MY ESCAPE FROM THE CITY

MY ESCAPE FROM THE CITY

I was born in the suburbs just outside Oslo in Norway. Growing up in a relatively rural, secluded and residential area, with weekends spent at our log cabin up in the mountains and the majority of the summer at our house by the fjords – I have always been very close to nature. Ironically, it was what made me want to escape when I turned 18, and I went on living in Australia, travelling Asia and studying in Barcelona. Following this, I chose to live in London – where I have stayed ever since. There is something about a big city that really excites me; I love the unexpected, the bustle, the constant life and ever changing environment. But having lived abroad and across several big cities for over 12 years – the need to move closer back to nature, has been more important than ever.

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Hence why we decided to make the move from central West London to the suburbs this time last year. Although it only takes me around 40 minutes to get into town now, it´s still far enough out to give me space to breath. London is, and will always be one of the best cities in the world; however in the past few years, I started to feel claustrophobic, anxious and stressed out living in the heart of the centre. The noise was constant, so many people, so much happening all the time… Where I live now is not completely in the middle of nowhere, it´s a lovely little town with a really pretty high street with all the amenities we need on a day-to-day basis – and then we´re just 5 minutes in the car from two big towns, which has all the rest of the shopping and restaurants you would need. Now, I get to choose when I feel like dipping in and out of the city; sometimes I can’t wait to jump on the train and head to all my favourite spots in London – but after a full day in town, it´s more often than not a relief to know that I´m heading back to our peaceful area.
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As well as being located just off the high street – we´re also a 5 minute walk away from the River Thames (which is wonderful) – but our all-time favourite spot in our local area, is the beautiful Bushy Park. It´s somewhat become a real tradition of ours, that every Sunday we head on down to the park for a long country walk. I love Richmond Park, which is also nearby, but Bushy holds a special place in our heart (and no – not just because of the name!). I actually used to come here when I was a little girl to visit our close family friend who lives nearby – so it was a real familiar spot when we first moved here. And not only is it one of the most beautiful and picturesque parks I have been too, surrounded with hundreds of deers and wildlife – it´s the only spot where Sam and I can fully disconnect.

barbour-2-of-20barbour-14-of-20barbour-20-of-20On Sundays – or on any day where we´re feeling a bit stressed out and need to clear our heads; we head on over, either walking, or on our bikes – for that real country escape. When we´re here, it doesn’t even feel like we´re part of London; it´s a huge space, with so many amazing spots to discover, and when walking through this quiet park, with nothing but our coats and boots (no phones allowed on our walks) – is´s probably when we´re at our happiest.

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I am all about my home comforts – and the weekends is the ideal time to give my skin some rest from make-up, my hair free from any products, and wear super casual and relaxed clothes (when I´m in my element, in other words). Naturally, one of my go-to brands is the quintessentially British brand, Barbour. I love anything with a real long-standing heritage, and the reason I tend to opt for Barbour (especially when it comes to outerwear), is due to the incredible quality and longevity of the products. I had the honour of visiting their factory last year, and I was absolutely blown away by the attention to detail and the hours spent creating the perfect piece of item (especially their classic wax jackets!). But not only do their products really last – their new ‘Spirit of Adventure’ collection (available via Country Attire), is the perfect selection of comfortable, yet chic pieces of clothing and accessories.
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I adore this navy padded coat – its a really flattering slim-line fit and super cozy and warm. This kind of coat is an essential piece in anyones wardrobe; especially for the coming season, where you just want to keep comfortable, yet still look good. Combined with this chunky cream jumper – which just happens to be the perfect woollen cable knit – and the ideal investment piece for your capsule winter wardrobe. Styled with some stretchy jeans and these classic quilted suede biker boots – this look epitomises my ideal off-duty weekend attire. Easy to wear to the park, into town, or wherever the weekend takes me…

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Barbour Coat / Jumper & Boots 


Created in collaboration with Barbour. All words, opinions, styling & creative direction are, as always, my own.

Photography by Marcus Hamilton

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9 Comments

  1. November 11, 2016 / 12:28

    What a nice tradition to leave your phone at home. I need to adopt that.
    Have a nice weekend Anneli and beautiful pictures.
    Cheers,
    T.
    https://tbymallano.com/

    • Anneli Bush
      Author
      November 11, 2016 / 16:27

      Thanks Tatjana!

  2. November 11, 2016 / 15:40

    Was this taken last Sunday?? I only ask because I also go to Bushy every Sunday and I could have sworn I saw someone in a blue coat and a man taking a photo of a stag! Love the coat btw, I am in the market for a new coat as what I have isn’t really warm enough for dog walking! xx PS. Nice to see someone putting the suburbs on the map! For Teddington/Hampton and the surrounding areas!

    • Anneli Bush
      Author
      November 11, 2016 / 16:26

      Possibly! :) Hope you´re loving Hampton – we should catch up!

      • sam burgess
        November 24, 2016 / 10:34

        Haha! I bet it was you! How funny! We totally should since we are practically neighbours! Drop me a message on twitter (socialmouthsam)/insta (seeksimplicity_) and we’ll sort something out. You need to meet Monty my mini dach! x

        • Anneli Bush
          Author
          November 29, 2016 / 18:05

          That sounds perfect! :)

  3. November 11, 2016 / 15:41

    Emoji didn’t work so (*hands up* for Teddington/Hampton)!

    • Anneli Bush
      Author
      November 11, 2016 / 16:25

      Haha! Agreed! x

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