Citrus brights for summer

Hello, and thanks for dropping by! How's your week going? Are you blessed with good weather, wherever you are? Here in the UK it's a mixed bag again this week, making the daily outfit challenge an interesting one. Not only has it been dull and wet here on the Isles of Scilly, but there's been a cold North wind blowing which resulted in me wearing my long sleeved thermals (in June!) as a base layer to keep the chills out.

We had a last minute burst of sunshine at the end of trading today, so I nipped home and changed into this summery ensemble and Polly kindly did the honours. It was great to have a quick session in front of the camera with her. 

I'm very lucky that Polly and I have a great relationship which extends beyond the workplace. It's lovely to have the chemistry that we do, especially when it comes to our photo shoots. She has a good eye and an inquisitive mind when using the camera plus she likes to throw the odd insult in to get a funny response from me. 

Never one to take myself seriously, I do like the excuse of hamming it up in front of the camera. Acting my age isn't something that worries me too much as you can tell. 

Anyway, enough of that. What about these citrus brights - do you like them? Both trousers and jacket are from the high street, Primark in fact, purchased earlier on in the spring. The jacket is fake suede, a very good imitation to be fair as it's a decent weight with a nice nap to it. Under the jacket I've got a lime floral net tee shirt with an orange vest top underneath, tying the two tone look together nicely. Both of these tops are charity shop finds. 

The lime satin sandals were from TK Maxx last summer and the brand is Steve Madden.

The orange ring is pre-loved, the lime one was from an airport concession, the perspex necklace is very old, as is the orange bangle. My sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

It's only about three weeks now until we start our summer exhibition period with one show opening every 10 days. Where has the time gone? All my good intentions for having caught up with all of the outstanding chores seem to have whizzed past me once again. I can see that July and August will be the same flurry of work, blogging, swimming and boat trips to the uninhabited islands while the housework and gardening seems to be left for another time (goodness knows when!) but I'm all for seizing the day, as they say. Promises I have made to myself to dejunk the loft, read a book a week, and start to use my gym membership - they all appear to be fading into the background as I juggle my life/work/play balance once again. Please do tell me that I'm not the only one ... Leave me a comment if you too struggle with the superwoman image.

Until next time, have a super week!

Anna x

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

It's exhibition night again!

Hi, hello and how's your Sunday going? Last evening we opened our latest exhibition, the Creative Scilly Festival Show which ties in with the 13 day festival which has been running across the islands between the 10th and 22nd of May. We were so happy to have one of our exhibitors, Nicola Hancox, join us for the evening. She had a busy evening meeting guests and clients who wanted to hear about her paintings and the time she had spent on the island finding new inspiration for this body of work. She sold one piece at the event and the buyer was delighted to hear first hand how the painting came about. 

I've known Nicky and her husband Rick since I took over as Manager of the Gallery which must be about 15 years ago now. We've been good friends ever since I managed to (unwittingly) lock Nicky in the gallery one lunchtime as I was dashing out to catch the post. Nicky was standing at the back of the gallery at the foot of the stairs, drumming up the courage to ask if I'd take her work on, when she realised that the music had stopped, the lights were out and her reverie of a much-longed for exhibition in the beach side gallery dissolved as she found that she was alone and locked in to boot! Ten minutes later, a neighbour passed the gallery to find Nicky at the window, panicked expression on her face, mouthing "I'm locked in!" - poor Nicky imagined that she was stuck for the weekend! When I released her, she and I laughed and hugged and have become firm friends ever since. Needless to say, I had no choice but to offer to show her work! (And thank goodness I did, as she has a very loyal following which has grown over the years.)

The dress was a Mother's Day present from my kids last year. They gave me money to buy something when I was off on one of my jaunts to the mainland. I found the maxi dress in my favourite retail haunt, TK Maxx, the brand being Luna Allegra - the label says it's made in Italy. I didn't know how to style it up last year as it seemed very frumpy by the time I got it home and left me uninspired. But yesterday I came across the lime satin sandals by Steve Madden which seemed to lift the dress into another place completely. I loved how it made me feel, which I hope comes across in the photos.

It's lovely to do a photo shoot on these evenings as the vibe is much more relaxed, less rushed too. Polly and I seem to have less time to fit in a morning shoot of late so this was a treat to get back in the groove again.

I've dug out another pair of Quay Australia sunglasses for this evening look which I thought worked well. The necklace is from Primark, lime stone ring was from an airport concession and the other ring was a charity shop find as was the elasticated black and gold belt.

Polly and my helpers are all a bit camera shy this year, but trust me, they all look as spiffing as ever! We had a hectic evening which felt like one of our height of the summer openings due to the volume of guests that arrived en masse as we opened. The wine flowed, the canapes were much appreciated and red spots were scattered over the exhibits which made all the hard work truly worth while. We had a fab evening, and now I must get back to work to clear up ready for today's trading. 

Have a super weekend!

Anna x

Come join me by the pool!

Hi and how are you? How's your weekend going? This is my third day in off in a row which is a lovely treat. Polly has returned from Tobago and no, I'm not in the least bit jealous! The two weeks away have done her the power of good and she's still very chilled out, not to mention sporting a super golden tan. It's great to have her healthy vibe about the place.

