The joys of July

Oh devious July, why do you keep playing these games with us? Worse than April you are, with your fickleness and stale April showers. Are those the only tricks you have up your sleeve, I wonder. I am  craving a string of balmy Summer days, a gentle breeze carrying the scents of gardens in full bloom, and only the lightest of showers, preferably overnight.

But no, as if we haven't been taunted enough by that horrible pandemic, you are adding insult to injury with your out-of-sync Autumnal weather. Enough is enough!

A sunny morning it was on Tuesday before last, but with enough of a chill to wear a cardi over my short-sleeved dress. Vertically striped in navy on white, the dress has the added bonus of a generous sprinkling of red and pink flowers. These seem to be drifting down towards the hem, where they are joined by navy ones and a layer of green leaves.

While Jos was doing the twice-weekly food shop, I walked into the village to pick up our ration of free face mask filters at the village hall. At this time of year, the village would normally be a hive of frenetic activity as a result of a fair, but as this was cancelled due to obvious reasons, all was quiet. It was quiet at the village hall too, as it turned out they were closed due to the ... non-existing fair! I wasn't the only one fuming inwardly at finding the doors firmly locked.

But I did get to admire the fabulous front garden of the vicarage. Well, we do not actually have vicars or vicarages here in Belgium, but this is its equivalent, I presume. Whatever the case, that front garden is glorious and whoever designed and planted it definitely earns my approval.

Bees were a-buzzing, both here and in our own little patch where, in spite of being spoiled for choice, they are often making a literal bee-line for one and the same flower, sometimes buzzing angrily at each other. There's more than enough for all of you, so no need to fight, you guys. Easy does it!

The Echinacea seems to be a magnet for all kinds of butterflies, and there must be quite a few chocoholics among the bevy of bees, as they appear to have taken a particular liking to our Chocolate Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus). Monarda or Bergamot is another firm favourite with the buzzy creatures.

After lunch, I pottered around the garden while Jos was going on his second mission of the day: picking up our new car from the garage. As already hinted a week or two ago, we'd been thinking of buying a new car. Taking advantage of the huge discount offered by the car dealership on their current stock, we took the plunge and traded our faithful Ford Fiesta for a newer model.

As it looked set to remain dry, we took her for a little drive to the Art Deco water tower in a neighbouring village, the perfect decor for her first state portraits.

Built in 1938, the water tower was bought by the council in 2008 and turned into a viewpoint in 2012.

There was nobody else around, so we climbed the scary steps inside the steel structure tacked onto the tower, towards the viewing platform on the top.

The low, squat building, which is merely ten meters in height, might seem remarkably low for a water tower. However, it was built on the highest point of the area's clay formation, forty meters above sea level, which allowed it to fully function as a water tower.

The view is breathtaking, and on a clear day, the top of the Atomium in Brussels, about 30 kilometers away, can be spotted. This day, however, wasn't one of them so, instead, we took in the surrounding landscape. Originally scarred by centuries of clay extraction, it is now slowly but surely being reclaimed by nature.

The still working clay pit immediately below is a lone survivor of the once flourishing brick making industry.

It was a blustery day, the wind chasing away the lurking rain clouds as well as attempting to make off with my lightweight floral scarf.

A vintage pink floral Trevira jacket - a gift from Vix - was added on top of the cardigan, and was accessorized with a white vinyl belt and a dusky pink flower corsage.

There's a small picnic garden with some benches next to the tower, with steps climbing up to a semi-circular walkway offering a view of the landscape for vertigo sufferers and those not nimble enough to climb all the way up to platform. The garden is flanked by a bank of ornamental grasses which acts as a windbreak, making it perfect for picnics and outfit photos alike.

Wednesday was another office day on which heavy showers were rife. These briefly diminished to a drizzle during lunch break, which I took advantage of by paying a short visit to one of Antwerp's hidden architectural gems, which happens to be just a stone's throw from my office.

The building is question is the Handelsbeurs or former Stock Exchange building, which first opened in 1531 and was the first Stock Exchange in Europe. 

Having stood empty for 22 years, it has recently reopened after long and intensive renovations.

