Sightseeing in London

Hello, long time no see! I'm back from my jaunt to London, harbouring a scratchy throat which may be the price to pay for getting up close and personal with the crowds on the tube, but such is life. For our week in the city we were staying in a friend's flat in the Barbican; one of those right at the very top with a rooftop view (see it on my instagram here). Steve took these shots on our way back from breakfast one morning - eating out is a treat, but eating breakfast out every day seemed quite decadent. 

I have to say that I was really happy to have included the red boots in my last minute packing. I wore them four times in the course of the week which isn't bad going.

St James Park was looking very autumnal.

Buckingham Palace always draws the crowds - I'm surely not the only one who hopes to see the Queen peeping out to give us a little wave?

As we crossed Horse Guards Parade in the late afternoon sun I noticed that the London Eye wasn't so far away. I was heading there for one of my bloggers meet ups later in the week.

We finished our walkabout day at Trafalgar Square where we stopped to watch the street performers before taking in a movie at Leicester Square. 

Next day I'd arranged to meet up with fellow bloggers Ashley and Laurie outside Selfridges and while I was waiting I popped in for a little browse. The cafe in the basement was cake heaven!

And this is what happens when you put a clutch of bloggers together - lots of pointing cameras at each other!

In between all the photos we talked. And talked. And talked some more and most of it was about blogging. Ashley and Laurie both do a lot of work with brands so I was keen to hear how that ties in with their everyday life. It turned out I was the only one to be in full time employment and yet they are both so busy with family commitments as well as attending blogging events that we all seemed to be equally rushed off our feet. Our common mindset is very much of seize the day with everything that comes along. They met up for the first time during a project earlier on this year and their friendship has blossomed as they support each other on their blogging journey. They now host a joint link up - take a look here. Ashley's son was designated photographer for the day and did a great job.

My outfit details - jacket: Michael Kors, sweater: H&M, shirt: Sainsbury's, tights: H&M, skirt: Gap, boots: Primark, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Coming up on the blog on Monday is the monthly 5 Over 50 challenge of which Laurie is part. Later on next week I'll cover my second bloggers meet up along with some more London sights and stories. 

Laurie couldn't pass up this photo opportunity.

Anna x

I'm off to London!

Hello and cheerio! I'm off to the big smoke today, so the blog may be a tad quiet for the next 10 days. What does an island girl pack for a week in London? Well, take a look at my attempt at a capsule wardrobe.

I'm going to wear my big winter coat as I have a boat and train journey ahead of me and this woolly bear of a coat will help to keep me cosy. I'll add a wrap as a scarf to double up as a pillow for a few zzzz's on the way too. I may wear some trainers for the trip as the boat can be slippery underfoot, but the boots are essential for stepping out in style on the streets of London. The glitter boots are new and the heel is a perfect height for comfort (I'll show you a bit more of them later).

I'm packing this new red dress as it's wrinkle free and will be versatile enough for any evening out to the theatre or dinner, or both! The pink is a skirt, the only one I've chosen. I'm taking one pair of jeans, one pair of leggings and two pairs of trousers.

I've had this Desigual sweater for a couple of years and yet have only worn it once and think the time has come for another outing. Two fluffy jumpers are going in as well as the fur gilet.

Then there's a white shirt, a black shirt, a floral shirt, a mesh jacket, a patterned roll neck and a new lace top, as well as my fabulous studded jacket.

My red dress is crying out for the red sock boots (as seen here), but I'm terribly worried that the fabric would get marked, wet or whatever in the general skirmishing that goes on when you descend into the depths of the London Underground. Steve sees every trip to London as a huge adventure, most of which involves walking for miles (to get the real feel of the place) or hopping on and off the tube when we're dashing to the theatre. Sitting in the back of a cab, stuck in traffic is not his idea of an authentic experience! Red boots therefore, may have to stay home, or perhaps I can fit them into my wee black leather backpack for changing in situ? Ho hum, we'll see!

And here's the glitter boots as promised. They're from Primark and so blooming comfortable too! 

