Summertime picnic

Hello lovelies!

Yes, this was our Friday escape. Steve and I had an awayday motoring off in our little boat to the Eastern Isles for a day of eating, drinking and splashing about in the sea. We've both been working hard, putting in long hours to keep up with things and this was our reward.

This is our favourite uninhabited island giving a Robinson Crusoe feel to our day. As we landed on the tiny spit of sand the flock of gulls took flight leaving us to set up camp on the white brow of the island. Our needs were simply to sit down and enjoy the view. Taking time away from home was long overdue and we talked and talked and talked. We've both been on a loop of eat, work, sleep for weeks and this was such a treat.

The pale turquoise strip of sand is where a beautiful sandbar reveals itself on the low tide. I was hoping we could get onto the sandbar before we went home and kept my eye on things as the day progressed.

And I wasn't the only one to be drawn to the lure of Ganilly sandbar.

Kayaks and boats arrived spilling the beach lovers onto the silky smooth sand as it revealed itself more and more. Steve and I bided our time, waiting until the last visitor left before we headed across.

The water was deliciously warm around the edges of the sandbar, ideal for wee paddle.

Messing about in boats, a picnic and splashing about in the water - that's my idea of a fun way to spend a day off!

Here's an update for you late readers -

I sent this photo into BBC Breakfast programme last Sunday just as I was writing this blog post. They had asked for viewers to send in photos of how they were managing to keep cool in the heatwave. Much to my amazement, and only 5 minutes later this appeared on my screen.

Some of my Instagram followers saw it on TV and sent me messages too! 

Anna 

My 60's vibe

Hello again! 

I'm writing this as the National Anthem plays on the TV and my ever hopeful husband sits transfixed as The Football Match of the Year (The Euro Cup Final) commences. Will England bring it home? I do wish them the best of luck for this historical game. Oh heck, they've scored! A goal within the first two minutes!!!!!

Anyway, here we go with the outfit of the moment. I wore this to work one day this week and honestly have no idea what day that was. Early starts in joggers and jumper at 5am are followed by breakfast at nine and a quick change of clothes ready for serving the customers. The days are passing in a blur of hello's, lovely to see you again's and yes, of course I can ship that you to. I love this time of year when the culmination of my artists efforts are rewarded by brisk turnarounds, sometimes with a painting only on the wall for half a day before it sells. 

Last week was a bumper week for quite a few of my best selling artists which makes me so happy that we're getting it right. The best art for our clientele at this time of year is something I've been fine tuning for years and this summer is looking like another winner for us all. So far the women are selling well; Marie Mills, Lizzie Black and Amanda Hoskin have all had a great week, selling over a dozen paintings between them. See the entire line up on offer at Gallery Tresco here. 

As I was saying, this was an outfit of the day last week. The 60's ensemble was created around this wonderful vintage top by Diane Freis in polyester georgette. The bold print is typical of this designer who embraced colour and pattern through all of her ranges. I picked up this top a few years ago in a charity shop and this is the first time I've actually worn it. Unable to bypass a bargain (this was only £2.50) I knew that it would be a useful addition to my wardrobe at some stage.

Teaming the psychedelic blouson top with straight yellow chino's (again charity shopped) and white kitten heel boots (New Look) completes that 60's vibe.  The look is fun and funky and makes me feel good, which is surely what it's all about, eh? I can pin down the day to when one of my readers, Tessa, popped into the gallery to say hello. It's a rare treat to have the chance to meet up with my followers and she enjoyed a day on the island, finishing with an appointment to visit the gallery. We had a speed catch up about all manner of things which was lovely. She scooted off to catch her boat without much time to spare, so much so, that her husband rang to tell her to hurry up in case it left without her! On the mainland another bus would follow in due course, but here if you miss the last boat there won't be another until the next day.

I added persex rings and a 60's plastic and metal geometric necklace to compliment the look, along with these fabulous yellow sunglasses by Quay Australia.

Being time challenged at the moment, today's photo shoot was located in my back garden which will look much more pretty when the Agapanthus burst into bloom. I decided to ignore the glimpses of phone lines and Sky dish that festoon our back door. Within the next week these flowers will be looking at their best so I'll revisit this again to show you. Thanks so much for dropping by. I'll be back soon!

Wishing you a fab week!

Anna x

Style inspo from Sheila

Hello my lovely readers! Apologies for the erratic nature of my posts recently, but as you can see from the above, summer is here and my work life is hectic with long hours and late evenings. Sales are going well at the gallery and every day brings another few familiar faces, all happy to be back on our little island paradise so I'm not complaining. I fancy that I make these apologies every year about now and just want to thank you for keeping on coming back as my cycle of posting becomes increasingly unpredictable.

This was my work outfit on Friday, a classic vintage two-piece by French designer Paul Mausner (1910-2001). I bought it in a charity shop in May for £15 and this is the first outing. I must admit that exhaustion of both mind and body has been evident some days with regards to my outfits resulting in me grabbing a dress, any dress, and white trainers without much thought going into it. Those days will often be the same days that I've not managed my morning swim and am therefore not firing on all cylinders. My cycle back from the beach is usually when I mull over what I'll wear to work as I consider the weather and temperature.