The main hall of the building has been turned into a covered courtyard where people can enjoy a bite to eat or stop by for a drink. The area can also be used for events. On the first floor the former trading rooms have been converted into facilities for meetings and exhibitions.

As this was a spur of the moment visit, I was unprepared and only had my phone's camera at my disposal which, frankly speaking, was inadequate to capture the grandeur of the place.

My visit brought back some happy memories, though, as I've been to more than a few gigs and parties here back in the late 70's and early '80s.

I'm planning on paying a return visit with my proper camera. Perhaps by then the first floor galleries, which were now closed to the general public for an exhibition, can be accessed.

Thursday was another grey and dismal day but thankfully the rain, which had been persistent overnight, had virtually stopped by morning.

The dullness of the day needed to be lifted by a bright frock, my choice of the day being this textured polyester one which has an orange abstract print on a pale peachy background. It is further enhanced by orange buttons as well as a massive collar and fake pocket tabs. 

I think it came with a matching belt, but I preferred using a navy leather one from my stash. Further accessories featured navy as well: a necklace of sculpted plastic discs, spotty and stripy bangles and a floral brooch, which has navy, yellow and red flowers on a purple background.

The overnight showers had studded our garden with sparkling raindrops. These were neatly caught by the saucer-like Nasturtium leaves, which have finally decided to do what I sowed them for in the first place, which is climbing the wood pile and wall next to our bench.

A baby Aquilegia had nestled itself in a marble-filled pot. Time to harvest the rest of the seed pods, which I sprinkled around liberally. As if they aren't self-seeding like mad anyway.

After lunch, we pointed our car into the direction of a local open-air plant nursery, in the hope of finding some Kniphofias a.k.a. red hot pokers, as these weren't available at our usual garden centre.

There weren't any here either, and the nursery, which we used to visit on a regular basis many years ago, was an overall disappointment. Still we took pity on a handful of sorry looking perennials which were going cheap.

On our way back, we passed a small, out of the way charity shop, which was one of our regular haunts before lockdown. We've never known it to be busy, and this time was no exception, so we stopped for a browse.

I found an unworn vintage Trevira skirt, which will make an appearance in my next post. There was a box full of deadstock opaques in various colours, from which I made a selection. Who knows I might need them sooner than expected if Summer continues to have its wicked ways.

Our final purchase was this cheerfully striped Thermos flask for our collection, which I was able to photograph during a rare sunny moment in the garden.

So, that was it for now. I'll be back with the next episode in a couple of days. In the meantime, I am counting on you all to stay safe, sane and as positive as possible. I'll keep my side of the bargain, and do the same.

Bumbling along

Although I'm feeling much better by now and the tears have dried up for the time being, my mood is still a bit all over the place. I'm fidgety and unable to settle to anything, and I'm feeling as if I've been just bumbling along lately.  Sometimes, hours seem to have passed and whole mornings wasted away without having done very much at all. The strange thing is, I can think of a million and one things to do, but I simply can't seem to get started.

My non-working days get kick-started by our usual fruit and yoghurt breakfast, which is then followed by one of my greatest pleasures: choosing my outfit for the day! But lately even that seems to take longer than usual. I'm endlessly dithering over what to wear and when that is finally decided, choosing my accessories often involves a lot of trial and error until I'm happy with the result. This eternal indecisiveness really does my head in.

No doubts about this dress, though. A Think Twice sales bargain back in  March 2019, in a mix of solid green and white on green chevrons, it instantly caught my eye when I opened the wardrobe doors on Friday before last. Wearing my favourite colour always makes thing better!

There was also no doubt that I would be wearing red with it, so I started by replacing the dress's matching belt with a red vinyl one with a large plastic buckle.  I think I tried about five red beaded necklaces, though, until I finally decided on this one. 

The floral brooch, which includes Edelweiss and Gentian, is vintage and was a flea market find.

On my wrist, a red plastic bangle and chunky green bracelet, a charity shop find and a rare retail buy respectively. 

The red suede shoes are Tamaris and were charity shopped as well.

The weather that day was another mix of clouds, patches of sunshine and the odd shower. 

