YAY! My three years of blogging.

Thanks for joining me today as I celebrate three years of blogging. It's been great, made all the more special by your participation, be it with your comments, emails or silent readership - it's all been very welcome, so thank-you!

What finer place is there for me to spend my anniversary than on one of my favourite beaches here on Samson. Everyone loves to get away from it all and this is where Steve and I like to chill.

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't really sure if I'd make it to three years. Blogging is a funny old game, quite lonely at times as you sit facing the screen, wondering what to write that might keep your audience engaged. Sometimes the words flow, especially if there's been something exciting to share, but at other times I really do feel I'm scraping the bottom of the creative barrel.

At those times, I think of my dear friend Carole who lives in Oxford and who used to holiday here on the island for many years. We became friends during that time and still are now. When I get stuck with what to say I think of her and how pleased she is to still have contact with me through the blog; seeing my swimming antics, my colourful outfits and of course, the beautiful island I live on. So this one is for you Carole. As you no doubt know, I've just returned from a dental appointment on the mainland and have had no time to put together a fancy shmansy anniversary post, but I do know you'll be delighted to see this glorious backdrop and the happy memories it evokes of your and Nick's time spent here.

Carole used to holiday with her best friend Teddy and therefore I can't mention one without the other. Teddy laughs that her job entails her wearing scrubs all day and yet how coming home to see the latest from Tresco's fashion scene has her captivated. Not one for dressing up, Teddy still loves to share in the often over the top, flamboyant ensembles that I wear. I think maybe that could be one of the strengths of my blog - we all need a bit of a escapism. 

And if I'm doing name checks today, then I must mention Angela, another long term friend who visits and keeps abreast of things thanks to the blog. Her entire year is a countdown to the next trip for her week's timeshare. These islands have a lure, a heartfelt attraction that keeps her and those like her in this state of addiction. Worry ye not Angela, all is well here and I'm looking forward to seeing you in September!

The outfit seems to have become a secondary feature today - the top was from New Look last summer and the skirt is another ancient piece that has no label to ID it. 

More and more I see the blog as an avenue to build relationships, and all because of my wish to share this island life. Sometimes my life is too hectic and draws me away from the blog, but the way I look at it, is that I'll have something more to talk about when I return. And talking of returning, I have returned from Truro with some new clothes which I'll share with you in due course. Primark came up trumps with a rather fab pair of striped culottes for the summer in a nautical theme. And yes, I did a quick scour of my favourite charity shops too resulting in some fabulous bargains. Be patient my lovelies - you'll see these all soon.

In the meantime, I'll be found (in reality, not on the blog) at our local "Fun Day" on Sunday where I'll be hosting the Cheap Chic stall as I recycle lots of my clothes as well as those from many others on the island. And on Monday it'll be time for the monthly challenge from the Style Not Age collective. I've still to get my offering photographed, so on that note I must leave you.

Thanks again to everyone who reads this and for making my three years of blogging worthwhile.

Anna x

Looks like a maxi

Appearances can be deceptive, and this maxi skirt is actually a pair of trousers. Found, of course, in a charity shop, these were brand new with labels still attached, and yet they only cost me £3! I'd not come across the brand Molly Jo before. These palazzo pants are quite unusual in that they have two layers; the inside layer is a conventional pair of trousers, and the top layer is loose giving this lovely floaty effect. 

You can probably see the satin edging along the inside of the over layer giving a neat finish. The only downside of these fabulous trousers is the length of them. I've had to buy these massively high sandals to go with them as I didn't want to (attempt) to alter them. The sandals are preloved (from Office), but not very worn, probably due to the fact that the heels are six inches high and the platforms are three inches. I had to forgo my usual Post Office run (walk) today and delegated the chore to Polly as I thought I might break my ankle along the way as I teeter on these skyscraper heels.

The rest of the outfit reads like this - ruffle top by Coast (preloved), floral jacket by River Island (hand-me-down from Sasha), rings are preloved and new sunglasses by Quay Australia.

Today we had just the right amount of wind to showcase these chiffon trousers off to their best.

