Remembering September

Although I still owe you the final installment of my September travelogue, a glance at the calendar made me reconsider and do a quick catch-up on the rest of the month instead. 

Eek, it's October already! Frankly speaking, it has felt like October for weeks, the weather gods having decided to dispense with their usual Indian Summer treat this year.

In fact, Summer had already taken a bow when we left a cloudy and blustery Poperinge behind on Sunday the 8th of September and, although still sunny and reasonably warm back at home, it didn't take long for our part of the country to follow suit.

I'd taken some extra time off and was only expected back at the office on Wednesday, so on Monday we slept late, only getting up at a rather unusual for us 9 am. It didn't exactly help that we woke up to rain, which would continue on and off throughout the day.

The day was spent with some gentle pottering, doing some unpacking, getting a wash load going and uploading my photos which, even with all the hurdles our holiday had brought, amounted to just under 700.

The day's temperature of 20°C still allowed for the wearing of short sleeves, so I picked this navy sailor-style jumper to accompany this charity shopped Terre Bleue skirt on its maiden voyage. Terre Bleue is a Belgian label which filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. They are currently holding a closing down sale but even with 70% off their prices made my eyes water when I happened to walk into one of their shops a couple of weeks ago.

In other news, Jos went to his GP and was prescribed a course of antibiotics to further clear up the infected furuncle on his leg, which it did in no time.

Tuesday's utterly miserable weather, with lots of rain and highs of barely 17°C, matched my bout of end-of-the-holidays blues perfectly.

 

I mooched around, finishing the unpacking, after which I caught up with blogland and managed to write and publish a blog post.

The day's outfit, which I repeated on my first day back at work, was built around this deliciously Autumnal Diolen Delight, its print a floral extravaganza in the colours of the season on an aubergine background.

Its ochre yellow and pumpkin orange were matched by my belt, necklace, plastic ring and longline cardigan, while its olive green was reflected by my shoes. Oh, and just look at my oak leaf and acorn brooch. Isn't it delightful?

Wednesday was yet another grey and miserable day on which rain and a blustery wind competed for the starring role and on which the mercury didn't make it past 14°C.

Horrible weather aside, it wasn't a bad day at all as I managed to catch up with work in no time, so more's the pity that it was marred by the commute from hell at the end of the day.

Although Thursday the 12th of September was my birthday, I couldn't justify taking another day off. In fact, it was the first time in many years that I'd had to work on my birthday!

And what did I get for my efforts? It might have been a heatwave when I was born, all the weather gods had in store for me 63 years later was a measly 12°C and - you've guessed it - more rain! Then, as an additional birthday treat, I was caught up in yet another hellish commute. Oh well.

Now, let me introduce you to the wonderful birthday present which was waiting for me when we came back from holiday. As curiosity got the better of me, I just couldn't wait for my actual birthday to open it. Isn't that throw, lovingly crocheted by my friend Inneke, absolutely stunning? She knows me so well, as the colours are just spot on. After a thorough inspection, it has now been fully Bess-approved too! 

My first week back on the hamster wheel was only a two-day one, so that it didn't take long for another three-day weekend to roll along. Never mind that it was Friday the 13th!

After a short-lived sunny start, the day brought us a mix of dark, menacing clouds and intermittent showers. The mercury kept going up and down like a yo-yo, but although it had the decency to climb to a - compared to Thursday's -  much more reasonable 17°C, I still had to resort to wearing long sleeves.

The skirt, snaffled in the Think Twice sales back in August, had been waiting in the wings for its first outing, but wearing it with the summery top I'd originally had in mind just wouldn't have done. Nevertheless, I think it found its perfect partner in the turquoise blouse from the Belgian Wow to Go label which came to me by way of the charity shops.

My necklace, squirrel brooch and green suede ankle boots were all charity shop finds as well. In fact, the only item bought brand new, from fast fashion shop Forever 21 of all places. However, having been a resident of my wardrobe from back in the mists of time, I do think that in this case the fast fashion moniker no longer applies.

With chillier mornings forecasted for the week ahead, I spent the morning digging out a couple of warmer coats and jackets, at the same time weeding out some no longer loved items for charity.

Armed with a bag of donations to ply the charity shop goddesses with, we drove down to the charity shop in Mortsel after lunch.

