I found a lump...

Three weeks ago I discovered a lump on my neck and straight away I shall tell you that it's all fine, nothing to worry about. However, I didn't know that at the time and am afraid that my initial reaction (probably a common one, I'd say) was to immediately worry it might be cancer. I was seen by two different doctors locally and they agreed that it needed to be investigated quickly, putting me on the two week cancer pathway. Those two weeks were the longest of my life. One of them I spent in isolation as we had Covid on the island and I needed to provide a negative test in order to see the consultant on the day. I passed a lot of the time researching lumps and swellings of the throat and thyroid, as one would, and became quite informed about goitres, cysts and cancers, of which the survival rates vary from 100% down to 20% depending on the types and aggressive nature of the tumour. 

My appointment finally came round on Thursday last week. Steve flew across to the mainland with me as support, hanging around while I was in the hospital for 3 hours having tests and waiting, waiting, waiting. The lump was diagnosed as a benign cyst on the left lobe of the thyroid and for the moment needs no treatment. Our little family see this as cause for celebration. We had braced ourselves for the worst and of course hoped for the best. The moral of the tale is - please check yourself out for lumps or bumps regularly. I somehow had failed to see this growth despite taking endless photos for my blog and editing them to showcase necklaces and necklines of outfits. I also apply neck cream every night and can feel this lump now whereas it wasn't so prominent until recently. 

Anyway, as you would expect in a small island community, the news travelled fast and on my return from hospital I was greeted with warmth and affection. I've been touched by the kindness and genuine concern of co-workers and islanders in a way that I didn't expect. Life is all the sweeter.

And so, on to yesterday's work outfit. The trouser suit is a gorgeous coral shade of corduroy by Adidas which I bought quite some time ago. I've paired it with a new pale aqua shirt from TK Maxx - it won't come as any surprise that on getting the good news, I insisted on celebrating in the only way I know, to go shopping! I'd found an unused gift card at home with £200 credit on it and this seemed like the perfect time to spend it!

The two colours together are very spring-like and just right for the spell of fine weather we're experiencing at the moment. I do love a trouser suit for work as it's such a sharp business look and yet in this colourway it's so very feminine too. I did get a few compliments along the way.

However, we also encountered a few photo-bombers while Rachel and I were trying to do our photo shoot early in the morning...

Why, you'd think we were actually standing on the main road trying to take photos in the middle of the morning rush hour!

Ah, see that bright shiny orb in the sky...

I brought out this ornate (pre-loved) handbag from River Island to go with my brocade boots just to add another dimension to the look. As ever it's always more is more with me!

My necklace, rings and leather belt are all charity shop finds and my sunglasses are from Radley London.

It's great to be back to work and open to the public again for another year. We're all looking forward to a busy 6 months here on Tresco, welcoming our guests back to the island and functioning more and more as we did in those pre-Covid19 times. Please do pop in to say hi if you're in the vicinity!

                                                                            Anna x

The last weekend...

What last weekend? you may be asking. Well, the last weekend before we re-open for another season. On Friday the island of Tresco will be welcoming visitors once again, so this was my last weekend before I have to start dressing as the Gallery Manager. 

It was a weekend spent batch cooking for the freezer and also a time for catching up on those admin jobs you never really feel are important enough to make it to the top of the list - namely, getting in touch with every single company who sends me unsolicited brochures and flyers. I hate to see all that paper going to waste so I finally spent an hour contacted each and every one to politely ask them to remove me from their mailing list. It gave me a lovely sense of achievement.

I barely think this warrants being called the outfit of the day as it was an at home day, but Fiona kindly agreed to take some photos of this most casual weekend wear. Bejewelled jeans may not be everyone's idea of casual, but hey that's what they are in my book. They're rather old now, but I fancy I bought them at TK Maxx many moons ago. 

The addition of a couple of (pre-loved) knuckle-duster rings did lend a bit of dressing up to the whole affair though.

And the blue animal print sweater is also old, again from TK Maxx. 

The pale pink floral trainers are by Replay, and yes, were another happy find in TK Maxx. 

The white soles are flecked with silver glitter, surely a great reason to buy them!

Every time I wear this fabulous vintage coat it reminds me of Sicily and the wonderful cruise Steve and I went on 6 years ago. If you're new to the blog you can hop back to see that post here. Ah, happy days!

I'm not sure when Steve and I will venture off for another big holiday like that again. This summer we'll be quite content bobbing off in our little motor boat to picnic on the Eastern Isles and swim on our favourite deserted beaches. 

                                                                                                  Anna x

If I Were a Handbag, our Style Not Age challenge for February

Hello and welcome our monthly style challenge! I'll 'fess up straight away - yes the subject was my choice this month. For those who know me, you'll agree that my featured handbag is a good reflection of my character - fluffy on one side and smooth on the other, and exceedingly bright and colourful. I have a scatty fun side away from work, but also a smooth, glossy business side which is how I see myself at work. So how do my fashionista friends see themselves...?

Jacqui's offering for the challenge is this compact satchel bag with ornate front. Not sure what this says about her, but it's a super practical bag. See more from Jacqui on Mummabstylish.

Gail is showcasing a red bowling bag which was a Christmas present. The compact, sleek style ties in with her elegant outfit. Find all of the details on her blog Is This Mutton? 

Hilda's choice is a bright green tote borrowed from a local boutique. The bag is big enough to carry a laptop, in a burst of colour from a local designer. See her back story on Over the Hilda blog. 

Emma's handbag is a funky colourful piece by Angel Jackson which has inspired a lovely mix of colours in her outfit. Read all about it on The Style Splash.

