Blue Monday post

Hi there! Thanks for swinging by again. I'm posting on Blue Monday, allegedly the most depressing day of the year as we're all supposed to be in a full post-Christmas slump, but hopefully it's not been too much of a trial for you. This year it's on the 15th of January which is my daughter's birthday (she's 35). We met up with Sasha yesterday to have brunch with her in one of the Seagarden Cottages where she's enjoying a few days of luxury as a gift to herself. I dodged outside to take a few shots of my outfit, but couldn't find the right spot either out of the sun (too bright)... 

...or in the shade (too dark). The view was pretty spectacular though!

I've been itching to wear this wonderful waterfall tulle skirt since I bought it recently on Vinted. I can hardly bear to tell you how much it cost. What do you think? Would you believe that even though it's brand new it only cost £5? Honestly! The rest of the outfit is from my wardrobe, nothing new. The waistcoat is years old and may not ever have been shown on the blog, but do tell me if I'm wrong. The blouse is ancient, was a charity shop buy from years ago, boots are from ASOS, sunglasses are from Quay Australia and cream tights are very old indeed.

Later on I swapped the waistcoat for this fitted jacket (very old). I really like this look; the yellow tweed jacket has a gold fleck to it and works so well with the soft fluid nature of the tulle and chiffon. The chunky boots toughen the look up without being too overpowering.

The broad tan leather belt is another way to add an accent without it becoming too much of a focal point. For me this outfit is all about the skirt, so hopefully the balance with the other pieces works to allow the tulle to remain at centre stage.

Nothing new with these citrine rings - I've had them for years now - they were gifted to me as part of a collaboration with Gemporia way back in  2017 (see here).

No doubt you'll see this skirt again and again and again this year. It's an obvious piece for summerwear, but I so wanted to try to winterise it successfully and think I did. Do you agree? I actually wore my cream cow print fur coat over the top of this as it was so chilly - sorry I forgot to get shots of that but we were running late. It's great to have your company again - many thanks and have a great week!

                                                                                         Anna x

Dressing up in December

Regardless of the month I'm always prone to a bit of dressing up, so December is no different I suppose. Fur coats are my coat of choice this month and this one, full length and luxurious, is my favourite. It's been hanging behind my bedroom door for weeks waiting for the opportunity to come out to play. Last weekend we had a glorious dry day (for a change) and by the time I had found my photo spot the sun came blasting down too. It was a scorching day for this time of year and an absolute bonus too.

The cream and mocca cow print coat was from River Island, bought by the family for my birthday almost a year ago. I'm not a huge fan of winter, but the upside is to get the chance to wear this fabulous coat again. 

I've opted for a neutral palette for the overall look which is very different for me isn't it? But this kind of neutral works thanks to the glamorous combination of fur and lace. I've shopped my closet for the whole look: lace body and trousers from Zara and boots from Asos.

Nothing new with my jewellery either. The rings are both charity shopped, necklace from Primark and sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

The pleather paperbag trousers are a lovely easy to wear fit thanks to the elasticated waistband. Pockets too make for an ultra casual look.

So, how has your weekend been? I've been busy at home mostly with cooking for the freezer. At this time of year I like to catch up on batch cooking so that I have meals ready to microwave at the end of the working day. Lighting the fire as I come home from work and having a homemade meal ready for Steve makes me feel that I'm making his day more comfortable. I've had a couple of sea swims too, which were good but challenging too due to the recent drop in air temperature. The sea doesn't seem to change much from day to day, but we had a cool Easterly wind blowing on Saturday morning which did make for brisk dressing when I got out of the water. Tomorrow's plan is for another morning swim and then to catch up on some housework and hopefully to get some online Christmas shopping done. Wish me luck!

                                                                                           Anna x

High heeled wellies?

Hello my lovely readers and welcome!

Yes, you did read correctly - high heeled wellies. What on earth? As you know I'm not one to hold with the rules of fashion and today I thought I'd share an outfit that reflects a different aspect of my island life. Jeans and jumper were the practical choice for a day of moving and crating art, but add to that the annoying mixture of weather - sunshine and showers with puddles underfoot and downpours suddenly appearing from nowhere - and you end up with me wearing a crazy combination of everything from sunglasses to wellies. 

So yes, this is what I stomp about in on these blustery winter days. The metallic raincoat (Tokyo Laundry) came from TK Maxx and is as waterproof as any wet gear I've ever owned. The purple jeans were preloved and from Gap.

And here they are, my high heeled wellies! I'll be honest with you, I didn't go searching for these. No, they found me. I was on holiday in St Andrews in January when I came across them in a charity shop. I decided to wait and think about them overnight. On telling my sister she informed me that they'd surely be gone by the next morning, a size 6, in great condition and only £6. I took great pleasure in assuring her that no, I'm the only woman this side of the border who would even consider buying them!

My fluffy pink sweater is by Wild Flower and the wellies have no brand name at all.

And just to prove my point about the mixed weather, half way through out photo shoot Fiona and I got caught in a shower. Cue my tartan brolly to the rescue. This has to be my most fashion faux-pas post ever! But hey, I don't care. This was indeed the outfit of the day and you can make of it what you will.

The silver and black rings make great partners even though they come from different sources, one of which was a charity shop. And my old faithful sunglasses are from Quay Australia.

Don't you just love the fickleness of the Great British weather? Dazzling sunshine between blustery showers. Oh what fun!

                                                                                  Anna x