Here, I fell head over heels for a wildly patterned green on white cotton maxi dress from Zara. If initially I hung it outside my wardrobe in the hope of squeezing in one wearing before Summer was over, it has now been put away until earth has completed yet another orbit around the sun.

The floaty top with its crochet inset - also from Zara - will have to wait for next Summer too, but I've already worn the dotty blue King Louie blouse with its white trim and sprinkling of orange roses. 

Lots of sunny spells, a host of fluffy white clouds floating in a blue sky and highs of 18°C were on offer on Saturday the 14th of September, so that wild horses couldn't have kept us inside.

I'm sure that long time readers have already deducted our destination from the first collage. Not having visited this part of Middelheim Sculpture Park since May, we thought it was long overdue a visit. 

With so many of our favourites which used to be on display on the other side of the road relegated to the Open-Air Depot, the Human Nature zone (and its neighbour, Urban Nature) in the part of the park called Middelheim-low has fast become our favourite.

The park's silver and gold painted chairs have been joined by deckchairs reminiscent of those in many National Trust properties in the UK, and I gladly made use of one for a brief afternoon nap :-)

Isn't that carpet of Rudbeckia a sight for sore eyes?

Clockwise from top left in the above collage are Male Torso (1910) by Belgian sculptor George Minne (1866-1941), part of Adrift (2023) by French artist Camille Henrot (°1978), Battle (1968) by Indian sculptor and painter Amar Nath Sehgal (1922-2007) and King and Queen (1952) by English artist Henry Moore (1898-1986). Although several bronze casts were made of the latter, the first full-size cast was exhibited at the Second Biennial for Sculpture at Middelheim Park in Antwerp in 1953 and was subsequently bought by the city of Antwerp for the museum.

And here's the full-size version of your truly, wearing a beloved denim maxi dress (a gift from Vix), accessorized with a charity shopped floral fabric belt and pale green necklace, and a gold-tone brooch with a speckled green heart which was a flea market find.

I didn't really need the coral H&M cardigan I layered on top. Just my olive, navy and off-white plaid coat would have done. A Think Twice find back in February 2018, it's from the 1960s mod-inspired Lilli Ann Knits line.

And no, I'm not being abducted by aliens! This spaceship-inspired artwork is Never Mind (2017) by Welsh artist Richard Deacon (°1949), and one of my all-time favourites.

This rough-hewn sculpture is called Figure agenouillé (1970) an its creator is the French artist Eugène Dodeigne (1923-2015).

On the top left are Henry Moore's King and Queen again, followed by, in clockwise direction, De Zaaier (The Sower, 1896) by Belgian painter and sculptor Constantin Meunier (1831-1905), Trois Figures Debout (Three Standing Figures, 1978), again by Eugène Dodeigne and the back of one of the Two Pregnant Women (1952-53) by Belgian artist Charles Leplae (1903-1961).

If you think the legs (if that is what they are), part of Camille Henrot's Adrift (above, top left), or the strange blue contraption on the bottom left, called Two reclining figures on a Calder base (2006) by Belgian visual artist Peter Rogiers (°1967) are creepy, what about the giant insect on the bottom right?

Aptly called Grande insetto (Large Insect, 1957) by the Italian sculptor Agenore Fabbri (1911-1998), we were wondering at its placement in front of Per Kirkeby's brick-built cross between a maze and a castle ruin (part of which you can see here), when we were enlightened by a passing park warden.

In a true case of fact being stranger than fiction, he pointed out several groups of long-legged black spiders who had taken up residence on the brick wall (above, top right).  

On that note, it's time to bid you goodbye for now. I'll be back with my travelogue's grand finale, followed by another September catch-up soon. I solemnly promise neither will contain any more creepy crawlies!

The green shoes

Still surfing on that September heatwave, we arrived home around midday on Sunday the 10th of September. 

As we'd asked our faithful catsitter Maurice to keep blinds and curtains semi-closed downstairs, it felt relatively cool as we entered the house. As expected, however, it was a completely different story upstairs, where the thermometer gleefully told us we were in for a sweltering night.

It was a good thing I still had two days at home before I had to go back to the office, so that we could leave the unpacking for another day. Besides, we had more urgent things to do, as Bess was clearly over the moon to see us and insisted we catch up on cuddles. 

