October Style Not Age Challenge




Hello again! Yes, it's the last Monday of the month and that signals our Style Not Age Challenge again. This time Hilda has chosen Cosy Autumn Coats as our theme which seems to have turned up all sorts of lovely offerings. Mine is a bit lame I'm afraid as it's not exactly cosy, but still rather lovely even if I say so myself.  I'll spin my excuses later, but let's dive right in and see what all of my style sisters have come up with, shall we?




Jacqui is wearing a very sleek black quilted coat from M&S. It's my idea of a heavenly winter coat, ideal for cosying up in. Catch her backstory on Mummabstylish blog. 




Emma's Style Splash is also sporting an M&S coat, although hers was an eBay bargain for £10! I love the leopard print collar and would be very happy to add this to my coat collection. 




Gail's velvet military style jacket is from Joe Browns, paired with a velour skirt from Hope, giving a very sumptuous look. M&S brogue boots add an edge to the outfit which I love! See more on her blog Is This Mutton




Hilda wears a super Michael Kors coat from TK Maxx that has a fur trimmed hood to keep cosy against the chill winds. See her full feature on Over The Hilda.




You'll have seen my KEW 159 coat before and I had hoped to have something much more cosy for this challenge, but honestly my life is like a whirlwind at the moment! I've still not had time to do my clothes changeover this week and do wonder when that will happen. I'm scheduled to work all next weekend, so goodness knows when I'll find the time! Anyway, this is one of those transitional outfits where my Topshop lightweight dress has been given the seasonal treatment by adding a long sleeved thermal layer underneath, plus some thick tights creating a warm under layer. 






I've found that another clever way to keep cosy is to add a belt which traps warm air around the middle. My olive green studded belt was a gift from my friend Bo in Portugal. I'd admired this and a black one when I was last there on holiday and lo and behold she sent both to me as presents! My rings are both pre-loved and the dark green pearls are very old but much loved. Blue rimmed sunglasses are by Radley London.




We're still basking in some glorious golden autumn weather here on the islands which is probably how I'm still getting away with not having any autumn/winter clothes to hand. 




My mint green Office brougues are quite old now, but I'm still very happy with them despite the odd scuff or two around the toe area. Less than perfect is fine and is surely a sign of being worn and loved.





Yup, can you believe the size of this stick insect? I've no idea what kind it is, or even how common or uncommon this fella is, but it was a lucky break to stop here for my photo shoot and capture him. Details on the back of a postcard please.




Many thanks for dropping by again. I do hope you've enjoyed this month's challenge. I'll be back soon and plan to share the last bit of boating fun that Steve and I managed to squeeze in while the fine weather held out this month. Boating fun and some swimming news - how does that sound? Hope to see you soon!

                                                                             Anna x

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Bonus days




Hurrah for these last few bonus days of golden sunshine and calm weather that we've had here on the Isles of Scilly. Tresco is still buzzing with holiday makers, especially now that we're coming into half term time meaning that the island is busy as ever. I finished work at 4pm the other day and instead of tackling the behind the scenes jobs and mounting admin, I opted to lock up promptly and head out for a walk in the late afternoon sunshine. It's ages since I've been up to the two castles and thought they would afford good light for a photo shoot too.




Up here at the top of the island is a fantastic opportunity to get a 360 degrees vista of the islands. King Charles Castle sits at the entrance of the channel between Tresco and Bryher islands and was build as a fort to protect the north end of the island. However, the site was too steep too be practical and was superseded by the Star Castle on St Mary's which held a better location to protect the islands from invading forces. 




To the north in the background you can see Round Island Lighthouse which is no longer manned but is still operated remotely to keep the shipping traffic safe from the surrounding rocks and reef.




Out in the east, I knew that Brittany Ferries ran from Portsmouth to France and Spain but had no idea that they passed so close to the islands. 




Looking west towards Shipman's Head on Bryher and the big Atlantic ocean beyond.




