Fun fur in Feb

Hello lovelies! How are you doing? I hope that you're well and maybe feeling that promise of spring in the air. Here's my favourite outfit from last week. Sunday morning saw sunshine and clear blue sky on Tresco, but the wind was coming from the East, an icy blast if you were on the wrong side of the island. This gave me the perfect opportunity to don my beloved cow print fun fur (from River Island last year) and to have a Sunday saunter along the quayside to enjoy the peace and quiet of the day. You'll notice I was facing the direct sunshine in many of these shots which in turn featured the shadow of my camera mounted on my gorilla tripod; this small tripod has flexible legs, ideal for wrapping around fences, rocks or trees when you don't have an eager assistant to hand.

My outfit was all about animal prints, although I balked at adding my snakeskin boots to the mix, opting instead for my chunky cream boots (ASOS). The leopard print kick flare trousers are from Primark, purchased last year. I love the stretch fit which makes them easy to wear for work or even if I've had a large lunch... The leopard print shirt was a second hand find a few years ago, but is also the Primark brand. The button front and hip length makes it easy to wear with skirts and trousers, but looks best left untucked.

I finished the look off with this orange cashmere sweater, a fabulous charity shop find from a couple of years ago. I paid £10 for it and couldn't get out of the shop quick enough!

None of my accessories are new. The tribal print neckace pops up frequently on the blog, and also at work earning me many a compliment. The sunglasses are by Radley and my rings are various gold rings, including my wedding band, all bought by my husband.

I loitered about on the quay for some time, enjoying the sunshine and the view. If I'd had a soundtrack for these shots it would have been "Easy like Sunday morning" by Lionel Richie - cheesy, but still a great track!

Thanks for dropping by and I'll see you again next week!

Anna x

Mustard and fuchsia - a sunny combination

Another spring like day, hurrah! I may be obsessed with the weather, but I think that comes from living on on island with no cars, therefore we're always steeped in the depths of what mother natures sends our way. This week has been mostly wet and windy, so this sunny day was all I needed to get dressed for a brisk walk around the island.

This mustard wool coat was a purchase from TK Maxx a couple of years ago and has been a firm favourite ever since. It's like a cuddly teddy bear and really has that snuggle factor. Worn over jeans it's a lovely casual look. The jeans are rather ancient - snow wash denim was maybe an 80's fashion - but were an amazing bargain at the time of purchase, only £1 in sale rail in charity shop in Exeter and are still going strong.

The view behind me is pretty stunning isn't it? The vista is looking down Tresco Channel out towards Cromwell's Castle and the big blue yonder. 

The handbag is another preloved purchase, this time from my shopping trip to London in 2019 - gosh that seems like so long ago now!

I was trying out my new tripod for these photos. It's a flexible tripod that takes phones or cameras. I was able to prop it up on uneven surfaces such as the granite wall and the grassy bank. I've since used it wrapped around my bicycle basket and even moulded around a rock when I was making a swimming video (see that here). 

I've not worn fuchsia with mustard before and must admit I rather like it. The cashmere polo neck sweater is from M&S. It's soft and fluffy and toasty warm so what more could you want? The buttery soft leather gloves are a great match. Jamie bought them for my Christmas. The sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

The jazzy little handbag is not only cute but roomy enough to hold my tiny new tripod so that's a bonus. My white patent leather boots are by Besson and were from TK Maxx. My Christmas wishlist was an absolute winner for me this year meaning that I had lots of lovely new things that I really, really wanted.

These photos explain my late posting today. Regulars will know that I normally post on a Friday, but I've been a bit obsessed with my sewing project and couldn't stop until I got this far. I have another chair to do next...

I'll be back again on Monday with our Style Not Age challenge so please do swing by for that.

                                                                                             Anna x

Out and About, our December Style Not Age challenge

Suddenly it's the last Monday of the month and we're back with our Style Not Age challenge - this month Hilda chose "Out and About" as the prompt for our outfits. I, for one, am happy to have a reason to cover up after consuming too many Christmas calories!

Hilda looks very snug in her cosy coat and boots (both from Primark) paired with these trendy camo leggings from F&F. Catch her full story on Over The Hilda blog. 

Emma from Style Splash looks stylish as ever in her mini skirt and fur jacket, topped off with that adorable hat. 

This tangerine jacket adds zing to Jacqui's ensemble of loungewear and heels for a look that takes her anywhere. See her back story on Mummabstylish. 

Gail's spin on this month's challenge is very cool - her velvet coat and faux leather Spanx leggings are an interesting mix of textures along with a dash of red to enliven the look. See more on Is this Mutton blog.

Some months I find the outfit to be the challenge, but this month it was the weather that proved to be the battle. None of my usual photographers were available either and so I was up against it time-wise when I set out with tripod in hand to find a spot out of the wind between the showers yesterday afternoon. I donned my much loved vintage woollen coat and set out in search of a sheltered corner.

