Come walk with me

Hello, and welcome to Episode Two of my tiny travelogue!

After a restful and refreshing night's sleep, we jolted awake just after eight on Tuesday morning. We allowed ourselves no lazy lie-in as obviously we wanted to make the most of the handful of days at our disposal. Which is why, although breakfast was being served between 8.30 and 10, we'd told Veronique to expect us first thing. 

With no time to lose, we jumped out of bed and, spurred along by the early morning sunshine which winked at us from a bright blue cloudless sky when we drew our curtains, we got ready in no time. 

 

One of the privileges of our luxury room was that it is in a kind of annex rather than in the main building, our only neighbours being the horses in the stable facing us, half-hidden by a luscious bank of bright pink Hydrangeas. 

Fully awake and with rumbling stomachs, we made our way along the garden path to the breakfast room. 

Ever thoughtful, Veronique had equipped our room with an umbrella in case of rain. We still can't believe our luck, as we would certainly have needed it if we'd been there just a matter of days earlier.

Although we were running a bit late, we were still the first of the guests to arrive, which allowed us to lay claim to the sunniest spot in the room. Having been starved of a decent dose of sunshine for a while we were trying to make every ray count!

Breakfast was as plentiful and delicious as it was on our previous visits, the only difference being that instead of the pre-Covid buffet, each table was now supplied with a basket offering a choice of breads and a very clever etagère with a selection of cheeses, meats and smoked salmon.

As before, there was freshly made apple juice and coffee or tea aplenty, as well as fruit and yogurt and Veronique's homemade jams.

Hunger pangs more than stilled, we were ready for whatever the day would bring us. Rather than walk the crowded streets of  Bruges, we took advantage of the marvellous weather to explore the rural area around Bruges, our destination for the day being Lissewege, a picturesque village a stone's throw from Zeebrugge.

Catering for the many tourists who flock here all year around, there's a large car park just outside the village, from where a mere 5-minute walk will take you to its heart.

The street which backs onto the car park was lined by a grass verge with a couple of benches and some delightful artwork produced by the residents, tying in the Sculpture Trail which is being held here each Summer. The hot air balloons with their crochet jackets on the top left were part of an installation called 99 Luftballons, which duly supplied me with an all-day earworm!

From the car park, we made our way into the village, admiring the picturesque white washed houses and the charming little canal known as "het Lisseweegs Vaartje", which is part of an old natural waterway connecting Bruges with the North Sea.

Aptly nicknamed "the white village", it has been voted as one of Flanders' most charming villages, so it isn't at all surprising that is a honey pot for tourists wanting a taste of its nostalgic flavour.

In the window of a small art gallery, Jos was mesmerized by the vintage camera on display (top right). An Agfa Click I, it was Jos's first camera, and one which is still in our collection. 

Next stop was the old- fashioned candy shop called "De Soete Paepe" (transl. the sweet pastor, bottom right), which derived its name from the 19th century village priest Servatius Meerseman who used to distribute homemade marshmallows (known as spekken) to the poor.

Arriving at the canal, we passed a restaurant called De Valckenaere (bottom left), where a waiter was setting the terrace tables. Stopping to make inquiries, we were advised to pre-book a table if we wanted to have lunch there.

With that out of the way, we were able to continue our explorations in the safe knowledge that we wouldn't have to go hungry later.

Soon we arrived at the brick Church of Our Lady of Visitation which, built between 1225 and 1275, is a textbook example of so-called "coastal Gothic".

According to legend, the church was built on the site where fishermen once found a miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary in a creek. Although the village was of modest size, the 13th century church was not. Lissewege was a stop for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostella, so the construction of the monumental church may have been funded by donations from these pilgrims. 

Lissewege has a soft spot for art and culture, culminating in the already mentioned Sculpture Trail which is celebrating its 27th edition this Summer. 

Along the trail, which takes one all over the village and beyond, 120 sculptures by 89 different artists are exhibited. A sizeable chunk of these can be admired in the garden of the old presbytery - now the tourist office - situated on a narrow cobbled street behind the church.

