Yay! This is 60!

Yes, here I am, jumping for joy as it's my 60th birthday today. I had no idea what 60 would look and feel like for me, but it's turned out fine. 

40 years ago I came to this beautiful little island for a summer job, as a chambermaid no less, a job that I'd never done before. Within two weeks I had met and fallen in love with my husband-to-be, changing my life completely. I was a college dropout, having given up on the oh-so-wonderful career path of high-flyer interpreter who had her sights set on working for the World Health Organisation in Brussels, earning big money to prove how terribly clever she was. 

Instead, at 18 experiencing my first time away from home, in damp digs with no friends, I crumbled with dreadful homesickness, pining for boyfriend and home resulting in me giving up on my dream without so much as a fight. My parents swallowed down their bitter disappointment. Two years later, and my resolve was no stronger when life as a bank teller left me downhearted and desperate for change. Overnight I upped sticks with my bank teller friend and we headed South. My story from there can be heard online here where I share my adventure with Johnnie Walker on his radio programme, Sounds of the 70's.

Escaping from the cold North of Scotland was like a rebirth giving me the chance to start afresh. Living on a tiny island, one mile by two, with no retail therapy, no cinema, one pub, one hotel and one grocery store may not sound like much of a life, but for me, it was ample. Maybe I'm just a small town girl an island girl at heart. I needed boundaries, needed life to be simple, and it was. Picnics on the beach, catching shrimps for tea, bobbing about in our little boat, Friday nights watching Steve row in the gig races, late night parties singing sea shanties with friends, family gatherings to welcome yet another new niece or nephew into the fold - yes this was indeed enough.

Seven years on and that once scatty chambermaid had become assistant housekeeper with a host of practical skills that she could apply to running a pristine home for her, now, husband. Four years later and Sasha was born, followed by Jamie a couple of years after that. All pretty ordinary stuff. And ordinary is just what I loved; the husband, the kids, the routine, the security.

And then at 40 I started working at the gallery once the children were both at school. I recall thinking "Life really does begin at 40" as it was a whole new world for me, being surrounded by the wealth of creativity - I was in my element! My grandfather and father were both amateur artists: this path was one I had thought I might follow too. As a teenager I had gained "O" level art at school and my teacher encouraged me to take it further, but no, I had bigger plans...

Now, 20 years on, I'm manager of the gallery and have found my niche in the world of fashion blogging, fulfilling my creative desires. If this all reads as a perfect fairy tale, then don't be fooled; as a family we've had our ups and downs, but that's normal isn't it? 

Outfit details - dungarees: Primark, denim shirt: H&M (pre-loved), jacket: H&M (pre-loved), shoes: TK Maxx, socks: gift, rings: Sainsbury's, necklace: Sasha's (borrowed), sunglasses: Quay Australia. (The photo shoot isn't from today - I had the foresight to do this in advance while the weather was good. Today is blowing a howling gale with winds of about 50mph!)

Saturday promises to be a big day as family and friends rally around to help me celebrate this significant birthday with an ABBA party. Hopefully all the fancy dress parcels will have been delivered in time, and the platform boots and wigs will be fit for purpose. My first attempt at buying a wig ended up being clown red rather than the auburn that I expected! The second one (blonde), made me look like one of the Witches of Eastwick. The third is very reminiscent of how my hair looked when I first arrived here in 1978. I hope to publish a post on Sunday or maybe Monday at the latest sharing some party outfits.

How very young we were!

Anna x

Brogue love

Winter can surely be no better time to show you some brogue love. These beauties are from Office and must be about two years old, but are still in great condition. I clean, polish and buff my shoes before storing them in the box which helps to keep them ship shape until next time. (Does that make me goody-two shoes or just OCD?)

I've dragged these photos out of my draftbox, where they've languished for months. This may have been the last photo shoot Polly and I did together before she took her leave for another winter. And now it's just a matter of six weeks until she'll be back in my employ - hooray! Of course I see her all the time - she's working just along the road in the local grocery shop - but it will be lovely to have her in the gallery, buzzing about, getting things ready for another season.