On Monday morning, we came back to earth with a bang. And you can take that quite literally too! We were woken by an army of workers digging up the pavement in order to lay fast fibre. The contrast with our quiet west country cottage couldn't have been greater!

Under normal circumstances, I would only have taken Monday off and gone back to work on Tuesday. However, seeing that Tuesday the 12th of September was my birthday, that would have been a bit too painful. But even if it was my birthday and I had the day off, I was still suffering from the inevitable bout of post-holiday blues. It seems to be getting worse the older I get, too.

In order to alleviate the latter, birthday girl was wearing her recently charity shopped Wow To Go frock. Both the big green bird on a branch brooch she'd pinned to it and the red beaded necklace she'd picked that morning were charity shopped too, while the sandals were a sales bargain a couple of years ago.

The temperature was down to 21°C on Wednesday, which was just fine for my eventual return the office. I needn't have worried, as things had been rather quiet while I was away. Consequently, catching up was a doddle, although I still had to trawl through 700+ emails.

Red, black, grey and a tiny bit of pink were the main components of my outfit that day. 

I started with the vintage faux patchwork skirt, originally from C&A, but found at Think Twice in July 2021. The red top with its sprinkling of white flowers is King Louie by way of a charity shop. My red belt was charity shopped as well, while the necklace and butterfly brooch were flea market finds.

I hadn't been to Think Twice for absolutely ages, nor did I find something which even remotely tickled my fancy on the rare occasions when I'd made it to one of their shops during my lunch breaks. So, I couldn't be happier when I walked into the second nearest shop to my office and my eyes instantly zoomed in to this gorgeous long-sleeved Trevira fit and flare dress.

Flush with my success, I ventured a bit further afield on Thursday but neither of the Think Twice shops I visited that day delivered in the least.  The stock in both shops was rather uninspiring, with rail after rail of dark-hued stuff, lots of jumpers and oodles of jeans, with only a measly rail of skirts and dresses. Are we all supposed to wear trousers in Autumn and Winter, I wonder? And god forbid that we should wear any bright colours to brighten up the dark days ahead of us!

Anyway, I digress! On my way back to the office, I spotted the skirt on the left in the window of an outlet shop for the Belgian Green Ice label, and promptly fell in love. At 50% off everything, I also snapped up the burnt orange cord skirt - the photo doesn't really do the colour justice - on the right. 

The temperature was on the up again by Friday, when we were treated to 24°C. The perfect conditions for wearing the butterfly sleeved floral Diolen frock which had been hanging ready for wear since before our little getaway. 

I accessorized it with a blue belt with green stitching (sales bargain), a green beaded necklace (charity shopped) and a green-based Cameo brooch (flea market find).

My pale green and white wooden soled slingbacks are by the Spanish ART label, and were a bargain from a shoe outlet shop near my office in May 2022. They are in the running for most comfortable Summer footwear ever!

A long and leisurely lunch break saw me having a cappuccino fuelled catch-up at the Think Twice coffee corner with my friend Inez. I couldn't get over the fact that they've got their own homemade and personalized biscuits!

But wait a minute, I can hear some of you think. What about the green shoes of your post title?

Well, Inez and I were nattering away when, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a rather covetable pair of flat green Mary-Jane type shoes perched on a footstool in the shop's window. Tentatively, I tiptoed closer and gingerly lifted them from their perch, my heart making a happy leap when I saw they were my size. After trying them on to make sure, I took them to the till, where I was told - wait for it - that I couldn't have them. Turned out that they weren't allowed to sell items from the shop window until the next sales rolled along. No amount of arguing from my side made them see sense so there was nothing for it but to return - inwardly seething - to our table.

All weekend, I was plotting my course of action. I would go back to the shop on Monday, take them to the till again, hand over the money owed and walk out of the shop with them. After all, what could they possibly have done?

I'm fast-forwarding to Monday, as I couldn't possibly leave you in suspense for long, when my lunch break found me walking to the shop. Taking a deep breath, I looked in the window, only to find those lovely green shoes replaced by a pair of black boots! Damn! When I looked again, I couldn't help thinking that the whole window seemed to have been re-done. So, hoping against hope, I made my way inside the shop and towards the shoe display. And there they were! Mine, all mine!

But that was Monday, which for all intents and purposes isn't part of the subject matter of this post. So, let's rewind to Saturday.

