Joe Browns to the rescue!

So there was I bemoaning the fact that I've still not got my autumn/winter clothes out of storage and then Joe Browns comes to the rescue, sending me a lovely clothes parcel. I've been gifted some lovely pieces of autumn/winter wear to share with you and goodness, how fab are they are! This full length maxi dress is the first to be showcased.

This is the Fabulous Folky dress and already it's proved to be a winner on their website. The design is simple; a pull-on dress with no buttons or zip in a medium weight jersey fabric with a round neck, dropped waist and a deep hemline frill. When I unpacked it the dress was wrinkle free and ready to wear - in fact this is me half an hour later, so excited was I to receive it. 

I opted for my Besson white leather boots and thick black tights to pair with the black dress with all its autumn colours. I must admit I'm pretty much in love with this maxi dress already. The cut is generous, roomy enough to layer my go-to long sleeved M&S thermal top underneath and fluid in movement for the full swish factor. 

I may be on leave for the next month, but I can see that this will be a lovely dressing up outfit for when I tire of jeans and joggers at home. You can't go wrong with a bold floral print can you? I'm wearing an orange perspex ring (pre-loved) and a silver and gold ring by Emily Nixon. 

I don't know why, but a long frock always seems more feminine than a shorter one, don't you think? It lends itself to swooping and swishing around. Or maybe that's just me?

The mild temperature here means that I only had to add this little jacket to complete the outfit. It's fake suede and was a long ago purchase from TK Maxx. 

I took these photos on Monday last week and such a lot has happened since then, namely that the gallery has closed for the next month allowing me to have some time away from work, yay! The other thing is that I had my booster jab (the Moderna) on Tuesday and by Thursday was laid up at home with a raging fever, headache, shivers, back pain, pains in my ribs, shooting pains in my hands and other flu-like symptoms. I also lost my appetite but not my sense of taste. My previous two vaccines were the Astra Zenica and apart from a sore arm in the jab site I felt fine. How very naive of me then, to think that I would sail through this booster. It's now Monday morning and this is the first of me being able to get up off the sofa to test my strength and frankly I feel as weak as a kitten. I know we are all having different responses to these vaccines, but I didn't realise that they varied so much from one to the other. Does this big reaction signal a good response to the vaccine I wonder? Is my heightened response a sign that my immune system will be better prepare for Covid19? Oh I do hope so.

                                                                                   Anna x

Grounded, by the sea

Hello again. How are you? Is this a good time of year for you? Like many, I struggle with the shorter days and lack of sunlight over the winter months, resulting in S.A.D. I know I've talked about this before, but for anyone out there who's new to the blog then this is my method of coping. Sea swimming truly keeps me grounded, helping me cope with the challenges of the season ahead.

It's over 8 years now since I started sea swimming and to be perfectly honest, it's been a lifesaver for me in more ways than one. The idea of taking a dip in the sea in the middle of winter may seem quite mad, but increasing numbers of the population here in the UK are turning to the ocean to help them with their mental well-being. I swear you never regret a sea swim. 

I was recently lucky enough to meet Olympic champion Keri-anne Payne while she was here on Tresco running a Triscape retreat. I had session in the pool along with a group of keen improvers like myself and came away with a few good pointers. Much as I'm a competent swimmer, my freestyle isn't my best stroke and I know needs attention. I've now got a few tips to help me become a more relaxed and smoother swimmer.

Hopefully next year I'll be able to attend the entire course and come away better armed for my swimming future. I have every intention to continue sea swimming into my dotage in an effort to keep a healthy body and mind regardless of the passage of time. I like the idea of being that eccentric old lady on Tresco who sea swims every day regardless of the weather.

Ear plugs, goggles and swimcap and it's time to go.

Swimming tall, holding that leading arm up until the following arm comes in line with the head. 

Concentration one moment and a lovely sense of flow the next; I'm slowly making progress. Swimming lends itself to a wonderful watery meditation which might account for the sense of well-being that follows.

And there it is, the joy of the afterglow. I love the sense of achievement after a swim, no matter how long or short. My Swim Secure tow float gives me confidence as I know I'm always visible even in low light like today.

I've bought two new swimsuits for this winter. The white one above is by Roxy and the green is by Animal. 

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a great week!

Anna x

Adidas trouser suit

Hello lovelies! Life rarely goes to plan and yes, I've still not managed to do my autumn/winter clothes changeover, but have mustered up this offering, my workwear from yesterday. The other promise of a round-up post has also fallen by the wayside, but it'll make an appearance at some stage. Disorganised is my middle name at the moment, but I hasten to add that's only on a personal level; work has mushroomed, including the three full days it took for me to pack up all of the art from our local pub, The New Inn, this weekend. The pub is undergoing a total refurb this winter and it fell to me to pack up the art collection and put it into storage for the duration. The back fire exit has a wooden staircase with 15 steps, below which was the container to hold the collection. I can testify that each time I ascended the stairs I ran up them - every single time. What a workout that was!