Our initial intention was to buy the instruction leaflet for a walk we'd intended to do in the afternoon, but alas, the tourist office's opening hours were from 2 pm onwards only, so we spent time in the garden instead.

Time to stand and contemplate the art on display and take photographs of those which caught our eye.

I had a particular soft spot for the girl reading her book on a circular perch (bottom right) but I'm afraid I didn't take note of its creator, nor could I find it pictured in the official on-line brochure.

Returning to the square in front of the church, we could see that the terraces of the cafés were slowly but surely filling up with people, the amassed bicycles parked all over the square indicating that these were groups of cycling tourists, the most annoying of these being commonly known as cycling terrorists! Suffice to say that they're not my favourite kind of people!

We couldn't get away fast enough and continued our walk through quiet back streets, where a huge sculpture of dandelion clocks in a tiny front garden caught my attention. 

Lissewege is a typical "polder village" surrounded by fertile green polders that were often reclaimed from the sea, and it feels as if you are walking around in a time capsule. Or rather, it does if you factor out the cars parked at the side of the roads and the ubiquitous tourists.

These particular tourists were getting quite thirsty by now, so we turned into a leafy footpath alongside the canal, which would eventually take us back to all the hubbub and to the restaurant.

We counted ourselves lucky for being early birds, as while we were having lunch, lots of people were being turned away as it was fully booked by now.

Before ordering, we quenched our thirst with a glass of alcohol free lager. I just want to make clear that Jos's silly grin had nothing whatsoever to do with the consumption of alcohol!

While Jos ordered steak with mushrooms and Belgian (not French!) fries, I opted for pasta with a smoked salmon sauce.

Our first meal out together since February 2020, although Jos already had lunch with his son once or twice in the meantime.

Afterwards, we made a brief return to the car so that I could change out of my Clarks Cloudsteppers and into a pair of proper walking shoes. 

Then, armed with only a map I'd printed off the Internet, we attempted to find the start of our intended walk. Way-marked with the typical hexagonal signs, it was a question of finding the start, which eventually we did after walking around the church and through the tourist throng twice!

Unsurfaced country lanes lined with pollarded willows, the gaps between the trees offering glimpses of the polders and a row of wind turbines gaily waving at us in the distance, ultimately brought us to a wide and shimmering blue canal, with glimpses of the port of Zeebrugge on the horizon to our left.

Scrutinizing the map while sat on a conveniently placed bench, a freighter, its stern proclaiming its home port as Antwerp, came chugging along, leaving frothy waves in its wake.

The stretch along the canal's towpath being a bit boring, we were glad to reach a path leading away from it, although we were disappointed to see that we had to walk along the main road for a stretch. No mean feat with both cars and cyclists to dodge.

It was a relief to turn into a quiet lane once more, where a charming little chapel was standing guard. This is the Ter Doest chapel, built in 1687 by the eponymous Cistercian monastery.

Our return journey took us over a stile and into a meadow leading to a path next to a railway line. If we'd thought the canal path boring, this was even worse, the only redeeming features being the occasional uninterrupted views across the polders towards the village.

  

Back in Lissewege, we found that the Tourist Office had now opened its doors. No longer in need of walking instructions, we decided to pay a visit to the on-site Museum of Saints. 

This tiny museum displays a magnificent collection of colourfully painted statues of Saints. Being the proud owners of some plaster statues inherited from Jos's grandparents, we were keen to find out the identity of one of them, a saintly chap handing a loaf of bread to a little boy. And here is is, on the top right: Saint Gerardus Majella.  

And look, isn't that the little chapel in that painting? Quite a large turnout for such a tiny chapel, don't you think? 

After this overdose of saintliness we returned to our car and drove the short distance to one of  Flanders' most impressive medieval monuments: the tithe barn belonging to the former abbey of Ter Doest. 

Built in the 13th century, the monumental barn, 50 metres long and over 30 metres high, is all that is left of the once prosperous Cistercian abbey.  The blind Gothic windows at the top sides are of special note, as is the lofty interior which consists of three aisles with oak pillars and beams.

