That Friday feeling

Some outfits have that real Friday feeling; that end of the week buzz which sets you up for the weekend. This is mine. I adore this Boden skirt, the shape, the colourway, the print - all of it. It's a great building block that never fails for me. My blue biker jacket is another favourite piece which never lets me down. Put the two together and I feel on top of the world. 

My other go-to item is, of course, a pair of brogues and today's are my mint green lovelies. You may argue that my yellow Candy Bag is not the best partner for this colour of shoes, but I'm not really one to play by the rules. I pretty much do my own thing, my own way, to please myself. And this is the end result. A collection of much loved pieces put together creating a fab look of the day. And so I shall head off into the weekend with a spring in my step. I hope you too are looking forward to some down time, maybe even a bit of retail therapy, over the bank holiday weekend. Perhaps we can reconvene on Sunday over a coffee and croissant?

Jacket: Toxic3 (TK Maxx). Skirt: Boden. T shirt: charity shop. Shoes (currently on offer at £45): Office. Tights: Dorothy Perkins. Necklace: Daisy Dunlop. Candy Bag: Furla (TK Maxx). Sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Anna x

Dull but not dreary

The weather may look dull, but that gave me the perfect opportunity to bring out my wonderful new, aka upcycled, Hobbs velvet trench coat. A recent purchase from last month's charity shopping blitz (see here), I have only gotten around to giving it a bit of a face lift by replacing the buttons with these pretty floral ones in both round and square shapes. I love to personalise clothes like this, giving them a little tweak here and there to make them unique.

The coat only cost me £10 and is in great condition. It's a thick velvet with the bonus of a bit of stretch making it really comfortable. I've used buttons by Stockwell Ceramics whose range is vast see here. I particularly like the single button on the back.

May seems to be such a crazy month for weather here in the UK. Sometimes it's like a summer's day, and others it's blowing a cold north wind with driving wind. This is playing havoc with my plans for outfits, as I will be lured into believing what the main weather forecasters predict, but once I've come back from my swim, will realise that our local weather is something completely different. Today's solution of trench coat at the start of the day worked really well while it was cold and grey in the morning. By the afternoon it was bright and sunny and my lacy top was the perfect answer for a warm session at work. 

A quick run through of what I'm wearing goes like this - velvet trench coat comes from Hobbs via charity shop. The fab floral trousers are again from a charity shop but made by H&M. I think this pattern was featured last summer, but these were brand new, still with the label attached saying £19.99 and I paid £5. The lime green lace, peplum top was from H&M. Underneath I have a vest top from Primark. My pink patent brogues are again from H&M. The handbag was a prize find many years ago in the Oxfam boutique in Bath which was a wonderful place to browse and find true vintage pieces. This handbag is a designer piece - "Bespoke Designs By Samantha Carrey" the label proudly states. My necklace is handmade by Vanessa Robson who runs her own business making ceramic jewellery trading as Magpie and Butterfly.  My cerise cocktail ring was a gift and the pink and silver ring was a recent purchase in a charity shop in Harrogate.

I'm linking up with these lovely ladies today -

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish 

Cherie of Style Nudge 

Anna x

My thanks go to the photographers

Today's post relies on a host of photographs taken by a handful of friends and family who have stepped in when asked. I'd like to say a thank you to them all here, as without them this blogging malarkey wouldn't be as easy or as much fun.

Thanks to Jamie for this shot of Sasha and I after our lunch at the Ruin Cafe the other day.

And to Sasha for capturing this idyllic view afterwards.

To Chris and Val for joining Kate and I on a breezy afternoon to take a lovely series of shots of two friends enjoying a companionable dip together.

Kate is a regular visitor to the island and this year we've pledged to fit in as many swims as we can every time she's here.

Thanks go to Jane, a friend I made on the yoga retreat here last year. She and her family stumbled across us after our morning swim and we imposed on her son to take some snaps before they headed off along the shell-strewn beach to continue with their walk.

Green beach was decorated with ribbons of shells which whooshed and clattered as the tide rose and fell over the top of them. Nature's gentle musical accompaniment for us while we dressed.

Thanks are due also to Kevin's wife Lorraine for taking these photos of one very serious looking training session for someone and a sunny afternoon dip for the other.

"I'm not racing" I said as we stood on the shoreline. But as Kevin set off his stopwatch the competitive streak in me took hold. My front crawl is fine in a short burst, but not at his speed however. We maybe set off together, but it didn't stay at that level pegging for long. Kevin was an absolute gent though and periodically stopped to wait for me as I resorted to my steady breast stroke.

Kevin was buzzing. I waded back to the shore as he headed off for another couple of laps of the bay. We both swam in the Scilly Swim Challenge in 2015 (Kevin in the fast group and me in with the plodders). Now Kevin is in training for this year's event. Well done that man! Read my full account of the most memorable of days here.

And so onto the main event. My biggest thanks must go to Polly my wonderful blog photographer and Gallery Assistant. Polly is a whizz with all the tricks my camera has to offer. She bubbles with enthusiasm for her daily chore and helps in making my blog the sleek, polished showcase that it is. Thank you Polly for all that you do x

Oh, and let's not forget my thanks to all of the locals who cheerily add that special something as they photo-bomb us during our early morning shoots - thanks to another Kevin...

...and to Charlie who insists we capture his best side too.

This relaxed pose comes from knowing that dearest Polly will be doing her utmost to getting the best shot every time. Thank you Polly. Thank you too, to all who drift in and out of my life bringing such pleasure and rich memories. Until next time x

Jacket: Gap. Faux leather jeans: H&M. Polo neck: M&S (charity shop). Pink brogues: H&M. Handbag: charity shop. Silver rings: charity shop. Rose gold bangle: Kate Spade New York. Watch: Michael Kors. Sunglasses: Quay Australia.