09.11

Cider-with-Rosie-Boden-Stars-2

Oh hi. It’s me, sharing an outfit post for the first time in literally forever!

You might have noticed the complete lack of photos I shared of myself during the last six weeks of my pregnancy. That was mainly down to the fact that blowing up like a balloon (water retention’s fun isn’t it? Didn’t have that with Ottie, so it was a fun surprise!) and carrying a 9 pound baby when you’re not an especially tall woman and there’s nowhere for it to go but aaalllll out front, makes you look roughly the size and shape of your average double decker bus. And so surprisingly, my confidence wasn’t especially high as a result!

But four weeks post partum, and I’m starting to feel slightly more like myself again. A totally different shape of course and with a belly that still looks kind of sad, but it’s a joy to be feeling somewhat ‘normal’ and able to dress my non-pregnant body again!

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Choosing breastfeeding-friendly outfits comes with its own set of challenges, of course, but my formula for an easy ‘Mum day uniform’ kind of outfit is the same as 99% of other Mamas out there- a top to pull up, a top to pull down (my vest top collection is taking over our house), and jeans! Speaking of jeans, I fit into mine again! Not the normal kind, just the maternity ones I got too fat for by the end of my pregnancy…ha!

This sweater is a new one from Boden, and it’s just what my wardrobe needed. It’s been a very long time since I loved a top this *isn’t* stripey as I love this one, so this is a big moment for me.

And with that sweet star design, it’s kind of a nod to the festive season ahead! It’s suddenly struck me how quickly Christmas is creeping up on us, and I need to get organised.

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We shot these photos exactly four weeks since Arlo’s arrival, and the baby days seem to be slipping by so quickly. Too quickly!

We’ve hit the evening witching hour phase for sure, and yep I do seem to be wearing some sort of bodily fluid at all times, but second time round it’s all just dreamy. Please don’t grow too quickly, my not-so-little little boy.

Cider-with-Rosie-Boden-Stars-4 Cider-with-Rosie-Boden-Stars

Star sweater (very kindly gifted to me…shown below in alternative prints!). There’s 25% off everything this weekend…go go go !

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10.05

Cider-with-Rosie-Boden-London

After several days of Biblical rain storms, the unseasonable cold, and a sun so pathetic the newly-appearing freckles on my face all but jumped ship and disappeared, spending the whole of Thursday in a bright and (mostly) warm London was total bliss. I always forget quite how glorious London becomes when the sun shines, even when said sunshine is a touch on the intermittent side.

Thursday was a busy old day. It was a day for ditching the tube and walking round Soho, for meeting friends (both old ones and new), and eating. Always, always eating, because what else is a girl to do when in London? The day began bright and early- brighter and earlier even than was necessary for catching my train, because I had errands to run before heading into town. Turns out though, running errands whilst wearing a pencil skirt is more like…’trotting errands’. Running (or even walking fast) with knees that are tied to one another is a total no-go, and it made trying to dash across the village high street whilst carrying the pair of heavy curtains I’d just collected from the dry cleaners a pretty memorable experience…

But, to the exciting things! First on the London-agenda was…Boden! Boden’s twice-yearly press days (one for Spring/Summer, the other Autumn/Winter) are fast becoming one of my favourite blog-related events to attend. Not only is it always a treat to get chance to preview all the beautiful pieces that’ll be being released over the coming months (check out the handbag below- isn’t it a total dream?), but they’re always the most sociable of days too! Kat, Natasha and I were introduced to one another via the lovely folks at Boden (on that most fabulous of trips down to Dorset last July!), and now take the chance to meet and catch up every few months at press days. A few months ago was a S/S preview followed by afternoon tea at The Berkeley, and this Thursday was AW15 and then a whole afternoon of treats!

First things first though, to The Old Vinyl Factory on Marshall St for Autumn Winter newness…

Boden-new-season-collection Boden-AWcollection-New-British

^^ The collection is totally gorgeous. It’s called ‘The New British’, and has so many so many stand out pieces it was hard to pick my favourite! That denim dress is one of them though, for sure…^^

Comptoir-Libanais

After we’d taken a thousand photos and each bumped into so many bloggers and journalists we knew from other events (including my love Lucy, who I met in Cologne), we said our goodbyes (sadly to the clothes, whilst we’ll be waiting a few months for) and headed out in search of lunch. We decided to pace ourselves and go light for our midday meal, so nipped up the road from where the event was being held, and straight into Comptoir Libanais.

Frozen-mint-lemonade-Comptoir-Libanais lebanese-tortilla

I’ve only been to Comptoir Libanais twice, but both times have left me wondering why on earth I ever eat anything other than pickles and hummus. The pickles in Comptoir are out of this WORLD fantastic- so salty they’ll make your tongue tingle (which is exactly what I look for in a pickle, just in case you’d ever wondered), and the pickled jalapeños are just hot enough without being up there in blow-your-head-off territory. (How many times can a person write the word pickles in one paragraph without it being annoying? Pickles. There’s another one just for the sake of it.)

