And yet more joy!

Hello again and sorry for my absence, but life is forever busy as we prepare to close the gallery for winter meaning that I change hats and become curator of the Tresco Art Collection which is held within some 100 cottages and public areas around the island. However, here I am, referring back to my previous post about joy. As you can see I'm jumping for joy as I had a lovely walk to the North End of the island and decided to practise what Gaby Roslin was preaching. It really works! I did indeed feel energised, and much happier simply for jumping and leaping around like a mad thing.

For a very small island, Tresco does offer a sense of the great escape, be it here on the rocky heathland, in the depths of the Abbey Garden or along the sweeping stretches of white sandy beaches skirting the majority of the island. It was a good day to visit the North End as I met only three other people, all heading off to find there own place of solitude. 

A day off is a chance to dress down and this was me in outdoorsy mode in this two piece (very old) from Asos. The stretchy leggings and top are perfect for working out or busying around. And a plain white tee shirt underneath was enough layering to keep me warm on this autumn day.

The camoflage boots are by Replay and oh, what a joy they were when I found them on Vinted earlier on this summer! I love the matchy-matchy look and will be seen over the forthcoming months sporting this when I'm lugging paintings around from houses into winter storage. I'm going to show you some of the views from this vantage point...

This bay is called Gimble Porth and is where you can often catch sight of a seal or two at any time of year, but mainly during the quiet winter months. There was one bobbing about while I was taking these shots and you may be able to discern his dark head just above the water.

The view just beyond Gimble Porth shows Northwethel and the Small Islands beyond - all of these are tiny uninhabited islands, popular for picnic trips and adventures for those with a small boat and knowledge of tides and rocks.

Beyond those lies the inhabited island of St Martin's and the Eastern Isles strewn outwards towards the mainland. Steve and I love to escape to these desert islands on our days off.

The lighthouse is perched atop Round Island and is now worked remotely. Scudding across the foreground is one of Tresco's jetboats.

Part two of today's post is to feature my Primark short suit again, this time with different accessories. I much prefer outdoors photography for my blog outfits, but at this time of year I'm held hostage by the weather which has been pretty dire of late. Apologies therefore for the lighting and less clear images. Hopefully the backdrop makes up for what it lacks elsewhere.

The pink and orange tweed shorts suit is reinvented by adding a colourful tee shirt, pink tights and metallic cowboy boots - a bit different to when I wore it for the first time (see here).

Gold chain belt and necklace add a bit of glamour as do the pink and orange rings (pre-loved) along with these bobby dazzler boots.

The metallic boots really do add that punch to today's look. Not for everyone, I know, but very me! I bought them from Asos earlier on in the year, but they're sold out now. Gutted, aren't you! 

Thanks for dropping by and do keep in mind that our end of month challenge occurs on the last Monday of the month. It's my turn to chose the theme - I hope you'll join us for that!

                                                                                              Anna x

Spread The Joy

The title of today's post is inspired by Gaby Roslin who has recently released a book by the same name; see it on Amazon here. I heard Gaby on Radio 2 yesterday and she really struck a chord with me, especially when she commented on pink and orange being her favourite colour combination and I was wearing my outfit of the day already! Anyway see how my day unfolded...

The first photo shows the view from my garden, but also features our boat Leah Dancer in the foreground. This boat has been a huge renovation project over the past two years, culminating in it finally being launched in September. Apart from the day job, Steve and I have worked every weekend and most evenings over this summer to finish this labour of love, but it has meant us giving up many other things to acheive our goal. For me, the joy of my life, my sea swimming became a luxury I simply couldn't afford. We both made compromises and they were worth it. But now, thank goodness, I'm back in the groove and swimming on the high tides which this week have been in the morning. I met three other ladies crossing the bay yesterday morning and we stopped to say hello and, lovely morning!

Another joy I've recently managed to reinstate is my lunchtime walking with my friend Fiona. We both seem to have had equally busy summers and now at last are taking some time back for ourselves. Walking and talking is great fun, good therapy too and a great way to build up a bit of fitness. We walk a circuit of the island, but not across the North End, which takes us approximately an hour, giving us our 10,000 steps along the way.

And so, on to the outfit of the day. Like Gaby, I love pink and orange together which makes this another favourite of mine. The pink trench is really old now, but is still a source of joy, especially as it was a wonderful charity shop find at only £5!  Pairing it with my new orange handbag (see full details in my previous post here), makes the whole look pop.

One simple move that Gaby advocates is to jump, yes just jump, then jump and smile at the same time and see how effective that is in bringing an immediate sense of joy. I did a bit of that whilst up on the ramparts of the Old Blockhouse after work. My camera had a job trying to capture these shots of course, being a moving image, but at least you get the idea from this shot.

My pink and blue floral dress was another thrift shop find, from last year but this is only the second time I've worn it. It was a toss up between these silver brouges (very, very old from Office) and pink tight and boots. The shoes won for the simple reason that they're much more all-day-long comfortable. 

I'm wearing a long sleeved thin thermal layer (old, from M&S) underneath to keep the autumn breeze at bay. My rings are second hand and sunglasses are by Radley London.

