September colour




Did you watch it? I was one of the 20 million viewers who watched the TV coverage of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday, Monday 19th September 2022. The majestic farewell was more spectacular than anyone could have imagined and one that we shall never forget; what a memorable end to the most wonderful life. The day encapsulated love and loss in equal measure, leaving me feel as if I'd been there myself. My heart goes out to the Royal Family as they begin to make their way forward without their matriarch.




And so, on to the outfit of the day. This colourful ensemble was a work outfit, but I failed to capture it at the time and so did a re-run on Sunday. The eagle-eyed amongst you will see that some photos show me with necklace and matching bracelet and others not. I had great fun (not really) chasing the sun and had given up cloud dodging at one point and gone home, removing some of my jewellery only to have another burst of sunshine appear.




And yes, this look is indeed all about the joy of colour being orange and pink mainly. Nothing new here though. The flares are from Asos, cardigan from Primark, vest top from H&M and jewellery is all pre-loved. As ever, I'm holding on to summer for as long as I can and what better way to convey this than will these candy colours?




The cream boots were from Asos last year and have never been packed away. I love the platform for adding height - just perfect for these long loon pants.




At least I'm giving you lots of different views as I chased the sun. My tripod and timer served me well as I hopped from place to place trying to get a few decent shots. 




Another glorious backdrop as we look across Saffron Bay and through New Grimsby sound and on to Cromwell's Castle in the distance. It wasn't too much of a hardship to be out and about early on Sunday morning. Once I'd gathered my photos together I went off for a swim on the high tide and it was probably one of the warmest and most enjoyable swims of the year so far. The sea was calm, not a jellyfish in sight and no-one on the beach at all. Idyllic!




My 70's look is completed by these round sunglasses (ancient, from River Island) and the perspex rings. It's fun to relive the fashion of my teens even though that was 50 years ago - yikes! I'll finish off with a few more local shots of Tresco looking rather stunning in the early autumn sunshine.












And this was tonight's sunset as seen from my garden. 


Anna x

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Two in five million




So, here's the explanation for my recent absence. Steve and I were two of the five million people in the UK who reported having Covid19 last week. And that's just the five million who reported it, not those didn't. It's alarming isn't it? And yet, this is indeed our new normal where businesses are closing temporarily or paring down their services to accommodate the prevalence of the virus. Tresco, like the rest of Great Britain, is awash with the illness. Steve and I are still at home waiting to show a negative test result or at least feel well enough to return to work. What about you? They say that one in 14 of us has the virus currently so we all know someone who has it. If it's you then I'd say stay home until you're well, keep warm, take paracetamol to control your temperature and pain, drink lots of fluids and suck on ice chips to soothe an inflamed throat.




Today's post is from last month, Mother's Day to be precise, when we went to the beachfront Ruin Cafe at Old Grimsby for lunch. Our table view was pretty idyllic and being indoors meant we were out of the driving Easterly wind too. I had flowers and gifts from my children, including a gift card for TK Maxx, but more of that later. I dressed a la 70's style for my lunch date.




It's been a while since I've worn this flower power jacket by Anja Rock. I remember I bought it when I was in Manchester four years ago on my modelling stint with JD Williams - read all about that here. TK Maxx in the centre of Manchester was a wonderful haven full of all sorts of fashion delights and bargains. See the first time I showcased the jacket here - it was a fabulously bright and breezy post that's worth another look if you missed it.




Steve and I had taken a stroll home through the woods after our leisurely lunch when we hit this golden pool of sunlight. Too good an opportunity to miss, eh?




The heart patterned flares were from Asos, the sweater is totally ancient, and the stone coloured boots of the moment are also from Asos. The observant amongst you may have seen that my pre and post-lunch sunglasses are different, but both are from Quay Australia.





My 70's jewellery collection is all pre-loved charity shop finds. 






My print clutch bag is from Zara and was actually part of the gift packaging of a new blouse, a birthday present from my dear friend Bo in January. See here for that




My boots of the moment are these chunky ecru dreams from Asos. The beautiful Chelsea boots can be found here




So, in between Mother's Day and Covid19, I've been to the mainland again for another health appointment, this time for some pre-cancerous cell removal on my face. The upside was that I went off clutching the lovely gift card and oh my goodness, what a super time I had! Not only did I shop there, but I snapped up some fab charity shop purchases too. 




These beaded sandals were from TK Maxx and the almost matching necklace was a charity shop find, hurrah!




Gradually I'll showcase these and give you the lowdown on where and how much etc, but in the meantime you'll just have to feast your eyes on the pretty colours and textures of my new springtime wardrobe. The fact that I've ousted 32 boxes of clothes and shoes out of the house means that this has been a guilt-free splurge - whoohoooo!


Wishing you a super week ahead!

Anna x

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When I'm 64...




Hello lovelies and welcome to my birthday post!

The question as posed by The Beatles, "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?" comes to mind as I embrace my 64th birthday today. My dear hubby reached this milestone late last year and has given it a test run so I think I'm gonna be fine. Am I defined by my age? Well, of course not. As we all know, age is merely a number. An interesting thought though is that my mother at this age would have already been retired for four years and here I am with three more to go before I can rest on my laurels. 




So this is me, embracing life regardless of my age and loving the place I'm at. I can't see me ever wanting to give up on the shimmering sequins or silver high heeled boots. The thrill of dressing up is for me and me alone. I'm conversely not out to shock (no low necklines or high hemlines) or impress anyone. I really do this all for my own pleasure. I don't care a jot what onlookers think of my outlandish or over the top garb. Life really is too short to curb my enthusiasm for the joys of dressing up just for the hell of it! 




January isn't the best of month's to have a birthday if you live on a tiny island like mine. No big shopping malls for a day out with the girls, or even fancy restaurants for an evening of fine dining. Instead I got all dressed up in my favourite outfit of the day and took myself off to the oasis of calm that is the Abbey Garden. It was Saturday afternoon and I had the place completely to myself as I wondered around, seeking the best bit of light on the overcast day. 




A birthday gift to myself were the rather fabulous flares in a feminine mix of pink and orange hearts. Find them here in the Asos sale. I've had them lined up to wear with my mermaid coat for some time now and just adore them together. I have a party to attend in March and think this might be the perfect outfit for the birthday bash of a friend.




A bit of birthday bling by way of these preloved rings - what d'ya think? My necklace of jumbo pearls is an old favourite too.




I may not be defined by my age, but I definitely am by my sea swimming. My Wonder Woman swimsuit pretty much says it all. I do feel nigh on invincible when I emerge from the cold winter waters. At this time of year I'm one of the few who are still taking a regular dip in the icy Atlantic Ocean that pounds our shores on the Isles of Scilly. I'm proud to be part of a huge groundswell of women (and men) who have found this form of exercise to be life changing. You can read my backstory in the latest edition of the Tresco Times yearbook - see my piece on page 12. 




As the sunset stretches a bit later each and every day now, I'm delighted to find time to capture the last of the suns rays after work. My inner critic has deleted so many of these fun sea shots as they show a post Christmas softness to my figure or maybe simply the body of a 64 year old...




Perhaps this year will bring an easing of this harsh self-criticism that's blighted me for as long as I recall. Deep hurts from my teenage years still ring in my ears, leaving me struggle with self confidence and self doubts. Others may see me as fine while I'm still battling with not good enough syndrome. It's time for a coming to terms with me, all of me, at all times; the leaner summer body and the rounder winter shape that may be inevitable or simply the result of the passage of time. Your thoughts on this and anything else are very welcome! 

                                                                                     Anna x

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