I'm back!

Hello again and thank you for keeping on coming back to check where I am. I've been on holiday and then ill for the past week so I've got very behind on blogging. This post is my long overdue feature for our Monthly Style Challenge and the theme is Colour Me Beautiful, chosen by yours truly. Life has been a whirlwind since my London trip - I literally had two days at home to empty my bags and off I went for 10 days on holiday. I'll show you the snaps from that next time, I promise!

Emma is replendant in this emerald green trouser suit by H&M, worn with her Iris Apfel blouse. I recently met up with Emma when I was in Manchester and will be sharing my photos of that on the blog next time. See more from Emma on her blog Style Splash. 

Jacqui is oozing confidence in this bold red and cream outfit which compliments her skin and hair perfectly. Colour Me Beautiful means different things to each of us! See more from Jacqui on Mummabstylish. 

Hilda's outfit was captured as she left church last week. The beautiful two piece is from Zara and was originally a dress. Hilda shopped her closet for the whole look - check out her blog for more - Over the Hilda.

I wore this outfit for an evening out with the Gallery girls. We went out for an end of season meal at the Ruin Beach Cafe and had a great night of shared stories and laughter. They called for me en route and greeted me with "Oh, you could have made more of an effort Anna!" on seeing my outfit. Yes, I clearly demand a lot of respect from the staff!

The frilled skirt is old and the top was a Vinted buy from some time ago but never worn until this evening outing. The boots are totally over the top.

The colour is perfect for this outfit - a pale apricot shade and the sprinkling of gemstones is wildly over the top, I know, but irresistible to my alter ego of a party girl. The brand is Steve Madden and I found them in TK Maxx earlier this year. I did manage to wear the boots all the way there and back, which does include two steep hills, all thanks to Rachel as I was able to hold an arm to act as brakes for the downhill parts! The next shot is purely for laughs - goodness knows what I was saying, but it's not the most flattering!

Thanks again for dropping by. I'm just getting over the most dreadful head cold and cough which has had me dosed up in bed for four days. Most unlike me, but I think it's simply end of season burnout plus two crazily busy mainland trips. It's good to be up and dressed again today. I thought I'd better make an effort as it's out wedding anniversary today - 44 years! Here's the obligitary wedding shots to round things off...

See you again soon!

Anna x

Adidas trouser suit

Hello there! How are you? We've been so lucky this week with sunshine making a regular appearance. It's such a simple pleasure to see the sunshine - it's the best mood-lifter ever! I'm feeling brighter, more motivated and defintely happier this week. 

I've managed to ditch the coat this week and have gotten by with gloves and scarf to keep the wind at bay. I've pretty much shopped my closet for everything and yet it's still a make-me-happy outfit. I think the only new addition is my cute and compact handbag, a Steve Madden gem that I bought when I was in Truro in December. I love that it's both a handbag and an across the body bag and I do use it both ways.

You'll have seen this coral Adidas trouser suit before and yet it's still looking fresh. I was delighted to be stopped by a lady on the road who wanted to pay me a compliment on my bright and colourful outfit. It's somehow even nicer when a complete stranger pays you a compliment isn't it? She couldn't believe that it was made by Adidas - it's quite formal compared to the usual sportswear of the brand.

There's nothing new with my jewellery: the necklace is old from Topshop, sunglasses old from Radley London, my beaded belt was from Amazon, rings are by Diana Porter and Emily Nixon.

As I mentioned, I'm feeling much brighter this week and that's spilled over onto the home front. I've been watching re-runs of Sort Your Life Out and it's created a real need in me to actively engage with my clutter and start to make a difference. Already, just in the space of a few days, I've relocated bits of furniture and ditched quite a lot of junk. And the wonderful thing is that it becomes quite addictive. I'm finding moments in my day, just while waiting for the kettle to boil for example, when I can throw open a kitchen cupboard and see exactly what needs to be moved on - it's so liberating!

I rediscoved my love for these ornate trainers by Replay and tied them in with my equally colourful floral roll neck (from Vinted). As ever, the outfit of the day is always chosen to please me rather than worn to attract comments from others, but of course, it's always a bonus if it garners compliments, which it did several times. It strikes me that if my outfit makes others smile, gives them joy, well what a lovely thing that is!

                                                                            Anna x