Sending a little happiness your way

Hello! So here we go again with our third lock-down in the past 12 months. January and Feb are my least favourite months of the year, stretching my ability to keep cheerful and fight off the blues, but hey ho, here we go! I've yet to find out if being at home during this time makes it easier to bear. What has added to the challenge however, is the fact that my husband had a minor accident at work in December and is now at home laid up with a poorly foot. Hopefully he's to have an x-ray next week so he might have a diagnosis and idea of when he'll get back to work. In the meantime, I seem to be spending a lot of time providing cups of tea, cakes, snacks and meals as well as plumping up of cushions and generally faffing around him. Does he not realise that my Domestic Goddess outfit had to be returned at the end of the festive period?

Anyway, here's a little corner of Tresco where you can soak up some happiness under this golden mosaic, the creation of Lucy Dorrien-Smith. Smith Square, in the heart of the island, is where you'll find three of these lovely pieces of art, the other two being called Peace and Love. I set up my camera, timer and tripod here the other day and it wasn't without the odd hiccup as well as funny outtakes as I endeavoured to do this outfit justice. 

Colour therapy is my usual answer to anything that ails me, hence this warm combination of orange and bottle green that were the start of this OOTD. The orange gloves by Harssidanzar were a Christmas present from Steve; they are buttery soft Italian nappa leather, lined in cashmere for heat and comfort. Jamie bought me a pink pair by the same brand and both are a really impressive quality of leather as well as being a perfect fit. How snazzy will I be this winter with these two colourful pops to jazz up my outfits! The fun fur isn't new, but is a cosy snuggle-up coat for this time of year. The brand is The Vintage Boutique Collection from TK Maxx from a couple of years ago.

Not only have I gone strong with colours, but patterns too. Fairisle and paisley print for the cardigan and shirt (both by H&M), checked Italian wool trousers by No 21 (see their sale here, wow!) and my rich brocade boots by ASOS. Nothing here is new as I'm still on my shopping ban, month 11 currently.

Jewellery-wise I'm wearing pre-loved rings. The brown leather bag with orange piping is by Gigi and was a charity shop find ages ago.

This cute diamante Scottie dog brooch was a charity shop find also from a long time ago.

Taking photos of boots while you're actually wearing them isn't as easy as I thought...

My Quay Australia mirror sunglasses reflect the tripod as I rush to fix my hair before the capture... 

I'll leave you a shot from my walk around the island yesterday. Tresco was bathed in sunshine with not a breath of wind and honestly it looked just like a spring day. How grateful I am to enjoy the big outdoors on days like this.

Take care and see you soon!

Anna x

It's all in the detail

Hello lovelies, how are you doing this first Friday of lockdown 2? It feels less worrying for me this time, probably because Tresco in the winter has a lockdown look to it anyway. There are so few of us as winter residents that you can walk around the whole island without seeing a soul sometimes. The other thing that makes it feel different is that we've got a finish date this time. Of course, that may change nearer the time, but somehow a month seems less ominous than the open ended nature of the first lockdown. 

When I say, It's all in the detail, I mean about the double breasted fastening on the jacket with those iconic buttons and the contrasting stitching as an accent colour on the jumpsuit and belt. These are such a simple features and yet are often the reason why I'll opt to buy one piece over another. This fabulous peach coloured jacket by Dsquared was a prize purchase from TK Maxx some years ago and has become like a faithful friend now. The buttery soft leather has moulded itself to my shape and feels like a second skin when I put it on. The pale colour has the downside of showing up ever knock or mark, but I'm learning to live with these signs of age, much like I am with my own!

The belt is preloved and the jumpsuit is by Tu at Sainsbury's and was my final purchase before I started my 12 month shopping ban. I'm on month 9 now and haven't faltered yet. Having said that, my Christmas wish list is very specific with details of longed for pieces being sent to each member of the family. This project has been wonderful for sharpening my focus on what's lacking in my wardrobe or what's in dire need of replacing. It's quite a relief for both my husband and son to be pointed in the right direction this year I can tell you! And with my birthday coming up in January I'll be dropping some more hints too.

I'm sporting Radley sunglasses again today, along with a jewel encrusted shark's tooth necklace in rose gold (purchased from Charlie Dodge jewellery). My gold ring was a gift from a friend as was the peach perspex one.

It's a joy to bring out these ASOS brocade boots again. I've lost track if they are two or three years old now, but I store them boxed up between wears to help preserve their shape and keep them pristine. I wore them a couple of times with dresses in the autumn and they always had a few admirers. Brocade is a great example of detail too. The ornate stitchwork is what they're all about.

