Year round Nigel Slater discussion thread - Part 3

[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 chair to the fireplace, grab a drink and relax.

A very hearty welcome to friends new and old!

That's a good salad crop in the making @ExquisiteDresses

@CrushingOnRubies I was surprised how easy it was the poke the stems into the potato. I can't stand the feel of oasis foam, makes me feel weird! But yes, it can't be good for the environment.

It's been very windy overnight so will have to see if the wreath is still hanging on this morning.

Been awake since 5am after a horrible dream - bit of a pattern the last few days. I tend to have weird dreams as standard then go through phases of extra weird/ grim ones, but I trust that my brain is doing some processing it needs to do.

Got a bit of music teaching to do this morning then no plans until Sunday.

I have just realised what a terrible photo that was, here's a daylight one

Loving the seedlings.

I was also wondering if all was well with @LillianGish as I saw she hadnt joined the yea round thread yet. I know it all goes a bit quiet after the CC thread over the winter, but hoping all is OK.

Same for anyone else who hasn't posted recently. Sending best wishes.

Here I am @RainbowZebraWarrior! And genuinely touched to have been missed. It has been a hectic February (DH away all month at the Winter Olympics and the funeral of a very elderly, but much beloved uncle) and also I’d totally lost the thread - for the obvious reason that I was not yet on it 🤦‍♀️. So happy to be reunited with you all and I shall now indulge in a leisurely catch up. In the meantime, here are some photos of the flooded Seine taken on a sunny stroll earlier in the week. Making a celeriac soup for this evening after tasting an absolutely delicious one at a garden centre lunch with my mum while back in the UK - fingers crossed it’s up to scratch (all tips gratefully received!)

So glad to have located you @LillianGish . I hope your elegant footwear is not too damp from all of the weather you’ve been having there. Sorry to hear about your precious family loss.

Just had a lovely catch up about the (absolutely right) nimby-ing and amazing vinted haul.

I had a vinted find of my own today. Last year M&S had the most gorgeous khaki and sky blue cotton dress. I searched everywhere for one last year and must have tried 7 or 8 stores and failed. I found one on vinted today! So pleased to find it.

Morning all.

So pleased to have you back in the fold @LillianGish but sorry to hear about your much loved uncle.

@petitpasta That sounds like a great find! I love it when I find something I've been searching for in the wild on Vinted.

Today is our local seed social seed swap and potato day. I'm rather excited about it all as I've only just discovered this annual social enterprise. Im going to give myself a little bit longer to rest though as I am very weary. I visited the beach every day for the past 7 days. Around 16 hours in total of beach combing, and whilst this is an amazing achievement for me, I feel I may need a bit of a rest day. So, I shall drive down to the seed social at 10am, then back home to some pottering. DD apparently also wants me to watch Deadpool.

If I do have any energy later on, I've spied some bits in the garden (eucalyptus, rosemary, rosehips and hypericum) that might make a nice potato wreath. Just need to call by Aldi for a cheap baking potato or two. Thanks for the idea @Martha79

Hope you all have a good day.

Oh, forgot to add, I am beying excited that it's March tomorrow. The beginning of meteorological spring. Hurrah! I've also had a note in my diary to begin reading The Morville Year, as it starts in March so I have been saving it. It's also nice to start a new monthy chapter in the old gardeners almanac. Spring is my absolute favourite time of the year, although I have to say that for the past fee years, there is no doubt that Nigel (and this thread) have made winter so much more enjoyable. I think I just truly appreciate each season now and embrace whatever it offers.

Good morning good morning. I’ve no chance of catching up on you all-but hope everyone is fine and dandy. We got back from our lovely holiday yesterday and for the first time in my life I wasn’t ready to come home at all! The rain is not helping. Still I will pop some washing on and give the dogs a big fuss (I have missed them and the kids to be fair!) and set about getting re acclimatised with the mizzle :)
Hope you are all well and happy. I will try and have a read back and see what you have all been up to!

Lazy start to the morning here but I need to get a wriggle on because I have a cardio class booked at 9.30. I was diverted by vinted where, as well as my find yesterday, I have found a replacement for a dress I adored last year and wore and wore but is now too big. It was only a Sainsbury's dress but it hung beautifully and washed really well. The replacement is brand new with tags and only a fiver!

I had a new recipe book delivered this week so I plan to peruse that later. It's not Nigel (sorry Nige!) but is full of yummy healthy recipes and it's by a nutritionist I've been following on social media for a couple of years. I'm going to work through the book over the next couple of months I think. The recipes are high fibre, high protein, high plant points.

