Thursday 6 August 2020

Goodbye July

Before I get off on another one of my ramblings, I would like to report that at the time of writing I'm feeling a whole lot better and the wobbly episode of the last two weeks or so seems to have subsided somewhat.

We are also heading straight into a longish heatwave - I'm wilting already at the mere thought - but that will be for a future post.

For now, I'm taking things up where I left them, which is on Sunday before last. My journal tells me we slept late, until an unheard of 8.30, then had eggs and soldiers for breakfast, after which I washed my hair. Oh, what exciting lives we're leading!



The overnight rain had left a somewhat cooler day in its wake, but it was still warm enough to wear short sleeves for most of the day.

I bought the top I'm wearing in a charity shop during last year's UK holiday. It's from the Betty Jackson Black label for Debenhams and although it's 100% polyester, it has a cool, silky feel.

I combined it with two of my post-lockdown charity shop finds, an exotic flower printed C&A button through skirt, and one of the Les Cordes necklaces I picked up during our most recent trawl.


The belt was charity shopped as well, while the green-backed Cameo brooch was a flea market find. In fact, only the green shoes aren't second-hand. They are an old retail buy from a local shop.

For once, there wasn't much forward thinking involved in my outfit, it all came together quite naturally, and it was definitely an A+ in the feel-good category!

Among the silver pennies in our honesty, which you can see on the bottom left of the outfit photo, a handful of new, tiny purple flowers have appeared out of nowhere (top left), while the bees keep flocking to the Chocolate Cosmos still flowering prolifically in its pot.


While having breakfast, I noticed a stripy little snail going for a slide on our stone cat's head, making its way towards the poor thing's eye. Of course, I just had to nip outside to take some snaps!

The rest of the day was spent doing some lazy pottering and going through the contents of yet another sitting room cupboard. Nothing even remotely exciting to show you, so instead I'll treat you to some more of the art which is dotted around Dove Cottage. 

The common factor here is that these were all charity shop or flea market finds.



We had to take this framed 3D embroidery of a peacock from the wall to photograph it properly. In its daily life it resides in a dark corner of our dining room, where it is illuminated by an uplighter lamp in the evenings. Being a fan of all things peacock, it caught my eye in a charity shop several years ago.


On the opposite side of the dining room is another uplighted piece which we had to take down for photographs. Another charity shop find, this stark image of a desolate house among gently rolling hills is entirely composed of wood inlay.


Upstairs, among the wall of heads in our spare room, is this magnificent drawing of an ornately  dressed and hatted lady. Found at an otherwise disappointing flea market, the work contains several dried flowers, particularly adorning the lady's outrageous hat!



I fel in love with the colours and the timelessness of the landscape in this painting when I laid eyes on it in a charity shop many years ago. It is a real painting, not a print, and it is taking pride of place in our bedroom. 



Monday was a moderately busy day at the office, during which I kept checking the news to find out what the National Security Council, which had been in meeting since 8.30 that morning, had in store for us. As I already told you all about that in a previous post, I'm fast forwarding to Tuesday and, in particular, to what I was wearing.

I have reason to believe that this pinkish red textured cotton dress was handmade. With its short sleeves, wide skirt, solid white cotton collar and cuffs and row of white buttons at the bodice, it reminds me a bit of a vintage waitress dress. Again, this was an absolute joy to wear.



I wore a lightweight baby blue and white openwork cardigan on top, and accessorized the dress with one of my lady brooches pinned to its lapel, a black and white beaded necklace and a stretchy black and white belt with tan plastic buckle. Both the latter and my navy shoes were the only retail items in my outfit.

We'd woken up to grey skies, which alternated with periods of sun throughout the day. 

After our usual fruit and yoghurt breakfast, I walked to the chemist and the organic village shop, after which I dusted the hallway and the dining room. I then tied up some straggling Clematis shoots and gave the Astilbe we'd planted and which wasn’t looking too fresh, an extra watering.


In the afternoon, we drove down to the garden centre, as we needed more bread mix. We also had a € 35 voucher to spend courtesy of our loyalty card so, as this would be be last time we'd be able to go in together, we wanted to have a look at some shallow wooden crates we'd spotted on a previous visit.

