Thursday 20 August 2020

Masquerade

I'm currently counting down the days (10 to go at the time of publishing) to our little holiday in Belgium's west country. We'll be staying in our usual little thatched cottage overlooking a picturesque private lake and I'm keeping my spirits up by imagining sitting on the cottage's terrace and enjoying the view over the fields towards the hills on the French border in the distance. 

I'm fully aware that things might be just a little different from our previous eight (!) visits, but I expect that being able to escape the rut I seem to be in lately and having a well-needed change of scenery, will be balm for the soul nonetheless.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, so let's pick up where I left you in my previous post, which was smack dab in the middle of the mother of all heatwaves!


Temperatures were expected to come down from their great heights in the days following the weekend before last. Or at least, that's what those bothersome weathermen had us believe. But no, the mercury still gleefully climbed towards the mid-thirties on Monday. To say I was glad to escape to the coolness of my airconditioned office is quite an understatement.

Sadly, back at home some of our plants didn't cope all too well with the relentless heat. So, it's goodbye to the Iceland poppies, which have literally burnt to a crisp, while the glossy dark burgundy leaves of our Heuchera "Black Sea" have definitely lost their original colour and sheen.


Then there are those plants which seem to thrive in hot weather. Take our Portulaca, which is living happily in its lilac tin bucket suspended from one of the branches of our rampant privet. It is a small, succulent annual with fleshy foliage and colourful blooms that vary in colour, from yellows and tangerines to hot pinks and reds. The tiny flowers close when the sun goes down, but every morning they greet the day again with their cheerful little faces.

On the bottom right, you can catch a blurred glimpse of them behind the chocolate scented flowers of Cosmos atrosanguineus. Another hot weather lover, these are just starting to dwindle after having flowered profusely for months. 


Yes, alright, I can hear you thinking, but what about your outfit? And are you wearing trousers again? Well, yes I am, and what's more, I bought them in the sales during lunch break on Monday. They're from the same Mango shop where I'd bought the red jumpsuit last year, and I knew resistance was futile as soon as I clapped eyes on them.

Not only do they look fabulous, with their Paisley-esque yellow, green and turquoise print on a creamy background, they are easily the most comfortable trousers I've ever worn. Plus, they have pockets!


They also have huge slits on the side of each wide leg, offering sufficient ventilation on a hot day.

Of course, I had to wear them immediatly on Tuesday. I've had the teal H&M top I was wearing with it for eons. Admittedly, I'd forgotten all about it until I recently found it tucked away at the back of a drawer. The butterfly pendant was among the charity shop jewellery haul of a couple of weeks ago.


Being another 30 degrees plus scorcher, I started the day with some early morning gardening accompanied by the busy bees taking full advantage of our garden's spoils.

As Jos was in need of a pair of shorts, we tried our luck at the local C&A shop, where fortunately we found what we were looking for. Then, after lunch, I caught up with blog comments and continued making holiday plans.

I also sorted my growing collection of face masks which at the latest count number more than twenty!



I recently found a little shop around the corner from my office selling a huge selection of cheerfully printed cotton ones, so I admit I went a bit crazy. The nice girl at the till even offered me a reduction! She was admiring the curtain couture skirt I was wearing and we ended up talking about second hand shopping as well as venting our thoughts and frustrations on the current C-word situation and its do's and don'ts. I left the shop a much happier person!

These are some of the masks I bought, minus those which are currently in the wash and those which Jos has claimed for himself.

As they needed a home of their own, I offered them this small pink polka-dot suitcase, which I think is most suitable!



That evening, we were regaled by a thunderstorm and heavy rain, which unfortunately only cooled down things slightly and very briefly. It did mean only having to water a couple of pots under the awning, though.

Jos, who is even less heat resistant than me, couldn't resist nipping out into the garden in his pyjama bottoms and offer his thanks to the rain gods!

And all the while, the sun kept on doing its daily descent, shining like a fiery ball between the trees, with the rain pouring down in buckets.

There was still no escaping the heat on Wednesday before last, except for at the office with its deliciously cooling bur rather noisy airco. 

