Cool for cats

We're right in the middle of a heatwave at the time of writing. The temperature has been gradually creeping towards the high thirties since Tuesday and I'm currently taking shelter indoors as I feel as if I'm about to spontaneously combust whenever I attempt to take a step outside. It's bearable until late morning and well after 9 pm, but in between our little heat trap of a garden is a no-go area. Plants are wilting before our very eyes and some are slowly but surely burning to a crisp. I've brought my laptop downstairs where it's reasonably cool and I'm sat here writing this post in semi-darkness, as we are keeping the blinds down for most of the day.

I know some of you relish the heat, and I do wish I could bottle up some of our excess degrees and send them off to Vix who, I'm sure, will receive them with open arms!

We had a general rehearsal of what was to come on Friday before last, when the sun was out in full force and the mercury gleefully soared to well over 35°C, making it the hottest 31st of July since 1943.

I initially dressed in this pink vintage sun dress, trimmed with real broderie anglaise and sprinkled with clusters of flowers. To counteract all the pinkness, I added a white, yellow and green plastic bangle (a recent charity shop find) and yellow belt. The purple necklace, in its turn, tied in with the lilac flowers in the dress's print. The opalescent purple brooch isn't vintage but has been with me since before my brooch collecting days. Unbelievable as it may sound, it came from H&M.

By lunchtime, Jos made sandwiches and we once again drove to the picnic area at the water tower. 

As we'd planned a nature reserve walk afterwards, and I didn't want to go bare-legged or shouldered, I changed into something more appropriate. The jumpsuit, which was a UK charity shop find last year, fit the bill perfectly.

After we'd eaten our sandwiches at the shadiest of the picnic tables (visible behind Jos in the photo on the top left), we made the effort to climb up to the platform for a glimpse of the Atomium. Judging from the information panels pointing out the landmarks (top right), it should have been visible somewhere behind those pesky trees!  

Then we drove to Terhagen for a walk in yet another nature reserve. The village of Terhagen is where Jos grew up. It was smack dab in the middle of brick-making country and, in fact, some of the paths we walked along skirted the very place where once the tiny hamlet called "De Wildernis" had been.

We followed our map and the walking signs through what has now truly reverted to wilderness. Apart from a man on a bike and a single other walker, we didn't meet a soul all the time we were there, so that we could safely remove our masks, which would have been rather superfluous here.

A closer look at my Phase Eight jump suit, with its sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves. In spite of the fact that it fits me like a glove, it was extremely comfortable to wear, without any clinging whatsoever. I didn't even sweat in it very much. My accessories consisted of a red woven belt and a multi-coloured lacquered wooden necklace. Oh, and my sunglasses and hat, which obviously were a necessity in the glaring sunshine and heat.

We'd envisioned walking under a shady canopy of trees sheltering us from the sun and all went as planned until we came to a subsidiary of the Sahara: a huge and unforgiving sandpit, which - according to the walking signs - we would have to cross. The sun beat down relentlessly and the sandy soil added its two pennies worth by reflecting the heat, so that it felt like being assaulted from both sides. As I was wearing my Clarks Cloudsteppers on my bare feet, the fine sand kept sloshing over the tops and burning my feet.

I know we should have turned back but I was adamant to have a look at the half-drowned dredger left at the side of one of the ex-clay pits turned pond. 

It was the thought of a cool non-alcoholic beer back at home which kept us going. Once there, with our last bit of energy we dragged the enamel tub we keep in the shed into the kitchen, filled it with ice cold water pumped up from the well and ... ah, utter bliss!

There was a considerable and welcome drop in temperature on Saturday, the first of August. Helped by some overnight rain, the thermometer stuck to the mid twenties, with a mixture of sunshine and clouds throughout the day. 

Most of our garden's plants seemed to have survived the previous day's heat unscathed and I was delighted to see that the flower buds in our Sea Holly were starting to show their true colour.

We were on double cat-sitting duties that weekend, both at Jos's eldest daughter's house and his son's.

My outfit choice of the day consisted of the Cassis dress I'd picked up at the charity shop the other week, over which I threw on a lightweight garment I'm keep at the ready on the back of a chair. Charity shopped in June 2019, I think this is what is called a haori. Correct me if I'm wrong, Sheila!

