The Autumnal Christmas Chronicles Preamble thread

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hi, and welcome to the Nigel Slater appreciation society Christmas Chronicles Premable thread.

The thread will start proper in late October where we begin our annual journey of reading the Christmas Chronicles in real time. It is a cosy, heartwarming event that one can dip in and out of as life allows. Think flickering candles, woodsmoke, delicious recipes, the odd home made tipple, and bucket loads of touching Nigel-esque anecdotes. It is a veritable Hyyge of a thread.

This thread is to see us through until that time. You will find me, like a squirell, checking on my store of candles at the back of the cupboard.

It's also worth noting that Nigel's new book; A Thousand Feasts is out on 26th September. (with a deliciously Autumnal cover)

Meanwhile, we are driving thru the rain for a week in Cornwall. Cosying up with my knitting and a nice wine, hoping to get some walks in and even a dip in the sea. 🤣

Well, how lovely to return from my Scarecrow Festival and catch up with all your lovely updates.

@HappyDane that's the exact Christmas planner I've had my eye on, but I keep talking myself out of it as I'm sure I already have one somewhere among my ridiculous stationery hoarde

This morning was very misty, but the sun came out for the folk turning up for our festival. The mist is now crawling back over the fields and I can hear the foghorn in the distance. We had a great day and took more money than our target, so we are very happy, if not absolutely exhausted. I bought £2 worth of tombola tickets and won a Nuxe gift set worth £65, some soap and glory bits and a luxury tea and biscuits set. I've put the lotto on as I'm clearly having a lucky day!

I think I need to select a candle and catch up with Nigel's insta now.

Signing up, although I think I've been here for the past two years and I've dropped out at some point. I've no excuse as the extracts are very short. I need to put an alarm on my phone, so I don't forget. I suspect Nigel wouldn't approve of mobile phone alarms 😀. Determined to prioritize the book (and me) this year. It's a lovely bit of escapism from the frenzy of the Christmas season.

No excuses are needed, we all have busy lives and other things to think about. I usually drop out of the thread around Christmas time but this year I'd like to continue right through to February.

@RainbowZebraWarrior oh go on, it's so cute and I've found it very useful!

Oh and congrats on your lovely win! What a treat. 💐

I've got an apple cake a chicken in the oven right now with plans for ginger biscuits and a sausage, sage and lentil hotpot later.

That hotpot sounds lovely!

It's raining here. I'm on the settee with my blanket, my coffee and my book. Slow cooker is on with a beef stew in.

I've started my yearly re watch of Gilmore Girls. DS has football match at 130pm that DH will take him to.

Washing done, beds made, bags ready for tomorrow. Nothing left to do today

What a treat of a win. Gorgeous!

I’m in Cornwall. We’ve had a blowy walk under grey skies, soup, and I’m now tucked up on a comfy sofa with knitting and a glass of wine. Dog is flat out.

I have picked up a jar of bath salts for later, containing ylang ylang, geranium and lavender. Mmm!

Gosh what a lovely win Rainbow.

Slightly disastrous weekend as work matter kicked off unexpectedly on Friday with me in the middle - very upsetting and still ongoing. NV Nigel.

Finding it difficult to switch off so doing the ironing. I'm definitely taking a different view of work after this - do my best but not worry overly as it's only work.

Congratulations on your win @RainbowZebraWarrior. We woke up this morning to find water had got in through the kitchen ceiling. Think we fixed the problem but need to dry everything out now.
Got some smoked pulled pork for dinner, so looking forward to that. Also, it's the start of the NFL tonight on TV so I will be knitting and enjoying that.

NFL family here too. I'm looking forward to supporting the Steelers for the first time

@MontyVerdi we are a Denver Broncos family here. But DH is happy to watch any of the games.

Ooh @UnimaginableWindBird your hot pot and apple cake sound delightfully autumnal!

Sorry to hear about work issues @MontyVerdi I hope it is resolved without too much pain. You're right to rethink / take a different view if it's upset you. We give too much of ourselves sometimes work wise.

I hope you haven't had too much damage @GrannyWeatherwaxsBroomstick Strangely enough, I've just realised that the Christmas planner I've been looking for was lost in a flood / escape of water a few years ago.