Promises, promises! It should have been relatively cooler that day, but the temperatures still hovered around the mid-thirties. That afternoon, I had a long talk with my lovely boss, during which we agreed to continue with the temporary part-time unemployment after the initial end date of 31 August which, in all honesty, I'm finding quite a relief. 


Thursday was a very clammy and stifling day, again with temperatures of well over 30° Celsius. 

By mid-morning I was already sweating profusely, in spite of wearing this cool cotton piqué Summer dress. A € 2 flea market find back in April 2018, I had to use my very limited sewing skills and move the already asymmetrically closing buttons a bit, as initially it was a bit too big on top.



I just love its blowsy green flower print and bottle green flower-shaped buttons, which is why I grabbed it from that flea market rail without giving it any further thought. 

Its companions that day were an orange half-elasticated belt, one of the recently charity shopped Les Cordes necklaces, a floral brooch and yellow and green bangles.




A slightly cooler day on Friday, the temperatures finally dropping into the high twenties.

After our usual fruit and yoghurt breakfast, we decided to throw caution to the wind and drive down to the local charity shop. What with the latest restrictions which only allowed solo shopping, we hadn't been to any charity shops for weeks. I'll show you the things we found properly in my next post, but here's a little taster. 

The Echinacea "White Meditation" was brought back from the garden centre, which we visited afterwards.




After much deliberation, I gave in and finally bought a Crocosmia. This one is called "Carmine Brilliant" and as it didn't fit into the booth of our car, it shared the passenger seat with me!



It started pelting down as soon as we got home, turning our dusty garden path into a minor river. At one point, I needed my ankle booties to wade through the puddles to the end of the garden.

The pots of pansies which had made their way into my shopping trolley were looking a bit sorry for themselves at that point.



Showers came and went all afternoon, so that once again I was saved the task of watering the majority of the patio plants.

During one of the sun's brief visits, we were able to snap some outfit photos, so that I could show you the wonderful floral dress I was wearing. Instantly evoking holiday memories, it was a gift from Vix when we met up last year, and worn to visit a dream of a garden only days later.


Further holiday memories were provided by my necklace, a charity shop find during last year's west country holiday. The brooch and ring were flea market finds, while the stretchy belt, with its funky triangular pattern and mock tortoiseshell buckle, was a sales bargain back in June.

So, that's it for now. I'll be back with those charity shop finds and more outfits on Sunday.

Until then, keep on keeping safe, my friends!


34 comments:

  1. That's it, I'm going to keep everything I can crossed for the next ten days so you and Jos can go on your hols!
    I love those trousers and can totally understand why you had to have them, they're perfect with that vest top.
    The photo of Jos in the garden is brilliant!
    The dress you altered is lovely and I recognised that blue one immediately, memories of happy times.
    What a haul of masks and even better that you got a discount.
    The plants are still looking fabulous despite the heat. Jon's testing out the irrigation system tomorrow which will probably mean it'll pee down all weekend!
    Stay safe! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Vix. We're all packed and ready to leave tomorrow afternoon! Jos has had quite a few comments on that photo, including from his children whom we saw at a barbecue on Sunday. Apparently, they all read my blog! xxx

      Delete
  2. Oh, I totally need a fancy box for my masks! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Hang in there, the time will fly by! Sorry it's been so hot, but you are looking fab, Ann! You have lovely shoulders/arms, and are looking very chic in your palazzo pants (love the slits!) - the pattern on those is magnificent and I would have bought them too. I've experienced those tropical downpours - it must have felt wonderful.

    I have to figure out what I'm doing for my work hours too - our numbers are starting to creep up here in province/city, and folks are reluctant to come back to work. I would be okay with sticking with what I have for a while. I've gotten used to the slower pace.

    Hugs to you and stay safe out there! Can't wait to see your thrift finds!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You definitely do, Sheila! I'm taking my little suitcase of masks on holiday! Thank you so much for your lovely comments on my shoulders/arms, which are a feature I tend to be rather insecure about. I had to work three (!) days this week, which I found quite exhausting! xxx

      Delete
  3. Hello Ann. What a bevy of gorgeous outfits! I know your signature style is to wear vintage dresses, but you look ever so wonderful in those palazzo style pants. Also, three cheers for pockets and gold clogs! I love the green floral dress too and what a bargain for 2E's.

