At the gates of Spring

 Hello dear friends and readers! Thank you for joining me again for this month's final post!

Long-time readers might have noticed that my blogging frequency has taken a bit of a dive in the last six months or so, and lately I only seem to manage to virtually put pen to paper once a week. It truly beggars belief that in a not all too distant past I was churning out a new blog post every 4 days, but then again I was never short of blog-worthy subject matter. 

Lately, however, our weekend walks have been become a rarity, as have any trips to the charity shops and, believe it or not, even my lunch break rummages at Think Twice have lost some of their appeal.

Four weeks after Jos's surgery, however, a pinprick of light is appearing at the end of the tunnel as he is feeling better and stronger every day. Now we're just waiting for his bladder to receive its final wake-up call. The latter having become a bit of a lazybones after more than four months of being ruled by a catheter, any outings have to be planned meticulously and need to be kept as short as possible for the time being. But we're making progress, so hopefully it won't be all that long until some kind of normal service is resumed.

In the meantime, I'm glad to have my photographer back, so that I can at least show you some of my outfits without having to rely on Angelica or having to cobble together a flatlay.

The episode of so-called False Spring continued in the days after Jos was discharged from hospital. Nevertheless, apart from a couple of walks into town to run errands, it seemed to have completely passed me by. I was running on empty by now and any time not spent catching up on chores was spent lolling around on the sofa, trying to read but more often than not falling asleep mid-sentence and in the middle of the day.

I was feeling more energetic on Sunday, when we stepped outside into the passageway for outfit photos.

The skirt is vintage Diolen and an ancient Think Twice find. Not for the first time did I combine it with my funky Zoë Loveborn blouse, found on a flea market in October 2016. 

Both the red and white marled gilet and the burgundy ankle boots were charity shopped, albeit with many a year between them. The yellow cat brooch came from Katshop - a local Antwerp shop catering for both cats and their servants - while the stretchy belt with its flower-shaped buckle was recently picked up from a bargain shop during one of my lunch breaks.

We were running out of provisions, so I walked to the nearest supermarkt, which is just under a kilometer from Dove Cottage.  Jos was more than willing to drive me there - I haven't got a licence - but I was in need of some fresh air and a Vitamin D top-up so I declined his offer.

Although not quite a Wordsworth-worthy host, the cheerful faces of some orange-trumpeted daffodils in a neighbour's front garden made my heart sing.

As did the sight of the first of the wood anemones, those starry harbingers of Spring, in the park I passed along the way. Not quite a galaxy of them, but it was early days yet. They had multiplied considerably when we returned a couple of weeks later.

I was intrigued by the pink painted words Piep Show, which I'm sure doesn't need translating, on the paving in front of the little pavilion. Indeed, I spotted three tiny peepholes in the pavilion's frosted glass door, which I wasted no time in peering through. I even tried to photograph what was inside, which was easier said than done using my mobile phone's camera. 

What is it all about, you might wonder. Well, these are works of art created by the students of our local art academy, and they are changed on a weekly basis.  The students were inspired by the themes of lust, seduction and desire after their visit to the "Les Liaisons Désireuses" exposition in Ursel castle back in October. 

It was back to the office on Monday 10 March: another sunny and almost summery day on which we noted highs of nearly 20°C. I hadn't slept well and was feeling tired and suffering from brain fog and sore eyes all day, which wasn't helped by the fact that work was hectic. By mid-afternoon I could barely keep my eyes open, so that I left and took an early bus home.

Work continued to be hectic on Tuesday, but at least I'd slept well and felt much better. The weather gods, however, were in one of their moods and gleefully turned down the thermostat to a mere 8°C. What a letdown for the books!

Here's Angelica showing you what I wore that day. In order to accommodate the drop in temperature, this catching brown and beige dress came out to play. Bought from a long-gone vintage shop in Antwerp, its label proclaims its fabric is Crimplene, although there's 20% wool into the mix as well. Instead of green, which seems to be my go-to colour whenever I'm wearing this dress, I opted for shades of purple, with some pink and orange thrown in.

