Camo jeans and gold lurex cardigan




Hurrah for March and this glorious weather!




Hello lovelies and how are you today? We've had the most amazing spell of weather over the weekend, prompting me to go further afield for my photo shoot. This low tide sandbar is normally under water so it was lovely to capture the view of the islands from a different viewpoint. 




My casual weekend look of camo jeans and Converse boots is a lovely easy-to-wear pairing, but I wanted to pep it up and what better way than to add a mighty old dose of gold lurex! I know that this may not be in everyone's comfort zone, but it was great fun to wear and gained not one raised eyebrow from those I met along the way. The cardigan is a pre-loved piece by H&M. The white and gold Karl tee shirt was a TK Maxx purchase ages ago.




I'm wearing Radley sunglasses along with two rings both airport concession purchases from years ago. The statement necklace (old) is from Topshop. I love how my camera surprised me with switching on the flash as I stepped towards it!




It was so good to take time away from home; to forget chores and sewing and the Sunday dinner waiting to be cooked. And best of all there wasn't a soul in sight. How grateful I am to live here!




I make no apologies for sporting my Converse boots again, so soon too! It's the joy of rediscovering them after they'd been hidden in the back of the cupboard for months. I've fallen in love with them all over again.




I'm so aware that time is slipping away as my return to work looms large on the horizon. The mental battle continues as I try to find that balance between projects I want to finish at home and my desire to embrace the big outdoors while I have this free time. No matter what I do, I have this nagging doubt that perhaps I ought to be doing the other...

                                                                                                 Anna x

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Casual styling for a leather maxi skirt




Hurrah for the weekend!




The sun is shining and it's almost the weekend! Yay! How has your week been? Mine seems to have flown by in the blink of an eye. By Friday I always like to review my week according to what I've achieved and this week seems to be sadly lacking in fanfare moments. Sticky little admin issues and sewing machine problems mean I've not got a lot to show for anther seven days. That's highlighted by the fact that my return to work is no longer a distant event, but will be a reality by the end of March. 




Today's outfit is another shopping my closet effort and one that I'm rather pleased with. The leather maxi skirt is pre-loved (The Chine Collection) and cost me £14 when I was on my shopping trip in London in Nov 2019. It's real leather and made up of lots of panels creating this lovely flared hemline.




It's the first time I've worn the skirt mainly due to the fact that I've had a bit of style block about it. A leather maxi skirt isn't all that easy to wear without it looking a bit over the top, but by adding these casual Converse boots it becomes much more wearable. 




The boots were a TK Maxx find from a few years ago. I've not worn them a lot, purely because I want to keep them looking fresh and clean - mad, eh? Anyway, here they are adding a funky edge to what could have been a bit of a white elephant.




The animal print sunglasses are by Radley London and again add a bit of edge to the overall look. 




A couple of cocktail rings add to the funk factor. The sweater is old, from H&M.








And so I'll shimmy off into the weekend where sewing, cooking and swimming will all be jockeying for position. Do you have much lined up for the next few days? The prospect of lock-down ending here in England certainly is helping to sharpen my focus on those things I want to get done before I'm whisked back to work. I hope you have a fruitful weekend too!

                                                                     Anna x

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Weekend beach escape


Hello from Cradle Porth!

On Saturday morning Steve and I took ourselves off to the beach for a walk crossing the banks of deserted sand below Blockhouse beach and beyond. The wind was brisk, just right for blowing the cobwebs away.There wasn't a soul in sight as we dodged across the soft sand to stare out across the huge horizon towards the mainland. Like the rest of the UK, we're still waiting for the restrictions to be lifted so that the island can re-open and welcome our guests back for their summer break. By the end of the week we may know more, but in the meantime, we had one last long walk enjoying the silence and space. 




These past three months have been surreal. At first I considered the time off as a gift, but as we started to see the death rate rise, the enormity of the situation hit home. As the state of emergency has been dropped from what was a level 5 down to a level 3 three now, we on the islands are preparing for our first true exposure to the pandemic. We've been lucky so far not to have any cases (reported) within the Isles of Scilly and can only hope that by putting all of the right measures in place for these small island communities that we'll all be safe over the forthcoming months. Social distancing, hand-washing, masks and gloves will be our line of defense as they have been used to great effect worldwide. The warmth of greeting will be the same, just displayed over a distance.






These thoughts were on my mind as we stretched our legs, basking in the freedom that is island life. It's this sense of freedom that surely acts as a lure for our visitors. Scilly is all about wide open spaces and nothing says that more than a huge sky with the twinkling azure sea below and an expanse of virgin white sand without a footprint ahead of you.






