When the swimming is wild!

What a difference a couple of weeks makes! Two weeks ago I was skipping about on Ganilly sandbar, barefoot and shimmering in my sequinned mermaid coat in the September sunshine and now Storm Alex is blasting through the Isles of Scilly with a vengeance. This wintery backdrop is however, perfect for my latest fitness push.

White horses in the channel would normally have me turn my bike around and head off to the opposite side of the island in search of calmer waters out of the prevailing wind. But recently I've reviewed my fitness regime and have found myself lacking. I've been in this comfort zone for years now, smug in the knowledge that sea swimming without a wetsuit was a great form of exercise. But I wasn't really making much progress. (Yes, I do know that swimming around Tresco was an impressive achievement, but that was a one-off, not a daily push.)

If you're a long term follower of the blog then you'll know that I constantly strive to be the best me I can be. I'm driven by the inner childhood angst of not being good enough and nothing I've done in life seems to have eradicated that. Don't feel sorry for me - I don't feel sorry for myself, in fact I'm grateful to have this fuel to burn and propel me further onto better things. If I'd had an idyllic childhood I may not have ended up where I am now and that would be the tragedy!

Anyway, back to the swimming. As I said, I've recently decided to throw the gauntlet down to myself by searching out the windswept beach of the day. This came about when last weekend Fiona and I swam together and I found myself struggling and lacking stamina. It was a swim against the tide at one point and this defeated me at times, causing me to roll over and float on my back as I caught my breath. No biggie really, but I like to view myself as fairly fit and that's not how I felt. The following day I went back to the same beach and repeated the same swim on my own. My focus was sharp as was my intention, plus I had researched the tide and planned to swim the most challenging leg of the swim first, against the tide, when I was at my strongest, turning around and benefiting from the following tide on the way back. I cracked it and more importantly, it was a fresher day, the sea was more lively and somehow more energising. I was hooked!

These shots were from Saturday which was also my 39th wedding anniversary. Steve's gift was to accompany me and take these shots for the blog - generous soul he is! 

The first moment of immersion is the gasp point, but thereafter it's all about calming the breath and keeping moving as movement is what stops you getting cold. I concentrate my thoughts on counting the breath initially; up to 70 breaths and I'm no longer feeling aware of the temperature, but am looking at the scene ahead, deciding how far I'll swim today. Appletree Bay is the perfect length for a there and back swim. I'm not sure how long the beach is, but it's a comfortable swim. Pentle Bay is much longer and I'm more prone to getting chilled when I swim the whole way along and back.

This tow float is my latest bit of kit, designed to keep the wearer seen and safe. It's from the UK company Swim Secure.  It's small and virtually drag free and is also available in pink if you prefer. It's really important for me to feel safe in the water, especially because we have such a lot of boating traffic here on the islands. During the summer there are lots of visitors who hire boats for fun things like water skiing and do-nutting, both of which require the driver to be looking behind for a lot of the time. They'll often use the same lovely long stretch of beaches to do this as we sea swimmers will. Fiona and I will check the horizon for boats before we get in, but half way through a swim you can sometimes find your safety compromised when a speed boat turns up on a jolly. That's when a tow float like this comes into its own. As it's drag free it doesn't impact on my swim and in fact helps me relax into the flow of the moment, safe in the knowledge that I'm highly visible from afar. 

Swimming alone in the winter in choppy waters could also be a dangerous time, but I'm confident that the float is visible even when sometimes I'm not.

The Swim Secure message is simple - Be Safer Be Seen. Much as this might look like I'm out in deep water, I'm always within reach of the shore. There's no way I'd be doing anything risky nor would I want to put others at risk through my own stupidity. 

Cresting the waves sometimes had me lifted out of the water, crashing back down with a jolt. It's crazy, but somehow exhilarating too!

Flushed with success. This was indeed wild swimming! It was a brilliant way to start the day, especially on our anniversary.

Hot honey and lemon is the reward for my wild endeavours. The afterglow sets in and honestly I can't begin to describe the immense feeling of well-being that this gives me. Winter always brings with it the dreaded S.A.D. symptoms which plague me, but goodness knows how much worse these would be without my daily dose of this adrenaline rush.

