My thanks go to the photographers

Today's post relies on a host of photographs taken by a handful of friends and family who have stepped in when asked. I'd like to say a thank you to them all here, as without them this blogging malarkey wouldn't be as easy or as much fun.

Thanks to Jamie for this shot of Sasha and I after our lunch at the Ruin Cafe the other day.

And to Sasha for capturing this idyllic view afterwards.

To Chris and Val for joining Kate and I on a breezy afternoon to take a lovely series of shots of two friends enjoying a companionable dip together.

Kate is a regular visitor to the island and this year we've pledged to fit in as many swims as we can every time she's here.

Thanks go to Jane, a friend I made on the yoga retreat here last year. She and her family stumbled across us after our morning swim and we imposed on her son to take some snaps before they headed off along the shell-strewn beach to continue with their walk.

Green beach was decorated with ribbons of shells which whooshed and clattered as the tide rose and fell over the top of them. Nature's gentle musical accompaniment for us while we dressed.

Thanks are due also to Kevin's wife Lorraine for taking these photos of one very serious looking training session for someone and a sunny afternoon dip for the other.

"I'm not racing" I said as we stood on the shoreline. But as Kevin set off his stopwatch the competitive streak in me took hold. My front crawl is fine in a short burst, but not at his speed however. We maybe set off together, but it didn't stay at that level pegging for long. Kevin was an absolute gent though and periodically stopped to wait for me as I resorted to my steady breast stroke.

Kevin was buzzing. I waded back to the shore as he headed off for another couple of laps of the bay. We both swam in the Scilly Swim Challenge in 2015 (Kevin in the fast group and me in with the plodders). Now Kevin is in training for this year's event. Well done that man! Read my full account of the most memorable of days here.

And so onto the main event. My biggest thanks must go to Polly my wonderful blog photographer and Gallery Assistant. Polly is a whizz with all the tricks my camera has to offer. She bubbles with enthusiasm for her daily chore and helps in making my blog the sleek, polished showcase that it is. Thank you Polly for all that you do x

Oh, and let's not forget my thanks to all of the locals who cheerily add that special something as they photo-bomb us during our early morning shoots - thanks to another Kevin...

...and to Charlie who insists we capture his best side too.

This relaxed pose comes from knowing that dearest Polly will be doing her utmost to getting the best shot every time. Thank you Polly. Thank you too, to all who drift in and out of my life bringing such pleasure and rich memories. Until next time x

Jacket: Gap. Faux leather jeans: H&M. Polo neck: M&S (charity shop). Pink brogues: H&M. Handbag: charity shop. Silver rings: charity shop. Rose gold bangle: Kate Spade New York. Watch: Michael Kors. Sunglasses: Quay Australia.

A tale of two jackets

If you picked out the colours of the sea today and turned them into a graphic print, you would end up this dress. 

I'm so pleased to have found this in the recent H&M sale. The fit is great, (providing I don't put on another ounce) the colours are so good for my skin and hair tone, plus it makes me feel very smart for work. It also has a real spring-like feel to it, thanks to these fresh, aqua colours. 

At the start of the day my entire outfit looked like this -

This lovely turquoise jacket was a gift from my sister who was having a clothes sort out, and lead to my feature here. As I was getting ready for work this morning, I was in a quandary as to which jacket was the right one to wear with this lovely new dress. However, we're still being thrashed by a bitter North wind, so I decided that this woollen jacket was the better choice. Polly and I dashed out to brave the wind while the sun shone and I even steeled myself for long enough to ditch the jacket and get some dress shots. 

Given that the view you see here is the very same view as from the gallery where I work, you'll agree that it's a pretty stunning panorama to have stretching out in front of your desk all day long. The tide comes in, the tide goes out, but at different times every day. The boats come and go; more of them in the summer, down to just the odd one or two in the winter; sometimes none at all if the weather is too ferocious to be out on the sea. The other day a client remarked to me that she couldn't really find the right word to describe the exact colour of the sea here. It's true, the sea colour is affected by cloud cover, rocks and seaweed lurking just below the surface, and the depth of the water - all add to the conundrum. That's why it was so clever of Polly to line me up against the backdrop of the sea today; this dress pretty much encapsulates all the colours of the water here.

As the day progresses the temperature in the gallery rises, until by mid-afternoon it can be really quite hot; so hot that we have to pin one of the doors open to get some cooler air circulating. Provided there's no wind, we can often open both doors without any danger of the paintings being rocked off the walls. Today was a one door only day due to the strength of the wind coming down from the North. At five o'clock I had to pop home for a change of shoes. Trading over, I needed a bit more comfort while I rounded up all the end of day chores, climbing to and from my office, and that meant putting on these babies. 

I'm aware that if I were a city dweller this combo of trainers and work wear would be de rigeur. All that power walking to and from work couldn't be achieved in high heels, which is where my personal commute wins hands down. The 200m dash can be completed in the highest of heels, even if I have to spend the next five minutes recovering at my desk. These nifty trainers just happen to tone in beautifully with my dress, and you'll notice the thicker wool jacket has been replaced with my mint green faux leather jacket. I'm rather keen on both variations of today's outfit. What about you? Do you prefer one to the other? Let me have you thoughts x

Woollen jacket: Jones, New York. Dress: H&M (sold out). Tights: old. Handbag: charity shop. Trainers: Salomon. Faux leather jacket: Vero Moda (TK Maxx). Watch: Michael Kors. Rose gold bangle: Kate Spade New York. Turquoise multi stone ring: Primark. Opaque ring: New Look. 

Linking with 
Lucy Dawn of Fashion Should Be Fun 
Shellie of The Fabulous Journey

The road to nowhere?