My dear friend Ben found this fabulous multicoloured bag in a market on his travels and immediately thought of me - wild and colourful! I was thrilled to receive such an individual piece to add to my handbag collection. It's been my go-to bag for the past month, inspiring various colourful outfits for my working day. 

The fringed side of the bag is a glorious fuzzy, tufted aspect of this oversized handbag. 

As for the outfit of the day - the leather coat is by Next, a charity shop purchase for £20, trousers are from Topshop (ah, the good ol' days!), turtle neck from Primark, shoes and glitter socks from TK Maxx - none of this is new. 

The ring gold coloured ring is pre-loved and the chunky silver and gold etched In Heaven on Earth ring is by Diana Porter. The mustard gloves are from TK Maxx.

The mustard hues continue with my Quay Australia sunglasses.

So how did we all fare with this month's challenge? I do hope you enjoyed it. I loved the opportunity to show you this glorious bag again and would like to think there may be some inspiration within today's feature for everyone. 

Sending love to you all and I do hope that you're safe. Take care!

                                                                                                Anna x

My pretty new Zara blouse

Hello again! How was your weekend? Mine seemed to go past in a bit of a blur of cooking, cleaning and yes, dejunking. The boxes are mounting up as I clear out cupboard after cupboard, moving out anything that's not useful, beautiful or loved by us. Even poor Steve was involved as I attacked his guilty area of workwear calling on him to help cull his large, but very tired, collection of checked shirts of which there seemed to be many. We're still in the midst of the job, barely half way through the entire house, but as they say, out of chaos comes order!

So, this is my new blouse, a birthday present from my friend Bo who lives in Portugal. It's from Zara, but I can't find it online here. The fabric is lightweight and will be wonderful to wear in the summer (I'm imagining it with white jeans and sandals), but I was so impatient to try it on then decided to winterise it with my pre-loved Ralph Lauren fairisle vest.

I teamed up the blouse with my ochre Kate trousers from J D Williams - see them here on sale now. I love the fit of these slim trousers mainly because of the stretch which makes them super comfy. This is the first time I've worn them despite having them for years - yes, I really mean years. It's only due to the big clear out that I rediscovered them, still with tags on, and decided to try them on. How fab is that to find a great new pair of trousers hidden away? And doubly fab when they match my new blouse perfectly!

My pre-loved perspex rings pick out some of the colours in today's outfit adding to the pattern play too. Dark green pearls and Quay Austalia sunglasses complete the accessories.

Russet platform boots give a bit more leg-lengthening height to the look which is never a bad thing. These are very old indeed and were from Office.

And just to add a bit more pattern to the mix, I wore my Joe Brown's woolen 3/4 length jacket. This one is out of stock now, but I did find another cute jacket - see here.  The lining is a wonderful bit of pattern play too!

It seems that here in the UK we'll all be hunkering down for the rest of the week as we have two gales lining up to give us a bit of a battering. I'd planned to get some outdoor photos taken on the beach at the weekend, but I'll maybe have to come up a plan B just in case. Do take care, wherever you are and thanks for dropping by!

                                                                            Anna x

More fun, in a gilet this week!

Hello lovelies! How has your week been? Are you working from home and if so, is it all about leisure wear again? For me it's another working outfit here this week, and yes, I'm still making the most of my fun furs. I've had this fur gilet for some years now and must admit I do find it a challenge to wear as it's so boxy. That said, I think it's simply impossible to wear a layer of fur of any sort without adding inches to the torso! So I need to get over it don't I?

The gilet (TK Maxx, old) wasn't what inspired this ensemble however, it was actually these rather fab checked trousers. They're hand-me-downs from my eldest sister - the brand is House of Bruar. Sandra is a big lover of charity shopping and found these stylish trousers some years ago, only recently passing them on to me. When they arrived in the middle of the Christmas festivities I couldn't quite squeeze into them, but after a week or two of restraint and sea swimming I've slipped into them a bit more easily. 

I do love the chance to create some different outfits when I've got a new addition to my wardrobe and this was a great bonus in the middle of Christmas. The tartan (M&S) boots called out to me immediately and I couldn't wait to get going, finding the right colours to compliment the look. The gilet was the next thing that came to mind and yes, I'm thrilled with this as an outfit. 

The tartan boots were from M&S a few years ago, but I still love them to bits. Could that be just because of my Scottish heritage? Goodness knows!

The simple ribbed roll neck sweater is old, a purchase from Primark a few years ago. I do wonder if our wardrobes/closets like so many other things will be defined as pre and post Covid19, in which case this is pre-covid. I bought a few of these in different colours and am impressed how they have retained their shape and colour despite much washing and wearing.

Nothing new jewellery-wise. The green pearls are real and are long term favourites of mine. The heart pendant is a good ploy for elongating the body, drawing the eyes downwards. Sunglasses are by Radley and rings are both quite old.

This (morning) shot shows the colours up a bit better. I spent the day at work, popping out from time to time in between passing traffic taking a few photos as the clouds dispersed then gathered, leaving me dodging in and out like one of those crazy old weather vanes. Do you know what I mean - that old lady and man who used to take turns popping out according to the weather? Anyway, this was a photo-shoot of two halves, ending with the glorious glimpses of sunset as it dropped behind the clouds. 

This is the view from my office and from the Gallery shop floor. I never tire of it. The endless light-shows from morning til night, the sunsets and shifting tides all go to make the most perfect of settings. I am a very lucky bunny indeed!

                                                                                         Anna x