Anyway, on Thursday evening I finally found half and hour to visit my blogging friend Sheila of Ephemera. I was delighted to learn that she has been interviewed by another fashion blogger, Lucy Bertoldi and the piece can be heard on her podcast here. And do you know, this was just the cure for the fashion blahs that ailed me! Sheila was one of my first finds when I was researching blogs for women over 40. I've followed her for the past 6 years, being awed and inspired to be bold and colourful just as she is. And, here's a funny thing, in my mind I imagined that she had this husky voice like rich roast coffee when in reality she sounds clear and light like your favourite citrus fruit. Sorry Sheila for this strange analogy.

The next morning, refreshed by the sights and sounds of my wild and wonderful style inspo, I searched through my wardrobe for something that would lift my spirits and impress my mentor. This pale peach (polyester) suit with embroidered lapels and satin trim caught my eye and was the start of my fashion challenge. Pale nude sandals beckoned, but I knew that Sheila would eschew these, therefore so did I. The suit has a matching belt, but I wanted to change that up too. I bent down to survey the back of my shoe stash, catching sight of these leopard print pumps - perfect!

From there the rest was easy - leopard print belt and wide bangle tied the look together along with this tribal print necklace (Topshop) and leopard trim sunglasses (Radley London).

A couple of charity shop flower rings tone in well with the outfit of the day.

After a whole day at work, the outfit remained crease-free and had been very comfortable to wear. I shall be taking heed of Sheila's fashion advice to never wear the same outfit twice, even if it's simply a matter of changing jewellery or accessories.  

Another nugget from her was - Life is short, wear those clothes! Saving things for best isn't our remit. And with that I'll leave you with a twirl of pleats and leopard print. 

Wishing you a great weekend! 

Anna x

Picnic perfect!

Hello and welcome to this month's Style Not Age challenge. Our quest was chosen by Gail this time, being Perfect Attire for a Picnic. For me this would of course mean a beachside venue and here I am on Skirt Island at the most Southerly end of Tresco. My style buddies are all set, ready to show you their picnic-ready outfits too so let's get going!

Gail set the bar quite high with her fabulous picnic basket alone! Bowie tee, silver pumps and a bottle of bubbly signal a great picnic don't you think? Join Gail over on Is This Mutton to see more. 

This tent dress was made for drifting about in a meadow of wild flowers, however the British weather had other ideas meaning Jacqui had to make do with her own back garden! Join her for the backstory at Mummabstylish. 

Emma from Style Splash chose her outfit because she thinks the pattern is not unlike a picnic blanket.  The pretty pink gingham two piece was a Zara purchase a few years ago and has come into its own for today's challenge!

Picnic ready, Hilda is sporting an entire outfit from Tesco's apart from her trainers. Her cute look is ready for fun. See more on Over The Hilda blog. 

My picnic outfit is a collection of old pieces which are still bright and colourful. The tunic top was a hand-me-down from my daughter which she bought from H&M years ago. I'm a huge fan of paisley print therefore was delighted when she offered it up to me. An outfit for a picnic needs to be comfy and easy to wear, as well as being practical enough for clambering in and out of boats or in this case across the sand dunes to get to this remote craggy setting. 

The tide was still rising, sending splashing foam up as I was setting up for shots. There's nothing like a quick soaking to send me off in a fit of the giggles!

The elegant hat pose isn't just for show; sunhat and sunscreen are part of my picnic essentials, especially as I've had surgery and other treatments for skin cancer. I wear factor 50 on my face everyday now and have established a routine whereby I apply suncream before my sea swimming every day too. My pale Celtic skin is very much at risk of more sun damage even at work where the sun shines into the Gallery window for a lot of the day. 

We all need a little bit of sunshine on our skins to absorb our daily dose of vitamin D, but it's really not that long. In my case only 5 minutes a day and for those with darker skin it's about 30 minutes. These times are for arms, legs and hands as well as faces. After that you start to experience sun damage which is the precursor of more serious problems.

My pom-pom raffia bag was a charity shop find some years ago. I love the bold colours and the roomy size that is big enough to take beach towel and swimming kit too.

The pink plisse trousers are from New Look - they're light and airy and ideal for sunny days. My floral sandals were from Primark years ago. Perspex rings were gifts from a friend.

A tiny seed pearl necklace was a pre-loved purchase. It's a habit for me to always finish off an outfit with a necklace, even for a picnic. Sunglasses are by Radley London.

Time to stop and stare. Nature is the perfect meditation isn't it?

I do hope you enjoyed this month's challenge. I was so pleased to have made the effort to spend some time outdoors on Saturday, as by Sunday we had rain all day long - such an unusual thing for us. The forecast for the UK is another mixed bag of weather, but improving in the southwest later in the week. Fingers crossed for Thursday as I'm off to St Martin's for the day for another picnic outing!

Wishing you a great week ahead!

Anna x