Sunny day pattern play


Hello and happy Sunday to you! 

Today's outfit comes from mid-heatwave last month when those endless sunny days just kept on coming. The change of weather has me searching for a bright and breezy outfit to act as an antidote to the rain, wind and overcast skies we are experiencing on the islands currently and this may be the very thing.


My Pleased as Punch face.


My mission of the day clearly was to wear a rainbow whilst adding a riot of pattern play too. Call me attention seeking if you like, but it's what makes me smile and injects some joy into the day at the same time. The paisley and geometric print top is by Topshop, the culottes are by Bohoo and the coral handbag is by Superbia (all are preloved) and the jewellery is a mish mash of old and charity shopped. My old favourite sunnies are by Quay and if you want to see my wishlist pair from this brand then click here to see them - how cool are they?




The criss cross suede sandals came from H&M earlier this summer and they're still available online here. I love cork wedges as they're light to wear as well as being stable to walk in making a win-win situation, yay!


Mid August seems to signal the last of the summer sales as the autumn fashions hit the high streets. Even the charity shops are changing their displays to alert us to the change in season. As ever, I shall be holding on like grim death to all of my summer finery in the hope of more sunshine on these splendid isles. With two more summer exhibitions to come, you can rest assured that all things floaty and vibrant will be evident in my ensembles for those evenings. Daywear for me won't be taking a turn into the autumnal hues quite yet as I squeeze the very last glint of sunlight out of my wardrobe.

I'll leave you with some shots, one of which I posted on my Instagram feed recently, of a wonderfully inspiring young lady who we encountered whilst out boating the other week. This intrepid traveller had circumnavigated the island of Bryher and was heading South back down the channel towards St Mary's. One backpack was stored on the front of her paddle board and on the back was another. We encountered her again two days later on a much fresher trip when she was crossing from St Mary's to St Martin's and as the choppy swell hit her she would crouch down to recover her balance from time to time. As we watched her nearing the safety of the island Steve and I agreed that this was a gutsy girl. I admire her free spirit, her bravery and thirst for adventure. Hurrah to you, young lady! 








Wishing you a joyful week!
Anna x

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Two for one!

This time last week I left you with the promise of sharing my day off with you, including a picnic if the weather was kind. Well, let's start with the day off bit, shall we? I did indeed have the day off and went to St Mary's to have my hair cut. I kinda wish I'd left it now, as I've ended up with a much shorter cut than I planned. My fault entirely as I was a bit vague as to how much I wanted off and maybe ought to keep this in mind for next time. 


The shape of the cut is fine, but oh goodness, what happened to the length? I love my hairdresser, don't get me wrong, I just wish I was able to be a bit more assertive when I plonk myself down in that chair. Is it just me? Anyway, the great thing about hair is of course that it grows! Four weeks down the line and it'll be great!


You'll not be surprised to learn that the rings are both preloved, and even more loved by me!


Today's backdrop is in the Abbey Drive where Sasha and I came across these hydrangeas in full bloom. We'd walked this way from the boat which dropped us at the south end of the island at Carn Near leading us past these gorgeous flowers growing along the roadside. I'm no gardener, but I do love the showiness of these big colourful flower heads.


So, me on a day off looks a bit like this. A much more casual affair than you'll be used to seeing when I dress for the day job, which is why I ought to feature it sometimes. Camo jeans are from Primark last winter but whether they're on trend or not is irrelevant to me. I like them cos they're not just plain ol' jeans and also cos they have a fair amount of stretch too.


The cardi is a couple of years old and is by Rocha from Debenhams. I like how the floral print ties in well with the camouflage of the jeans. Sometimes I impress myself with these little pairing ups that I do!



And here we have the piece de resistance, my new Nike trainers. The babies are so, so comfortable, it's just like being out in my slippers! The fit is stretchy, yet snug and the soles are indeed like walking on air. Oh, and guess what? Yes, they were brand new from a charity shop last month! I paid £17 for them and they're worth every blooming penny.

So the next part of my day off was meant to be all about the picnic, but the weather didn't oblige. However, Steve and I had recently visited Nornour, one of the Eastern Isles which I rave about from time to time. I've had these shots up my sleeve, as it were, for a time just like this ...


This little island on the left is Nornour. It was actually quite a breezy day which worked in our favour as this island is truly like a pardise island when the sun shines and there's not a breath of wind, but that also means it's quite popular with people like us who have a boat and want to get away from it all. The boat trip was quite choppy too, but worth it.


As we got closer we could see that the high tide had pretty much covered up most of the pretty white beach, leaving sun-bleached rocks and pebbles for us to land on. Steve assured me that there was still a slip of sand for us to sneak our way onto.


Tell me that this doesn't look like your idea of paradise. 


As you can see, there was just enough sand for us to dip our sink our feet into. We had our picnic and watched all the sea life round about us.


The big passenger ship, the Scillonian, was returning to Penzance full of day trippers. 


In the distance also leaving the islands was a cruise ship that had spent the day here allowing visitors to discover the joys of the Isles of Scilly. These visitors are vital to the economy of our islands as they are to many others of the British Isles. 



These are our golden times, when it's just us and our thoughts. Time to share plans for the future and remember happy times too. The setting couldn't be more perfect for day dreaming.


