Tuesday 3 August 2021

You don't miss your water till your well runs dry

Although we are currently enjoying a couple of days away, in order not to get too far behind in posting I managed to squeeze in a quick blog post which is being brought to you through the magic of scheduled posting!

The weather didn't look too promising for our our little trip, but we won't let a minor detail like that spoil the fun. The only wrench is that we'll be missing this one terribly, wondering how she'll cope on her own, and what kind of welcome will be awaiting us upon our return.

Better not to get into that just yet!



For now, I'm taking you back to Saturday the 17th of July, when we were finally treated to a sunny Summer’s day on which the mercury climbed to about 25°C.

My journal tells me that I pottered around after breakfast and photographed the previous week's finds which already appeared in a previous post. Then I donned my ankle wellies and gardening apron for some well-needed deadheading and clearing up after all that rain.


My cotton floral frock in delicious shades of blue and green was a Think Twice find back in May and I thought this was the perfect day for its first outing.

I kept its accessories fairly neutral, adding an oatmeal woven belt at my waist and wearing pair of ridiculously comfortable rose gold Gabor sandals bought in the 2019 Summer sales. I forgot to photograph my cream floral vintage brooch, but it's not one you haven't seen before.



The millefiori glass heart pendant and both my bangle and bracelet were charity shop finds.

We were in need of some staking materials so off to the garden centre we went, stopping for outfit photos in front of the rusty gates of the museum garden a bit further down our street.

It's a kind of communal gardening project, which unfortunately isn't open to the general public, but here's a sneaky peek through the gate for you!



It was almost eerily quiet at the garden centre, quite a contrast to May and early June, when we wouldn't even have dreamed of going there on a Saturday. Needless to say, we took our time browsing, loading our trolley with a Zinnia, a Rudbeckia and a purple Nemesia. We also bought another perennial - gorgeous copper red Helenium Moerheim Beauty - which is yet to flower. 



We left the planting of all these treasures for Sunday, the Zinnia and Nemesia sharing a pot, while the Rudbeckia was lucky enough to get one all of its own. They have joined the curry plant, lavender and pink Pelargonium on the little table next to the bench. The marble plaque was presented to my paternal grandfather in the 1950s for his endeavours in allotment gardening!

At the garden centre, we searched in vain for decent sized plain terracotta pots, finding the shelves all but empty. Making inquiries, we were told they were completely sold out, and it was nigh on impossible to get hold of them. We were about to leave empty handed when we spied these grey ones which are made from eco-friendly bamboo!



On Sunday, the temperature climbed to an unheard of 27°C, the heat trapped in our little garden slightly cooled down by the gentlest of breezes.

My gardening attire that day consisted of my stripy jumpsuit, its batwing sleeves providing welcome ventilation. 



I kept it decent by pinning its plunging decolletage with a pink spotty flower corsage and added a yellow belt to give it some shape. Further accessories were a yellow wooden necklace, ditto bangle and multicoloured wooden bracelet.



There wasn't a cloud in the sky until we started that day's mammoth task of watering the patio pots and hanging baskets after dinner. Those of you who have been following my blog for a while might remember that we pump up water for the garden from an underground well by way of a handpump in our bathroom. Imagine our dismay when halfway through filling up our second watering can the watered stopped coming. 

At first we were stumped as in the 20 odd years we've been living here this has never happened before. Plus, we'd had more than our fair share of rain! But then it dawned on us that the culprit must be the construction site across the road, where groundwater is being drained 24/7!

We can only hope that balance is restored once the building work has been finished. This literally is a case of not missing your water until your well runs dry!



Monday was the start of another 4-day working week, although it being the 21st of July - Belgium's National Holiday - on Wednesday meant that I wouldn't be able to take my usual Friday off.

On the upside, the summery weather continued with the temperature hovering in the mid to high twenties. Not much fun though when one is stuck inside an office, especially since due to circumstances I had to forgo my lunch break on both Monday and Tuesday.



We only managed outfit photos on one of these days too. I think it was Monday when I was wearing this green floral frock, which rather than vintage was a sales bargain from a high street shop.

One of my stretchy chevron belts came out to play, while I used for my sandals and accessories.



Wednesday was another scorcher with temperatures reaching the high twenties.