Due to a public transport strike, I was obliged to take the day off on Wednesday. Not that I was complaining, mind you. 

The green button through cord skirt, whose colour doesn't photograph well, was bought from an outlet shop near my office back in Autumn. Just like I was on its first outing in December, I wasn't entirely happy with how it looked on me, so it's off to Limbo as Sheila would say. 

The cobalt blue vintage blouse with its naive flower print isn't going anywhere, though, as it's one of my favourites. I picked up the orange from its print with my necklace and belt while as a nod to the skirt I added a green-backed cameo brooch.

With a sky full of angry-looking black clouds threatening rain at a moment's notice, the weather wasn't conductive to being outdoors. But I was feeling jittery and in need of a rummage so Jos drove me to the edge of town charity shop and picked me up again after I was done.

The oatmeal polka dot circle skirt - with pockets! - and the red, blue and white checked blouse provided an instant outfit for Angelica to wear. The belt is one of the stretchy zig-zag patterned ones from my collection.

My jewellery display was groaning at the sight of two more necklaces to contend with, but I didn't show it any mercy.

The bookshelves were a tad disappointing, but still yielded a Maeve Binchy one I hadn't yet read. In need of an easy read, I've just finished it and it definitely lived up to expectations.

I've left my star buy for last! I almost passed out when I laid eyes upon this pair of orange and yellow patchwork boots by one of my favourite brands, Tamaris, and I squealed in delight when they turned out to be my size!

The rest of the day was spent with some gentle pottering and watching some daytime television. 

Tipped off by my friend Inneke, I'd recorded Zaman, a 1983 Belgian crime movie, which had been on one of the Flemish commercial channels in the week Jos was hospitalized. 

If you're wondering what's so special about it, well, yours truly appears in it for one second at around 0.14 in the clip. Blink and you've missed me! Tip: I was 42 years younger and a punk with big black hair!

 

I hope you've all recovered from the shock that yours truly is actually a film star :-)

Before I bid you goodbye for now, here's that week's final outfit, again brought to you by Angelica.

Another vintage dress found at Think Twice, it's been a regular on my blog for years. I ignored all the colours in its mix of abstract stripes on an burgundy background, and rebelliously opted for turquoise for my belt, necklace and brooch, the latter containing a bouquet of roses.

I'll be back with more outfits, and perhaps even an outing, in my next post. Hope to see you soon!

Life in Limbo

What with life keeping throwing us curveballs lately, it nearly escaped my attention that the month of March held a thing or two worth celebrating. And no, I'm not talking about the fact that Spring has finally sprung!

For the first one, we have to go back to the 4th of March 2021, which was the day that Bess entered our lives. She would soon prove herself to be a more than worthy successor to Phoebe, who'd unexpectedly passed away one month earlier, but how tiny and timid she was when she first came to Dove Cottage! She's definitely come along in leaps and bounds in those four years she's been ruling the roost here!

We have to go back even further, to the 5th of March 2016, for the month's second anniversary. It was on this day that I published my very first blog post, all of nine year ago. Aptly named To begin at the beginning - the title borrowed from Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood - it was a brief introduction and contained the explanation of my blog's name. There were no photos of yours truly;  these swiftly followed in my second post a couple of days later. I've still got that first dress although I haven't worn it in a long time. 

I'm pretty sure that the dress I'm wearing today - or rather, one month ago, on the 23rd of February - wasn't part of my wardrobe back then, but it's definitely not its first appearance on my blog.

Found at Think Twice eons ago, I was swayed by its grey and white wallpaper print brightened with splashes of fuchsia and turquoise at its collar, cuffs and hem. 

I chose a pair of dove grey opaques and picked up the pops of turquoise with my accessories - the brooch was part of a haul from an antiques shop in Carmarthen in June 2017 - and cardigan. To the latter, I added a two-tone grey swallow brooch, a vintage find from the indoor flea market back in the mists of time.

With the dark cloud of Jos's surgery looming on the horizon, adequate distractions were few and far between. But nature is a great soother and healer of troubled minds and, with oodles of sunshine and temperatures easily reaching the low double digits, it would have been foolish to mope around inside.