The Michael Kors jacket isn't new either and yet really came into its own when I was in London recently. In fact, there seemed to be a bit of a trend with these studded and even pearl adorned jackets, although mine was bought two years ago. Good 'ol MK was surely the trendsetter and it's taken two years to catch up with him!

The skirt and blouse are both pre-loved; the skirt from Primark, the blouse from H&M, rings are also pre-loved, Tiffany silver necklace was a find in a charity shop in Ireland, tights are very old and sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

Black, red and grey are the simplest of combinations to play around with. I have a red tartan skirt that I could have swapped in, replacing the tights with a plain black pair and still have the same visually interesting outfit. Another combo could be my red sweater and leather pencil skirt with the tartan tights, but maybe that would need some high heels to balance things out. 

And sure, I really just ought to have shown you all of these permutations, but that would have required some forward planning and to be perfectly honest, I'm just flying by the seat of my pants at the moment. So much so, that if the weather doesn't sort it self out at the weekend, I'll be delving even deeper into my draft box to find something else to amuse you.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with some brogue love. These ones are pewter, but Office have the black version on sale now - here, so go! Hurry, before you miss them!

Anna x

My diy trousers

Hello again and how are you? I've just been released from the spell cast by Game of Thrones. Steve and I have been held captive since Monday when series seven was screened on tv. We've binge-watched the entire seven episodes and here I am, spat out and feeling a tad frustrated that it'll be another year 'til the final series will hit our screens. Are you a fan? We held out for some time, poo-pooing the fanciful notion of dragons, bloody battles and resulting gore, but once we started we were hooked and have raced through the entire box set in a matter of weeks. (Yes, my fellow bloggers, that's where I've been, when I ought to have been visiting you.)

Anyway, on to the topic of the day, aka my diy beading on these velvet trousers. They were a charity shop bargain at £1 but never quite inspired me. Too long and too boring in their original form, I was suddenly taken with the idea of perking them up one weekend. Last month I was struggling with the mightiest of toothaches and the sewing project was absorbing enough to take my mind off things. See the before elements of the project here.

The sewing was all done by hand, in the smallest of schoolgirl stitches that I could manage and was a lovely challenge. I have these odd times when sewing takes my fancy and realise I have to make the most of it, as I know the phase will soon pass for months on end. I've still not finished reupholstering my sofa cushions and now live with the entire sofa covered up under a throw to disguise the jumbled mess lurking below. 

So here we have the finished article and I'm rather pleased with them if I may say so myself. The beading gives the trouser hems a beautiful weighty swish that makes these culottes feel like the Rolls Royce of trousers now. I love that they're unique and might even pass as designer...?

Styling them up wasn't too troublesome once I'd rediscovered these pink glitter pumps. That led me onto the hunt for my blue bejewelled glittery belt - in my belt box under the bed, surprisingly enough. Playing up the details, I was pleased to add the pleated cuffed blouse as well as pink glitter nail polish. Understatement is not the look I'm going for.

I bought the blue velvet clutch in a little boutique in Truro just before Christmas. The best part of it has to be the rose gold clasp and trim. At the time of buying I had great intentions of pairing it up with my rose gold heart pendant, but that will have to be for next time. 

This necklace was a Christmas present from a girlfriend and is sparkly too, but doesn't show up very well in the bright sunlight. The rings and shoes are pre-loved, sunglasses by Quay Australia, blouse from Sainsbury's and biker jacket by Toxic. 

In a couple of weeks, I'm going to be celebrating my 60th birthday with an island party. But not just any old party, that'll be an ABBA party! My favourite movie of all time has to be Mamma Mia. So, the invitations are posted and the feedback good, with lots of talk of catsuits, platforms and wigs being ordered, and that's just the men! The more resourceful are recycling their disco outfits from the 80's, but no matter where it all comes from, as long as it comes together I'll be happy. Some of my nearest and dearest are dragging their (non-platformed) feet so may need a bit of help from me - what colour of satin shirt would suit my husband best, I wonder? Rest assured I'll be putting a post together of my ensemble as well as any incriminating evidence I can gather on the night - I fancy the fashion police might be out in force!

