Two castles and a dragon

On Tuesday the 2nd of July, the day after our aqueduct adventure, we decided to stay a bit closer to home and go to Shrewsbury for the day, once again making use of the excellent Park and Ride system.

The bus dropped us off at the Barker Street stop, which is only a short walk from both the town's main shopping streets and the river. And the river is where we were headed.

A blanket of grey clouds, with just a watery sun playing peek-a-boo once or twice, prompted my outfit of choice for the day, which you'll get to see in more detail in a minute.

So, from the bus stop, we walked into the direction of the river, which we crossed by way of the Welsh Bridge. On our right, on Frankwell Quay, loomed the Theatre Severn, a contemporary riverside theatre which was opened in 2009.

Looking behind us, we caught a glimpse of the The Quantum Leap, the coil-like sculpture in the middle of the photo on the bottom right, which was unveiled to mark Darwin’s bicentenary in 2009.

Charles Darwin is Shrewsbury's most famous son, who was born in the town on 12th February 1809.

Frankwell, one of Shrewsbury's oldest suburbs, is lying adjacent to the River Severn.

We were off to visit Rosie, at Rosie's Emporium, an eco-friendly, zero waste grocery shop. I befriended Rosie on Facebook after following her shop's progress on a page called For The Love of Shropshire, so we thought it was time we got acquainted in real life.

The shop is a delight and so is Rosie who, upon learing of my blog, presented me with a funky polyester top! 

Having purchased some juicy peaches and a glass-bottled drink, we re-crossed the river and had what Vix would call a "slap-up 'Spoons lunch" at the local Wetherspoons, The Shrewsbury Hotel.

After walking off our lunch with a stroll around the town and taking in some of the by now familiar sights, we went in search of an antiques centre we'd spotted last year, but hadn't had time to visit.

And here's a peek of what I was wearing! The maxi skirt was making its second appearance of the holiday, this time combined with a long-sleeved tunic top. The top, with its little bow tie, started life as a mini dress. It was languishing in my wardrobe as I never wore it, so I gave it a little make-over. I'm quite pleased with the result, just don't look too closely or you'll notice my wonky stitching!

I added a yellow, round-buckled belt to accentuate my waist and pinned a large, blush pinkand green flower brooch to it. On top, the delightful Zara blazer I picked up on Saturday in a Welshpool charity shop.

It's at this antiques centre that we spotted the boring beige version of that fabulous red telephone we'd found that weekend. We were especially chuffed that this one had a considerably higher price tag!

After some browsing, I bought three brooches and an intriguing looking book with lifestyle lessons from the 1930s. 

The pair of pink and floral sneakers were just £ 5 in a charity shop and must have been waiting for me as they weren't only my size, but perfectly suited to my taste and style. Plus, no white soles!

On the bottom right is Rosie's funky top.

We ended the afternoon at the redundant St. Mary's church, with one of the tallest spires in England, which has been dominating Shrewsbury's skyline for over 500 years.

The church is the only complete medieval church in Shrewsbury. Its origin dates back to Saxon times and it has beautiful additions from the 12th century onwards.

At the back, there is a café, where we indulged ourselves with cakes and the inevitable cappuccinos.

The sun was out in full force again on Wednesday, when we planned to revisit some old favourites.

We first visited Stokesay Castle, an English Heritage property in the town of Craven Arms in South Shropshire, many years ago when we were staying across the border in Herefordshire.

Our visit back then was marred by rain, so this one was in total contrast.

Picturesque Stokesay Castle is one of the finest and best-preserved fortied medieval manor houses in England.

One if its most striking features is the 17th century timber-framed gatehouse, which has beautifully ornate carvings in its frame.

The magnificent Great Hall has remained unchanged for over 700 years. The fine timber roof and staircase, with treads cut from whole tree trunks, all show the same carpenters' mark from 1291.

Inside the solar, there is an exquisite overmantel carved with fruit, flowers and figures, which you can see on the bottom right of the below collage. Once brightly coloured it still has traces of the original red, green and gold paint. 

It's quite a climb to the top of the fairy-tale South Tower, the most castle-like part of the site.

Emboldened by my excursion on the aqueduct, I confidently climbed its narrow, winding staircase, but was nevertheless relieved to find high battlements and a solid, non-see-through, wooden floor.

Breathtaking views of the property and the Shropshire Hills beyond were our reward!