The mercury had climbed a further two degrees by now and the day's 26°C called for another Summer dress which had been waiting on the sidelines for a while. 

In fact, the dress with its squiggly green stripes and solid white collar and cuffs originated from the same shop as the green shoes. Here I am, casually modelling it in front of the green door belonging to the museum of folklore a bit further along our street.

I opted for pink to accompany it, in the form of a pink belt - a sales bargain, bought at the same time as the blue one in my previous outfit - and a charity shopped beaded necklace and squishy flamingo brooch.

After a lie-in and a morning of pottering, we were off for a rummage at the edge of town charity shop.

Although it was a bit busy for my liking, I spent a happy hour or so browsing the rails. As if to make up for the green shoe debacle, which at that time I didn't know would end so well, the charity shop goddesses were on their best behaviour.

Starting with my best find: how could I possibly resist this vintage Summer dress in a sturdy printed cotton edged with red piping? One of its buttons was hanging on by a thread and it was missing a belt, both of which were easily remedied.

The short-sleeved red tricot top with flower appliqué is vintage too, while the floaty floral pleated maxi skirt is from Vero Moda.

Finally, there was this green sleeveless dress, which was clearly some clever girl's handiwork. It fit me like a glove, although I did have to take in the armholes just a little bit. 

As it might have been the last occasion to do so before packing it away for the season, I already wore it on Sunday. 

The weather gods, who seemed to be playing with the temperature like a yo-yo, had decided on a return to Friday's 24°C. Nevertheless it felt quite stifling, particularly when the sun hid behind a band of clouds in the afternoon. 

The haori-style cover-up I charity shopped in the Spring was the perfect layering piece. On my feet, a pair of Miz Mooz slingbacks which were last Summer's charity shop find.

A sales bargain orange necklace, an orange and green mottled brooch found on a flea market and a multicoloured pleated leather belt which I've had for absolutely ages completed my outfit.

So, that was it for now. I'll be back with another September catch-up shortly. See you again soon!

When rain stops play

Lately, it feels as if time has been slipping through my fingers more that ever, and it truly boggles my mind that it has been almost a month since our return from our September getaway on the 13th. 

With only a half day to adjust to getting back to normal, I'm sure it won't surprise you that I wasn't at all ready for my return to work on the 14th. Normally, I would have take an extra day off, but with my colleague still being out of action and my boss having flown in from Miami especially to cover my job while I was away, I really couldn't leave him in the lurch for much longer.

The bitter pill was somewhat sugar-coated by cuddles from Bess and the birthday present from cat sitters Inneke and Maurice which was waiting for me on the dining room table. Apart from two necklaces (top left) there was a handmade card designed by their 2-year old grandson Pepijn!

Plus, it was heartwarming to be welcomed with open arms by my two bosses, who had by now both arrived from Miami, and who surprised me with a Jo Malone gift box containing a scented candle and a cologne for my birthday! The photo of me opening my present is courtesy of one of my bosses, and the vintage navy and white polka dot dress I was wearing might very well have been the last of this year's short-sleeved Summer dresses. 

Indeed, Summer had clearly ended together with our holiday! It literally started raining the afternoon we came back, and there would hardly be any let-up for days, with a drop in temperature to a chilly 14°C by the end of the week.

This is what I wore on Friday and repeated on Saturday when we were finally able to take some photos in-between showers. 

I fell head over heels for the vintage skirt with its turquoise stripes and bright pink and purple flowers in a charity shop in September 2020. As usual, I picked pink and turquoise for its companions, starting with the sparkly raspberry thin knit jumper and the turquoise cropped cardigan as a well-needed extra layer. More turquoise was added with my brooch and chunky ring. There was supposed to be a matching necklace as well, but although it was part of my outfit on Friday, I somehow forget to wear it on Saturday. Some contrast was added with one of my stretchy cream and black chevron patterned belts.

With the sudden drop in temperature, I spent part of Saturday morning putting away my light Summer jackets in favour of some more season appropriate ones like this hot pink suedette blazer, and exchanging sandals for the first batch of ankle boots. These included the burgundy Fly London ones with their turquoise trim which I'm wearing here. I couldn't believe my luck when the charity shop goddesses presented me with these in October 2020, only a matter of days after I'd had to say my final goodbyes to another, much treasured, burgundy pair.