Having a day off  meant a break from the alarm clock, so we slept in a bit. Then, after our usual fruit & yoghurt breakfast and getting dressed, Jos picked the remainder of the gooseberries, and we sat outside on the bench removing their tops and tails in preparation for another batch of jam.

I then continued with the seemingly never-ending deadheading and general garden TLC, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my back. 



I was wearing my recently charity shopped ethnic print skirt which is made from the lightest of cottons.

With so many colours to choose from, I opted for red, starting with a silky blouse which crossed my path in a Shropshire charity shop in 2019.



A stretchy green raffia belt, multicoloured beaded  necklace and yellow bird brooch pinned to my blouse completed my outfit.

Meanwhile, one of the new flower spikes in our Delphinium has opened its indigo blue flowers providing delight for us and an alternative source of nectar for the bees. And look, here's another Welsh poppy (bottom left), while a pink hue is slowly but surely appearing in the Phlox's buds.



We have reached Thursday the 22nd of July by now, and have nearly come to the end of this post.

Although my hair was in desperate need of a wash and thus wasn't looking its best, and I couldn't wait to get out of my slightly sweaty office day outfit, we made a couple of quick snaps in our garage.



If the skirt and blouse look familiar, it's because they were both recent charity shop finds. You'll recognize one of my stretchy belts and the birds in flight brooch, and I'm sure you've seen the beaded necklace before as well.

The yellow leather bag has accompanied me to the office ever since I picked it up in a charity shop last Autumn. On my feet, the rose gold sandals I mentioned earlier in this post.






I'm leaving you now with my latest find, picked up from Think Twice during lunch break.

Can you believe I dithered over this delightful 1950s handmade frock? Its pleated skirt was a nightmare to iron, though!

I will be back soon, and I can't wait to share our adventures with you!

As always, do stay safe, my dears!



23 comments:

  1. I hope your well water refreshes soon! It always surprises me to hear your summer temps, it was 28 degrees here yesterday in the middle of winter as we had a little bit of warm weather - I'd feel so sad if summer was 25 degrees, haha!
    I like your colourful outfits as always, that striped jumpsuit is my favourite and that dress was a great find!

    Hope your week is going well! We are in lockdown here this week :(

    Away From The Blue

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    1. Thank you Mica! Still no sign of that well water, but we don't hold out much hope as long as construction work across the road hasn't finished.
      I guess you are used to higher Summer temperatures than ours, but I'm sure I'll be wilting in yours! xxx

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  2. So lovely to enjoy some summery weather days in the garden, which is looking so lush and colourful and fruity! (the gooseberries look delightful!)
    Lovely floral dress in some favourite colours and also lovely millefiori pendant (really beautiful!) and bracelets.
    Love particularly your striped jumpsuit and funky styling!, every accessory enhances the colours!. Fabulous photos of you in the garden.
    Sorry that the underground well was affected by the new building, hope that balance is restored, as you said. Building works can be really disturbing.
    Lovely green floral frock, it looks fabulously vintage even if coming from a high street shop, its print is really stunning!
    Your ethnic print skirt is totally my kind of thing, love its delightful floral pattern and colours!. It looks fab with the red blouse and cute necklace!
    Hope you're enjoying your week out. Looking forward to see you fully re-energized!
    besos

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    1. Thank you Monica! I can't believe how fast time went by during our break, but we'll have another one to look forward to in less than 3 weeks ... Eek ... xxx

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  3. Oh we always worry about our cats when we are away and we are never gone longer then 5 nights. And they get a visit twice a day.

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    1. I guess it's only normal to worry about one's cats! We had someone coming in twice a day too, but she's so scared that he only saw her the once! xxx

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  4. Oops, wasn't finished yet... how can it that you have a pump in your bathroom. Is it for washing also? Because we have a well too for watering the garden, but it's outside our house. Love the new dress, I'm a sucker for pleats. I think you have pretty good weather for your holiday haven't you? Enjoy!