See me stride out like this ...

... and like this!

Orange and fuchsia make another stunning combination. It seems that fuchsia is set to be featured again and again with me this year. I wonder what I'll conjure up next?

As you read this, I'll be on the mainland for another dental treatment. I'm trying not to think about it too much and just hope that I'll still have some gnashers left by the end of all of this. But I trust my dentist and can report that so far I've not experienced any pain whilst in the chair which is my biggest fear of all. I'm sure we're all the same. Wish me luck!

P.S. I'll be back with an extra post on Friday, so do please join me for that. Until then, have a lovely week!

Anna x

A vintage dress for our May exhibition

We opened our May show last night with a reception party at the gallery, attended by guests and locals as well as one of the artists, Amanda Hoskin. See the full exhibition online here. 

I bought this vintage dress when I was in Harrogate last month; one of my favourite dresses from that shopping spree I think and that's down to all of the detailing - the huge shoulder pads, accentuated by frilled edging as well as tiny pleats below. (A note to any of my readers in Yorkshire - do take a trip to Harrogate for this one particular charity shop-St Michael's Hospice-as it's more like a boutique than a charity shop. All of the goods are designer or top end pieces from the high street and the shop itself is teaming with every kind of accessory too, all of the best quality.)

The minute I put it on I knew it was for me. The shoulder pads made me feel very Sue Ellen from those Dallas days. The shape is very flattering with an elasticated waist; the perfect counterpoint to the huge shoulders. The 80's were all about emphasising the female form. No zips or buttons to complicate matters either, just pull if on and you're ready to go. 

I'd not come across this 80's designer, Diane Freis before, but you can read a bit more about her here. 

Oh don't I look so fabulous darlings! Oh dear, maybe not - I'm being photo-bombed!

I've had these kitten heels for yonks and only rediscovered them when I did my seasonal changeover recently. They were the perfect height to wear for the whole evening without any of the usual shuffling and tweaking I have to do in higher heels.

I decided on my jumbo pearls to help balance out the over sized shoulders, and the patterned metal of the stretch belt seemed like a good choice to tie in with the print of the dress (looks like I didn't clip it fully together though). Preloved rings and rose gold bangles finished the look.

And last, but by no means least, here's my happy team of helpers by way of Max, Polly and Ruth. Thank you ladies for doing a stalwart job as usual! Ruth had spent the day on the beach with her family and boy, isn't she glowing from all of that wonderful Tresco sunshine!

Anna x

Off-island

I've had a day off today, filled with lots of household chores, blah, blah, blah, but my reward was a jolly jaunt off-island for a picnic and photo shoot at the end of the day. Steve took me to Samson which was deserted and looking lovely as ever on the high tide.

A day off means dressing down for a change. The jeans are from Next, the top is from H&M but is very old, as are the sandals which are so old that I can't read the brand name on the sole (they came from TReds in Truro many moons ago). The bag was a charity shop find last summer.

Rolled up jeans are just right for jumping on and off the boat. I particularly like these as they're high waisted and seem to hold everything in place better than low rise jeans do on me of late. I seem to be suffering from not just muffin tops, but also there are real signs of that softening around the middle aka the dreaded middle aged spread. 

A strange thing seems to be happening to my figure which I suppose I could put down to the big 60. Much as my weight remains more or less the same, there's a definite slackening of skin tone which is not what I signed up for. I know I'm not fat, but I can gather bits of me up in rolls that I never used to have. Sorry, probably too much information!

The view from up here is fab. Rocks, sea and dazzling sunshine.

It's amazing what a little bit of sunshine does for our mood. Just a couple of days ago we had fog and yesterday it was bitterly cold with a strong north east wind ( I was in winter boots and a polo neck) and yet today it could pass for a summer's day. Hurrah!

The decorations on my sandals are cleverly wired so that no matter how long they're packed away every winter, I can easily tweak them back into shape again. The embroidered butterflies and ornamental flowers don't look a bit out of place in the bed of flowers underfoot.

