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!

Lots of sympathy with the joint pain @Bimblesalong ,mine did get better though. Do you have an immunotherapy tablet to take as well? That was miserable, it played havoc with my digestive system. I cheered when I finished the course.

I can sympathise re joint pain. I have rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Nothing but pain in my knee and feel fed up at the moment. Going to a comic con on Saturday and hoping I'll be ok by then 😔

evening all… I’m back from hols to an excellent garden that is just really starting to bloom. I did a drastic garden tune of a palm tree that was hogging all the light and it’s really enjoyed it by the looks of things! I’m definitely heading back to the garden center this week for more lupins.

Currently so jealous of my mums allotment - will share some pics! it is huge and she grows a bit of veg but it’s mostly flowers for her own pleasure and the church and also she will do a few weddings and funerals too.

All flowers have survived the week away. The new rose is starting to bud and the seeds I sewed a fortnight before are going from strength to strength

here is a couple of photos of our time in Brittany.

Fabulous photos, all! I can't grow lupins as they aways get ravaged by greenfly. I've tried twice in two different gardens and gave up. I'm going to treat myself to a visit to Delaval Hall tomorrow which I'd promised myself for my birthday, but couldn't make. They have lupins there, in the walled garden and I'm sure they also have a laburnum arched walkway too 😊

Finally had my appointment to discuss ADHD meds today, but I now need to see a Cardiologist and have an up to date ECG as I have a rare but mild heart condition. All being good, I will start on a children's dose and see how I feel. Hopefully that all doesn't take too long.

The wind is crazy here and I've given up picking pots up until it's calmed down.

It was super windy here this morning but has calmed down now. We have been revamping our back patio and it’s almost done, just need a yellow patio rose to finish off one corner.

Lovely piccies. Foxgloves grow like weeds here - very lucky in that respect.

The raspberries are starting to ripen and I can see some lovely purple flowers starting on my French beans. I dislike eating them but dh loves them so it’ll keep him happy!
glad the appt is through @RainbowZebraWarrior There are a lot of other tests needed before medication but best to be safe. I hope they can do something so you can trial it.

We are probably two to three weeks behind you here @Bimblesalong as my French Beans are still very much in their infancy. I have both green and purple varieties as I love them so much and they are one of the few veg I can tolerate. The rain here today had been heavy enough for my conservatory to leak, but the wind has meant that the garden and my pots are all dried out. I'm just trying to muster the energy to water. Plus, every time I try to go out, one of our resident blackbirds is feeding from one of the stations and I don't like to interrupt them.

I have a prescription ready to go for concerta if my Cardiologist gives the all clear. If not, I'll have to try a non stimulant.

Has anyone seen the thread in site stuff about getting a Nature / Wildlife / Conservation topic? Hopefully MNHQ will oblige. In the meantime, I've started an ' All things Nature' thread on The Great Outdoors board.

Hello everyone, Enjoying hearing about the trips and the gardens. Whilst I enjoyed the warm weather, I did fear for my veg plants. First foray into trying a veg patch for a few years. Running back and forth with a watering can was starting to wear so I was actually pleased when the rain came. . Most of my salad made it through as did the radishes and some of the spring onions. Cucumbers look a bit sad. I'd also planted some chard, spinach, carrots and peas. RIP carrots and peas I think but the chard and the spinach looks good. Fingers crossed. The wind has been wild here too. I don't think one item of garden furniture is currently where it's supposed to be.

Off to the Lakes this weekend with some friends as it's my birthday. We're going to walk alpacas - very excited! Typically of course, it's going to rain.🙄
I've been happily dipping in and out of A Thousand Feasts. It's become my bedtime read. Last night's entry was the one in Agra where the hotel lost his booking. I find myself unreasonably concerned that Nige may have had to sleep on the streets of Agra....

I think I may have a superpower-every time I think about watering my garden, it starts raining! Maybe I could hire myself out?

I'll hire, you! We've had around 4 or 5 short downpours here today, but unfortunately it's still being cancelled out by the wind. Everything is still bone dry so I've done an hours watering (and filling the bird baths) and am having a little lie down before finishing the job.

I've had two jumpers on and the heating on today. It's been so cold with the wind. Approx 9 to 15 degrees, but felt bitter cold!

Lady blackbird just now collecting nest material and closely observed by her mate. I think they are going for brood number 2. I also have two mad owls (a long eared and a barn owl) who are competing for hunting territory and seem to be having a stand off every night in my back garden just as I'm trying to get to sleep.

Re the watering of plants, I can really recommend an automatic watering system. We've built ours up over the years, but we no longer have to go out with a watering can or the hosepipe, we just switch the garden tap on!

We used to have an Utomatic watering system years ago when we had lots of patio pots and some raised beds but once the DCs came along the pots all made way for more and bigger patio furniture and I just have a few with herbs in now so it's not worth it. My main watering efforts are in the greenhouse and at the allotment. We have had some torrential downpours today but the patio was completely dry again by the time it got dark, at least the water butt will be refilled.

I have been enthusiastically posting on the nature board request thread so I am glad to see that MN have gone ahead with it.

I Whinge about the watering, but I enjoy it really. It gives me the push that I need to do more as it would be so easy to just give up and go to bed early due to constant fatigue and pain. I also feed the pots and baskets once a week and that can only be done with a can. It's been fairly wet today so far, though, so I am looking forward to a bit of a night off. More time to cook something wholesome and healthy.

