I'm off to London!

Hello and cheerio! I'm off to the big smoke today, so the blog may be a tad quiet for the next 10 days. What does an island girl pack for a week in London? Well, take a look at my attempt at a capsule wardrobe.


I'm going to wear my big winter coat as I have a boat and train journey ahead of me and this woolly bear of a coat will help to keep me cosy. I'll add a wrap as a scarf to double up as a pillow for a few zzzz's on the way too. I may wear some trainers for the trip as the boat can be slippery underfoot, but the boots are essential for stepping out in style on the streets of London. The glitter boots are new and the heel is a perfect height for comfort (I'll show you a bit more of them later).


I'm packing this new red dress as it's wrinkle free and will be versatile enough for any evening out to the theatre or dinner, or both! The pink is a skirt, the only one I've chosen. I'm taking one pair of jeans, one pair of leggings and two pairs of trousers.


I've had this Desigual sweater for a couple of years and yet have only worn it once and think the time has come for another outing. Two fluffy jumpers are going in as well as the fur gilet.


Then there's a white shirt, a black shirt, a floral shirt, a mesh jacket, a patterned roll neck and a new lace top, as well as my fabulous studded jacket.


My red dress is crying out for the red sock boots (as seen here), but I'm terribly worried that the fabric would get marked, wet or whatever in the general skirmishing that goes on when you descend into the depths of the London Underground. Steve sees every trip to London as a huge adventure, most of which involves walking for miles (to get the real feel of the place) or hopping on and off the tube when we're dashing to the theatre. Sitting in the back of a cab, stuck in traffic is not his idea of an authentic experience! Red boots therefore, may have to stay home, or perhaps I can fit them into my wee black leather backpack for changing in situ? Ho hum, we'll see!


And here's the glitter boots as promised. They're from Primark and so blooming comfortable too! 






Those of you who know me well, will probably be chuckling at my capsule wardrobe; who's she trying to kid, you'll be saying. Yes, yes, of course I'm going shopping, and yes, yes of course I'll be itching to wear it all immediately, but at least I've got a full compliment of clothes in case I can't find anything new!

Outfit details - jacket: H&M (old), trousers and boots: Primark, tee shirt: pre-loved, necklace: Du Barre, watch: Michael Kors, sunglasses: Quay Australia, ring: pre-loved.


So that just about wraps it up. I hope to be posting on instagram while I'm away (wi-fi permitting) so do check it out here. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a photo of the birthday boy - today, the 23rd, is his actual birthday despite the celebrating that has been going on over the past few weeks. 


Looking great for 60 isn't he?

Anna x

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We love... metallic raincoats!

If it's the 20th, then it's time for our monthly style challenge and this month Sasha and I are showcasing our new metallic raincoats. 


Sasha was the first to buy her copper hooded jacket which is functional as a raincoat and also fulfilled her love of metallics. It was in the New Look sale in September at £15. This one is out of stock, but we've found something equally pretty here.



I love all these warm tones together; the copper, gold, coral and peach all benefit from that tiny pop of turquoise; a great contrast.


While I was in Truro a few weeks later I came across this silver jacket in TK Maxx for £15 too. Did I copy her? - well of course I did! Sasha is probably my main influencer. I'm very happy to admit that this midlifer and her Millennial are #Bridging the Gap as part of the movement seeking to dissolve the barriers that society seeks to place between the generations. Fashion for all seems to be more appropriate now.







Sasha and I have no issues about crossing the fashion divide that used to exist between mothers and daughters. In my youth I wouldn't have dreamt of looking to my mother for fashion or style advice nor she to me, but things have changed, thank goodness. We happily shop together, taking each others advice on new colours and trends which we may not have tried without that extra input. I see myself as the new ageless generation that has evolved through the desire to access clothing that expresses individuality rather than collective years. We each have our own sense of style with the jacket being the overlap today. Sasha's uber feminine floral trousers with frilled hems teamed with the bronze/peach palette tell her story so well. As for me, well I've run with the metallic theme, the bare minimum of colour added by way these monochrome hues giving my own fashion statement a retro vibe. 

Sasha's outfit details - raincoat: New Look, jumper: H&M, trousers: TK Maxx, boots, Primark, sunglasses: Primark.
My outfit details - raincoat: TK Maxx, blouse: Sainsbury's, skirt: pre-loved (no label), boots: Primark, sunglasses: Quay Australia.
Anna x

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Time out

Sometimes life takes over, leaving me struggle to fulfil my blogging duties. That's how it's been of late. My darling husband isn't yet 60, but has already been partying for the past two weekends as he warms up for the main event on the 23rd. Blogging therefore has taken a back seat, but by way of apology I thought I'd share with you the latest celebrations.


We hired a local holiday home for the weekend to accommodate the large family gathering and the view wasn't half bad. The house is called Driftwood, has three bedrooms and lots of open plan space for eating and lounging about, which is exactly what we did. The garden is spacious and also has lots of outdoor seating.


