My staycation




I've had a week off work, a staycation, but one that was eventful with the departure of one Prime Minister and the arrival of another and of course, the shock of the sudden death of our beloved Queen Elizabeth II. As the drama of that day unfolded, I was at home watching the TV coverage with a sense of disbelief. Within 48 hours of seeing her welcoming Elizabeth Truss into Balmoral her Majesty had passed, leaving us reeling at the speed of her demise. The loss seems so personal to many of us, her benign reign one that has resulted in a groundswell of public mourning. As we are swept along with the pomp and ceremony of this change in the Monarchy the loss is felt globally.




Instead of the weekly work outfit, this is me in my casual wear as I had a walk out to King Charles Castle which overlooks the channel between Tresco and Bryher. These shots are from Monday when we had a huge spring tide of 6 metres which effectively drains the sea from this boating channel turning it into a swathe of sandbanks and pools that draw the intrepid holidaymakers (and locals) to cross from one island to the other. This pilgrimage occurs several times a year and sometimes is accompanied by a low tide event. In fact one was scheduled to take place on Sunday but was cancelled out of the respect to her Majesty.










As the inter-island crossings took place below me I captured a few shots of me in my downtime. No jewellery or smart shoes, simply the comfy cotton sweater ( a gift from my friend Tiggy) worn with these lightweight plisse trousers. This has been my casual wear for most of the summer, perfect for cycling to the beach for a swim or catching up at home. The shoes are uber comfy, bought in TK Maxx in the spring when I was on the mainland.






My only accessory of the day are these Radley sunglasses. If you've been on the island this summer then you'll probably have seen me dressed like this on my day off - it's almost become a weekend uniform. It's a welcome change for me to step back from my work finery and marks a different me from my work persona. On such a tiny island it's so vital to find some escape from who I am at work and the need for downtime is never more necessary than during our peak season. 




Apologies for the erratic nature of my posts over the past few months. My commitment to work has been draining leaving the rest of my life in tatters sometimes. The boat renovations still aren't complete and therefore there will be no off island picnics for us this year. My week at home has been truly restorative however. I've read, napped, deep cleaned some long overdue corners of my home and had some lovely sea swims too. And now am back at work for the final push of the season. Thank you so much for coming to visit, for your comments and for chatting to me via Instagram too. See my latest posts on Instagram here

See you again soon!

Anna x



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Picnic perfect!




Hello and welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge. Our quest was chosen by Gail this time, being Perfect Attire for a Picnic. For me this would of course mean a beachside venue and here I am on Skirt Island at the most Southerly end of Tresco. My style buddies are all set, ready to show you their picnic-ready outfits too so let's get going!




Gail set the bar quite high with her fabulous picnic basket alone! Bowie tee, silver pumps and a bottle of bubbly signal a great picnic don't you think? Join Gail over on Is This Mutton to see more. 




This tent dress was made for drifting about in a meadow of wild flowers, however the British weather had other ideas meaning Jacqui had to make do with her own back garden! Join her for the backstory at Mummabstylish




Emma from Style Splash chose her outfit because she thinks the pattern is not unlike a picnic blanket.  The pretty pink gingham two piece was a Zara purchase a few years ago and has come into its own for today's challenge!




Picnic ready, Hilda is sporting an entire outfit from Tesco's apart from her trainers. Her cute look is ready for fun. See more on Over The Hilda blog. 




My picnic outfit is a collection of old pieces which are still bright and colourful. The tunic top was a hand-me-down from my daughter which she bought from H&M years ago. I'm a huge fan of paisley print therefore was delighted when she offered it up to me. An outfit for a picnic needs to be comfy and easy to wear, as well as being practical enough for clambering in and out of boats or in this case across the sand dunes to get to this remote craggy setting. 




The tide was still rising, sending splashing foam up as I was setting up for shots. There's nothing like a quick soaking to send me off in a fit of the giggles!