I always love this point in the year when we tip into March and it feels like Spring is within touching distance. It's already so much lighter at the end of the day. I drove to bootcamp last night and it wasn't dark at 6pm. It just lifts you somehow.

Morning all

Lovely to see you @LillianGish - that's a lot of water!

Well done on the Vinted find @petitpasta

Welcome back @piscofrisco - glad you had a good time.

Pleased to have inspired more potato wreaths @RainbowZebraWarrior - mine is hanging on well despite how windy it's been the last few days. Eucalyptus should work well.

I finally got round to signing up for my new library card and have had the email saying it's ready. Will attempt to walk down to pick it up today, but it's a bit further than I've been going lately, so will have to see how that goes. I do also get access to the e-book and audio book library so even if I don't get the card yet I can explore those.

I have several big potatoes left from the other day so thinking I might bake them all and reheat as needed the next few days. Need to get some fillings/ toppings!

If the audiobook platform your library uses is borrowbox @martha79then it's fab! I love having access to free audiobooks. You have to wait for some of them but I can always find something to listen to while I'm prepping dinner or on a long journey

Good Morning lovely Nigelistas, hope all are well, I'm so busy right now at work that finding time for a quick catch up on here is precious.

@martha79 I have always suffered nightmares and I'm finding the older I get the worse they are, I don't know if it's a hormonal thing, the worst is a recurring dream of needing to call 999 on my phone and my phone refusing to let me, it's awful.

Loving the pics of crafts and growing and places, takes me away to lovely spaces.

Have a wonderful weekend all, will be back when I have finished to shift from hell! (football fans)

Yesterday's skies went from a huge dark solid cloud overhanging all and inevitable rain, to a colorful beautiful turbulent display, before becoming more calm and serene.

Have finally given in to another course of steroids as my body is betraying my needs, and I am in too much pain even by my own 'get on with it' standards, and there is so much I need to be able to do. But they do discombobulate me, as well as affecting already strained sleep, so fingers crossed. Am struggling to get on top of things here and the list of not yet done important tasks and lack of income is a concern, but hoping to manage a few major ones over the weekend.

@RainbowZebraWarrior Wow, really good jewellery finds. The ability to attract good sea glass and silver and gold!
Good to have such a serendipitous meeting for re homing the books too. Hope the seed swap goes well. I love them as they generally attract good people and folk who believe in making a better fairer world and appreciate variety as well as a love of plants and nature.
I like all seasons in different ways, but it's lovely to have others to share the joys with.

@petitpasta Between you and RZW, Vinted seems to be working magic.

@martha79 Hope the dreams improve. It's bad enough to be deprived of sleep without bad dreams on top, but you're right about the brain processing and re-processing.
The wreath looks fun, it would be lovely to hear how well you find the potato performs it's duties.

@thebabessavedme I'm not sure if it's hormones or how events and fears we haven't been able to fully deal with catch us up in the end as the brain tries to process and effectively file them. Good luck with the shift from hell.

@liliangish You have indeed been missed. Glad @Bimblesalong post found you. Not seen the Seine swollen before (though I'm sure it does often enough) so interesting pictures. Sorry about the loss of your much loved uncle.

@ExquisiteDresses Nice to see seedlings getting going.

@piscofrisco Sorry you've come back into mizzle, but glad you've had a good time and mizzle is such a good word.

@thebabessavedme I've had that dream too, it's awful. Current ones mainly seem to be about being lost, or having lost something, and being really upset about it.

@petitpasta our libraries use Libby, which seems OK. I might even give up Audible for now.

@EphemeraleEudemonia I hope the steroids help. Beautiful pictures!

I didn't make it as far as the library - it was quite nice out but it was a battle against body/ mind today and I wasn't up for pushing it. Will try again during the week - I've got a friend visiting one day who can maybe drop me there on her way home and I'll walk back.

Have baked the remaining potatoes and got a beef stew on the go - flavoured with a mixture of marmite and treacle (I am determined to use up this treacle).

Packed away the wintery wax melts/ candles and been left with a not very inspiring 'spring' collection - a 'fresh linen' that's a bit sweet, sweet pea and a freesia & pear one. Found a new Vinted seller so trying some from them - a couple of forest-type scents, a coconutty floral one and the others are meant to be clean house/ laundry kind of smells.