I'd spent all day at work, more than a bit envious of everyone having Sunday off while the weather was glorious. Later in the afternoon it was so hot I pinned the gallery doors open, and that's when I decided I needed to get out to capture this wonderful day on film. At the end of business I dodged home, grabbed my kit, jumped on my bike and headed south to the far end of the island. What may look like the road to nowhere is in fact Carn Near quay, the most southerly point of the island, and the nearest to St Mary's (the main island of the Isles of Scilly). This quay is where the boats dock when the tide is too low to arrive at the other quays on the island. All the day-trippers had gone home and the high tide was washing over the top of the quay giving it a surreal look. Great - something different for my photo shoot.

This is the view of the far end of Appletree Bay - the beach where I often have my early morning swim. I start off at the other end, where the road runs along the edge of the beach and I swim along the shoreline in this direction. In the height of the summer I can stay in the water long enough to swim the entire length and all the way back again. In the midst of winter it's only a matter of some 50 or so strokes and I'm frozen to the core. Currently I'm working things up and this morning swam half way along and back. I could swim much further if I donned my wetsuit, but that's not the point. The challenge is to brave the waters no matter what the temperature with only my swimsuit to keep me warm.

I was cycling on my way home when I came across these little kiddies boots marooned on this roadside bench. Surely someone must have noticed their barefooted toddler was missing something? I'll drop them in to the "Lost and found" at the island office tomorrow. The next photo shows that this little girl must have been a budding fashionista and really ought not to have been separated from these cute little boots.

Aren't they fab little boots? I do hope they've been reunited with their owner by now. Anyway, back to the outfit. I just want to add one final photo to show the pitfalls of doing your own photo shoot. I know it's unavoidable for us a lot of the time, but I think if Polly had been with me she definitely would have told me off for over-posing! I thought I looked like an aspiring 1950's model.

Notice that over extended front leg as I try to take on the look of a long-limbed beauty. Hahaha! Thank goodness I don't take myself too seriously. This one really had to be shared. Today's outfit is a mix of new and new-to-me items. The cardi is from H&M (sadly already sold out), the shoes were from TK Maxx, and the trousers are M&S from a charity shop. The trousers fit really well, but are a strange cut - not exactly harem pants, but loose fitting with a drapey crossover front which really didn't photograph as I would have liked. Some well chosen poses and my strategically placed handbag seemed to get round this quite well though. Feedback on today's offering, or anything else featured on the blog, is as always very welcome. It's good to know that I'm not just twittering away for my own entertainment here.

Cardigan: H&M. Trousers: M&S (charity shop). Shoes: SixtySeven (TK Maxx). Necklace: Debenhams. Handbag: Accesorize. Watch: Michael Kors. Bangle: Kate Spade New York. Flower ring: charity shop. Sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Linking with 
Cherie at Style Nudge
Jess at Elegantly Dressed And Stylish 

As suggested by...Samantha

This is the second in the new series. The first offering, As suggested by...Karren was a resounding hit with so many of you that I thought I'd establish this as a monthly offering. You'll recognise this wonderful jacket from some posts recently as seen here so it's already coming down in terms of cost-per-wear. The gorgeous leather jacket generated some good feedback for me, both in the comments and on Instagram, the first of which I'm going to address here today. This outfit was inspired thanks to Samantha's (of Fake Fabulous) input. Her suggestion to pair the very fitted jacket with a big skirt was a great choice, therefore was a no-brainer for me.

I've had this beautiful cotton lawn skirt stashed in my closet for years, so I could do with getting some more wear out of it. All I had to do was add my black net underskirt and hey presto - the big skirt was born! Such a huge outline needed high heels to stop me looking like a wee toadstool, which is where my legendary Michael Kors boots came into their own. 

As it happens this outfit is the second one this week where I've showcased a net underskirt and I maybe had something to learn from Wednesday's offering. I think the beauty of wearing a net underskirt is all in the showing of it. Perhaps this skirt could have been hoicked up a bit to reveal the bottom of the underskirt in a more playful way. Too late, I know, to re shoot, but I think that's the whole point of these frou-frou net creations - they really beg to be flashed, don't they? 

Well, when I said it was too late, that got me thinking. So last night after work, I quickly pulled this together before the sun set. With skirt duly hoicked up, jacket left open and new beaded belt on show, I decided to give it another go. The question is, Samantha, do either of these looks showcase the jacket a-la-big skirt that you imagined?

This type of challenge is great fun for me, so I'd like to invite you to contact me with your ideas and suggestions from what you've seen. Is there a piece I've only shown once that you'd love to see again? Do you have an idea like Karren's that will push me out of my comfort zone, yet surprise me with too? If you're a lurker and are feeling a bit shy, then you can just email me rather than publish your comment. Or make contact on Instagram if you'd rather. I'd love to hear from you - any feedback is really useful in gauging how I'm doing. I'm coming up to my first anniversary of fashion blogging soon and it would be great to know how I'm performing. I prattle on a couple of times a week, showing you the latest ensemble in my very own style, but what do you think? I'm so lucky to have formed friendships with other bloggers, but I know there's a whole raft of you guys out there, sitting quietly enjoying things at the back, and would love to hear your thoughts. Write me x

Jacket: DSquared. Skirt: Philosophy Di Alberta Ferretti. Underskirt: eBay. Boots: Michael Kors. Tights: Dorothy Perkins.
1st variation Necklace: Dorothy Perkins. Blouse: charity shop. Belt: charity shop. Watch: Michael Kors. Rose gold bangle: Kate Spade New York. Flower ring: Dorothy Perkins. Perspex ring: gift.
2nd variation Blouse: eBay. Belt: Sainsbury. Yellow ring: Martin James. Solitaire ring: Dorothy Perkins. Pearls: Almost Perfect. 

Linking with
Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb 
Patti of Not Dead Yet Style