Second hand jeans - two ways

I recently had a couple of nights on the mainland during which time I managed to fit in a bit of charity shopping. My most exciting find were these two tone jeans for £6. They seemed relatively new as they had a crispness to them which made me think they'd not yet been washed, so were perhaps a bad buy for the previous owner. For me they're an absolute joy of a find and I couldn't wait to wear them!

I rolled up the trouser legs, added a belt and they were good to go. I have a simple white tee shirt underneath this new sweater from Number36 boutique in Penzance - I now have three of these Miss Carla jumpers and I love them!

This is a great weekend outfit. It's perfect for out boating when you need an extra layer when out on the water. By the way - could someone slow things down a bit - the last of the summer is simply speeding by!

My second look for these jeans is with this colourful jacket which I've showcased previously, see here. The no label jacket was from Vinted and really ticks all the boxes for me. It's colourful, easy to wear and great fun. Wearing it with the jeans is a good smart/casual combo and one that I'll look forward to showcasing again.

The tee shirt is old, as is the bejewelled belt (was from Amazon) and the crochet flowered sandals were from TK Maxx (maybe last year...). 

The outfit is another ode to summer from me. A wonderful mix of colours and patterns that typifies my style.

Nothing new with the jewellery. The rings are both old, charity shop finds and the sunglasses are from Radley. Reflected in my sunglasses is my bike leaning against the bench and my phone on a mini tripod. This spot is great for not only catching the evening sun but also for getting out of the main thoroughfare of the island. Hopping on my bike to come here beside Pentle Bay gives me the chance to capture the look of the day while still being relatively private. Not only that, but I always stop to enjoy the view of the beach beyond...

Many thanks for dropping by. Enjoy the last of the summer!

Anna x

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It's time for the Mermaid coat's summer appearance!

Yes, it's that time of year again! For my new readers, and hopefully I do have some of these, I have this summer event where I take my Mermaid coat off to the beach and have a photo shoot for no other reason than I like to. Increasingly I view my blog as my personal online diary, probably because I'm aware that times and trends change and eventually this might become for my eyes only. For that reason alone, I want to document the evolution of myself over the years, capture the passage of time, but most of all to see the happy memories from a very happy life.

I suddenly find myself, at the grand old age of 67, to be much more self concious, more aware of a softness of my body, a lack of tone, as my battle with time becomes more apparent. As Steve took these snaps, I felt a coyness perhaps, as I struggled to reveal the truth of myself.

How foolish to be shy in front of him, but really it was because I knew I felt awkward to reveal myself to you.

Little by little...

...as one pose unfolded after another, I relaxed, realising how silly it was to hide when my intention was really to share with honesty what a 67 year old body looks like.

You can read my discomfort here, the awareness of that gooshy tummy, those lumpy thighs - what am I doing?

Trying to hide and reveal at the same time, to feign confidence, wishing that my body wasn't telling this particular story.

I'm nothing if not honest and this post has to be one of my most honest this year. I owe you my honesty simply because you're interested enough to show up. Thank you. I could easily have edited this post to show you glimpes, nothing that revealed how age and motherhood have impacted on me, but trickery isn't what I'm about.

The fact of the matter is that I love our beach days. I love the feeling of the sun on my skin, the freedom a bikini offers, the illusion of still being beach body ready. I'm probably hyper critical, but I have ridiculously high standards in most things - that's who I am.

And thank God for Steve! He's never tried to dissuade me nor cajole me, but has always supported my choices of subject and outfits, allowing me to test myself, express myself even if it might feel uncomfortable. Will this be my last bikini shoot? Only time will tell.

                                                                            Anna x

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Last week's most loved...

Hello lovelies! This was my most loved outfit from last week and what a surprise that was to me. As you know, dressing up is my daily pleasure, but that doesn't mean I always have a plan. On this particular day I returned from my morning swim and as is my habit sat in front on my wardrobe with my hot drink in hand to find inspiration for what I might wear to work. It was a muggy morning and therefore I knew it would have to be something loose fitting. Squeezed between my trouser suits I found this - a brand new pyjama suit with labels on which I had bought from Vinted, but goodness knows when and had stashed it away without even trying it on.