The photo above also offers the opportunity of a better look at my outfit, consisting of a 1940s style floral Summer frock, accessorized with a blue belt and necklace and a pink plastic ring. 

Wearing my new-to-me sneakers for the first time, I can tell you that not only do they look fabulous, they are fabulously comfortable as well!

After lunch - we'd brought a picnic - a 15-minute drive took us to Ludlow, a bustling black and white market town which is another old favourite. In fact, our last visit only dates from last year.

Our last visit to its castle, however, dates back to our Herefordshire days, so we thought it was well overdue another visit.

I'm left in no doubt that the weather wasn't up to scratch back then, but on this warm and sundrenched afternoon we took shelter within the coolness of its walls.

Guarded by both the Rivers Teme and Corve, the castle stands prominently on high ground, able to resist attack from would-be invaders from across the Welsh border.

Ludlow Castle, which started life as a Norman fortress, was extended over the centuries to become a fortified Royal Palace, passing through several generations of the de Lacy and Mortimer families to Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York.

It became crown property in 1461 and remained a royal castle for the next 350 years.

The round tower-like structure are actually the romantic remains of the 11th century Norman Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene. 

Abandoned in 1689, the castle quickly fell into ruin, described as "the very perfection of decay" by Daniel Defoe, most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe.

Since 1811, the castle has been owned by the Earls of Powis, who have arrested further decline, and allowed this magnificent historical monument to be open to the public.

Tired after exploring the exentensive ruins, I climbed into this giant wooden throne to rest my weary feet.

In a shady corner, this fierce but rather comical dragon was guarding its lair. She turned out to be the protagonist of the Great Easter Dragon Egg Hunt held back in April. I thought she looked quite at home in the castle ruins!

After the obvious refreshments, we walked back to our car, which was parked at the other end of the town. 

I couldn't resist a quick look inside one final charity shop, where I unearthed this gorgeous Phase Eight jumpsuit. It poses logistical problems, as it closes with a zip in the back, but hey, it's got pockets!

The hat on the left, made in London for a Ludlow shop based on The Bull Ring, was picked up in another charity shop earlier that day.

I'm sad to say that my travelogue is nearing its end, so before regaling you with our final adventures, I will return with another outfit based post next time.

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!

A stream in the sky

We reached our holiday half-way mark on the last Sunday of June, when we were able to look back at a week full of adventure, with still a whole week of unknown pleasures in front of us.

Initially, the sun was playing hooky, but there was a gap in the clouds by late morning, leaving us with a warm and humid day. Too warm, in any case, for all the layers I was wearing.

We were off to Dudmaston near Bridgnorth again, the estate we visited during our blogger meet-up the week before. As we'd only had time to visit the house that day, we'd scheduled a return visit to explore the gardens, perhaps including a walk around the estate.

Setting off on the winding, single-track country lane which would take us to the nearest A road, little did we know that our journey would be a complicated one. Upon reaching the main road, there were signs warning us of a road closure but, stubborn as we are, we ignored the diversion signs, as this would take us into the opposite direction.

Obviously, upon reaching the actual road closure, we had to admit defeat and make a U-turn. Still persisting in being stubborn, we decided to make our own diversion with the help of our silly Satnav which, as anyone could have told us, didn't end well and made us drive around in circles.

Finally, with the aid of a good old road map - and a little help from my phone's GPS - we were set on the right track, arriving at Dudmaston about 45 minutes later than planned.

As it was lunch time by then, we took the picnic we'd brought with us and, while Jos secured a table under an apple tree in the orchard, I joined the queue for drinks.

After exploring the stables and courtyard, and a circuit of the walled garden, we walked down the sweeping lawns towards the water garden and the lake beyond, which is aptly called Big Pool.

As the weather didn't look too promising when we set out, I decided to wear another pair of trousers, which makes three in just under a week. The pair I'm wearing here was charity shopped on our short break to Bruges back in April. I don't remember where I bought the top, which I've had for absolutely ages, but the cardigan, another King Louie piece, was a charity shop find as well.

As it was a Sunday, there were lots of families visiting the estate, so in order to get away from the hordes of screaming children, we followed a trail downhill to The Dingle for a walk of just under a mile.

The Dingle is a rare and important landscape, a feature typical of the Picturesque movement in garden design that first became fashionable in the late 18th century. The idea was to create an artificial landcape that looked natural, with paths, seats and bridges, to encourage walkers to pause and take in the views.

