Are you a lemonader?

Hello there! I'm so happy to report that the veil of depression has lifted and it's business here as usual. I'd forgotten how quickly I sink into despair with any (small) physical setback. It only took some kind words of encouragement to remind me who I really am - a strong willed, capable and resiliant woman - and I was on the way back up. My sister Sandra sent me this link from Saturday's Guardian about Lemonading. What particularly struck a chord with me was this; (Lemonaders) infuse quality and enjoyment into everyday experience. This does indeed summarise my aim in life and could be my mission statement.

Another reminder of who I am came from a friend who prompted me to go back through my Instagram feed as if it were someone else. She pointed out that the images are not just of my outfits but of my joy at living where I do and squeezing as much happiness out of the everyday as possible, joy which others might overlook. The view across a bay, although familiar, is still a source of absolute delight for me. I can find pleasure in the smallest of things from a tiny shell found on the shoreline to the first page of a new book which holds such promise. Gratitude is an eveyday ritual, to be repeated often as these pleasures arise.

And so, on to the outfit. The sun shone sharply on Saturday, shaming me into getting out of my pit of despair and wallowing in the mini drama I was inhabiting and to look beyond the comfort of the sofa. I needed to shower and find some joy in colourful clothes. This is what I came up with - a bright medley of soft shades of pink, purple and coral with a dollop of turquoise to finish it all off. You'll laugh at the fact that I opted to walk to my intended photo site wearing this gold jacket as I believed it to be low key compared to the feather jacket thrust inside my tote bag.

The feather jacket was from Vinted last year, costing £5 - ridiculous but true! The jeans are from Primark, blouse and waistcoat are both from Vinted, as are the fabulous patent boots.

The cotton waistcoat is by Erika Classics Clothing in case you wanted to search for it. I've got a penchant for patterns of all sorts currently and this one ticks all the right boxes for me. I have a pair of pink trousers that will work really well with this as the weather heats up.

Simple accessories this week - sunglasses (old) from Radley London and my new ring by Emily Nixon along with silver and gold band (it says In Heaven On Earth) by Diana Porter.

This was colour therapy at work here, that's for sure. I'd moped around in grey old joggers and a brown wooly jumper for over a week so it was almost transformational to not only get outside again, but to feel bright and confident in gorgeous colours and textures. Of course, we all have times when illness and/or depression take us over, but that light at the end of the tunnel has to be pursued when it shows itself. I'm so grateful to be on the mend and to have had loving support at a time when I needed it.

                                                                        Anna x

Hello again!

Hello and thank you for coming back to see me! I've been awol for a little while. In my last post I mentioned that I was going off to the mainland but didn't tell you that I was having some minor surgery to remove two skin cancers on my back. The upshot is that I was allergic to the sutures which in turn created an infection. Once home and despite having had the stitches removed the infection raged leaving me feel quite poorly and just to add insult to injury the wound burst open leaving a nasty crater in the site. I'm waiting for some new medication to treat the wound and am on strict instructions to rest. Anyway, here I am and just wanted to say hello.

This was my birthday outfit and it truly was a case of all dressed up and nowhere to go! A day after my op and I was simply happy to be at home. The fur coat isn't new, but is still a big favourite of mine. We've had some very cold weather here on the islands this winter so I've not looked too out of place wearing my various fur coats. The oatmeal coloured cardigan (note how I've swerved the colour beige there) was from F&F at Tesco while I was away. It has matching trousers too which I also bought and is from their loungewear range. Underneath the cardi is a cream lace bodysuit that I found on Vinted and I added these faux leather leggings (from TK Maxx) with my gold leather boots (Topshop) for this rock chick vibe.

For those of you who visit Tresco I just wanted to share my joyful discovery of this little nook that offers such a lovely backdrop. The crab chairs on the lawn (near the Ruin Beach Cafe) have a low wooden table which works perfectly for my camera on its stand.

I added this old pearl necklace and Radley sunglasses to complete the theme of lace, leather, fur and pearls. 

Excuse me for this cat who's got the cream shot, but I'm flashing my new ring, bought by my lovely husband to mark not just this birthday, but the many others that have been missed by him over the years. The man came good this time, sending me off to Emily Nixon's Studio in Cornwall to have a trying on session with some gemstone rings resulting in this beauty being my 'many birthdays ring'. See more of these fabulous rings here. 

