The Year Round Nigel Slater Discussion thread

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello, all.

The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles readalong usually takes place here between November and February each year (the Christmas Chronicles being a book written by Nigel Slater full of winter recipes and anecdotes) It's been running for a few years, and the contributors have collectively decided it would be nice to have it running all year round.

So here it is. It is a place to appreciate all things Nigel-esque. Think seasonal food and recipes, enjoyment of nature, sharing of news and small moments of joy. It's a calm, cosy space for gentle chat and merriment so pull up a chair, grab a cuppa and relax.

A very hearty welcome to friends new and old!

That chocolate Notre Dame looks amazing @LillianGish !
So hard to juggle family life, work and elderly parents @piscofrisco . I hope your Dad begins to feel more comfortable.
My first holiday without my parents was to St Ives @Bimblesalong . It rained a lot! We still had a brilliant time!
@HannahDefoesSpringFling everyone's allowed to moan if they need too!

Busy day tomorrow. I have my art group first thing, then I have to go straight to the hospital in Taunton to pick up the wig I probably won't wear and then to have a check up mammogram. Then it's off to the bank to help DH set up a separate account for his antique trading activities Then on to B and Q to get materials to create new roadside signage for the antiques fair I run. And after all that, we're having an early evening meal out. I know it doesn't sound overwhelming, but I get tired so easily!

I love my art group. It's an eclectic mix of people, who in the ordinary run of things, probably wouldn't be united in friendship. But it is a group run by MIND and we have all either had or currently have mental health difficulties. Some also have learning difficulties. So although we all have little in common, we absolutely do 'get' each other. It's the one place where I know I can say I'm not so good today and I don't have to explain what I mean. I have two projects on the go. I have sketched out the composition for a view of the castle on Lindisfarne. I also have a long-term project creating a 'Not So Commonplace Book of Birds'. It's partly inspired by the Commonplace books young Victorian ladies kept, with sketches, quotations, poetry and musings. Mine will have a double page spread for each bird I choose to do, with a painting on one side and text relating to the bird on the other side. I've only done three birds so far: a chaffinch, a barn owl and a blue tit.

I've waffled on enough now!

@Confusedmeanderings that sounds like a busy day to me.
I like the sound of making your own signs. Your art group sounds wonderful and those birds are great.

@Confusedmeanderings wishing you a productive day. Good luck with wiggage and even more good wishes for the mammogram. I am like a retriever in spring right now, and shedding hair not so merrily. I am reserving an option on any type of roofing for my head as I go through these final hair-unfriendly treatments.

My brother and family have just moved from Taunton after a couple of decades there and two lovely (now adult) children born at Taunton hospital. They’ve gone with my SIL’s job which is so super interesting and related in a big and special picture to history.

Way back in my life, a friend ran a massive antiques centre in Taunton full of traders with interesting stalls. Same lady where I stayed at the beautiful old house in Devon. The rooms of my mind are very interesting right now.

Your art looks wonderful, love the sound of the group. It is one of my life’s sadnesses that I have no aptitude whatsoever for drawing or painting - the commonplace book idea is lovely. Mum found me one in a secondhand bookshop when we were antiquing together. We didn’t fully realise what we had until we got it home - it is one of my favourite things. This thread is like a commonplace book of friends.

Good luck with your day @Confusedmeanderings and those birds are delightful! I now have memories of the country diary of an Edwardian lady which was very popular in the 1980s. My mother even had the wallpaper in her dining room. I'm also put in mind of victorian samplers which I adore.

That chocolate Notre Dame is something else @LillianGish I am mystified as to what had happened with Nigel's Feast collection. All of the sizes of the candle have been sold out for ages on the Perfumer H website, with nothing to say they will be back in stock.

I'm going to drop DD at school then I have a small errand to run. I am unashamedly then going back to bed for a few hours. I often have to anyway due to my pain and chronic fatigue, but I just can't seem to get warm and the infection and antib's on top aren't helping.

I was going to post an entry from one of the Kitchen Diaries this morning, but two of todays entries are smoked fish dishes and, well, bleurgh.