In order to get there, we had to drive past the chapel which, weirdly reminiscent of the painting, was inundated with people. No pilgrims, though, as instead of being lead by a priest, they were listening intently to the ramblings of a guide.

Upon leaving the barn, unfortunately the group of tourists had reached the site as well, making it impossible for me to take a decent photograph of the building. I was just lamenting this fact when the guide blew his whistle, and, like rats responding to the pied piper, they came running from all directions. Huzzah!

There were sculptures on display here as well, the one on the top right representing a giant Coronavirus surrounded by desperate health care workers. 

On that note, we have reached the end of the day and of this post, leaving only the day's outfit to show you in more detail. 

Both the short-sleeved green sailor style jumper and the wide-legged trousers with its mix of flowers and stripes were charity shop finds, and I'm sure it's not the first time they were worn together. Both pieces are frequent travelling companions. As you can see, I only added minimal accessories, a charity shopped necklace and a flower bouquet brooch from a small independent shop in Antwerp.

I hope you'll join me again for the final episode in a couple of days. Until then, do stay safe, my friends.

Escape to the country

By the time this post is published, our little break will probably just be a distant memory.  I will have been back at the office for a week and my nerves might very well be just as frazzled as they were before we went away. It might have been short but it was certainly sweet, and all those memories we gathered and the photographs we took will make it last just that little bit longer. 

But let's begin at the beginning, which was actually at the end of my final working week.

To accommodate Bess and slowly get her used to our being away for longer than a day, we'd booked three nights, from Monday until Thursday, which left us plenty of time to pack and get into holiday mode. Both of which, I admit, were easier said than done!

While packing is always a bit stressful for me, particularly the part where I have to decide which clothes to take, getting that holiday feeling wasn't exactly straightforward either with the weather being all but on its best behaviour. In fact, it was only when we were heading towards the motorway on Monday that it sank in that we were going on holiday!

Saturday served us the usual mix of clouds, showers and the odd ray of sunshine which, at barely 20°C, made me rummage the shelf of long-sleeved blouses in my wardrobe, unearthing this pale green vintage one patterned with sprays of orange, navy and burgundy flowers. It was an old Think Twice find - bought on a shopping spree with my friends Inneke and Inez in April 2018 - and I thought it complemented my recently charity shopped C&A maxi skirt perfectly.

The crochet belt with its massive wooden buckle was a post-Lockdown 1 retail buy last Summer, while the necklace and brooch were charity shop and flea market finds respectively.

If pottering and procrastination were the buzz words on Saturday, the dreaded packing could no longer be postponed on Sunday. This doesn't mean I leave things to the last minute, though. Quite the contrary, as I usually start filling a basket with essentials long before the word go. Plus, Ms. Organized being my middle name, I've got a handy checklist to make sure we've got everything we need.

The problem, as you've guessed, are the clothes! Keeping our ears glued to the weather forecast is of the essence but still I've lost count of all the times I ended up packing the wrong things. 

This time, there seemed to be no doubt that the weather would be atrocious, so in the end I assembled three outfits consisting of two pairs of wide-legged trousers and one maxi skirt, combining each with a long-sleeved top, and throwing in two short-sleeved jumpers and some cardigans for good measure.

As rain would definitely be on the cards, I took not one but two raincoats, my orange leather jacket and, throwing caution to the wind, a denim jacket!

On Monday just after lunch, after wistfully saying our goodbyes to Bess, we hopped into our car and off we went. It had been a dry morning and by the time we reached the motorway we were happy to see that the sun had decided to join us. That was when the so far elusive holiday mood finally descended on us, and not even the usual queues towards the infamous Kennedy Tunnel - passing under the River Scheldt - could spoil it.

After a leisurely drive of just over an hour, we arrived at our destination, our lovely B&B Het Soetewater in Beernem, a stone's throw from the city of Bruges.

And while not exactly pastures new - we stayed here in the Spring of 2018 and 2019, and celebrated our Silver Wedding Anniversary here in February 2020 - it was the first time we visited at the height of Summer, and the room we'd booked was a brand new luxury one which was only finished last year.

