January Blues, our Style Not Age Challenge




Hello lovelies and welcome to January Blues, our Style Not Age challenge. The third Monday in January has the ominous title of Blue Monday, publicised as being the most depressing day of the year which fell on the 16th this year. My daughter's birthday is the 15th, a fact that I'm to blame for, of course. Now that she's in her 30's she takes the matter in hand, planning things well in advance so that hers isn't a blue birthday. This year she is touring the South Island of New Zealand and is having the best month ever; she spent her birthday out on a boat whale watching eclipsed only by swimming with dolphins the following day. Paragliding, skydiving, sunrise hiking and daily sea swims are all keeping the adrenaline rush going.  No January Blues for her!




Gail from Is This Mutton has shopped her closet for this very fresh spring coloured outfit. The aqua scarf and jeggings are a perfect match, worn with a lemon top and white jacket both from Kettlewell. Her great style tip is to check out the children's shoe section which is what she did for these fab gold boots from Boden.




Emma from Style Splash has given herself a lift in the January sales, finding all sorts of lovely bargains at M&S. This blue teddy coat was reduced to £41, the jumper £15 and her fab pale blue trousers only £9! Catch up with Emma over on her blog now.




Hilda chose this month's theme and is showcasing this classic wrap dress from L K Bennett, a recent purchase from a nearby Village Outlet. You really can't go wrong with a wrap dress, can you, for that flattering feminine fit. M&S suede boots in tan work well with her designer handbag and her Mango hat is sleek and stylish. See more on her blog Over The Hilda.




Jacqui is sporting a fab jacquard jacket with blue jeans and cream boots for a stylish everyday look. Beads and cute belt along with her pretty padded bag show how good accessories finish of an ensemble to lift it out of the ordinary. See more from her on Mummabstylish




My outfit is based around a waterproof jacket and matching blue jeans that I found in a charity shop in Penzance when I was there in December. The two items came to £16 which felt like a great bargain. The jacket has a padded lining and a very snug hood that actually stays up without being held in place as so many hoods need. 





Zip and popper fastening and side opening pockets to keep hands cosy all make for a brilliant and practical coat for wet days. Sometimes island life calls for practicality before fashion, but this seems to encapsulate both, don't you think?







My sweater isn't new, but was from TK Maxx some years ago as are my rather fab snakeskin boots which were from Office a long time ago. 




I don't have a lot of blue in my wardrobe, but the addition of this new (to me) jacket is a welcome change. The pace of life is already changing here as we start to prepare for the island opening again on the 1st of March. How quickly our winters seem to whizz past us! 

                                                                            Anna x

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This is 65!







Hello and welcome to my birthday post! Yesterday I turned 65, a proper grown up birthday it seems (although not yet an OAP), but it feels like a fairly significant number. To age is indeed a privilege and I for one am very grateful to reach this particular milestone. 



 
If you're a regular here then you'll know I've been laid low over the past couple of months with virus after virus, a chest infection too followed by strep throat, so today's post feels like another kind of milestone as I was up and dressed (to the nines) for a birthday trip with my dear husband. He drove me to this fabulous vantage point on Tresco aka King Charles Castle so that we could enjoy the beautiful sunny day. He packed a picnic, found a blanket and off we went for a jolly outing. When I had appeared in this psychedelic trouser suit his response was 'Wow!' quickly followed by, 'But will you be warm enough?' Moments later I returned with this cosy extra layer, which was very much needed as we sat on the very top of the island. Gone are the days when he questioned if my choice of outfit was appropriate, thank goodness.




My ensemble comprises of this pink, peach, orange and white psychedelic trouser suit (reduced now on ASOS), bought for my birthday by my son, worn with a white top (charity shopped) and white patent boots which Steve gave me for my Christmas. My orange fun fur was a TK Maxx buy from a couple of years ago. 




This 60's look resonates with my younger self who, on the cusp of her teens, became aware of the fashion of the day, finding it a source of joy and excitement and very much a place where I felt I could express my fledgling self. Mini skirts, midriff tops, bell bottoms, knee high patent boots, shaggy fur coats and suede fringed waistcoats were all I longed for. Pans People on Top of the Pops wore psychedelic hot pants, doe-eyed Twiggy was my first girl crush and my bedroom walls were covered in posters of Marc Bolan, David Bowie and David Cassidy. My Jackie-reading prepubescent self ached to be grown up, to shop at Bus Stop and Biba, be part of this rollercoaster ride of pop music, Woodstock and Beatlemania. Oh what memories!