Counting your blessings is another source of joy and taking time to stop and stare is an easy way to do this. The beauty of this place never ceases to amaze me. I can't imagine living anywhere else.

Milky autumn sun dancing behind the trees.

Home again in time for tea! So that was my day, and I do hope you enjoyed sharing it. I was at work too, but never seem to document that much as it's pretty much the same backdrop most days. Winter works are on the horizon though meaning I'll be getting out and about more, so hopefully will get some snaps of that in due course. I hope you're well, I hope you're finding the joy in your life and sharing it with the ones you love.

Have a great weekend!

Anna x

Power Dressing, this month's SNA challenge

Hello again! Can you believe it's the last Monday of September? Man, where did that go? Anyway, here's what's probably going to be my favourite autumn/winter outfit this year. I love to find an out of season piece that I can put away in readiness for the months ahead and that's what this was. But first let's see what the collective made of our monthly Style Not Age challenge, the theme for which has been chosen by Emma so let's take a look at what she's wearing.

The double breasted purple jacket with big shoulder pads and shiny buttons is everything that power dressing ought to be, especially with the addition of purple trousers. Emma does a lot of clothes shopping while abroad, that's where she found the Zara two piece. Check out her blog for the back story on Style Splash.

Another trouser suit comes from Jacqui of Mummabstylish, this one from H&M last year. Neutral and black work well together and the unstructured shirt lends the whole look a more casual style. Catch up with all of Jacqui's news over on her blog here. 

Gail did her homework to check the current definition of Power Dressing which led her to coming up with this punchy look where she's using cream to offset the red jacket and contrasting green handbag. Find her whole story here on Is This Mutton blog.

I'm more than a tad envious of Hilda who seems to have a rich seam of clothes at her disposal thanks to her local boutique, which is where this sleek navy trouser suit comes from, on loan, I have to add. She's added a fab pop of colour with her phone bag and courts to finish the look off. See more from her on Over The Hilda blog.

I'm bubbling over with excitement about this fabulous co-ord that I bought months ago when I was in Taunton. I found it in Primark where this beautiful pink and orange tweed suit was in the summer sale. The jacket was £20 and the lined shorts only £14 - I honestly couldn't believe my luck! The orange lining gives the ensemble a luxe look not normally associated with Primark. I'm a huge advocate of savvy shopping, of rooting about in the most unlikely of shops to find stylish tailoring like this. Vintage and charity shops are other obvious places not to be overlooked, especially as we're still in Second Hand September.

Of course, not everyone would agree that a 65 year old woman ought to be wearing shorts to work, but I'd respond by saying that coloured tights in a good denier can help to carry this look off. I've bought 80 denier pink tights as another option and will showcase these within the next month or so. These sizzling orange tights are from my favourite Penzance haunt, Number 36 boutique. The orange leather ankle boots were a purchase from ASOS in the spring.

My new orange handbag is from Oliver Bonas and is called Emma East to West. Not only is it all kinds of fabulous in colour with these multicolour straps, but if you follow the link you'll see that inside is a detachable clutch in a contrasting green along with another detachable zipped wallet too. I bought this recently when I was marooned in Paddington Station for 15 hours during train disruptions as Sash and I tried to travel back to Penzance. It was a little ray of sunshine on what was a very dark and stressful day.

My shirt is second hand, the brand is Lands End, and was a charity shop find many moons ago although this is the first time I've worn it, but hey, doesn't it work well? I'm always happy to add a bit of fun with pattern play. The leather belt was also a charity shop buy as were the rings.

The gold linked necklace was from Primark a couple of summers ago and my sunglasses are by Quay Australia, not new. 

My thanks go to Emily for stepping in as photographer this week. Didn't she do a good job!

This month's challenge came at just the right moment for me as the weather is changing and turning more like autumn, therefore making it a legit move to pop on this glorious tweed two piece. I'm so looking forward to wearing this over the next six months and do hope you'll enjoy seeing it often too!

Many thanks from us all on this month's style challenge. I do hope our five interpretations of Power Dressing have entertained and maybe even inspired you.

Have a great week!

Anna x

The dancing queens

Hello and welcome to this mega post covering my week off-island. Thanks for returning to catch up with the fun. So, this is Sasha and I sporting our post-concert glow following an evening of dancing all the way through ABBA Voyage! The whole experience, for any ABBA fan, is amazing and worth every penny. Photos and videos are banned during the show in order to keep the content a surprise for everyone planning to come along. Suffice to say, the website shows the stadium; the dance floor is most definitely the place to be; and you simply have to submit yourself to the ABBA avatars and let them mesmerize and hypnotise you. 

The most problematic part of the long weekend was the terrific spell of weather where we struggled with temperatures of 33 degrees.  Getting dressed for the concert was challenging despite us having cold showers beforehand.

My trousers were bought from Shein last winter with a view to wearing them over the festive period but somehow that didn't pan out. The sequinned vest was a charity shop find and required a fair bit of repair work, replacing and relocating beads and sequins that were virtually hanging off - this is my favourite type of repair. And the aqau cardi was bought in London many years ago when my friend Ben took me out charity shopping; I paid £7.50 for it and this was its debut!