The small but perfectly formed park near the charity shop in Duffel, a mere 15 minutes from Dove Cottage by car, was our destination of choice.

There's a number of paths to choose from but our initial choice, which was the one circumnavigating the biggest of the ponds, turned out to be too squelchy and muddy so that we soon had to head back.

It might have been only February, its feet still firmly planted in Winter, but there was a definite hint of Spring in the air. At first sight, most of the trees were still stark and bare with only the faintest whisper of green, but there were a handful of shrubs which were gleefully showing off their  yellow blossoms against the bright blue of the sky.

The brutalist fountain, devoid of the mossy green hairdo it had sported for years, was still hibernating and dreaming of the day when its gurgling jets of water will once again ripple the pond.

Optimistically, I'd left the house bareheaded and I'd exchanged my heavy Winter coat for my ancient cream, pale blue and brown plaid one. Charity shopped years before my blog was even a glimmer of thought, it has by now seen better days, but I'll be wearing it until it actually falls apart at the seams. My frilly turquoise scarf - also charity shopped - was worn in lieu of the chunky woollen ones I've been wearing these last couple of months. 

The two weeks that followed - February's last and March's first - aren't ones we will forget in a hurry, although I'm sure their rough edges will be smoothed out over time.

Strangely enough, work was a distraction for me, although there was no such thing for Jos, whose upcoming surgery was completely occupying his mind. It took all our combined willpower to get through the days until that fateful Friday arrived.

That day was a waiting game for me and I was thankful for the company of my friend Inez and my latest read, which I kept dipping into to read a chapter until my nerves once again got the better of me.

Wasn't it just our luck that Jos's week in hospital coincided with a week's worth of False Spring? After a frosty start the sun soon managed to warm things up to temperatures ranging between 14 and 18°C.

Waiting for Jos to get the doctor's green light for his discharge, which kept getting postponed on a daily basis, this mural was the view from his hospital room window: a welcome splash of colour among the grey concrete. 

Although I'd initially taken Monday off work as we'd expected Jos would be home by then, I opted to go into the office and postpone my booked time off to the day he would eventually be released, whenever that would be.

While poor Jos was mostly on his own - but don't worry, we called and messaged all the time - at least I got the company of a certain furry someone, who hardly left my side when I was at home.

I hadn't slept well in the night from Sunday to Monday, so it was with a head full of cotton wool that I stumbled through my day. 

In a bid to clear the cobwebs from my head, I made the most of the sunshine and balmy temperature by going for a lunch break walk. Aimless it might have been, I couldn't resist having a quick look at what was on offer at Melting Pot, the vintage per kilo shop. I was in luck as I found this fabulous skirt, 100% cotton and lined and equipped with two generous pockets!

I was amazed to read that, back in November, the shop was mentioned in an article by the Guardian called Amazing Antwerp (see here). It truly boggles my mind that there was no sign of any of Antwerp's five (!) Think Twice shops though.

Tuesday's lunch break saw me walking to Den Botaniek again, where I was happy to see that a sea of Crocuses had popped up since my last visit. I even caught a bumblebee going crazy in one of the lilac and white striped blooms on the bottom left.

I also admired the creamy white Camellias flowering to their heart's content in front of the former gardener's cottage - now a posh lunch restaurant.

I exited the Botanic Garden via the premises belonging to its next door neighbour, the Botanic Sanctuary hotel. Opened in 2022, the 5-star hotel is housed in a former convent and hospital complex whose history goes back to the 12th century. I always have the feeling I'm getting the side-eye when I venture onto the luxury hotel's hallowed ground.

Jos was finally able to come home on Thursday, so we roped in his son Kris, who would be picking us up at around 6 pm. I left work early and took the bus to the hospital to help Jos to get ready and tie up the last of the practical loose ends. 

Finally back at Dove Cottage, he was getting a gazillion headbutts from Bess, who was obviously over the moon to have her second employee back at her beck and call! 

Obviously, I wasn't about to call on Jos for outfit photos yet, so I did a quick flatlay to show you what I was wearing the day he came home.

