Workwear with no frills

Hello lovelies, how's tricks? I'm still knee deep in artworks, battling my way through the art upgrades in our holiday cottages. Today it's been Wigeon that has come under our attention. Mel and I have been planning the distribution of paintings across the final six cottages and this is certainly testing the grey matter as we try to balance the needs of each house with what we have at our finger tips. Here's some examples of rooms we've dressed so far -

This trilogy is by Ellie Verrecchia - see more here. 

On the right is a painting by Chris Hankey (more here) and on the left, one by Iona Sanders - more from her here. 

These three are by Cornish artist Maggie Matthews see more from her here.

Art for interiors is always fun as you sweep in at the last hour adding colour and character to each room, hopefully enhancing the soft furnishings and making the best of the room. No two rooms are finished to look the same and of course the gamble of adding bright contemporary art into old houses may not be to everyone's taste, but we love the finished looks.

My outfit of the day was very plain and simple. My turquoise corduroy dungarees are from Enjoy Clothing in Truro and have been aired on the blog previously. I've paired them with a bright orange roll neck, second hand from Vinted at only £5. My third addition are my white patent boots, quite old now, from TK Maxx. No rings (totally impractical when hanging art) and no necklaces for the very same reason. 

Sunglasses are my old favourites from Quay Australia.

I'll leave you with the spectacular view afforded from the lounge in Puffin Cottage. We'll be working our magic in there tomorrow - wish us luck!

Anna x

Colour play, my favourite game

Yay for the weekend, and yay for some colour play! I've been shopping my closet again this weekend and came up with a new combination that's surely worth a mention. The corduroy dungarees from Enjoy Clothing are still looking fresh as ever despite being almost a year old now. I bought them primarily as weekend wear, but I must admit they did sneak into work quite a few times last year. You really can't beat dungarees for comfort can you?

The mix of pink and turquoise are a joyful combination. I topped the outfit off with this fab Topshop trench, a charity shop find from long ago. There's a lovely sense of spring in the air at last and I'm so happy to be shedding that winter feeling. I've been sea swimming a lot this week thanks to the more settled weather too. Now that we have visitors on the island again it really helps to push us further away from the gloom of winter and onwards to longer days.

I was up early to capture the sunrise with is skin-flattering golden tones. Let me share the view I was smiling at.

There's something about an early morning start, whether it's for a swim or walk or simply to capture the sunrise, it just sets you up with that feel-good factor, don't you think?

The top is a vintage piece, a happy find from a while ago. And the jewellery is all second-hand too. Sunglasses are by Radley London. 

I bought my Converse sneakers from Office Shoes last year and surely to goodness you remember seeing them - I wore them lots!  I love them. They make me smile. Isn't that what it's all about?

Ten minutes later and a different backdrop, but the clouds have blocked out that wonderful golden light. Never mind, at least it's a fabulous view behind me! I do hope you've had a great weekend and managed to factor in some downtime. 

                                                                                                  Anna x

Bonus days

Hurrah for these last few bonus days of golden sunshine and calm weather that we've had here on the Isles of Scilly. Tresco is still buzzing with holiday makers, especially now that we're coming into half term time meaning that the island is busy as ever. I finished work at 4pm the other day and instead of tackling the behind the scenes jobs and mounting admin, I opted to lock up promptly and head out for a walk in the late afternoon sunshine. It's ages since I've been up to the two castles and thought they would afford good light for a photo shoot too.

Up here at the top of the island is a fantastic opportunity to get a 360 degrees vista of the islands. King Charles Castle sits at the entrance of the channel between Tresco and Bryher islands and was build as a fort to protect the north end of the island. However, the site was too steep too be practical and was superseded by the Star Castle on St Mary's which held a better location to protect the islands from invading forces. 

To the north in the background you can see Round Island Lighthouse which is no longer manned but is still operated remotely to keep the shipping traffic safe from the surrounding rocks and reef.

Out in the east, I knew that Brittany Ferries ran from Portsmouth to France and Spain but had no idea that they passed so close to the islands. 

Looking west towards Shipman's Head on Bryher and the big Atlantic ocean beyond.

And so, on to the outfit of the day. Transitional dressing is still the theme, whereby I've not pulled out any of my autumn/winter clothes and am trying to get by with clever dressing. These fabulous corduroy dungarees have been perfect for the past couple of weeks when it's been chilly in the morning but warmer by lunchtime. I bought them at Enjoy Clothing in Truro and every time I wear them they attract lots of compliments. The colour is fab and the fit is wonderfully relaxed and easy to wear; slouchy and yet still okay enough for work. 

The neon top works so well with the ribbing of the corduroy, don't you think? The high neck is again, cosy for the mornings, but being short sleeved is still cool enough when temperatures rise. And neon is making a big comeback at the moment isn't it? I do like it when fashion and my wardrobe collide like this. My blue plastic rings are both charity shopped and sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

My grey platform trainers are old, but hardly worn. I bought them online a few years ago from Zara and even though I didn't totally love them I couldn't be bothered to send them back. Anyway, they've come into play this summer which alleviates the guilt somewhat.

It was a glorious afternoon; peaceful and calm away from the hubbub of the village. 

These cannons are defending Cromwell's Castle which is below King Charles's Castle. 