The place is an oasis of peace and quiet, which descends on you the minute you step through the gate and into the walled garden, in which at this time of year several variaties of magnificent Hydrangeas played the starring role.

After buying her parents' farm, our lovely host Veronique, together with her builder husband transformed the barns into an atmospheric B&B which abounds with charming details.

With its white painted brick wall and exposed beams, the room felt even more spacious than it already was, with an antique bureau in the corner next to the bathroom and a small sitting corner and a wooden table and chairs flanking the comfortable King Size bed. 

We were intrigued, however, by the little glass fronted cupboard on top of the beam opposite the bed, wondering why it stood empty and, quite annoyingly, off-centre. 

There was a huge antique wardrobe which could have held ten times the amount of clothes I'd brought and was large enough to keep our travel bags out of sight.

The bathroom, which was entered through the white painted door under the beam was several times the size of our tiny one back at home and contained a huge walk-in shower and a whirlpool bath big enough for the both of us. Not being used to high tech bathroom equipment, our attempt to use the latter that evening ended in a minor flooding of the bathroom. Don't tell Veronique, though. We cleaned it all up so that no trace of our mishap was left by the time she came and did our room in the morning ...

By the time we'd made ourselves at home and had a restorative cup of coffee, it was past 3.30 and we were raring to go out and explore.

Making the most of the gorgeous and unexpected sunny weather, we drove down to Bulskampveld, a provincial domain less than a 10-minute drive from our B&B.

After leaving our car in a leafy car park, we made our way through an avenue of trees towards the castle, built in neo-Gothic style in 1887, and now the visitor centre and gateway to the domain and the surrounding area. 

Initially, we were amazed at the number of people about, especially as this was a Monday, but then again it was the first gorgeous Summer's day in weeks, which obviously we weren't the only ones making the most of.  

Passing a wooden information kiosk, we obtained a leaflet with a map of the domain as well as a booklet on the walled herb garden situated at the back of the castle.

Created in 1980 on the site of the castle's former kitchen garden, the herb garden (kruidentuin in Flemish) was entered through an iron gate, behind which the 400 or so species of medicinal and kitchen herbs were basking in the heat of the August afternoon.

Swathes of purplish pink Liatris spicata (button snakewort, bottom left) and deep violet Aconitum (monkshood, top right) were stealing the show while attracting flutters of butterflies.

A cheeky robin kept Jos company while he rested on a bench. The little bird must have been envious of the bright orange colour of Jos's shirt!

My travelling outfit, composed with non-too-summery weather in mind, was built around a crisp blue organic cotton maxi skirt picked up in the Mango sales last Summer. The blue and white Breton top sprang to mind immediately as its perfect companion. One of my stretchy chevron belts added interest at waist level. 

Isn't it a marvel that my skirt emerged virtually unwrinkled from our car journey? 

In order to compliment my good old red Clarks Cloudsteppers, I accessorized my outfit with a red and white beaded necklace and red cat brooch. The red cardigan I was wearing - and which you can spot in one of the B&B collages - had long been dispensed with by then.

My outfit will be joining Shelbee's and Nancy's "Good Buy/Good-Bye" post in a couple of days time!

After our visit to the herb garden, we strolled around the domain's outbuildings, searching in vain for the start of a walk which would take us around the castle park laid out in English landscape style.

In the otherwise empty farmyard of the estate farm, a tiny black and white kitten melted our hearts and inevitably made us think of Queen Bess back at home.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the ivy clad tower is part of the castle, but it's actually a water tower constructed in the 1890s.

We were just about to give up on our search when we finally spotted a waymarker putting us in the right direction to our intended walk. However, as it was late afternoon by then, we just followed it for a short stretch, taking alternative paths whenever we felt there were too many people about.

Nevertheless, while I was investigating the wooden play hut we came across, some silly idiot thought he was being funny when he played peek-a-boo through one of the little windows at the back. Oh well.

At the point where the path emerged from the trees, an ornamental bridge crossed the brook which feeds into the castle lake, offering a picturesque view towards the castle.

Before returning to our car, we briefly sat and stared on a bench, commenting, as we'd already done several times that afternoon, on how lucky we were with the weather.

