Mixing it up


My idea of a good outfit is one that has a mix of old, new and pre-loved, so today's offering is ticking all of these boxes. Let me walk you through the pieces - the jacket is by Moschino and was a bargain from TK Maxx last summer. The jeans are pre-loved by Boohoo, the tee shirt is from TK Maxx and the boots are from M&S. The sunnies are by Quay Australia, necklace is old and resin ring is pre-loved. 


The daffodil season is in full swing here currently with boxes of the golden flowers being shipped to market three times a week. Everywhere you walk on Scilly you'll see these local blooms lining paths and rides as well as in rows where old fields used to be. The sight of daffodils always reminds me of Mother's Day - you too?


I bought this tiger tee shirt when I was on my way to Cape Town. It's very lightweight and the idea was for it to be my swap over piece during the flight in case I was too hot in my long sleeved tee. The air con however was blasting chilly air out for the duration, so I popped it over the top of my layers to help to keep me warm. It'll be handy for the summer too. 


I got these Quay Australia sunglasses at half price almost a year ago when I was in TK Maxx in Harrogate. I'm guilty of always having a favourite pair of this brand on the go, but am determined to keep mixing these up as I do have six pairs now and want to showcase them all equally - so watch out for that to see how I get on! I aim to show you more of my grey hairs and wrinkles too this year - the tricks of photography can have me masquerading as something I'm not - so full disclosure photo-wise is what you'll see. I'm nothing if not honest!


Just a little word about the jeans, in particular the tape - I love these for the simple reason that these parallel lines are great for drawing the eye downwards and creating the illusion of length. My legs are a pretty average length, so I'm always looking for ways to make them look longer. The combination of the stripes plus heeled boots are really effective, don't you think?


My Scottish roots inform my passion for tartan and I really have to battle against my desire to wear these daily - I just love them! I've succumbed to a wee bit of online retail therapy recently (oops!) and one piece that has me mega excited is a pair of red and black leopard print trousers which pair up magnificently with these boots. Of course you'll get a chance to see this happy pairing soon.


This final shot has me suffering that sinking feeling as my heels are gradually disappearing into the soft soil - ya gotta laugh, eh?

This weekend will see the final post of my trip to South Africa, so do drop by if you've been following that. If not, then hurry up and read the previous four episodes now! Have a great week everyone and I look forward to catching up with you at the weekend.

                                                                      Anna x

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Wet and wild!


Winter is upon us, that's for sure, when the view from my office window looks like this. 


No swimming on these days either!


The following day it was much improved and only a bit showery so I ventured outside with tripod, camera and timer to try a morning shot. I only managed one snap when the first shower hit and I had to grab my camera and run for cover.


I toyed with the idea of setting the camera up inside the gallery so that I could gad about outside, but as you can see the door was centre shot and not quite what I wanted. 


There was nothing else for it, I pitched the tripod and camera up outside the gallery door (downwind of the rain to keep it off the lens) and my new tartan brolly was brought into play. Lining up to get into the shot took a couple of goes though!


Oh well, third time lucky then ...


Yay! Here I am. So shall we talk outfits? Starting from the shoes up - these silver golfing type brogues are from Office, not new, but not terribly old either. I think I've only worn them twice before this and I can't imagine why cos I really do like them. They get packed away in tissue, boxed up and slid back under the bed, so maybe that's why I seem to forget about them. 


This was my vain attempt at giving you another look at the shoes. Oh Polly, where are you now? Next up are my cotton/bamboo tights from TK Maxx which are uber soft and comfy. The tartan pencil skirt is rather ancient now and I've no label to identify the brand. I've got a thermal polo neck under the red sweater which is by Berkertex and cost me £4 in a charity shop. 


The piece de resistance of the whole outfit, well apart from the cute tartan umbrella, has to be this wonderful jacket by Moschino from TK Maxx. I love a bomber jacket at the best of times, but this one just caught my eye as I was cruising through the designer racks. A little bit quirky and yet functional too as it's nicely padded so is quite cosy - well how could I resist it? The label price was £550 reduced to £120. A few times a year I treat myself to something special that's not pre-loved and this is most certainly a very special piece.


Last of all is the silver disc necklace that I bought from M&S a few years ago. 

I've been struggling with a low mood ever since the rainy weather settled here and I'm having a job shaking it off. I'm making an effort every day to find something cheery to wear and this mix of red and tartan was great to partner with my new jacket. I know when the S.A.D. is really taking hold with me when I start to wear the same outfits on a very tight repeat pattern. My yellow and red tartan jeans are becoming my default setting, my comfort zone. The blog is great drive for me however, pushing me to think beyond the same old, same old day after day. Sasha has offered to take some shots for the blog tomorrow so I'll knuckle down to find you something worth coming back for.

And finally, I had a funny Heath Robinson moment today when the sun made a momentary appearance between the rain clouds. The sight of this brightness in the sky really lifted my heart making me feel hopeful, optimistic I suppose, that the weather was going improve and with it my mood too. I suddenly had this vision of a diy version of instant sunlight where we could access sunlight from our own personal reserve, by way of a solar hat, no less! Imagine if you could store sunlight in a natty little hat and when you need a burst of sunlight it could be projected from the panels for your own enjoyment, nay mental well being! Laugh if you will, but maybe I'm just ahead of my time. Ought I to be putting a patent out on this now?
Anna x

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