After leaving the shade of The Dingle, we passed Mill Pond, which was all but obscured by reeds, before reaching Big Pool Dam. The trail then continued along the banks of Big Pool, eventually passing a boathouse, then crossing a meadow leading back towards the garden and hall.

I've included a close-up of my trousers, as Jos kept insisting there was a wilted dandelion on my bum!

Properly restored by afternoon tea, in our case substituted by coffee, we rejoined our car for the return journey, map at the ready to tackle any road closures. 

I guess I don't have to tell you that once again we got a bit lost. At one point, we followed a diversion which took us to the town of Church Stretton where we stopped to get our bearings. As some of the charity shops were open for business, we went for a little browse, leading to the purchase of this rather fabulous raincoat.

Back on the road again, we kept ignoring the silly Satnav as it kept nudging us into the direction of The Burway, a steep and scary road which would take us straight over the Long Mynd. We accidentally took this road last year and weren't all too keen on repeating the experience!

So we kept on driving on the busy main road until the silly Satnav finally proposed a safer alternative.

We still had to tackle a few narrow up and down roads, which rewarded us with some spectacular views, but finally made it home in one piece, if pretty frazzled.

On Monday, we had something quite different in mind. The day's itinerary took us to the Northern reaches of Shropshire, eventually crossing the border into North Wales.

Our aim was to go on a boat trip. Not just an oridinary boat trip, mind you, but one which would take us across a stream in the sky. I can see a few raised eyebrows here, but bear with me, as all will soon be revealed.

Once off the main road, we followed directions to a wharf along the LLangollen Canal belonging to Jones the Boats, who offers boat trips on their tradional, brightly decorated narrowboat, the Eirlys.

Here, we booked tickets for the 11 am departure.

They said to remember to bring your camera and a head for heights. No wonder I'm looking just a wee bit apprehensive here!

I was wearing a jade green vintage frock with a floral print featuring white, light green, yellow and pink, the latter prompting me to wear a pink cardigan on top, while choosing various shades of green for my accessories. I admit I was a bit green around the gills as well!

Once on board, we settled ourselves in our seats for the trip which would take us across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which takes the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in the scenic Vale of Llangollen.

After leaving the wharf, we made our way at a walking pace towards Trevor Basin, which is located next to the aqueduct, where we had to wait our turn, as there's only space for one narrowboat at a time. The system is that the closest boat enters and the others wait.

Pontcysyllte is the longest aqueduct in the UK and, at 38 meters high, it is the highest canal aqueduct in the world. And now that we're talking measurements, it is 307 meters long, 3.7 meters wide and just 1,6 meters deep.

Designed and built by Thomas Telford and Williams Jessop, Pontcysyllte means 'the bridge that connects'. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure was completed in 1805 having taken ten years to design and build.

Even though there's only a railing next to the towpath and there's quite a steep drop next to the canal itself, crossing the aqueduct by narrowboat wasn't nearly as scary as I'd imagined it would be.

At our turning point, I even swapped places with one of the people who originally sat outside in the front before recrossing the aqueduct.

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and 11 miles of the Llangollen canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its name is Welsh, obviously, and quite a tongue breaker - it is pronounced Pont–ker-sulth-teh - so no wonder that it's called 'Ponty' for short.

Back at the wharf after our 45-minute trip, we had a picnic before returning to Trevor Basin, where there is a Visitor Centre and where you can watch the coming and going of the busy canal traffic.

And look, here's our boat again. I stopped to wave at Ruth, our wonderful and knowledgeable captain's mate and guide.

From Trevor Basin, there's a woodland path descending all the way to the River Dee, which we took, catching several glimpses of the aqueduct along the way.

After negotiating a rather steep flight of steps, we finally arrived at the river bed, from where the aqueduct was revealed in its full glory.

Look at those toy narrowboat and Lilliput people crossing it!

Once we'd climbed all the way up to Trevor Basin again, Jos took a breather while I was feeling brave and foolhardy enough to venture onto the aqueduct's canal towpath.

I must admit that, in spite of the high railing, I didn't walk very far, as my legs turned into jelly almost instantly. There was no way I would have crossed and recrossed it on foot!

But I did manage a couple of photographs before turning back to safety. The view is really quite breathtaking from up there!

We finished our day with a short visit to tourist honeypot Llangollen, but we've promised ourselves a full day to explore the town and its surrounding scenery next year.

We did manage a browse in a charity shop though, where I found this gorgeous peacock feather brooch.

And that's all for today's episode. We'll be safely back onto ground level next time!