Frantically opening box after box of Autumn/Winter shoes and boots in a fruitless search for a beloved pair of caramel ankle boots, it suddenly dawned on me that I'd had to let go of these as well. 

With the weather still playing spoilsport, ruling out any outdoor activities, I suggested that we drive over to some local edge of town shops to scout for a possible replacement. 

Although I didn't find what I was looking for in shop no. 1, I couldn't resist the temptation of a pair of forest green calf length suede boots with chunky rubber soles. Then, after trying on and rejecting several candidates in shop no. 2, I picked the simple no-frills caramel pair on the top right, which are very similar to my old ones. I was also seduced into buying yet another beret for my burgeoning collection.

Sunday was yet another rain-filled day, the resulting humidity making it feel quite a bit chillier than the 16°C indicated on the thermometer. 

I kept myself busy by making a feeble start with my seasonal wardrobe exchange, folding away my flimsiest Summer skirts and digging out some warmer ones. Then I played around with my wardrobe and assembled a couple of outfits to choose from during the week, thus saving myself precious time on weekday evenings. 

After more cuddles with Bess and posing for outfit photos in the jungle garden - a collaboration of the extreme weather conditions and next door's renovations -  during a rare dry moment, we were off for afternoon tea, to which we were invited by our lovely neighbour Karin. Although we've been living only a handful of houses apart for many years, we only got to know each other properly when she became our part-time cat sitter back in June. 

My outfit of the day consisted of a floaty pleated skirt with coffee and cream zebra-esque print charity shopped in Spring, and the brown floral vintage shirt which was part of my late August haul. The eagle-eyed may have detected the green butterfly brooch cavorting among the flowers. Further accessories were a yellow beaded necklace and a wide red pleated belt.

Gloomy days and lack of after-office energy meant that we didn't take any photos on Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday's sunny outlook made us stop at the museum garden on our way home.

The black and green Froy and Dind dress, which was also part of the August haul, was an absolute joy to wear. A true jammy dress, as Sheila would say. To liven things up I added loads of mustard yellow with my opaques, long-line cardigan and the same beaded necklace I was wearing on Sunday.

My brooch, a gold tone leaf filled with frosted berries, is vintage and a flea market find from the Brooch Lady several years back. 

Although not photographed, I wore my favourite teal vintage coat and a spotty mustard scarf as outerwear, which earned me a shout-out from some Dutch ladies when I was making my way to Think Twice during lunch break. This definitely made my day.  That, and the grey, black and rust plaid circle skirt I scored at Think Twice!

Wednesday's sunny interlude was clearly a one-off, as we were back to granite grey skies and rain on Thursday. In fact, it was so gloomy that light conditions were far from ideal for photographing my outfit. Not even our garage's white painted brick wall and skylight were properly up to the job.

As Autumn had unexpectedly arrived, I was thankful for the modest rail of long-sleeved dresses I'd kept out over Spring and Summer. From this temporary capsule I picked a handmade vintage dress in a silky fabric, its deep blue background enhanced by an orange and green Paisley-esque pattern.

Orange was my colour of choice for my belt, beaded necklace and cameo brooch, which I used to tame the dress's tie-neck, while a pale blue King Louie cardigan was layered on top.

A wide pleated skirt, pussy bow, peasant sleeves and a watercolour pattern in wine, blue and tan were the ingredients of Friday's dress. which was also plucked from the temporary capsule.

Its fabric being rather thin, it was in need of layering, which I did by adding a blue short-sleeved T-shirt underneath and Thursday's light blue King Louie cardigan on top. More blues, in various hues, were added with my Mango sales belt, beaded necklace, birds in flight brooch and ring. I pinned a wine coloured flower corsage to the cardigan for good measure.

Although it obviously won't be possible for me to take my usual Fridays off for the time being, I nevertheless wangled a free afternoon to give myself some breathing space.

On our way home, we stopped at our most local charity shop for a browse. There was a 50% discount on all textiles - which apparently also included belts and shoes - so I only paid € 6,70 for the lot.

Clockwise from top left: a short-sleeved  knit top in a wavy psychedelic pattern, two vintage belts, a pair of chunky bright orange shoes and twelve brand new large cotton hankies for just € 1. Lately, cotton hankies seem to have become a rare commodity, as I searched high and low for them in June, finally finding some at Hema, a Dutch-origin department store.