For years, we had been storing our supply of drinks under the high-legged China cabinet in our kitchen and although we had been using two vintage plastic bottle carriers for some of the bottles, the rest was all jumbled together willy-nilly, which was both impractical and unsightly.

Aided by the voucher, we bought two of the crates, but after we got them home it turned out that, as I'd feared, the 33 cl beer bottles were too tall to fit underneath the cabinet, so that we were only able to use one of them. The second crate is now awaiting a new purpose.



We also bought an Asplenium for the hallway, as well as two more garden plants: an Echinacea 'Green Jewel' and a Tricyrtis hirta, which is better known under the delightful name of Toad Lily. We used to have one of these in our garden before the Big Neglect, and I was overjoyed to find another one, even if it still has to flower. The photo on the bottom left is of the one which lived in our garden sixteen years ago.


As I had a hairdressers appointment for a colour and cut at 8.30 on Wednesday, I went into work quite a bit earlier so that I could check my mails before I had to leave.

Apart from that, the rest of the day was quite uneventful. As people are actively discouraged to come to Antwerp, it was a lot less crowded on the streets when I left the office to go to the pick-up point after work. At one point, I was the only person walking along a traffic-free stretch, where I usually have to slalom between hordes of shoppers.


Thursday was a sizzling Summer's day, with temperatures soaring to about 28°C, so once again we drove down to De Walenhoek, the nature reserve in Niel where we'd been for a walk the previous week. With mask wearing now compulsory in public, we wore ours until we were well away from the car park, keeping them at the ready for when we met other people.

We started our walk from a different car park, where a path soon descended towards this blue lagoon of a lake which we could see shimmering between the trees.


I'd just photographed the frog traffic sign when Jos suddenly pointed to a tiny black frog - much smaller than the one on the sign - crossing the path. Not the sharpest of images as the little creature had the annoying habit of hopping away just as I was clicking the shutter!

This episode made me think of a similar sign we met in Pembrokeshire, which had another, handmade sign next to it showing the real size of the frogs.



Again, we meandered between the ponds, eventually ending up where we'd walked the other week. Making our way back to the car park, we once again came upon some relics from the past, when the area was a hive of brick-making activity. Now, the quietness was only pierced by bird calls and the buzzing of insects. Oh, and the rhythmic tick-tock sound made by my walking stick.


Before I bid you goodbye once more, here's a look at my outfit.

This dress, handmade in a sturdy but cool cotton, is a masterpiece in illusion. What at first sight looks like strips of broderie anglaise is in fact just part of the print, which also features stripes, checks and tiny yellow-hearted blue flowers. The frilly cap sleeves were perfect to protect my shoulders from the sun.

Picking a brooch obviously was a no-brainer! I added more blue in the form of my belt and beaded necklace. The latter also has opalescent white beads, which in their turn match the ring I'm wearing.

I'll be taking you along on another walk in my next post but until then, stay safe, sane and fabulous!




36 comments:

  1. that brooch onthe wonderful summer dress - they were made for each other! love the first look, its totally fabulouse. the skirt i so very cool.
    you have some sweet little pictures hanging at dove cottage´s walls. but why do you think the house is desolate? it looks intact and cosy to me - a bit lonely on that hill perhaps.... :-D
    heat wave. i hear you. its hot here too. but by now i can enjoy it as we had our good share on rain and cooler days.
    stay safe!
    xxxx
    ps: our government announced that we should not got to antwerp now......

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    1. Thank you Beate! You are right, the house does look cosy and certainly intact, but it still looks quite lonely (desolate) to me. That said, I wouldn't mind living there, all peaceful and quiet! Antwerp's getting a really bad name, but in fact it were mostly certain suburbs which were affected, not the city centre itself. And our figures are going down again, unlike those in Brussels and other places! xxx

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  2. You look gorgeous in this cotton dress with broderie anglaise. It's an amazing dress!
    hm probably you can lay down the bottles in this second wooden tray?
    I wish you a wonderful weekend, with a huge hug Tina

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    1. Thank you Tina, and thanks for the tip on laying down the bottles. We haven't decided yet, though. Too hot to think! xxx

