17.04

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W A K I N G   U P   I N   T H E   B A R N

We slept so soundly, that first night in Kent. The bed was a total dreamboat of crisp white linens and soft, feathery pillows, and so we were quite reluctant to climb out from underneath the duvet when Elsie began her 6.30am ‘banging on the crate door’ routine…

But get up we did, and I wound up being grateful for our early morning furry alarm clock, as it meant we were up in time to see the sun rising over the fields that lay behind the barn. I watched the sunrise out in the garden with coffee in hand and with the dogs running around in the dewy grass by my feet, thinking about the fact that that morning was the first of my 19th week of pregnancy. It was a pretty lovely way to welcome in the new week.

And then, to breakfast!

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We’d had a delivery of groceries the previous afternoon, which thankfully for me and my fruit craving, was packed full of berries, as well as so many other things besides.

We washed and chopped, fried and scrambled, and between us put together a breakfast table fit for kings. Or, two hungry people plus two doe-eyed dogs…

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Blouse

Is there anything better than a warm croissant, spread with salted butter and berry jam? We had a pack of four arrive on the Sunday afternoon, and despite Jason not eating any, we went home on the Tuesday with only one croissant left in the packet.

I’m going to pretend the dogs snuck into the cupboard and ate some during the night…

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With bellies full of fresh strawberries, croissants, eggs, and orange juice, we got ourselves ready to head out into the woods with Teddy and Elsie. In fact, maybe my belly was just a bit too full (with breakfast & baby…), because me and my jeans had a bit of a tussle when it came to getting zipped up that morning…

Emma, our host, had pointed us in the direction of a walk we might like to head out on the previous day, and so with the dogs in tow, we headed off through the sheep fields and into the woods.

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Shirt || Chinos

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Layered up in our fancy new checked shirts (you know how much I do love a checked shirt!), we made our way through the forest with the dogs bounding along ahead of us. Elsie was in heaven chasing fat bumblebees (and giving me heart attacks every five minutes in doing so…) and Teddy’s heaven came in the form of the pheasants he kept flushing from the undergrowth left and right.

The woods were alive with the sounds of spring- birds calling, bees buzzing, lambs and ewes calling out to one another- and as Jason and I walked we played our new favourite game of shortlising baby names. You should know that it’s currently a very short shortlist, because it turns out we’re both super fussy about names…it’s just *so* tricky to choose!

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Shirt || Jacket || Jeans


With both the dogs suitably worn out from our walk through the woods, and the lure of a lemon drizzle cake calling us back to the barn, we retraced our steps back through the fields and up the lanes back home.

The rest of that drizzly, cosy Monday afternoon was spent curled up on the sofas, sipping our way through cups of coffee and eating generous slices of lemon cake. We went out for a lovely dinner that evening at a pub called The Milk Barn, and despite not being able to eat most things on the menu (I miss unpasteurised soft cheeses like you would *not* believe!), it was totally lovely.

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T O   T H E   B E A C H

For our final day in Kent, we packed up and said goodbye to the barn, then drove the half hour or so journey down to the beach at Camber Sands. The sun shone more brightly on us than it had the whole stay so far, and so what else was there to do but hit the sand?

Sure, the winds were strong enough to make your eyes water and neither of us dared venture down into that freezing water, but still, you just can’t beat an English beach if you ask me.

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It was Elsie’s first taste of salty air, and I think she loved it! Though to be honest, so long as that little pup is running free alongside her big brother, it’s safe to say she’s happy. She’s pretty low maintenance, and we’re glad of it!

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Dress || Cardigan

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It felt so, SO great to ditch my tights for our walk that day! I’d put a pair on in the morning, but the weather was so lovely and warm I ended up shimmying out of them in the car as we drove over to the beach.

This little outfit combination, of a floaty dress and longline open cardigan, is one I think I’ll be living in over the next few months. It feels so lovely to do away with any pressure on my lower belly from waistbands, and wear something so loose and comfortable for a change.

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That walk on the beach was the perfect way to wrap up our few days away. With salty winds whipping through our hair, and the dogs leaving tracks of paw prints in the sand all around us, I was pretty happy.

