29.09

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It’s always the small moments of joy that make a day, isn’t it? Whether it’s that first sip of coffee in the morning, or finding that your favourite top is hanging washed and ironed in your wardrobe, or waking up feeling rested after a great night’s sleep (the MOST important thing to me these days!), there’s nothing quite like being able to look back at a day and realise that it was full of moments of simple happiness.

The best kinds of weekends are the ones that have an abundance of those kinds of moments, and last weekend we were lucky enough to spend the day devoting ourselves to chasing life’s little victories in a brand new, very beautiful car! Vauxhall loaned us one of their swish new Astras, and challenged us to spend the day as a family using the car to seek out some of those little ‘wins’ that never fail to bring a smile to our faces.

And so, our happy day began first thing Saturday morning, with a hop into the car and a quick drive into Guildford to go and view some houses…

(Sidenote- did I tell you yet that we’ve sold our house and are moving?! Things are happening fast so I need to do a proper update soon…!)

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Now, I think I’ve told you before how much that baby girl of mine just HATES being in the car. Unless she’s sleepy and ready to drop off straight away, I can pretty much guarantee that she’ll get cross and loud about how unhappy she is to be strapped into a seat with nothing to look at but the boot of the car within about 5 minutes of our journey commencing.

And so because of this, I plan any day involving car journeys that’re going to last longer than 10 minutes or so with military precision! The outward bound journey ALWAYS occurs during Ottilie’s morning nap, and we head home after lunchtime and a few hours of play when I know she’ll be about ready for another doze in the carseat! And when all goes quiet in the back and I know she’s fallen asleep? Well, it’s bliss!

I used to hate driving, but with a sleeping babe in the back and an audiobook running through the speaker system? It’s basically a holiday!

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And speaking of media systems, I’m pretty sure the Astra’s is a fancier bit of kit than the laptop I’m currently writing this post on! It’s all touch screen and totally intuitive, with wireless connectivity that lets you play your best Spotify playlist loud and proud through the car’s speakers!

We made use of it to lull Ottilie off to sleep with a few rounds of her favourite nursery rhyme playlist, and she was asleep by track three…

…which left Jason and I free to switch over to Haim’s new album and enjoy the heated, MASSAGE seats the whole way over to Guildford! I mean, it was such a little victory, it pretty much turned the journey into a date!

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With houses viewed (we’ve since had an offer accepted on one and I honestly can’t wait to share it with you, it’s our dream home!), car parked (with the help of the Astra’s reversing camera- a GODSEND for those of us challenged in the field of car-parking!!), and little legs stretched, we made our way up into town and in search of lunch.

And where do you head when you’re all juuuusstt edging into ‘hangry’ territory and need feeding with something delicious and quick?

To Franco Manca, of course!

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Seriously, does it get any better than Franco Manca? That base is just the best! Jason likes his pizza with ALL the cheese and meats…and for Ottie and I, we like our veggies!

I think my obsession with olives has been passed on to this baby girl, because she honestly can’t get enough. The ones in Franco Manca were so delicious but so salty I felt guilty letting her have more than one or two, and you should have seen the strop she had when I wouldn’t let her eat any more…

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We followed our pizzas with a portion of the gelato, and Ottilie couldn’t quite decide whether she liked it or not at first!She gave it her best effort though, and after the first couple of mouthfuls was like a little baby bird opening her mouth for spoonful after spoonful!

I was so precious about her not having sugar for the first year, so I think she’s enjoying being one now!! ;)

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After a mosey around the shops running a few errands and falling in love with expensive homewares in Anthropologie, we headed back to the car and loaded up ready to drive back home. Oh, and speaking of loading the car up, check that boot space! We could’ve fitted both dogs in there with the pushchair and change bag no problem at all, and they’d both have been happy with plenty of room!

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With the end of Saturday traffic beginning to build up on the main roads home, and an Ottilie who was about ready for another snooze in the car, we decided to use the Astra’s sat nav system to show us the best route home.

And so with our car guiding us back home through beautiful orange leaf tree-lined country lanes and not a hint of traffic in sight, we had a calm, peaceful end to the day.

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And if that doesn’t count as one of life’s little victories, I don’t know what does.

~ This post was sponsored by Vauxhall. Thank you for supporting the sponsored content that makes Cider with Rosie possible! ~

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Posted in FAMILY, GUILDFORD, Sponsored

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13.07

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Reasons why this walk was such a lovely one:

We dodged the rainstorms that arrived without warning on and off throughout the day.

