Our Tutti Frutti Style Not Age challenge for June

Welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge! We're all very Tutti Fruitti this time thanks to Emma and her very summery theme. I love how we've each interpreted this differently, but oh-so-coulourfully too!

I felt I just had to start with Gail who's set us off in the right vein with her tee shirt which is actually called "Tutti Frutti". The top and skirt both come from Kettlewell, but not from the same years. She has shopped her closet for the rest of her outfit. Read her style story on Is This Mutton. 

Jacqui's rendition of Tutti Frutti comes thanks to her daughter whose dress she borrowed - how blooming lovely is this? Her cute Steve Madden handbag and strappy green sandals finish off the look to perfection. Catch up with Jacqui's news on Mummabstylish.

Emma's fruity shirt and bag are from Fabienne Chapot - a brand I've not heard of before. Paired with zingy green trousers from Asos and lots of bright orange accessories she really has embraced the colourful theme. Find Emma's blog Style Splash here. 

Hilda has opted for this stunning kimono from Zara as her main featured piece, complimented by a Hugo Boss dress and Clark's shoes - none of these are new and yet are all totally fabulous! Catch up with her on Over The Hilda. 

The Tutti Frutti element of mine surely has to be this vintage Jaeger skirt. A customer of mine recently declared this a very Christian Lacroix design, which I suppose you could say is true. I've featured it on the blog before, but that doesn't detract from its charm. It was a charity shop find from a few years ago and gets an airing at least two or three times over the summer months.

The net underskirt is always a bit of fun and works really well with this look, although I must admit it does make me prone to flashing a bit of net from time to time without any warning or particular reason. Not sure if an ol' gal like me ought to do that, but what the heck!

The voile spotty sleeved top (from TK Maxx, old) adds to the flamboyance of the outfit. I have a black version which works equally well with this. 

Rings and pink Candy bag by Furla are all old too, but still pretty as ever. 

My black buckled and studded belt was a gift from a girlfriend many moons ago and is ideal for sleekly pulling a skirt and top together - great for those days when back fat and tummy bulge are in danger of becoming the focal points!

My dear old faithful (H&M) sock boots are still wearing well. Also going strong as these floral sunglasses which came from Sainsbury's years and years ago. This work outfit sparked lots of chats about women of my age making a style statement in the workplace and also earned me compliments from quite a few men too. So far, I'm still not invisible and hopefully never will be!

Thanks for joining us for this month's challenge. Do pop over to read the back stories from my friends if you have a moment!

                                                                            Anna x

Easter weekend

Hurrah for Easter weekend!

Not only is it the weekend, but it's Easter weekend, time for guilt-free chocolate indulgence. Yay! 

Daffodils and Easter chicks have been the colour inspiration for today's chilled weekend look. The lime green faux suede jacket was a Primark purchase a couple of years ago and yet is still looking fresh and rather funky too. 

I teamed the jacket up with this neon bright clutch, a second hand purchase also from years ago. I love the textured bubble effect. The floral blouse with lovely yellow daffodils was from M&S.

The wide legged Diesel jeans were recently featured (see here) and I'm afraid you may be seeing a lot of them over the next little while. They're such an easy to wear style - it's a great weekend look, don't you think?

I've had these grey platform trainers for two years and would you believe it - this is the first time I've worn them? It's shocking how deep this stream of new finds runs eh? I bought them online in the Zara sale one January and somehow never got around to wearing them. I'm pleased to say that they're really comfy!

I've taken blue as my accent colour for accessories; the rings are both pre-loved and the belt is also second hand, gifted to me.

These pretty floral edged sunglasses are by Tu at Sainsbury's. A sale purchase from ages ago - no surprise there then! They're a bit Dame Edna Everage don't you think? Hilarious!