There were also two unopened pairs of purple opaques, which I didn't photograph. These always come in handy, particularly if they're a less common colour.

If we thought Thursday was gloomy, it was nothing compared with the rainy all-dayer we were served on Saturday.

At 14°C, it was actually far too chilly for the thin floaty floral blouse from the Danish Vero Moda label which was yet again among my August haul. There was nothing for it but to practice my layering skills once more by adding both a camisole and a T-shirt underneath and a cardigan on top, although I did remove the latter for the photos.

The orange bits in the blouse's pattern were echoed by those in the skirt, which I charity shopped earlier this year, while the greens were matched by my necklace, leaf brooch and ring.

My belt, with its fake snake panel and elasticated back is one of Friday's finds. I was also wearing the beret I picked up during our shoe shopping expedition the other week and which, together with my orange leather jacket, provided the necessary sunshine to the gloom.

A green frilly scarf and my beloved green ankle wedges - both charity shopped - completed my outfit.

And speaking of charity shopping, that's exactly how we spent Saturday afternoon, driving to two consecutive shops, which both had the 50% sale on textiles going on as well.

Here's what I found. 

The red spotted cowl neck top is by King Louie, and has been put away until next Summer, while the eye-confusing navy and red spotted shirt by Belgian label Wow To Go has already been worn in the meantime.

Same as the blouse I was wearing, the cardigan with its blowsy red and green rose pattern is by Vero Moda, and I will be wearing it belted as a jumper rather than as a cardigan. An outfit I've created around it is already waiting in the wings for a colder day. 

There was also a thin knit yellow pink-trimmed jumper by Belgian label CKS, but it didn't photograph well in the available light conditions. 

The green-hued necklace was my final find of the day.

That's it for now. I've still only made it to the 24th of September, though, so you can expect another catch-up very soon. Hope you'll join me again in a couple of days!

Summer's end

All too soon, our September getaway was nearing its end.

But let's not be too hasty!  When we woke up on Sunday morning the 11th of September, we still had two days ahead of us, and we fully intended to savour every minute of those.

What's more, the weather gods had decided to play nicely for a change and graced us with some glorious late Summer weather and temperatures climbing towards the mid-twenties.

Still, making plans for that Sunday wasn't exactly straightforward. Apart from the gorgeous weather enticing more than the average number of people out of their homes, we had to contend with the fact that it was Open Monuments Day, which ruled out quite a few places for being too crowded. 

We decided a walk would be our best option and, after some head scratching and consulting the map, we opted for Hellegatbos, a nature reserve near Westouter, in the glorious hilly countryside to the south of Poperinge called Heuvelland, and close to the French border.

This was in no way new territory for us. When we last walked here in 2020, it was on a mid-pandemic weekday, when we hardly met a soul. 

On this sunny Sunday, however, the place was inundated with walkers from both sides of the border. To make matters even worse, there seemed to be some kind of equestrian event going on, so that we had to share some of the paths with horses and carriages.

Truus, our Satnav, turned out to be in one of her funny moods as well, as she initially made us drive past the entrance to the car park. Then, when we finally got there we had to make a U-turn as the place was completely taken over by the horses and their entourage. There was no option but to park at the side of the busy road leading to the French border, by which time the morning was well advanced.

Hellegatbos (bos is the Dutch word for wood) lies on the slopes of the 129 m high Rodeberg, and the entrance nearest to where we'd parked our car gives access to some seriously up-and-down woodland paths and steps. We were mostly going down for now, but fully realized that we would have a serious climb ahead of us on our way back. 

The derelict building you can catch a glimpse of in the previous collage is situated at the edge of the car park. Dating from 1934, it was part of a popular youth hostel called Kosmos, but fell into disrepair after its demise in 2005. Apparently, there are plans afoot to turn it into a luxury hotel. 

Gently guided by one of our handy maps based on numbered markers, we just followed our noses, our main objective being getting away as far as possible from all the hustle and bustle.

As a result of our late start hunger pangs soon got the better of us, so when we emerged from the woods and spotted a bench with a view, we wasted no time in claiming it.

Most of the fields had already been turned to stubble, their barrenness contrasting greatly with the fluffy cotton wool clouds drifting across the brilliant blue sky.