I'd obviously bought it because I liked it but for me the colours are very understated and therefore it hadn't caught my attention whenever I'd scanned the hangers over the past months. Anyway, I tried it on, thought it was okay so snipped off the labels, ironed it and got ready for work. 

My first compliment came from Steve when I dashed in to collect my bag for work. He's so used to me dressing up in all sorts of flamboyant outfits that he often doesn't pass comment, but this morning he was very enthusiastic about my look. I was a bit taken aback as it seemed so different to my shout-out-loud outfits but he said it really suited me.

Minutes later I was at work being greeted by Rachel with great enthusiasm too. She totally loved everything about this - the colour, the pattern, the fit - it was a 10 out of 10 from her. I was slightly bemused as I didn't really get it.

As the day went on I found myself showered in lovely compliments about the suit. At work I had so many kind remarks and later when I was out and about the pyjama suit seemed to be a bit of a showstopper. I was more than a little surprised.  In case you're interested the brand is H&M and I have no idea if it's current or from last year.

The Dune handbag was from TK Maxx a couple of years ago and every once in a while I find the perfect outfit to warrent its appearance. My rings are both from Emily Nixon.

The necklace is an old favourite and was from Topshop many moons ago. I wear it often as the colours work with so many of my outfits. The sunglasses are by Quay Australia and are very old too.

The cream mules are by Zara but were a charity shop find last year. I don't wear them often as they still need to be properly broken in which means they pinch a bit by the end of the day, but sometimes one has to suffer for one's art!

My thanks to Fiona for doing the honours with the photography last week. She too was very keen on the look. I must admit that the suit was incredibly comfortable and once on was so easy to forget about. I think I read that a good outfit is meant to be put on and then calls for no further thought as it simply works. By the end of the day I had acclimatised to this elegant, stylish suit that seemed to attract attention wherever I went - what a joyful find!

                                                                        Anna x

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Festival Fashion

Hello again and welcome to Festival Fashion, our Style Not Age challenge for July! It's a topical style choice at this time of year and we have Jacqui to thank for that. Before you scroll any further however, I just have to say that I was surprised at how differently we all approached this theme, but that surely goes to show our different personalities. So do please carry on - scroll away to see how my fashionable friends fared!

Emma brought out the big guns for her look with silver and sequins and all that sparkles! She's left us in no doubt as to where she's heading. See all the details on her blog Style Splash. 

Jacqui's look is more boho than disco with a slight country vibe to it too. I love the muted palette along with the leather accessories. Find all the details on Jacqui's blog Mummabstylish.

Hilda decided on a more relaxed slant for her outfit, choosing a comfortable, loose-fitting shirt and jeans for her festival fun. Catch up on all of her latest on her blog Over The Hilda.

I've shopped my closet for my festival finery and am really happy with the result. It's not an outfit I've worn before but now that I've assembled the look I think I'll wear it again. Everything is from Vinted, purchased last year. The frilled top has only been worn once before and I'm asking myself now, Why? 

Both the top and trousers are by River Island and the boots are by All Saints. I've been quite restrained of late and haven't made a forray into the realms of Vinted for months now, but when I see these pieces it does make me happy that I found them.

Behind me you'll see the last of the agapanthus still in bloom, but definitely past their best. I do love this beach path leading down to Pentle Bay, one of my swimming beaches. My only accessories are a couple of pre-loved rings and these blue Radley London sunglasses.

As a backdrop you really couldn't find anything nicer. Of course, I may be biased, but hey! I do hope our challenge has entertained and maybe even inspired you too. Enjoy the rest of your week!

                                                                        Anna x

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Orange and pink - what joy!

Hi there! How are you? I'm firing on all cylinders again and wanted to share this, my favourite outfit from last week. As you know, I'm all about bold colours and this is certainly bold! 