In the meantime, I'll say adieu and wish you well until we meet next time. Take care! 

Anna x

Leather and fur

Hello again! How are you settling into 2018? Made any New Year's resolutions? I've not. All too often I set my sights on new goals and promises of improvements and then feel bad when they peter out after a few weeks. 

This year I'm taking a new approach to life. Gratitude is the way forward I've decided. We're constantly bombarded with images on TV and social media telling us what we need and how we ought to look to achieve happiness which, in my opinion, only causes us to feel disgruntled with our lot. Instead, I'm counting my blessings for all that I have.

What do you see? A crazy Scottish woman? Or a joyful soul who has started her day with a positive activity that enhances her well being? After my swim I always take a moment to give thanks for the opportunity to swim safely, to reconnect with nature and revel in the sights and sounds of the big outdoors. Never do I feel more alive than at this moment.

This was the view from my kitchen window just a day later...

It's almost a year since I bought these leather trousers (from TK Maxx) and yet I've only worn them a couple of times. I suppose green leather joggers (yes, real leather) aren't that easy to slip into the everyday.

I've been so keen to feature my new sock boots, but have been finding it difficult to put the right outfit together. Every time I came to do the photo shoot, my perfect pair of jeans seemed to be in the wash. I must speak to the maid about that. Anyway, these joggers were my next item of choice.

One thing that does seem to be an everyday item for me at this time of year is the turtle or polo neck sweater. I always feel chilly, (maybe something to do with that cold swim in the morning?) and rely on a high neck jumper to keep me cosy. I came across this version in Primark and proceeded to buy the same one in grey and black too. Primark is brilliant for basics like this.

The little fur gilet is a hand-me-down from my daughter and is the ideal length for this get up. I'm wearing my much loved Vivienne Westwood pendant (a gift from my husband) and the rings are both charity shop finds.

The fur coat was another TK Maxx find, by The Boutique Collection and has been a wonderful addition to my winter wardrobe. My thanks must go to my dear friend Ann who encouraged me to try this on when we were shopping together in London in October. She spotted it while we were browsing the aisles in TK and insisted I try it on. I had my eye on a huge furry coat in baby blue, but it was very over sized and just swamped me. Ann prompted me to try the green, "So your colour!" and she was right. I love it and can see it will be a Christmastime favourite from here on.

I recently read about the gratitude jar; you write one blessing from your day and pop it inside. The best part of this is to have it to call upon when you're feeling low and need a reminder of all of the joys in your life. A simple but effective way to give yourself a lift. 

Best wishes until next time!

Anna x

My 2017 highlights

January 2017 and my birthday photo shoot was achieved with tripod, camera and 10 second timer. The day was pretty perfect for this time of year and the setting not too shabby either.

February, and if I could time travel, this version of me would be overlooking the birthday girl below. Blockhouse Castle sits just above that pretty little stretch of beach. Taken again with my timer etc, I felt very proud of the fact that the wild weather didn't defeat my photo shoot, nor was I put off when an out-of-season and thoroughly unexpected holiday maker happened upon me as I sat on the castle steps to change out of wellie boots and into leopard print courts. Not sure who was the most surprised, he or I!

March, and certainly not my most glamorous shot of the year, but one that makes me proud of my sea swimming escapades throughout the winter and into the rest of the year. I love the flushed, ruddy skin that accompanies the wonderful afterglow of my icy cold dip. There's no better way to start the day and once this is done, I pretty much feel I can conquer the world.

April, and this is a bit more in keeping with the glamorous image I like to portray, hehehe! The first exhibition of the season means the start of proper dressing up. This beautifully ornate Italian gown was a charity shop find, causing me immense pleasure indeed.

May, and one of the most joyful of photos - the result of a lovely fresh sea breeze that played havoc with my flimsy skirt. Thank goodness for the fulsome petticoat that protected my dignity! This post celebrated two years of blogging.

