Thursday 17 September 2020

September days are here

Although I've still got at least two travelogue episodes up my sleeve, I wanted to give both you and myself a little breather, treating you to a catch-up of what else has been happening in September.

Admittedly, I am loath to finish what will probably be this year's final travelogue all too soon, wanting to bathe in its golden hued memories as long as I possibly can. In other words, I am procrastinating!

Plus, I cannot leave it too long to record what normal life - forgive the euphemism - has been like ever since we landed with our feet firmly back on the ground. After all, we are already half-way through September which, incidentally, is exactly six months since things got very pear-shaped indeed. 

And let's be frank: that's six months of living a half-life, having one's wings clipped, constantly balancing on a tight rope and treading water.



But hey, that's not what you're here for, right? Let's quit moaning and talk about clothes!

Both the skirt and top were unworn items from my travelling capsule wardrobe, so why not give them a whirl instead of putting them straight back into my wardrobe?

The green Crimplene skirt is part of a suit, its companion a short-sleeved jacket, while you might remember the funky, eye-confusing bird-print top as part of a recent charity shop haul. I took my lead from the top's print by adding a black and white plastic woven belt and long necklace. The black-rimmed vintage brooch holds a bouquet of flowers. 

Having survived my first day back at work on Monday, which was far less painful than I'd expected, this is what I wore on Tuesday last week. 



I'd anticipated the worst case scenario of a garden full of wilted patio pots and hanging baskets upon our return on Sunday before last, but thankfully only a handful of plants appeared to have succumbed to our neglect. I immediately set to work with my watering can, giving even the dead-looking ones a thorough soaking.

Apart from two tiny pots of Busy Lizzies, the plants in the passageway have all survived. This photo was taken through our kitchen window, hence the bothersome reflections.



Pelargoniums or annual Geraniums seem to thrive on neglect, as they have all come through unscathed, with those sharing their homes with less hardy annuals having gained the upper hand.

The Osteospermums haven't stopped flowering yet either, and neither have the fleeting but prolific Nasturtiums.



Thursday made me reach for this vintage Casualmaker by Sy Frankl dress which, with its tie collar and satiny fabric, could almost be a carbon copy of the dress I wore a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't believe I hadn't yet worn it this year, which is quite unheard of. No pockets though!

Pink is usually my colour of choice for accessorizing its green leafy print, and this time was no exception. I added a raffia belt which, apart from pink also contains hints of tan, yellow and white, and pinned a pink ceramic brooch to the dress's collar. Further accessories were a pink beaded necklace and plastic ring and pink, yellow and turquoise bracelet. My green shoes were the only retail items in my outfit.




My outfit definitely matched some of our garden's flowers: the bubblegum pink of Sedum spectabile, the first of the delicate, blush pink Japanese Anemones, the dusky pinks of the Hydrangea blooms in their Autumn attire and the cotton candy pink of the Snapdragons.



Our little monster seemed to be glad that we were back, although we suspect that what she'd missed the most was being able to go out into the garden. Nevertheless, she did endure - however briefly - a spot of enforced hugging. 



Madam's favourite spot is on her old faded cushion at the far end of the bench, where she is now enjoying the shelter of an umbrella of Nasturtium leaves.

On Friday, our neighbour was having his windows replaced, so we escaped the constant hammering and drilling by going on an extended shopping trip.

We'd even taken a picnic to be consumed at the famous Art Deco water tower. 



I was wearing the cherry print Zoë Loveborn dress I'd snapped up during our first post-lockdown charity shopping trip back in July. I accentuated my waist with a red elastic belt with flower clasp which used to belong to another dress from the same brand. My red and white spotty necklace came from a beloved but defunct vintage shop, while both bracelets were charity shopped.

It was a reasonably warm but slightly windy day, so I wore a red cardigan on top most of the time I was outside. The tomato red sandals were a sales bargain back in August.




We visited a total of three local shops where I was lucky enough to find several colourfully patterned garments. You'll get to see them in full either on me or my loyal assistent Angelica soon, but here's a little taster. Clockwise from top left are a vintage circle skirt, a King Louie dress, a frilly Kookai shirt, a Saint Germain Paris wrap dress, a King Louie faux-wrap top and a H&M jacket.



The jewellery displays yielded two beaded necklaces and a handful of modern brooches. The flamingo and stag head are in a soft and squishy plastic, and might have been intended for children, but beggars can't be choosers in these flea market-less age. Besides, I do love their quirkiness.

Our final buy was a 1970s yellow snack-size Tupperware tub, which you can see in one of the upcoming collages.




