Wednesday 17 April 2019

All's fair at the castle

During two weekends a year, in Spring and Autumn, Castle de Renesse is the romantic setting for a small antiques fair, which we have been visiting for quite a few years now.

The castle is located in the sandy soiled and pine rich countryside to the north of Antwerp, just over half an hour's drive away.


Landscaped gardens and parkland complete with a picturesque lake and a couple of smaller pools surround the castle, blending seamlessly into ancient woodland.

As quite miraculously we always seem to have the weather gods on our side on our outings to the castle, an hour's browsing of the stalls set up in the castle's rooms is usually followed by a picnic and a meander through the castle grounds and beyond.

On the first Sunday of April, the weather gods were more than compliant, with lots of sunshine and temperatures of up to 20° Celsius.



I very daringly opted for short sleeves, choosing a turquoise Crimplene frock with a groovy cream, green and grey print. For contrast, the dress's collar was adorned with a posy of cheerful orange flowers, but indulged some matchy matchy-ness by choosing green beads and a turquoise belt.

Green opaques balanced the outfit, and my feet were more than happy in the emergency booties I was obliged to buy a couple of weeks ago.

As I was mentally going through my jackets for the perfect one to wear, I was reminded of a green new wool suit I bought at a vintage market several years ago. Its jacket turned out to be the perfect match, even if, combined with the sweat-inducing Crimplene, it would be much too warm later in the day.



Making our way to the bridge which would take us to the castle's courtyard, we were disappointed to see that scaffolding had been erected, spoiling the enchanting view of the castle and its reflection in the moat.

It's a good thing we'd been there before, so that I could pinch some of the photos I'd taken on previous visits for you to admire.


Against the faded grandeur backdrop of the castle's interior, all manner of delectable objects are displayed, many of them with a price tag well beyond our budget.

However, there are still enough reasonably priced goods on offer for us to return year after year..


Following her absence last Autumn, we were relieved to see that the Brooch Lady was once again presiding over her folders of brooches. As she's well into her 80s we were more that just a little bit worried. It turned out that she'd taken a fall back then, but had now sufficiently recovered to take up her pitch at the castle again.

These are the five brooches I bought from her.

The brooch on the top right dates from the second world war. It is handmade and the beautiful lady with her 1940s up-do and string of pearls is painted directly on a piece of fabric. Below, on the bottom right, you can see how the brooch's back has been constructed.

The plastic anchor brooch is a souvenir from a Belgian seaside resort.



By lunchtime, we picked up our picnic basket from the car, and made our way to the one and only picnic table in the vicinity of the castle.

It offers a fabulous view of the castle across the lake but, as even from this distance the scaffolding was all too prominent, no photographs were taken this time, except for the sunbathing tortoises and the topsy-turvy duck performing its ablutions.


By then, I'd removed the chiffon scarf I was wearing and tied it to my handbag's handles. Do take a good look, as it'll be the last you'll see of it. It was only by the end of our walk that I noticed its absence ...


Our walk took us pas the ice house, which has a gazebo built on top of it. This is more of a folly than a real gazebo, as there is no entrance at all.  One can only walk around it and glance through its intricately grilled windows.

The ancient oak tree on the bottom left has been cordoned off to protect it, with the path which used to run next to it diverted to the other side of the picturesque pool you can see below.


What a joy it was to be walking along this delightful avenue of trees. Clothed in clouds of youthful green, a gentle breeze sighing among them, they seemed to be whispering secrets.


It was while we were taking a break at a picnic table hidden in the woods that I noticed my scarf was gone. I scanned the straight road we had just walked along but to no avail.


Back at our starting point, we were both in need of a restorative cup of coffee which, in a mad moment, we decided to accompany by ice cream with hot chocolate sauce. Little did we know that they would be so huge!


I'll finish by showing you our other finds of the day. 