I'm so enjoying having the structure of work again now, most of all because it's helping me to redefine weekend wear from working outfits. I've been trying out new combinations at work to check how much stretch and bend room they have; I've been busy hanging art this week - you can see that on our Gallery Tresco Instagram page here. It's only a week until we have guests on the island when I'll open the gallery on an appointment-only basis.

I'm going to apologise in advance to say that the blog may be a few days out of kilter now as my camera broke the other day and I'm still waiting for a new one. There was a terminal tripod accident when a gust of wind blew the whole lot over, smashing the lens. It happened in a flash without me having any time to catch it. I ought to have had a weight attached to steady it, especially as I've had a close call once before, but I thought I was tucked in out of the wind. I wish I'd been squirreling photos away for this eventuality, but alas I haven't! The postman only comes to the island three days a week and sadly it didn't arrive today, so there'll be no feature on Monday. Fingers crossed, I'll be back on Tuesday!

In the meantime, enjoy your Easter eggs !

Anna x

Vintage frock for a fun Dress Up Friday

Welcome to another dose of Dress Up Friday!

It's great to have you back again for Dress Up Friday. I love the excuse to get dolled up for this Friday feature and hope that you enjoy the results too. Today I'm wearing a vintage chiffon frock from Borghese by Toplet which was one of my first vintage buys when I started buying pre-loved fashion. The fitted bodice and drop waist style are form flattering and the generous skirt was showcased to its best in the breezy day.

The frock epitomises old fashioned glamour and romance.

Sunglasses are from Sainsbury's (old), rings are pre-loved and gold chain is from Primark (old).

These floral fabric shoes with gold high heels represent my most exciting Primark find over all the years I've been shopping there. I found them in the sale corner at the end of one summer and they were marked down to £5. They're the least Primark looking pair of shoes ever!

This is the perfect posing frock!

As of next week, Friday's will be a normal work day for me. The gallery re-opens for business on Monday with me holding the fort on my own for the first time ever. We'll be trading by appointment only with on-island clients being my priority. This weekend I'll be brushing up on my risk assessments, putting everything in place to make sure we all have a safe retail experience. If July 4th signals a return to your new working schedule I wish you good luck and keep safe!

                                                                                   Anna x

Hurrah for Dress Up Friday!

Hi there!

Yes, it's that time of the week again! Is it a sign of my age that it always seems to be Friday? The days continue to rush past me with the sudden realisation that it's Friday once again. I recall my mother-in-law saying something very similar decades ago and I always used to be puzzled by the comment, and here I am now, finding the same thing. Anyway, it's Friday and I'm all dolled up for another sashaying session. 

The sunshine dodged in and out from behind the clouds making for interesting tonal variations with each shot of this bubblegum pink dress. I love the deep frill which creates a super swish and flirtiness to this Polo Ralph Lauren dress which was a TK Maxx purchase ages ago. The round neck and sleeveless figure-skimming fit would be classed as a shift dress were it not for the audacious frill. Oh yes, the frill makes it!

If you remember this brooch pile jacket then congratulations to you for being a long-term reader - it was 2016 when I last featured it here. I toyed with the idea of wearing my grey fringed cowboy jacket with this dress, but I think it fell into that dreaded category of Mutton dressed as lamb! The 30 year old that resides in me constantly clamours for a fun and flirty look, but thankfully I still have a cringe radar that sounds when I'm too close to the edge of ridiculous. The Gap denim jacket was a charity shop buy and remains adorned with brooches which I still add and subtract depending on recent finds. The sunglasses are from Sainsburys, again many moons ago and the rings are both pre-loved.

Flashing too much thigh for a bird of my age, but heck, so what!

The two tone suede heels are more pink and red than the burnt orange this shows. Needless to say, these aren't work shoes, but are too pretty not to pair up with this fabulous frock. I bought them from River Island some years ago, but they don't get out much (surprise, surprise!) apart from the odd airing on an exhibition night. 