The somewhat haughty Abby was awaiting us at Jos's son's, where obviously we took advantage of their fabulous staircase photo studio.

I accessorized the dress with one of my favourite stretchy belts - I've lost count of the number of times I wore it in the last couple of months - as well as a shell necklace, a circular brooch with flower embroidery, a pink plastic ring and a wood and purple shell bracelet.

Everything but the belt and the Tamaris espadrille wedges were second-hand buys.

On duty again on Sunday at Jos's daughter's house, where we had to feed the two cats and replenish the drinking water in the bird cage.

I'm head over heels with the magnificent tiles in their hallway! My red and cream sling-back shoes are an old sales bargain, which I keep forgetting about and which I should definitely wear more.

The black cat is called Lies and is a substantially thinner and friendlier version of Phoebe. She came downstairs to greet us, while the tabby cat I've forgotten the name of was too much of a scaredy cat to come out of hiding. It seems we were lucky to catch this brief glimpse of her at the top of the stairs.

I'll never forget finding this vintage butterfly sleeved dress at a charity shop on my birthday back in 2016, and when I checked my blog to make sure I got the year correct, I saw that I found the sun hat I was wearing for our walk on Friday on the same day!

Once again, we made use of the fantastic light conditions and staircase at Abby's headquarters. The lady of the house sat watching us disdainfully  and then decided she had better things to do, like making her toilette!

The butterfly brooch I pinned to my dress was feeling quite at home among the profusion of flowers. 

I kept to a cream, black and red colour scheme for the rest of my accessories, which included a long beaded necklace, a zebra striped bangle, a red beaded bracelet and a cream, black and red abstract poppy ring.

What with all the cats, we almost forgot we have one of our own to keep fed, watered and generally treated like royalty. There's nothing she loves better than snoozing in the garden!

Well, that's it for now. Tales of how we survived the heatwave will be told in my next post.

Until then, keep safe and as sane as possible. And fabulous too, obviously.

Bruges on the quiet

Are you sitting comfortably? In this post, I'll continue where I left off, and tell you what we did on the third day of our little holiday back in April.

But before I regale you with an account of our adventures on Thursday, let's have a look at what I was wearing. 

I'd packed a choice of short-sleeved dresses, and that day I picked out one of my beloved Diolens, in bright tomato red printed with white flowers and green dots. Additionally, it's got a V-neck and one hell of a dagger collar!

A jade green cardigan went on top (it's looking decidedly greener in real life), to which I pinned a red cat brooch, a recent Think Twice find. Further accessories were a green beaded necklace, a green ring and a white vinyl belt with an oddly shaped buckle.

I'm in my gold slippers here, a pair of ballerinas which are faithful travel companions. Obviously, I didn't wear them out that day, although the ankle boots I did wear didn't do my back any good after a day's trawling of the city streets.

Seeing these photos, you would be forgiven for thinking that it was another glorious day, but alas it was not. We took the photos in the early evening when we were back at our B&B, sitting out on our little terrace when the sun had decided to pay us a brief visit after all.

Unfortunately, it had been a cloudy and rather chilly morning we'd woken up to, and while we were having breakfast, we noticed it was raining lightly. Thankfully, it had stopped by the time we started out, but due to the weather's uncertainty, we changed our initial plans for the day and went to Bruges instead.

From the car park, we wandered through a maze of cobbled back streets, soon losing our sense of direction, until we spotted the lofty spire of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady), which dominates the Brugian skyline with its 115,5 m high tower. Building work on the current church began in 1225, and it was crowned with its spire in the 15th Century.

Shortly afterwards, we passed a private car park on our right, with a complex of weathered brick buildings behind it, where groups of people could be seen strolling through the courtyard.

Consulting our map, I saw that this must be the Oud Sint-Jan (Old St. John) site, a former hospital, its origins dating back to the 12th Century, and the spot where one of the earliest infirmaries in medieval Europe once stood. When the hospital closed down in 1976, its spacious wards were revamped into a unique cultural site, as well as a congress and events centre.

We emerged from this peaceful oasis upon the busy Mariastraat (Mary Street) which, with the much visited Beguinage virtually around the corner, is lined with chocolate, waffle, lace and souvenir shops jostling for clientele. Here, you have to be careful not to be swept up by the never-ending stream of people crowding the pavements or be trampled under the clip-clopping hooves of the poor horses tasked with drawing the many carriages which pass this way.