I've lived on the Isles of Scilly for 40 years and this is the first time I've been right up on the top of Samson. The view is stunning and you can see all of the other islands from here.

And here's my photographer, boatman and picnic companion. Thanks Steve for making this happen!

Anna x

Caution - colour burst!

This was my outfit today, although the photo shoot is from a couple of weeks ago when we were blessed with a golden day that was just too good to miss. I asked Sasha to join me for a photo session at the end of the day which was perfect for this location, bathing the Old Blockhouse Castle in warm, mellow light.

I fear I may accused of overkill, as it seems to be only a matter of days since I last wore these boots. But honestly, I've been itching to pair them with this geometric dress since I bought it. And these fab pink tights, don't they just work a treat? Yes, it may be a case of colour overload, but hey, I just couldn't resist super charging these fiery colours. You know me - more is more!

When I first started blogging I would never have entertained this colour combination! Neither red nor pink were on my radar at that time and yet here I am totally enchanted by this colour marriage. I see this as real progress and can't wait to see what will develop next.

The dress is preloved, from M&S, tights are old, boots are H&M, sunglasses are by Quay Australia and the necklace and other jewellery is preloved.

It was about 6.30pm and look at the quality of light - how perfect for our shoot!

The islands in the background are the Eastern Isles; uninhabited miniature islands that are skirted with a slick of white sand. These are very popular picnic islands, just big enough for a family. The local boating etiquette is that if there's already a boat moored up, then please move right along and find another spot. 

This was a lovely balmy evening - maybe we ought to have brought a picnic too.

I'd like to promise that I won't inflict these sock boots on you again until the autumn, but honestly until summer, or a least a period of consistently fine weather, settles over us I may have to resort to wearing them again. They're just so blooming useful!

It's okay, I'm all done. You can remove your sunglasses now!  

This week I'll be link with -
Catherine of Not Dressed As Lamb
Patti of Not Dead Yet Style
Jacqui of Mummabstylish

Anna x

Fix her crown

Today's post has been inspired by Lexi of Welcome to Lexiland who is hosting the Fabulous Flower Crown Festival on her instagram feed here. #fixhercrown is where you'll find lots of lovelies wearing crowns of every kind, all of them gorgeous.

Sasha kindly let me borrow this pretty floral headband which I wore as a crown. The morning's photo shoot took on a more bizarre look than usual! 

Lexi quotes the phrase “Be the woman who fixes another woman’s crown without telling the world it was crooked.” She continues in her own words, "How wonderfully women can raise each other up when we put our minds to it. What a difference we can make!" 

The festival is representative of the rich seam of friendship that I have tapped into on Instagram thanks to joining the world of blogging. There are women featuring every aspect of my life, from motherhood and health issues, to yoga and sea swimming, fashion and shopping, island life, the passion for my homeland of Scotland, the big outdoors and the spectacle that is Mother Nature, be it an outrageously beautiful sunset or the breathtaking view from a wild mountain range - I've made connections through our common bond. This sisterhood is supporting each other, acting as cheerleader during times of celebration as well as offering solace during the tougher moments when we feel downhearted. These women have enriched my day to day life with tiny hearts, encouraging comments, honest opinions and rave reviews. Not many are face to face friends, but the miles and time zones matter not a jot when their authenticity shines through as they turn up time and again to add their thoughts to my life in squares. See my Instagram feed here.

Today's outfit was of course chosen to match my crown. The skirt is preloved, by Jaeger, the blouse new, from TK Maxx (by Jovonna), belt is from eBay, mules are from TK Maxx (by Shellys London) and sunnies are by Quay Australia.

The necklace was a gift and rings are preloved.

You can't really go wrong with bit of razzle dazzle on a sunny day, can you?

I fully intended to take the crown off before Polly and I did the main photo shoot, but after the head shots, some ladies appeared, we chatted for a moment and then we continued. It was only when I walked back into the gallery and caught sight of myself that I had to laugh. I suppose my customers are just used to me being a bit flamboyant in my dressing!

I'll be back on Sunday and in the meantime I hope you have a super weekend!

Anna x