Strangely enough, it was almost identical to the outfit I wore just days after his previous sojourn at the hospital back in October.  Apparently, the green zig-zag patterned vintage St. Michael skirt - a much loved gift from Vix - found its perfect partner in the fuchsia pink patterned blouse by the defunct Who's That Girl label, picked up from an outlet shop in November 2022. 

I was even wearing the same charity shopped wooden beaded necklace as I did back then. This time, however, I added a contemporary green squirrel brooch to the blouse and picked one of my beloved stretchy belts, the one with the octagonal faux tortoiseshell buckle, to accent my waist.

And so, life at Dove Cottage continues, even if things are still a bit in limbo at the time of writing.

But let me end this post on a positive note. As I was putting a bag of rubbish into the bin in the potting shed, I happened to notice some early-flowering Honesty which had nestled itself in a crack in the paving. Not wanting it to go to waste in this out of the way place, I picked a stem or two and put them in a small vintage vase - a gift from my friend Inneke - together with some late-flowering Winter Jasmine. 

A true sight for sore eyes, don't you agree?

The funny tricks of time

Can you believe we are mid-March already? Surely, some trickster has been tinkering with the concept of time, making it go faster, and faster still. Not that it actually feels like it at time of writing, as a deceptively icy wind is putting paid to the illusion created by the blue sky spied through our windows,  but in just a handful of days astronomical Spring will be upon is. 

My blog, a couple of paces behind real life at the best of times, is now definitely dragging its feet, which are still firmly planted back in February, almost exactly one month ago to the day.

Before I proceed to tell you about February's penultimate week, however, let me tell you that even though there's still some way to go for Jos to be restored to perfect health, he is going from strength to strength and is doing surprisingly well given the ordeal he's been through.

Right, into the time machine it goes again, setting the controls for Sunday 16 February. 

As the weather gods presented us with lots of sunny spells but highs of only 3°C, it was definitely still jumper weather. The one which made the grade that day was an orange and green wing-collared vintage jumper I picked up from Think Twice in  December 2023.

Its companion, a forest green suedette skirt bought brand new at Mango many years ago and last worn back in December. It's super soft and very strokable, its only downside being a lack of pockets.

The enamelled metal brooch I pinned to the jumper - featuring an Edelweiss, a Gentian and a couple of smaller daisy-like flowers - is vintage and was a flea market find back in the mists of time. A search on my blog tells me I bought it from the Brooch Lady, if you remember her. I can't help but wondering if this feisty lady - who was already well into her eighties last time we met in November 2019 - is still around today.

The wooden beaded necklace - which reminded Kezzie of cherries in various stages of ripeness - was a charity shop find.

After tackling those bothersome yet necessary household chores in the morning, we decided upon a walk at Fort 5 in the afternoon.

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while might remember our frequent previous visits here. This is, in fact, the nearest nature reserve of any significance to Dove Cottage, only involving a mere 10 minute drive up the road to the outskirts of the neighbouring village of Edegem.

Here and there, in the odd places the sun hadn't been able reach, were some remnants of the flurries of snow we'd had earlier that week.

I was glad of the warmth of my favourite Winter coat, my orange velvet sales bargain turban from Think Twice and the chunky orange scarf I'd picked up in the sales in January. 

We started our walk alongside the moat, where water birds of various plumage are ruling the roost.

The sun and the wind were playing games with the water, rippling it with sparkly sun glitter, which momentarily blinded us and made me regret I'd left my sunnies behind in the car.

The path along the moat eventually takes us through some of the old fort buildings. Dating from the 1860s, Fort 5 is part of a ring of 8 almost identical forts surrounding the city of Antwerp, most of which are still in existence today. Those which do have been turned into nature reserves and recreational areas, with part of the buildings being used by a variety of local clubs.

The brick and sandstone buildings half-hidden among the undergrowth, their woodwork in various stages of dereliction and their crumbling brickwork covered in graffiti, are very atmospheric but more than just a tiny bit creepy. Carrying the weight of over a century's worth of trees upon their roofs surely must be a recipe for disaster ... 