Pranged between two of the streets' shops is a whitewashed gateway, ignored by most of the tourists intent on spending their money on postcards and sweet or tacky souvenirs.

Shall we go inside?

Hidden away from prying eyes and the hustle and bustle in Mariastraat is one of the 46 small groups of almshouses which can be found all over Bruges, most of them, like here, clustered around a cosy courtyard.

As good an opportunity as any to show you the teal vintage coat I was wearing, chucked into the car minutes before we left home, in case the weather turned cold. It's a good thing I did, as that day I was glad of its warmth.

Back on Mariastraat, we soon spotted a narrow alleyway between houses, which led to another group of almshouses, its courtyard entered through an iron gate in a creeper-clad wall. 

Jos was wearing his warm Loden, which he too decided to bring at the last moment. Note the splashes of colour provided by his ochre trousers and orange shirt!

The courtyard backed onto a canal, from where the magnificent Sint-Janshospitaal (St. John's Hospital), which backs onto it on the opposite side, can be glimpsed and from where, hidden away behind a bank of wisteria, the tourists in the passing boats can be spied upon.

Below is a better view of St. John's Hospital, taken from the spot where Mariastreet bridges the canal.

Rather confusingly, this is a different building than the Old St. John mentioned earlier.

St. John’s Hospital has an eight hundred-year-old history of caring for pilgrims, travellers, the poor and the sick. Now it is a museum where you can  marvel at the impressive collection of archives, art works, medical instruments, as well as six paintings by Hans Memling.

After braving the crowds in the epicentre of tourist-land, we neared our first destination, the enchanting Groenerei (Green Quay), whose tree-lined, cobbled quayside borders a particularly romantic stretch of canal crossed by several old stone bridges.

This has to be one of Bruges' most picturesque locations, yet, apart from those on board of the ubiquitous canal boats, there were relatively few people about.

Admittedly, we too had never made it here before, and might not have done so now if we hadn't been prompted by the lithograph by a French artist we bought at last month's flea market.

It was lunch time by now, so we made our way towards the Markt, where we once again joined the crowds. Finding ourselves a table on the covered terrace of our favourite of the tourist restaurants, St. Joris, there was an American couple who'd landed in Bruges while on a cruise seated at the table next to ours. I might have gained a fan there, as the lady positively gushed over my outfit, nodding knowingly when I told her my dress was vintage!

The thick blanket of grey above us didn't show any sign of dispersing and at some point, the sky seemed to be darkening, with a promise of imminent rain.

Still, we were determined to start a walk I'd earmarked and which would show us the quiet side of Bruges, where hardly any tourists venture, as most of them aren't inclined to leave the golden triangle of tourist attractions.

We'd hardly walked 10 minutes before laying eyes on the imposing St. Walburga's Church, the building of which began in 1619.

It is the most richly decorated church in pure Baroque style in Bruges.

Its literally dazzling interior boasts stunning architectural details and elaborately decorated church furniture. 

As we entered, we could hear baroque music playing through the sound system. A sign admonished us to be quiet, so we tiptoed around the church, hardly daring to make photographs lest our shutters would make too much noise, when suddenly the silence was rudely shattered by a particularly resonating organ point, which almost literally made us jump!

Continuing on our way past the atmospheric Hansa Quarter, where the former mansions of the wealthy international merchants, who established themselves here between the 13th until the 15th Century, line the wide canals, the dark and moody clouds had increased in intensity.

The rain held off until we were safely inside the Museum of Folk Life, housed in the row of whitewashed 17th Century single-room cottages on the top left. The sign on the bottom left belongs to the traditional on-site café (which is actually what a pub is called in Belgium), and - should there be any doubts - translates as "In the Black Cat".

Looking back the way we'd arrived on this quiet, cobbled street, you can see the tower of  the 15th-century Jerusalem Chapel, a jewel of medieval architecture which we must put on our itinerary during a next visit.

The museum's contents, laid out as  a classroom, a milliner's shop, a pharmacy, a confectionery shop and a grocery shop, amongst others, are a feast for the eyes.

I swooned over the child sized green tapestry coat!

The tailor was not the only occupant in the tailor's shop! I wonder, is he or she the black cat the café was named after?

It had stopped raining by the time we'd gone around the museum and had a drink in the café. 