The pack of balloons also said Happy Birthday, but we had a helium issue and a P went pop! I made up this montage of photos to cover some of Steve's 60 glorious years.






Gig rowing has been a lifelong passion for Steve, along with this love of the outdoors in general and trees in particular. His niece Zoe cleverly combined all of this into an amazing birthday cake that was truly a work of art.






It was lovely to have this family gathering. Jamie and Sasha worked hard to get everthing ready behind the scenes, keeping our party location a secret from Steve which made a great surprise for him.


Steve and Sasha are heading off to London tomorrow to continue the celebrations where I will join them on Tuesday. I'll be posting on instagram for the week I'm away with a big catch up on the blog when I return.

On Friday Sasha and I will be featuring another edition of "We love..." and it would be great if you could pop back to see what's our latest pleasure on the fashion front.
Anna x

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Meeting Mary

I've not managed to meet up with many other fashion bloggers since I started this caper and that's probably down to living in such a remote part of the British Isles. When Kezzie spent a day on the island last summer I was quick to offer my services as tour guide which resulted in a very happy time for us all (her mother played the part of blog photographer). Read about our day here

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting up with Mary aka The Pouting Pensioner. We decided that the Ruin Beach Cafe was the best spot to share a cuppa and swap our blogging stories, and so it was. As you can see it's a pretty idyllic setting, not to mention the delicious menu that covers the whole day. I have lots of food intolerances, but never have any problem eating here.



Mary was here on holiday with her family who have all stayed on the island many times before. My role as tour guide was therefore redundant, but we had a fair old chinwag for a couple of hours before I confessed it was time for me to get back to work. We thought we ought to have some more photos before I did and set off to find a good spot. The sun was high in the sky making it difficult to capture the sea view without us ending up in shadow. We crossed the lawn and alighted on a view over towards Northwethel island. And this is where the fun began. Without my tripod I was flummoxed as to where to prop my camera to get a good shot. I suggested a bench, but Mary said it'd be too low; she was right. A few shrubs and lots of low lying lush plants were all that was around us, until I spotted a big boulder behind some Agapanthus. With that we agreed where the right spot would be for us to stand which did however, entail a bit of clambering over a bed of mesembryanthemums which covered rocks and also hid a fair few dips and holes too. Mary and I pussy-footed our way across to a flat rock. Yes, this was ideal. I left Mary in place and proceeded to set up the timer for 10 seconds and zoomed in for the shot. "Wait!" said Mary, "Bring me my phone so that I can get my angle of this too." And this is how we got the perfect selfie -








And this is the shot -


Mary suggested we take another for good luck, but you'll kinda get my drift when I say that the second run-through was pretty much like the first. Mary and I wandered back across the island, chatting nineteen to the dozen until we parted, me to work and she to her family. Our common bond of blogging helped us overcome that getting-to-know-you phase as we fast forwarded to subjects like instagram stalkers, collaborations and what we hope to get out of blogging long term. Mary is a warm and kind soul, intelligent and funny with lots to say as you'll see on her blog. As we said our goodbyes I was pleased to know that we'd thoroughly enjoyed our meet up despite is being so brief. Kezzie and Mary both left the islands smitten with the sights in a way neither of them had expected. That's the magic of the Isles of Scilly I'd say; nothing really goes on here - just peace and quiet, beautiful landscapes and seascapes with time to do what you want, at the pace you choose.

Later that day, Steve called me up to say Happy Anniversary. We'd forgotten somehow, in the run of our everyday lives, that it was our 36th year of being married. He suggested that we go off-island to one of the desert islands that are scattered around the main islands. The sun shone down as we headed across the sea to Tean, the same island that we visited when Johnnie and Tiggy were here earlier in the summer. 




Our hastily gathered picnic comprised mostly of beer, nuts and chocolate; all the vital elements for a perfectly balanced diet.


We had an inquisitive visitor while we ate. Maybe seals are like dogs and have a great sense of smell. He kept bobbing about, looking at us and disappearing for a minute or two just to reappear further along the bay. If it was an invitation to join him, I declined. We're still awash with Men of War jellyfish that have lethal stings in their long tentacles. I've had to hang up my cossie for the past few weeks as I don't want to have the close encounter that could put me off sea swimming altogether. The biggest ones have tentacles that are 30ft long!



Heading off home before the sun dipped out of sight.


And here's the photo shoot from the morning before all of this unfolded.





I'm smitten with these fabulous pink shoes. But, I seem to have bought them in too big a size - this is why I hate online shopping! If I were savvy enough, I'd have known to buy them in a couple of sizes. I've added insoles, to no effect as I still walk out of them. I wonder if thick tights might give a bit of grip? If you're got any ideas to remedy this and make them wearable, I'd love to hear from you.

Outfit details - shoes and trousers: H&M, jacket and shirt: Next, sunglasses: Sainsbury's, rings: gifts.

Linking with - 
Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb
Cherie of Style Nudge



Anna x

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