    You have a cute collection of masks and an even cuter suitcase to store them in.

    Lovely to see your garden brimming with colour. Unfortunately high temperatures tend to burn a lot of delicate plants. I have become quite accustomed to planting heat tolerant plants over the years because our summers can range anywhere in between 23-40 degrees. Your Crocosmia is beautiful. There is a house nearby that has a whole lot of them and they look brilliant in all their orange splendour.

    Tell Jos to put some sunscreen on. Don't make me have to come there!! Keeping my fingers crossed that you get to enjoy your well deserved holiday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Suzy! Can you believe there was a time I wore nothing but trousers? Now it's the other way around, although I'm starting to embrace palazzo style ones. I've just finished packing and what with the weather forecast not being that fantastic, I packed quite a few pairs of trousers! xxx

      Delete
  4. I love your heatwave styles. I can understand you bought this amazing pants from Mango. Yesterday I saw Antwerp is on the RKI list of corona risk areas. ☹️
    Take care ❤️
    10 days to holidays, hachzzz great! Yesterday we decide to book a few days in Zeeland for Oktober ...maybe.
    With a huge hug Tina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Tina! I know about Antwerp being on the list, but actually it was only some of the suburbs which had a resurgence of cases. And in the meantime even those have come down, while the epicentre is now in Brussels! I do hope you can get away to Zeeland in October! We might be going later this year, if possible. xxx

      Delete
  5. It’s hard to believe how the weather varies from day to day here. Yesterday was lovely, not to hot and today rain and wind.
    I hope you manage to get away Ann. Just going off the one day we had at the caravan I know it will do you a power of good.
    I’m intrigued to know how big your garden is, you have so much loveliness packed into it. It makes me think of Auntie Gladys garden. Can you take a photo of it from an upstairs window so we can see it fully ?
    No plans today for me but tomorrow we are having another trip out, as we did last Saturday, looking at sofas or having ours recovered.
    Enjoy your weekend both of you xxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Lynn! We're all set to go tomorrow! We cannot see the garden from an upstairs window, but Jos has promised to make a photograph from the kitchen extension's flat roof. Especially for you! xxx

      Delete
  6. the green flowery dress is fabulous! the GREEN, the big scale watercolor print and the straight cut are totally my cup of (ice)tea :-D
    over the time you will learn what kind of plants are good in your garden and which are not suited - crocosmia btw. disappeared in mine only days after planting..... i blame the mice.
    yesterday i trimmed, mowed and cleaned 2/3 of our 700m" garden - only wearing hotpants&tank but still sweating like in a sauna......
    happy weekend! hugsies! xxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Beate! I will indeed learn that over time, but I need to learn to curb my enthusiasm too, and consider what I'm planting. The Crocosmia, thankfully, is still there and seems to be thriving! xxx

      Delete
  7. Haha, Jos in the garden in his PJ trousers is marvelous! We also have another 10 days to go. We are going with friends to Friesland for 2 nights and 2 nights to Kerkrade just the 2 of us! What a cute little suitcase! I would use that as a handbag!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your holiday plans sound lovely, Nancy! I hope you're having a wonderful time! I'd be tempted to use the little suitcase as a handbag too but it's only made of carton! xxx

      Delete
  8. The blue top and pants is such a great combo. Those Mango pants are so lovely and they look comfy too. Your collection of face masks is so cheerful. It's good that you found a nice shop from where to get them. Those are some really cheerful prints on those face masks and we all need a bit cheer right now. It's lovely that the salesgirl offered you a discount and that you had a nice chat with her.

