The calm before the storm

Before I'm taking you on a final trip in the time machine, allow me to put your minds at rest by telling you all is still going into the right direction here, with Jos feeling more and more like his old self with each passing day.

Soon I'll be back to posting about more recent times, but needs must as I'm determined to travel back in time to those bittersweet late September and early October days before our lives were temporarily put on hold.

As yet, on Saturday the 28th of September, we didn't have an inkling of the storm which was heading our way, although the signs were all there that things weren't quite as they should have been. At least Jos seemed to have regained his appetite for the time being, which definitely got our hopes up.

We were treated to a mix of sunny spells and showers that day, with a drop in temperature to just 12°C. 

This might sound like the height of luxury at the time of writing, as for the last couple of days we've been plunged into a prelude of Winter, with granite grey skies from which sleet is driven against our window, and the mercury having a hard time not to drop below zero. Still, those 12°C at the tail end of September made me feel the cold and reach for the long-sleeved vintage tartan and denim dress I found at T2 back in the Spring. 

And what a joy it was to wear! I did replace the denim belt it came with and wore it with my orange half-elasticated belt - a fast fashion find back in the mists of time - instead. 

The multi-coloured beads were charity shopped in Poperinge a couple of years ago, while the enamelled mushroom brooch was a flea market find back in February.

My journal reports that I made a start with my biannual wardrobe changeover, caught up with blogland and spent some time on the sofa in the company of my current read. 

Sunday's outlook was a sunny one, with the weather gods treating us to a much more comfortable 15°C.

We'd slept very late, only dragging ourselves out of bed at around 9 am, which is very unusual for us. As a result, it was a bit of a slow morning, although my journal insists that I put away the majority of my sandals in favour of a batch of ankle boots.

Both the ochre-based tartan circle skirt and the blouse with its psychedelic blue, yellow, tan and white pattern were charity shopped, while the stretchy belt and tan boots - the latter the same ones I was wearing on Saturday - were bought on the high street.

Still, having been cooped up inside all day on Saturday, we were determined to go for a walk on Sunday afternoon. After much umming and ahing we'd decided on De Schorre, a recreational domain and nature reserve on the site of a former clay pit about 10 kilometers from Dove Cottage.

It was unusually busy so that we had to drive around in circles in search of somewhere to park our car. But then Jos remembered that one of his childhood friends - the one who kindly gave me all those wooden drawers in which I'm storing my brooches - was living virtually around the corner and we ended up parking in front of his garage.

Initially we were slightly put off by the number of people who were out and about. If we'd had the presence of mind to check in advance, we would have been aware that an event was taking place at De Schorre that weekend and would have looked for an alternative. But never mind, now that we were there we decided to just grin and bear it.

Steering well clear of the crowds by keeping to the boardwalk paths at the edge of the domain, we soon came across the first of the 7 trolls who have been living here since 2019. They were created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo using old pallets, recycled wood, broken branches and fallen trees and vary in height between 7 and 18 meters.

Meet Arvid, who is sitting astride the boardwalk, allegedly looking for dead branches in the forest with which to create works of art.  Doesn't she look magnificent with her nose ring and punky hairdo?

On the bottom left in the above collage you can see the start of the barefoot path which is leading off from the boardwalk. No footwear allowed! I definitely didn't envy the two children and their Mum who had just disappeared from sight after squelching through the sticky mud when I snapped the photo.

Still on a mission to avoid the crowds, we took a left turn and walked into the direction of a water-filled ex-clay pit, which is being ruled over by a rusty dredger. On its further reaches, another troll seemed to be wistfully looking at its reflection in the unearthly green-hued water. This one is called Mikil, whose mission it is to scoop water from the pool with a bucket. The pool itself is said to be 25 meters deep!

A brief look at my outerwear before returning to our car. My plaid jacket was a Think Twice find in February 2018. It's belted quite low on the hips and the belt loops are cleverly hidden underneath the pocket flaps. See here for a close-up. They are actual pockets too!

I'm sure my blue frilly scarf and sage green Mephisto boots don't need further introduction. Both charity shop finds, they have featured on the blog more than once.

The first week of October was mostly grey and miserable, although the temperature kept playing nicely at around 15°C.

I'm sure that the gloomy Autumnal weather was conductive to Jos starting to feel down in the dumps once more. His appetite had done a runner again by the second half of the week, and he'd started suffering from the first of the tell-tale signs of his impending UTI.

Still, we managed to photograph a couple of outfits, starting with this Autumn flavoured combo built around one of my beloved Diolen skirts. It was actually one of my very first Think Twice finds many, many years ago. Both its companion, a brown and orange striped Dralon jumper, and the matching wooden beaded necklace were charity shopped while the Autumn leaf brooch was a flea market find.

Lunch break highlights that week included the usual cappuccino catch-up with my friend Inez on Wednesday and scoring a striped jumper from Terre Bleue's closing down sale on Thursday.

Another late start to the day on Friday, when the grey skies had finally made way for a sunny day. Not that we were able to enjoy the latter, as Jos wasn't feeling at all well by then, with his appetite virtually non-existent. In fact, he only managed to get down some rice pudding and a couple of protein drinks.

I tried to lift the veil of gloom hanging over Dove Cottage by putting on a fake smile and wearing a favourite frock, but only half succeeded.

The frock in question, with its delightful raspberry-shaped buttons, was found at Episode - a Dutch chain of vintage shops quite a bit pricier than Think Twice - in February 2019. I picked up the brooch, which features yet another Autumn leaf, from Memory Lane Antiques and Vintage in Shrewsbury back in June.

Saturday the 5th of October dawned sunny and cold, with some hoar frost in the morning, but climbing to highs of around 14°C during the day. I'd slept very badly  due to worry about Jos who, although he said he felt a tiny bit better and was less lethargic, still wasn't eating much.

I needed to escape the house, so Jos drove me to the edge of town charity shop where I took my time browsing the rails before walking home.

Although my heart wasn't really in it, I still managed to bag quite a few additions to my wardrobe. 

First up are two skirts, a fudge coloured pleated velvet maxi one and a yellow circle skirt which has a blue twin already residing in my wardrobe.

Then there were a funky turquoise and red long-sleeved top by the sustainable Belgian Froy and Dind label, and a short-sleeved parrot print one by Sweet Soda.

Finally, a red flower-embroidered short-sleeved vintage jumper and a pair of flat purple Mary Janes.

My outfit that day: a groovilicious maxi skirt charity shopped in June 2022 and a travelling companion ever since, worn with a pink, grey and brown zig-zag jumper which has been in my collection since 2018.

With sunny spells and temperatures up to 16°C, I persuaded Jos to accompany me for a short stroll on Sunday. For this we drove down to the park in Boom. It would only be a short outing, though, as Jos was feeling utterly exhausted ... 

Not even our encounter with a host of tiny toadstools or the dragonfly who insisted on sunbathing on my boot were able to lift the cloak of impending doom ...

That day literally was the - albeit relative - calm before the storm and as looking back at the weeks which followed is still far too raw and painful, I'm putting the past to rest now.

See you again very soon with fresh new posts!