September beach outfit

Oh wow, what a beautiful day we had yesterday! Luckily I had the day off and by lunchtime I managed to persuade Steve to sneak a half day off too so that we could skip off-island to a remote beach. As we motored off in our boat, it felt like it might be the last chance for a summer picnic this year. And we weren't the only ones making a break for it - the sea was teaming with small boats like ours, all hoping to find a secluded spot to claim for themselves. Our favourite beaches over on the Eastern Isles were already occupied so we turned back to Tean (no), then St Helen's (full of kayaks) and then finally across to Northwethel before we could claim our own island for the day.

I'd taken a couple of outfits for my beach romp. I'm sure I've shown these cover-up trousers before as they're my go-to piece for picnic days on the beach. I found them in an Op shop in New Zealand when Steve and I went touring over there in a camper-van. Oh happy, carefree pre-Covid days!

 

The multi-coloured swimsuit is by Boden, gifted from a friend. The very nature of being strapless means it's well constructed with lots of inner support as well as stretch. I haven't worn it for swimming, but I fancy it would withstand the normal rigours of a dip in the pool, if not the sea.

I was very pleased with the impromptu picnic I pulled together at short notice; I made Steve a couple of sandwiches of french baguette filled with mashed avocado, crisp fried bacon, sliced fresh tomato and a sweep of mayo. I had tuna, tomato, avocado and beetroot salad and we both had some sweet baby tomatoes from our greenhouse followed by banana icecream made by yours truly. 

It's ridiculous how quickly this summer seems to have shot past us, don't you think? Indoor and outdoor life aka beach life for me has felt much more normal than last year when we were all quite jittery about the pandemic. Our guests on the island seem much more relaxed too, although this has meant that we have a rising number of cases of the virus being reported on the Isles of Scilly of late which is inevitable. The easing of rules was always going to result in numbers rising. However, the upside is that the local economy has thrived with the influx of cruise ships as well as almost every bed on Scilly being fully booked for the entire season. It's been a great year.

My necklace is by Charlie Dodge, rings are both pre-loved and sunglasses by Quay Australia. Thanks for dropping by. I'll show you my second beach outfit in my next post, so please do swing by again for another dose of sunshine on the beautiful Isles of Scilly. 

Another picnic and another day to count our blessings for our life here.

Anna x

A bit of Hush

Hello lovelies! It's great to be back, especially as I've got these fabulous new pink camo shorts to show you. I've had a bit of retail therapy recently and am happy to show you the results. As you may know, I'm a keen charity shopper, but in times of need I'll resort to a tad of online therapy instead. 

I don't often wear shorts, but saw these being worn by a client the other day and decided they were worth tracking down. They are a great length; not too short for a woman of a certain age nor too long to look as if I might be wearing hubby's shorts either. Best of all these have a touch of stretch making them uber comfy to wear. They come in five camo colourways, but the pink is such a pretty combination that it's my favourite. They are by Hush and can be found here.

My other new purchase is this super sweater from Corinne Carr Knitwear. We sell her hats, scarves and sweaters in the Gallery too. The woolen jumper called Opium is one of her best sellers and you can see why. Its neat fitting style keeps the drafts out with its high neck and of course it's super stylish. I love the marriage of lots of complimentary colours giving a very unique jumper.

I've missed a lot of sea swimming this summer due to the pressures of work, but I'm making up for lost time now with daily visits to the beach and this is going to be my uniform of the day. I love the combo of shorts and sweater for practical reasons and ease of wear. It's ideal for catching a bit of sun on my legs before summer leaves us and yet the sweater keeps me warm post-swim. These shots were from last night's swim on Appletree Bay and it was the first day that I felt that autumn may be on its way.

My sandals are by the brand Lazy Dogz. I bought these in May when I was in Penzance. Today's post seems to be all about that wonderful mixture of comfort and style and I must admit that the padded insole make these the most comfortable sandals of this style that I've ever owned. I love them and am planning on buying other colours next summer. I fancy having them in orange, but will wait until early next year before I do my search. More than ever, I'm practising mindful shopping now. Impulse buys and emotional shopping are a thing of the past for me as I continue to declutter my life, making way for investment shopping to last the later years of my life. Being in my 60's I'm increasingly aware that my working life and the income thereof is limited and so I need to make sure I'm buying exactly what I need rather than having the thrill of shopping for the hell of it.

Many thanks to my swimming buddy and photographer Fiona for these shots. We had a lively swim along the bay and back followed by a hot flask of tea and post-work catch up.