The winning feature of a jumpsuit surely has to be the one piece nature of it, but that's also the downside when nature calls - advance planning is what's required to allow enough time to undo all of those buttons! I have a similar all-in-one which has a zip and therefore it gets more Brownie points.

I'd love to report that I've had great week away from work, but the plan and reality were quite a distance apart. Some winter works have cropped up and therefore I've spent most of my holiday so far beetling away packing up artwork. I think that by the end of today I'll have completed that and my time off can commence. In the meantime, I've still managed to make time for my daily swim and also Fiona and I have started up our winter walking regime over lunchtime. The island is blessed with lots of hills and sharp inclines which are ideal for bursts of speed as we both declare "Bums and thighs!" in the hope that our energies are directed to the right spot. If intention and results work in correlation we'll be toned up and perky by Christmas. One can but live in hope!

                                                                                           Anna x

Orange + sequins = heaven!

Hello to you, my dear readers!

Today's offering gives more than a nod to the festive season and golly, how wonderful it makes me feel! I love orange. I love sequins. And therefore this is a heady delight for me to air once again. I wore this fabulous jacket way back at the start of the year (see here) and again in the spring (here). It's pretty bold, even by my standards and so I have to be in the right frame of mind to carry this off. 

If you're a regular reader then you'll know that I find the winter months a real struggle. This year more so than most as I'm not able to swim currently and that daily dip is what keeps me from descending into the black hole of depression which snaps away at my heels for the long dark months. But I've discovered that the discipline of a daily walk yomp has an equally good effect on my mood. Now, that may be because I've been joined by friends on some days, but even on those days when I've stamped around the circuit on my own, I've been energised and so very pleased with my efforts. 

I'm finding the walking bug has got me in the very same way that the swimming bug did. The daily yomp has become an addiction regardless of the weather. The circuit I walk is a full hour of speed walking both up and down hills, across moors and coastal paths and I just love this new found high. The other day Jilly and I were striding out in a howling gale dressed in full wet-gear, marching alongside the exposed southern coast as we tried hard to keep up our conversation. As we reached the top of an incline we were suddenly blasted by sand; it was the cheapest spa treatment ever as we were exfoliated by gusts of mica-laden wind and we laughed at each other as we struggled to see. The ferocity of the wind stole the words from our mouths, dragged the snot from our noses, and forced us to stagger bent double against it. I was grateful for my sunglasses protecting my eyes and also for the scraps of loo roll Jilly dragged out from the corner of her pockets. Afterwards as we hugged and said our goodbyes, we both congratulated each other on that life-affirming walk; the extreme weather making the challenge all the more of an achievement. Never mind ladies who lunch, we're ladies who yomp!

And so, to the outfit. Another Eight is the brand of this dazzling bomber jacket which is surprisingly cosy, thanks to the fulsome padding. I would wear it more often, but even for me it's pretty out there. Having said that, I plan to wear it a lot over the Christmas period. I'm suddenly back in love with this flamboyant piece and it fills me with joy and the "Why not?" philosophy that has served me so well in the past.

The turtle neck was second hand (from eBay) and the rings are pre-loved too.

The brocade boots are from ASOS.

The high waisted Mom jeans are from Topshop, earning lots of praise for the great fit as well as the contrasting lime green stitching. I picked them up at the end of the summer sale (£20) - result! The leopard print belt is second hand and my sunglasses are my old faithfuls from Quay Australia.

I'll leave you now, as I have to return to the task in hand, that being another few batches of fudge to be made, cut and packed before the weekend is over. I love the pleasure of giving these be-ribboned boxes out to family and friends. There's something so special about a hand-made Christmas present isn't there? For me 'tis the joy of giving, that's for sure!

In case I don't get back to you again before the event, I'll just say -

Happy Christmas to you all! 

                                                                                    Anna x

A burst of spring weather

Last week we were blessed with a spell of spring-like weather, prompting me to pack away my winter sweaters and bring out some summer dresses. (The story is somewhat different now at the time of writing, as I listen to the hail bounce off the roof of our lean-to.) Anyway, Polly and I certainly did make hay while the sun shines meaning my blog will be populated for the next little while by some sunny shots of me in the idyllic March sunshine.

My pretty dress is new from TK Maxx, the brand is Mango and I bought it for £15. I think it's going to be very useful. I cinched in the waist with a second hand leather and elastic belt. 

