Charity Shop Finds

Now that university deadlines are over I've decided to try my hand at regularly blogging fashion and lifestyle posts. I’ve come back to my home island for the summer (before moving to Manchester in the autumn) after graduating from university, and, like every time I pop home, I can’t resist a delve into the depths of my favourite charity shop- Les Bourgs Hospice. One of the things I love most about charity shopping is trawling through jumbled rails and delving into boxes of miscellaneous potential treasures. I never come out of there empty handed and this particular trip was no different.

My favourite find of the day (and possibly best find ever?!) was this gorgeous Vintage Yves Saint Laurent blouse for a measly five pounds. It’s a little big for me but will work perfectly tucked into something high-waisted or worn oversized over some skinny jeans or trousers. Its sheer material makes it current and the deep red will suit my favourite MAC lippy (Dubonnet)- I will definitely be wearing this come autumn.

The rest of my finds were also somewhat wintery. This black velvet top was only a pound and it has the most flattering sweetheart neckline and is something that I know I’ll be wearing as a wardrobe staple. I was drawn to this burgundy body-con style dress because of the flattering colour and unusual texture- a little something to save for a date night.

Lastly I got some cream linen shorts (which I definitely should have ironed before photographing!) originally from Mango which will be great all summer with a tan and can be dressed up or down with heels or with sandals. I can’t wait to give them a test drive- but first will take them up a few centimetres to make them more flattering on my little legs! 

I always find charity shopping to be so worthwhile, my best advice is to look out for things that you wouldn't usually go for and definitely check out rails of clothes in different sizes to your usual size-you might be pleasantly surprised! 

The Islander goes to: Sark

Last weekend I took a travel across the waters once again with my parents to see the infamous Sark Sheep Racing. An annual event that usually entices other islanders to Sark. Having not paid a visit to Sark in a few years and having never experienced The Sheep Races this was the perfect opportunity! After a very turbulent boat trip (I am NOT a good sailor!) we arrived at Sark in just under an hour, despite the swells of the sea, the sun beat down all day long at the 'race track!'

As soon as we set foot on dry land we were bundled into tractor-pulled trailers to get carried up the long and winding hill that leads you away from the small harbour. Here's a photo of my Mama looking lovely in the sunshine.

As we wandered around the village I couldn't resist posting a postcard to a friend through this Olympic Gold letter box. A resident of Sark won gold last year in Dressage and so the island was awarded with this.

 We then leisurely made our way through the dusty roads to the main event! As I mentioned in my previous post about Herm, they do not allow cars and they same rule applies to Sark too. There is rarely a moment when you are strolling through the streets when you can't hear the distant sound of a tractor or the clippity clop of horses hooves.

 And their off! There were many races on each day and the event lasted the whole weekend. You could go and bid £1 on your favourite sheep to win. Jockeys were strapped on in the form of teddy bears and a gentle old sheep dog nudged them in the right direction. The banana suit in the background is just an example of the fancy dress of the day- The Sheep Racing is always an excuse to get piddled!

Sadly my favourite to win, Ewesain Bolt let me down despite his amazingly well thought-out name. However my mum won back £1.50 on her £1 bet on Whoopsie Daisy!

After watching our share of The Races we had more of a wander around the beautiful sights of the island. The Window in the Rock (or Port Du Moulin) is one of my favourite views ever. A health and safety nightmare, The Window in the Rock is a tiny square naturally cut out of the cliffs and looks out over this view, there are no railings or barriers so one slip and you'd be a goner! Luckily I remained as sure footed as a mountain goat and managed to take this beautiful photo of the views from there.

This little visit to Sark was only a short one and I was disappointed not to have the opportunity to go over to 'Little Sark' during the day but this is a bit of a long walk unless you hire bikes for the day. (My mum always jokes that a small birthmark that she has resembles the shape of Little Sark and also claims that she saw a ghost there when she was younger!) With more stunning views it is adjoined to the main island and is well worth a visit if you are staying for the whole weekend. Until next time, Sark!

The Islander Goes To: Herm Island

Living in the Channel Islands means that we have loads of new places to visit just a hop, skip and a jump away from home. Last weekend I made the most of the glorious sunshine we’ve been having and travelled the twenty minute boat journey with a friend to Herm from our home island of Guernsey.

Herm is a diddy little pebble in the English Channel and stands at just three miles long! It has only fifty inhabitants and vehicles are prohibited apart from tractors and quad bikes.

We turned left at this sign and started our trip with a wander down the sandy golden paths to Shell Beach, a long stretch of soft sand with little boats bobbing along the shore.

We sat for hours and soaked the scorching sun into our pores and relaxed with a picnic. Watermelon has got to be the most refreshing fruit you can eat at this time of year...

After a full afternoon of lounging we decided to pack up and shift to another beach a little further away, Belvoir Bay. Here we grabbed an ice lolly and took the opportunity to take a few quick photos!

Before heading back we then took a long walk past the fields full of cows and through the less trodden paths around the southern cliffs of the island. From here we could see the private island of Jethou, and saw the coast of Guernsey off in the distance as the day drew to a close.

You can walk around Herm in about half an hour or so and it is an absolutely stunning get away whether you live on Guernsey or are visiting the Channel Islands. The Travel Trident sets off regularly every hour until five o’clock. However if you are enjoying a late meal at the weekend, boats will occasionally run at eleven-thirty to accommodate the party goers! See you soon, Herm!

Gallery magazine feature.

So this weekend I decided to come back to my homeland, the island of Guernsey for a break from the stresses of university and was told by a friend that they had seen me in a local magazine. I had completely forgotten about being 'style stalked' back around Christmas time (straight after trying to put contact lenses for about 40 mins at the opticians-that's what I'm blaming the hideous face on!) and if anyone reads this, thanks for the compliments on my legs! ;) 

I had a read through of the magazine and it's so interesting because of the fact that it is so relevant to island life and it really is amazing how many people you can recognise in the photos and also some of the writers names. 

 I thought that I would use this opportunity to devote more time to this blog and get started on some outfit posts and generally keep things more up to date. I'm hoping it will improve my writing and hopefully help me get involved with the lifestyle section of the university newspaper. 

Artwork

I thought I would start by showing you some of my recent sketchbook activity! The idea behind starting this sketchbook is so that I can draw or paint leisurely of anything I want to as opposed to the restricted projects of A-level art that I am used to. I find that doing little sketches like these can be so relaxing and I have always found the results of a couple of hours of drawing are so rewarding.

So anyway, these two pieces are a watercolour and a sketch that I have recently started although neither are completely finished as the watercolour palette I bought didn't come with a white (no idea why?!) and I am yet to replace my drawing pencils and so need to shade some of the areas better in the sketch.