And now this trouser suit encapsulates all that I'd hope to be at 65. The older I become the more comfortable I feel in my skin. I don't have to rely on anyone to tell me I look okay. If anything, I feel a rising sense of urgency that I may not have enough time to try out everything I still want to play with. Working full time and salting away money into my pension pot is important, but I don't want to miss any fashion opportunities along the way. I'm not driven to spend lots of money on designer clothes as I may have done in the past, but to simply enjoy personalising choice items that I come across. The Sewing Bee has been a lovely distraction recently during my time at home, and also a wonderful source of inspiration. I feel a sewing urge coming on and am about to set my sewing machine up in the spare room to make it more accessible.




I've had to make a few adjustments to the trouser suit which I'm pleased with. I've taken four inches off the trousers, lined the jacket, taken a couple of inches off the sleeves and most scary of all, I made three button holes as the jacket came with four randomly placed buttons but no button holes. Just this little bit of sewing has been so enjoyable that I'm keen to get back to it again. A summer linen dress is on my wish list and I have the pattern, but no fabric as yet...




So, back to the outfit. My gilt 60's belt was a Primark find last year, the gilt necklace a Christmas present and the resin rings are both pre-loved. My retro sunglasses were from River Island many moons ago.




And here's my white patent boots (on sale here at Deichman). 




This laid back birthday celebration couldn't have been more perfect. Later in the day I opened cards and gifts from family and friends as well as receiving three lovely bouquets of flowers. I felt very spoiled. I'll leave you with the view from our picnic spot. What a beautiful day it was!




From here, Steve and I watched a large shipping container in the distance as it rounded the islands gradually changing course to head North to Ireland or beyond. Its journey along the horizon was slow and steady, transporting containers of goodness knows what from one part of the world to another. We observed its passage, musing over the days when we had sailed to other countries by cruise ship, reminiscing about ports visited and sights seen. Happy times! 

                                                                                 Anna x

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My avatar is doing a great job




Hello again and how are you? If you're well, then I've got to say congratulations to you! So many of my family and friends were under the weather over the festive period including yours truly, hence the reference to my avatar. To recap, I've been ill since the 6th of December with various types of virus; a chest infection and more recently strep throat and finally exhaustion resulting in my being signed off work. Alongside that my real life has been eclipsed by my avatar who has been popping up on social media showcasing all sorts of fabulous outfits over the festive period.




My avatar has stepped in at work from time to time, looking so much like me, embracing bright colours and beaming encouragingly at the clients. Fake it 'til you make it might be another way to view this alter ego. Dressing up to the nines can be such a great way of diverting attention from the self who in real life was husky voiced, prone to outbursts of riotous coughing and wearing a sheen of barely covered sweat. 




Pink chiffon and fuchsia patent leather boots worn with a black velvet bomber jacket and grey crops all work together to distract the eye from the health of the wearer on this workday. The black velvet bomber jacket was a supermarket find many moons ago - it was from F&F at Tesco's. The vintage frilled blouse is an old favourite of mine from many years ago when I found it in a vintage store in Exeter. The hot pink Catwalk boots from Deichman (on sale here at half price) were a treat to myself in December. By the time I got home I decided that I really ought to have bought the white ones too and hubby duly bought them for my Christmas - result!







The drapey high waisted trousers were a recent purchase from TK Maxx, the brand is Mango. Belt and pockets complete the essentials for comfort all wrapped up in a deep grey colour these wide fit trousers make an understatement in style acting as a counterpoint to the fun filled pinks of the rest of the outfit.




The pink and blue glasses were from ASOS many years ago. The large pink ring crops up all the time on my blog - it was a present from a friend who obviously knows me so well as I've worn it at least once a week ever since. The other ring was a charity shop find a long time ago.