I've written about the benefits of cold water swimming before, but I would like to revisit this topic as featured on the Swim Secure website. The seven points in its favour are -

• An increased tolerance to stress
• A boost to self esteem
• The mindfulness effect
• Decreased inflammation
• Increased immunity
• Radiant skin
• Post swim high

See the full feature here. If you're dreading the long dark winter days ahead then you may want to consider winter swimming at your local lido or wild swimming with a group of like-minded friends. I can't recommend it enough - it's turned my life around.

And finally, here's a lovely shot of hubby and me on our honeymoon 39 years ago. My, my, look at how young we were!

 Have a great week everyone!

Anna x

Transitional dressing for autumn

Hello again! How are you? Is a local lock-down affecting you personally, be it physically or mentally? It's difficult not to let it get you down isn't it? On a different note, I'm missing having a work mate more than ever now. Just having someone to pass on those little daily niggles can make all the difference. Poor Steve really gets it in the neck some days, I can tell you!

Anyway, let's talk clothes shall we - it's my favourite subject after all! I managed to get most of my wardrobe changeover done last weekend (no photos of the bedlam - not inspiring in the least, I can tell you!) and will finish this weekend. I packed most of my summer clothes away, giving extra time to checking whether they would work as transitional outfits.  This much worn and much loved two piece (aka the old fashioned trouser suit to you and I) has survived the cut purely because I know it works so well with my other big passion, the sock boot. 

The white and black check of the Primark suit lends itself to a multitude of colour options to play with, and yes I do mean play. Dressing for me is fun, even on a work day. Using this look as a template, I could easily add pink to replace red and have yet another fun and colourful ensemble. If the weather holds out, I'll try to get that variation captured for you next time. Black is another obvious permutation as is white. I have ankle boots in both of these neutrals which look equally sharp. The only limitation for this suit will be when the temperature drops and it becomes too lightweight to be functional.

I have no regrets buying these H&M sock boots. They have been an asset to my wardrobe and seem to go with so many outfits, both dresses and trousers, giving an edge that normal boots don't deliver. My son Jamie bought me the pink version for my Christmas last year and I've worn them endlessly too. Hurrah for the sock boot I say!

The frilled linen top is by M&S, a pre-loved purchase from last year, but only showcased this summer for the first time. Rings are charity shops finds too. My black and silver necklace adds a sharp contemporary feel to the jewellery - this is by Melissa James, a brand I sell at the Gallery. And talking of sharp, I've changed up my usual Quay Australia sunglasses for a different, but equally cool pair of shades. I'm hoping that one of these days this brand will reward me with a discount code for my readers...

One look that I've not tried out yet is to wear this two piece as separates. I did try the jacket on today over a pink pleated skirt and black top, but felt it didn't really pop the way I had hoped. Perhaps that's a project for next summer.

According to the weather forecast we're about to be hit by high winds and endless rain for the next couple of days. Fingers crossed there will be a lull at some stage over the weekend otherwise I'm not sure what I'll have to show you in my next post! But before I leave you, I just would like to share some news...

Myself and my blogging friends, Jacqui of Mummabstylish, Hilda of Over The Hilda and Gail of Is This Mutton along with Josephine of Chic At Any Age have all been featured in the latest edition of Yours magazine!

I've not managed to get hold of a copy of the magazine yet as our local shop is no longer selling newspapers or mags, but Jacqui posted this snippet on her stories the other day -

The feature is about over 50's bloggers to follow for style inspiration - what a fabulous showcase for us all! Do rush out and buy a copy now x

                                                                                     Anna x

September Style Not Age challenge - All dressed up with nowhere to go.

Hello and welcome again to our Style Not Age challenge where this month Jacqui chose the theme "All Dressed up with Nowhere to go!". Our interpretations of this are all delightfully different so I'll linger no longer and share what the posse chose.

Jacqui's outfit has graced a wedding and an anniversary which is no surprise at all. The dress is classy and stylish and yes, is begging for another outing I would say. See more on her blog Mummabstylish.