In fact, the whole long weekend was filled with happiness, and I’m already dreaming of recreating another trip just like it before the summer ends, and four becomes five…<3

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This post was sponsored by FatFace, who right now are offering an exclusive online 15% discount to Cider with Rosie readers!

The offer is for 15% off a single purchase of full price merchandise at FatFace, and is valid until the 24th April. Quote ROSIE at checkout to redeem the discount!

(Terms and conditions: This promotion cannot by used in conjuction with any other promotion. Returned items will be refunded (on production of a valid receipt) at the discounted price paid. Offer cannot be used in FatFace stores.)

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Posted in BEACH, Sponsored, TRAVEL, WEEKEND BREAK

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14.04

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A   C O U N T R Y S I D E    S T A Y C A T I O N .

If you asked me to describe my perfect weekend away, I’d tell you about a weekend in the countryside.

I’d be with Jason and Teddy and Elsie, of course, and we’d spend our time taking long leisurely walks through the fields and forests (with no time constraints, or need to rush back to crack on with work), and then coming home to eat so much delicious food we feel as though we might burst, before falling asleep on the sofas for a spell.

This past weekend had all those things, and more.

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Our ‘Weekend of Happiness’ came courtesy of the lovely folk at FatFace, and it was such a treat. We’re really trying to treasure the time we spend just the two of us right now, since we know our lives are set to change so drastically in September!

We arrived at Bemba’s Barn (set in a sweet village called Biddenden in the heart of the Kent countryside) at around midday on Sunday, with our bags packed full of beautiful pieces from FatFace’s dreamy Spring Summer collection to see us through our stay.

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We were greeted by our host Emma, handsome labrador Bemba (who the barn is named after, and who Elsie become OBSESSED with during our stay!), and a bowl of freshly laid eggs on the dining table from Emma’s brood of chickens.

Ted and Elsie ran along behind us as we explored the barn- they were giddy with excitement, both at having such a big space to charge around in, and also because they’d spotted pheasants in the field behind the barn as we arrived!

Once our bags were unpacked, and after a brief pause to admire our new surroundings over a cup of coffee, we welly-booted up and set out down the lane that ran along the back of the barn.

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Jumper || Jeans

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Jacket

The bluebell woods near where we live haven’t sprung to life yet, but the little patch we stumbled upon just down a bank between some farmers’ fields were out in their full glory. There’s nothing quite like bluebells in the spring time, is there?

The light was low and shining golden through the trees, and we paused for a moment to appreciate the quiet and stillness. Well, as much stillness as you can get with two spaniels bounding around your feet…

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Now, we need to pause for a moment, in these beautiful bluebells woods, to talk about this pair of dungarees I’m wearing…

All my life, I’ve had this secret silly life goal of being a pregnant lady wearing dungarees.

I don’t know why, exactly, it’s just always been an idea that captured my heart! In the way that some girls grow up dreaming of their wedding dress, in all its magical ivory glory, I always dreamed of the day that I’d shimmy myself and a bump into a pair of dungarees made from the softest, most worn-in denim, perhaps with a rip here and a fray there to add to the cosy, well-loved feel.

And so, as you can imagine, these dungarees are something of a dream come true for me!

 Dungarees || Breton top

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FatFace don’t sell maternity wear, but their pieces are so well cut and have such a wonderful relaxed feel to them that just ordering a size or so up from normal makes their clothes totally ideal for wearing through pregnancy and beyond.

And these dungarees really are the *most* comfortable thing to wear with a growing belly. Despite still being fairly small on the bump front, I can’t bear having anything tight cutting into my stomach or putting any extra pressure around my abdomen. These are so roomy around the middle, I’m practically living in them at the moment!

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^^ Both Jason and I agreed that this jumper is one of the nicest pieces of knitwear he’s ever owned. You won’t believe the price either- a total bargain! ^^

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With the dogs suitably worn out (and as muddy as only a pair of fluffy spaniels can get during a 20 minute jaunt), we waved goodbye to the bluebells and the stream and the setting sun, and made our way home to the barn.