Kat and Natasha both pronounced the chicken wraps they’d ordered to be delicious, and the halloumi tortilla with chopped salad I ate was pretty delicious too, as was that frozen mint and orange blossom lemonade concoction in the photo above! I love how fresh and vibrant the food is, and it’s so very affordable for a quick lunch too. If you go, promise me you’ll order an extra side of pickles on my behalf, okay? (The lurid pink ones are the best…)

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What I’m wearing :: Sheer top || Navy pencil skirt || Nude flats || Trench || Bracelet

Rosie-Boden-London

Post-lunch, the three of us went in search of dessert and found our way over to The Parlour in Fortnum and Masons. I’d never been to Fortnums for anything other than a browse and a potter before, and now I’ve sampled the delights of The Parlour, I can’t think why on earth not. I mean, the tea and coffee cups come with miniature ice-cream cones on the sides, for crying out loud!

The-Parlour-Fortnum-and-Mason-Cider-with-Rosie Fortnum-and-Mason-CiderwithRosie

Between us we sampled a flat white (mine, predictably), a couple of pots of Earl Grey tea, as well as pistachio, mint chocolate, raspberry, and salted caramel ice creams. Everything was just lovely, but those ice creams are what make the Parlour worth stopping by for, truly! The flavours are fantastic (the salted caramel rocked my world!), and sitting in the adorable cafe with its American diner-meets traditional British finery setting was a total treat. The prices are as dear as you’d expect from Fortnum and Mason, but for a little taste of dressed-down luxury, it was truly lovely.

And, what put the proverbial cherry on top of the ice-cream sundae was that after Natasha, Kat and I had sat and eaten our afternoon treats and put the world to rights for an hour or so, we were joined by Sara and Xanthe! We’d all known of one another for such a long time via Boden, and it was so fun to finally connect in person instead of just via Instagram! It was yet another of those moments that make me glad to have started this little blog almost three years ago to the day, because of how many connections it’s allowed me to make to people from all corners of the world.  lemon-meringue-tart-Fortnums- Fortnum-and-Mason-The-Parlour

^^ Don’t you just want to dive right on in to that bowl? ^^

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Summer? I’m ready for you now.

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Posted in BODEN, DAY TRIPS, FOOD, FRIENDS, LONDON

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16.12

Rosie-Reynolds-Cider-with-Rosie-Boden

The city’s looking pretty beautiful in all this crisp winter weather we’ve been having of late. Compared with last winter, when it was nothing but rain 24/7 (and Jason’s offices ended up flooding three feet deep on Christmas Eve!), it feels like a blessing.

Last Wednesday’s trip was probably my last jaunt in London before Christmas. I was in town for a midday catch up with Freya and then an event at Brora in the evening, with a few items to tick off my to-do list in between. I met Freya in the Young Victoria theatre bar just South of Waterloo, for snacks and plenty of cups of tea. I ate a portion of polenta fries that were so hefty you could’ve built houses with them (no bad thing if you ask me, I am mildly obsessed with all things polenta) and we talked over the various merits of different lenses and full-frame cameras and all the other things that make us both stupidly excited.

I went pottering off to Covent Garden after our lunch date, in search of a few bits I needed for upcoming blog content and also just to see the Christmas lights. Turns out, Covent Garden was entirely unfruitful with anything BUT Christmas lights, but they were so beautiful it made up for the blister I got walking over there and then back to the Strand where I actually *could* buy everything I needed. Really it’d have been better to go to Oxford Street and do the lot in one hit, but I’ll do just about anything to avoid Oxford Street…

I found myself with an hour to spare just as the sun was setting, so moseyed over to Trafalgar Square to watch the crowds and the sky and the tree lights twinkling. And then it was off to the Duke of York Square for hummus and pickles at Comtoir Libanais, and then to Brora on Sloane Square to get to know the brand a little better. And for a little light cashmere stroking, of course…

As days in London go, it was a beautiful one. And as one final day in London at the end of such a busy, non-stop year of so many days in London, it was perfect. I’m looking forward to a more relaxed couple of weeks spent almost solely in the countryside over Christmas, though I know by the time we’re heading into 2015, the city will be ready to steal my heart all over again.