@Bimblesalong enjoy Cornwall. The soup, wine and being tucked up on a sofa sounds like just the ticket. It's an area I've never visited, but would love to. It's 350 miles from me, so being unable to drive that far only really leaves the option of trains which would still be a long and tiring journey.

Hope everyone else is well. The weather is truly awful. It's not quite cold enough to put the heating on, but I do need to dry some towels I've washed. Our forecast has us down for some 4 degree evenings this week, so that will definitely be heating and fire on territory.

I'm currently burning a Pomegranate candle with strawberry quartz pieces in it. Not something I'd usually buy, but it came in a bundle of health and beauty bits I bought from vinted. DD is waiting patiently to add the quartz to her crystal collection, but they appear to have sunk to the bottom shortly after I lit it.

I've been looking at the St Eval Advent Calendar and I'm annoyed with myself that I didn't buy the dinky tealight holder that comes with it (it was in their sale a few months ago) I have Inspiritus and Orange & Cinnamon tealights stashed away, so I might make my own Advent. I have two wooden refillable ones that I can rarely find the right sized items to fit.

Your Cornish getaway sounds lovely @Bimblesalong. It’s brocante season in Paris and I found one taking place just down the road. Definitely feeling a touch of autumn today with a few leaves falling and the hint of a nip in the breeze (though still in my summer dress and denim jacket). Had a pleasurable rummage and managed to resist buying any more tea light holders - I have a cupboard full of lovely glass ones that lend a pleasing twinkly effect, but I’m always drawn to stuff that reminds me of things I already own so am consciously trying to resist the urge. Everyone is home at the moment so had a Sunday roast in the best British tradition - currently curled up watching the Paralympic closing ceremony and reflecting how much chillier it is now at the end of the Games and how much earlier night falls.

NY Jets and Seahawks are the other teams in this house.

Thanks Rainbow, it's appreciated.

it really feels like the changing of the seasons came rather abruptly here in Switzerland. It was boiling yesterday so we went for a swim in the lake in Zurich, today it’s chucked it down all day and I’ve managed to pick up a cold so haven’t moved much from the sofa all day.

i have been inspired by the Christmas clean along thread so cleared out a couple of drawers and got a load of stuff on Facebook marketplace, most of which will be collected tomorrow. In tidying drawers I found loads of Christmas scented candles which I’ve promised myself to light as we get going with Nigel.

Oh lovely! I so enjoyed this read along last year so have been looking forward to it again!

Whereabouts are you ? I love Cornwall, travelled there quite a but with my parents when I was young in the Roseland peninsula, Falmouth and Du Maurier land. Dd and I are off to Cornwall in October staying near Hayle. Can't wait, never been so far before. Then we are visiting friends in Bude :)

I've just ordered a Lakeland candle company advent calendar and one of their more Christmassy sounding large candles. Not quite Nigel standard of candle but I'm hoping Nigel adjacent.
I'm laid up in bed with a bad back so trying to do some autumn/christmas planning (whilst horizontal). Rain has been washing against the windows all night and it's looks very grey and autumnal (in the patch of sky I can see from bed anyway)

It's grey here this morning. The tree outside my house is full of orange berries. It lights up beautifully when the sun hits it. But not this morning. I think it might be a rowan tree.

I love this time of year. I'm sure someone has already quoted that line about autumn being a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.

@Greaterthanthesumoftheparts you're in Switzerland? I'm assuming you get lovely, snowy winters then. So can we expect lots of nice wintry photos from you as we move through the book?

Yes, it's grey here too. Got the heating on to warm up DDs uniform. We went for our usual evening walk last night, and I'm afraid there was nowt joyful about a walk in the cold dark, endless rain. It made me appreciate getting back home, though!

@RainbowZebraWarrior I think one of the joys of a walk in the cold is getting home for a hot drink and wrap up in a blanket. Which reminds me I needs to get my winter sofa blankets out. We got a lovely Pendleton one in Costco in Florida two summers ago and it would have fitted in the case as it was vacuum packed, but DS opened it when my back was turned to have a look. 🙄