Tuesday 29 March 2022

If you go down to the woods in Spring

By the time this post is published, by way of the magical invention they call scheduled posting, we'll be comfortably ensconced in our B&B in Beernem; By then, we hope to have been for a wander around Bruges, sampled some of Veronique's delicious tapas and enjoyed a relaxing half-hour or so in our en-suite's Jacuzzi.

Never mind that the weather forecast dictated us to pack warm Winter clothes rather than Spring attire,  we won't let a minor detail like that spoil all the fun!

Although we have barely made a start with our trip, I can't wait to write its travelogue, but for now let's make a quick return to the weekend before last.



On the 18th of March, our usual Friday charity shopping schedule was slightly disrupted, as we had an appointment at the village hall to apply for our travel passports. Post-Brexit, we will need these if we are to travel to the UK, where before our Belgian id cards sufficed. 

After a struggle with an uncooperative photo booth resulting in my worst photo ever (oh my do I look a fright without glasses and with my hair out of my face!) the deed was done within minutes and the passports were ready for pick-up in a mere four working days.



It was a gorgeously sunny day on which a brilliant blue sky reigned, and by the time we'd had lunch the temperature had reached the heady heights of 14°C. 

We both ditched our cumbersome heavy Winter coats in favour of some lighter weight ones. Then we drove to the charity shops in Mechelen and Duffel, expecting them to be a lot busier in the afternoon than during our usual morning visits. Much to our surprise, however, they were both oases of quiet. Sadly enough, they were also quite devoid of interesting finds! 




Rather than return home immediately after leaving our final shop, we decided to go for our usual stroll in the park. Surely, it would have been downright silly not to make the most of the favourable weather conditions. 

The sweet scents of Spring were carried by a gentle breeze and made me feel all giddy!

The first of the trees were veiled in a haze of green and Spring flowering shrubs were proudly presenting us with their blooms. The clumps of yellow daffodils we'd spotted on our last visit had been joined by a handful of paper white ones wearing frilly pale yellow petticoats.



I was wearing a favourite colour combo of cobalt blue and green, the exuberant floral pattern of my vintage dress effortlessly upstaging the park's offerings.

The cardigan, belt and necklace, all in matching shade of green, were charity shopped, while the butterfly brooch was a flea market find. My ring of many colours was a high street buy, as were my opaques and moc-croc ankle boots.



I needed my sunglasses to combat the sun's low-slanting glare. They are € 0,50 charity shopped Rodenstock frames with eye-wateringly expensive prescription lenses.



We might have returned empty-handed from Friday's shopping trip, but my visit to Think Twice earlier that week more than made up for it. I went for a rummage in my lunch break on their € 4 day, ending up with the grey, white and green vintage dress on the left, as well as two Summer skirts.

The dress with its cheerful sailing boat print on the right was a gift from my friend Inneke, who had been having a wardrobe clear out. It's modern, from the Flair goes Retro label. Flair, by the way, is a weekly women's magazine founded in 1980. I already have a lobster patterned top from the same label, charity shopped with tags in May 2019.




On our way home, we passed Hessepoelbos, the woods we walked in back in January. I squealed in delight when I saw the woods were now carpeted by those harbingers of Spring, wood anemones (Anemone nemerosa). So, that was our destination for Saturday's outing settled.



The wood anemone grows in dappled shade and they are one of the first Spring blooms. Don't be fooled by their innocent and fragile appearance, though, they are quite poisonous. 

That aside, it is magical to see them spread out like a veritable galaxy across the woodland floor.

The presence of wood anemones usually indicates ancient woodland as it is a slow-growing species which spreads via rhizomes – horizontal underground stems.




Another sun-drenched Spring day, its 14°C was somewhat tempered by a blustery wind. 

Tired of my long Winter coats, I browsed my collection of short woollen jackets and stumbled across this yellow one I charity shopped in February 2021. It's from the Spanish Cortefiel brand and apart from its colour I was drawn by its double collar and cuffs. I redeemed its boxy shape by adding a burgundy leather belt.



Leaving the sheltered woods behind for the open fields, I was glad of its warmth and the fact that I was wearing my frilly turquoise scarf and sage green beret.

Here, the wood anemones made way for the cheerful yellow flowers of the lesser Celandine growing in the shade of a row of pollarded willows.



Where the fields end, the path veered off and narrowed, finding shelter between the pollarded willows and a wind-breaking thicket of shrubs.  The perfect place for outfit photos, showing you what was going on beneath my yellow jacket.

