The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Readalong 2024 Part 2

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Welcome all new and old friends.

The journey continues.

@Cactuscuddles dh is on the M1 near Watford and says theirs loads of snow

there is loads of snow

@JMAngel1 so pleased you found us.

We had our gloves ready for our trip to York at the weekend, but they weren't adequate for standing around in freezing train stations for DD. She has reynauds and her fingers were white and nails purple. I've since dug out the ski gloves for her. Gloves, hats and scarves will all be warmed daily on the hallway radiator from here on in. This is the beauty of Aga's and I miss piling my clothes on it on cold mornings at Mum and Dad's.

The snow is very pretty and we still had big flakes when I got up early. Hopefully the roads will clear as ds2 is driving to Warwickshire today to a work networking thing (he will eventually get a job in his industry and move from self employed. So talented but so few jobs). I have to go for bloods but the hospital is just off the motorway (still about 30 mins away).

@Confusedmeanderings the hydrotherapy sounds blissful. I can’t immerse in water as I have a line in my arm for the treatments. I have to wrap it in cling film and use a special cover for showering. Anything more than a shallow bath with arm out is strictly verboten! Can’t wait to sink into a big bubbly bath - a pleasure for late spring. Even more so, thinking about floating around in a warm pool or Mediterranean Sea. Mmmm! My long training surfing in the Atlantic has helped with the cold treatment to help with hair and neuropathy though.

We are anticipating our first open fire of the season. The chimney sweep came last week and we are good to go. I’d love some of the scented hardwoods that Nigel must favour but will settle for Aldi’s best.

Snap re the chimney sweep, Bimbles - ours came last week too, so DH can indulge in his favourite thing, fiddling round with the fire. We get a big sack of split, seasoned logs delivered from a local place and it’s stored in our woodshed, ready for him to use the kindling cracker I bought him for Christmas a few years ago - one of my more successful presents (I'm making him a cosy new dressing-gown this year - the fleece material is ordered and should be delivered soon so I'll have no excuses!).

PS our snow of last night is melting fast.

Just loving this November snow this morning ❄️

Oh it's beautiful. ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️ Wish we could have some!!

@RainbowZebraWarrior sorry your outing went so wrong. Here it seemed the whole world choose last Sunday to go out, and I suspect it may have been similar in most places. Hope DD has a good birthday tomorrow.

@AgathaMystery Glad to find others that remember those candles. If I develop any time next year I might try making something based on how they work. Sympathies on the horrendous week, similar here, hope it goes well enough.

@ThatRealFawn Hope you had a nice birthday, and got your snow.

@Bimblesalong Thank you for the encouragement. other than here I don't write, but am involved in creating plays and have hopes... I love your color schemes, but most of all i love that you knitted a whole other garment while trying to deal with undersleeve frustration!

@daliesque It's reasonably assumed the gap between what we enjoy in CC's and lives, is pretty huge for many of us, but a Scottish castle wedding sounds like a happy departure.

@Mediocrates What a fab name! A candle obsession you say?

As NVN financially, or time wise, but with some unaffordable VN tastes; I tried to speed up batch making jar candles, using up lots of odds and ends and what I already have to meet financial constraints.
A reminder that slow and steady is better... The mingling scents was lovely but everything involving coloring with woad, weld/cumin, or rosemary has bloomed as a result of being forcibly cooled way too fast, (left outside!) I think, though throwing left over ends of coconut and soya wax randomly together may also be a culprit, and the brown wicks don't really do them many favors, so not the prettiest I've ever made, but hopefully once they've cured more and can be lit, they'll still work well enough, a flickering flame will work its magic and all other aesthetics will be forgiven.

Cedarwoord, cinnamon, bay (some myrrh)
Geranium, jasmine, rosemary (some lavender)
Cinnamon, orange and juniper
Lemongrass, basil and thyme (some bay)
Thyme, cedarwood, bergamot, (some rosemary)
Frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon, juniper, (some ylang- ylang)

It's snowing here too. Quite wet so probably wont settle, but currently we have big flakes and that wonderful muffling of sound, broken only by three startled sounding parakeets calling to each other flying through it. Hope NS is standing in his garden enjoying it.

I love the fact Nigel is writing about snow at the moment some of you actually have some! Some years it feels as though he’s writing about a different era and that it couldn’t possibly snow in November (even this year up to a point since it’s been so mild). Lovely to see your photos of proper winter scenes coinciding with his rhapsodising about snow. Hope no one is too inconvenienced by it and can just enjoy the experience (always more enjoyable when you don’t need to travel anywhere).

Snowing here now in my part of South Wales. Great excuse to not go out.