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    1. Ha, yes, it's a bit mysterious isn't it? I guess the pump was once outside and then the bathroom was added and they incorporated it. We just left it as it was, but don't worry we have the usual taps providing hot and cold water too :-) xxx

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  5. I hope you're having a wonderful time away and that the weather is kind to you! Don't you worry about Bess, she'll be just fine (as long as you remember a coming-home present!)
    Your green sales bargain dress is lovely and fits in with your style perfectly. I love the stripy jumpsuit, the crisp cotton dress and your masterful pattern mixing and Dove Cottage's garden looks magnificent.
    What a mare with the water! You're right, you don't apprecaite these things until they go wrong!
    Here's to a wonderful trip. I'm already excited about seeing your photos! xxx

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    1. Thank you Vix. It's an absolute nightmare having to draw water for the garden from the tap, as it takes ages to fill up a watering can! Oh, and Bess was pleased to see us and seems to love cuddling even more! xxx

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  6. So many beautiful outfits and looks. I hope you're enjoying your days away and recharging your batteries. Bess is so cute in that shot.
    Your green and blue floral dress is a dream. Such beautiful shades of green and blue in that floral print. You look super pretty wearing it. The straw bag and the metallic sandals are lovely as well. The green floral flock is lovely as well. I love how the smaller flowers look like leopard print from afar. I wouldn't have guessed it wasn't vintage if you didn't wrote it, such a nice find. The red accessories were a great choice with it, I love that red necklace.
    The striped jumpsuit is fabulous. The mixed print combos are fantastic as well. The red blouse and purple skirt make for a wonderful painting. The blue and red skirt and blouse pairing is very pretty too.

    25 C sounds like a dream to me. In Mostar it's over 40 degrees on most days. I'm locked in the house most of the day.

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    1. Thank you Ivana! 40 degrees sounds like a nightmare to me, and I'm not surprised you're hardly leaving the house! xxx

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  7. Ooh, that final dress that you purchased made me ooh and ah, Ann! So cool, but I feel for you on the pleats.

    Your outfits are really stellar in this post - they're all awesome! I'm a big fan of your jumpsuit, the florals dresses and the neckline on that red blouse (so good on you). As always, your garden is sublime!

    I hope you are having a lovely holiday! Aw, leaving our furry fam behind is the worst part, though. I hope Bess is not too furious with you for leaving Her Majesty! Thank goodness for scheduled posts - they can be a life-saver!

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    1. Thank you Sheila! I almost left the dress behind because of the pleats, but it was too gorgeous not to take a chance. It'll probably be in the ironing basket for ages after its first wear ... xxx

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  8. Hi Ann, I have distant memories of sunshine and warm temperatures - it's grey and Autumnal here at the moment! Love the jumpsuit and the ethnic print skirt. I really like the way you mix colours and prints together. It's inspiring! How strange that the well has ceased production. Hopefully, as you say, just a blip and normal service will be resumed soon to keep your lovely garden watered. Judging by your grandfather's plaque, your green fingers are genetic! x Claire

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    1. Thank you Claire! It sounds like we've been sharing weather, although it has slightly improved for the last week or so! I thought my grandfather's plaque deserved a place in our garden and yes, I've got my green fingers from him, as well as my great-grandfather, who was a professional gardener! xxx

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  9. Those hot days seem but a distant memory now...

    I do hope you get your water restored to the water pump - such a great idea.

    Lovely outfits; I loved the green dress especially and the skirts and blouse outfits were also fab. The new dress is gorgeous and I fully sympathise with ironing the pleats!

    I've never seen such a chilled out cat as Bess in that photo! Hope you've had a wonderful break.
    xxx

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    1. Thank you Vronni! We never had a cat like Bess before ... The well and its pump were in situ when we bought the house, and it's been a godsend for watering the garden. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all will be restored eventually! xxx

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  10. Oh!! That stripy dress is just fantastic!

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    1. My mistake - it's a jumpsuit. But it's definitely fantastic, I had that bit right lol...

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  11. Madly adoring your bat-winged multicoloured jumpsuit. What an eye-catchingly awesome garment. I love, love, love batwing and similar styles of sleeves and find they tend to work well with my figure, so continually keep an eye out for pieces with them.

    I am also seriously digging your recently purchased frock. Its palette sings with the spirit of not only fall, but also Halloween, making my heart skip double the beats as a result. You find such amazing pieces, my dear friend, and it is always an inspiring treat to see them.

    Autumn Zenith 🎃 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. Thank you Autumn! That striped jumpsuit is such a joy to wear, but I've as yet to wear that new frock ... xxx

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