Dinner was made and eaten in a flash when we got back, and after an evening spent chatting and cat-napping on the sofas, we took ourselves off to bed for a night of sound sleep in the countryside quiet.

The perfect beginning to three blissful days away…

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This post was sponsored by FatFace, who right now are offering an exclusive online 15% discount to Cider with Rosie readers!

The offer is for 15% off a single purchase of full price merchandise at FatFace, and is valid until the 24th April. Quote ROSIE at checkout to redeem the discount!

(Terms and conditions: This promotion cannot by used in conjuction with any other promotion. Returned items will be refunded (on production of a valid receipt) at the discounted price paid. Offer cannot be used in FatFace stores.) 

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Posted in COUNTRY WALKS, COUNTRYSIDE LIFE, TRAVEL, WEEKEND BREAK

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07.04

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 S U P E R   G R E E N   J U I C E   &   A   S W E E T   T R O P I C A L   S M O O T H I E

Since getting our NutriBullet towards the end of last summer (it was a treasured wedding gift!), I can honestly say I’ve used it almost every day since. In fact, it’s been given a full-time position on our countertop (praise indeed!), because it rarely goes a day without being put into action!

I use it for whizzing up soups, for grinding coffee beans, to whip up sauces and things like hummus and pesto, and, of course, to make smoothies!

My only bug bear up until recently had been that I often fancy the freshness of a juice, over the richness of a smoothie, and that’s one thing I didn’t think I could achieve with the NutriBullet. (This isn’t a paid plug for NutriBullet, by the way. I just love it!)

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And yet, of course I could! It occurred to me, like a brainwave one morning, that if I simply whizzed up all the ingredients I wanted in my juice, and then strained it all through a clean cloth, I might just be left with juice!

So, I tried it, and it worked a treat. And now, I’m obsessed! The funny thing is, the baby seems to love juice as much I do, because whenever I drink it the kicks start coming thick and fast!

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This flavour combination is my current favourite, though I fancy experimenting with some carrot juice sometime soon too. I love that this juice isn’t too sweet, and that you can really taste the tang of the celery alongside the apple flavour.

It basically just feels like health in a glass, and I can’t get enough.

Recipe for my super green (baby kick inducing!;) juice below!

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The quantities are all very changeable and approximate. Basically, these are the proportions I go for, but feel free to tailor it as you fancy. Makes approx. 500ml. juice.

Ingredients ::
2 apples
2 florets of broccoli
1 + 1/2 stalks of celery
2-3 inches of cucumber
Squeeze lemon juice
Coconut water, about an inch or so when poured into your blender

- Chop all the ingredents into smallish chunks, and give them a wash.

- Layer them up in your blender or Nutribullet, with the cucumber closest to the blades (it’s the lightest and most watery ingredient, which helps the blending!), and the apple chunks furthest away.

- Pour in an inch or so of coconut water, then add a spritz of lemon juice. Blend for a few seconds, until a pulpy juice has formed, and then pour into the middle of a clean cloth over a jug.

- Carefully squeeze all of the juice out of the pulp into a jug or glass, and then serve! (I always feed a bit of the leftover pulp to Ted and Elsie, which they adore! It’s pure goodness for them, I’m sure!)

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The other drink I love making to have either alongside or as breakfast (well, I used to have a smoothie as breakfast, but now I usually have it alongside porridge or something more hearty), is a tropical smoothie!

This one, made from mango, banana, avocado, and lime would work really well as a frozen smoothie bowl in the summertime, but until the glorious sunshine returns it’s just as nice as a regular smoothie!

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It’s sweet and creamy, but because never feels overly rich because I tend to make it either with coconut water, orange juice, or a little Coco coconut milk.

However you make it though, it’s delicious and lovely first thing in the morning now the weather’s beginning to brighten up.

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Makes approx. 500ml of smoothie.
Ingredients ::
2 small ripe bananas
1/2 large ripe mango
1/2 small ripe avocado
Coconut water/coconut milk/fruit juice
Lime

- Chop up the banana, mango, and avocado, and put them in your blender. Pour in a couple of inches of coconut water, milk, or juice, add in a spritz of lime juice, and blend!

