The Autumnal Christmas Chronicles Preamble - Thread 2 further ramblings

[HannahDefoesChristmasHamper]

Hope nobody minds me starting anew thread as old one nearly full

Will pop some links in 🍂🍁

Poor you and your daughter. 😔 Good idea to do some nice things to turn the day back around. Hope you both feel better and nice and cosy this evening!

@Wren77 I've had likes and comments from Nigel on Insta a few times - always brings a little smile to my face. 🙂 I adore his perfectly curated home but I might quite easily love his gorgeous garden even more.

@lucysmam oh that's a shame. 💐 to you and to DD.

@Autumnorganising the pot roast sounds delicious. We've got rolled brisket on the menu for this weekend, done in a gravy sauce. Looking forward to it!

@Bearsinmotion always love to see cosy reading nooks. ❤️

@Autumnspices love that ritual. Not making one this year sadly (although we might make a creole cake at the last min).

@UnimaginableWindBird sorry you're feeling rough! Hope you can rest and feel better soon.💐

Forgot to say Thank you for the thread @HannahDefoesChristmasHamper 💐 and Thank you to @Zebra for starting the original preamble thread when I didn't want to. 💐🙂

Thanks for another name that I can get an earworm to 😉

Heh @Bimblesalong I've been humming it allllll day long! I'm sure the other customers in the farm shop were giving me major side eye. 😆😆

@HowManyDaysTilChristmas yum. They look amazing and I can almost smell them from here!

@lucysmam i hope you can do something lovely this evening. It’s rotten when our children are not feeling fab. Chemo suite day too adds to it all (I’m waiting on plans for my own treatment).

@Autumnorganising I’m baking butternut squash, feta and gf pasta for myself and dh. He is coeliac and we are both veggie. It’s made with sage, chilli and honey. We’re ready for a rich and satisfying meal!

wafting posh candle smells to @rainbowzebrawarrior to ease into a VN weekend.

@Bimblesalong thats sounds lovely. Recipe please.

Hello everyone lovely sunny Autumn day here enjoyed a nice dog walk with a friend and lots of crunchy leaves and even a chai latte outside! I picked up a copy of toast on Vinted which I've just finished reading would love to pass it onto somebody else to enjoy. If anyone would like to DM me their address I will happily pop in the post next week. 🍁 🍂

@Bimblesalong I don't mind chemo suite day so much these days. It's become that much of a routine & have a nice chat/cuppa with the staff 🤷‍♀️. At the beginning it was (fucking) hard as fuck though. Will you have chemo have they said?

Thank you all for sympathising, she's singing away while cooking so that's something.

In this household, when there's no music, something isn't right!

@Autumnorganising here you go - one of those awful sites where you wade through to find the instructions but easy and tasty it was! https://grilledcheesesocial.com/2019/10/08/baked-feta-and-butternut-squash-pasta/

@lucysmam unfortunately yes but trying not to think about it yet 😬 this too will pass.

going to incubate my giant pasta baby on the sofa and catch up with the knitting.

Slight name change from IClaudine in honour of our Nigel and the CC.

Went into Waterstones to buy ATF and was delighted to find signed copies. Nigel has a Very Nigel signature. Apparently there is exclusive extra material in this Waterstones edition.

@HannahDefoesChristmasHamper thanks for the new thread btw. @Bimblesalong pasta dish looks lovely, will try that one.

Thanks @Bimblesalong. We’re trying to eat less meat, so I’m always on the look out for lovely vegi meals.
Good luck ( probably not the right words) with the chemo. I too am a member of the club that no-one wants to belong to (womb. Diagnosed two years ago). There seems to be a lot of us on this thread. Perhaps we are all seeking a lovely, warm, virtual cuddle. Power of the hygge and not the hygge tygge from Amanda’s shop in Motherland. Sh*t shop 😀

Hello everyone.
I am new to this thread but saw the previous one last year and thought how warm and cozy it was. It was too late (and I was too frazzled) to join it at that time but it's stayed in my mind and I got my hands on a preloved copy of The CC a few weeks ago. It's sitting by my bedside waiting to be opened but I feel this needs to be somewhat of an occasion rather than a casual happening. Wrapped in a blanket while sitting by a window on a blustery autumn day? Or with a crackling fire and a dog at my feet? Something Nigel worthy at the very least! Excited to be part of the journey with you all this year!