People were generally well-behaved in all three of the shops, although there was a little episode in one of them. We'd gone in together with a trolley but at some point we briefly went our separate ways. I was just about to rejoin Jos, when one of the sales assistants asked me where my trolley was. I truthfully admitted it was with my husband upon which he told me off as if I was a naughty child.  I retorted I couldn't see the problem as there was nobody else in sight so social distance was more than guaranteed. None too pleased, we went to pay at the till, where the same guy turned up and started ringing up our purchases, wearing his mask under his nose. Obviously I couldn't let the opportunity pass. His defense was - wait for it - that his glasses would steam up otherwise! The cheek! 



Our last stop for the day was the garden centre, as we needed to stock up on bread mix from their baking department. I'm sure it won't surprise you that I couldn't make it past the display of Spring bulbs without making some purchases. Spoilt for choice, I had to keep the diminutive size of our garden in mind and limit myself to a few old favourites and one oddity, some golden hued grape hyacinths.

And then there was a buy 5, get one free, sale in the perennials department, which it would have been silly not to make use of. We picked three different varieties of Hellebore and a Pulsatilla fort some early colour next year, as well as a Heuchera and an Astrantia.

On the top right is one of our Chocolate Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus) plants, both of which seemed to be write-offs after our week away. I cut them back and then watered and fed them, and now one of them is full of green shoots. Result! The other one, I'm afraid, didn't survive.



Saturday was another bright and sunny day, the weather slowly but surely gearing up for Monday and Tuesday, for which temperatures in the low thirties had been forecasted.

It was my birthday and although we hadn't anything in particular planned for the day, during a breakfast brainstorm we came up with the idea of driving up to Castle de Renesse in Oostmalle, which is located in the north of the Province of Antwerp. 


You've joined me there quite a few times before, as the castle is the venue of a small antiques fair taking place twice a year, in Spring and Autumn.

Sadly, no markets are bound to take place until further notice, but the estate and woodland surrounding the castle are the perfect place for a ramble.

I was wearing a new dress for the occasion, and yes, I do mean new and not new-to-me! I bought in the C&A sales when we were looking for a pair of shorts for Jos back in August. It's a fit and flare midi dress with a flouncy hem and I thought its lightweight flower sprinkled burgundy fabric was just perfect for this time of year. 

I used contrasting ochre yellow for my belt and batwing cardi, and added a favourite multicoloured beaded necklace.




We were pleased to see that the scaffolding, which had been rather spoiling the view the last couple of times we were there, was finally gone. However, we were completely stumped by the fact that there wasn't any water in the moat, leaving the castle's foundations bare.

At first we thought they'd drained the moat as part of the restoration works, but when we passed several sorry looking minor ponds without a drop of water in them, we were starting to get a bit worried.

The alarm bells starting ringing in earnest when, on our way back, we passed the lake in front of the castle. At other times the most picturesque of views, we were now looking at the castle across a muddy wasteland. A newspaper article only a couple of days later confirmed that there was a huge problem which is attributed to a combination of the ongoing drought and drainage caused by two nearby building sites. 



Our walk took us to the outskirts of the estate and, in spite of not having a walking map of the area, we briefly ventured off the well-trodden paths aided by a photo I'd taken with my phone of the map displayed at the entrance. 

And no, we did't get lost and safely made it back to the paths criss-crossing the estate, eventually finding a secluded picnic bench in the woods to rest our feet and eat our sandwiches. Just the two of us, a couple of  wood pigeons and a pesky wasp.

We were intrigued by what initially looked like a piece of driftwood in front of the picturesque old bailiff's cottage (top right).



Closer inspection revealed that it was alive with a veritable army of strange looking creatures. 

An inscription clarified that these were "de hummeltjes van het bos", for which the closest translation I can think of is "the urchins of the wood". An enchanting encounter although I thought some of the urchins were looking quite startled.

So, that's it for now. I will be resuming my travelogue in my next post and hope to see you there.

Until then, dear friends and readers, do stay safe, positive and as fabulous as possible.


44 comments:

  1. So many beautiful outfits, I don't know where to start. I love the green skirt that is a part of a suit, it looks great worn with a printed blouse. The green dress worn with pink accessories is fantastic as well. Such a great print! Speaking of prints, the cherry print dress is wonderful...it looks amazing worn with tomato red sandals and belt. The new dress is lovely as well.
    I'm happy to hear you had a nice time. Your looks amazing.

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    1. Thank you Ivana, I thought you might appreciate the cherry print dress :-) xxx

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  2. I found your blog thru Vintage Vixen and have thoroughly been enjoying it . Thank you so very much for taking the time and effort for blogging. I have so enjoyed your blog.
    Karon
    Paso Robles, CA USA

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    1. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, Karon xxx

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  3. What a pretty outfit. Oh, and regarding your encounters... life is especially hard now; people ought to cut others slack and be kind. Nobody's perfect all the time.

