Roast
Dinners
I
started writing this after a cosy afternoon sat in one of our favourite pubs
along the river in Hammersmith. In fact, Ryan and I realised we have made
pretty much every big life decision sat in The Old Ship. Whether it be deciding to live together, get married or go travelling.. Now, here we are having done all three! We spent a special Sunday meeting up with my amazing school friends and their
partners to catch up, meet the latest addition to the group (a puppy...babies =
not yet!), drink wine and face-plant the biggest Yorkshire puddings you've ever
seen! Autumnal food is literally the best - as the evenings draw in and the weather
takes a chillier turn, it brings with it more kettle-boiling for cups of tea,
early morning porridge and hearty soups. I've found I've switched salads for
vegetables and lunchtime queues at Sweet Greens (oh my, there isn't a salad place quite like it in the UK) for DigInn when I get my fix of cauliflowers and pumpkin
faro. (Side note, the Americans are obsessed with pumpkins. Literally every
door, window and shop window are overflowing with pumpkins of all size! Pumpkin
pie, anyone? I'm still yet to try! Plus, Brussel sprouts are a surprisingly
common side order in NYC.)
Anyway...
Anyway...
Whilst
cooking hasn't been my strong point since moving country (or ever), I feel
myself getting in the mood for evenings spent testing out new recipes and have
several pages of Madeleine Shaw's cookbook ‘A Year of Healthy Eating’ flagged
for action.
Warmer
Wardrobe
Ahead
of an autumnal wedding in the 'shire last week, the wardrobe was under the
spotlight. Flicking through my hangers I realised my wardrobe is severely in
need of a refresh! Every day I wear an outfit that has been rotated for the
entire five years I have been working at Elemis. This is dyer times, Ladies and Gentlemen. Having been on a tight budget of late, shopping hasn't been top of
mind and so this trip back to the UK has called for several big hauls! Dusting
off the coats stowed away, getting those dry-cleaning orders in and
refamiliarising myself with my boot collection, it still calls for newness.
Boots
Colder
climes in New York generally call for two types of footwear; wellington boots
and snow boots. Not two purchases top of mind but the slightest bit of drizzle
and the elevator is full of people in wellies! After experiencing Storm Stella
in February, I know Ugg boots aren't up to the task (although their slippers
are totally on my Christmas list!). Whilst Hunter boots are brand of choice for
wet weather, I'm savouring the slightly milder months for more beautiful (read:
slightly impractical) boot purchases.
Ever
since I was aged 7 and spray-painting fallen leaves in gold, silver and bronze
(rose gold wasn't a thing in the 90's), I've been obsessed with the leaves
changing colour. At Hyde Park in Upstate New York earlier this month it was polls apart from the weather in Manhattan and I
literally ran into a cluster of trees and kicked through the leaves like a child!
Boomerangs were captured.
Re-light my fire.
In a bid to make our apartment feel more cosy, the evening candle lighting ceremony begins. Having spent seven months looking at them, I am so excited to be dusting them off for an outing. Favourite candle of the moment is Diptique's Baies for a beautiful flora aroma and ELEMIS’ Joyful Glow for a more festive spice from notes of orange, vanilla and cinnamon.
Strictly
Boxsets
I've
written before about Autumn holding this dream-like vision of evenings under a
blanket with a hot drink and either (i) a new book or (ii) Netflix series
(Stranger Things is taking over my social life!). The reality is somewhat less
preened but is still bloody good! I'm the first to praise British television
and so there was no way an ocean was going to get in the way of me and Strictly
Come Dancing! Every weekend, three hours are dedicated to iPlayer and not to
mention my daily fix of Zoe Ball's It Takes Two. Seriously, it's an
obsession. It started as a family show when I was a teenager, evolved into a pre-drinking ritual
that, at times, sparked the X Factor vs Strictly row amongst my Uni roommates
and has now become a solo activity whilst the husband catches up on
football/boxing/any-sport-it-doesn't-matter-as-long-as-its-not-Strictly! The weeks fly by
and mark the key countdown points between the start of the new school year and Christmas.
(Halloween special last week was AMAZE-BALLS!) If you can't relate to
Strictly (as I found out one of my closest friends cannot...), what is
your TV tuning into this autumn? It's literally when all the best films get
released (cue popcorn) and perfect time to start a new series (hello sofa).
Whilst
I’m snuggling down for Autumn, rolling out the new season wardrobe (or, handful
of new items to be exact!), and upping my tea-intake, what are you loving about
this time of year?
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