A hint of spring

Hello lovelies!

What a blooming relief to have a break in the weather! The past few weeks have been a dreadful mixture of bitter east winds and endless rain so yesterday's bright day was enough to inspire a spring-like outfit.

I felt in the mood for dancing too, but hey, why not?

I opted for an oyster pink base topped with pattern and brocade for this light hearted spring ensemble. The skirt (very old) is from F&F at Tesco, costing £5 in the sale. The cotton roll neck was a charity shop find, also £5. The satin jacket was a hand-me-down from my daughter, the brand is H&M. And the brocade boots are a few years old now, from ASOS.

Also from ASOS, these pretty two tone sunglasses are by Morgan and are in the sale here. The rose gold heart pendant is quite old and the resin rings were a gift from a friend.

It's such a cheery thing to dress for spring. I love the sense of hope this one day brought. I felt bright and optimistic as the day was full of promise. Just one single day can make all the difference!

A shake, a shimmy and a little flutter!

I hope that your start to the week was equally joyful. I'm heading off to the beach now and will be back to see your comments later. If you wish to leave me your thoughts on this on any other post I'd love to hear from you.

                                                              Have a super week!

                                                              Anna x

Spots and culottes

Hi, hello and welcome!

I've been wanting to showcase this spots and culottes outfit for weeks now. In fact, this is the third time I've had it on, ready for the blog. The first two times I spent most of the day waiting for my photographers to turn up and both times they forgot me. I suppose family can get away with that, can't they? We had a good laugh at the end of the day at least.

Even this photo shoot had it's problems with too much wind on one side of the island and then too much sunshine when Lora and I finally found a sheltered corner. Anyway, here we are with a double dose of spots; the mustard blouse is from Primark and the culottes are a hand-me-down from Sasha from a couple of years ago (purchased in Thailand when she was on her travels). She had a big clear out when she was moving house and I inherited a bundle of clothes which have trickled onto the blog ever since then. The culottes are pleated and swooshy as well as having a half elasticated waist at the back, making them comfy as well as rather lovely. My winter coat is by Covent Garden, from TK Maxx.

My sock boots from Zara are wearing well, as I'm sure this is the second winter I've worn them as well as throughout the spring and autumn too. I'm trying to ration myself as to how often I feature this Paul Costelloe bag in case you tire of it. In fact I'm using it as my winter handbag regardless of whether it goes with the outfit of the day, such is my love for this exquisite piece. I tend to leave it inadvertantly in the gallery window on display or at least on the front desk so that anyone passing during these bleak/wild days can share in my pleasure.

The gold jacket (H&M) was another gift, this time from my friend Ben who had seen it in a charity shop window and immediately thought of me. The colour is indeed very me and the fact that it's satin is another plus. The quilted sleeves and plain body are nice feature too.

I do love this spot with spot look but nearly discarded these photos because of the upwards angle. Lora was standing on some steps below me and really tried her best not to offend me with the wattle shots. We did a retake of the ensemble a few days later in a different location but without the mustard blouse but I felt it lacked that bit of punch.

The belt and rings are all pre-loved.

I'll be back again on Monday with the monthly style challenge from the Style Not Age Collective. This month we're all sporting a bit of Flower Power and we have a new member joining our group too, so please do swing by.

                                                                                    Anna x

Wearing nature's colours

Hello again and how's your weekend going? The Isles of Scilly were looking pretty idyllic on Friday evening as Steve and I went looking for a different setting for the latest photo shoot.  When I was thinking about a backdrop for this bronze and aqua outfit I thought about how the tones reflect the colours of the seashore. Behind me is Rushy Porth showing the shades I was thinking of. 

This is a lovely spot with a perfectly placed bench to sit and enjoy the view. A coastal walk around the island is my favourite way to spend my lunchtime during the winter months, affording me lungfuls of ozone rich air as well as a healthy dose of exercise too. The lure of the big outdoors is what brings so many visitors to our shores throughout the season as it's all so accessible and right on our doorstep.

Steve and I followed the path around the coast to where the next bench overlooks St Martin's and the Eastern Isles. Out of the wind, we stopped and took a few more shots. I had my hair cut on Thursday - see the clip on Instagram of my jetboat trip on the low tide, such a lovely day. Anyway, I'd been trying to grow my hair, but had no idea into what style and then I posted my mega feature and on seeing all of those photos with a sharp cut, I decided I maybe ought to backtrack to something like that again. This is the first tentative step to finding my way back into the best cut for my shape of face.

So let's talk about the outfit shall we. I've shopped my closet as they say, meaning you may have seen some or all of this before. The jacket is quite old, from H&M and is a hand-me-down from my daughter. I had coveted this for some time and was thrilled when she finally grew tired of it. The satin material has a lovely sheen and the colours are very flattering in these muted hues. The skirt was from Tu a couple of years ago when I picked it up in the sale. Back in those days Sasha was still living in Truro and we used to pretend we were on a food buying mission when we both really knew it was a cover for the fact that Sainsbury's clothes were always worth a look, particularly when the sales were on.

I've had these sandals for a couple of summers now. The brand is Refresh and I bought them in TK Maxx. Notice how the skirt has an almost two tone effect of silver and bronze.

The simple round neck long sleeved top was a charity shop find. I have these in so many neutral shades, all of them from charity shops costing only a couple of pounds. The same kind of thing from M&S can be found here for £12.50. 

I chose frosted silver for jewellery to tone in with the shimmering sea colours. The disc necklace was from M&S many moons ago, the bracelet and rings are all pre-loved. Sunglasses are by Guess.

So, that's my first post for June. I love this time of year with the promise of summer still ahead of us. Boat trips and picnics, exhibitions and visiting artists, warmer sea with longer swims; it's all still to come and brings joy to my heart. It's such a privilege to have this life here on the island. To have family and friends, work and play all within a couple of miles is a stroke of luck. Grateful as ever, that's me.

And with that, I'll wish you a super weekend and hope to see you again soon!

Anna x