I'm sure you've already spotted my green and white plaid skirt, which was a vintage find from Think Twice many years ago, its fabric a thick polyester jersey. My midnight blue Diolen blouse with its flower and circle pattern of many colours was picked up at Think Twice as well. At my waist, one of my stretchy belts, with a round, multi-coloured plastic buckle.

My turquoise cardigan, green beaded necklace and cat brooch were all charity shop finds.



Arriving at the elongated nature reserved, the Old Railway Embankment, we instantly noticed the difference with our last visit: a distinct lack of mud!  Indeed, the dry weather of the last month or so made the soil look more than just a bit parched!



There may not have been muddy patches to tackle, other obstacles in the form of fallen trees courtesy of the storms had taken their place.

The rickety wooden bridge now crossed only a trickle of water, but even in the glorious Spring sunshine the abandoned greenhouses looked as spooky as before.



Before emerging from the low-lying path, we passed a picturesque, yellow pond-lily strewn stretch of water which reminded me of the river Ophelia is floating towards her death in captured by Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. And I wasn't even in a morbid mood that day ...



Sunday was a bit of a weird day, weather-wise. The temperature had dropped to 8°C, and much to our dismay it started snowing for all of 10 minutes while we were having breakfast. We had a mixture of sunny spells and cloudy ones throughout the day, which we spent pottering, reading and - in my case - catching up with blogland.

In fact, we only ventured outside to take outfit photos!




I was wearing the groovily patterned dress I went back to Think Twice for the other week, picking up the bits of yellow in its pattern with my necklace, cardigan, opaques and ankle boots. All items bought second-hand apart from the tights.

Meanwhile, the Snakeshead Fritillary (bottom left) I planted the week before seems to be thriving and look what's popped up quite unexpectedly: it's the Primula acaulis (top right) I planted out after it had finished flowering in its pot last year!



I'm leaving you now with a photo of our lovely Bess soaking up some sunshine. I do hope she isn't missing us too much ...



40 comments:

  1. You look so lovely! Spring definitely suits you! Have a lovely week!
    PerlaGiselle | iamperlita.com
    ♥ | INSTAGRAM

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  2. Fabuloous spring oufits, Ann! That mustard jacket and the dress you thought twice about especially! Those latest finds couldn't be more you.
    There's those flowers I spotted on my walk last week, I can't believe I've not encountered them before - Jon said we'd have to go back with a trowel and pinch a clump (tut tut!)
    Hope you have a fantastic time in Bruges and the weather is better than forecast - same here, we've got snow on the way apparently!
    Hope Bess doesn't miss you too much! xxx

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    1. Thank you Vix! They really are the prettiest flowers, aren't they? Perhaps Jon's idea isn't a bad one. I once lifted a clump of lesser Celandine from the "wild"! xxx

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  3. Loved both the dresses; such wonderful patterns! Fab accessories as always. The mustard jacket is gorgeous. You did well in the charity shops; you rarely seem to come away empty handed. I hope you're having a fabulous time in Bruges and that the weather is being kind to you.

    Bess is so pretty!

    See you when I get back from Ireland!
    xxx

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    1. Thank you Vronni, and I do hope you're having a most wonderful time in Ireland! xxx

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  4. I always leave a photo of Vizzini on our camera when we travel, as we miss him and love looking at his sweet face. I'm sure Bess misses her people, but she'll be so happy to see you when you get home. Enjoy your vacation!! So exciting!

    LOVE the vivid cobal/green outfit - that dress is a stunner, Ann! I'm also swooning over that Dioden blouse with the circles on it - what a funky top! Your newest dress is well served with the yellow accompaniments.

    How awesome to see bits of nature here and here, as spring makes her presence felt. Lovely pictures!

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    1. Thank you Sheila! Bess was very happy to have us back ... and yes, we always keep some photos of her - on our phones, in our case - when we travel! xxx

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  5. Hi Ann,I'm David, Carmela brother,from PyrosePatch Blog, unfortunately I have inform you that on March 20 th Carmela died. Non I have difficulty accessing tre Blog, for more info, ask me on private. A Hug...

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    1. Dear Davide, what sad news about Carmela! I've just come back from a trip, and I'll be contacting you soon! xxx

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  6. I hope you two enjoy a relaxed and lovely week. We have so much luck with the weather here. And we fully enjoy the British nature! Only been out in gardens and the beach, no time for some shopping, can you believe that!