- This smoothie would work well using frozen banana or frozen mango chunks, but you’ll need to up the liquid quantity if doing so to keep things blendable and achieve a smoothie consistency. Or, keep liquid levels low, and you’ll be left with a semi-frozen smoothie consistency- yum!

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Posted in BREAKFAST, RECIPE, SWEET

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05.04

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Oh, you have NO IDEA how good it feels to have finally been able to share the news of my pregnancy here on Cider with Rosie! Keeping the secret from you all has been so hard, and made me realise quite how much of myself I do share here. Finding out that we were expecting and my first few months of pregnancy have been totally all-consuming, and so not being able to share what had immediately become the hugest, most thrilling part of my life really was such a challenge. I’ve missed you!

Today I wanted to share with you a little round-up of my first trimester (I’m actually 18 weeks pregnant now, so roughly a month into my second trimester…), and update you on this whole pregnancy experience so far. If you’ve already watched my 15 week update video on YouTube then there might not be anything new to find out, so you can just look at the pictures if you fancy ;)

(p.s. The baby’s busy kicking me over on the left hand side of my stomach as I type, so I like to think it’s on board with this whole blogging thing already…)

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Jason and I found out we were expecting on New Year’s Eve, though we did suspect I might be pregnant over Christmas. This meant that the whole of this  Christmas turned into a game of ‘hide the fact that Rosie’s not drinking from our friends and family’…Jason stepped up and subtly drunk everything alcoholic that came my way, so he had the best Christmas season of his life! ;)

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I feel as though I was relatively lucky during my first trimester, since I escaped the dreaded ‘morning sickness’ and got away with just some nausea.

Instead, my main symptoms were fatigue (oh my GOODNESS the fatigue!!! It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced! I feel as though I basically dozed my way through the whole of January and February…), a loss of appetite combined with crazy hunger (all I could stomach was bland carbs, but needed to eat constantly!), a sense of smell that I reckon rivalled even Teddy and Elsie’s, and (this might be kind of an overshare, but hey!) the most INTENSE boob pain ever!

In fact, that pain was pretty much my first clue I might be pregnant, and is still with me three or so months later! The worst thing was it meant I had to stop sleeping on my stomach at 8 weeks, even though my ‘bump’ was non-existent enough at the time that I otherwise could’ve stayed on my front for at least another month or so. Sob!

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I felt as though the first 12 weeks or so of pregnancy passed me by in a haze of bone-aching tiredness, nausea, worry, and…have I mentioned the exhaustion enough times yet? Being able to tell our families after the 12 week dating scan was absolutely magic (I secretly filmed a lot of their reactions, and the footage is priceless!), and the scan itself was an incredible, emotional experience. I breathed a sigh of relief, seeing our baby wriggling away on that screen, and hearing its heartbeat so strong and loud. I’ll never forget what a joyful, grateful moment that was.

At around the beginning or March it felt as though I ‘woke up’, and started to feel more like myself again. And since then, the pregnancy’s been racing past!

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Spotty dress || Stripey dress

I know I said it yesterday, but I’m so excited to share this next chapter of our lives here on my blog. When I first started Cider with Rosie I was at the end of my second year of university, lost in a fog of grief and trying to will myself to complete a course I wasn’t interested in, and Jason and I were only a year or so into living together for the first time in our relationship.

You’ve been with us as we found our feet and grew up, got engaged, got married, and now (I’m feeling a little choked writing this), I hope you’ll be with us as we enter this next chapter of our lives as parents.

Thank you, all, for continuing to read. It means more than I can say.

X

p.s. I’ve begun sharing pregnancy videos over on YouTube (this ones going up this week are from earlier in my pregnancy, and from next Sunday onwards they’ll be up to date), so if you’d like to watch and follow along, you can find my channel here!

~ Photos by Freya Dowson ~

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Posted in BABY, FAMILY, JASON, LIFE LATELY

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