There's nothing new here and yet the look is a joy to behold. I love the marriage of orange and pink especially with this ornate and embellished outfit. The skirt was a Dorothy Perkins purchase and is well and truly vintage now. Every so often I check it over to see if the moths have gotten hold of it or if the stitching is unravelling but so far, so good. Underneath is a white stretch bodysuit from Primark, a basic and essential to buy every year as the white gradually dulls. 

The gold trimmed jacket was a Vinted purchase last year and is still looking bright and fresh as a daisy! I added a gold coloured link chain belt (from Primark) to tie in with the gold trim of the jacket. 

My cute pink Furla Candy bag was a perfect addition to the look as it just cries out Fun! My sunglasses are rather ancient, by Quay Australia and my rings are both by Emily Nixon. My gold link chain necklace was a cheap and cheerful buy from years ago.

I seem to wear these pink and orange bejewelled sandals all of the time lately, but why not? I totally love these and they're all-day-long comfortable too!

Another fun element to this look is my pink and orange net underskirt. I'm so proud of the fact that I made this (two years ago, see the post here) and that I still love it. This resurgence of love has meant that I've been wearing the petticoat with many an outfit of late so I'm sure you'll be seeing it again soon - sorry!

Aside from the outfit I've not got much to report. July is upon us and the island is teaming with happy families returning for their dose of Tresco magic. Rachel and I are rushed off our feet at work, but that's exactly as it ought to be. The Gallery is looking fab - bright and colourful too, full of all sorts of paintings inspired by the views and clarity of light of the islands.

And here's me in yet another orange and pink outfit with the requisite net petticoat to finish it off. Rachel said this looks like an angel dress thanks to the huge sleeves. The painting I'm hanging is by Teresa Pemberton, one of our long term artists - you can see more of her work here. Thank you so much for joining me once again and I do hope you're having a lovely summer too!

                                                                            Anna x

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July catch up

Hello! Apologies for my absence, but I've been a tad under the weather with a spell of vertigo that laid me off work as the room spun and I clutched onto the sick bowl. The doctor prescribed anti-dizzyness pills which thankfully worked and I've now returned to work and am catching up on the rest of life, including my much neglected blog.

This was a recent work oufit, a lovely burst of colours, a new collection of pieces brought together to create a joyful look. I bought the skirt in TK Maxx over a year ago and yet this is the first time I've worn it. The shirred elastic top is by Boden and was a recent Vinted buy as were the pink and orange bejewelled sandals that you'll have seen previously on the blog.

My hand-knitted bag was also from Vinted, customised by me with a gold chain and Barbie brooch to give it a unique bit of styling.

Anyway, after a week of being ill and well on my way to recovery Steve suggested we make the most of the lovely sunny day by going off in our boat for a picnic. We visited St Helen's, one of the uninhabited islands, taking a picnic and walking shoes so that we could walk to the top of the island to enjoy the 360 degrees view across the entire Isles of Scilly.

The island is mainly wild and overgrown with one pathway that leads to the old settlement and on to the top of the island. There's a small beach where we landed and stopped to picnic as we drank in the view.

In addition to these small dwellings St Helen's also had a small hospital known as the Pest House. The Pest House was built as a Quarantine Station in 1764. Any plague-ridden ship to the north of Cape Finisterre and heading for England was required to anchor there. It played a national role in safeguarding the country from ship-borne infectious diseases arriving via the Western Approaches. St Helen’s was chosen as it was uninhabited. The facility remained open in 1850, but was officially closed under the Public Health Act, 1896.

I've tried to add a video to here of the view but it's too large a file, however if you look at the strapline at the top of the blog and immediately to the right is the little camera icon for Instagram - click on that and it will lead you to my post showing the breathtaking imagery.

On reaching the summit we walked across the bouncy dry heather to reach the farthest point looking out into the Atlantic ocean to see Round Island Lighthouse (no longer manned but it still offers guidance to seafarers who pass by these hazzardous rocks).

And so it was time to go home. Another little island adventure was over, but the joy is that we can return again whenever we choose. Steve took our little dinghy down to the water's edge as I took some final snaps of our outing.

Leaving no trace of our visit apart from our footprints - soon to be washed away on the next high tide...

                                                                            Anna x

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