The sunny yet bitterly cold weather continued on Monday, when almost 300 emails awaited me at the office. Thankfully, they weren't all for me to deal with but I still needed to trawl through the lot. So much for working only a 4-day week, I'm always being punished for my 3-day weekends on a Monday.

I had to dash to the shops during lunch break, as I had a mission. Back in the January sales, I'd bought a cotton peasant-style blouse in delicious shade of magenta from a shop in the small shopping centre near my office. As so far the weather hadn't been conductive to wearing it, I'd put it aside in my pile of yet-to-be-worn items. It was when I was dressing up Angelica to photograph said items during the weekend that I noticed the blouse still had its security tag! Thankfully, I'd kept my receipt. Although the alarm hadn't gone off when I left the shop after my purchase, it did do so when I walked in to have the tag removed. Needless to say, and only rightly so, they were very apologetic when I explained the matter!

Tuesday's weather was a repeat of both Sunday's and Monday's but as the wind had more or less died down, I walked to Antwerp's Botanic Garden (a.k.a. Den Botaniek) during lunch break.

Its main entrance is on a street called Leopoldstraat, which is only a couple of minutes from my office and Antwerp's main shopping thoroughfare, the Meir. I came across this postcard from a bygone age on Facebook, showing a much quieter and more dignified street than it is today with its non-stop stream of traffic. On the left you can see the Botanic Garden's retaining balustrade topped with ornate late 19th Century cast iron lamp posts.

Both the balustrade and the lamp posts, each bearing a trio of copper lamps, are still in situ today. No longer lighted by gas, its mantles having been replaced with electric light bulbs a long time ago, it is nevertheless a trick of the (sun) light which makes them glow here ...

Den Botaniek is a landscaped botanical garden dating back to 1825 and covers an area of slighty ​​less than one hectare. The garden has a collection of 2000 plants and a magnificent conservatory which houses a number of cacti and other exotic plants. The city's website claims that the conservatory is closed on Sundays only but although I've been coming here on weekday lunch breaks for many years, it never seems to be open. I'll have to investigate or, better still, ask one of the gardeners when they're around.

The pond was partly frozen and there was no sign of the Koi fish who live here. Apart from a plethora of Hellebores and the odd patch of Winter Aconites, there wasn't much in bloom, particularly when compared to the same time last year. It's not that it has been such a harsh Winter, so perhaps this is due to a distinct lack of sunshine and far too much rain? 

Wednesday was another day of sunny spell with a slight increase in temperature to 6°C. We'll be having a heatwave soon, I'm sure. This was my view when I walked to the office, with the  Art Deco skyscraper which is my office's opposite neighbour batching in golden early morning sunshine. 

It as a welcome sight for sore eyes, even if it was my ear(s) rather than my eyes which were bothering me that day. I'd woken up with a blocked left ear, which is one of the recurring banes of my life.  

Thankfully, things had greatly improved when I got back from my lunch break walk. Perhaps the fact that I found this fabulous frilly-yoked vintage dress in a pop-up shop was part of the cure?

Another temperature boost on Thursday, when the mercury climbed to an unheard of 11°C. Unfortunately, the sun was playing hide-and-seek that day ...

Trying to find things that make me smile every day, I looked up as I returned from running a lunch break errand, my eyes alighting on the bronze eagle with spread wings perching upon one of the shops, designed and built in eclectic style in 1895 by architect Joseph Hertogs (1861-1930). The eagle was sculpted by Alphonse Van Beurden (1856-1938), who also designed the sculptures on the façade of the Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp. In the United Kingdom, he is renowned for his ivory sculptures, and between 1887 and 1904 he exhibited thirteen times at the Royal Academy of Art.

How strange that I never noticed the eagle before ...

The sun returned from wherever she had been hiding on Friday and helped the mercury climb to 16°C. I told you we might be in for a heatwave ...