And looking south down towards St Mary's and St Agnes. Golden light, the best for flattering my pale skin tone!

As the sun started to drop in the sky I made my way home along the coastal path. This beautiful big gin palace appeared and moored up between the islands. We don't get many visiting boats coming into the islands after summer, but the spell of calm had surely brought this latecomer. 

A couple of hours spent outdoors had done me the world of good. The pressures of work have held me hostage for far too many weeks over the summer months, but at least I can feel things beginning to ease at last. As we drift into the winter I plan to take a month off work with no real aims or goals at this stage. I need to recharge my batteries and what better place to do that than here.

                                                                                          Anna x

Take four pieces ...

Yay, I'm home again! 

Oh my goodness, how lovely it is to be back on Tresco once again! Four days away on the mainland was quite enough for my first foray in 15 months. Travelling back and forth on Wednesday and Saturday left me with two days of various hospital check up's around which I sandwiched retail therapy involving train journeys to Truro to get to my favourite haunts. 

My major worry had been how it would feel to be thrown into the boiling pot that is mainland life, but honestly it soon became apparent that people were respectful of social distancing and everyone seemed be wearing masks at all of the appropriate times. My fears of feeling unsafe were unjustified and I shall be happy to go off-island again when necessary, although Steve and I have no plans to go away on holiday this year. What about you?

I nipped to the beach on my return on Saturday evening to capture this outfit of four simple items - jacket, dungarees, tee-shirt and pumps. No fancy accessories or even jewellery for this easy weekend look and yet it earned me a couple of compliments along the way. 

The cropped puffa jacket is by Topshop and is a few years old now. It's been a great jacket for winter walking as it fits snuggly up around the neck, capturing the body's heat. The punch of orange is an instant mood lifter too, making it a go-to piece.

And a small drum roll please for this pair of corduroy dungarees. Yes, brand new from the shopping expedition this comes from Enjoy Clothing in Truro. The colour is a bright turquoise, but may look more blue on your screens. I love dungarees for weekend wearing as it signals downtime for me and hopefully to those around too. Don't ask me about work is the secret code when I'm dressed like this.

 

This is casual dressing at its best - no buttons, zips or poppers to do up and best of all, huge pockets! 

Slouchy and oversized, I can see that these will be weekend favourites very quickly. I have to share a funny story about them though. I was served by a new assistant in the shop; I overheard her being talked through topping up stock and moving things around to make the displays look eye-catching. When I took the dungarees to the till she was great, telling me to wash them in cold water the first time to set the dye. What she ought to have said is to wash them before the first wear... By the time I had returned home from the beach, I went to the loo, only to discover that my legs were bright blue as was the white of my tee shirt! The tee shirt has been washed and is fine now, but my legs needed a good old scrub to get all the dye off!

I bought myself a hairband while I was away as I realised it was still another week until I have my haircut. This orange and yellow one was on half price sale in Boots.

These lightweight pumps are rugged enough for moors and beach walking. The brand is Sketchers, although I fancy I bought them in TK Maxx in Edinburgh in 2019.

I'll be back on Friday with a bit more about my retail therapy. I had to send some of my bags home by freight ship and therefore it may be a little while before I can lay the truth of the matter before you. Suffice to say, I had a lovely time shopping and have no qualms about the big reveal. My shopping ban is over and therefore there was no guilt attached to my purchases. I look forward to catching up with you again on Friday.

Take care and have a great week! 

Anna x

That Friday feeling!

Hellooooooo! How are you? I'm pleased to say that I'm very well, thank you. This is my Friday outfit, a bright pop of pink which is a wonderful dose of of colour therapy. As November draws to a close, I feel the darkness of the winter months continue to unfold in front of me and know that I still have quite a battle to wage as I fight off the winter blues. My best armour for this battle has to be joyful clothes in vibrant colours, hence this lovely ensemble.

I'm delighted to find these fuschia separates are such a good match; it's the first time I've put them together. I love the different textures of them too; the fine pleats of the chiffon skirt are the perfect ploy for the fluffy winter sweater. This is the first time I've worn this skirt - it's by Sabrina Diamanti, an Italian brand, and was a charity shop purchase from long ago. The sweater was from Enjoy Clothing in Truro.

The white lace top has a very prim Edwardian look to it and reminds me of the kind of fashion that Princess Diana wore. I bought it from Zara last summer and it's been a great addition to my wardrobe.  And talking about Diana, are you watching the new series of The Crown? I'm trying very hard to spin it out and make it last. Riveting viewing as always, but more than ever I find the reality of it so very sad.

I've mixed preloved and new with my jewellery: the rings are both thrift pieces and the Tree of Life pendant was from a small boutique in Truro. 

The black and silver geometric tights were another charity shop scoop, paired with these silver leather ankle boots by Buffalo London, bought from TK Maxx. Once again, nothing is new, but that doesn't detract from the pleasure of the outfit.

So as I head off for home, I'd just like to remind you that the last Monday of the month is time for our Style Not Age challenge. "A touch of sparkle" was chosen by me, so no surprises there then. I do hope that you'll be able to swing by to see the fabulous outfits that very much serve as a warm up to Christmas.

Hope to see you all on Monday!

Anna x