The last Low Tide Event of 2019


Sunday the 1st of September was the last Low Tide Event on the Isles of Scilly and bang on cue, Mother Nature laid on some stonking weather for the epic day. As I sat at Timothy's Corner waiting for my friend Ann to arrive I watched with renewed amazement as the crowds gathered for this most unique of pop-up events.



The huge sandbar is subject to tide, being submerged under 6 meters of sea water which drains away twice a day. Spring and neap tides vary the depth of water and the biggest of tides create the opportunity for the bank of sand to be transformed into a playground for all to gather on and enjoy food, drink and music against this beautiful backdrop, but for only a couple of hours. The novelty of this makes it an exciting gathering as everyone mingles and meets with friends old and new.



Ann and Lucy having a chat to Melissa Hemsley of the famous Hemsley + Hemsley cooks.


Say cheese, er no, melon!


My son Jamie doing a piece to camera for an upcoming TV programme. 


The Island Fish Company took their boat to the customers on Sunday, serving fresh and cooked dishes to the hungry punters. Delicious it was too!


It's difficult to believe that in 5 hours this will all be under water again.


Jamie and I hanging out in the middle of nowhere.


Convict dog being named and shamed in public - poor thing! I think it's actually a sun suit to protect his fragile skin.


Girl power on the sandbar! There was some serious female bonding going on in the channel that day. It was so good to meet and mingle, to catch up with friends and to enjoy this end-of-term feeling after what has been a wonderful, but long hard summer. Work hard and play hard is what we say.


As the tide starts to flood the crowds begin to disperse. Another summer season draws to a close with this watery event marking the start of autumn on the Isles of Scilly. Happy days!

                                                                                             Anna x

Share:

Training day


The day after our last summer show, this was me, out in deep water in training for my big swim. My plan has been to crack the leg from New Grimsby around the North End of the island through Kettle Neck which is the bogeyman as far as I'm concerned. Kettle Rock is exposed, to a greater or lesser degree, according to the tide. Often it's not safe to pass through the neck of water as the tidal surge can lift a boat towards the rocks on either side with dangerous speed. If it can lift a boat, then of course it can easily wash a swimmer against the rocks too. 


This was my second attempt to swim this leg. It was Saturday morning and the tide was coming in, meaning I was swimming with the tide, giving me the best advantage possible. Much as the physical advantage was with me, mentally I was a bit wobbly. I much prefer swimming alongside the beaches as the they not only look pretty but offer an easy exit. Not that I would be exiting onto the rocks on these long swims as Steve accompanies me in our boat which has a set of steps for me to clamber onto if I need to. Still, this shoreline conjures up fear in my belly. Long distance sea swimming is similar to long distance running as it's all about having the right mindset. Some days that's easier than others.


Behind me is Cromwell's Castle, about halfway into my quest. I'd settled into my rhythm by then, breathing steadily and counting my rolling strokes in one yacht, two yachts, three yachts ... The counting helps to focus the mind, stopping that element of panic that takes me over when I consider being out here doing this crazy thing that is wild swimming. Feel the fear and do it anyway, never felt so real.



The end of the island is just coming into sight with Kettle Rock beyond when my trusty boatman made the call to take me out of the water. There was a ground sea on creating a tidal surge over the rocks, making it too risky for us to pass through this morning.


You can probably read the look of relief on my face. I wasn't sorry that Steve had made that call. It had been a lively swim so far and it was only going to get more so as I rounded through the neck. 


We turned tail and headed back home.


That afternoon I decided to walk the coastal path above where I'd swum. Seeing the stretch of water, imagining my strokes cutting through the water, counting my breath, one yacht, two yachts, three yachts ... 



The big black rock on the right, beyond the shore is Kettle Rock, my nemesis.


It was interesting to watch boats choose the outside line, avoiding Kettle Neck completely. These guys know what they're doing, and so does Steve having spent almost all his life here, messing about in boats, learning to read the sea, respecting the times to not even be on the water when it's too wild. If I'm to swim around the whole of Tresco then I need to leave the worrying to him.


The view looked picturesque, but when I was out there this morning, it felt anything but.


Less than 24 hours later and I was back in the water, making another attempt at rounding Kettle Rock. It was 7am as we left New Grimsby, the sun hidden by the clouds, the tide coming in, and the wind had dropped leaving the sea looking more like a calm lake. I felt completely different this time. "You can do this, you can do this, you can do this!" I'd repeated to my reflection as I was zipping up my wetsuit. The fear in my gut had been replaced by excitement and I was ready to give it another go.






With no waves to distract me, the swim became easy, the stroke a repetitive rocking, a meditative motion that calmed me, each action a gentle movement that was part of a rolling dance, each breath an exchange of inhale and exhale that happened mindlessly. This was flow.


As we rounded the end of the island, the swell of the Atlantic stole the calm waters introducing a lively aspect to the swim.


And then, without too much fuss or fanfare, I was suddenly through the Neck and out of the other side. Steve had shepherded me along the way, guiding me as I peered up from time to time, pointing me in the right direction. His face, alert yet calm, telling me it was safe. My success was a joint effort - we had done it! 



Now that I've achieved this leg, I feel much more optimistic about the round island challenge as a whole. Steve and I are looking at the tide chart to find the best day to plan our outing. The weather will play a big part too so we hope to find the perfect combination of wind and tide making this a feasible venture within the next few weeks. Wish me luck!

