British summer

Typical British summer! One day I'm off to work in a sleeveless shift dress and the next it's a woolly jacket to keep warm on even the briefest of commutes.  To be fair I don't often have occasion to wear a jacket as home and work are only a minute apart. Today however, the wind was blowing from the North making it chilly enough for me to root about in my wardrobe for the right jacket. The brand of this little number is Florence and Fred, but I wonder if you'd have guessed that such a chic style could be found in your local Tesco. A cream jacket or coat can look very smart as long as it's kept immaculately clean, so it's worth weighing up the dry cleaning bills when you're thinking about buying. What I saved by making my purchase in a charity shop can at least go towards the next few visits to the dry cleaners.  

The silky harem pants were an impulse buy quite a few years ago and this is the first time I've worn them. I've found them quite difficult to pair up with anything, but the peplum top seemed like it was worth a try. I do love the shape and colour of the top so I think that really swayed the decision. The true test will be if I can find another top to bring them out again, then I'll know they're for keeps. And the shoes have been another challenge to get the right partnership for. I think they work really well with the trousers considering my default setting would be to pop on a pair of brogues, of which I have one or two...

Jacket: Tesco. Top: H&M. Vest top: Primark. Harem pants: TK Maxx. Shoes: TK Maxx. Clutch bag: charity shop. Necklaces: charity shop. Opaque ring: New Look. Flower ring: Dorothy Perkins.

Retro shirt and Liberty doll pendant

Sometimes the inspiration for an outfit comes from a certain colour that I want to wear, other times it's a specific item, and today this retro shirt was the starting point. A recent eBay find, it's been like a lady-in-waiting loitering in the background, lingering until the moment was right. The psychedelic pattern reminds me of an orange and white dress I wore to a family wedding when I was about 10 years old. It had a small stand up collar, zip front, three quarter length sleeves, was a tent dress, and a micro mini too. The fledgling fashionista in me was excited to be in fashion thanks to the very affordable C&A.

I'm loving the mix of fabrics today: the suede belt and shoes, crepe shirt, cotton chinos and patent handbag. The richness of the fabrics makes the ensemble all the more interesting and the sea colours compliment my colouring too, but I also think the pop of fuchsia against the blue is a great ploy. All in all it's a fab feelgood outfit which just boosts my mood for the day ahead.

But a special mention must go to my doll pendant with Liberty skirt by Charlie Dodge. Newly purchased just yesterday (I forgot to put it on for the first few shots), Charlie tells me she's encouraging all her customers to name their doll (her own one is called Tallulah), so I've called mine Jessica and I think she's divine! I'm sure she's going to appear quite often over the rest of the summer, and no apologies for that. I think Charlie could have a bestseller on her hands and I wish her every success with this latest creation.

Shirt: eBay. Trousers: Fat Face. Shoes: Benetton. Belt: Benetton. Handbag: charity shop. Pearl necklace: old. Liberty doll necklace: Charlie Dodge. Blue ring: charity shop. Yellow stone ring: Martin James.

Seals and Stugeron

Well, here we are again one week later and although the weather and sea conditions are almost the same, one thing is quite different - I've overcome my seasickness! Through the magic of modern medicine, aka Stugeron, I managed to swim for about half an hour in a reasonable sea swell without any effects. I think you can tell by the relief on my face that this had been quite an enjoyable experience. Kate was as steady as ever, and I managed to keep an even pace behind her without swallowing sea water or feeling squiffy though the dips and rises of the waves. We even had a few seals as companions at the start of the swim just off Samson. The aim of our training today was to test out the Stugeron and now it's proved effective we are back on track. I know it was a shorter swim, but the swell was bigger and considering I was struggling the moment we hit the surge last week, I'm confident that I've got it covered now. Hurrah!

Many thanks to all who made contact after last week's post with comments, advice and words of support. It's great to know you're rooting for me. Thanks again to Kate and Jamie for their support and for making themselves available. And now the prospect of the long swimming day ahead is a possibility again, I'd better get out there and build up some stamina. Three weeks to go!

Summer exhibitions: 5 of 6

Tonight's team of Rachel Young, Tash Lawson, Beth Inch and yours truly

And so August rushes on. Tonight's opening party is our second last of the summer, and artist Tom Holland was as playful as ever. The fine weather ensured a great turnout again and the gallery extended into the outdoors space embracing the spectacular rosy sunset at the end of the day. We always have our photo shoot once the party is over which works best in showing us all relaxed and stress free after the event. The support team features another permutation with Rachel stepping in for Polly (get well soon) as my assistant and also gaining immediate promotion to blog photographer (the girl done good!)

The beautiful summer evening deserved a straightforward pretty party dress and this little number fits the bill. It's from Monsoon via the that amazing mega-store eBay where with a bit of clever bidding I secured it for £6.01. I bought it last year and didn't take to it immediately as I thought it might be a bit bland, however my silver Dorothy shoes and the chunky rose quartz and amethyst necklace both lift it out of the ordinary. It's really important to try things on before you dismiss them, as with a few well chosen accessories I think you can transform the blah into the bling. 

Dress: Monsoon (eBay). Shoes: eBay. Necklace: Emily Nixon. Brass cuff: Rose Cecil. Rose gold bangle: Kate Spade New York. Silver ring: charity shop. Yellow stone ring: Martin James.