I had an appointment for a much needed colour and cut at my hairdresser's but when I walked into the salon at the appointed time Michel looked at me quite oddly. It appeared that he'd got the timing wrong and had jotted down the appointment for 21 March instead of 21 February. He was all apologetic, obviously. Having been my hairdresser for 30 years running, apologies were duly accepted, even if I'd had to get up at the crack of dawn and come all the way to Antwerp on my day off for nothing. A new appointment was pencilled in for two weeks later and after a welcome cup of coffee and a chat I was on my way home again.

I'm finishing this post with a look at Friday's outfit, which was built around one of my favourite Finnish vintage frocks. Much to my dismay, it hadn't made it out of my wardrobe yet this season.

I took my lead from the muted green in its Art Deco-style pattern for my bamboo buckled stretchy belt and swallows in flight brooch, while the orangey bits inspired my opaques, ring and beaded necklace. Only the latter of my accessories was a second hand find, while the rest had its origins on the high street. The brooch was picked up from a gem of a shop in Cardigan during one of our Welsh holidays, way before I started my blog.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to join Ms. Bess for a nap on the sofa.

See you soon!

An update and a flashback

I'm guessing some of you must be on tenterhooks to know how Jos is doing, so it's only fair to start this post with an update. So, before I take you on a little trip in the time machine, let me tell you about the rollercoaster ride of a week we've just had.

Although Jos is currently doing as well as can be, unfortunately things didn't go exactly as planned, and what should have been a short hospital stay of one or maximum two nights has turned into six.

After dropping him off at the hospital on the morning of Friday the 28th and helping him settle in, the staff turfed me out kindly requested me to leave. I called Inez, who cycled over to the hospital - she only lives 5 mins away - and kept me company while we had coffee and a bite to eat in the excellent cafetaria. Then I bussed home to a confused Bess. 

Jos's op was planned for 1.30 pm and I was told to call for news at around 4. When I finally got through to the ward at the appointed time they said he was only just out of theatre and in recovery, and I was advised to call again in an hour. 

About twenty minutes later I returned from the bathroom to two missed calls from a withheld number.  Knowing instinctively that it must have been someone from the hospital, and keeping in mind having been told I would only be contacted in case of complications, I'm sure you can imagine the state I was in. In a blind panic, I called the hospital and eventually was able to speak to a doctor, who told me that Jos had woken up short of breath and in considerable pain all over his body. Turned out that this was caused by fluid having leaked into his abdomen lining during the procedure of inserting a so-called suprapubic catheter in his abdomen.

Surrounded by an army of doctors - as recalled by Jos - he was then rushed off for tests, including a CTI scan, which thankfully all came back negative. He was given pain relief and had to stay the night in ICU. Thankfully most of the fluid had gone of its own accord by morning as had most of the pain, so that he was able to be transferred to a room on the ward. However, his bladder still needed to be flushed with sterile liquid to remove any blood clots, which took rather a bit longer than expected.

He was finally able to come home on Thursday evening, but while he is feeling surprisingly well at the time of writing, it might take another couple of weeks until he is back to some kind of normal. To say that we're both beyond exhausted is a bit of an understatement.

Once again, I'm dipping into my stash of photos from way back in February, so I'm urging you to fasten your seatbelts so that I can whizz you back to Saturday the 15th of that month.

With highs of only 2°C - as opposed to the Springlike 18°C we've been enjoying today - it was clear that my warm Winter stuff had to work for its money another day.

One of my favourite skirts, a vintage polyester and mohair blend find from Think Twice, came out to play, and was joined by a charity shopped purple and silver vintage C&A jumper. My lilac beret was last year's fast fashion buy, while my purple Western-style ankle boots were picked up from an outlet shop near my office back in December.

To the jumper's assymetrical collar, I pinned a fabric covered badge bought from a craft market held in a neighbours' garden about 13 years ago. The black and white beaded necklace was yet another charity shop find and the chevron patterned stretchy belt with its square black plastic buckle was part of a haul from a bargain shop last Spring.

After a seemingly endless string of gloomy days, we finally woke up to sunny spells that Saturday. By the time we'd finished the day's chores and had lunch, these had become few and far between. However, as it was set to remain dry we drove down to Middelheim for a breath of fresh air and a stroll.

