The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Readalong 2025 - Part 3

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello all, and welcome to Part 3. We Continue our CC journey.

For anyone who has not already had the pleasure, the annual Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles read along is a real time annual MN tradition.

The Christmas Chronicles (Notes, stories and 100 essential recipes for midwinter) book began on 1st November.
We continue to read along and comment with the book which is set out in diary form. I will make a post each day (or let you know if there is no entry on a particular day)

For anyone new, it's a challenge to see of you can pick up the book as a bargain. Vinted has come up trumps in the past, as has ebay. A rare and precious charity shop find is always a bonus. Don't forget, you can also listen along to Nigel's dulcet tones via Audible.

So, welcome to old friends and new, and don't forget that reading by candle light is particularly enjoyable. Cire Trudon may be one of Nige's candles of choice, but it's somewhat pricey. We don't discriminate against other less expensive brands - even if they are NVN (Not Very Nigel)

Pull up a chair, light a candle, grab a cosy blanket and join in!

And finally... a link to the Santa Claus village in Rovaniemi webcam in case anyone is interested.

https://santaclausvillage.info/live-video-webcam/

Happy Solstice! It's a drizzly morning here. Quiet except for an incredible chorus of bird song. There's one very vocal blackbird out there, in particular.

I missed the wreath making workshop I was meant to do, but have agreed with a friend we'll make some in the new year - it might end up being a "brighten up February" wreath by the time we can get together.

Good luck to those with their 9 lessons and carols today. Reverend Tim sounds like our local Rev when I was at primary school - he used to come in and lead assembly sometimes with his guitar which had a rainbow guitar strap.

Today I'm mainly planning to hunker down and read.

I had no idea the Web cam thing existed! Have spent a few minutes having a great time people watching 😄 Thanks for sharing the link, @RainbowZebraWarrior. I'll be tuning back in for more later!

Hunkering down sounds like a good plan @martha79 I haven't heard any birdsong myself this morning, but that might be to do with the new dehumidifier humming away in the corner. Hope you manage to get wreath making soon. The world could definitely benefit from more lovely wreaths in Jan and Feb. I left mine up well into January last year and a neighbour from the end of the road (instagram house) came to see if I'd died as she thought it was 'odd' It made me feel very old, like one of those old adverts for checking on the elderly if you saw milk bottles piling up outside.

Yes, this is why DDs head in a bit done in with our old Rev. He came into her old school every week and sang to them about how God loves fish and chips, if you were fat or thin God still loved you and all sorts of weird stuff. Last Christmas (just before she left that school) he made the kids all feel crap for having advent calendars as he said 'chocolate advent calendars are not what advent is about' She was seething and I must admit, I thought he could have given the kids a break on that particular sermon. Sounds daft and harmless, but being preached at weekly by a vicar simply wouldn't happen in DDs new, very multicultural school. (It wasn't a CofE school, just a proper up it's backside middle class village middle school)

Right. Best get up and see what's what outside (darkness, apparently) and get off to the market.

I had a peek at 5am and there were two parents with their child taking selfies and having a great time with the place to themselves!

Wow. That song was doing the rounds when I was at Sunday school 45 years ago! Let’s see if I can remember the words…

If you’re black …. Or if you’re white…. Or if you’re fat or thin, God loves you!
If you’re …old. Or if you’re …young. Or if you’re in between, God loves you!
He loves you when you’re happy, he loves you when you’re sad
he loves you when you’re feeling good and when you’re feeling bad!
doesn’t matter what you look like doesn’t matter where you’ve been,
God loves you- He really loves you! God loves you!

Theres a much more fun, version now … but very hard to sing in assembly with one guitar!

I’ve delayed getting up by revisiting that song, and also checking the pronunciation of ‘Ephathrah’! Though we don’t really say Bethlehem correctly so why worry 😁

Sorry, I got lost on a detour there about the Rev. You’re quite right, he could have spared them that sermon! We have chocolate at church in on the first Sunday in advent, in case anyone is disappointed 😁! It’s not either/or, it’s both!

Just joining in the Alan Rickman love a little late - my all time favourite actor crush.

Thank you for the good luck wishes for the 9 Lessons & Carols later - it follows hot on the heels of a Christingle so no doubt the church will still be full of orange peel and discarded candles . We have no vicar at the moment, chocolate-hating or otherwise, and are very much missing our previous incumbent, a wonderful woman (and proud Geordie, @RainbowZebraWarrior ) who was adored by children and would never have railed against chocolate (or toted a guitar, for that matter). Our loss was Edinburgh's gain, we wanted her to stay forever.

Now I absolutely must get on with ordering the final few bits for the DDs. Why do I start so early and still have more to do?