Gail's spin on this was more along the lines of "All dressed up with no office to go to" which is as sharp as her outfit. I love the mix of office smart and sassy after-work outing that speaks volumes about her idea of good work/play balance. Catch her back story on Is This Mutton blog.

Emma from the Style Splash has also opted for a lace dress for this challenge. I love the vibrancy of yellow which works so well with the russet accessories. 

Hilda is stepping out in a dress from LK Bennett with a brand new Zara jacket from two years ago that still is waiting for its debut - we all know how that goes don't we? See more from her on her blog Over The Hilda.

As you can see, I took this month's suggestion very literally, marooned as I was on Ganilly sandbar on the low tide last Sunday. There's surely no place that says "Nowhere to go" more than here. 

My mermaid coat seemed an obvious choice for this castaway shoot. I do love how this shimmering jacket catches the sunlight and said to Steve that I could easily waft about in it every day of the week. It's the most glamorous piece in my wardrobe with fabulous powers of transformation - oh how gorgeous it makes me feel!

The pastel shades remind me of the inside of an oyster shell. I felt in my element to be dancing and gadding about across the deserted sandbank, swooshing this way and that. Our only companions were the various seabirds who cared not a jot for my antics.

It's taken me a year to fulfill this desire to showcase my shimmering coat here on this sandbar.  In fact, it's my third photo shoot on this desert island beach this summer - see the others here. If you have another moment to spare you can read the post about St Martin's from last summer when I espied the heart shaped white sandbank appearing out of the receding tide. I'm such a romantic soul and loved the notion of showcasing this spot in a totally tropical photo shoot.

We were very lucky to find the right moment to take these shots, Steve and I. This was one of he biggest tides of the year and to have it fall on a Sunday in the middle of the day was perfect. We had spent a couple of hours on Nornour island, just a little way away from here waiting for the tide to go out and reveal the sandbar at its largest point. During that time we had a picnic as we watched several little boats and kayaks appear and disappear from the shoreline. Bang on low water Steve saw our opportunity to take sole ownership and off we went. 

We had picnicked on this little spit of sand on Nornour island, one of the Eastern Isles. The helicopters and planes fly across these en route to the Isles of Scilly. If you every spot our boat moored up as you fly into the islands, I'll be that crazy little dot on the sand waving to you.

To some, this may look like a little cool bag, but it did in fact contain my ensemble for the shoot. The pleated dress and sequinned coat both rolled up to fit inside without creasing - and they were kept dry too!

This beaded dress was from Monsoon and was a happy find in a charity shop a few years ago. I've worn it for gallery exhibition parties and love the fact that it doesn't seem to crease, no matter how badly I pack it. Talking of which, today (Sunday) is phase one of my clothes change over. Stripping the summer clothes out of my wardrobe will be the first step and then I just hope to bring out enough outfits to last the first week at work. Next weekend, I'll delve a bit deeper. It's always tinged with sadness to pack away my summer clothes. Summer is my favourite time of year.

I was particularly pleased to come across this rose coloured necklace which echoes the shape of the scales of my mermaid coat. Necklace and rings are all pre-loved. The rose gold bangles are: one from the Barbican shop and the other is by Kate Spade New York, bought in Singapore airport en route to New Zealand about 5 years ago. 

My blue tinted Quay Australia sunglasses seemed to be the perfect pair for this maritime shoot. 

Sunlight and reflections abound on this sparkling location. I'd like to say this was an staged shot by my creative director, but Steve confessed it was an absolute fluke.

As we left the stunning sandbar nature took over once again as seabirds and seals reclaimed their homes. We, and all of the other adventurers, had enjoyed escaping to this oasis of calm for a short while before the tide turned and moved us on.

My thanks go to Jacqui for creating this opportunity for one final beach day before the weather forces us to bring our boat up for the winter. It was a great style challenge - one that really captured my imagination. 

Update 

Apologies to my long term readers and also to the Style Collective - it seems that old age has set in with me. I've showcased this coat 18 months ago during one of our previous monthly challenges. I completely forgot - oops! 

                                                                                Anna x