The wind doth blow!

At the start of the week I had a bit of a cream and brown thing going on outfit-wise which for that very reason meant it wasn't going to hit the headlines on the blog - way too boring! Come Tuesday morning the pressure was on to find a more upbeat, smile-inducing ensemble to lift my mood as well as to share with you. Enter stage left some winter florals. Winter and florals may be an unusual combination for some, but hey, I think they really work. See what you think...




I've only worn these (New Look) boots once over Christmas (see here) so it's good to find another outfit to work with these. I like the gold tone of the heels and how that picks up the yellow in the flowers. The peplum jacket was a find in a charity shop as was the brand new pink ostrich handbag. My coat comes from Sicily where I found it in a vintage shop (yay!) while we were on holiday. The rings are all gifts and my sunglasses are from Sainsbury's.










I know these bold florals are pretty full-on, but I also think that they're a marriage made in heaven (seemingly mixing our florals is bang on trend this spring too). Both items were sourced from charity shops last year and are from different retailers - the blouse from Next and the trousers from H&M. Each piece obviously works beautifully with a plain partner, for instance I have a baby pink cashmere polo neck that works perfectly with these pants, and likewise I've styled the top with a plain black skirt which worked fine and dandy. But, well, hey, it's just too conservative for me to dress like that every day. Sometimes I like to make more of a statement, like today. 

The wind was blowing furiously as you can tell, meaning my peplum jacket alone wasn't enough even for my short walk to work. But it was no hardship to pull my pink winter coat one more time. Spring may be here (almost) but the fierce wind that continued to rise in the course of the day really kept the temperature down. I managed to escape the worst of the wind for my morning swim by crossing to the other side of the island and heading on to Pentle Bay. New Grimsby bay, where the gallery lies as well as where Polly and I did our shoot, was hammered all day long with hail and rain showers appearing seemingly out of nowhere. 


In the course of the day the view from my office window constantly changes as the tide washes in and out and the brilliant colours of the sea change too according to the sun and cloud cover. At this moment the azure green of the water was highlighted by the contrasting raincloud that was hurtling towards us. Minutes later the brightness was gone, eclipsed by the heavy storm slapping huge dollops of rain against the window. Mother Nature often puts on a display to distract me from my admin!

Linking with -
Laurie of Vanity And Me
Anna x

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Velvet + embroidery = my perfect jacket

This gorgeous jacket was a Christmas present from my husband, albeit with a bit of guidance from me. I love embroidery on most things and on this velvet jacket it's a great addition. I have lots of bomber jackets, each different, but all so useful as that extra layer at work for when it's a bit chilly.









I bought this nude pleated skirt in Tesco in December, but have been waiting to find the right pieces to style it up. I also had another (Christmas jacket) in burgundy that would work just as well, so may redo this another time. The blouse was from Topshop (sold out but this is pretty), the vest is from River Island (charity shopped), and the jacket is by Glamorous from ASOS (it's in the sale here). The shoes are from my favourite supplier of brogues, Office, but currently they have nothing similar. And last, but by no means least are my silver glitter socks by ASOS.

I'll apologise in advance if these links don't work. I seem to be having a technology blip at the moment. Instagram decided not to work for the day on Tuesday. Then yesterday my camera went all huffy on me when I was out and about, supposedly to take some shots of the island. The blog links have been a challenge for the past week, meaning I've fought shy of posting a blog in case it keeps happening. Fingers crossed it'll be OK!

News on my staycation is that I'm having a lovely time, thank you. I've just ordered a new filing cabinet to set to with the dreaded task of sorting out my paperwork; filing, shredding and dealing with all the collected clutter along the way. Next week will herald the start of the big clothes cull. I'm going to group into jumble, which will go to the clothes bank on the islands, eBay for anything that's worth selling, and finally the keep pieces which will be checked for any mending or dry cleaning needed. 

Running parallel to all of the bigger jobs are the daily swimming, shopping, tidying etc as well as batch cooking for the freezer so that I don't have to cook at the end of the working day. Yesterday I also went to yoga and had a walk around the beaches as I tried to find the perfect spot for my swim - we've had some wild weather recently, and that means big ground seas leave the beaches awash with huge reams of seaweed (yuk) and also there is a big run of tide that sucks in and out of the beaches, sometimes a 15 foot drag that feels quite threatening when you get caught up in it. 

I've just read Leap In by Alexandra Heminsley which has been very inspirational. The story of her determination to crack open water swimming resonated with me, and best of all she shares so much of what she learnt. Alex traded up her strong breast stroke for a hard-earned front crawl which took her out into the sea as well as tackling river swimming and finally a crossing from Kefalonia to Ithaca. Inspired by Alex I too want to trade my strong breast stroke for the less labour intensive front crawl. My daily efforts at this streamline stroke are handicapped by a poor breathing technique which impacts on the smooth glide and rhythm. All of this is covered in the book and fills me with excitement that I too, may conquer this challenge. The book is a great read, not just for those who swim or want to, but it's more about her dogged determination that shows her true spirit. 




