Wedges and windy weather

It's a rare day on the island when we are becalmed, therefore you just have to make the most of the almost constant breeze/wind/gale. Polly and I wanted to capture these fab culottes in full sail and that's pretty much what happened. The lively photo shoot took place on the beach just below the gallery where we work and will be a familiar backdrop to my regular readers and those of you who have been lucky enough to visit the wonderful Isles of Scilly. New Grimsby bay is the location and is the main docking point for day trippers to arrive on the boats from all the other islands. Cruise ships tend to use the quay at the other end of the island, Carn Near, if the tide is low enough as that is nearer to the Abbey Garden, the highlight of their visit to Scilly. I've got some lovely shots coming up later of a couple of large ships moored up at the end of the beach where I take my daily swim.

These culottes are so easy to wear as well as being functional for work. Climbing ladders, nipping up and down the stairs, hopping onto my bike to go on errands can all be achieved without the same concerns a skirt might cause. Apart from that, I think they are blooming lovely! I've added this lace, pistachio peplum top to give a bit of femininity along with these sky high wedges. I've worn these a few times on the blog before and will repeat that although they look really high and might look like they are crazy to walk on, they're not. The slope on the front edge means you roll along smoothly despite the height of them. The culottes are from Topshop, lace top from H&M, shoes are from New Look, vest top is from Primark. My necklace was from Debenhams a couple of years ago, yellow ring is by Martin James, sparkle ring was from East, and this wonderful gold nail polish is Oil Slick by Accessorize. Apologies for not supplying any links to these items today, but they are all to old too show anything similar within these brands.

Linking with

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Cherie of Style Nudge

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

The gorgeous sweep of Pentle Bay is one of the treats awaiting the cruise ship visitors today. Despite it being the middle of July there are only a handful of people on the beach.

This scattering of islands in the distance are the Eastern Isles which are all uninhabited outcrops and mini islands, perfect for picnics and isolation.

This is the view of Pentle Bay in the other direction. Notice the isolated shower over the far end of St Martin's while the near end still enjoys the sunshine. This clump of cloud is heading towards mainland UK - next stop Land's End.

Looking towards St Helen's on the right and Northwethel island on the left - both are uninhabited and are idyllic escapes for those with their own boat.

The Old Blockhouse castle. Read about this island defence here.

This final view is across Old Grimsby bay. I hope you've enjoyed this quick sweep around the island - to find out more about where I live click here. I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Anna x

A fiesta of colours

After my all in black look from the other day (see here) I thought I'd revert to my default setting of glorious, technicolour. Another wonderful day of sunshine prompted me to bring out this bright mix of colours by way of these floral wide legged trousers and orange vest, topped by this pink lace top. Cheery colours = cheery mood. 

I like this crazy shot where the wind is behind me and my legs look totally like one of those bendy toys!

I found these beautiful silk trousers in a charity shop about three years ago and this is probably their third outing. The pink top was also a charity shop find bought only recently from April's shopping spree (see here) and was an absolute bargain for 99p. The orange vest top underneath (charity shop again) was a bit of a masterstroke I thought, tying the whole look together beautifully. The black sandals from New Look were featured just the other day, and although I have other wedges that I could have worn, these are remarkably comfortable as well as going so well with the black of the trousers. The orange necklace is old, the pink perspex ring and pink bangle were both gifts, and the pink and silver ring was from a charity shop, as was the sweet handbag. Sunglasses are from Quay Australia and my gorgeous watch is by Michael Kors.

So here we are on the cusp of the weekend, with that little bubble of excitement building as we look forward to some down time over the next couple of days. For some of you that may mean family time which it does for me too as my daughter is coming home for 10 days holiday. Others may be heading off for some retail therapy (I'm only slightly envious) or maybe you're heading off for the beach now that summer is showing some level of predictability. Whatever you're up to this weekend, I ask you to take a moment to stop and focus on where you are, who you're with and what you're doing. In a world where we are so busy, it's important to focus on the special moments, to value them and lock them away in your memory bank. What I don't mean is take a series of selfies where you become so absorbed in that moment that the real moment is lost. When you find yourself enjoying a particular sight or emotion, switch on your inner recorder to capture that moment internally so that you may draw on it at any time, anywhere for the rest of your life. Be in the moment, as often as you can, be present in your own life, not a spectator in someone else's. This being present is otherwise known as mindfulness, a buzzword currently. It deserves more than just a passing reference, but that will have to wait for another day. Enjoy your weekend and I hope you'll swing by again on Sunday.

Linking with 

Lucy of Fashion Should Be Fun 

Anna x