RainbowZebraWarrior; I love the Country Diary pattern. I've got the wallpaper in my kitchen, and a set of the bedding.

I’ve got my art class today, too. Love Wednesdays. It’s a complete mixture of people (although skewed towards the retired, of course) with different reasons for being there and very different skill levels, and it does sometimes feel like one of those classic British films 😂. @Bimblesalong i also have little aptitude but I love it, it gives real flow and I am firmly of the opinion that it is good to do things you are not naturally good at. I always say, if it doesn’t come out well then I can come home and slide it into the bin and it doesn’t actually matter does it. That said, we do blocks of different things which means that if you are bad at one (acrylic painting) then you might be better at another (currently doing collage and I am quite pleased with my bunny, attached)

Love the sound of the art groups and also love your bunny @SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense I have spent two full hours trawling the Internet looking for something similar near me and drawn a blank. Our library is now only open 2 days a week and does kids stuff but not adults.

Also, well done @AgathaMystery that's not too shabby at all! I have my next yearly MOT in May and am hoping for a similar victory.

Calling crafter and sewing folks. I'm trying to find some tubular fabric that I used to buy years ago from Fenwick haberdashery. I think it was a sort of sweatshirt material and we used to make our own skirts with it. I've searched online and all that keeps coming up is tubular ribbed cuffing material. Any ideas what it's called?

Like this? https://www.fabricuk.com/fabrics/789-knitted-jersey-fabric-tubular.html

Thank you! I wasn't able to find any with actual measurements, but that looks exactly what I'm looking for. I also love that green.

Hi and how is everyone this evening? Hope your day went well @Confusedmeanderings and hope you and @SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense both enjoyed your art classes.

I had a lovely chat with my Mum today about the country diary @sueelleker We both agreed that the illustrations and associated wallpaper and bedding were timeless. It's been so good having that little trip down memory lane.

I had two deliveries today and had to go to the door on both occasions holding Mr Darcy. The first chap commented on how gorgeous (and massive) he was. The second asked if he was my 'guard kitten' to which I replied, "no, he's just very nosy"!

I have some Jerk Chicken simmering in the slow cooker and am about to choose a candle to light. It's still so flipping cold, so a warm supper and the cheeriness of a candle flame will both help induce a sense of cosiness.

Evening all. I've no chance of catching up so I'll just settle for saying hello. My dad is still in hospital with very reduced kidney function. I've been there, but now home as I have the assessment day for my masters course entry tomorrow. Need to prepare. Very tired.

Hopefully i will get time for a catch up properly tomorrow

@piscofrisco thinking of you. Prioritise dad and yourself. Hopefully you can have a focussed and productive day tomorrow. Everything else can wait and I hope if you need it you can find some balm here, even if there is no time for posting.

Sending much love and gentle hugs @piscofrisco x

@SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense I love your bunny. It reminded me that I saw a collage of Glastonbury Tor a while back and thought I might have a go. I like how you used maps for the background.

@Bimblesalong I have a sneaking suspicion that the antiques centre you are talking about is one of the places where I have cabinet space for trading and where I work 5 days a month! I love your commonplace book, I would love to own something like that.

Today went well. The wig actually looks not too bad and I am seriously considering wearing it. DH says it looks great, but he would say anything to boost my confidence bless him! Art was good. I made a start on the Lindisfarne picture and I'm quite pleased with it so far. The mammogram was straightforward and I'm not expecting any nasty surprises when I get the results. I'm so stuffed with drugs from the hormone therapy and the immunotherapy that no self respecting cancer cell would dare show it's face!

@piscofrisco sending lots of gentle hugs. Don't forget to look after yourself as well as everyone else.

Good morning everyone.
Still bitter cold here and despite having winter fuel in the car and the defa heater connected over night, it's cold enough for the car to have not started since Sunday. Not just mine though, once it dips into the -20s the roads are noticeably quieter!

