Nearly summer

I don't need much prompting to bring out my summer clothes - just the weakest rays of sunshine, and I'm gadding about in my latest finery! This cream textured biker jacket with rose gold zips and studs is my new favourite of the moment, bought from TK Maxx.

I gathered together some rose gold accessories here by way of my Michael Kors watch, the fossilised tooth pendant and this new rose gold ring found recently in a charity shop.

Almost everything here is new/new-to-me apart from the sweet little top which I procured from my daughter's stash last year. Cream, nude and rose gold make a lovely fresh palette for this summery photo shoot. The only punch of colour is the multi coloured handbag which was another charity shop find last month. The bargain of the day has to be the sandals which I found in a charity shop and were brand new, with a price tag of £2! There was a mark on the heel which was more of a scuff than anything else - just like I'd worn them for a day in fact, but certainly not enough for me to pass them by. The cleated soles means they have great grip allowing me to stride out despite their height. Usually anything this high has me teetering about, feeling a bit silly if the truth be known. The final shot shows me about to be photo-bombed - here goes!

That was Kevin, speeding past at a rate of knots. See you next time Kevin!

Outfit details - jacket: Coffee Shop New York, top: H&M, skirt: charity shopped, shoes: Miss KG, handbag and ring: charity shopped, pendant by Charlie Dodge, watch: Michael Kors, sunglasses: Quay Australia.

Linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Laurie of Vanity And Me

Anna x

Gorgeous gingham

So you'll remember last month when I went to Harrogate and had a rather splendid shopping spree? Catch up here if you missed it. Well one thing that was rather unusual for my trip is that I planned to buy a specific piece that I'd seen in the magazines. True fashionistas always keep their finger on the pulse trend-wise, but my clothes shopping is usually led by whatever I come across in the charity shops leading me to walk my own fashion path. However I'd seen that the statement sleeve was the thing and decided that if I could find statement sleeves in gingham I'd be sorted. This was one trend that I wanted to follow.

The blouse that ticked all the boxes comes from George at Asda of all places. Yes, the shops are full of gingham currently and this one (see here) came in a close second, but it didn't have the statement sleeve I was looking for. I paid £12 for this lovely blouse and considering it's currently on trend and yet will become a classic over time, I think it was a good purchase. Much as I prefer to buy vintage clothing or at least shop in an eco-friendly way from charity shops, I think sometimes I have to allow myself some freedom to step away from my own confines and enjoy fashion from the wider market place. TK Maxx is a regular haunt of mine as is Office, purveyor of the finest brogues (that I can afford). Fashion should be fun and this top certainly feels good to wear, causing me to do a little shimmy on the shore.

Details - blouse: George at Asda, trousers: M&S, boots: ASOS, sunglasses: Quay Australia, ring and pendant: charity shopped.

Anna x

Colour burst

A few days ago I was bemoaning my midweek blahs, but today has been a joy thanks to this colour burst outfit. A splash of orange is just what the doctor ordered to lift the spirits and get me back on track. I've topped off the bright orange chinos with this art deco inspired jacket which I found on ebay a couple of years ago. I was in two minds as to what shoes to wear - neutral wedges would have been more leg lengthening (thigh slimming too), but my new tassel sandals looked so cute waiting at the front of my wardrobe that I just had to give them their day.

Details - jacket: eBay (made in Morocco, no brand), t shirt: M&S, chinos: Boden, sandals: River Island, handbag: L Credi, necklace: Charlie Dodge, sunglasses: Quay Australia, rings and bangle: all charity shopped.

Linking with - 

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Jess of Elegantly Dressed And Stylish

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style

Laurie of Vanity And Me

We've had a glorious day of sunshine here and I've managed to get two swims in, one early this morning and the other after work with my friend Kate who's here on holiday. We cycled to Appletree Bay just after 5pm. 

You have to laugh at our body language here - clearly we weren't expecting to share our outdoors swimming pool! The interlopers only stayed for a couple of minutes, but Chris our photographer captured the scene perfectly. 

Val and Chris are friends of Kate who thoroughly enjoy our swims without having to get wet and cold. Val loves collecting shells, searching for the tiny cowrie ones we have here hidden in the ribbons of shells strewn along the high tide line (no, not these big ones on the table). They're all heading off home tomorrow, but have had a lovely holiday with today's weather being the icing on the cake - honestly it could have passed as the height of the summer. Kate will be back again in June and I'm sure we'll get some swimming together then. Solitary swimming is fine, it's what I'm used to, but it's such a joy to share my hobby with a like-minded friend. See you soon Kate!