The elegant hat pose isn't just for show; sunhat and sunscreen are part of my picnic essentials, especially as I've had surgery and other treatments for skin cancer. I wear factor 50 on my face everyday now and have established a routine whereby I apply suncream before my sea swimming every day too. My pale Celtic skin is very much at risk of more sun damage even at work where the sun shines into the Gallery window for a lot of the day. 




We all need a little bit of sunshine on our skins to absorb our daily dose of vitamin D, but it's really not that long. In my case only 5 minutes a day and for those with darker skin it's about 30 minutes. These times are for arms, legs and hands as well as faces. After that you start to experience sun damage which is the precursor of more serious problems.




My pom-pom raffia bag was a charity shop find some years ago. I love the bold colours and the roomy size that is big enough to take beach towel and swimming kit too.




The pink plisse trousers are from New Look - they're light and airy and ideal for sunny days. My floral sandals were from Primark years ago. Perspex rings were gifts from a friend.







A tiny seed pearl necklace was a pre-loved purchase. It's a habit for me to always finish off an outfit with a necklace, even for a picnic. Sunglasses are by Radley London.




Time to stop and stare. Nature is the perfect meditation isn't it?




I do hope you enjoyed this month's challenge. I was so pleased to have made the effort to spend some time outdoors on Saturday, as by Sunday we had rain all day long - such an unusual thing for us. The forecast for the UK is another mixed bag of weather, but improving in the southwest later in the week. Fingers crossed for Thursday as I'm off to St Martin's for the day for another picnic outing!




Wishing you a great week ahead!

Anna x

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Pink plisse trousers and textured top


Hellooooo! How's your weekend going?




My outfit of the day is from at work yesterday when I was manning the desk, standing all day long, therefore had comfort as my main objective. Our photo shoot was at the end of the day and I was still smiling, a testament to the lack of sore feet, thank goodness.


The plisse trousers were from New Look a couple of seasons ago and are way too big, something like a size 16/18, but that makes them low slung and uber comfy. The striped sheer top is pre-loved, from M&S and a man-made fibre which washes like a dream and dries very quickly. Underneath I have a fuchsia vest top which is quite long and tucks into the trousers helping to secure them at hip level. Without this fabric on fabric bond I fancy they might just descend all the way to my feet!




The silver and white chunky sandals are pre-loved too from Topshop. Sasha gave them to me a while ago as they were too small for her. The wedge sole is a gentle angle making them all day long comfortable. I did actually start off the day wearing my beloved pink (heeled) sock boots, but by lunchtime had to resign myself to ditching glamour in favour of style in another mode.


Keeping it green here with no new jewellery either. Quay Australia sunglasses as per usual, big pink flower ring - gifted from a friend and the other pink ring was a charity shop find. I'm trying hard not to overspend on clothes this summer; I have a few bits and pieces that you've not seen before to sprinkle throughout the year, including a fab new trouser suit that I bought not long after coming back from South Africa. Apart from these, I've made a deal with myself that I'll be strong and keep away from online shopping. Charity shopping will be my weakness, I know, but recycled clothes are the greenest and therefore okay in my book. 


Steve and I are getting into our stride with our evening shoots which are proving to be a lovely way to end the day. We can be chatting about the events of the day and catching up on island news while we're looking for the right location. It all seems quite leisurely to be cycling off together looking for a different aspect or view, especially as the days are longer and the weather more settled. And good for us too, to have a bit of fun larking about together - well, that's what I keep telling him anyway!


Movement was an essential of this particular shoot when we were besieged by gnats as the evening temperature started to drop. Poor Steve was bitten to pieces as he was static for minutes at a time, whereas I just kept jigging about, trying to stop them landing on me. The road we're on is called Pool Road, running alongside the inland lake. I think it's common to have swarms of gnats around a lakes and rivers isn't it? I think we may not be choosing to do a photo shoot here again!

                                                                                 Anna x

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