Jason and I were out together midweek, which hardly EVER happens.

The look of quiet boredom and frustration on Teddy’s face whilst he waits for Elsie to behave herself for long enough on the lead that they both can be released and begin tearing around like lunatics.

Kayakers on the river who nod and smile and say hello, who we nodded and smiled and said hello right back to.

Watching Elsie attempt to launch herself into the water every 100 yards or so, because she’s suddenly found her springer spaniel water obsession. Teddy knows not to even try, though sometimes sneaks in when we get distracted…

Spotting the last of the elderflower blooms. Next year remind me to collect enough for a bottle of homemade cordial before the season passes?

Baggy dungarees that are too comfortable for words, and don’t fall down every ten steps like silly maternity jeans…

Both dogs mad attempts to reach the pigeons that roost underneath the big wooden bridge, through the gaps in the boards. The pigeons sit there cooing away smugly, knowing they can’t be touched.

Blackberries already growing greenly on the bramble hedges along the water.

And last but not least, the puppy who wore herself out so thoroughly that she decided to take a nap right in the middle of the field, three quarters of the way round.

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Posted in COUNTRY WALKS, COUNTRYSIDE LIFE, DOG WALKS, GUILDFORD

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05.07

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B E T T E R   M A K E   M I N E   A   D E C A F . . .

There’s this great little cafe in Guildford I’ve been meaning to tell you about for ages. It’s called K.Cafe, and I realised how fab it is whilst doing a little filming project for them a couple of months back.

The food’s delicious and all made from scratch (think cakes, pastries- both sweet and savoury- a salad bar to die for, and fresh juices too), AND the coffee is *fantastic*.

And even though you know I do love me a trip to Starbucks every now and again (mainly just at Christmas time, because those red cups are marketing genius and I just HAVE to have one) it’s such treat to visit a cafe that’s totally independent and unique.

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Jason and I nipped up there the other morning for a slice of cake and a coffee a piece, and were totally spoilt for choice in the sweet department. I opted for the banana loaf (a slice, not the whole thing, though to be honest I could have made quite the dent in it…) which came drizzled with honey and served with yoghurt.

It was DELICIOUS. And now I’m wondering why I don’t always serve the banana bread I make at home so frequently with a drizzle of my favourite acacia honey?!

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I mean, have you ever seen such a pretty slice of cake?! I also bought a salad box to take away for my lunch later that day, which was equally as delicious.

The sweet potato muffin was pretty tasty, but not a patch on the pomegranate and pistachio tabbouleh with hummus and seeds. The veggie options at the cafe are so fantastic (did I ever mention I’ve been veggie for a full year as of this past weekend? I’m not sure I ever mentioned it here!), so that makes it a total winner in my book!

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And speaking of things that make me super happy (like delicious cake, and menus that offer a great choice of vegetarian options), I need to talk for a minute about this ultra-girly dress here!

It’s from Seraphine, and is probably my favourite maternity dress I’ve worn so far this pregnancy. I love that it’s not got any ruching or excess material over the bump part, and that it doesn’t scream ‘this is a maternity dress!’ at first glance!

And, the fact that it pairs so cutely with those blue gingham slingbacks makes me pretty happy indeed.

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I’ve popped a few alternatives in the widget below, in case you’re in the market for something gingham-printed and girly!

Oh, and do swing by K.Cafe if you’re ever in the Guildford area. It’s our new favourite place!

23 Comments
Posted in COFFEE, GUILDFORD, PREGNANCY STYLE

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17.06

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F R O Y O   F O R   A L L !

You know how Jason and I like to grab the odd lunch hour date together, when we’re both in Guildford at the same time? Well, Wednesday was one of those happy days!

I’ve been craving all things frozen recently (fruit lollies, Magnums, ice in my drinks…) and so suggested to Jason that, once we’d finished walking the dogs and dropped them back off at the offices, we nipped up to Snog for a couple of portions of fro-yo.

And, clearly, he was down with the idea! So we went, we Snogged, and we walked back along eating our frozen yoghurt in complete contentment.

Oh, and Jason got to listen to a full 45 minutes of non-stop chat about my concerns over having enough of the right sized sleepsuits for after baby arrives, and also about my love for the ripped up boyfriend jeans I’m wearing in these photos.

Isn’t he just so lucky? ;)

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Posted in DATE, GUILDFORD

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