I went to a local art club exhibition at the weekend and bought a couple of original paintings. I got chatting to some of the artists and they encouraged me to join. I'm not totally sure as I get overwhelmed with having to be 'switched on and sociable' as part of a regular group, but I've decided to do some art at home in the meantime. My first project is going to be a watercolour of this Aurora image that I captured at the bottom of my garden last May. I'm going tomorrow for a nice, new watercolour palette and fresh paper.

Great idea @RainbowZebraWarrior ! I really love my art group. It is quite a chatty group, but you can join in with the chatter or not as you prefer. I really appreciate that because some days I am quite sociable and other days I just want to focus on my painting.

Your group sounds lovely. I have another possibility in my back pocket (it would need a mental health referral from my GP which I'm sure I'd get due to needing respite from DD's issues) Something stopped me from joining this one as it seemed, well, snobby.

I hope I can find my artistic streak again. I won a national art competition for my school aged 11 and was on Pebble Mill (the This Morning of the time haha) I've been watching some YouTube tutorials and feel ready to go.

Evening all… I do water my garden but I also have irrigation that I got 2nd hand that I think has honestly saved me hundreds if not thousands over the years. All my plants thrive which is great.

I’ve been AWOL as work has been really tough. I’ve been royally messed about regarding do I/don’t I have a job for next academic year. It finally seems final that I don’t. I’m exhausted by it all.

in other news - my home office/sewing room is so so close to being finished. I can’t wait to get in there with my lovely new machine.

I think the aurora pic is a great starting place @RainbowZebraWarrior - you’re so passionate about them.

That's the thing with art groups. Some of them definitely can be very snobby. Mine is an art group run by MIND, so the focus is very much well being rather than art skills. We have a tutor and if you want help or a bit of teaching then it's there, but most of us like to do our own thing. Our lovely tutor is usually relegated to making the coffee! Yesterday we had 2 people doing diamond art, several people exploring printmaking, a small group working in watercolour, 1 person making manga images and a small group working in acrylics, my paint of choice. So we're quite a diverse group. One advantage of being under the MIND banner is that we do benefit from a variety of donations and charitable initiatives. So most of our resources are free - they can get expensive! We also have visiting artists come in from time to time to work with us, which I really enjoy.

Had a lovely, if wet, weekend in the Lakes. Enjoyed walking the alpacas and also did a bit of painting by numbers. Attached a picture of alpacas and one of our fabulous artworks. National gallery here I come 🤣

Great piccies @dazzlingdeborahrose We are off to the Lakes today - forecast is improving,
I hope! I have my wet weather gear and walking poles though.

Good Morning!
It's a bank holiday today for us here, which is a nice treat!
In true 'June Bank Holiday' style it's snowing on the mountain and we have 3 degrees and very wet snow falling.

Our Autumn starts mid August, so I'm starting to think that it's a distinct possibility we have skipped past Spring and Summer completely! The leaves on the Birch trees have just come through this week.

DS and DD finish for summer holidays in two weeks, so I hope they will at least be able to have a few days without a coat before then!

Just back from an absolutely brilliant one-day bookbinding course (a Christmas present from Dd) and am delighted to have actually made A Proper Book! Have always done craftwork, but never bookbinding, so was fascinated to learn how to turn pieces of paper, card, canvas, string and decorative covering into a book. Lots of very precise measuring, careful sewing and glueing - very satisfying when it turned out well. Now got to decide what I’m going to write in it - thinking about looking for a calligraphy course next!

@Seasidebubbles that looks wonderful. What a smashing skill to have. VN!

@IngenTing I hope that sky has cleared now.

We’ve had a 3-day minibreak in the Lakes, which started with heavy rain and finished with hot sun today. It was a delayed birthday present and celebration, a lovely stay at a country house hotel where much of the food was grown in the attached gardens. We enjoyed the scenery on the way home by meandering. Pics are one of the courses and an “amuse bouche” which was lovely and cheesy.

Morning all. Sorry I've not checked in for a week. DD fell down the stairs at school and Mr Darcy came back from the cattery with fleas. Anyway, all is eventually fixed now but it's been an exhausting week and I already suffer with chronic fatigue. No art had been started and precious little has been done in the garden. I think I need to start looking at low maintenance options.

Gosh @IngenTing that's one very short 'season' I always think that once we get to June here in the NE of England that summer is essentially over. That is partly because I'm always thinking 3 months ahead, and partly because April and May tend to be our best months. Autumn here definitely starts in early August.

Sounds like you've had a lovely break in the Lakes @Bimblesalong I used to make food like that a few years back when I was a chef. I refused to do anything involving foam, though. Something about the texture always seems wrong to me. Mind, I live on cheese scones and soup these days, so haute cuisine is now entirely out of the window for me.

Did anyone ever stencil their walls back in the 90's? I have a real urge to bring the trend back and I'm trying to think of an area in the house I could experiment with.

The National Trust has set up live webcams this season for viewing our puffin colony in the Farne Islands if anyone is interested. Cameras are available every day from Dawn till Dusk

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/virtual-visit/watch-puffins-on-the-farne-islands

@RainbowZebraWarrior - that reminds me how I loved stencilling when it was in its heyday in the 1990s. This tray was done then and has been in use every day since. It is looking a bit faded now - perhaps it’s time to get the brushes and paints out and have another go!