In the distance, we could see the red and white striped television transmitter, which on a clear day is visible from our cottage's balcony. The transmitter is on top of the 150 meter high Catsberg, which is actually in France! A little further to its right is the abbey of Sainte-Marie du Mont, where cheese and beer is still produced by Trappist monks.

By now, our walk had taken us on a stiff climb, with a panorama across the Sulferberg - yet another nature reserve (above, top left) - awaiting us at the top. Then it was back down again and along a sandy path skirting a cornfield, until we arrived at the edge of the woods again.

Here's the point where we got a bit lost, although this time it wasn't our cartophobia which was to blame. All would have been well if those horse people hadn't blocked our way by cordoning off the car park which we needed to cross to get back to those woodland paths. Eventually we did get back on track but not before having to shuffle pas a row of whinnying horses which had been parked while their riders were enjoying a barbecue!

I will not mention our botched attempt to drive to a well-known viewpoint on the area's highest hill only to find it closed for instability reasons. Or the fact that our Satnav insisted in driving us around in circles. By then, we'd had enough so back to the cottage it was! 

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the ever-changing view from the cottage's balcony.

At one point we spotted Chablis, cottage host Marino's cat, sunning itself in the dinghy moored at the side of the lake.

We ended the day by going for dinner, for which I changed into my vintage maxi skirt and green spotty peplum top. The teal blazer I wore on top is an old charity shop find, and was added to my luggage at the last moment.

Dinner was in honour of my birthday, which would be on Monday. However, with lots of restaurants having their closing day on Monday, we decided to celebrate on Sunday night instead. As I was born at twenty minutes after midnight this would be closer to my actual time of birth anyway!

We hadn't made any special plans for my birthday itself,  just spending the day here, in one of our special places, was more than enough for me. That, and the 25°C gifted by the weather gods!

Wanting to make the most of the brief return of Summer, we selected one of the other walks I'd picked up at the tourist office earlier that week. The 6.6 kilometer long Brabanthoek walk had its start in the village of Oostvleteren, about 12 kilometers from the cottage, and was once again signposted by those trademark hexagonal signs.

We parked near the church, and soon found the first of the signs, which would lead us out of the village and into the open countryside. But not before having a mooch around the churchyard and being transfixed by the nostalgic old grocery shop, sadly no longer trading but kept in its original condition by its current owners. 

We soon left the village behind to walk among fields and meadows in a landscape which was once again flat as a pancake as far as the eye could see, with just the odd copse of trees to provide some shelter from the elements.

Again, the picnic fairies provided us with a shady bench just when we were starting to feel peckish.

From here, the walk continued along a charming brook, the Boezingegracht, until we reached the Brabanthoek nature reserve the walk was named after. This is one of the ecologically most valuable parts of the IJzer wetlands, with fields and meadows bordered by ditches and natural floodplains.

The intriguing structure on the top right is the remnant of an old windmill that was once used to pump up water from the nearby pool in order to reduce groundwater level.

We must have been about halfway, with the church tower already beckoning us in the distance, when we decided to break off our walk, and do the other half next year. Preferably on a slightly cooler day.

Before we returned to the village and our by now heat trap of a car, we passed one of the area's abundant little chapels - this one apparently used as a courier drop-off point - and De Zonnegloed, which is a sanctuary for wild animals.

After a little siesta at the cottage, we got back into our car for what to all purposes and intents was meant to be a short stroll through some local woods.

Again, we made use of one of the numbered maps, but as this apparently made us do quite a detour, we thought we'd be clever and do a shortcut. We should have known better, as obviously we got lost, and had to retrace our steps, so that the short stroll had soon turned into a rather longer one.

We must have passed the half-timbered cottage in its surrounding meadow several times and at one point I was tempted to throw down the offending map in despair, since it was of no help at all.

But surely getting lost is the stuff of adventures and thus much more fun. Particularly in hindsight!

Common sense and what was left of our sense of direction prevailed in the end, so that we safely made it back to where we'd started. 

Surely you'll agree this earned us some waffles and a nap on the conveniently placed sun lounger at the edge of the woods!

Birthday girl was wearing her charity shopped Zara trousers again, combined with a pussy-bow top I've had for absolutely ages. And spotty socks!

So, that's it then. It'll be business as usual, starting with a September catch-up, from my next post onwards. I hope to see you again soon!