Back to work!

Hello again!

How are you? I hope you're well. So here's me in my back-to-work outfit yesterday. And straight away, I have to tell you that all's well and the transition has been made from housewife to Gallery Manager. It was seamless, much to my relief, as the very act of dressing the part and sitting at my desk and trawling my way through emails dragged me back into the role. All my fears of suddenly finding that I hate my job evaporated as I felt my way through the many aspects of the job, both physical and mental. Phew!

Blue and red isn't a combination I often do, but yesterday this was what evolved on rediscovering these stretch woollen trousers from Tu at Sainsbury's. Sasha had given these to me a couple of years ago and yet, surprise surprise, I'd never worn them. My 12 month shopping ban may be over, but here I am still finding gems like these. Cropped and with pockets the trousers drape nicely and were uber comfy throughout the day. I went for an hour's walk with my dear friend Fiona during lunchtime and only had to change my footwear and was good to go.

The sweater was a TK Maxx purchase. It's a man made fibre that's cosy as well as being a flattering fit. I did pop a thin thermal top underneath as I knew the Gallery would feel chilly after weeks of no heating on. My blogging friend Sheila may well call this a bookends look as the top and boots echo similar prints. Not too samey-samey but delightfully playful I thought.

So here's another new-to-me piece though! This fabulous red leather mini backpack was charity shop purchase way back in 2019. I paid £20 for it and thought it well worth the money. The leather is sturdy and has that reassuring weightiness that says quality. A clasp front and zips make it feel nice and secure too. My rings are both old as well as being pre-loved.

I was really pleased with this back to work outfit. The right clothes really can put you in the right frame of mind, don't you think?

My reptile print cuban heel boots were from Office many moons ago. It was a bit of a shock though to be wearing something other than slippers all day! After my walk I kept on my simple black trainers to ease the strain.

These funky shades are by my go sunglasses supplier - Quay Australia. I'd forgotten about them and found them stashed away in the back of the drawer.

It's a relief to have gotten that first day out of the way. As so often happens, the thought of something is usually worse than the reality of it. I love my job I'm pleased to say and can't wait to open the doors to the public again on the 12th of April.

And here's our Red Cross container almost full after Saturday's collection. Sasha (left) and Hannah were just finishing off the last bit of packing when I arrived. The project was a resounding success and almost an exact repeat of last year when we collected enough to fill a whole container then too. Social distancing was an extra challenge this year, but one that all the helpers managed beautifully.

Last of all, here's my second chair resplendent in it's new covers. My three piece suite has new covers throughout, but I ran out of time and didn't manage to replace the base covers. I'm okay with that and know that next winter I can settle down to that more complicated challenge. Over this forthcoming weekend I'll pack up all of the fabrics and stash them away. I also plan to bring out my spring and summer clothes which is both exciting and daunting!

I'll be back again on Friday and do hope you'll join me again.

Have a super week!

Anna x

Wide legged jeans for the weekend

Hurrah for the weekend!

This weekend I'll be helping out with the Red Cross collection that's taking place on the island. We have a container in place at our Community Centre and a few of us will be taking it in turn manning this to receive boxes and pack them up ready for shipping to the mainland. This little event took place last year in January and I recall being in the Truro Red Cross shop in February and was tickled to see some of my own donations on display. Well done to Ruth and Sasha for making the arrangements.

Today's outfit brings together a vintage Country Casuals cardigan in this lovely colourful argyle pattern with these new to me wide leg jeans. I bought the Diesel jeans over a year ago and it's taken me all this time to finally take the hems up. A little sewing success in the middle of my upholstery project! 

I added this multi print Boohoo shirt (pre-loved) to further enliven this weekend look. 

The bold blue rings are both pre-loved too. The pop of yellow by way of my Quay Australia sunglasses adds another zing to the look.

Another vintage piece is this gold buckled navy leather belt. I loved the style advice (maybe) from Trinny and Susanna many years ago who advised that if an item has belt loops then you ought to wear a belt to finish the look off. I'm more often a rule breaker, but this appealed to my tidy nature. 

