Year round Nigel Slater discussion thread Part 2

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello, all and welcome to this lovely space for our continued chats.

A bit of background for anyone not familiar with this topic:

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, gardening, appreciation of the weather, and sharing of news and small moments of joy. It's a calm, cosy space for gentle chat and merriment so pull up a deckchair, grab a drink and relax.

A very hearty welcome to friends new and old!

Happy birthday @RainbowZebraWarrior. It sounds like you had a lovely day and the photographs are lovely!

Happy birthday @RainbowZebraWarrior! Glad you had a lovely day after an unpromising start.

Yes I will definitely keep that takeaway voucher in my back pocket 😊 I think we are the only people who don't do the 'small case in the overhead lockers' on city breaks. I actually find the whole thing really weird, although i understand why people do it. 2 full size cases here (lots of room to bring back all of our shopping)

Honey labelling and delivering here today, so best get a wriggle on!

We always take two full cases too and always manage to fill them on the way back.

I always take a case too - I don’t understand how you manage toiletries otherwise (and I am far from high maintenance!)

I just take the cabin case. I have a little plastic bag with enough shampoo and tooth paste for a week, a mini deo spray and low maintenance makeup - a lippy and mascara. There’s room for my facial oil moisturiser and I take a small pack of facial wipes. We buy sunscreen at the airport although my facial factor 50 goes in the bag.

I did a fortnight in the south of France on a small case like that and had all I needed.

I am an epic list maker!

That's mightily impressive @Bimblesalong Mimd, I backpacked for a year when I was 35 and obviously travelled very light. When I came home after living out of a backpack I was horrified by how much 'stuff' I owned that I rarely used / didn't miss / didn't need.

I have just had a major fancy for Christmas pudding. Just felt the need to share that 😁

Now if you lived near me @RainbowZebraWarrior , I could scratch that itch for Christmas pudding! I know I have to either double my pudding recipe or halve it to get the right amount, but I can never remember which it is. This year I doubled it - wrong choice! We ate loads and I still have one lurking in the pantry 🤣

Going self catering in France next week. The weather is looking like all seasons in one day and they don’t even supply washing up liquid. Ik
never the lightest of packers anyway but as we are driving down in the car I don’t think it’s going to be just a small carry on for luggage. Well it might be to take on board for the overnight ferry

On packing, I like to be prepared for every weather eventuality so if baggage allows I take plenty of clothes. But DH and I did do a 9 month round the world trip with just hand luggage about 15 years ago. Most common reaction among friends was 'but where will you put your shoes!' Well my trainers were on my feet and flip flops in my bag 😎

It was wonderful breezing through airports. Easily worth half an hour of hand-washing some things in a hotel every couple of days.

Did get caught out in Canada for a couple of days when I had to pretty much wear all my clothes for 48 hours, but otherwise we followed the sunshine and it was all fine. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Evening all!

it’s glorious and sunny here. I’m trying to gather the enthusiasm to pack for our holiday tomorrow. Instead I’m exhausted and came home from work and crawled in bed. I must pack. I must.

The garden is looking glorious - I love it so much. Whose is the hoggie please? Ours is back but more thirsty than hungry this year.

I’m struggling a bit with my dream job ending. I wish they could offer me a better contract but it’s not to be. Lots of love to all!!

I've also got a Christmas pudding tucked away in the pantry @Confusedmeanderings but it's a large one and I always think it would be daft to crack it open on a whim. I'm not sure what I'm 'keeping' it for as it's not as if I ever entertain. I might just open it and portion it up next week. You can freeze Christmas pud, right?

Sorry to hear that the dream job is coming to an end @AgathaMystery but hope you manage to enjoy your holiday.

It's cold here. I have two jumpers on and some cashmere gloves, yet I still can't face the watering of the garden. It's due to go down to 3 degrees here tonight and we just seem to have a constant cold wind. That said, I'd still welcome some rain just to give me a break from watering (and so that my Dad doesn't have to do it when we are away)

Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong today and I'm totally burned out. I'm necking codeine for my pain but it just doesn't work. I was meant to have an online consultation about finally trying ADHD meds today (it's a difficult one as I have a heart problem, but I can't go on much longer feeling like my brain never switches off) Anyway, that went tits up as well due to technical issues. Rearranged for 2 weeks time.