My salmon pink corduroy trouser suit is a great bit of transitional dressing. It's a heavyweight fabric that's cosy and comfy too, but decidedly smart. The trousers have a touch of stretch and very deep pockets - fab! I decided to jazz things up a bit by adding leopard print shoes (old from Office) and my Paul Costelloe handbag. 

The light was amazing yesterday morning when I took these shots on New Grimsby quay. Huge cloud formations were causing the sun to appear and disappear from shot to shot. 

My 60's vintage shirt is by Mark Roberts and was a find from a couple of years ago and maybe not seen on the blog previously. The white leather and silver belt is another charity shop find.

My gold chain necklace is from Primark (old), rings are pre-loved and jazzy yellow sunglasses are by Quay Australia.

So, the thought has just occurred to me that it's only a week now until the gallery closes and I take a month's sabbatical - sounds so much better than holiday or annual leave eh? Anyway, during that time there'll be no need for fancy work clothes at all. The pressure is off therefore to drag these out this weekend. It might make better sense to have this as one of my projects to do while I'm off. I'd really like to do that whole trying everything on and clearing out what doesn't fit or, more importantly, in the words of Marie Kondo, Spark Joy. As a clothes hoarder I acknowledge the need to delve deep and clear out from time to time.

Aside from the clothes sort out, I plan to read lots, swim every day on the high tide and clean my house! Oh my goodness, isn't that always the first thing to go when you're pushed time-wise? Every day when the postman opens my door to drop the mail onto the mat, I just want to apologise to him for the lack of hoovering once again! As usual, I'll also plan to factor in some down-time, but I seem to be hopeless at that too. Guilt at lying around watching movies during the day haunts me. But I'll be making a stab at chilling some way or another. I'd like to get back into my winter walking again and am sure Fiona will be keen to join in that again. All in all, I'm really looking forward to having a break from work. Work hard, play hard is my motto and it'll be great to have a go at the latter.

                                                                                      Anna x

October Style Not Age Challenge

Hello again! Yes, it's the last Monday of the month and that signals our Style Not Age Challenge again. This time Hilda has chosen Cosy Autumn Coats as our theme which seems to have turned up all sorts of lovely offerings. Mine is a bit lame I'm afraid as it's not exactly cosy, but still rather lovely even if I say so myself.  I'll spin my excuses later, but let's dive right in and see what all of my style sisters have come up with, shall we?

Jacqui is wearing a very sleek black quilted coat from M&S. It's my idea of a heavenly winter coat, ideal for cosying up in. Catch her backstory on Mummabstylish blog. 

Emma's Style Splash is also sporting an M&S coat, although hers was an eBay bargain for £10! I love the leopard print collar and would be very happy to add this to my coat collection. 

Gail's velvet military style jacket is from Joe Browns, paired with a velour skirt from Hope, giving a very sumptuous look. M&S brogue boots add an edge to the outfit which I love! See more on her blog Is This Mutton. 

Hilda wears a super Michael Kors coat from TK Maxx that has a fur trimmed hood to keep cosy against the chill winds. See her full feature on Over The Hilda.

You'll have seen my KEW 159 coat before and I had hoped to have something much more cosy for this challenge, but honestly my life is like a whirlwind at the moment! I've still not had time to do my clothes changeover this week and do wonder when that will happen. I'm scheduled to work all next weekend, so goodness knows when I'll find the time! Anyway, this is one of those transitional outfits where my Topshop lightweight dress has been given the seasonal treatment by adding a long sleeved thermal layer underneath, plus some thick tights creating a warm under layer. 

I've found that another clever way to keep cosy is to add a belt which traps warm air around the middle. My olive green studded belt was a gift from my friend Bo in Portugal. I'd admired this and a black one when I was last there on holiday and lo and behold she sent both to me as presents! My rings are both pre-loved and the dark green pearls are very old but much loved. Blue rimmed sunglasses are by Radley London.

We're still basking in some glorious golden autumn weather here on the islands which is probably how I'm still getting away with not having any autumn/winter clothes to hand. 

My mint green Office brougues are quite old now, but I'm still very happy with them despite the odd scuff or two around the toe area. Less than perfect is fine and is surely a sign of being worn and loved.

Yup, can you believe the size of this stick insect? I've no idea what kind it is, or even how common or uncommon this fella is, but it was a lucky break to stop here for my photo shoot and capture him. Details on the back of a postcard please.

Many thanks for dropping by again. I do hope you've enjoyed this month's challenge. I'll be back soon and plan to share the last bit of boating fun that Steve and I managed to squeeze in while the fine weather held out this month. Boating fun and some swimming news - how does that sound? Hope to see you soon!

                                                                             Anna x