The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Readalong 2025/6 Part 4

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello all, and welcome to Part 4. We Continue our CC journey. We are almost at the end, as there are only four chapters of the book left, but there will be a year round thread for those who wish to continue.

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, (and it's never too late to join in) 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!

I had completely fallen behind on the book and the thread. Going back to work then birthdays Christmas I don’t know where the time has gone. I am going to start the audio book tomorrow which may seem a bit late but I did enjoy listening to it first time round.

@Bimblesalongthe ballet sounds wonderful. I have seen a live stream I think so I will investigate further.

The penultimate chapter! So glad we have the all year round threads to keep us going until November.

My friend (who handled the treasure case for the Tudor Heart) says they are within £100,000 of saving it for the nation. It would be wonderful to secure it (and I do secretly imagine they have a wealthy benefactor lined up to step in if the appeal is short).

I forgot to photograph the chocolate Guinness cake but it would absolutely lovely. DS has taken half of it back to university so it's currently being devoured by his housemates. They're all musicians (they all study at a conservatoire) and they are just all the most lovely (and ridiculously talented) young people.

I have a busy couple of weeks coming up with lots of social events and work travel so I am planning to spend a little time with my copy of Hamnet tonight as I am trying to finish it before I go to see the film.

Aww thank you very much @thebabessavedme - I just have a very old and basic iPhone SE2, but it does the job for my purposes. I can’t imagine having an actual camera these days - it would be another thing to carry and the joy of a phone is you always have it with you.
I’m just reading back in the thread and seeing some posts I somehow missed - am I right in understanding you actually made that plant pot @Bimblesalong? Beautiful hyacinths - the smell always reminds me of my infant school classroom which is where I must have first smelled them.
@martha79 is that a Hornsby Pottery jug in your photo? Another huge nostalgia nudge for me - my granny had several of their dinner services and my parents had numerous mugs and coffee cups. It used to be a favourite outing as a child to drive to the coast and visit the pottery with its garden centre, gift shop and cafe - I can’t remember anything else like that in my childhood though of course those kind of places are ubiquitous now. It’s not exactly Edmund de Wahl is it, but I think a collection of anything you love is tendance Nigel. I don’t imagine he’s much of a garden centre person either, but I shall be having a jolly good reminisce with my mum about Hornsey Potterywhen I pop over to see her next week- probably over tea in a garden centre!

It is indeed @LillianGish - it's a Hornsea 'Heirloom' coffee pot. The cups in front are Staffordshire 'Bacchus' from a similar era. I've also got quite a lot of Hornsea 'Contrast' which is the plain brown and white one (a friend who has a huge collection gave me that as they decided they had too much!). Apart from the ones I was given, I have a rule about only buying it from charity shops - I could easily go on eBay and Etsy and spend a fortune, but I like stumbling across random bits. I went to Hornsea a few years ago for a day out - sadly the pottery is no more but if you like a blustery, slightly rundown seaside town it's perfect.

I didn't make the rehearsal today - felt like a step too far energy-wise when it came to it. The wassailing event was also a bit far, but I had a very foggy walk around the local trees and met this lovely lichen-y creature.

Glorious hallway display @thebabessavedme!

Glad I found thread 4 before it got too long!

Looking forward of hearing plans for that beautiful glass - I particularly loved the pink.

Argh @piscofrisco i hope you got there and back again - sounds like shades of my awful journey last weekend. Nonsense around Milton Keynes.

Lovely to hear that you’re thinking of getting back to music @martha79 what is your instrument (or voice part)? I hope it’s not too long before you can attend.

@LillianGish Another lovely photo. What a great sleb spot too. I once saw Cornelia Parker in the cafe at the Whitworth and was mesmerised. Grayson strikes me as very approachable.

The fashion yesterday at the ballet was superb. There was a group of fabulous women in full on amazing 40s retro clothes, hair and hats. Near Stanley was the most vampish female (?) who was the image of Clara Bow crossed with Una Thurman in Pulp Fiction. She did not get his attention! Generally the ballet crowd is a great watch. Pre chemo, before the waist went south and I could wear heels, I’ve done contemporary audience visits in my little black dress, black feather cape and black leather gloves over the elbows. Ah, youth!

@petitpasta do get to the livestream. I’d love to hear what you think - they were filming at the performance I attended. We’ve been enjoying the bluray with the original cast we saw back in 2017.

Enjoying the Hornsea chat. Here are my two new pieces (with my Christmas money!). The glazes are amazing. I love the weight, shape and immediacy of ceramics.