We were on our way to the garden centre when we passed the charity shop on the outskirts of our village. As the car park seemed relatively empty, we decided to go for it, so we donned our masks, grabbed a sanitized cart and tentatively walked inside.

Even though all shops here in Belgium have re-opened on 18 May, this was our very first visit to a charity shop since before lockdown, as we'd decided to wait until the first rush to the shops was over.

This particular shop which, as most charity shops here in Belgium, is a lot larger than the average UK charity shop by way of comparison, was an oasis of calm. Being back there felt strange and familiar at the same time, and Jos aptly remarked it was a bit like being on a school trip.

While Jos bought a coffee from the vending machine in the cafeteria, I browsed the well-stocked clothing aisles, quickly finding a cherry print dress from retro label Zoë Loveborn, and a funky print long-sleeved River Woods top.

We'd already added the set of Miss Marple DVD's to our cart after we'd just walked in and I grabbed the three-strand necklace form the jewellery display on our way to the checkout.

As everything went smoothly, it was a positive experience overall. So much so that in the meantime we have visited two other shops which we considered spacious enough to be safe.

We continued to the garden centre, where we bought another batch of bread mix and a box of copper tape to safeguard our precious patio plants against the onslaught of slugs. I was very good, as only one plant came home with me: Agastache 'Apricot Sprite'. It's got the tiniest of orange flowers and apricot scented leaves.

As we were treated to a rare patch of sunshine, we had another mid-afternoon snack of homemade scones with jam and cream, which we enjoyed at our little table in the courtyard.

Taking advantage of the lull between showers, I did some well-needed deadheading and tidying up, finding a pair of Siamese twinned Osteospermums and the first flower in our ancient Clematis viticella 'Etoile Violette'.

Saturday's weather couldn't have be more despressive if it tried. Grey, rainy and windy, and with a temperature drop of several degrees, a return to long sleeves was the order of the day.

I rescued this vintage skirt from a box of unsold flea market items back in April and, funnily enough, I wore a similarly coloured blouse with it back then, only with short sleeves. There really is no rhyme nor reason to the seasons!

The flower infused blouse I wore with it on Saturday is Esprit by way of a charity shop. Both the belt and wooden beads were charity shopped as well, while the brooch was yet again a flea market find.

After lunch, we went into garden to put copper tape on some of the worst affected pots. I removed the sorry remains of the Petunias from the Echinacea pot and replaced them with a pink small-flowered Pelargonium we bought the other week.

Meanwhile, Jos did some pruning and trimming, which included removing some of the wild shoots from our Spirea shrub, so that we can now see the table of plants next to the bench from our kitchen window. However, soon it started raining again which put an end to our gardening plans.

Fully intending to do some dusting, I traipsed upstairs, making a start with the desks in our spare room. Apart from a thorough clean, they needed some clearing and reorganization of the accumulated clutter.

I'm writing my blog posts from our main laptop, which we've acquired just before lockdown. This is the one with the blue spotty cover fashioned from a vintage tablecloth. It is sitting on our main desk, which also has our scanner/printer as well as an old-fashioned desk lamp. Our old laptop, which I'm still using to upload my photographs, is sitting on a desktop custom made by my late Dad, fitting neatly between the main desk and the bookcase, which is off-screen on the right. The funky fabric is hiding an unsightly fuse box.

On the top left and bottom right are toddler photographs of me and Jos, while our homemade mouse mat has a collage of family photographs from both sides.

The tin on the bottom left used to belong to my Mum and has been roped in to house USB sticks.

In fact, there's a whole battery of boxes and tins providing storage for a multitude of items.

All were charity shop or flea market finds, except for the one on the top right, which was a gift from Tania, one of our favourite flea market sellers.

This tin, which came with a tiny key, holds a selection of family photographs ready to be scanned. It might look a bit worse for wear, but aren't those decorations delightful?

Sunday's weather was a complete repeat of Saturday's. 

My journal says I did some deadheading in the drizzle, washed my hair, removed the residue of the orange nail polish from my toenails in readiness for a new colour which didn't happen, and caught up with the world of blogging.

To lift the overall dullness of the day, I opted for this pink Diolen delight, with a print of yellow and orange green-leaved flowers.