Anna x

Midweek metallics

Midweek, as I've said before, can be a bit blah for me style wise. One way for me to counter this is to add a dash of metallics to enliven things which is what I've done today. My rose gold brogues haven't seen the light of day for ages and this new bronze jacket hasn't been showcased since I bought it last month. If anything, I'm not convinced that this is one of my best outfits as it's coming over all a bit casual now that I review it. And between you and me, I'm feeling a tad chunky in these jeans too. But before you jump in to counter this, may I just say that it's all relative, this weight thing. I'm surely not the only one who has a 7lb comfort zone and I've reached the top of mine - I reached it just after Christmas in fact (surprise, surprise!) - and now that spring has sprung I'm going to have to cast off the layers with the final layer being my 7lb covering. Clever dressing has disguised the truth for these past months, but enough is enough! Time for a health spring clean I think.

Details - jacket: Bomboogie, waistcoat: H&M, jeans: River Island, belt: charity shopped, top:Girls Club, shoes: Viola, rings: charity shopped, watch: Michael Kors, sunglasses: River Island.

Anna x

5 over 50 challenge

Welcome to a brand new feature 5 Over 50 Challenge ! Less than a month ago I was contacted by fellow blogger Gail to see if I would take part in this new monthly challenge - and here we are - all of us are over 50 and out to have fun with our clothes. The first challenge has been set by Gail and is "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue". My offering goes like this -

Old: skirt. New: mules. Borrowed: bag. Blue: jacket.

And here's Gail of Is This Mutton blog  who has been blogging since 2013. She covers not only fashion on her blog, but post features on beauty products as well as lifestyle. Another passion of Gail's is her garden and is often the location of her photo shoots. Gail likes to keep her styling fresh by trying new trends to avoid the dreaded Mutton label. And true to her word she's showcasing the latest embroidery trend here along with these fab ankle grazers. Follow Gail on instagram here. 

 Old: denim wedges. New: cotton striped long sleeve top.  Borrowed: topaz necklace.  Blue: print trousers  

Next up is Jacqui of Mummabstylish blog  who has been blogging since 2016. She has a large family and loves nothing better than going shopping with her three daughters. I wonder which of her daughters donated this gorgeous chunky necklace for her shoot? It's the perfect ploy for that new jumpsuit Jacqui! Cream shoes and jacket finish the look without stealing the show from this colourful jumpsuit. Follow Jacqui on instagram here.

Old: jacket.New: jumpsuit. Borrowed: necklace. Blue: bag.

My blogging friend Laurie of Vanity And Me is taking part in this challenge too. Laurie often features the classics and her sleek grooming makes the most simple of outfits shine. Much as she would probably describe her style as conservative, I think I have so much to learn from her. Simple white trousers never looked so chic as here with this fabulous print shirt. Understated elegance is what Laurie does best. Follow her on instagram here.

Old: trousers. New: shirt. Borrowed: bag and bangle. Blue: shirt.

Last, but by no means least, is Ashley of Lazy Daisy Jones blog. Ahsley is a lifestyle blogger who seems to cover every kind of wonderful. She is hugely creative and if you want to know how to do something, then it's probably on her blog. This challenge has served as my introduction to Ashley and I'm still trawling through her bright and colourful blog which is inspiring me to try my hand at all sorts of projects. Follow Ashley on instagram here.

Old: Chanel bag. New: shoes. Borrowed: t-shirt. Blue: jeans. 

Gail's challenge ended up being a great excuse to pull lots of colours together as well as my fabulous moto jacket. I've not worn the jacket for a while and decided to try a new combination with this old maxi skirt that was a wonderful charity shop find last year. And why wear just one paisley print when you can wear two? My daughter gave me this blouse knowing how much I love orange and paisley, making it my all-time favourite top. Last of all, I jumped on the embroidery bandwagon last month by way of these adorable mules from TK Maxx. This is the first time I've worn this whole outfit together and I must admit I got lots of lovely feedback. Orange, paisley and embroidery seemed to tick the box for so many!

Outfit details -

Jacket: TOXIK3

Skirt: charity shopped (no label)

Blouse: H&M

Shoes: Red Kiss

Handbag: Country Casuals

Rings: old

Necklace: gift

Sunglasses: River Island

Thanks for joining me for the first 5 Over 50 Challenge and I do hope you've enjoyed meeting my blogging collective. See you on the 1st June for our next installment? I do hope so! 

Linking with -

Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb

Patti of Not Dead Yet Style.

Anna x