I bought this tiny blush glitter bag from Vinted earlier on in the summer as I was planning my outfit. It was just big enough to house my phone, lipstick and hairbrush. I wanted an across the body bag to wear while dancing and this worked beautifully.

5pm on Saturday evening and we were still blasted by the extreme heat before we even set off. It took us an hour to cross London on the underground and Docklands Light Railway by which time it was all a bit hot and sticky. We checked in at the venue and sat outside in the early evening sunshine to enjoy the stream of fans arriving in their finery.

There was a great deal of mutual appreciation for all the efforts that the party-goers had made. These guys were greeted with cheers and applause as they entered and we all wanted photos of them! Without sounding too corny, the love flowed and compliments passed from stranger to stranger in a wonderfully uninhibited way. ABBA was our common bond and we were all amongst friends. I reveled in it and was completely in my element. After a few Mojitos, Sash was ready to immerse herself too.

An aside here - this was the photo that made us decide I needed a new phone - check out the blurry quality! I've since bought a Google Pixel 7 and hope to showcase the resulting photos soon. Earlier on that day Sasha had decided that she ought to capture all images for the evening, thank goodness!

And here we go, off into the arena. The screens are huge, the volume is LOUD and everyone, simply everyone loses themselves in the ABBA moment. It was blooming awesome!

All too soon it was over and we all, as one body, crossed to the tube station. One last photo opportunity for me to show off before my evening was over - Waterloo played in the background and I threw some shapes in my typical shameless manner.

They say every picture tells a story and these boots will be my forever memento of the evening. I wore them for six long hours, up and down the stairs on the Tube as well as being a #dancingqueen all night long. My sister urged me to keep them as they're part of my fashion history and pretty iconic too.

By Monday morning Sash was on the boat back to the islands and I had been delivered to my sisters awaiting me in Hayle. A quick shower, some breakfast and we were ready for some sightseeing.

On the left is Sandra the eldest of us and Dianne is the middle sister. I think it's five years since we've all been together. Sandra lives on Orkney and Dianne in St Andrews, so we're not exactly neighbours. But that makes it all the more special when we do manage have a meet up. My bucket list was to visit the Minnack after 45 years of sailing past the Cornish landmark on the Scillonian and never once setting foot in it. I don't drive therefore it's not an easy task.

For the record, Sandra isn't terribly keen on having her photo taken, but tolerated it to humour me. Sandra has recently started a course at Orkney College, part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, to complete a BA in Fine Art, a lifelong ambition for her. I hope that when I'm 72 I'll be starting on a new adventure too!

Second on my bucket list was to create this one for our family album. When we were children our parents took us to John O'Groats for one of these photos. Mine has gone astray but hopefully one of the others will send me a copy (nudge nudge Dianne :-)) Montrose is our home town.

This photo caused much debate later on that evening as to who's now the tallest, who's shrinking the fastest and finally how honest we were in our declared heights, and consequently positions, as young women. Who says you've gotta grow up just because you grow old?

I tried to capture this weird optical illusion where the two rocks in the far distance seem to be floating in mid air. Sandra says there's a proper name for this. Do tell if you know.

After a well earned cuppa we headed off to Penzance where Dianne wanted to visit my favourite boutique Number 36. I finally got a chance to introduce myself to the manager while my sisters browsed. No purchase for me this time, but Dianne bought some fabulous lime green trousers that have somehow managed to come home with me...

Day two and Sandra's request was to visit the Leach Pottery. None of us had ever been there and what a great immersive experience that proved to be. I'd love to spout some facts to you, but I've still not read my guide. See the link here to find out everything from the official website. 

The museum and shop are open to the public and at the rear runs the pottery which offers the opportunity to work alongside the Leach potters and learn their craft. My dear friend Fiona took herself off there last year for a week resulting in her pots evolving in form, finish and style, and selling out very quickly both with us and at our local Makers Market. We met potter and shop Manager Joanna Wason who was a mine of information about the history of the pottery as well as being author of Janet Leach : Potter.

A cuppa with a view of St Ives was next on our agenda lending itself to the perfect people watching vantage point. The dog to people ratio was quite high, although not apparent in either photo. 

The final quest of the day was to find the grave of renowned artist Alfred Wallis who died a pauper and was saved from a pauper's grave by the St Ives art community who paid for a fitting resting place for him, in the graveyard overlooking Porthmeor Beach. 

And that winds up my trip away. Ironically I picked up a bug on my way home and have spent the past week in haze of sweats and urgent trips to the loo.  Drinks and naps have aided my recovery as well as the mere passage of both time and dreaded bug through my system. Today, a week later, is my first day of getting dressed so I must be feeling better and this too, to write to you with my mega post, has to be a good sign!

Do please leave me a comment if you've enjoyed the post, the photos or just my rambling on. I'm always delighted to read your feedback.

Monday heralds the next installment of our Age Not Style feature so do please swing by if you get a moment and in the meantime, have a lovely weekend!

                                                                                      Anna x