Autumn burst of colour

Yes, I've rifled my draft box again to bring you this wonderful burst of colour. Orange is one of my favourite colours, making me feel energetic and bright. As I write this, the outlook here is grey and overcast which is reason enough to bring these photos out. These are my winter shorts, made all the more wearable by the fact that I can add all sorts of crazy tights to add a bit more of a pop - these ones are a heavy denier in a mid purple which may look blue on your screen.

My regulars amongst you may have noticed that I was conspicuous by my absence on Friday, and this could be due to the fact that I paid a fleeting visit to my daughter on the mainland. The couple of days went past in a blur of shopping (Christmas and charity), hair and beauty appointments and catching up with Sasha in the evenings. I'd like to say that I'm flushed with success, but there always seems to be something I forget in these shopping sprees, and this time it was the cards and wrapping paper. So it looks like I'll be online later to remedy that. 

Here's a not very good shot of my loot. The major find has to be the 80's black dress with fabulous gold ruffle hem. I also bought an ostrich leather handbag in fuchsia to match my winter coat, to be featured in close-up soon.

Details of my outfit of the day are - shorts (old): Asos, blouse: eBay, fairisle vest: Ralph Lauren, boots: Asos, tights: old, sunglasses Quay Australia, rings: old.

Linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Cherie of Style Nudge

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Anna x

Midweek madness

Late November, mid-week, and grey weather all sound like the perfect recipe for a touch of the miseries. But check out what's been lurking in my draft box... Polly and Anna's midweek madness!

This shaggy dress/tunic was featured on recent Ping Pong Post see here. And the blouse/boots combo was featured for the first time here. All together, I think they make beautiful music which is why I can be seen doing a fair bit of shimmying to the Charleston beat.

I sometimes wonder if it's fitting for a woman of my age to be gadding about like this - but then I can't imagine being another version of me either. I work hard, play hard and do enjoy life to the hilt. I'd like to think that this little corner of the blogsphere brings some joy and maybe some inspiration to you lovely ladies who like me are chugging along nicely towards your 60's with a spring in your step and love in your hearts. Do take a moment in your day to express your own midweek madness - you have my full permission! 

Outfit details - dress: H&M, blouse: Next, boots: ASOS, tights: old, bangles and rings: charity shop, necklace: Magpie and Butterfly, rose gold watch: Michael Kors.

My office window overlooks New Grimsby bay, scene of so many beautiful sunsets at anytime of year. Here's one from a couple of days ago for my dear friend Angela to keep her going until her next visit.

Anna x

A birthday lunch

It was my husband's birthday a couple of weeks ago and as usual it proved very difficult to buy a present for him. He didn't want anything, had all that he needed, don't waste your money etc, etc. Anyway, I decided to book a birthday lunch at our local beachside restaurant, The Ruin. I then arranged to bring our daughter home from the mainland to join us as a birthday surprise. This turned out to be the perfect present.

It's not easy to turn up for a surprise lunch when you have to catch a plane and a boat without letting anyone know, but Sasha pulled it off. We spent a lovely couple of hours enjoying the delicious food and drink. The birthday boy was very pleased, if not a bit surprised that we had managed to keep Sasha's arrival a secret from him.

My CK jeans were a lucky find in a charity shop, brand new, and just £4.95!

Sasha did the honours and took a few photos for me. The weather had gone very windy and chilly that day, but luckily the rain held off until we got back from our lunch. My woolly winter coat was a great defence against the cold, along with the cute little gloves that I found last winter in a bargain basket in a charity shop for 0.99p. I thought the satin shirt created a fab partnership with my boots, dressed down with these brand new (perfectly fitting) jeans.

Details - jeans: Calvin Klein (charity shopped), coat: Palermo, shirt: Next (charity shopped), boots: ASOS, bag: Candy bag, Furla, necklace: Magpie and Butterfly, rings: charity shop, belt: H&M. 

Am late posting today, as I spent this morning watching the news from America. I'm still reeling. I can't imagine what it must be like for the country to wake up to this result.

Anna x

Frills and flowers

Apologies for the dull light in these shots today, but Polly and I decided it was worth a try to capture this outfit. I didn't realise that I was channelling Adam Ant until I looked through these later, but I still love the ensemble. The jacket was a hand me down from my friend Maggie and has been a great addition to my wardrobe since I inherited a couple of years ago. I love the mix of fabrics and textures that give a richness to the overall look.

I fancy that these skinnies and my floral boots have married behind my back as I can't seem to bring one out without the other. The texture of jacket and boots work beautifully too. And for the final flourish, well the frilly blouse is the homage to the very beautiful Adam Ant that pulls the whole ensemble together. 

Outfit details - jacket: gift, boots: ASOS, trousers: Papaya, blouse: eBay, necklace: Noel, rings:old.

I turned the camera onto Polly at the end of our session. Doesn't she look so cute in this dress and boots combo? She leaves the island tomorrow after working at the local supermarket for the past couple of weeks. Polly's hobby of running is what keeps her fit and healthy, and boy look at those shapely, toned legs - what a great advert she is for her sport! Polly will be back again next year, and in the meantime I've got a backlog of photos to use and then my trusty tripod and timer will work out fine (as it did last winter). Thank you Polly for doing such a grand job and I look forward to regrouping in the spring!

Anna x

Squeezing the last drop out of summer

I'm the kind of person who likes to squeeze the last drop of juice out of a lemon, force that desultory dollop of ketchup out of the bottle and push the final slick of conditioner out of the tube. It'll be of no surprise to you then, that I've got one final hurrah before I say goodbye to my summer outfits. The defining line between summer and autumn for me is the lack of, or need to wear tights. That sudden bit of chill heralds the extra comfort layer for me. And golly, do I love my tights - patterned, tartan, lacy and every colour of the rainbow - I love them all! However today, here we have the (probably) final bare-legged offering of the year. And with that, a slightly formal, secretarial look too, I fancy.

The smallest of things give me such pleasure: these striped rings from my friend Wendy which work so well with this shirt and also the cuff links that I found in a charity shop.

This wonderful satin striped shirt (by Hawkes & Curtis, Jermyn Street, London) was a charity shop scoop from my last trip to the mainland. I thought the full spectrum of colours could stand an understated look, which brought to mind this simple grey pencil skirt. Black shoes and handbag would have been a classic way to take this, but hey, since when did I conform like that? My yellow, jelly, Candy Bag tones in beautifully and the wild card had to be my leopard print heels. 

Friday brought not just Polly's last day working with me, but also our final show of the year. The evening was a resounding success. The show is a platform for the emerging talent from Falmouth University's Drawing students - see the full exhibition here. We had a fantastic turnout for our drinks party, despite the wind and rain that descended just as we opened. Our normal photo shoot was a wipe out consequently so you'll have to make do with a couple of indoor shots. My (other) new boots had an outing along with a dress bought for the occasion from H&M. I was all ready to proudly link to something new for a change, but it turns out that the dress must have been so popular, it's all sold out! I can however let you see the boots from ASOS which seem to be still for sale here.

And I can't finish without giving a huge thanks to the team of helpers who have made the exhibition period run so smoothly. Thank you ladies - (LtoR) Ruth, Heather, Polly and Max - brilliant teamwork from you all. Please come back again next year!

Anna x