There in the middle distance was the snout of a seal, hovering around, maybe watching us, maybe just resting, but a funny sight none the less.


And this is the large cruise ship we saw leaving the islands a little while ago. It had gone out around St Mary's into the deep water as it departed, heading off to mainland UK.



This turquoise water was warm in parts and chilly in others. Steve tells me there's a big current washes through between these Eastern Isles and it can be fast flowing too.



Just above the beach are some ruins of an early settlement. The remains of three buildings are still visible despite the years and years of storms that will have battered this tiny island.


We followed the grassy path up to the top of Nornour and looked across the rest of the Eastern Isles.


And in the other direction we could see St Martin's with the Damart in clear sight.


The tide was beginning to drop revealing more pristine white sand below.


As we stood on the top of the island we looked to the East and could just make out the hazy outline of the mainland. 28 miles away doesn't look too far away.


The main island of St Mary's lies in the distance with our boat below bobbing about as the tide drops. Time to go home as the sun is getting lower in the sky too.


A lovely swathe of sand has been revealed as we castaways drag our dingy across to the shore. We agree that we need to check our tide chart so that we can enjoy this beach in all its glory next time. Our first visit to Nornour certainly won't be our last!
Anna x

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August and another show night


Hello and how are you? We're all well thanks. Here's a shot of me from last night's reception party at the gallery with artists Flynn O'Reilly (left) and Ramie Leahy at the end of a busy evening. The time just flew by as we welcomed guests from both Tresco and Bryher to join us for wine and canapes and to chat to the artists about their work (see the show in full, here).


Ramie uses this quaint mode of transport to carry his art supplies and paintings as well as get him about when he's on the island. He has become a regular sight during the summertime over the past couple years.


You may remember this lace jumpsuit (by Darling, London) from last year. I bought it from TK Maxx and this year found these new shoes from there too. See the funky heel in the next shot.


The brand is Xti TENTATIONS. The heels are decorated in tiny sparkling jewels of black, silver and bronze and the main part of the shoe is in sparkly silver. The block heel makes for a comfy and stable height which is just what I needed at the end of a long working day.


My jewellery is a mish mash of old, gifted and preloved pieces along with my pink elasticated belt. 


Show number four of six had me recycling a party outfit which wasn't really what I had planned. The slightly overcast weather forced me to change my mind at the last minute from a chiffon beaded number that I'd done some last minute adjusting to in readiness for the party but hey, I can always wear it next time, eh? I also have a vintage two piece in silk which I've been saving for a special event so you will see that before the exhibition period is over too.


And finally, here's the line-up of lovelies from last night. My thanks go to (l to r) Ruth, Max, Polly and Tash for all the front of house and behind the scenes work that ensured another successful evening. Four down and two to go and they're still smiling.Thanks ladies!

Until next time, take care!
Anna x

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Flower power!


I should have put out a sunglasses alert for this one! This is my new flower power jacket, a real throwback to the fashion of my teens (that's the 70's in case you couldn't guess). I came across it in TK Maxx earlier this summer and have been itching to have the opportunity to wear it. The recent downturn in the weather provided the perfect silver lining to these storm clouds giving me a chance to add a pop or two of citrus brights to the jazziest of jackets.


Here's the brand ...


... and here's the price. Not too shabby eh?


The observant amongst you will notice that I decided to flip my bag around letting you see the simple, featureless nature of the back - clever of me, don't you think? And done on purpose, of course.



The smock jacket is canvas, fully lined and adorned with these crazy vinyl flowers on the orange trim. It took only a heartbeat for me to decide to try it on and less than a minute to decide to buy it - the look is flower power, flamboyant and completely over the top, therefore is an utter joy to me. 


I added John Lennon retro sunnies (from River Island), a wide orange and gold bangle, one plastic ring and another oversized one, plus that natty little straw bag (all preloved) to continue with the hippy chick theme. No-one could ever accuse me of taking myself seriously could they?


The cute sweater is by Tu, picked up in the summer sale last year and perfect to wear with this jacket with its double trumpet sleeves. And the trousers are preloved, by Zara and seen recently on the blog after a trip to London (see here) and that's where I found this hand carved wooden necklace too.



These River Island sandals are retro pieces too being many, many years old; too many for me to remember. The rubber soles are great shock absorbers and the angle of the platform is not too steep to be uncomfortable - they're all day wonders these ones!


Sunshine and showers pretty much sums up the weather of the day. I have a day off tomorrow and had been hoping to have an end of day picnic when Steve finishes work so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the fresh weather front blows though by late afternoon. All being well, I can share a new off-island adventure with you on next time as Steve and I visit a different uninhabited island for the first time. We've suddenly decided that we really ought to visit as many of these smaller islands as we can, just because we can, and I'll be capturing as much of this on camera as possible. I do hope that you're having a good week wherever you are. Seemingly we in the UK are about to have another burst of that summer heatwave again, but this weekend I'll be thinking of my lovely friend Bo who lives in Portugal and is being promised temperatures of 48 degrees! She left the UK with her son and husband nearly 10 years ago, looking for a milder climate, but really - 48 degrees? That's blooming ridiculous!

Until next time, take care!
Anna x

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