    The green dress with the floral print is such a great fit on you. You look gorgeous in it. I also love the red belt you wore with it. Stunning combo. The dress with blue flowers is gorgeous! Fantastic belt and sandals as well.
    Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ivana! Having a choice of cheerful masks to choose from is making having to wear them so much better! As you say, we all need a bit of cheer right now! xxx

      Delete
  9. I used to have rocosmia in my last garden. This has just jogged my memory. I must buy some more because its beautiful. I hope you've managed to cool down Ann. It's much cooler here in the Uk thank god! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Laurie! A Crocosmia would be the perfect addition to your gorgeous garden! The weather, in the meantime, has completely changed and now it's a tiny bit too cool. Well, it's never right, isn't it? xxx

      Delete
  10. That's a lovely collection of masks. If you have to wear them, at least you're being stylish. The heat is taking a toll on my garden as well. With a southwest facing garden there's nowhere to hide from the hot afternoon sun.

    I'd have bought those trousers too-they're beautiful, an look like the sort of thing you can stretch into autumn with some tights below. They'd be great with a poloneck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Goody! I never thought of wearing those trousers with tights and a poloneck. What a great idea! xxx

      Delete
  11. Holiday? Excellent! You deserve a good break. Take lots of photos so we can all 'go with you'.

    That pique dress is just gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mim! I hope to return with some travelogue posts for a change ... xxx

      Delete
  12. It's funny but I find the anticipation of a coming vacation to be as nice as the trip itself. Enjoy yours!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's so true, Ally. And then reliving things afterward is wonderful too! xxx

      Delete
  13. It's true! The flowers have had to deal with a stress...but I see magnificent colors in your garden, and busy little bees!! What a love those pants with pockets, and the green floral dress...freshness! Have a Good Summer!
    Hugs, Carmela

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Carmela! I'm glad that our garden is now getting cooler weather and a bit of rain! xxx

      Delete
  14. Those masks are so wonderfully lovely! Aside from a N-95 one, I just have a solid black fabric mask so far. Thankfully, and most importantly, it does the job, but that said, I'd like to expand my collection as time goes on, if possible.

    I've thought of you often this summer, dear Ann, and apologize for not commenting on some of your latest posts. For various reasons, I've scarcely been online in recent weeks. Starting tonight, I'm trying to reverse that and ease back into my usual levels on internet usage as we head into September.

    Abundant hugs,
    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Autumn, and how sweet that you have been thinking of me! There is no need to apologize at all, of course. Sending an abundance of hugs in return xxx

      Delete
  15. Lovely trousers, and green dress, and Vix dress! Can I just climb into your wardrobe and stay there a while admiring everything please?
    The rain has been welcome, in gardens especially, but I hope we get a little more sun - especially for your holiday! Keeping everything crossed
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Hazel. You're welcome to come and climb in my wardrobe, as soon as we got this horrible virus under control xxx

      Delete
  16. What an extensive mask collection you have! I've just been using my vintage scarves as a face covering. Good thing I've got quite a few!

    Enjoy your holiday! X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love having a bit of choice, and I think it's important to look stylish even when wearing a mask. Vintage scarves are a great and stylish solution as well! xxx

      Delete
  17. Ahrgh, sooooo much to comment on.
    Firstly, TROUSERS! I LOVE them! They are my perfect trouser shape! I adore big trousers like that with nice loose fit and a fitted waist! Mango, you say...?
    Also, the dresses! I Adore asymmetric buttoned dresses and not sure why I don't own more!
    That Vix dress is gorgeous! I'd definitely wear that on a sweaty day- good choice!
    Your masks are gorgeous! I have an expanding collection too as I have to wear them for over an hour on public transport in the morning and then in the evening as well as wearing them when the parents come to collect the kids so they get worn for at least 3 hours a day! I have lost my favourite Doctor Who one and CBC has stolen a few (lucky thing has had then bought for him by me). Yesterday, I bought three more as CBC had forgotten his and he wanted to visit a shop- I bought a pack of 3 for £12- they have their own matching 'cases' for them and are really pretty! He said they were too girly for him so we had to swap!
    I frequently go into the garden gleefully when it is raining- usually to fill up buckets of water from the connected waterbutt in order to fill the unconnected one and then to fill every conceivable bucket!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Kezzie! Yes, the trousers are Mango, and they are one of my best finds ever. I think having a good selection of masks to choose from is the best incentive to wear them! Sorry to hear you've lost your Doctor Who one! xxx

      Delete