Anna x

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Gold sequins, gold heels

Sunday's blue sequin dress was really well received, so much so that I feel a bit nervous about today's outfit. All of this week's outfits were captured in the same photo shoot, and I must admit that this one was my favourite. It felt more elegant, less over-the-top-party-animal I suppose. Friday's offering is very different again, but let's not get ahead of ourselves shall we?










I really like the slightly underplayed look of this ensemble (yes, gold sequins and gold heels are indeed underplayed in my world). It's still sparkly with some sequins on the top and clutch as well as obviously on the skirt, but doesn't feel as loud as the blue dress (see it here). It's more age appropriate I suppose, which is a first for me, as I can't really say that dressing for my age comes into my head very often. I wear what I like, because I like it and hope that sense of liberation comes across. As long as I feel comfortable in what I wear, I don't mind what anyone thinks. Life's too short for those kind of worries. (Yes, I'm aware that I do share my self doubts with you from time to time, but that usually ends up being my crazy body dysmorphia rather than actual clothes angst.)

And there you have it. Friday brings the last get up, and on Friday evening the party itself, so goodness knows if you'll have time to drop by to cast your final vote before I don my glad rags and take the party by storm. 

Details - skirt: H&M (sold out), top: TK Maxx, shoes: Primark, handbag: charity shop, necklace: unknown: sunglasses: Sainsbury's, rings: old.
Anna x

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Brocade, velvet, frills and gems

I promised I'd step it up as we go spiralling headlong into the bedlam that is otherwise known as Christmas, and my first proffering is this beautiful black velvet bomber. It was in the sale at Tesco, half price if I recall, and certainly under £20 that's for sure, so a bargain.








I said I live by the sea - this is the view from my house. I never tire of it. Well you wouldn't, would you?




The other new purchase from Tesco's is this rather fabulous pair of stretch glazed cotton skinny jeans. Burgundy is the colour of the moment with me and I seem to be gathering quite a cache of it this season. I have a pair of burgundy leather boots which I tried on with this outfit but they were just too matchy-matchy to do it any favours. Yes, it could be argued that all one colour would make for long streamlined legs, but today's look is more Prince Charming than anything else and that relied on the brocade boots as the finishing flourish. This frilled blouse seems to get wheeled out most weeks and that's because it's an absolute mainstay in my wardrobe. My bright fuchsia one would have been equally effective, but maybe too much - I didn't try it as the cream is pretty much my go-to solution to most style problems. Cream is more flattering to my skin tone than white, frills always add a touch of the feminine especially with trousers, and the shape is so versatile it works with almost everything.

I have sequined skirts, glittery tops and sparkly clothes at the ready (as promised) in the hope that the weather will be settled (and bright) enough to get some photos taken. I may enlist some help again on Saturday so that I can wow you with some party inspiration. Our annual island Christmas party is coming up soon, and I could use your opinion as I try out my options for that too.

Details - jacket and jeans: Tesco, boots: Asos, blouse: eBay, belt, H&M, rings: charity shop, necklace: borrowed from my daughter, sunglasses: Sainsbury's.

The sun sets behind the islands in the distance. I'm sure I've posted enough photos of it for this to be a pretty familiar view by now, but here's another just for the heck of it.



Anna x

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Vintage Jaeger + Tu = my style

In case you didn't know, I'm a big lover of bright colours. Patterns too, and also a touch of glamour, so this outfit ticks lots of boxes for me today. And before you come back at me about these crazy shoes, let me jump in to defend them and tell you that I wore them all day long without a twinge of pain or discomfort. The straps were attached with elastic making them easy to walk in, also comfortably snug and the heel to platform ratio seemed perfect for my foot shape. They were brand new from a charity shop, made by good ol' M&S. 










What pleases me most about this outfit is the fact that I've married the fabulous shocking pink vintage Jaeger jacket with this dress from the Tu range at Sainsbury's. I love that juxtaposition of high end and supermarket fashion walking out in style together. The jacket was a bit worse for wear with stains down one arm when I discovered it in a charity shop in Truro this summer. I passed it by, not for that reason, but because I have a jacket of the same colour which I still haven't worn yet. Sasha suggested that I try it on anyway. As you can see, the fit was perfect. We dropped the jacket into the dry cleaners and hey presto, it's as good as new. I know it can be off-putting to go into some charity shops where the air is heavy with strange, musty or even slightly unpleasant smells, but for me that can often signal that the shop may be a haven for all sorts of undiscovered vintage finds. A couple of washes or dry cleaning can remedy the majority of smells. And the last reason I'm keen to visit these musty shops is because I know a lot of people won't, therefore I'm very likely to find a stonking good buy - like this beautiful Jaeger jacket! 

Have you managed to scoop up a great charity shop find recently? Tell me about it in the comments box below. I'd love to hear about it.

Shoes: M&S (charity shop), dress: Tu at Sainsbury's, jacket: Jaeger, handbag: charity shop, sunglasses: Tu at Sainsbury's, necklace: Debenhams, belt: ebay, rings and bangle: gifts.




Anna x

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