In order to maximize the time we had at our disposal after checking in, we made use of Veronique's splendid hospitality options by ordering the tapas board she was offering. This way, we wouldn't have to look for a place to eat - not an easy feat on a Monday when lots of places are closed - and just had to pick up the board and a basket of assorted breads from the B&B's kitchen.

An excellent idea and finger-licking delicious too!

And then it was time to wind down, relax, read and nap. Although I couldn't stop wondering about that mysterious off-centre cupboard on top of that beam!

To be continued ...

The air that we breathe

I'm back, so no scheduled posting this time!  In fact, I've been back since Thursday as we were only away for three nights. But while I'm dying to tell you all about it and my fingers are itching to start writing travelogues, they will have to be put on the back burner for now while I finish posting about the week prior to our little getaway.

Not wishing to keep you in suspense any longer, though, I can already divulge that we had the most wonderful and relaxing time and that the weather gods were on their best behaviour. And after being a bit wary for all of five minutes, Bess was clearly over the moon to have us back at home and has been overdosing on cuddling and purring ever since! 

But that was all still in the future on Friday the 23rd of July. 

If my week off work has raced by at an alarming rate, time seemed to have lingered somewhat longer than usual in the weeks preceding it. This was in no way helped by having to go into the office on Friday as my colleague was on vacation.

As a consolation price, however,  I was able to take the afternoon off as work was a bit slow. So slow, in fact, that I played hooky and nipped out to the shops to buy a birthday present for my friend Inneke during office hours. Naughty, naughty! 

It was a gorgeously sunny day, the temperature reaching the dizzy heights of 25°C, which my vintage cotton Madras check dress was more than able to cope with. 

Due to its red buttons and collar, not to mention its red trimmed pockets, red would be the obvious accessorizing choice. Feeling quite contrary, I decided to go against the grain and picked green for my necklace, squirrel brooch and recently charity shopped 1960s shoes. My armful of bracelets included a green one too, the others being red and blue to tie in with the colours of my dress.

If the oatmeal woven belt looks familiar, it's because I find myself reaching for it quite often lately.

I spent the afternoon doing some long overdue ironing - as one does on a warm Summer's day. To my defense, I wanted to iron the pleated dress I'd bought from Think Twice the other day and then literally struck the iron while it was hot!

The rest of the afternoon was spent pottering around home and garden. 

The lush little corner in the above photo is at the end of the passageway leading next to our kitchen. Minus the jumble of empty terracotta pots, it's part of the view that greets us from our kitchen window. In the top right corner you can see the encroaching tendrils of the ivy we're waging a constant battle with, while the ferns you can spy mid-picture have made themselves at home in the biggest of the pots without any interference from our side whatsoever. Quite the little jungle!

Somewhat unintentionally, pinks and purples seem to be popping up everywhere in our little plot. 

The two-tone Lupine 'My Castle', which we planted back in April, simply refuses to give up, surprising us with the odd new flower spike again and again. And while I'm pretty sure we didn't have a single Foxglove in our garden last year, there is now an unplanned abundance of them, ranging from creamy white to various shades of pink.

Initially cloudy and overcast, we were treated to sunny spells from mid-afternoon onwards on Saturday, with the temperature sliding down to about 22°C. 

We were up early, as we'd been woken by an alarm going off next door, after which we couldn't get back to sleep. As we expected visitors in the afternoon, we mended our slovenly ways by whisking around with a cleaning cloth in the bathroom and kitchen after breakfast.

I dithered in front of my wardrobe, after a lot of umming and aahing deciding on this delicious maxi skirt I hadn't worn in absolutely ages. Wearing the orange and red Spanish made sandals I picked up in a charity shop in June assured that I didn't trip over its hem while I swooshed around in it.

Same as the skirt, the green lacy knit top I combined it with came from Think Twice. The wood veneer pendant was charity shopped, while the celluloid twin flower brooch was a flea market find. The stretchy belt with its hexagonal faux tortoiseshell buckle was a retail buy, picked up from a well known haberdashery shop during one of my rare lunch break outings back in May.