My outfit of the day is a mix of old and new, mostly from the high street. I threw this together when my friend Rachel said she'd step in as photographer of the day. Plan A had been for Steve and I to head off-island to capture that desert island feel for a summer dress I have lined up, but he's having a boys weekend on the mainland which came about at the last minute. The weather here is suddenly looking like summer and I'm only slightly annoyed at missing the chance of the boat trip, but I know it'll come around again.

These cute little beach huts are mini changing rooms for the swimming pool that's just across the way from Rachel's house. With a swimming pool on one side and the beach on the other she's so well placed for her end of day downtime too. Much as we live on this paradise island, we still have the same work stresses as everyone else and it's good that she remembers to find some time to unwind at the end of the day. Rachel and I both attended the Mindfulness Retreat on Tresco last year and its health benefits have remained with us. My time to chill seems to be during my morning swim which has the same meditative effect as stopping and staring at the view with a lovely mug of tea, as Rachel does.

So, what about the outfit? The jacket was a TK Maxx find in Manchester last summer, the brand is Anja Rock. Trousers are River Island, sandals are by Dune, tee shirt is from Topshop, jewellery is all charity shopped and the straw handbag was a present from my friend Suzie in New Zealand. 

I have to mention that the trousers have that half elastic back which makes for a great snug fit. I'm not sure if it's because I'm shopping more on the high street that I have quite a few pairs of these now or could it be that I'm still carrying that bit of extra weight around my middle that has me drawn to this easy fit style. I'd like to blame my thickening waist (and back fat) on my age and a slowing metabolism, but I fancy that I'm probably eating too much and am just not active enough. I beetle about, dodging up and down the stairs at work all day long, but I finally admitted defeat this week and have joined the gym. I think I need some weight bearing exercise and will be reviewing my week to see if I can fit in some walking too after work or maybe I'll grab an apple and walk during my lunch hour. 

Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not begging for sympathy - it's half a stone for goodness sake! But it's all relative, don't you think? I don't compare myself to others, I just refer to clothes and old photos to see what I used to be. That seems to be the best way for me to keep in touch with what's my best or should I say happiest size. If I'm carrying too much weight it simply gets me down. My clothes don't fit nicely or some of them at all and therefore I know it's time to act. 

When I looked at some of these photos I saw lumps and bumps that I wasn't happy about and so it's my nature to be honest with you and to name and shame myself rather than have my readers see this gradual change and think I don't notice.

The pool was deliciously warm, but not tempting enough for me. Give me a chilly stretch of sea with a brisk onshore wind and the odd bit of wake from a passing boat - that's more my thing!

So this is how Saturday evening at 6pm looks on the island. It's a pretty amazing backdrop looking across the Great Pool from this swimming pool location. The sunbeds were all empty and not a soul was in the water. The island is almost full booked currently which just goes to prove that you can always find a quiet spot when you come to stay. 

Until next time, have a super week!

Anna x

Pink boots x 2

Hello my lovelies and how are you? I'm well and hope you are too. With summer fast approaching I'm posting these sock boots once again as I'm aware that sandal season is just around the corner. Have I paired these with this pink trench already? Surely. Can't stop to check, as I'm heading off to the beach in a moment - yes, I'm back on my daily sea swims and all is once again well with the world! Yay!

Anyway, I ended the day yesterday wearing this version of pink sock boots as these are my afternoon comfy version. I think that the chunky sole is a great feature and distracts from the fact that these are more or less slippers. Pop a tweedy checked fabric on these and they'd be perfect grandad footwear.

They're also kinda spaceman boots too, don't you think? I bought these Jeffrey Campbell boots in TK Maxx earlier this year.

The rest of the outfit comprises of the polo neck sweater which is preloved, also much loved by me for the ribbed knit giving a figure hugging fit, plus the gilt buttons at the cuffs. The trousers are from Primark, this season, and the leather belt is preloved. The pink trench is by Topshop and was a fab charity shop scoop last year. The pink sock boots are by H&M.

You'll have seen a lot of this necklace recently due to the simple versatility of this silver chain which adds a contemporary twist to any outfit. It's by Melissa James, a brand that we carry in the gallery - please note this was a purchase of mine, not a gift. I link through to the brand cos it's a super and very affordable range of jewellery.

My old favourite sunnies are by Quay Australia - another shout out for a great brand - I have about half a dozen pairs of them, but seem to come back to the same couple of pairs time after time. And last of all my diamante ring is preloved and the pink ring was a gift from a friend.

We had a fair few spectators for this photo shoot by way of the cattle in the field nearby. Plus the obligatory photo-bomber this time was Graham the bike hire guy on the island. Am sharing this photo of him for those of you who know and love 'im!

Graham is a popular figure on the island and is know for his declaration that "This is my last year on the island" which earns him a healthy tip from his customers. Somehow the fact that he spins this one year after year only serves to endear himself to them even more!

Well, that just about rounds it up folks. It's been great to catch up with you again. You can tell that I'm feeling back on form again with this punchy pink ensemble. I'll be back at the weekend with another offering of sorts. I hope you have a brilliant week and look forward to seeing you again soon.

                                                                                         Anna x