My staycation

I've had a week off work, a staycation, but one that was eventful with the departure of one Prime Minister and the arrival of another and of course, the shock of the sudden death of our beloved Queen Elizabeth II. As the drama of that day unfolded, I was at home watching the TV coverage with a sense of disbelief. Within 48 hours of seeing her welcoming Elizabeth Truss into Balmoral her Majesty had passed, leaving us reeling at the speed of her demise. The loss seems so personal to many of us, her benign reign one that has resulted in a groundswell of public mourning. As we are swept along with the pomp and ceremony of this change in the Monarchy the loss is felt globally.

Instead of the weekly work outfit, this is me in my casual wear as I had a walk out to King Charles Castle which overlooks the channel between Tresco and Bryher. These shots are from Monday when we had a huge spring tide of 6 metres which effectively drains the sea from this boating channel turning it into a swathe of sandbanks and pools that draw the intrepid holidaymakers (and locals) to cross from one island to the other. This pilgrimage occurs several times a year and sometimes is accompanied by a low tide event. In fact one was scheduled to take place on Sunday but was cancelled out of the respect to her Majesty.

As the inter-island crossings took place below me I captured a few shots of me in my downtime. No jewellery or smart shoes, simply the comfy cotton sweater ( a gift from my friend Tiggy) worn with these lightweight plisse trousers. This has been my casual wear for most of the summer, perfect for cycling to the beach for a swim or catching up at home. The shoes are uber comfy, bought in TK Maxx in the spring when I was on the mainland.

My only accessory of the day are these Radley sunglasses. If you've been on the island this summer then you'll probably have seen me dressed like this on my day off - it's almost become a weekend uniform. It's a welcome change for me to step back from my work finery and marks a different me from my work persona. On such a tiny island it's so vital to find some escape from who I am at work and the need for downtime is never more necessary than during our peak season. 

Apologies for the erratic nature of my posts over the past few months. My commitment to work has been draining leaving the rest of my life in tatters sometimes. The boat renovations still aren't complete and therefore there will be no off island picnics for us this year. My week at home has been truly restorative however. I've read, napped, deep cleaned some long overdue corners of my home and had some lovely sea swims too. And now am back at work for the final push of the season. Thank you so much for coming to visit, for your comments and for chatting to me via Instagram too. See my latest posts on Instagram here. 

See you again soon!

Anna x

Staycation

At this time of year my husband and I would normally be heading off on holiday somewhere, but this year I've opted to take the whole of February off to catch up at home. Steve is currently visiting friends on the mainland and at the end of the month will be helping our daughter move into a new flat in Truro. My month off will be filled with chores and downtime in what hopefully will be a restorative balance.

You may recognise my photographer's style today - Polly works nearby and I managed to hijack her on her lunch break. She's due to return to the gallery once again at the start of March, but in the meantime I'll be hoping to sidetrack her as often as I can.

Today's outfit was mostly found in charity shops at the latter end of last year. The dress, tights, boots and bag were all from those in Penzance or Truro which are my local stamping grounds while I'm away. The bag was brand new and is Italian made. The jacket was from Tesco in the pre-Christmas sale and my necklace was a Christmas present. My sunglasses are by Quay Australia and my rings are old.

I hope to get out and about this month, provided the weather permits, and showcase some island views. The boat service is still limited at this time of year, so I've no plans to island hop quite yet. In the meantime here's a couple of shots from the past week. 

This shot from my office window is untouched, without a filter, showing an eerie lilac light at the end of the day. As I walked to the shop it was like being on a film set. Awesome.

And this was just two days later, where common sense prevailed and I decided not to have my daily sea swim!

On the 2nd February plans were passed to reinstate the helicopter service between the UK mainland and the Isles of Scilly. For those of us living on the islands and for all the businesses and holiday makers this will greatly enhance our lives. This reinstatement of the helicopters will help to ensure a comprehensive travel service in and out of the islands. The windsock flies over the heliport once again with a real sense of purpose. 

Anna x