If you want to check out the other participants of Dress Up Friday then check out the link here. I fancy that by this time next week I'll be back at work, but plan to keep on posting this Friday feature, so please swing by to see what I've been up to. In the meantime, I'm searching for another work outfit to showcase on Monday, so maybe see you then?

Thanks for dropping by and have a lovely weekend!

Anna x

On feeling blessed

Hello and welcome again!

You join me today as I talk about counting my blessings during this strange time where lock-downs and furlough are now part of our daily life and the only news on TV and radio relates to the Coronavirus. Our world has changed so much in the past months. The pandemic that seemed so distant from us when it was contained in China has gradually seeped into our everyday lives impacting more than any of us could have imagined. And yet in the midst of all of this, there is a growing awareness of self responsibility, care within our neighbourhoods and gratitude to our NHS which is long overdue. More than ever, I feel very blessed to be living on this remote island. A vetting process in place for anyone trying to access these islands, prohibiting an influx of those trying to escape their primary home. The message to stay at home is finally reaching everyone, even those to whom rules don't normally apply. No matter if you're rich or royal or young or famous - anyone and everyone is prey to this new enemy, invisible yet deadly. And so this modern day wartime spirit is continuing to strengthen as we pull together to unite and stay strong.

I'd like to say hurrah for the BBC news coverage which is gradually finding some happy stories to tell us. In in a time where we need to be kept informed, we also need encouragement, recovery stories and ways to keep ourselves physically and mentally fit. Enter stage right the amazing Joe Wicks who single-handedly is dragging the nation up off the sofa and getting our children motivated for their daily workout. 

I'm so grateful to live right here on the edge of the beach. This photo is taken less than 50m from my house: this is the view from my kitchen window, giving me an ever changing vista of island life as the tide comes in and the tide goes out. And talking of tides, I'm so happy to have this opportunity to follow the tide around daily, as I can now swim on the high tide every single day. I love to swim on the high tide as every beach looks much more pretty on a high tide. Today's high tide is at 3.47pm (Sunday) and will be a 5.1m high. I'm mainly governed now by wind direction and sometimes will walk to the most sheltered beach others, if I'm busy, will mean just a quick dash on my bike so that I can be there and back within the hour.

This was Pentle Bay on Thursday, location of my daily swim at lunchtime. I left home at 1.30pm to walk to the beach along the banks, swam from the far end to this point and then swam back. I sat for a while on the rocks, taking photos while I drank my flask of hot lemon and honey. Much as the sea looks tropical, it was still very cold and I had to march briskly onwards towards the south of the island with woolly hat and gloves on as I tried to warm up. I stopped along the way to collect sea glass and pottery pieces strewn along the high tideline. I think I met about four others, rather I saw four others as we all veered away to give each other space. 

By the time I reached Appletree Bay it was almost 5 o'clock. I'd had this idea to create something to post on my Instagram to tie in with the clapping for the NHS at 8pm on Thursdays that's becoming our lovely new ritual. Our local GP practice have recently sent out a message for us here to abide by the rules of social distancing and to stay at home. We're all hoping that the virus won't reach us, but as we emerge from the restrictions I do wonder if it's inevitable that we'll be hit in the second or even third waves. As you can tell, even living in our island paradise, we still feel the same anxieties as everyone else.

Enough of all that now! Let's talk about the outfit of the day. These fab applique jeans cost me £4.50 from a Truro charity shop earlier on this year. I've paired them with my Frida Kahlo tee shirt from Primark last summer and these comfy stretch pink sock boots by Jeffrey Campbell. The cute wool jacket was another charity shop buy last year and works really well to add a bit of funk to this look. 

The two toned suede belt was from Benetton a few years ago and the rings were both gifts from friends. The blue and pink floral bangle was a £1 wonder from a charity shop

The floral sunglasses were a sale item from Sainsbury's quite a few years ago, but perfect for this floral themed ensemble, don't you think?