I had a small sliver of good news on Tuesday. Two weeks ago I had a job interview and they called my references on Tuesday. It sounded very positive. So I would really like to hear before the end of the week. I will never get used to the recruitment process over here. I come from a UK teaching background where it was common to have references collected before interview and then most candidates interviewed on the same day, finding out if you were successful that evening. Over here it's common for the recruitment process of just interviews to take a few weeks. The waiting right now is a real struggle. Especially as I would really like to be successful for this one.

Yesterday, it was so cold after walking back from picking up DD 5 that we made some cardamom and cinnamon rolls. All deliciously wonky and squidgy. DD loves to bake, so we try to do it a few times a week.

Sending koselig klem to all.

I love your attitude @Confusedmeanderings - it has given me a lot of comfort thinking about the next stage and “moving forward”. I have broken out my collection of fancy scarves and will Werk this rather rude hair shedding business.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the same place where you have a stall although I wonder if the ownership has either changed hands or has moved down within the family. It was the 80s/early 90s when I knew them - lovely people. That’s a thing I enjoy with mn, where posters find they have serendipitous connections in life.

@SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense I really like your bunny, beautiful patterns coming together.

Hope all poorly ones are on the mend.

Oh my @IngenTing thanks for bringing me breakfast. I’m awake early and pondering a posh freezer almond croissant before my usual overnight oats. Fingers very crossed for good news to be confirmed.

Thank you @Bimblesalong and @Confusedmeanderings - I gave him whiskers at yesterday's class and I am really quite happy with him. That's the end of the collage block (I also did a nice goldfinch) and next up is 'brush strokes', which is quite anxiety-inducing for me but feel the fear and do it anyway I know it is good for me. Also, I have had a really quiet start to the year work-wise but that is also starting to pick up so I am feeling much better in my head today.
Hope everybody who is having a hard time for various reasons also starts to pick up this weekend.
@IngenTing those buns look spectacular, I adore cardamom. I haven't made any yeasted buns for ages, might get DD3 on that next week - it is half term here. DD1 away at uni and DH is taking DD2 to Scotland so just the two of us at home for a few days and it will be nice to have some projects.
We are hosting a (very belated for good reasons) Burns supper on Saturday. I've made cockaleekie soup and tablet already (see above: quiet working week) and must not forget to get the haggii out of the freezer tomorrow. It means I have a great excuse to go to the lovely cheese shop in town later, which always feel very Nigel.

Ehrmagehrd @SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense have one of their cheese scones if they’re available. Nectar of the Gods.

Good to hear work is picking up. I’m starting to plan my gentle restart once Easter is out of the way and am looking forward to being back. Sounds like there is a good night planned - I hope there will be some tartan clothing.

Just quickly popping in and will catch up properly later. Treated myself to a John Lewis Lavender and Eucalyptus candle on my Waitrose order tonight. It's been subbed with prosecco and chocolates. Okey dokey! Anyway, I'm now doing a dahlia order for delivery end of Feb and Sarah Raven have a valentine offer on of £14 off a £40 spend with code 14LOVE if it's any good to anyone.

Ah thankyou @RainbowZebraWarrior I was just thinking I needed to order my tubers.
Safe to say my masters assessment did not go that well. The role play part was especially bad. I find out within 10 working days but I'm not super hopeful.
Dad is still very poorly. We are due to fly to Finland on Saturday for 5 days doing all things snowy. I had been so excited about it, but now I'm in two minds as to wether I should go.
Enjoying everyone's lovely pictures. And thankyou again for all the good wishes-as ever this thread is a great comfort

Thank you @RainbowZebraWarrior , none of my dahlias flowered at all last summer (mind you it was barely a summer) so I'm starting from scratch this year and Sarah Raven is one of the few online retailers that is properly reliable.
@piscofrisco sorry for all your bad news
I cooked a recipe from the Ocado magazine for dinner tonight. Do Not Recommend - I rarely have a failure (if I do say so myself) but it was borderline inedible and the children are now making cheese on toast. I wonder if they printed tablespoon instead of teaspoon for the nasty salty seasoning (which I hadn't used before or I might have known).

@SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense out of 12 tubers I had two that flowered. The rest were leafy but nothing else. Or eaten by slugs over the course of one evening.

Two more than I had