For my accessories, I couldn't choose between these colours, so I decided to use them all: yellow for my belt, orange for my ring and flower corsage and green for my beaded necklace.

Sandals have been banished to the back of the shoe cupboard for now, and I'm once again embracing ankle boots. In this weather, I have been known to wear nylons, but decided to be brave and go bare-legged that day.

But whatever the weather, the garden remains a true sensory delight, and a sight for sore eyes, even if it can only be enjoyed from our kitchen window!

Here's to hoping for sunnier days to come, in every sense of the word.

Taking a rain check

The mini-heatwave of the last week of June has come and gone and left much cooler weather in its wake, with no shortage of showers and a tempestuous wind.

By Tuesday before last, Summer had done a disappearing act and, quite worryingly, had taken along a good chunk of my positivity, leaving me with a bit of a wobble. Monday's office day had been rather hectic and, in spite of a good night's sleep, I was still feeling tired in the morning. On top of that, the merest thing seemed to cause tiny tears to flow.

I'm happy to say that my mood improved greatly during the day. Still, I ended up looking red-eyed and puffy-faced in most of the outfit photos we took, so it isn't a coincidence that I'm not facing the camera in the photos I selected for this post.

My Diolen frock might have been a great help in cheering me up that day, with its joyful red, lime green and sky blue floral print. I bought it several years ago from a delightful shop in Antwerp called Vintage Styling, which sadly stopped trading in 2016. Incidentally, the beads I'm wearing came from another shop which closed down around the same time. Losing those two shops within only a couple of months was a real blow to the system back then!

Both the C&A polka dot cardigan and the sky blue double-pronged belt were charity shopped while the dragonfly brooch was a flea market find. 

The grey and rainy day was briefly interrupted by a sunny episode. Still not much in the mood for anything at all, I walked into the garden and spotted a flash of orange on one of the Echinacea flowers. Intrigued, I tiptoed closer and was met with the sight of a beautiful spotty butterfly with exquisitely scalloped wings. I turned heel and ran inside for my camera, fully expecting it to be gone upon my return. But it wasn't, and what's more, it willingly posed for a series of snaps, even allowing me to come really close.

Not knowing the first thing about butterflies, I found an online butterfly identification guide which told me it was a Comma (Polygonia c-album).

The encounter with the Comma had made me feel somewhat better, but unfortunately any further garden explorations were cut short by the arrival of more rain.

After lunch, I pottered around upstairs, reorganizing some of my stuff and trying to come up with better storage solutions. Apart from my wardrobes (note the plural!) and a chest of drawers, I have several vintage suitcases, beauty cases and baskets which hold smaller items like socks, tights, belts and underwear. My vintage slips and half slips live in a small suitcase, but as I wanted easier access to the ones I'm using the most, I was looking for a handy bag or basket, some of which are stored in yet another suitcase.

I soon found a suitable bag, a tapestry one with cats, which I forgot to photograph, but here are some of the others I came across, some of which I'm ashamed to admit I'd completely forgotten about.

These are just part of my collection of baskets. All but one were charity shopped (the top left one from a shop in Bridgnorth, Shropshire). The vintage basket on the bottom right came from one of the shops which closed down in 2016.

These bags and purses were all from Think Twice, except for the red one with the raffia flowers on the bottom right, which was a fairly recent charity shop find from just before lockdown.

Again, three of these beauties are Think Twice finds. The one on the bottom right, however, is rather special, as it was a gift from Vix. 

I think it's high time I give it another outing. In fact, all but a handful of baskets, totes and handbags are in current use, as I simply don't have that many places to take them to.

If my memory serves me right, the blue and pink bamboo-handled bag was also from one of those long-gone vintage shops. The elongated wicker handbag on the top right was a charity shop find. We picked up the green, pink and cream raffia bag from one of our favourite flea market sellers, while the small black crocheted bag was yet again from Think Twice.

Wednesday's office day was a veritable washout of a day, with non-stop rain from dawn until late afternoon. I was at my desk at 7.30 as I needed to take time off around lunch break to go to the hairdresser's. It's such a relief to be able to go for regular cuts again. 

A sunny start of the day on Thursday and I'm happy say I was in a much sunnier frame of mind by now.