There are always vintage buttons galore at one of the stalls upstairs, and I picked up three cards for my stash. How charming are those navy celluloid ones carved with red, turquoise and yellow flowers? 

The mystery objects on the bottom left are tiny boxes containing 35 mm film reels. There was a whole box of them, from which Jos selected these three for our manually operated toy projector. Dating from the 1950s, it was given to Jos by his brother-in-law in the early 1960s.



Finally, joining our collection of kitsch is this old religious print. Adorning the mantlepiece of many a Flemish living room back in the day, it admonishes not to swear, as god can see you. As I'm always pointing out to Jos, it doesn't mention that god can hear you, so we're quite safe with this on our kitchen wall.

40 comments:

  1. You not only love England, but you live England! Fantastic! And what a outfit! Those colors are so stunning

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  2. I need one of those religious plaques-my teenager is appalled by my swearing, so it must be worse than I realised ;)

    I'm imagining some duck happening upon your scarf and bringing it to her nest to "decorate the nursery" for her ducklings.

    Glad to hear the brooch lady is back.

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    1. I need another one of those plaques to hang up in the office, as this is where I do most of my swearing! Danny would be appalled ;-) xxx

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  3. 20°C? I'd have been in my bikini!
    Such a glorious venue for a fair. I'm delighted the brooch lady was there and didn't let you down with her amazing stock.
    Love the religious plaque and both yours and Jos's outfits (how fabulous are those tights? A perfect match with the jacket!)
    What a shame about the scarf, I bet somebody will be thrilled with their find.
    Have a wonderful Easter break, can't wait to see what you get up to. xxx

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    1. I'm sure you would ;-) I keep wondering what happened to that scarf ... xxx

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  4. All of my favorite things right in one post. Castles, antiques, brooches and sunshine! Thank you for taking me on this journey with you. I love your new brooches and I am very sorry you lost your scarf. Still- a net gain, if you will!
    ❤️❤️❤️
    Elle
    https://theellediaries.com/

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  5. Hopefully the scarf has a thrilled new owner who will love it and wear it! A picture-perfect day from the sounds of it. Fabulous colour combinations as always in your outfit, I hope the Crimplene wasn't too sweaty by the end of it! Xx

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    1. I do hope it has ... Oh, and I definitely should have worn a dress in a less sweaty material ;-) xxx

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  6. Sounds like the perfect day out! You really suit the turquoise and green colours.

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  7. Oh so wonderful pictures. The trees become green leafs yeah. I like this brooches.... and arghhh I would like to eat such an ice-cream :)
    A very huge hug Tina... oh and happy easter to you

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    1. Thank you Tina! That ice-cream was delicious, but a bit too much for me. I haven't got that much of a sweet tooth! xxx

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  8. The five brooches you bough from the Brooch Lady are real works of art. They are so unique. So great to hear this Brooch Lady is selling and collecting vintage brooches in her eighties. With her life experience, she must really know her stuff, right?

    Lovely photos from the walk. I really like your outfit. Spring is such a beautiful season, isn't it?

    https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thank you Ivana! In fact, the Brooch Lady is selling off her collection of more than 3000 brooches. She doesn't bring them all at the same time, obviously ... xxx

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  9. What a lovely bunch of pictures! That duck is eating plants at the bottom of the lake - I see the ducks here doing that all the time. I love that handpainted brooch - what a find that is!

    I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your scarf - I'm always crushed when I lose something (I still mourn an earring and a flower brooch that disappeared somewhere on my walk to/from work years ago).

    Love that glorious green jacket! You look awesome in green.

    Wishing you and Jos (and Phoebe) a very happy Easter weekend!