                                                                                       Anna x

Share:

Summer show 6


Hi, hello and welcome to the reprise of our final summer show at Gallery Tresco. The schedule of 6 exhibitions in 60 days is a huge undertaking, but a challenge I love none the less. Featured above is the attending artist Maggie O'Brien, who over the years has built herself a big following with our clients. Her painting above my right shoulder has been sold, but the star of the show had to be her large homage to the swallow, a lament at the decline of our bird population in general which is one of Maggie's passions. See the entire show here


Maggie and I are both putting our best foot forward in our frocks of the evening. Maggie is wearing her new dress by Whistles, not brown but snakeskin print she corrected. And me, I'm wearing a Monsoon gown (pre-loved) which of course, isn't beige, but vanilla. Whew, thank goodness we've got that all straight!


I bought the beautiful satin and chiffon dress from the Cancer Research shop in Truro when I was over there last month for my medical appointment. I'd walked past there in the evening when all the shops were closed and this was hanging against the door. I promised myself that I'd return the next morning and if it were less than £30 I'd buy it. It cost £18 and is worth every penny. The dry cleaning label was still stapled inside which itself had saved me about the same amount of money. Hurrah! You do know how I love a bargain.





It may not be the biggest swoosh factor of the summer, but this gorgeous gown certainly wins in the glamour stakes, don't you think?


I added my favourite oversized Debenhams pearls to the column dress for a bit of impact and two pre-loved rings in neutral tones. The sunglasses of the day are by Guess


The satin kitten heel shoes by Wallis must be vintage by now as I've had them for over 20 years. They've hardly been worn. The first outing they had was on a New Year's Eve party which nearly spoilt them for good. We walked home in the rain and it was only the next morning that I discovered that they were soiled with muddy splashes. Some gentle mopping and drying redeemed them and I wrapped them up in tissue in their box, put them into the top of the wardrobe and promptly forgot them. It was only earlier on this year that I rediscovered them. Their best feature has to be the pale green lozenge gemstone surrounded by smaller gems - another touch of glamour!


And here, as promised, is the dream team from that evening. From l to r, Duffy, yours truly, Polly and Hannah. The girls worked wonders on the Opening Night party, zipping back and forth with bottle after bottle, keeping the clients topped up with refreshments and canapes. Thank you ladies for the endless support this summer - I couldn't have done it without you!



As we say goodnight in the glow of the evening sun, I also had to say goodbye to Polly. My wonderful assistant of the past 5 years has moved to an office job on the island. Her admin skills will be put to very good use in Human Resources and she is looking forward to new challenges within this very different role. Her departure was sudden and without much notice; a complete surprise to me if the truth be known, but I don't begrudge her the new start and have wished her well on the next phase of her journey. In the meantime, I've been given part-time help to tide me over the last few months of the season (not quite enough to cover her full time support, but hey, such is life). I shall miss Polly's bright, enthusiastic input, her capacity for hard work, her ability to wrap a painting which defies all efforts by the courier service to trash it, and let's not forget her talents as my blog photographer. Thank you for everything and good luck Polly!


Anna x

Share:

Purple Reign, our Style Not Age challenge for August


Hello lovelies! Can you believe it's four weeks since we last did this? Anyway, welcome once more to our Style Not Age challenge which was set by Emma this month. And honestly, I found this a terrible one to do! I have so few summer clothes in purple. Purple is rich and sumptuous and velvety and brocade-y and oh-so-very-wintery to me. So what was my dear friend thinking of by setting us this now of all times? Emmaaaaaa!!!!!


At least I've managed to change my face from that quizzical look to feigning pleasure at this crazy quest. I'll talk you through the outfit in a mo, but let's see what the others make of it, shall we?


First to drop into my inbox was this stunning suit from Hilda of Over the Hilda. My heart sank at see how stylish purple could look. What can I say? She nailed it! Do pop over to her blog to get the full story of this gorgeous ensemble.


Next up was Mummabstylish's Jacqui who has this casual look taped. Purple suits her dark hair and complexion to a T. Such a cool look Jacqui - well done!


It's no surprise that Emma of Style Splash chose purple as this month's theme when she had this chic outfit lined up. Another great get up here Emma, full marks!


So, here's the truth about this outfit of mine. This is my only purple summer top currently; I picked it up in a charity shop earlier on this year. It's by Per Una and has that vintage vibe being stretch lace and reminds me of tops I used to wear many moons ago. 



My favourite piece of this outfit is without a doubt the fabulous Oxford bag style trousers by H&M in collaboration with William Morris. Read more about that here. I'm rather pleased that Vogue recommended these as one of the best pieces to buy. Not only that, but I picked them up in the January sales when I was staying with my sister in St Andrews in January.  St Andrews may be more famous for its University and golf course, but I found it very accessible for shopping, being neither too big nor too small and a great mix of high street shops like H&M plus a great selection of charity shops. I ended up posting three boxes of shopping home to myself! 


The pre-loved theme continues from the lace top, to the white leather belt through to the rings. My gold coloured bangle is made from brass and the brand is Almost Perfect. The gold chain necklace was a Primark extravagance at £3.99.


New sunglasses here today, by Superdry for a change. 


The perfect neutral summer sandal by Europen from TK Maxx. Soooo blooming comfortable and all day long wearable. Hurrah!



Steve and I were on Cradle Porth for today's photo shoot. The views behind capture the Isles of Scilly at the end of the day in high summer when the tourists have retreated leaving the islands to ourselves. This year we seem to have missed those end of day picnics that we used to do. Life has been particularly busy with more boat mending to do and also the two new additions to the family -


The two new puppies are from left to right Gilly and Brigg with our old timer Jack . Pink nosed Gilly belongs to Jamie and Brigg belongs to Sasha. Everyone has their hands full with all the basic training going on at the moment. I'm steering clear (not that I don't love them, but too many cooks...) as most of my spare time is being spent in the sea - but more of that another time.

I do hope you've enjoyed this month's challenge and please pop over to the other blogs if you get a moment. My next post will feature the final summer exhibition which took place on Friday. Do join me for that later on this week!

Until then, have a great week!

Anna x

Share:
Created by bo design