Birthday weekend

So here's the final reprise of my birthday weekend. We had decamped to Nautilus Cottage for a few days which was sheer luxury. The views across the islands stretch out from every vantage point.


I could imagine that this must be a lovely spot in the summer.





The cottage has an upside down layout meaning you can lounge around upstairs all day long as you take in the stunning views. 


See the professional shots of the house here



Birthday cards, flowers and presents from family and friends - I felt very spoilt!



A sumptuous photo album.



Personalised gift vouchers.


Sasha gave me this fabulous memento of my blogging days.



The Neil Pinkett painting was a gift from Steve.




He also gave me this silver and gold ruffle ring by Emily Nixon.




My niece Kate gave me the splendid tome from Vogue.








I had arrived before the rest of the family and once I'd set the house up, I decided to do a photo shoot. The light was a bit challenging, especially as I was using the timer on the camera, but at least you get a bit of an idea of what I was wearing to chill out in. The sweater is from TK Maxx, as is the fur coat and the funky trainers. My jeans are pre-loved (by Next) and caught my eye because of the metallic buttons in different colours. Sunglasses are my old faithfuls by Quay Australia.

This cottage is part of the Sea Garden development which was built on the the site of the old Island Hotel, the place that I came to work in all those years ago (40 to be precise). In fact, the rooms that I cleaned were numbers 37,38, 39 and 40, and this cottage sits exactly where they were, so it was funny to imagine myself beetling about making beds, cleaning baths and hoovering in this very same spot during my time as a chambermaid. Myself and the other chambermaids were a scatty bunch, but we worked hard and played hard and we constantly played tricks on each other. One of the favourites was to sneak along the corridor when someone was vacuuming, then switch off their hoover and hide nearby. As they were puzzling over what was amiss the game was to jump out and make them scream. Much hilarity ensued, followed by the housekeeper's footsteps as she came to tell us off. The trick was to make yourself scarce so that you weren't caught as the perpetrator. (The housekeeper just so happened to also be my mother-in-law!)


This was taken in 1986. Myself and the other chambermaids were waiting, nay loitering about, in the hope of seeing Prince Charles who was making a visit to the island for the day. What a long time ago that seems now!

Anna x

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14 comments

  1. This is such a beautiful place to turn 60!! Seeing the photo of you from your chamber maid days and hearing the stories of your pranks somehow gives a better sense of your life unfolding among these lovely islands. You have led a uniquely charmed life there on your island(s)!!
    I was watching the British television series "Doc. Martin" last night and when a character came from and returned to Truro I suddenly realized, "That's where Anna makes all of her fabulous clothing hauls!" I paid a bit more attention to the look of the seaside setting/location shots after this revelation!

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    1. Thanks Jude. The longer I blog, the more I seem to share about life here and my own particular story. Goodness knows if this is what my readers want, but I do like to feel it adds a bit of meat to the bones of my tale. Cornwall has it attractions for so many visitors as do these islands and for those of us living here it's important not to lose sight of how special island life is. I've been blessed, that's for sure, to have spent all these years here without being found out and sent packing. It's a feeling that a lot of people talk about when they think they've been fortunate to inhabit the life they do.

      Anna x

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  2. Yikes! I forgot to say how much I love the ring that your husband gifted you! What a fashion savvy spouse to pick both silver and gold in a very artistic and "moving" ring!!! All of your gifts seem well conceived and very special Anna. You are loved!!

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    1. Isn't it a gem! I was so lucky with all of my presents, some of which missed the photoshoot due to the move, but it's been a time of gratitude for me for all of them.

      Anna x

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  3. Thank you for sharing this. I loved seeing it all. What a beautiful place on earth!

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    1. And thanks for dropping by to share it too Julia! I have to agree with you.

      Have a lovely weekend!
      Anna x

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  4. What a wonderfull gifts you got! Fantastic! And what a lovely story!

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    1. Thanks so much Nancy! It's been a fabulous time for me.

      Anna x

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  5. What a stunningly beautiful place to celebrate your birthday!

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    1. Yes, isn't it! The cottage was the perfect spot to hold the celebrations - I'll remember this with great fondness.

      Anna x

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  6. Lovely place. I have been a chamber maid in a hotel when I was 15. Lasted one and a half day. Getting hair out of shower drains made me gag. And when I had to go to the toilets with my bucket, passing through the breakfast room, everybody looked down on me.
    I just couldn’t cope haha.
    Fun to see that old photo of yours.
    Greetje

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    1. How funny! I can totally understand your feelings about the job - it's pretty much the lowest of the low. I think I had rose tinted spectacles on thanks to my love affair with Steve and the island.

      Anna x

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    2. Of course you had rose tinted spectacles on. You could have taken on the world in those days of early love.

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