@toomuchlikemyusername Welcome!

Is Nigel a dog person? Or a cat person?

I think he has cats

Joining you all
beautiful crisp autumnal day today , in rufford , so visited the old hall
it was a nigelesque day out I think

Hello all. Long day here. Won't go into detail, but had to take my Dad to the GP who sent us straight to hospital. Many tests being carried out.

Thanks for starting the new thread, @HannahDefoesChristmasHamper

Just arrived home to the signed book I ordered 2 days ago. Still no sign of the one I pre ordered from WHSmith months ago.

Will hopefully catch up with the thread tomorrow. I thought Nigel's reading on Instagram a couple of days ago from his pantry was simply wonderful. (It's probably already been mentioned)

Much love

Oh Rainbow sending a big hug. What a day for you and him. Hope your Dad's okay.

Much love, @RainbowZebraWarrior you’re certainly going through it. I hope the warmth of the thread is at least a small moment of lift for you.

Oh so sorry about your dad @RainbowZebraWarrior you must be very worried. I hope it all turns out OK.

Sorry @RainbowZebraWarrior, that's so stressful. Hope everything will be okay. Sending positive vibes and VN hugs. 💐 Yes I saw that lovely little pantry snippet, which really resonated. I don't think it has been mentioned yet!

@toomuchlikemyusername welcome 🍁🌾🍂 and so pleased you get to join us this year! The way it works is@RainbowZebraWarrior will open the official Christmas Chronicles thread in the last week of October so we can read the longer (and very lovely) intro in our own time. Then the journal itself starts on Nov. 1st. That leaves you plenty of time to choose your favoured Reading Nook and maybe spruce it up a little in whatever way feels most Nigel to you. 😊

Welcome also to @KrazyboutKillian and anyone else I've missed. 🍁🌾🍂

DH and I have lit the candles and are sipping a mulled apple drink. Cloudy apple juice, ginger wine, fresh ginger and lemon zest, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves. No star anise because we already had liquorice ice cream today.

May all who need hygge find it here. 🕯️🕯️🕯️

Mine is arriving next week! Excited too!

@Bimblesalong walks with plenty of sit downs are definitely the way to go. We have a beautiful nature reserve near us with benches every 100 steps (I counted them!), it was a lovely way of getting out into nature. I agree with @lucysmam after a while you get used to chemo days. Also, it is worth stocking up the freezer with lovely homemade soups for those days when you don't feel like eating much.

@RainbowZebraWarrior so sorry to read about your Dad. I hope he is okay.

It was so lovely this afternoon that we went to Watchet and sat on the quayside drinking coffee and watching the steam trains go by. It was wonderful!

@Autumnorganising and @Bimblesalong I'm six years into it (breast with liver). Still on active treatment so always looking for the little joys in life, like this thread.

Ah a lovely new thread....thankyou op.
Up early today to start work on the mental health crisis duty team cover phone. Not Looking forward to it as it's always tough.
Tried to turn it into a Nigel esque moment of quiet, drinking my tea in my favourite mug in my pleasantly chilly, quiet kitchen.
Almost got there, but the thought of the impending busy-ness of the on call phone ruined the vibe somewhat! Taking a Thousand Feasts with me to read if we get any down time. The individual vignettes will be the perfect length to dive into between calls if I'm lucky.
Wishing everyone a very Nigel Saturday.

Thanks for the new thread. Mainly lurking but soaking it all up...

Sending good wishes to all in the chemo club, and to @RainbowZebraWarrior and her dad.

Here are some pictures from my walk yesterday.