An icy wind was doing its best to thwart us by making our eyes water and having a nip at any exposed extremities. 

Not to be deterred, we walked towards the Organic Brutalist marvel which is the Braem Pavillion. Designed by architect Renaat Braem (1910-2001) and completed in 1971, I've got a soft spot for this white painted concrete and brick building, its flowing horizontal lines blending organically into the park landscape.

Dating from 1971 and thus a contemporary of the Braem Pavilion, Bosque Metalica consists of eight separate elements in black, green, orange and yellow. The sculpture is by the Mexican artist Jorge Dubon (1938-2004).

Vierkantrohre Serie D (below, top right) by German artist Charlotte Posenenske (1930-1985) has been attached to the side wall of the Braem Pavilion since 2017. It consists of a set of six hollow forms made of galvanized metal that appear to be part of an industrial ventilation shaft. Very convincingly, it seems, as I only found out this was actually a work of art while I was browsing the museum's online catalogue a couple of years ago.

The flying saucer almost directly below the faux ventilation shaft (above, top and bottom right) is by the legendary Panamarenko (1940-2019), who 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. 

There's currently an exhibition of his work on the occasion of what would have been his 85th birthday, running from 31 January to 4 May in Antwerp's KMSKA museum.

After posing on the Braem Pavilion's back steps, offering a glimpse of my purple opaques and moss green suede boots, we walked around the corner and admired some of the works of art which are currently sharing the Pavilion's limelight.

Top left and right is 1/24 x 23 x 22 x ... x 1 (1970) by Belgian abstract painter and sculptor Bert De Leeuw (1926 - 2007). This sculpture consists of four separate cubic shapes, which can be stacked on top of each other in a different order as well as rotate on their axis. Hence, the artwork can take on many different forms.

Bottom left and right is Solskulptur (1969-1970) by Norwegian sculptor Arnold Haukeland (1920-1983).  It is a preliminary study for a nineteen-meter-high sculpture standing in Veritas Park in Baerum, Norway. The memorial was commissioned by Niels Onstad, in memory of his late wife Sonja Henie, a former figure skater. The three rings around the diagonal refer to the Olympic champion's skating moves.

At this point, it was almost inevitable that we would end up in the much maligned Open-Air Depot. On our way up, we spotted Sirene (1934, bottom right), created by another Belgian sculptor, Henri Puvrez (1893-1971). The marble mermaid, who is lovingly holding a fish, is currently encased in a protective cover to combat the elements.

Having arrived at the depot, we spotted Sei Personaggi (Six Figures, 1957 - above, top right) by Luciano Minguzzi (1911-2004) and Tempesta (1956, bottom left) by Carmelo Cappello (1912-1996).

Obviously I couldn't pass Belgian sculptor Félix Roulin's (1931) Colonne. Dating from 1975, it is one of my favourites and I find it impossible to resist its reflective possibilities. Silhouetted against the sky, which at that moment was pin-pricked by a ray of sunshine, it is looking hauntingly atmospheric.

There are nearly a mind-boggling 90 works of art in the depot, more than in any of the other park zones, and I can't help feeling sorry for them. 

I'm sure the subdued figure staring solemnly into the distance (above, bottom right) is sharing my feelings exactly. The sculpture is called Grafmonument (Funerary Monument), dates from 1930, and was created by Belgian sculptor Emiel Poetou (1885-1975).

Meanwhile, San Francesco (1957) by the Italian Marcello Mascherini (1906-1983) is raising his arms in despair as another visiting couple was admonished by one of the park wardens (whom the orange bike belongs to) not to touch the sculptures. I might have told him that the museum wasn't exactly treating the sculptures with due respect either.

And look who's here! If it isn't the (Mad) Professor (1969, top left and bottom right) by Hungarian sculptor Imre Varga (1923-2019). I wonder if he remembers the conversation we had back in March 2019.

I'm sure that Running Girl (1976) created by Kurt Gebauer (°1941) remembers our last meeting, though.

I'll be back with further updates and flashbacks soon!