Lots of snow here in Northern Scotland - lumps of the stuff outside falling slowly. Beautiful to look at but DH is travelling later in the week and it's disrupting lots of things.

I must catch up with Nigel tonight. That Home podcast was so touching.

open.spotify.com/episode/5aFidgxIz3igor40sBBSGU?si=wVYVCKu-Rdi8N99_v6wQqQ&context=spotify%3Aplaylist%3A37i9dQZF1FgnTBfUlzkeKt

@EphemeraleEudemonia I find cold days a PITA for candle making. I have to heat up my jars and tins by standing them in hot water as sometimes the molten wax hitting the cold vessel is enough to make them crack badly (especially with beeswax!) I also often leave the vessels sitting in the hot water bath after the wax has been poured in order to slow down the setting time and again prevent cracking.

Even rolled candles are more difficult in winter. I have to use the hairdryer every few seconds to keep it pliable. In summer I can roll them without the use of the hairdryer.

My Dad was jarring honey for the local farmers last night. That was a nightmare, too, as it was way too cold and the honey was seizing up as he was trying to pour it from the honey tank tap. He said it was like working with glue.

We had a brief flurry of snow for 2 minutes earlier whilst sitting in the GP surgery car park. That's as exciting as its got here, really.

@Bimblesalong I used to work with patients helping massage scar tissue and surgery sites to aid healing. I also used to work with patients to help with lymphoedema. Really enjoyed that part of being a massage therapist. I moved into sports specialism after that and most of the hospitals and charities only wanted aromatherapy therapists.

Thanks for the wonderful snow-scenes, so beautiful. Here (SW) it is cold and grey and very wet, but it's nearly time to light the stove and candles and I am trying to see the positives in the weather, whatever it is doing.

Even so......'Mittens were made to be frozen stiff. Wellingtons were invented to be filled with snow.' I mean, is the man completely mad? Or am I just nesh?

I'm obsessed with candles too, but only since joining this thread 😆My trio of Sostrene Grene candles is on its way out and I am trying to decide how little I can get away with spending without being hopelessly NVN. I'm not a complete miser it's just that it's quite an expensive time of year to be treating myself to luxuries (feel free to persuade me otherwise).

Tonight I have even watched a video on burning your pillar candle evenly. I clearly have a lot to learn.....

Definitely don’t go with the candle I just saw in TK Maxx, everyone 🫤

I've just walked in from a meeting in a very grey, cold and soggy Central London - it attempted to snow at one point but only in a very "London" way (ie just a bit of glorified icy rain that somehow absolutely soaks you through and never settles to actually look pretty).

The fire is going straight on and it's Christmas card writing for me this evening... not my favourite Christmas task but at least starting this early means I can break it up.

Happy old boy.

That is so NVN! 😁

Lovely dog, @Bimblesalong ❤️ I like the colour on your wall, it is lovely.

Lovely cosy doggy Bimbles.
Lord it's chilly, even in benign old Hertfordshire

Ah, he's adorable! ❤️

@StrungWithSilverBellsAndFlowers I'm laughing my socks off with your "I mean, is the man completely mad?" comment. Also 'nesh' Are you Welsh? I know it's used elsewhere in parts of the UK, but I always think of it as a Welsh thing (my family are originally from Maesteg) Not sure what's gone wrong with your candles, BTW.

@ElectiveAffinities there are a lot of very weird candles about. I'm honestly not sure who buys them! (Fart smells, anyone?)

@IDontLikePinaColadas I guess this is why Nigel prefers city snow above all that he's experienced elsewhere in the world. Perfect London snow is as rare as hen's teeth. My Mum was just talking today about how it snowed lots every winter when she was growing up. (I'm also old enough to say the same. The winter of 1979 was the biggest one that I remember with ten foot drifts. Also, icicles seem to be a thinb of the past)

Gorgeous dog @Bimblesalong 😊

No, not Welsh@RainbowZebraWarrior but we lived in Nottingham for many years and 'nesh' was commonly used there. Come to think of it, I don't think I've heard it used since we've lived in the south-west (near Bristol initially, now West Somerset) so perhaps it's more regional than I thought.....?

It arrived and I'm starting! I've got a classical Christmas playlist on (VN, I think), a cup of earl grey (VN), and candlelight all around. The orange squash and the Aldi scented candle (bloody gorgeous - it's the Christmas market fragrance) are decidedly NVN but we move regardless

@RainbowZebraWarrior ah, the big snow of '79! I remember that well! Our youth club set off to spend a weekend at a hostel on the Quantocks and ended up having to stay a week and then we were rescued by the army. You can imagine the effect that had on hormonal teenagers! Although we were most put out that the rescue involved 4 wheel drive vehicles and not helicopters!