Those of you who know me well, will probably be chuckling at my capsule wardrobe; who's she trying to kid, you'll be saying. Yes, yes, of course I'm going shopping, and yes, yes of course I'll be itching to wear it all immediately, but at least I've got a full compliment of clothes in case I can't find anything new!

Outfit details - jacket: H&M (old), trousers and boots: Primark, tee shirt: pre-loved, necklace: Du Barre, watch: Michael Kors, sunglasses: Quay Australia, ring: pre-loved.

So that just about wraps it up. I hope to be posting on instagram while I'm away (wi-fi permitting) so do check it out here. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a photo of the birthday boy - today, the 23rd, is his actual birthday despite the celebrating that has been going on over the past few weeks. 

Looking great for 60 isn't he?

Anna x

We love... metallic raincoats!

If it's the 20th, then it's time for our monthly style challenge and this month Sasha and I are showcasing our new metallic raincoats. 

Sasha was the first to buy her copper hooded jacket which is functional as a raincoat and also fulfilled her love of metallics. It was in the New Look sale in September at £15. This one is out of stock, but we've found something equally pretty here.

I love all these warm tones together; the copper, gold, coral and peach all benefit from that tiny pop of turquoise; a great contrast.

While I was in Truro a few weeks later I came across this silver jacket in TK Maxx for £15 too. Did I copy her? - well of course I did! Sasha is probably my main influencer. I'm very happy to admit that this midlifer and her Millennial are #Bridging the Gap as part of the movement seeking to dissolve the barriers that society seeks to place between the generations. Fashion for all seems to be more appropriate now.

Sasha and I have no issues about crossing the fashion divide that used to exist between mothers and daughters. In my youth I wouldn't have dreamt of looking to my mother for fashion or style advice nor she to me, but things have changed, thank goodness. We happily shop together, taking each others advice on new colours and trends which we may not have tried without that extra input. I see myself as the new ageless generation that has evolved through the desire to access clothing that expresses individuality rather than collective years. We each have our own sense of style with the jacket being the overlap today. Sasha's uber feminine floral trousers with frilled hems teamed with the bronze/peach palette tell her story so well. As for me, well I've run with the metallic theme, the bare minimum of colour added by way these monochrome hues giving my own fashion statement a retro vibe. 

Sasha's outfit details - raincoat: New Look, jumper: H&M, trousers: TK Maxx, boots, Primark, sunglasses: Primark.

My outfit details - raincoat: TK Maxx, blouse: Sainsbury's, skirt: pre-loved (no label), boots: Primark, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Anna x

Time out

Sometimes life takes over, leaving me struggle to fulfil my blogging duties. That's how it's been of late. My darling husband isn't yet 60, but has already been partying for the past two weekends as he warms up for the main event on the 23rd. Blogging therefore has taken a back seat, but by way of apology I thought I'd share with you the latest celebrations.

We hired a local holiday home for the weekend to accommodate the large family gathering and the view wasn't half bad. The house is called Driftwood, has three bedrooms and lots of open plan space for eating and lounging about, which is exactly what we did. The garden is spacious and also has lots of outdoor seating.

The pack of balloons also said Happy Birthday, but we had a helium issue and a P went pop! I made up this montage of photos to cover some of Steve's 60 glorious years.

Gig rowing has been a lifelong passion for Steve, along with this love of the outdoors in general and trees in particular. His niece Zoe cleverly combined all of this into an amazing birthday cake that was truly a work of art.

It was lovely to have this family gathering. Jamie and Sasha worked hard to get everthing ready behind the scenes, keeping our party location a secret from Steve which made a great surprise for him.

Steve and Sasha are heading off to London tomorrow to continue the celebrations where I will join them on Tuesday. I'll be posting on instagram for the week I'm away with a big catch up on the blog when I return.

On Friday Sasha and I will be featuring another edition of "We love..." and it would be great if you could pop back to see what's our latest pleasure on the fashion front.

Anna x