So that pretty much winds things up from me here. I'm signed off work currently so am not sure if I'll have any new outfits to show you soon, but in the meantime - look after yourself!

                                                                    Anna x

Winter Woolies, our SNA challenge for January

Hi there and welcome to our Monthly Style Challenge! One of our members, Gail, has retired from the group this month and we're all wishing her the best. And so we'll carry on, forever in the hope that we're inspiring you to follow our lead month by month. It was my turn to chose a theme and the idea of Winter Woolies seemed like an obvious one.

Jacqui is a vision in cream for the challenge, sporting cosy cords along with her pretty fairisle sweater. Cream fedora and trench coat finish this most stylish of looks. See more from Jacqui on Mummabstylish. 

Looking equally pretty in pink, Emma found this fab cardi on Vinted - what a find indeed! Jeans and converse trainers complete this casual take on this month's challenge. Catch up with Emma on her blog Style Splash. 

Hilda shopped her wardrobe for this one - her cardigan is genuine vintage piece from the 80's. She paired it with these wide legged jeans from Cos and a simple tee. Read all of Hilda's latest news on Over The Hilda.

A mighty dose of pink has been my antidote to the wild weather we've been having recently, but I did manage to alight on a quiet spell one day to capture these shots.

The pink fairisle jumper was a winter find from Vinted and is much worn and loved too. It's very cosy and the colour is a great injection of zesty fun on a cold winter's day. The pink cords are from Vinted but benfitted from a bit of adjustment before I could wear them. I was pretty sure I'd featured them on the blog with the alterations but can't seem to find it at all - see the details on my Instagram feed here though.

None of my perspex rings are new, but they seemed perfect partners for this pink explosion of colour. My sunglasses are from Radley London but they're old too.

My recent trip to the mainland went well and I even managed to get home in time for my birthday. I'll show you what Steve bought me when I feature my birthday outfit of the day next time. But before I go, here's the view outside my house this afternoon. The gusts have been so strong that they shook the Gallery and have even ripped the nameplate off the front of the building!

Take care and see you next time!

Anna x

Pairing yellow with pistachio...

Hi there! This was my favourite work outfit from last week. An unusual pairing of yellow and pistachio, one that I've not tried before, but I think I like it. What about you?

The pistachio cotton velvet coat is by White Stuff and was a Vinted purchase a little while ago. I'm going off to the mainland on Tuesday this week and think I'll wear this in an effort to look 'mainland smart'. Living on a tiny (car free) island tends to impact on what constitutes smart in real life. We dress here in response to the weather and most of the winter that means wet-weather gear or cosy coats to buffer one against the gales and cold weather. And so a trip to the mainland is always a style challenge for me as I try to anticipate the weather needs and my idea of style.

I'll be hanging around on drafty train platforms a lot of the time so a full length coat seems like a good idea. I'll add a scarf too and will pack a brolly in case of showers and that ought to cover everything. Having a car seems to negate the need to think about the weather - well that's how it looks to me when I see women dodge out of their cosy motors and pop into the supermarket wearing only a sweater. 

The rest of the outfit reads like this: skirt is a charity shop find, by Laura Ashley, sweater is old, tights are by Snag Tights, boots are by ASOS (from Vinted) and yellow necklace was from Vinted too. 

My rings are old and my sunglasses are old too, from Radley London. My orange felt bird brooch was a fabulous Christmas present from my sister Sandra.

The yellow boots are genuine suede and were brand new, never worn, costing me £20. I know yellow's not for everyone, but for a colourist like me, they're a great addition to my wardrobe.

Another feature of island life is our obsession with the weather whenever travel is on the horizon. Wind, or rather too much of it and fog can both impact on travel plans and it looks like my return on Friday hangs in the balance. At this time of year there's no sea link to the islands so flying is the only option and flights are often delayed or cancelled when there's bad weather. I probably won't know until Thursday if my flight is confirmed or not so I may be spending Friday night in the Premier Inn, which normally wouldn't bother me but as Friday is my birthday I'm rather keen to get home. Wish me luck!

                                                                    Anna x