And so, on to the outfit of the day. Transitional dressing is still the theme, whereby I've not pulled out any of my autumn/winter clothes and am trying to get by with clever dressing. These fabulous corduroy dungarees have been perfect for the past couple of weeks when it's been chilly in the morning but warmer by lunchtime. I bought them at Enjoy Clothing in Truro and every time I wear them they attract lots of compliments. The colour is fab and the fit is wonderfully relaxed and easy to wear; slouchy and yet still okay enough for work. 




The neon top works so well with the ribbing of the corduroy, don't you think? The high neck is again, cosy for the mornings, but being short sleeved is still cool enough when temperatures rise. And neon is making a big comeback at the moment isn't it? I do like it when fashion and my wardrobe collide like this. My blue plastic rings are both charity shopped and sunglasses are by Quay Australia.




My grey platform trainers are old, but hardly worn. I bought them online a few years ago from Zara and even though I didn't totally love them I couldn't be bothered to send them back. Anyway, they've come into play this summer which alleviates the guilt somewhat.




It was a glorious afternoon; peaceful and calm away from the hubbub of the village. 




These cannons are defending Cromwell's Castle which is below King Charles's Castle. 






And looking south down towards St Mary's and St Agnes. Golden light, the best for flattering my pale skin tone!




As the sun started to drop in the sky I made my way home along the coastal path. This beautiful big gin palace appeared and moored up between the islands. We don't get many visiting boats coming into the islands after summer, but the spell of calm had surely brought this latecomer. 










A couple of hours spent outdoors had done me the world of good. The pressures of work have held me hostage for far too many weeks over the summer months, but at least I can feel things beginning to ease at last. As we drift into the winter I plan to take a month off work with no real aims or goals at this stage. I need to recharge my batteries and what better place to do that than here.

                                                                                          Anna x

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Forever You Beauty launch





Hello again! Here's a bit of a departure for me here on the blog - a beauty collaboration! I was approached last month by the team from Forever You Beauty asking if I'd try out their new products, made especially for the mature woman. To be perfectly honest, I don't see myself as a poster girl for any beauty product, what with my large nose, thin lips and wrinkled skin (especially on my neck). As ever, I'm the first to put myself down and did respond with a scarily honest snap to rebuff them. To my utter surprise they persisted. The brand is keen to promote each and every woman as an individual - No one is you and that is your power is their tag line. This does chime with me as, despite my lack of conventional beauty, I'm still very happy in my own skin and with having my own particular style.






The sheer sticks are made to act as multi-taskers for delivering moisture, glow and colour to cheeks, eyes, lips and body in whatever way you choose. So far I've only used them in my daily (face)make-up routine and can report that they live up to the fresh natural glow as promised. 




I use the tint as blush on the apple of the cheeks, blended into my base. The pink hue gives a natural colour and then I've topped it with a sweep of the glow as highlighter to give a lovely healthy sheen. What I love about this combination is that the stick formula is really long lasting and doesn't sink into the skin over the course of the day. Over the years I tried powder (dulls the skin and is quite aging) and cream blushes (disappears after a couple of hours), but none have had the staying power of these glossy sticks. 




Check out the Forever You website for full details of ingredients used as well as how to order. The bonus of this new brand is that they're offering a full 30 day refund if you don't like the products - even if you've used it all! With a pledge like that you really can't lose can you?





This last photo shows me after a day out with the family, where we sat outside in the sunshine for a couple of hours having a long Sunday lunch. My normal cream blush would have sunk into my skin under these conditions, but the stick blend seems to sit on top of the skin rather than disappearing. There are lots of lovely oils plus shea butter in the sticks which deliver this long lasting blend. No melting away means my fresh glow stays all day long!




Disclosure: I was gifted the set of Forever You trio. The review is my honest opinion and all words are mine.