Browsing through my dresses, I was drawn to the gorgeous blue colour of this Diolen dress with its sprinkling of yellow, orange and white flowers. I have its twin in 

I was debating whether to add a belt or not, in the end opting for a zebra print one, a retail bargain back in November last year. Trawling through my blog, I was quite amazed at how many time it has been worn already.

The vintage daisy brooch was from the Brooch Lady, while the bangle and bracelet were both charity shop finds. I can't remember where the beads, which always remind me of bubble gum balls, came from, but it might again be from one those closed down vintage shops.

The morning was spent doing some well-needed deadheading and tidying up in the garden. 

I'd been eyeing the Nasturtium seeds I'd sown in empty loo rolls back in May, as a safety net in case the ones I'd sown directly into the garden didn't materialize.They had all come up so it was about time I did something with the poor loo roll plants. Casting around for a suitable receptacle I hit upon the idea of planting them in a leaking watering can which was wasting away in the passageway. As the bottom had split, drainage was assured!

I hardly had time to finish the job before it starting pelting down again.

When I mentioned Jos's gooseberry jam in a blog post the other week, Suzy commented that she thought it would be yummy on scones. Never known to dismiss a good idea, we added self-raising flour to Jos's shopping list for that day, as the bag lurking a the back of our store cupboard turned out to be well past its use-by date. We should really make an effort to do more baking, as we actually both love it.

Although we are in possession of a food processor, inherited from my Dad, we opted to make the dough by hand. We've been using the same tried and tested recipe for years and it has never once let us down. They might look what we call a bit "rustic" but I can assure you they're delicious.

We had a lovely tea-time treat two days running, putting generous dollops of cream on top of the jam. As we always make far too many, we put the rest of the scones in the freezer for a rainy day.

The weather continued to thwart our gardening plans for the rest of the weekend.

If you've got proper Summer weather where you are, please do send some our way!

I'll be back in a couple of days as usual, but in the meantime, do stay safe and sane!

Down leafy paths

If it weren't for the green canopy of the birch tree across the street, the sight that greets me when I'm glancing out of my window today could very well be that of an Autumn day. With a leaden sky as a backdrop, the birch tree's branches are swaying like windscreen wipers at full speed, the blustery wind rustling its leaves. Intermittently, the wind is joined by showers. The raindrops pattering on the skylight behind me are enough to make me shiver and grab for my cardigan.

What a difference with a week ago on Friday! With the thermometer clocking a stifling 32°C, it was a question of un-layering rather than layering. First wearing of this handmade cotton maxi frock, an end-of-sales bargain at Think Twice at the tail end of last Summer.

With its flattering white on navy diagonal stripes and smattering of flower clusters featuring pops of fresh green, there was no need to add a belt. The length was just right for me as well: its original owner must have been as vertically challenged as me! 

I kept my accessories to a strict minimum, adding just a longer beaded necklace, repeating the blue and green and adding brown as an accent colour, and a large green butterfly brooch.

The weather forecast was looking quite dire for the day, promising torrential rain and possibly 3-centimeter hail stones for the afternoon. Not wanting to be caught out in such inclement weather, we made our weekly trip to the garden centre by mid-morning.

The quest was for some Pelargoniums or annual Geraniums to replace some of our patio plants which were doing poorly. The pink Dahlia which had been shining brightly on our kitchen window ledge turned out to be riddled with leaf miners. Then, one of the plants I'd knocked off the crate, and which initially seemed to be unharmed, wilted and died within a couple of days.

But unless I walk through the garden centre's greenhouses blindfolded, I cannot help but be seduced by plants which aren't on my shopping list.

I'd hardly walked in when I spotted pots of well-developed Astrantias (top left and bottom right). This perennial, commonly known as Masterwort, has long been a favourite of mine. The Dutch name for them is Zeeuws Knoopje (translated as Zeeland button), a reference to its resemblance to the collar stud buttons worn by farmers in traditional Zeeland costume.

Commonly, the plant bears white pincushion flowers, but I fell in love with a reddish pink variety when visiting Hadspen Gardens in Somerset - nowadays the grounds of a boutique hotel - back in 2001. The one I got is called 'Abbey Road' and although it isn't the 'Hadspen Blood' variety cultivated in Somerset, it bears a close enough resemblance.