Photos from a festive London below, if you’d like to see…

London-roofline-Cider-with-Rosie Black-patent-loafers-Cider-with-Rosie

^^ These beautiful loafers are new, and I just can’t stop wearing them. Frozen toes be damned! Linked below… ^^

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What I wore :: Fairisle cardigan || Chambray shirt || Skinny legging jeans || Patent loafers {on MEGA SALE!}

Fairisle-cardigan-Cider-with-Rosie Roasting-chestnuts-Cider-with-Rosie

^^ You just would not believe how incredible these roasted chestnuts smelt. Quite literally Christmas in a nutshell! ^^

Roasted-nuts-street-vendors-London-Rosie-Reynolds Covent-Garden-Christmas-decorations-Cider-with-Rosie Trafalgar-square-skyline-Rosie-Reynolds

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Posted in BODEN, DAY TRIPS, LIFE LATELY, LONDON, PHOTOGRAPHY

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11.11

Cider-with-Rosie-Boden-press-day

It’s not every Wednesday that’s as full of beauty as last Wednesday was. Mostly, I think of Wednesdays as being pretty mediocre. Often grey, often full of tedious jobs (the ones you’ve been putting off during Monday and Tuesday), and still too far away from the weekend to be hopeful. Last Wednesday though? It was a whole other kettle of fish.

Boden press days are always a sight to behold. Their eye for detail extends way beyond each season’s clothing collection, and encompasses every part of the world Boden create. Shoes are placed alongside potted flowers that match their shade of pink exactly. Vintage gardening books are sourced and strewn (artfully, always artfully) around a handmade neon ‘greenhouse’. Mini-workspaces are set up to create the perfect Instagram backdrops. White garden gnomes are given hats that match fabrics taken from the new season’s collection.

It blows my mind, and never fails to inspire and encourage my own eye for detail. The Spring Summer 15 collection is entitled ‘Great Boden in Bloom’, and is, as you’d imagine, horticulturally-themed. As always with Boden, there’s a pattern and a shape to suit every taste imaginable, and let me tell you, the collection suited a LOT of my tastes! A few photos from the day are below, but I’m afraid I must’ve been on a major shoe kick as the vast majority of photos are of footwear. Then again, I never need apologise for shoes, right? ;)

Boden-in-Bloom-SS15-press-day Boden-SS15-mini

^^ Mini Boden yellow boots! Aren’t they gorgeous? ^^

Vintage-horticulture-books Boden-Blogger-workspace New-season-Boden-preview

^^ Lizzie, who works at Boden, was wearing the pink pair of heels on the right on Wednesday, and they looked completely amazing on her. Already at the top of my wish list! ^^

Boden-SS15-collection

I met up with my loves Kathryn and Natasha at the press day (we hadn’t seen each other since our last Boden-related escapades in July!), and after having had our happy fill of floral prints and Diptyque candles and vintage gardening tools and being able to log in to the wifi, we kissed our friends at Boden goodbye and headed on our merry way. But the fun wasn’t over! Natasha had suggested a couple of weeks previously that we go for afternoon tea at the Berkeley after the press launch, and since I’m never one to say no to afternoon tea, to the Berkeley we went!

I’d heard such great things about the Berkeley’s ‘Pret-a-Portea’, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Beautiful service, best afternoon tea sandwiches ever (the smoked salmon especially was delicious!), and the most flamboyant and colourful sweet selection I’ve ever seen! I will say that the sweet things (biscuits, mousses, and the like) weren’t as delicious as the ones I tasted at Ladurée or Pennyhill Park in Surrey, so I’ll deduct a star for that on my totally arbitrary and just-this-second-instated rating system ;) The English Breakfast tea was divine though, and since that really is the best tea of all time (Earl Grey, be gone!) I haven’t really got much to complain about!

It’s always so lovely to see Natasha and Kathryn, not least because it always reminds me once again how amazing the internet is. Kathryn’s based up in Yorkshire with her three gorgeous babies, Natasha lives in Oxford and works at the university, and yet we all found one another (with a little help from Boden, of course!) through the magic of blogging. It always leaves me with a serious case of the warm and fuzzies, when I think about how these little creative online spaces can help us find our kindred spirits.

Cider-with-Rosie-afternoon-tea Pretaportea-at-the-Berkeley Pretaportea Cider-with-Rosie-Berkeley- Berkeley-afternoon-tea  

And after so many hours of talking, tea drinking, photo taking, and macaron eating, it was time to leave this most beautiful of Wednesdays in London behind and head on home. I would’ve been sad, but with a mini neon lunchbox filled with sweet treats to eat on the train home, who on earth could complain? :)

What I wore :: Coat || Scarf || Jumper || Top || Jeans || Shoes || Handbag

p.s. A little heads up! Boden have a 25% off EVERYTHING sale on right now! I’ve just snapped up a couple of bits for myself, it’s too good to miss out on! Ends Thursday eve. Just click on the promo banner on the homepage to apply the discount to the entire site- go go go!

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Posted in afternoon tea, BODEN, DAY TRIPS, FRIENDS, LONDON, PRESS LAUNCH

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