                                                                             Anna x





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Animal print jumpsuit




Hello again my lovelies! Today sees the start of my transitional dressing - that tricky time when the weather fluctuates during summer and autumn or winter and spring causing havoc with one's outfit choices. Last weekend I had big plans to do my seasonal wardrobe changeover, but life as they say, rarely goes to plan. It was our Ruby anniversary (yes, 40 amazing years of marriage) and although the celebrations were decidedly low-key, I still couldn't find time to do the deed that needed to be done. One thing of note from the weekend was the arrival of my long-lost friend Caroline who was my accomplice on our Thelma and Louise adventure which brought us to Tresco 43 years ago. We had a few catch up sessions together, visiting the site of the Island Hotel where we spent our summer working together and we also had a lovely sea swim at Cradle Porth followed by tea and lots of reminiscing. Happy days!




Anyway, on to the outfit of the day. This animal print jumpsuit is on sale on the ASOS website currently (see here). I've had a small trickle of new purchases recently for which I'll make no apologies. Each new item has been actioned by a moving out of something old to free up space in my closet. If I had time to spare I'd be selling these things on eBay, but for the moment I have no such luxury. 




As you can see, the main feature of the jumpsuit is the wonderfully wide legs. It looks like a maxi dress unless you make exaggerated poses like this. The fit is relaxed with a v neck and button front. The loose fit is perfect for layering a thin thermal top underneath for this time of year, easily whipped off if the temperatures suddenly rise during the day.




Made from 100% viscose, the fabric is drapey and elegant. 




For those of you who have been following the pink trouser suit saga - well the suit arrived, but turned out to just be a jacket in one material and trousers in another meaning that the colours and fabrics were too different to say trouser suit in my book. And so the search continues. I fear it may be next summer before another rash of pink suits hit the market.




Rings in neutral tones were both charity shop finds from a long time ago.




Retro sunglasses are a few years old, from River Island and the necklace is positively ancient, from goodness knows where!




Very soon I'll be packing my Puma white trainers away in favour of white patent boots, although my black patent boots will work fine with this ensemble too.




I'll finish with a couple of anniversary shots from my Instagram page. This was Steve and I in the pony and trap on our way to the wedding reception at the Island Hotel in 1981. We were married on St Mary's and our guests had endured a rather bumpy boat trip after the ceremony, some of them loosing their breakfast along the way. 




And this is the painting I bought for our Ruby anniversary. It's by Lizzie Black, one of our popular artists at Gallery Tresco. See more examples of her work here. These are the Blockhouse Cottages at Green Porth. Steve spent most of his childhood living here and we also had our first year of marriage at Blockhouse no.3 while we waited for work to be completed on our home at Cliff Cottage over at New Grimsby. The row of cottages is due to be rebuilt over the next 12 months, so it's good to have this as a reminder before construction begins.

Many thanks for joining me again. I'll be back after the big clothes changeover and hope to have found all sorts of inspiring clothes to share with you. 

                                                                    Anna x

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Saying goodbye to summer




Hello lovelies and thanks for dropping by! Yes, I'm admitting defeat. Today is the first of October and here I am showcasing my final summer outfit with more than a touch of sadness. My favourite time of year, not just fashion-wise, is summer and I'm always sorry to see the season change into autumn. I know I'm not alone in my thoughts.




My monochrome look offers nothing new, merely a mix of things you'll have seen before. The Zara "It" dress from a couple of summers ago has been a mainstay during the final burst of Indian summer we've experienced here on the islands. I love the long, loose fit which has been the perfect ploy for keeping cool. 





The two tone flatties are by Nine West and are suprisingly comfortable, indeed all-day-long comfy. The leather and cow hide bag is a recycled piece made by Claudine Sear of Bags of Time




Sunglasses are by Quay Australia, rings are pre-loved and the silver and gold coloured linked chain was a boutique find from a few years ago. 






A gentle walk to New Grimsby quay was a lovely start to the day. The sea was flat as mill-pond, looking more like a lake rather than the sea. A moment to stop and take it all in before the working day began.






So from here on I'll be searching through my wardrobe for those elusive items of transitional dressing. Not my easiest of looks - in fact I think I've maybe said previously that my outfits fall into two simple categories - summer or winter. Anyway, the weekend is almost here and I think that by Sunday I'll be dragging suitcases out from under the bed in the hope of finding some autumn inspired outfits. Wish me luck on this (dreaded) mission!

                                                                                         Anna x

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