I also succumbed to Physostegia virginiana 'Summer Snow' (top right) and a plant bearing fluffy, pink tinged spikes which apparantly is a a kind of Salvia.

We did buy Pelargoniums as well, of course, including a vibrant red one to replace the poort Dahlia. Their red flowers almost match the red Snapdragons which are now in their second flush.

Another addition to our garden is a plaque won by my paternal grandfather for his allotment back in the 1950s. It had been pining away on a shelf ever since we brought it home from my parents' house, until I thought it would probably feel more at home amid the plants in the garden.

Of course, the forecasted calamitous weather didn't make it to our part of the world, remaining close to the French border and creating havoc in Belgium's west country only. We only got a couple of lost raindrops by the end of the day.

Saturday morning and it was still hot and sticky with temperatures in the high twenties. The sun had been joined by some clouds with which she kept playing a game of tag. 

The sky darkened with a promise of rain, but then the sun got the upper hand again, so we took a chance and drove to the leafy park in the nearby town of Boom (the "oo" pronounced like the "oa" in roam) to stretch our weary limbs.

Another sleeveless cotton frock was worn for the occasion. Yet another Think Twice find, it has established itself as a firm hot weather favourite in previous Summers.

With its funky green, white, pink and orange pattern, it was a lucky € 4 find back in June 2017.

As always, I accessorized it with orange and pink. My Clarks sandals - bought on a hot day in Shropshire in June 2018 - were perfectly comfortable for walking, although not the best choice for a nature walk as sticks and stones had to be removed at regular intervals.

If the park we visited the other week was unkempt, this one was even more so, giving the impression of unbridled wilderness. 

I even managed to photograph a flower fairy who, judging from its sad little face, didn't seem too happy about being exposed.

The park has a natural playground, which had only just been re-opened after the Covid-19 restrictions. It's supposed to be for children up to 12 only, but as nobody else was around I couldn't resist trying the tree stump stepping stones.

Here's a look at my brooch, a pink raffia sunflower which emulates the flowers on my frock so well that it always seems to be the obvious companion.

Boom's triangular shaped town park is laid out along the banks of a meandering brook. It used to be part of a larger wood which was turned into a 27-hectare park back in 1925.

In the heart of the park, the brook ends in a couple of murky ponds. There's talk of a complete overhaul of the park, which will eventually involve cleaning the ponds and restoring them to their former glory.

In fact, restauration has already started at the town end of the park, where there's a series of ornamental, so-called French ponds surrounded by and decorated with stunning groups of sculptures. We wanted to walk all the way up, but as restauration is in full process, there was no access to this part of the park.

Opposite the park is a magnificent Art Deco school building built between 1926 and 1930, and which happens to be Jos's old school.

After catching a glimpse of the empty ponds over the hedge surrounding the domain, we made our way back to our starting point along the paths on the other side of the murky ponds and brook.

It was then that the first raindrops started to fall. Nevertheless, with the the park's leafy canopy acting as a giant umbrella, we still managed to eat the waffles we'd brought while sitting on a bench.

The temperature had dropped considerably by Sunday morning and the overnight rain had given our garden's long-suffering plants a good drenching.

As it was still far too wet to plant out our new acquisitions after breakfast, I decided to wait until the sun had warmed things up a bit. Instead, Jos and I divided the task of giving the ground floor rooms a thorough dusting between us.

The dress lucky enough to have got an outing that day was a a full-on floral one with the most delightful butterfly sleeves. The belt I cinched my waist with is the second one from my recent accessory shop splurge during lunch break. I find myself wearing this kind of elasticated belts a lot these days, so you can expect to see this one at regular intervals. Needless to say, it was the buckle which made me add it to my shopping basket.

Other accessories included a yellow beaded necklace and a big flower-encrusted vintage brooch.

Eventually, I did make it into the garden to allocate the new plants their rightful place into the borders.

Only just in time, it turned out, as the heavens rained down on us again soon afterwards.

And that, I'm afraid, would be our lot for the next week. A typical Belgian Summer!