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    1. Thank you Ally! I sometimes have the feeling I'm the only one who's following the rules ... xxx

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  4. belated happy birthday, dear ann!!
    the birthday dress is looking gorgeous on you - great buy. but my heart it at the green patterned dress - lovely!!! and i love the expression of pheobe when hugged - like a wondering teddy bear :-DDD
    glad to hear that the flowers had survived your holidays!
    hugsies! xxxxx

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    1. Thank you Beate! I love that green patterned dress very much too. And Phoebe definitely doesn't like hugs :-) xxx

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  5. Oh I'm so sorry I totally forgot that it was your birthday! Happy belated birthday!! Yes all the ponds are dry here too and the rivers very low. Here in our village a group of people tried to save the fish and bring them to another pond. And they shout out to the water company. We still can enjoy some sunshine isn't that great! Love your green skirt outfit and looking forward to see your new purchases. Have a great weekend!

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    1. No problem, Nancy, and thank you! I've read that the fish from that particular pond were caught and brought elsewhere too. It's very sad to see ponds and river so low. It hasn't rained for a long time ... until a couple of days ago :-) xxx

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  6. Happy Birthday Ann ❤️🌺🎉. A little bit late, but I wish you many luck and health. You look soo gorgeous in the new C&A dress. Thank you for these amazing trip to Renesse.
    I wish you a very nice weekend, with a very huge hug Tina

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    1. Thank you so much Tina! I initially had my doubts about that dress - I loved it, but didn't try it on - but it seems it turned out alright. xxx

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  7. Ann, I love your green and pink outfit! So beautiful and I adore how it perfectly matches your flowers.

    I can't wait to see your op-shop purchases. You sure are teasing us with your sneak peaks. X

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    1. Thank you Jess. I'm sorry about the teasing, but I didn't have the time to photograph my new purchases properly. I've already worn most of it, so you'll get to see them soon! xxx

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  8. Happy belated Birthday Ann, looks like you had a lovely day.I did find the little urchins of the woods quite fascinating. Shame about the dry moat and other problems caused by the drought , I imagine this is quite unusual for Belgium.
    Your dresses are all quite lovely , hard to pick a favourite.
    As you buy your bulbs and plants for Spring I have hyacinths and tulips in flower. Enjoy your week Ann.

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    1. Thank you so much, Jill! It is indeed quite unusual for Belgium, but unfortunately our Summers have been way too dry the last couple of years. As for the bulbs and plants for Spring, I actually thought of you when I picked the three kinds of Helleborus :-) xxx

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  9. Happy Birthday .. even if late! Beautiful post! The memories of a nice vacation soothe our thoughts. Nice outfit , I remember the yellow sweater with the birds ... you matched well the necklace, the brooch and the skirt of that beautiful green! What beautiful textures of colorful fabrics you have chosen! You were lucky to find them. The little house of insects .. a smile at the thought that sensitive people still exist ... what a beautiful walk accompanied by the "creatures of the forest" .. Beautiful photos!
    Hugs,Carmela

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    1. Thank you Carmela, I'm so glad you liked my photos and the creatures of the forest! These insect hotels are quite common here, actually. I love them! xxx

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  10. Happy belated birthday! I love your birthday outfit, the yellow cardigan works so well with that dress! I think the cherry print dress is my favourite outfit, you accessorised so well with all the red, but I really like the first outfit with the yellow and green too! :)

    Hope you are having a lovely weekend :)

    Away From Blue

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    1. Thank you Mica! I wasn't sure about that dress until I added the yellow cardigan. And I'm really pleased with the cherry print dress, even if initially I thought it would be too short on me. Silly, I know. xxx

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  11. Although fall means the end of summer (my very favourite time), I love it. Well, there are the positive aspects of fall anyway, like the sunlight, the colours, the smells. I went to Frauenfeld on Saturday. They startet making sugar from sugar roots again. Oh that smell! It's the smell of my childhood and I love it. :-)

    I might move to Frauenfeld in my old days just because of the smell. :-)

    All the best!

    Regula

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    1. Thank you Regula! I've always loved Autumn, for all the things you mention. And smell is such a powerful way to take one back to one's past! xxx

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  12. I've been away and just read this - Belated Happy Birthday Ann. The dress and ochre cardi you wore for the occasion look fab.
    Your plants still look beautiful, as does Phoebe. I do like the cat mobile in your garden.
    The Sy Frankl dress is great but I know what you mean about pockets. I hate not having them, they're so useful.
    Those urchins look a bit disconcerting and otherworldly!
    Things seem to be nosediving again, stay safe Ann. xxx

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    1. Thank you Sally! I totally agree about pockets. The other, similar, dress I have has pockets and I'm always forgetting that this one hasn't. Otherworldly is the right word for those urchins! xxx

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  13. Happy Belated Birthday.
    Especially love the black and red cherry dress.
    Your flowers are all looking so pretty.
    Those urchins are intriguing..