However, we still had a long way to go, and my feet were starting to hurt me - I know, wrong footwear, but the ankle boots I was wearing never gave me grief before.

Anyway, we thought we'd call it a day and cut our walk short. It was still quite a trek back to the city centre and our car park, though, so we made a stop for cappuccino and cherry crumble along the way.

Now, if I haven't been able to convince you that Bruges is well worth a visit, maybe the city's official video, called Bruges in 60 seconds, will do the trick! 

Please do join me again for the final episode of my travelogue.

Linking with Patti's Visible Monday and Mica's Weekday Wear Linkup!

Cats and skirts

You might have noticed that I've been wearing a lot of skirts lately.  Well, I've got quite a selection of them in my wardrobe - some of them unworn! - and as I keep finding new ones at an alarming rate, I thought it was time I stopped neglecting them and give them an outing.

Remember the "curtain couture" skirt I bought back in December? It was the print which persuaded me to take it home, although I wasn't a fan of its rather shapeless cut and poor finish.

Nevertheless, I decided to give it a go last Friday. As the skirt isn't lined, I needed to wear a half slip underneath. I'm still not totally convinced, so it's currently in the naughty corner until I've made up my mind.

I shopped my wardrobe for this delightful blouse printed with orange tabby cats and then added some cat related accessories, even if the cats in question were of the bigger variety. Note the watch with its leopard print strap, and the Tiger's Eye pendant I picked up at last month's flea market.

My outfit was completed with a wide golden belt and a two-tone brown ring.

In spite of the symphony - or should that be cacophony - of cats I was wearing, I was fully expecting my limelight to be eclipsed by the real thing, as we were cat-sitting Abby that day. 

Abby is a British Shorthair, and her usual personnel, Jos's son and daughter-in-law, Kris and Carolien, were away for an overnight stay, leaving her on her own for the very first time.

Unlike Phoebe, she loves posing and, with her dense dove grey fur and amazing orange eyes, she has star quality in abundance. But make no mistake: she is quite a diva!

We'd planned to make use of the lofty proportions of Kris and Carolien's living room to take some outfit photos, but needless to say it turned into a full-on photo session starring the delightful Abby!

Aww, isn't she cute?

How could I possibly compete with that?

I was wearing chocolate brown boots, charity shopped last year (see close-up here) and wore a red, pink-edged, cardigan on top. I've included the brooch I pinned to it in the collage below.

Kris and Carolien's house has the kitchen/dining area on the ground floor, with the living room immediately above it on the first floor. There's a large panel of reinforced glass on the living room floor, through which the kitchen can be glimpsed. 

Having no head for heights, walking on the glass panel makes my legs turn to jelly, but Abby doesn't seem bothered by it in the least.

Now, let's make a little jump to Saturday!

Although I haven't worn it for ages, I've had the skirt I was wearing on Saturday for many years. It's a grey wool Paisley print A-line skirt with a single front pleat. Its label mentions a shop in Vienna.

Except for the tights, everything I'm wearing here was either charity shopped or picked up at flea markets. 

The ring was rescued from the bag of jewellery donated by my friend's daughter. I kept most of the rings as they are exactly my size for once. Having small hands and fingers, rings are often too big for me.

The cardigan, in confusing greens, blues and turquoises (for me, that is!), has a Paisley-esque print which I thought went well with the vibe of the skirt.

To tie in with Friday's cat theme, I added the big cat brooch which I found at December's flea market. Several people thought it was Erstwilder, and it uncannily does look like some of their designs but, not being marked, I'm pretty sure it's a rip-off.

Both the wide turquoise belt belt and the beaded necklace, originally from H&M, were charity shopped.  

I used to have the same necklace, bought retail many years before, but I sold it at the very first flea market we participated in, back in 2009.

Why ever I decided to get rid of it remains a mystery, but suffice to say I was glad to spot its sister on the charity shop's jewellery display a couple of months ago.

My outfit's final item is another one that's been in my wardrobe forever. This black Diolen blouse was one of my earliest Think Twice buys, and I've always been smitten with its print of stripes and flowers, which include splashes of light blue and turquoise.

Its got three-quarter length sleeves with slits at the cuffs and the most gorgeous pearly buttons which are hard to catch on camera.