I ended up going to the local Christmas market yesterday, DD bought a bag of fresh churros but we only managed to eat about half of them (despite buying the smallest portion available and sharing 😅) so I gave the rest to the first pupil I ran in to. The animal pen wasn't a pen but a table so the bunnies and chicken were all at a nice huggable height. There was also a funny donkey, a sassy goat and the loveliest 'micro' pig (the size of a rather large bulldog) called Napoleon who was wandering around on a lead, asking for ear scratches and belly rubs. I loved every second of it ❤

We then went for a browse around the shops (it's a small town which is really struggling to keep going as people would rather hop in the car and drive to the nearest city about 40 minutes away). I managed to pick up some Christmas presents for DD and DH (branded second hand clothes mostly) and some beautiful prints by a local artist which I'll use as Christmas cards for family. Its such a shame that the town is dying as there are so many amazing craftspeople in the area and there's a huge potential for it to become a lovely attractive tourist stop but the current mairie aren't great and are more interested with helping their friends make as much money as possible before they get booted out in the next elections.

@AlicePottery your market sounds truly delightful! We usually have reindeer, in the run up to Christmas - I haven't knowingly seen anything about them this year...must check their fb page.

I'm just drinking tea, contemplating moving to slowly check off some things on my to do list. It's quite nice just sitting here though, listening to Nigel (I went back a few chapters in the audio book), and watching the garden out the window.

Maybe I'll sit a while longer...

I'm quietly following the thread as been just too ill to do anything.
@RainbowZebraWarrior It's my family that have tonight as a feast night. This year we're all so sick that quite a bit will have to be across zoom or everyone will be sick, but it will go ahead in some form and I will somehow see out the old night and turn of the year, and the new one in, because as a family we really need the anchor it gives us and it's traditions that hold us together..
Last night I managed a bowl of light mushroom soup, and I'm trying to get into a state where I can get up and try and sort out all sorts of things.

Just caught up on the preparations, long journies, bugs, carols and appliance failures. I've been busy extracting myself from work but nearly there now.

I came across this podcast via a recipe for roast chicken with fennel and cannellini beans on Instagram and I've been enjoying the December episodes (2022 onwards) in the car.

It's definitely Nigel adjacent as its about the food. Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett are the hosts and they have a different guest talking about food and Christmas and Angela serves up a meal.

Rambunctious is the lovely word that comes to mind with lots of laughter. Quite a lot of mentions of Waitrose products but it's not too unnatural, especially if you like Waitrose and less annoying that lots of ads maybe.

Off to plan Soltice dinner with candles @RainbowZebraWarrior 2 of the young adult kids are here so it will be a bit of nostalgia.

Dish Podcast is on YouTube or spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/5mx50pw8N4FnVOvcVpKpgT?si=mejg44YXTruUs47wrcKouQ

Wishing you all a speedy recovery

Sorry to hear about all of you who are ill at the moment, I'm studiously ignoring a sore throat and the beginnings of a headache 😬

I'm just listening to today's chapter and Nigel talks about the cake icing going to waste, what I do it cut off any 'contaminated' bits and then cut it into cubes and put them in a ceramic pot, which we then use in lieu of sugar cubes for tea, coffee and hot chocolate (not for guests though as it does produce a bit of 'scum' 😅)

Belated thanks to @martha79 for the Adrian Mole tip-off - will listen while wrapping presents today.

Sympathy to the health woes and domestic appliances breaking down. My air fryer sent out a plume of flame yesterday so I'm getting it out of the house.

Dd and I are off to the old family homestead tomorrow, so it's all about the packing today.

😮 at the Air Fryer. It's like the Michael MacIntyre sketch about plugging everything out except the Fridge because we trust the fridge.

I'm placating the white goods Goddess by cleaning each one. Dishwasher and washing machine are on their cleaning cycles - filters cleaned already. DH is cleaning the windows.

After that there is a day of American football watching for the lads and I'm having a long bath with face mask ( just like the white goods)

I think its the dirt and grime holding most of our appliances together, I daren't tempt fate by cleaning them just before Christmas 😅

(This makes us sound far more slovenly than we actually are)

@EphemeraleEudemoniaI'm so sorry that you're unwell and I wish you and your household a speedy recovery 💐

We had one Christmas where I was recovering from flu and everyone else had COVID. I'd been so sick with flu that I couldn't risk being near the others so we spent Christmas in separate rooms and had cereal for dinner. However Hogmanay became the new Christmas and we had a really lovely meal that day.

Sending you healing Christmas wishes.

😂

I daren't say when I last gave the machines a good clean

Dirt and grime are nature's glue.

I read something interesting about reindeer recently. That they are all domesticated and have been for centuries… That they wild version are a slightly different variety..
There’s been an issue at the reindeer farm in Gloucestershire, where the local authority have decided to treat it as a zoo rather than a farm which makes it very expensive.

What do you think the tourists on the webcam are waving at? They are quite persistent. Do you think there is a Santa figure waving? Or are they waving optimistically at a camera, assuming someone is watching? I found it disconcerting as though they were looking back at me! 🫣

Happy Solstice, all. Kind thoughts to all of those struggling healthwise and otherwise.

For those who are lovers of Austen and fans of Emma Thompson (I love her), she is currently on R4 talking about her film work. Worth a relisten.

We have been out for a few more bits, including a sparkly pair of earrings for DS1’s GF. Not diamond yet but very lovely. I have prepped the red cabbag for the Christmas table and will bung it in the freezer when it has cooled. The entire house smells of vinegar and spices - lovely cider vinegar from a small farm producer in Gloucestershire, so VN.

Putting my feet up for a bit before warming up the voice and going over to join in with the festive fun and reflection.