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    1. Thank you so much, Hena! I thought those urchins were intriguing too. I couldn't find anything about them on the Internet, though. xxx

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  14. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Dear Ann, all the best to you for the coming year, and bring you peace, joy and quiet in the midst of troubles.

    I laughed at Phoebe's suffering face! She is such a character! I also adore your cherry print dress and that very swooshy burgundy floral one! So gorgeous!

    I love the little creatures carved in the wood. How magical!

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    1. Thank you Sheila! I thought you might appreciate Phoebe's suffering face :-) I always love coming across things like those urchins when out walking! xxx

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  15. What splendidly lovely jewelry finds. The darling deer brooch in particular stole my breath away - as did, I should mention, that absolute gem of a cherry print dress.

    Autumn Zenith 🎃 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. Thank you Autumn! I can never resist deer brooches or ornaments :-) xxx

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  16. Belated Happy Birthday from me too! I was really moved by the Coming World Remember Me sculpture and the British cemetery. Your holiday sounds great and I have enjoyed seeing a different part of Belgium. Two hundred years ago I was an au pair in Belgium - in Brussels and Knokke. You really suit the C&A dress.

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    1. Thank you so much Catmac! How exciting to have been an au-pair here in Belgium. At least you'll know how to pronounce the tricky name Knokke :-) xxx

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  17. Wonderful outfits! I loved the green leafed dress the best; such a beautiful pattern and I love how you often pair green with pink which is a fabulous combination.

    You went mad in the charity shops! I love the look of your purchases and guess what? I bought the exact same Tupperware container in Ireland for the caravan!

    I hope the moat and the lake at the castle are refilled soon; the poor inhabitants of the moat and lake must have had quite a shock. And talking of inhabitants I thought the urchins were charming.

    Take care
    xxx

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    1. Thank you Vronni! I admit that I love vintage Tupperware. We already had one of those containers in orange. I've read that they rescued the fish and took them elsewhere. I do hope the lake is refilled shortly, as it's looking rather sad at the moment! xxx

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  18. Happy belated Birthday Ann!
    What a lovely collection of outfits! I'm very much looking forward to seeing your new purchases in full, all those patterns look divine.
    What a shame the moat and surrounding ponds have taken a knock back from local building sites, I hope all is restored when you visit next time.
    The wood urchins look rather sweet, if a little startled :)
    xx

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    1. Thank you Hazel! I've already worn most of my purchases, so they'll be making it to the blog soon! xxx

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  19. Happy Birthday again Ann! A lovely day out for a stroll and picnic in your gorgeous dress was obviously the best present. What a pretty castle! It's unfortunate the lake/moat were dry. These droughts are causing havoc everywhere. Hopefully some Autumn/Winter rains are on their way to fill them up.

    Glad to hear most of your plants survived your absence. Phoebe's obviously glad you're both home.

    Love both the green leafy dress and the cherry one too.

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    1. Thank you Suzy! It's been raining quite heavily these last couple of days, but I'm sure it won't have been enough to fill up the lake and moat. They've estimated that it needs to rain day and night for at least two weeks to do so! xxx

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  20. Fabulous outfits as usual and I'm glad to hear you had a lovely day out for your birthday. How sad about the moat and lake, all the poor wildlife :(

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    1. Thank you Gisela. I was thinking about the wildlife too. They have relocated the fish but what about all the other creatures whose livelihood depend on it? xxx

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  21. I love that photo of you and Phoebe - her face is all "Aw mum, nooooo!" Your outfits are as splendid as ever.

    I hope the water draining away won't affect the foundations of the castle at all - it must provide some sort of support, and wet earth will support differently to dry. It's very naughty of the building sites to drain the water.

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    1. Thank you Mim! That's definitely what Phoebe's face meant :-) Good news about the castle: after some interventions and quite a lot of rain, the moat and lake are filling up again! xxx

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  22. Glad that most of your plants survived!, they're looking lush and colorful!. Your outfits are also a joy for the eyes: the delightfully matchy accessories, the cute prints and colors (love the bird-print top, love your cherry print dress, and love the collage of prints you made!).
    Your new C&A dress looks fab, so cute print and colors, looks so perfect in this magnificent background.
    Hope your birthday was a happy day and wish you lots of happy days too!
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! I was quite relieved there were hardly any casualties among the plants. I was very pleased with the C&A dress, especially as I took a gamble and didn't try it on! xxx

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