While we were waiting for our guests to arrive, I snapped some pictures in the garden. On the top right  magenta and yellow provided by Verbascum and Phlox make for an unusual colour combo. And look at that promising second flush of flower spikes in our Delphinium (bottom left). So happy I made the effort of cutting back the spent spikes after the initial flush of the second half of May!

Then our friends Inneke and Maurice arrived and my intention of making photographed vanished into thin air as we chatted away over coffee and cake. After all, we hadn't seen each other since we met for a socially distanced walk in January! Although that isn't strictly true, as Maurice and Jos have been meeting up for coffee on Wednesday ever since cafés were allowed to re-open their indoor spaces back in June!

After briefly showing her face at the top of the stairs, Bess hid away under our bed until they were gone. Little did she know that Maurice would be coming to feed her while we were away!

Inneke had been clearing out her wardrobe and had brought some things she thought I might like. Or perhaps that should be, might like back, as three of them originally graced my wardrobe many years ago. Now that she's ditched the hair colouring and sports a sassy short grey hairstyle, she found they didn't suit her any longer.

The funky knee-length Crimplene number is one of these, and it has made a return to my wardrobe until I've decided whether it's a keeper or not. The maxi dress is one of Inneke's and, with its Autumnal colour palette, fits me to perfection. 

The shirt with its ditsy print on left is another one which is still awaiting its fate, while the blouse on the left started life as a high street tunic over ten years ago. Tunics no longer being my style, but loving its lacy zig-zag pattern, I wasted no time in taking my scissors to it and turning it into a blouse!

July's final week crept along at a snail's pace. Although it wasn't exactly very busy at work, I needed to work in advance as much as I could to ensure continuity during my week away. This is always a bit of a nerve wracking time for me, so I only managed to find the energy for outfit photos after work on two occasions.

Monday saw me wearing one of my King Louie dresses, in a teal coloured diamond pattern. I pinned its decolletage with a teal flower brooch which merges with it organically.

Contrast was added with an orange polka dot cardigan and orange shoes, which I'm sure need no further introduction. Everything but the multi-coloured and textured necklace was charity shopped over the years.

Wednesday's dress is vintage and doesn't need introducing either, as it's far from making its debut on the blog. A Think Twice find in the Summer of 2015 - I distinctly remember this as I bought it on the day the seed of starting this blog was planted - it debuted here in June 2016, worn during our Pembrokeshire holiday that year, making further appearances in June 2017, September 2018, May 2019 and September 2020.

Not surprisingly, looking back has revealed that green has been very prominent in accessorizing this dress, and this time was no different as I added a green beaded necklace and what is probably the same old green cardigan I am wearing in some of the flashback photos.

A cream vintage flower brooch and a cream stretchy belt with a round buckle - a cheeky, recently acquired sales bargain - completed my outfit.

The weather that week had been the wishy-washy mix of cloudy with sunny spells and showers which seems to be our lot so far this Summer. The temperature kept hovering quite disappointingly in the very low twenties. 

Watering being a bit more of a chore now that we have to do without our well water, I admit to skipping that task on a couple of days, only tending to those poor plants in the shelter of the awning outside the kitchen door.

The first of the new Delphinium spikes was blooming its head off by now. Still standing proud in the above photos, the gusts of wind later that week made it lean precariously, its ultimate downfall avoided by the ferns and Cotoneaster which are its next door neighbours.

Supposed to be Autumn flowering, green flower buds have already started appearing in our Sedum spectabile (top right), some of them slowly but surely obtaining their final pinkish hue. Not surprisingly, given the Autumnal card the weather gods have been dealing us. There really is an undeniable whiff of Autumn in the air that we breathe.

We'll be packing our bags in my next post, keeping one eye on the non-too-promising weather forecast.

The other one being fixed firmly on this one, who all of a sudden decided to climb heights in our front room.  After finding one of the figurines from on top of our mantelpiece lying on the floor - mercifully unharmed - we had to take some last minute precautions and bring the most delicate of the items on display to safety!

So, that was it for now. Do stay safe, and I hope to see you again soon!

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!