°C, Monday was the hottest day of the year. As only the flimsiest of layers would do, I grabbed the recently charity shopped lightweight cotton Grace & Mila frock from its hanger. The necessary ventilation was provided by its floaty butterfly sleeves while supplying some coverage from the sun while on my way home.

It was still hot on Tuesday, although at 32°C slightly less so than on Monday. By the end of the day, I was feeling quite nauseous and the all-day aircon at the office had left both of my eyes dry and irritated, which no amount of lubricating eye drops was able to soothe. Consequently I wasn't in the mood for outfit photos and I actually haven't got the faintest idea what I was wearing that day.

Courtesy of an overnight thunderstorm it had cooled down to a more bearable 27°C on Wednesday, although I was still not feeling my best. 

I escaped the airconditioned office during lunch break for the usual mid-week cappuccinos with Inez at Think Twice's coffee corner.  Apparently, they'd repainted some of the walls in a moody charcoal grey, which I quite liked, but Inez didn't. The comfy chairs beneath the Billie Holiday lookalike with her vinyl hairdo is where we usually sit.

We had a whirlwind look at the rails and then walked to one of their other shops, which is virtually around the corner. Here I pounced upon a King Louie blouse, which you'll get to see in a minute.

The dress with its squiggly green stripes and solid white collar and cuffs was a Think Twice find in July 2023 and for once I didn't replace the self-fabric belt it came with. 

I'm a big lover of pink and green so the beaded necklace and plastic ring were no-brainers. As was the flower-embroidered brooch (this one) which I found in a Shrewsbury antiques centre in June 2019.

If you are wondering what Bess is looking at, this is where her food bowls usually are. We briefly removed them for the photos, which got her all confused.

Picking up the photo-bombing minx so that Jos could take a photo of the two of us wasn't much to madam's liking ...

Now you see us ...

... now you don't!

I absolutely love our new outfit photo spot in front of our vintage kitchen cupboard and I wonder why we didn't think of this before.

My final outfit dates from Thursday the 15th of August, which is a public holiday in Belgium, meaning that I had an extra day off.

Blue and green is another favourite combo of mine. Both colours come together in the King Louie pussy-bow blouse I found at Think Twice on Wednesday. The cotton Paisley print skirt was charity shopped last year, while the belt was a retail buy between Lockdowns in 2020. Can't get my head around the fact that this was four years ago already!

And now, if you'll excuse me, I've got packing to finish. The eternal dilemma on what to take!

Take care, and I'll see you on the other side!

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!