This is the outfit I'm linking to Patti's Visible Monday  and Mica's Weekday Wear Linkup this week, although I was sorely tempted to link Abby!

I don't care if Monday's blue

From blue skies to Blue Monday: what a difference a day makes! The sunny spell on Sunday before last turned out to be a one-off, as on Monday we were back to the watershed which seems to be our lot this Winter.

In fact, Blue Monday quite lived up to its name this year.

Through the rain beating against the office windows, I could just make out the huge canvas covering the building opposite, advertising Côte d'Or chocolate. But even a serotonin boosting bar of dark chocolate wouldn't have been enough to trick my brain into thinking happy thoughts.

By the end of the week, I was feeling worn out and more than just a little dejected, especially as I'm still on my own in the office for most of the time. Believe me, having only yourself to talk to can be quite exhausting, especially as my imaginary speaking partner seems to know all the answers and can be quite rude at times ...

The weather kept me from venturing too far in my lunch breaks, often just nipping over to the indoor shopping centre across the road, where I managed to find two pairs of gloves, with 70% off: a pair of leather gloves in gold and a pair of hot pink ones, in brushed wool and with a little velvet bow.

There was a tiny light at the end of the tunnel as not only was I taking Friday afternoon off, the sun decided to make an brief appearance that very day.

I was wearing the charcoal grey River Woods skirt I'd scored for € 5 on Saturday, combined with a black pussy-bow blouse from Think Twice, abundantly printed with multicoloured blooms.

On top, a bright blue cardigan, with one of my oldest brooches - in terms of ownership - pinned to it.
I love this white metal scroll with its dangly little chains ending in tiny pearls.

I added bright blue tights (just visible in the first collage) and a wide bright blue belt.

The boots aren't my most exciting pair, but they are ultra comfortable and waterproof, as well as being made of the softest faux leather.

Talking of boots, I am once again looking for a pair of burgundy ones. I though my search had ended last year, when I stumbled upon a fabulous pair of Finnish made boots at Think Twice. Alas, they are the pull-on kind, without a zip, and therefore the kind of boots you need to get up earlier for if you want to wear them. All the pulling and pushing has wreaked havoc with the inner heel of one of the boots, creating an uncomfortable bulge which makes walking in them an ordeal.

So, after work, Jos picked me up and we stopped at several shoe shops on our way home.

Not surprisingly, I didn't find what I was looking for, but I did pick up this divine pair of booties covered in a holographic floral velvet.

It started raining again on Friday night, and it kept raining heavily well into Saturday, its constant murmuring lodging itself into my brain.

We tossed around a couple of plans for the weekend, but on Saturday I was happy to sleep late (ish!) and potter around the house, showing you some of Dove Cottage's nooks and crannies in the process.

But there was nothing for it, we did have to brave the rain on Saturday afternoon!

We were visiting Jos's son and daughter in law, meeting their adorable British Shorthair kitten, Abby, for the first time.

Warning: cuteness alert!

Incidentally, I was wearing a very similar grey!

The grey cardigan has been living in my wardrobe for many years. It's from C&A and dates from before my second hand/vintage days. I can't remember when I last wore it but, casting around for a suitable cardigan, and taking my cue from the grey belt, I suddenly remembered this one.

My pleated, red checked skirt has been hanging ready for wear ever since I picked it up at Think Twice a couple of months ago. Although it's got a certain kind of frumpiness to it, it is also deliciously swooshy, and I loved wearing it!

Long time no wear for this black blouse, found at Think Twice, with its little shawl collar, slightly gathered sleeves and sprinkling of red, pink and orange flowers. I love how the sleeves are absolutely covered with them, while they are sparser on the bodice and collar.

In keeping with the grey theme, I added a plastic grey swallow brooch, prompting Jos to say that one swallow does not make a Spring, although I believe in English it should be Summer, not Spring.

Back to our visit, where we were treated with coffee and some very indulgent chocolate tart. Yummy! We even got leftovers to take home with us.

We spent the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday relaxing inside Dove Cottage, doing some reading, eating more tart, and watching the final episode of Endeavour, Season Four.

The episode had Morse talking to an American lady, who disclosed she was from Omaha, Nebraska. Thinking of Goody, we said "Omahahahaha" in chorus!

A few hours of unexpected sunshine on Sunday made us grab our coats and go for a walk. But that will be for my next post!