When I bought it I had no idea of how well it would go with these ASOS boots. Don't they look fab together? Oh how I love a bit of matchy-matchy!

Brocade boots were on trend a couple of years ago and I bought two pairs from ASOS at that time, knowing full well that I'd still want to wear them long after the trend had passed. So here they are, making a perfect entrance hand in hand with the floral frock in similar shades of orange, lilac and green. The mesh dotty tights in lilac are very old - it was a lovely surprise to find them in the bottom of the drawer looking like the ideal thing for this ensemble.

The set of plastic necklace and matching bracelet is a recent charity shop find, purchased during the same shopping spree in the hope that it would work with this outfit. At only £3 for the pair it was a good find. The ring is pre-loved too. The sunglasses are by Guess and were from TK Maxx.

There's nothing better than a floaty dress to make a girl feel all feminine...

... and in need of a twirl ...

... or two!

This is my giddy face after a few spins too many.

Here's a little snippet of island life. This landing craft arrived on the beach moments after Polly and I finished our photo shoot. It had been hired to take away all of the old vehicles and metal detritus that had accumulated over the years. The massive spring clean filled the boat to the gunnel's. After a few days of loading her up, it left on Friday in the fog.

So that's all from the lovely Isles of Scilly for the moment. I'll be back in a few days and hope you'll join me then.

Have a super week!

Anna x

Midweek muddle

Today's outfit was shot a while back when we were experiencing a brisk north wind, hence the snug fitting scarf. As long as I've got my neck covered I can cope with the chillest of winds. What about you - is it neck, wrists or ankles that need to be cosy?

The muddle I refer to is the state of mind rather than the outfit, so apologies if I'm brief. I ought to be splashing about in the sea currently, but thought I'd post this first before I go. A head cold has kept me out of the water for the past week which would normally have driven me to despair, however I've been taking part in a yoga retreat on the island so don't feel such a failure. I've been doing Iyengar yoga for about four years now in weekly classes led by Lucy Aldridge who is everyone's idea of the perfect yoga teacher - lean, lithe, supple, aka very bendy and most important of all, has a great sense of humour, often interjecting these cheesy jokes between the toughest of poses. 

Exercise is what gives me my drive; the energy expended somehow being regenerated for me to use over the day ahead. I'm sure that's one of the reasons we all push ourselves to sweat and gasp and get fit. Yoga is less gasp, more stretch and is a wonderful blend of body, mind and spirit that is the best kind of escape I know of. The retreats always give my own practise a boost which compensates for the times when work takes precedence over class throughout the summer months. The holidays tend to get booked up very quickly as they offer a lovely blend of work and play. Classes last for 90minutes and take place at 7.30am and 5.30pm meaning you have the entire day free to go boating, walking, sightseeing or relaxing in the spa where you can swim or enjoy a massage amongst the many treatments on offer. The island works its magic no matter how you choose to spend your time. 

Sorry but there's not any photos of me in class, but if you follow the link you'll see Lucy striking a few poses. 

Outfit details - jacket: Next, jeans: M&S, scarf: gift, handbag: L Credi, boots: ASOS, sunglasses: River Island, rings: charity shopped.

Anna x

Gorgeous gingham

So you'll remember last month when I went to Harrogate and had a rather splendid shopping spree? Catch up here if you missed it. Well one thing that was rather unusual for my trip is that I planned to buy a specific piece that I'd seen in the magazines. True fashionistas always keep their finger on the pulse trend-wise, but my clothes shopping is usually led by whatever I come across in the charity shops leading me to walk my own fashion path. However I'd seen that the statement sleeve was the thing and decided that if I could find statement sleeves in gingham I'd be sorted. This was one trend that I wanted to follow.

The blouse that ticked all the boxes comes from George at Asda of all places. Yes, the shops are full of gingham currently and this one (see here) came in a close second, but it didn't have the statement sleeve I was looking for. I paid £12 for this lovely blouse and considering it's currently on trend and yet will become a classic over time, I think it was a good purchase. Much as I prefer to buy vintage clothing or at least shop in an eco-friendly way from charity shops, I think sometimes I have to allow myself some freedom to step away from my own confines and enjoy fashion from the wider market place. TK Maxx is a regular haunt of mine as is Office, purveyor of the finest brogues (that I can afford). Fashion should be fun and this top certainly feels good to wear, causing me to do a little shimmy on the shore.

Details - blouse: George at Asda, trousers: M&S, boots: ASOS, sunglasses: Quay Australia, ring and pendant: charity shopped.

Anna x