June, and the time my husband and I took the afternoon off work as the weather was just too good to miss. We tootled off in our little motor boat to Samson, the nearest uninhabited island and enjoyed our castaway picnic. I posted this photo on Instagram where it was spotted by a PR agency who then approached me to appear in a local campaign to advertise the islands. I kinda like the fact that on this particular day I had decided that I wanted to embrace every opportunity that the blog might present.

July, and the height of the summer means one exhibition every ten days for me and my staff. We all seem to thrive on the adrenlin rush that propels us forward during these crazy, hectic summer weeks. And of course, I revel in the need to find new show outfits almost every week!

August, and another beach day (a bit of a theme going on here, don't you think?). It was my day off and I took advantage of the very low tide and did an inter-island walk between Tresco and Bryher. Despite looking on my ownsome, it was a wonderfully social event with lots of locals and holiday makers taking part in the pilgrimage too.

September, and this was the post where I was featured with Johnnie Walker on his Sounds of the 70's show. A terrifying idea beforehand, but on listening to it, my lovely husband declared it was a great collection of our memories. It was a huge honour and one I'll never forget. Dearest Johnnie, thank you!

October, and I was in London meeting up with some blogging friends as well as helping my husband celebrate his 60th birthday. We had a hectic time, fitting in as much as we possibly could. 

November, and the long awaited images arrived and I could finally post the feature about my summer shoot on Samson for the Island Partnership. I loved the whole thing, even though it was quite funny trying to do yoga on the silky smooth sand as well as having a (sometimes vocal) audience to contend with. Another memorable day of the year for me.

December, and this one didn't make the cut for the blog, but maybe should have. I don't have green fingers and unfortunately the Poinsettia no longer looks quite as healthy as this. Over-watering, under-watering, too hot, too cold - who knows? And if you do, please tell me what this darling plant needs to survive.

It's been a great year, one full of work, play, family life, shopping trips and swimming too. It gives me such a thrill to see the readership of the blog grow and know that you're out there sharing in my island life. I love to hear from you with your comments, so do drop me a line if something strikes a chord with you . My "Suggested by..." feature seems to have dried up, but if you have a favourite item of clothing you'd like to see again, then please feel free to send me an email or pop it into the comment box and I'll style it up for you to see once more. Thanks so much for joining me over the past year and I look forward to catching up with you again soon.

Anna x

My Christmas detox

Before we go any further let me clarify that the detox was in fact a digital one rather than a food one. My gift to myself over the Christmas period was to take a step back from all things digital. No mobile phone, no Instagram, no blog, no emails - I called a truce with all the digital hungry mouths and stepped back into reality. And it was just like a little holiday.

And here I am, batteries recharged and so very pleased to be back with you again. This was my Christmas Day outfit in festive red and green. The fur coat has proved to be my go-to coat over the Christmas period. It's cuddly soft and has earned me lots of strokes as it's just like a soft teddy bear.

I showed you this dress previously as it came from Zara in my Black Friday splurge. In complete contrast to all of my glittery and sparkly Christmas clothes, I decided dress that this simple shift dress was just what I needed for the day. The feather trim lifts the dress from being too simple, however, as well as giving an element of fun to the overall look.

The other great thing about this dress is the fact that once again, my fabulous red boots come into their own. I may be accused of overkill with these, but hey, shoot me.

All of my jewellery is pre-loved, apart from my Vivienne Westwood pendant. The silver nail polish is called "Pedal to the metal" by Rita Ora.

My regular readers may have noticed the new grey/red/checked theme that seems to have cropped up in my clothes recently. Goodness knows how this has come about, but it's a new found delight for me.

The local pub, The New Inn, very kindly dressed their window in time for all of my Christmas photo shoots, so I really have to thank them for giving me the prettiest of backdrops. 

I do hope you've had a lovely Christmas with plenty downtime as well as fun time. There will be a New Year's Eve party at the pub as is the tradition here on the island, but I'm not sure if Steve and I will be going. We've suddenly hit on the pleasure of the box set and are working our way through Game of Thrones in readiness for the next set (out on the 8th of Jan). What are your plans for NYE? Are you heading out to a party or snuggling up in front of the fire with a movie and a bottle of bubbly? Whatever, I wish you a very Happy New Year!

Anna x