Bright side: DD got reward points today in music for relishing a challenge. She mastered 'Hound dog' on the keyboard and has been singing it with gusto in the shower.

The sun is shining, so I'll crank the heating up and get that watering done, then I can hibernate for the night.

Sorry about your job @AgathaMystery

Hound dog is a great song @RainbowZebraWarrior it’s one of those songs which I only found out about thanks to the movie grease. Love when pop culture does that

Really sorry to hear about the job, @AgathaMystery but I have every confidence that you will find something epic. I hope you can enjoy your hol.

gah re the meds and general discomfort, @RainbowZebraWarrior I hope they can sort something. Ds2 has had to have no end of tests pre the first try at his meds. It’s only been a couple of days but the signs are promising so far (he has deep-cleaned the kitchen, cooked, and reorganised the cutlery drawer today).

Sorry about your dream job @AgathaMystery . I hope things work out for you.

The hedgehog is me. I don't know how he did it, but he has got back inside. We have tried to be really careful about keeping the back door shut, but clearly not careful enough! He must spend his time lurking near the door waiting for his chance to scuttle back inside. He is currently under the sofa while we watch a rerun of a very old Midsomer Murders. He appears to be rearranging his nest because we can hear him dragging things about. I'm too knackered to go crawling about under the furniture to get him out so we're going to leave him for now. He usually toddles along to the kitchen to snack on the cat's food once every one has gone to bed so maybe I'll hear him and can get back downstairsand catch him. He has very sharp hearing though and can move surprisingly quickly to get himself hidden!

That’s so funny! Mine does a lot of droppings - I’m not so keen on her in the house. My youngest cat is DESPERATE to hunt and eat it but obviously it’s not working out for her 😂 it’s so funny to watch her because at this point the hog is just trolling her.

It's the droppings that are causing the issue, otherwise I think I'd just let him live with us. I did successfully catch him last night, but I swear he tried to stare me out before curling into a ball. He was clearly thinking you might have got me this time but I'll be back. Our cat is totally useless and just ignores him!

This is hilarious! Our previous retriever used to come back with one from a small wood on some of his evening walks. We had to persuade him to part with it so we could pop it back, ready for their rendezvous the following night.

I can report that the melangrano pomander is indeed VVN and is scenting the front room and hall delightfully. It’s lovely to come through the door to its calm, powdery smell.

Afternoon all. Dream job meeting done and dusted. I feel better knowing that it’s definitely finishing rather than having false hope. Going to get on a cruise ship now and forget all about the real world.

Happy weekend to you all. I think a cruise ship is VV NVN but you can’t win ‘em all!

A cruise ship sounds fab, Nigel or not - bon voyage!

Ah, we like a cruise too, Bon Voyage!

Bon Voyage!

I had a Nigel treat today on opening Edmund’s DeWaal’s Instagram. They had been celebrating Nigel at the Charleston Trust - one of my very favourite places, and one I must make an effort to visit at festival time next year (equipped with festival tickets!). Nigel is particular about crisps and wine, so those of us snacking can know that we are carrying out a Nigel approved activity - not even Nigel Adjacent.

Bon voyage

not a cruise but currently in the passport queue for the overnight ferry crossing to France. Which is a mini cruise

Thank you for the thread. Huge Nigel Slater fan
I just find him so lovely and calming to listen too. His audio book is lovely and I finally got the physical book last year. Just finished reading 'Toast" and watching the film adaptation. Highly recommend 😃

Good afternoon all and hope everyone is well. I think a few folks are likely still away judging by the last few posts.

We've just returned from Amsterdam and feeling like we need another break. I think this is often the case with city breaks. Weather was dire, but the sun shone on Monday when we went to the Van Gogh musuem. We stepped off the tram to a tree full of Rose ringed parakeet singing and the dulcet tones of 'I can't help falling in love with you' from a nearby saxophone player. Very pleased we saw the permanent collection, although sadly DD had a meltdown as the only painting she wanted to see is currently on loan in Norway until 15th June. (Skeleton of a skull) She made up for this by buying every piece of skull merch in the shop, so I'm €250 lighter as a result!

Welcome @AutumnLover1989 You're in good company here. Speaking of Toast, I arrived home to a wonderful package containing this lovely limited edition of the book.

Anyway, the sun is shining and the swifts are swooping around the garden catching insects which is always a sight and sound to behold. I need to have a catch up with Nigel's insta to see if I've missed anything interesting.