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    1. Thank you Nancy! No time for shopping, I'm shocked! xxx

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  7. This is a fun post. Hope you're enjoying your trip!

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  8. Wonderful spring outfits Ann, which complement your surroundings very well. I love wood anemones - didn’t realise that they were so toxic. The Snakeshead Fritillary and Primula are exquisite and again, your outfits are seemingly inspired by nature’s current offerings. Hope you had a good trip (assuming you read this upon your return) and are busy catching up on snuggles with Bess! xxx

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    1. Thank you Claire! Spying a carpet of wood anemones is always a delight, and a sign that Spring has well and truly sprung! xxx

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  9. Love your cheery outfits, Ann. You made me giggle about your passport photo! Hope you're enjoying your holiday. X

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  10. Ah, you are SPRING PERSONIFIED! Absolutely beautiful styling, especially the cobalt and green combo! Perfection, I might even say!
    The woods look very cheerful and it was lovely to see your Anemone photos here (haha, I had a preview, didn't I!?)
    Eek, I need to get a new passport and I am dreading the photo!
    Hope you are well!xxx

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    1. Thanks Kezzie! Why oh why do we always look bad in those passport photos, I wonder? xxx

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  11. Oh have a wonderful trip Ann and Jos. I hope the weather is not to bad.
    You wear a lot of green and I like it so much. Laughing about your passport photo. 😂
    with a very huge hug Tina

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    1. Thank you Tina, and I'm glad I made you laugh! xxx

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  12. not much colour in the landscape yet? ann comes to the rescue with bright and patterned outfits galore!!
    bess looks like a queen - and there might be enough wallpaper in the house to keep the time short ;-D
    have a nice trip! xxxx

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    1. It's my pleasure, Beate, and I have to confess that Bess was really well behaved while we were gone. No sign of any torn wallpaper :-) xxx

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  13. Me last week thinking it was time to get the summer clothes out. This week snow is predicted! I hope you have a lovely time away Ann. And that you have packed a couple of warm items! xx

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    1. I know, the weather has been quite fickle, hasn't it? xxx

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  14. I like the blue and green in the first two outfits - you accessorised that first floral dress so well! That last one looks great with the yellow cardigan too :) Enjoy your travels!

    Hope you're having a good week :)

    Away From The Blue

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  15. I greatly enjoyed your springy outfits and walk Ann :) Blue and green are brilliantly zingy together aren't they! I noticed Claire over at Winter Peach had the same colours on, and said they happen to be très en vogue at the moment - not that I'd know anything about that ;) I too laughed at your passport comment. If it is any consolation, I also look like a 'most wanted person' on mine - with a hard stare and no smile !

    Ophelia is one of my favourite paintings. I used to look at it for hours in Manchester's City Art Gallery. Loved your description of the wood anemones - 'veritable galaxy across the woodland floor'. Oooh yes, I can just imagine a grasping bloodied hand at the glass of those spooky abandoned greenhouses :0 Well, I sincerely hope you are having a super time eating tapas and relaxing in the Jacuzzi :) xXx

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    1. Thank you Lulu, and I'm glad to read you enjoyed it and that you loved my wood anemones description! Ophelia is one of my favourite paintings too, I would LOVE to see it in real life! xxx

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  16. Omg, you are just adorable! Thank you for sharing dear!!! <3

    Love and Wellness
    https://wellnessshopland.com

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  17. So relatable! I swear, there must be some unwritten universal law that prevents passport photos from being even just the teeniest bit attractive looking.

    Here in Canada, we can get passports that remain valid for ten full years, which, let me tell you, when you loath your photo on one of them is an exceedingly long time to wait for a new picture (something that I am counting down the years for on my current one; for better or worse, not too many years left to go at this point before I get the chance to cringe at a whole new photo for another decade ;D).

    On a more upbeat note, it is awesome that you two will be able to get away for a while this season. I can just imagine the excitement and happiness that must be filling your hearts regarding that prospect.

    Safe, joyful travel wishes to you both!

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. Thank you Autumn, and yes, I am SURE there is such a universal law! I thought I looked bad in my id-card photo, but this one is so, so much worse! xxx

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  18. Such beautiful spring outfits! They warm my heart. Lovely to see Bess as well. She's growing more beautiful by the day.

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    1. Thanks Ivana, and I agree: she definitely is! xxx

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  19. I love the butterfly brooch, the muted colours are unusual for a butterfly item and it looks so real, like a butterfly just landed on you! The ruffly scarf is great too!

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