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  3. You look beautiful and I am glad you are feeling more happier. My week has been mixed with emotions thanks monthly’s !!!! and the humidity has exactly helped . But I am hoping the weekend is far more relaxed.
    Love the pictures, I am a bit of a horder I have loads of artwork but not enough walls!!! So many are waiting to be placed when I can find space.
    I cannot resist an old print when I am in the UK. Take care and keep safe

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    1. Thank you so much, Allie! Ah monthlies! I'm so glad I'm passed the menopause now, although that too has its disadvantages ;-) Confession time, I am a bit of a hoarder too, which is probably quite an understatement! xxx

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  4. Yay! A heatwave! Mind you, I always thought a heatwave was a long period of glorious sunshine, these days it seems to be given to a single day of heat. It's glorious here today, too!
    The red cotton dress is a delight and that newly found tropical skirt is lovely. I'm madly in love with your toad lily and that Edwardian lady picture. I love the storage box - that would be perfect for a planter, too!
    Stay safe and keep positive! xxx

    PS When we went to Berrington Hall we wondered if you'd both visited before!

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    1. This one's a proper heatwave, with a week of +30° Celsius. I can't wait for the toad lily to flower. As it needs at least partial shade, I've put it in pot in the passageway where I can keep an eye on it from the kitchen window. I think we did most of the NT properties in Herefordshire. Croft Castle's lovely too! xxx

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  5. I love this C&A skirt you recently purchased, it has such a fab print!. Also lovely necklace!. Love the colors both in your outfit and in your garden!.
    Love to have a look at the art hanging in your home, these are beatiful pictures!.
    Love the pinkish red textured cotton dress too, such a nice quality fabric and fab shape!. The blue cardi creates such a lovely contrast!, great color combo!
    This crate looks like a fab idea to keep those beers tidy. I'm envious of your supply of drinks!.
    And your last dress has totally stolen my heart!, the 'faux embroiderie' effect and the cute sleeves are so fabulous!. Totally amazed that you found The Perfect Brooch!, this is such a delightful thing!. And it's so lovely to see you in this magnificent landscape!
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! I'm in love with that skirt too, and I can see many combinations with it in the future. Isn't that faux broderie anglaise dress amazing? I've had it for years, but this was actually its first wear. Crazy, no? xxx

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  6. I love the area of your garden with the yellow sign and matching chairs. The table gives it a secret private bistro feel, it looks perfect!
    Your vintage waitress dress looks cool and a great choice for a summer's day, I like the white collar against the textured pinky/red cotton.
    It's hot here today ( mid 30's) and the lake you visited looks very inviting.
    Have a great weekend xxx

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    1. Thank you Sally! I've had that bistro remark several times. Weren't we lucky to be given that sign and then to find the table and chairs in a closing down sale a bit later? Now that it's so hot, we've added my parents' 1970s parasol which makes it look even better! xxx

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  7. Each outfit could feature in a catalog of "Perfect summer attire." I love them all.
    The wooden crate will surely find a use-perhaps atop a cabinet somewhere?

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    1. Thank you Goody! The crate would indeed look nice on top of a cabinet but, believe it or not, all cabinet tops are taken already :-) xxx

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  8. Oh Ann! A nice cheerful outfit! We had two weeks of heat with temperatures above 38°C..I would have gladly worn such beautiful colors! Is a peacock embroidery on black silk? You know I love embroider and my brother took a good look at the wood collage...A pop of color matched your sweet pin on the white collar! What a beautiful walk in nature...great photos! Serene Summer!
    Carmela e Davide

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    1. Thank you so much Carmela & Davide! Yes, I do think the peacock embroidery is on black silk. We bought it framed and kept it the way it was. xxx

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  9. So much beautiful color. ❤️

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  10. Ah yes, you are wearing one of those gorgeous necklaces! We have frogs too in our garden as we have a small,, slootje,, don't know what it is in English, just had coffee with Amaretto.... I don't like frogs at all, always scared that they jump on me.

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    1. Really! I quite like frogs! Do the ones in your ditch make a lot of noise in Spring? xxx

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  11. I'm so glad you are feeling better, Ann! To answer you: yes, I still get your posts by email - that works! I have no idea what is going on with my email feeds - I've submitted a query with the "help" forum, so fingers crossed.

    Love your pretty, cheerful outfits here. That pencil skirt is amazing! I also love the reddy-coloured dress - what a wonderful skirt. I think the last dress is my favourite - I love the cobalt blue accessories.