I thought this backdrop would have been acceptable, but this gust of wind just about knocked my top-heavy tripod over. I managed to grab the camera as it headed downwards and decided to cut my losses and move on.

A big black cloud was looming towards me here...

...but before it hit I popped my buttons open to reveal my new Christmas sweater. This fuchsia cashmere sweater ticked all the must haves by way of colour, warmth and snuggle appeal - all from M&S (see here). Some of you may recall me saying that I'd given a very specific wishlist to my nearest and dearest this year, mainly because I'm still on my 12 month clothes shopping ban. This pink cashmere jumper was on my hubby's list. I paired it with some stretch jeans (ideal for that post-Christmas tum) by Curve Appeal, purchased from TK Maxx last year.

This rather fabulous bag is by Claudine Searle who creates bags from recycled coats and leather pieces. My son bought me this and the pink leather gloves. How very satisfying this new chose-your-own-presents idea proved to be. We all agreed to this new plan and it resulted in everyone getting useful as opposed to unwanted gifts. Hurrah!

The beaded wooden necklace was a Christmas present from a girlfriend who knew nothing of my Christmas colour scheme, but clearly knows me very well anyway. My rings are both very old. Sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

My Chelsea boots are by Office, but again are not new.

I'll be back at work again today like so many others, but it's been great to have some downtime with the family. All the frantic preparations and stresses seemed to melt away when we finally sat down together for our Christmas Eve meal. This year, more than ever, we counted our blessings for our life here on this tiny, remote island. That very feature of remoteness seems to have kept us safe this year, resulting in the Isles of Scilly being the only place in England to remain in Tier 1. However, the lure of Scilly is so great that a family from Tier 4 were apprehended by local police as they arrived by plane into the islands just before Christmas. Within the hour they were on their way back to the UK mainland from whence they came. You'll excuse me if I call them selfish. It's this cavalier, "It's not me", behaviour which could result in an outbreak of the virus within our tiny community, a community where we have no provisions for caring for the very sick in large numbers. Our tiny cottage hospital has no ICU or respirators and we have limited NHS staff within the islands. We consider ourselves more vulnerable than most. 

On a lighter note, I shall endeavour to showcase my "What I would have worn on New Year's Eve" party outfit in my next post on Friday. I've yet to decide on what level of sequins and sparkles that'll be, never mind the kind of weather I might have to contend with for some outdoor photography!

                                                                     Anna x

Fur and sequins

Hello to you on this very fine Sunday!

As the countdown to Christmas continues I'm striding out in fur and sequins today. The super soft fur bomber jacket (from New Look) is a hand-me-down from Sasha which she gave me last winter. It's the first time I've worn it and now I can't imagine why I've waited so long! 

I decided to up the fur factor by adding this grey cuddly scarf that Polly gave me for my Christmas last year. Much as the day was bright it was actually very stormy and cold warranting this bundled up weekend outfit. Steve and I had to search for a spot out of the wind to capture these shots. The view behind me is called Penzance Road and I suppose if the road did continue off the island it would eventually reach the mainland.

The snuggle factor continues with this turquoise cashmere sweater (very old from M&S). I have this sweater in three colourways and really, you can't beat cashmere for the perfect combination of warmth and comfort. I'm always on the lookout for cashmere when I visit charity shops as you can find them at any time of year. I have a turquoise V neck cashmere sweater that somehow I managed to shrink in the wash and yet I still can't bear to get rid of it. The turquoise rings are both pre-loved and I actually had on a matching necklace which I forgot to reveal. Ho hum.

As ever, I'm sporting my much loved sunglasses from Quay Australia, and why not?

I'm most definitely a jeans at the weekend kinda girl and these embroidered (Next) ones with beads and sequins were a happy find in a charity shop months and months ago. I think it's the first time I've worn them though as they're quite long and needed some high heels. I like to wear my jeans with trainers, hence why it's taken so long to find the right outfit. By adding my metallic silver Buffalo ankle boots I feel this has taken on a lovely wintery look.

This weekend has been a busy one with a trip to St Mary's yesterday to buy a few Christmas presents and have my fringe cut. I spent the afternoon wrapping all my Christmas presents while I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" - that was my idea of a perfect afternoon. 

Last night was the island Christmas party and I'm afraid we ducked out of that this year. Being a non-drinker sometimes stops me wanting to socialise. Being totally sober as everyone gets more and more merry can be a bit of a downer, leaving you on the outside looking in. I don't drink out of choice and for health reasons, so this year I decided to sit it out. However, I did take some shots of what was going to be my outfit and will show you those on Wednesday. What I would have worn seems a bit of a crazy post, but some of you may still be interested ... In the meantime, I do hope that all of your Christmas arrangements are coming along. I'm off to make a few batches of fudge today. I seem to be quite popular at this time of year with those who have a sweet tooth!

Anna x