My avatar photos have buoyed up the blog for the past few weeks and I view them as truly a distanced self who somehow managed to not only pull an outfit together, but enter into the realms of real life when all I wanted to do was lie in bed in a snotty, coughing heap. My self-neglect while attending to the needs of my (also poorly) loved ones resulted in the doctor declaring me unfit to work, as the second virus attacked, resulting in exhaustion. This may well read as fool's tale to some, a cautionary one to others, but whichever, I've discovered that contrary to my deluded self promotion, I'm not Wonder Woman. 


P.S. Today is the first day I've showered and dressed in five days which I think shows some progress. Writing to you is another definite sign of improvement, so please don't feel too sorry for me - I fancy I'm on the mend. I'm on day five of ten days of antibiotics so they must be working!

                                                                                           Anna x

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Lucy & Yak dungarees




Hello again, my lovely readers! It may seem hard to believe, but this was Tresco on the 2nd of January. It was very much a case of 'seize the day' for me, a great opportunity to showcase these fab Lucy & Yak dungarees which my daughter bought for my Christmas. I'll be honest with you and confess that this is a new brand for me despite their dungarees being around for the past five years. 




Sasha knows me so very well - I totally love these cheery all-in-ones! I was delighted to get the chance to wear them during the sunny weather when I'd been ready to pack them away for the summer time. I took a leisurely walk along to the quay and managed to capture these shots without any interruptions.




The bright orange roll neck was a recent purchase from Vinted (£5) and the rings are - yellow pre-loved and pink, a gift from a friend. Pink, yellow and orange make for the most joyful of outfits!




The white patent leather boots (TK Maxx) are old, but work so well with this, don't you think? I added my lovely, but old, River Island sunglasses. It's a fab weekend look that is both fun and easy to wear.




It was an absolute bonus to have this glorious outfit to wear on such a super day. The sea was flat calm, the sun was warm and it really was a wonderful start to 2023! Thanks so much for dropping by and I hope to see you again soon.








                                                                                             Anna x

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December round up




Hello lovelies and Happy New year to you! I thought I'd do a quick round up of my December outfits as I know I missed posting for a week when I was laid up with the lurgy. These are all work outfits apart from the final one which was destined for our New Year's Eve party, but more of that later.




This sparkly number comprises of an old sequinned top (a Christmas present from a couple of years ago) and these silver jeans that are also old. The pink and aqua blouse was passed on to me from my daughter some time ago, so nothing new there then.




The grey floral boots were bought in Penzance earlier on this year in Rackys, a small independent shoe shop. I've found a link to something similar in stock with them currently here. These are super comfy, with memory foam insole making them all day wearable which earns them top points in my book.




Black and gold was the theme of this workday ensemble, and none of it is new. All of the items are charity shop finds from previous years or earlier this year. The lurex polo neck is very ancient, but is wearing well. The heavy gold lurex cardigan was a find when my friend Ben took me thrift shopping in London before Covid struck.




The black velvet jeans are a recent purchase and the Elvis belt was an eBay buy earlier on this year. None of the jewellery is new either. 




These gold pumps are second hand too (£20), a rather fabulous find in Truro in December and just look at the back view of them -




Aren't they totally fab!




An all in black day is unusual for me, therefore worth documenting despite it not really having the wow factor to my mind. The sweater has a bronze lurex thread running through it and the black lurex joggers are incredibly slouchy and easy to wear. The two items came to £8 in total in my Truro charity shop haul in December.






I finished the look off with my old favourite patent boots from Topshop. It's a simple uncluttered outfit but still with a festive feel. Jewellery is all old or pre-loved.




And this my dear friends is what I pulled together for New Year's Eve. Again, nothing new here, all shopped from my closet. If you're a regular to my blog then my mermaid coat will be familiar to you. I've paired it with a champagne colour sheath dress (pre-loved, brand Monsoon) for which I paid the grand sum of £5!




I've had these satin kitten heel sling backs for over 15 years, but they still look perfect for this outfit, don't you think?




I dressed up and took myself off to the gallery to get these photos on NYE, but not for the party. Steve and I were still struggling with this terrible cough, as were my children too, so we all stayed home that evening. 






The frosted silver necklace was purchase from M&S many moons ago, but still is a favourite of mine.




Maybe next New Year I'll get the chance to sashay around in this shimmering pastel ensemble to another party, but in the meantime I did have fun swishing about to Fleetwood Mac on my own private dance floor.

                                                                                   Anna x

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