My white leather boots are by Besson from TK Maxx. Steve bought these online for my Christmas under my guidance which was a winning move. I'm planning a trip to the mainland in May for some health appointments and wonder how I'll feel to be out for the first time since the virus took hold a year ago. Will I feel safe enough to go shopping in my usual haunts such as TK Maxx and my favourite charity shops? Will I have had my second dose of the vaccine by then? I suppose I'll have to weigh it up at the time.

Monday is my first day back at work so I'll let you know how that goes in my next post. In the meantime, enjoy your weekend!

                                                                                              Anna x

Tickled pink

Hello lovelies!

As you can see, normal service has been resumed today. My all black look was a token gesture from me as to what is a very common colour choice for so many women. I remember when I was in Sicily five years ago the streets were full of women wearing black from head to toe, a look that for me seemed very drab and depressing. Their reaction to me was almost a mirror to my confusion. We viewed each other as some strange other worldly vision. 

Today's outfit ties in with an Instagram prompt from my blogging friend Jacqui of Mummabstylish who has been posting #tickledpink over the past week. She's had a brilliant response and has extended this for another week. See some of the outfits here. 

The pink top was a Zara purchase from a few years ago, but today is its debut on the blog. I bought an identical orange one at the same time, but it too hasn't been aired yet. They are a very fine cotton yarn more suited to the summer, but ideal for this warm spring day.

The oyster satin trousers were gifted to me by my daughter (ages ago). I must admit that I've been a bit biased against them due to the lack of punch colour-wise, but today have discovered the joy of them when paired with this double dose of fuchsia. This is another test drive of an outfit for work next month. I'm quite excited to wear it.

Taking the lead from the oyster shade I've chosen rose gold rings (pre-loved) as my accessories.

I love the contemporary shape of these Quay Australia sunglasses. 

The final flourish has to be my fabulous bubblegum pink sock boots from H&M. 

I hope my tickled pink offering has brought a smile to your face or better still, acts as inspiration for a pink day for you sometime in the future. 

Take care everyone!

Anna x

Weekend wear

Yay, here comes the weekend!

The weather has changed dramatically again from the lovely spring days of last week to the Westerly gales bringing not just rain but also hail, blasting us here in the Southwest over the past few days. Different weather means different outfits too! It's funny how even during lockdown I've still punctuated my days with weekend wear being a tad more relaxed. This all black look is a bit different for me and was actually my alternative outfit for a recent faux leather challenge - see what I opted for here. 

The black longer length hoodie is another new piece never shown before. It's by DKNY Sport and was a joyful find in TK Maxx a couple of years ago for the ridiculous price of £8. The fabric is a lovely soft velour with the DKNY logo in tiny print across the whole fabric. The kangaroo pouch pocket is great for stashing all sorts of random bits and pieces or just for slouchy hands.

The faux leather biker jeans are by H&M and are years old now, goodness knows how many. I love the heavy duty knee patches on them which just add a bit of extra interest to what would otherwise just be black jeans. The floral boots are from Primark and were a hand-me-down from my daughter. I seem to have worn them lots this winter without them making it onto the blog. Sorted now!

This carefree pose belies the fact that I'm having a bit of a wobble about returning to work. I think I've become institutionalised during these long weeks at home. What seemed like lots of time to do deep cleaning, de-junking, in-depth admin and shredding of paperwork never mind that glorious sewing project, and daily swimming and even walking - what happened?! I've only achieved a fraction of what I had planned. Oh, I've loved being at home! 

As my start back day rattles wildly towards me, I'm going to use that knowledge to settle down and get some stuff done. I know, I know, I know - I'll be fine when the time comes to be a Gallery Manager again. I just want to finish some bits and bobs before the madness of another season hits me.

Anyway, enough of that! What do you think about these fab rings? Both metal; one silver and the other a black metal finish but looking like perfect partners. I found them in charity shops (of course), one in Truro and the other in Harrogate. My old faithful sunglasses are from (all together now) Quay Australia. The silver necklace is from Melissa James jewellery.

At the moment the whole island of Tresco is gearing up to re-opening. In a month's time we should all be ready for the big welcome back to our guests. So, in the meantime I'd better knuckle down and get some more of my to-do list done. What about you? Will you be going back to work or staying at home? Have you enjoyed lock-down or are you chomping at the bit to return to normality? Please share, I'd love to hear how it's been for you.

                                                                                              Anna x