I've decided to try my utmost to live in the moment, find joy in the everyday, observing happiness in the most simple of things, count my blessings and not stress about the future. We can only influence our own tiny little worlds currently and I'm trying to keep my own little family unit fed and loved and safe. Beyond that, if I can bring a little bit of pleasure into the blogging world with my outfit of the day, then hurrah!

Take care and keep safe!

Anna x

Pentle Bay photo shoot

Hi, hello and how's your weekend going? I had a day off work yesterday and managed to fit in a visit to the beach in the morning. Steve and I both had chores to do, but it was too lovely not to take a stroll out together and combine it with a quick photo shoot. This location is on the bank above Pentle Bay showing the island of St Martin's behind me.

From an aesthetic point of view, this beach looks more attractive on the high tide, but even on low water it's still pretty. See it later in all its turquoise glory.

I found this lovely crisp linen shirt in a charity shop while I was in Truro recently and this is the first time I've worn it. The colourway just says summer doesn't it? Turquoise and fuchsia pop beautifully when paired together making a great impact in this floral pattern. The brand is Tina Taylor and it only cost me £7. I'm often asked how I manage to find these super bargains and really it's very simple - I search each and every charity shop thoroughly, scouring the racks regardless of the sizes they claim to be. I try things on in the shop to avoid bringing home bad buys too. But all of this takes time and dedication which is where most of us falter. We're all so busy nowadays, that devoting a whole day to browsing in this very undefined way might seem like a dreadful squandering of a day off. I think my successes fuel me to have patience with these searches. It's not for everyone, this time consuming hobby, but I love the surprises and the bargains, plus the fact that I often find a new brand that's a bit unusual in design, like today. The frilled trim on the sleeves and down the front of the blouse make it stand out from your ordinary high street linen shirt.

When I got it home I was rather pleased to discover that the pink of the shirt was the same shade as my Boden chinos which I'd bought in the sale in the spring (see more of them here). The trousers have an element of stretch in them helping reduce creasing and adding to their practicality. The brocade mules aren't new, in fact I think I may have had them since last year, or maybe the year before. I bought them in TK Maxx and the brand is Red Kiss. My blogging friend Sheila of Ephemera featured her similar pair a couple of weeks ago which is what reminded me about these lovelies of mine. Thanks Sheila!

I had to include this shot purely for the crazy bird that looks like a flying mini-submarine! Your help in identifying this bizarre creature would be much appreciated. Oh goodness, Steve has just taken a look and tells me that it's probably a bee, not a bird. Doh!

My double heart silver Tiffany necklace was another charity shop buy, this time from many years ago when I was in Ireland. It's a great memento of that trip with my two sisters when we drove around the lush green countryside of county Cork. The silver ring is pre-loved too and the pink ring, (isn't it a great match) was a gift from my friend Maggie.

The silver and pink bangle was also a gift from another friend and the terribly cute handbag was a charity shop scoop. The flowery sunglasses were from Sainsburys a couple of years ago.

It was so lovely on the beach that Steve and I went back home and waited for the tide to flood so that we could go off in our boat for an off-island picnic, however the weather took a turn for the worse, bringing heavy cloud and rain with stronger winds. On the other hand it did mean that the chores got done after all!

Just a little addition to this post, with the tenuous link of Pentle Bay. My friend Fiona and I had a day off together a couple of weeks ago and set ourselves the task of having a longer swim than usual. We swam from Blockhouse Point to Pentle Bay in brilliant sunshine, encountering a few jellyfish, the occasional swimmer and the odd sailing boat along the way. Fiona is in training for the inter-island swim which I did a few years ago and as you may already know I'm hoping to circumnavigate the whole of Tresco in one day - both of us are lined up to do this in September which seems to be coming around rather quickly!

Flushed with success at Pentle Bay. We sat and admired the view for a while, had a drink and bite to eat and congratulated each other on how well we had done. Since then work, bad weather and bad tides have interrupted our flow, but we hope to still get a good few miles in between now and the events. Wish us luck!

                                                                                       Anna x