Many thanks for dropping by again and I hope you  have a lovely weekend ahead!

Anna x

Happy Birthday Jamie!

Hello again! Tomorrow is my son Jamie's 30th birthday and like all good party animals his is a 3 day long event which started on the beach last night. Here we are, en famille, at the start of the evening. Beer and pasties were the order of the day for this surprise birthday bash, organised by his sister Sasha and ex-Gallery Assistant Polly. Jamie was hijacked by a friend, being brought into the beach by boat as we all sang him Happy Birthday from the shore. 

I feel that this shot should be one of those "Add the caption" photos. Jamie and his old school friend Joanne are straining to hear/see each other or maybe not...

Appletree Bay was a glittering backdrop for the gathering of friends and family with lots of little babies and children too.

The zero from his 30 balloon popped before it reached the venue, calling for a bit of inventiveness from Rachel; both are balloons, just not necessarily a pair!

The party was punctuated by the arrival of the Penzance Helicopter causing everyone to grab hold of loose objects and small children as the downdraft hit us full force. A party with a difference is what you might say!

In between these photos there had been a boozy treasure hunt for the birthday boy, through the Monument Walk and across to Plumb Hill with the merry revelers following in his wake, bringing them on to our house at Timothy's Corner where Steve and I hosted a Port pit-stop with some freshly baked cheese biscuits to help mop up the excess alcohol. 

 

Some of the younger members of the company looked bright eyed and bushy-tailed despite the late hour...

...others were looking less so.

Day one of the party trilogy was coming to an end for Steve and I, but Jamie, Sash and Dave were heading off for the final leg of the evening.

While I'm very happy to show this before picture, I fancy that the after version wouldn't look quite so good. Here's a very Happy Birthday to my dear son and heir. I hope that the 3 day long 30th party is memorable for all the right reasons!

                                                                                      Anna x

Statement sleeves for our Style Not Age challenge

Hello and welcome once again to our monthly style challenge! Statement sleeves is Emma's idea this month and it seems to have been embraced with glee by all of us. For once there was an instant piece that came to mind when I read about the theme and I was  pleased with the results of the outfit and photos which my dear friend Fiona caputured for me. But more of that later. Here's how my style sisters approached Statement Sleeves.

This hot pink top of Emma's was an absolute bargain from River Island and one that I'd have snatched up too if I'd seen it. The leg o' mutton sleeves with shirred elastic cuffs make for a stunning look. Catch up with Emma's news on her blog Style Splash here. 

Hilda's double dose of denim also includes these fabulous sleeves. See them in close-up below.

Ever stylish Hilda has borrowed her hubby's hat to lend a cool edge to her denim ensemble. The mini pleats on the puffed sleeves are very unusual and effective too. See more from Hilda here. 

Fluted sleeves from Jacqui in this pretty summer top fit the bill nicely don't you agree? Grey crops and handbag work well with the pastel hues of her top and pumps. See more on Mummabstylish here. 

These huge frilled sleeves certainly fill the remit Gail! The blouse is another River Island gem - I clearly need to be checking out their website. Catch up with Gail's blog Is This Mutton here. 

I had great fun swooshing about in this pleated sleeved top in the golden evening light. Fiona and I had the beach to ourselves allowing for much uninhibited exhibitionism by me. We were there to swim primarily, but I managed to combine the photo shoot with our daily dip too. The location is Cradle Porth, my favourite beach of the moment.

My top was a charity shop find from years ago; so many that I forget when exactly. It was an eye catching piece that I knew was a worthy addition to my clothes collection. I haven't worn it often as it's quite a memorable piece.

I had great fun hamming it up for the camera! It's been a while since I've had a photographer to help out so I was making the most of it.

The mint stretch jeans were a £5 bargain from Tesco's a few summer's ago and the sandals are from TK Maxx, again some time ago. Nothing new in fact. 

There's nothing new jewellery-wise either. The rings are both pre-loved and the pearl necklace with glass lozenge is rather ancient, well at least over 10 years old. The Quay Australia sunglasses were given to me by a friend.

I've no idea what G means with these sandals. I've looked up shoe brands and there seems to be many using a capital G. Do let me know. 

I'd like to finish with a big shout-out to Sandra, my sister, who had a rather significant birthday yesterday. She lives on a tiny island on the West Coast of Scotland and consequently we've not seen each other for some time now. 

Many thanks for dropping by again. It'll be September before you hear from me again!

In the meantime, have a great week!

Anna x