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    1. Thanks for the education, Sheila. I was wondering as there were several ducks doing the same ... I'm always crushed when I lose something too. I once lost my vintage fox brooch, and was overjoyed when I found it at the back of the sofa several weeks later! xxx

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  10. How cool to go antique shopping in a castle! So many wonderful things here and yes the green wool jacket is the perfect thing to wear for such an occasion

    Allie of
    www.allienyc

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  11. you in seafoam green - very chic!
    the castle´s fair is always a great event - and you found cute little treasures.
    i guess the wood fairies took that scarf....
    ;-D
    hugs!! xxxxx

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    1. I quite love the idea of the wood fairies taking that scarf! xxx

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  12. I love the colour combo and print in your dress and your jacket complements it so well! I love the flower brooch too. So pretty! Speaking of brooches, what a fabulous new haul! Glad to hear the Brooch Lady is back! Hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend, Ann! XXX

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    1. Thank you so much, Sasha. I was relieved that the Brooch Lady was back ... xxx

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  13. A castle sounds like a wonderful backdrop for an antiques fair. A what a picturesque castle it is too (minus the scaffolding, of course). You found some lovely items. The hand painted brooch is beautiful.
    I've never seen sunbathing tortoises, what a delight!
    Isn't it nice to have some warmer weather? Short sleeves here we come!
    xx

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    1. It is the most wonderful backdrop, and the area is perfect for a walk as well. I've been wearing a lot of short sleeves now that the weather has - temporarily - warmed up. xxx

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  14. Happy Easter to you both and what a super day out. I wonder who has the most brooches between is Ann. I think you may just have the edge on me.
    Our weather is 20-25 degrees this weekend so I’m hiding in the shade. Im not very good in the sun but I do like looking out of the caravan door at all the greenery and listening to the birds singing. It’s so relaxing.
    Lynn xxx

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    1. Hope you had a wonderful Easter break at the caravan! I've been hiding in the shade this weekend as well. About the brooches, I had around 400 at the last count ;-) xxx

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  15. Happy Easter weekend!
    p.s. Beautiful castles!

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    1. Thank you, and I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend! xxx

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  16. I love the sunshine, it's hot hot hot here today, hope you have similar.
    Such a beautiful castle and the woodland walk is stunning. Shame about your scarf though.
    Good to hear your brooch lady was back and you found some new ones.
    Have a lovely Easter break. xxx

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    1. We've been having similar weather here, Sally. And just at the right time now that we're enjoying a couple of days off, too! xxx

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  17. I do hope your scarf is on a happy new adventure. It's good to hear the brooch lady is back and here's to this gorgeous Easter weather at last!

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    1. Thank you Gisela, and indeed some gorgeous weather at last! xxx

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  18. Totally love your outfit, the turquoise print on your dress, the matchy tights and jacket! and the cool accessorizing!. Sorry that your scarf is gone, it's so sad when these things happen!
    Such great news to hear that the Brooch Lady is back! and you purchased some fab brooches from her stall (they're particularly cute!). Those buttons are also lovely!!
    And your last picture and witty remarks have made me laugh a lot!. My fantastic vocabulary when swearing sometimes amazes even Mr.A.! (I owe it all to my mom).
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! That was one of my favourite scarfs, too! Hopefully someone else is wearing it now! Your swearing remark made me laugh too! I imagine it must sound especially effective in Spanish ;-) xxx

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  19. Fabulous outfit! I'm so glad the brooch Lady was back in business. I loved your 5 brooches and the buttons are simply gorgeous.
    xxxx

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    1. Thank you Veronica! I was glad to see the Brooch Lady, as her absence last time really had me worried! xxx

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  20. Hooray that the weather was kind to you. That jacket goes perfectly with the dress - though I can well imagine it being too hot over Crimplene in the sunshine. That blue/green is lovely.

    And AUGH to you losing your lovely scarf; I had a chap call me today when one I'd tied to my bag dropped off this morning - exactly the same scenario, only luckily I had a kind bystander. I hope the vintage gods send another your way to replace it!

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    1. I'm the first to admit that Crimplene and +20°Celsius do not go together ... What a relief you had a kind bystander. I had a chap with me, and he didn't notice it either ... xxx

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