I've been fascinated with these threads for a few years so look what's arrived today! Only £4 second hand. I looked for one before Christmas but they were about £15 second hand. Now I can join the club, yay!

Wet here most of the day. Done some laundry and walked the dogs and that’s about it. Going to a new to the area meet up later. Could not be less in the mood for it, but I’ve offered to take two non drivers so I have to go.
Nigel doesn’t have these problems

Hoping the steroids help, and that you don't need any more any time soon @EphemeraleEudemonia they are horrible things! Gorgeous photos as always. Hope you also manage to get some things done, as I know how stressful it can be when the to-do lists are getting longer.

Pleased you are home safe and sound and enjoyed your trip @piscofrisco I must say, it sounded divine. Hope you enjoy the meet up even though you aren't really feeling it. These things often turn out to be great when we aren't in the mood. Hoping that's the case, anyway.

Hope the shift goes OK and the football crowd weren't too bad @thebabessavedme I have also had a version of that dream. It's awful. Also, similar to ones where you are trying to scream but nothing comes out. I get those type of dreams when I'm stressed.

A very warm welcome @DinoLil Now is definitely a good time of year to get a bargain on the CC. Prices always go up nearer winter time.

The seed social was marvellous. I bought six packets of seeds that were on my list, three types of seed potatoes, and two types of oca tubers. I also snaffled a load of free seeds. Will be fully prepared next year with seeds to swap.

I may join you in the baked potato camp @martha79 as I had to buy a pack of four in a rush. I've also just had to abandon the wreath making midway due to a rain and hail downpour. Up until that time, it had been rather loveky for most of the day, and I managed to get some more iris, daffs and primroses planted out. The potato wreath now looks like a cross between a drenched and mad Mr Potato Head and some sort of Witchy Voodoo Doll. It's hanging on the washing line, swinging and turning in a weirdly sinister way. I am put in mind of an episode of Tales of the Unexpected.

Welcome back @LillianGishso sorry for the loss of your Dh’s uncle. What was the Winter Olympics like? Looked amazing from the sofa.

and a warm hello to @DinoLil

sun finally shon for most of today. Walked the dog into town without being bundled up and wore sunglasses the sun was so bright.

tried out a new local pub last night. Very impressed will be returning. So nice to have a pub open not close for once. And 2 in my city recently.

currently having a cocktail in some glasses that dp brought today which look like they might be from nkuku.

Hello @DinoLil - great bargain there!

Oh dear @RainbowZebraWarrior 🤣 My friend hung hers on a mostly glass door - from outside it looks like a wreath but from inside it looks, well, like a weird potato thing!

Hello all, we are having some lovely spring sunshine and warmth which is very welcome after the rain and chill. I took myself on a walk earlier in the week and the fog was doing some amazing things over the Golden Gate.

The bridge looks so much closer in real life than it does in photos so I’m always disappointed with my pictures, but sharing anyway as it was one of those quintessential SF days.

What a lovely day it was today! It was so warm I didn't bother putting a coat or a jacket on when we went out, although admittedly I had a long sleeved vest on underneath my top and a cardi on top of that!
We are having a very rare weekend with no work and no plans, so today we went off to Dunster Castle for a walk through the garden and a coffee at the water mill. It was gorgeous!

Good Morning and a happy first day of spring official to you all. Lovely sunny pics from those lucky enough to have had some break from the rain. It feels warmer and sort of slightly hopeful here today so we shall see!
My meet up was ok but I got stuck with a woman who talked alot about herself and didn’t really jet anyone else speak -nerves I suppose. Did meet one nice woman who lives just around the corner so we will hopefully take the dogs out for a walk together at some point.
Sunday looks like batch cooking and meal prep, looking after poorly DH who has his weird flu/sore throat/fever thing again (third time in as many months-he will need to go to the GP tomorrow-big worried about his often he is getting this-it really knocks him out) and not much else tbh.
Been up following the horrible news from the UAE a lot in the night as we have good friends living in Dubai for work and they are pretty scared by the very near explosions. The world has gone mad it seems:(
wishing those of us feeling poorly better soon and a calm and peaceful Sunday to all

do you cut the potato in half for the wreath? And how do you get the stems to stick in? Is it not very hard? :)

Keep it whole, I think that helps keep the moisture in. I was surprised by how easily most of the stems just stuck into it. Some needed cutting on the diagonal to make a pointy end, and a few I had to make a little hole first but most of them just poked in.

The sun is shining for the start of spring! Got a friend coming round soon for a small tea and cake outing (was her birthday yesterday).