So, let's talk outfits, shall we? You may recall me showcasing this jumpsuit not so long ago (see here). I've checked on the Tu Clothing website today and can't find it anymore which makes me pleased that I followed my instincts to buy it when I did. I bought the jumpsuit before we were plunged into lock-down and had already decided that it would herald a monumental change in my shopping habits. So much so, that I had decided that it would be my last clothes purchase for 12 months. I've kept this under my hat for a few months to try to keep the pressure off and also to give myself a chance to see how it would pan out. Then, within a couple of weeks of deciding on my shopping ban, lock-down was implemented and suddenly it all seemed very trivial in the grand scheme of things.




As normal life is just about to try to re-establish itself, I thought it might be timely to share this with you. And oh goodness, I do realise that for the sake of the economy we're all being encouraged to get out and spend, but I'm sure my annual spend really isn't going to make a huge impact. The Year of Less by Cait Flanders inspired me at the time of reading way back in February and I knew it was something that I'd hankered after for some time. Even though I shop mainly in charity shops with perhaps only 20% of my retail shopping from the high street, I still am painfully aware that I have more than enough clothes. Lock-down has given me the perfect opportunity to delve deep into my closet as well as under every bed and inside cupboards full boxes and suitcases. And yes, I really do have more than enough clothes to last me for the next 12 months. Advertising will try to tell me otherwise and crikey I see the irony of this coming from a gal whose defining moment in her 60th year was to be chosen by JD Williams to tout their wares, but I'll be sticking my fingers in my ears and avoiding TV ads for the duration. I've found a few charity shop buys still with labels on from previous mainland trips and these will be drip fed through the blog when I have a shopping urge.




I love the simplicity of a jumpsuit as it requires so little to make an outfit. I decided to keep within a natural palette adding a simple stretch belt (preloved) to give a bit of definition. I must add however, that the waist is actually elasticated and can be worn without a belt. 




The Converse boots were from TK Maxx last year and are great for kicking about at the weekends.




The tribal print necklace is the only dash of colour with an ethnic vibe. I bought this in the Topshop sale last summer for £10. The gold floral and gemstone ring was a Christmas present from a girlfriend and the other is a charity shop piece. My old faithful sunglasses are by Quay Australia.




Anyway, that's been a whole lot of chat for one day, so I've leave you with some shots that encapsulate the joy and freedom that Tresco means to me.












Thanks for joining me again today. I'll be back again with Dress Up Friday and hope that you can swing by then. Take care!




 Anna x

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Style Not Age does Comfy Casuals



Welcome to our monthly Style Challenge!

Thank you for joining us for our end-of-month challenge, this time being that of Comfy Casuals which is very pertinent under the current circumstances. Jacqui chose the theme this month and it really couldn't be more relevant as the majority of us are housebound and therefore are spending our days in comfy clothes. I'm sure that when we exit lock-down from the Covid-19 crisis, one of the most noticeable things for us all will be the effort we make in our appearance once our normal routine comes back. I, for one, can't wait to get back to my daily dilemma of what to wear - what a lovely problem that will be again!




Jacqui starts us off with her comfy chiffon camo top with elasticated waistband paired with 3/4 length chinos. See her backstory on her blog Mummabstylish.




Gail from Is This Mutton blog is looking very sporty in her casual gear. I love those leggings and reckon they'd be pretty inspiring to get you up and at 'em!




Hilda is looking quite sparkly in her diamante bows sweater and neat checked trousers. Do catch up with her take on comfy casuals on her blog Over The Hilda




Emma of Style Splash mixes comfort with style here. Sparkly Peter Pan collar and metallic espadrilles are a lovely counterpoint to her utility trousers. 




This is a great easy to wear outfit and fulfills my requirements for comfy casuals: I like to feel comfy, but also want to have a splash of colour to help buoy up my mood. Everything here is relatively new (bought within the past 6 months), but hadn't made it to the blog as yet. The entire outfit came from TK Maxx (sobbing quietly as even their online store is closed). 




I particularly love these trousers for lounging about due to the elasticated waistband and voluminous shape. These also wouldn't look out of place on some exotic holiday would they?




Steve and I walked to the bird hide along Pool Road for our photo shoot, but again were prey to the mixed light that kept changing and making our shots a bit challenging.




Minimal jewellery today, just this ethnic necklace (charity shopped) and a ring from a girlfriend.




This was the first outing for these funky Converse boots. Soooooo comfy!





 Sunglasses by Radley.




The mustard jacket was also from TK Maxx last year and I'm very pleased to showcase this Orla Keily bag that I was given as a Christmas present from my dear friend Bo. We share a love for the colourful designs of this iconic brand. Cheers Bo!


I hope you've enjoyed this month's challenge and maybe been inspired too for your stay-at-home outfits? Please make a note in your diary that I'll be back at the end of the week with my latest ensemble for Dressing Up Friday. See you then!

                                                                                        Anna x

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