    What marvelous flowers! I just adore your garden. Great to see more of your art too! I love that peacock.

    Have a great weekend, my dear friend.

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    1. Thank you Sheila! The last dress actually has an attached tie belt, but I wanted a contrast, so I tied it in the back, safety-pinned the ends (klassy :-)) and wore the cobalt blue belt over it! xxx

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  12. Glad you are feeling better about it all! You wore such lovely colourful outfits too, I really like that last dress! Enjoy your warmer weather before summer is over! We had some warm weather today and the past few days, it has been so nice!

    Hope that you are having a lovely weekend! :)

    Away From Blue

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    1. Thank you Mica! I do keep having mood swings but I'm OK overall. The hot weather's been a bit too much for me, and I'm glad temperatures are expected to become a bit more moderate in the next days! xxx

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  13. Hi Ann
    Not one but two beautiful handmade dresses to admire. They are both lovely on you.
    It’s so nice seeing your garden plants. As much as we love to look at them neither of us are interested enough to do ours. Think it’s to do with us having rickety backs. Maybe I’ll have to look at getting a gardener.
    We are going to the caravan on Tuesday for one night to open it up and see some friends then back home for my birthday on Thursday. We’ve heard that the Lake District is mobbed with tourists, which won’t suit us at all. Keep your fingers crossed for us xxx

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    1. Thank you Lynn! I'm hearing you on the rickety backs, though. I do hope you got to the caravan alright, even if it's only for one night. Keeping your fingers crossed that things are not too busy over there! xxx

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  14. I'm glad to hear your mood has picked up, Ann.
    Your vintage art is so unique, thanks for sharing!
    And your walking pictures are stunning as is your outfit. You must be the most stylish lady with your walking outfits. When I exercise, it is the ONLY time I wear legging/exercise clothes - I refuse to otherwise. Haha. X

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    1. Thank you Jess! I'm am always the only one wearing a dress or skirt when I'm out walking. I do not even have exercise clothes :-) xxx

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  15. Good to hear you've been feeling better. Getting out for walks must help loads. And your flowers will always raise a smile.

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    1. Thanks Mim! We're waiting for the temperature to go down again, as it's too hot for going for a walk! xxx

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  16. Great post, I hope you stay safe as well <3

    x Natalie
    Lucy and the Runaways - Blog and Instagram

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  17. Glad to hear you're feeling better. Might have something to do with the weather. I always seem to feel better on sunny days. Getting out for some fresh air in beautiful parklands seems to help too.

    What lovely art you have displayed around your home. I love peacocks too - I have them on dinner sets. The hatted lady and the landscape pieces are beautiful.

    I'm sure you'll find some suitable way of using the extra wooden crate. They're so versatile and perfect for a zillion uses.

    Two hand-made dresses - how lucky are you to be able to sport such unique and beautiful pieces!



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    1. Thank you Suzy. Much as I love the sunshine, +30°C certainly is too much for me. Haven't been out much for the last couple of days, consequently. I'd love to see your peacock dinner service! xxx

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  18. I'm happy to hear you're feeling better. That first outfit you wore is so pretty. I like the charity shopped top you're wearing. Sometimes even 100% polyester items can be comfortable, it depends on the cut and the general thickness of the fabric. I have some polyester blouses and dresses that are very comfortable and that I wear in the summer. So, I do believe that the top has a cool feel. The skirt with the exotic floral print is so fabulous. What a beautiful print! The cut of the skirt is also lovely and it looks great on you. The Les Cordes necklaces is a lovely accessory to wear with it.

    Your (possibly hand made) pinkish red dress is a beauty as well. It looks great on you and I'm sure it is a dream to wear. Such a pretty summer styling it is.

    The last dress you wore is lovely. I like the sleeves on this dress, very romantic. How nice that it is handmade! and even better handmade in cotton. The print that appears to be strips of broderie anglaise is a fun detail as well. I also like the belt you wore with this one. An elegant and feminine styling, simply perfect for summer.

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    1. Thank you Ivana! You are so right that 100% polyester can be comfortable. I just found wide-legged trousers in a similar silky fabric and they were fabulous to wear during the heatwave! I agree that the final dress is quite romantic! xxx

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