@Bimblesalong what gorgeous pottery - I love the glaze that looks like a pond in the bottom of the bowl. I'm a woodwind player (mainly flute) and singer (soprano by habit but can do anything down to tenor). It was my main job for many years (freelance teaching/ playing etc - which I always think makes me sound better than I am, I'm a decent player but mainly very reliable and organised which got me lots of work). Now I do it on the side to another full-time job, which was something I sort of stumbled into during the pandemic, but it's worked out well and I can now be more selective about what I do music-wise rather than taking on anything and everything for income. I did like being self-employed, but for a lot of reasons I also now like being employed!

Today I'm at the day job, running an online event and looking out the window at more grey dampness. Someone recommended this podcast (and associated book of the same title) to me so going to give that a go in-between time on Zoom: https://melissaharrison.co.uk/podcast/

Your floral arrangements looks stunning @thebabessavedme! And lovely pottery and evening skies….
he had a disaster of a day having left the house at 7.30-the A1 and the A14 both contrived to be shut due to accidents so I soar in traffic stationary for 3 hours, then managed to turn around, came home and have been to Morrisons and just got home now. Very far from ideal

Hi all. Im playing catchup for various reasons.

I just want to leave this here. It's a post from someone I know. She's absolutely amazing. It broke my heart a little bit if I'm honest when she went on Dragons Den a few years ago, and they just didn't get her. They didn't get what she was about (or the power of the purple pound, if you know what that is)

Anyway, Lyndsay is a warrior, and an amputee. (My user name obviously contains 'warrior' and relates to my chronic health condition; EDS. It is, naturally, a very emotive word which people with all sorts of health conditions choose to either use, or dismiss for very personal reasons)

Lyndsay is my absolute hero, and her company is where I buy my walking sticks from. She's won awards, she's done it all. She's amazing, but she struggles and is honest about it.

I don't know if any of you have come across her or her work before, but she's been a champion of disabled women for years. She made the #FUMS (Fuck You Multiple Sclerosis) stick for Christina Applegate and has appeared in and on the cover of Vogue.

There's been a lot of talk about Blue Monday today, so again, I just wanted to share this.

www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1230877392344648&locale=en_GB

@RainbowZebraWarriora very powerful post and a wonderful lady.

I've been out for a curry catch up with my cousin. We realised that we only ever got together for funerals and weddings and so there years ago we decided to go out for a monthly catch up. It's always a lovely evening.

My size 16 evening dress has arrived and it fits!!! It's absolutely beautiful and I feel like a proper princess. I need to try it on again to pin the layers up (perils of being a shortie!) So I will take a picture and crop it. It would have been over £150 new and I have just paid £25 for it on Vinted. It is barely worn because the net sleeves don't have any pulls in them which is quite an achievement as it's such fine fabric.

@piscofriscoyour journey sounds dreadful! It's so frustrating when you just have to sit in traffic.

Morning all.

Ooh @petitpasta I'd love to see the evening dress. How exciting! Would also love to hear more about the possible radio show. You've also made me crave some really good Indian or Bangladeshi restaurant food. I've never been out for a curry in years. I wonder if my DD might be up for it over half term. Might also suggest a takeaway this evening.

I am juggling a couple of books whist we have this brief Nigel hiatus. I got 3 hardback books for £1 in a ridiculously cheap charity shop i found whilst DD was at the library last week. One of which was actually a gorgeous Garden planner, so I've started my seed and plant lists. Another was a book on an anti inflammatory lifestyle which I am devouring as I am sick of living with inflammation. The book im enjoying dipping into most though is my lovely little National Trust garden almanac. I love this part of the year for planning and anticipation!

I am also making nature notes. The birds are more active. I'm hearing them more, and earlier, and I saw lots grey Partridge on the local farmland yesterday. Some not quite so welcome like the foxes that woke me at 3.50am today. I can almost set my watch by them at this time of year!

Oh and the pipistrelles. I've been seeing a lot of them lately just after dusk fluttering around the back garden. They make me so happy. Noticed an increase in flying insects in the past week or so, too.

What a lovely message @RainbowZebraWarrior and an amazing woman. Exciting seeing the bats, I get a few round here but usually only see them in summer.

Your dress sounds wonderful @petitpasta

Your travel sounds less than wonderful @piscofrisco - hope today is a better day.

I accidentally worked a full day yesterday as the actual events/ meetings in my diary were spread out across it and there was a lot going on. Was in bed by 6pm again - I need to do better with pacing for the rest of the week. Did listen to this while I was curled up - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m002pps7?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile - I thought he sounded like the sort of person Nigel might meet on his travels.

Your woman there sounds amazing @RainbowZebraWarrior.
I love a little bat flitting about.
take it easy @martha79, eats to undo progress by pushing yourself too hard.
looking forward to the dress pics @petitpasta. I was so fed up yesterday that I over ate massively which is how I know I’m not feeling great up to-im a massive comfort eater. So I’m taking it a bit easier on myself this week too and not committing to much. I’m actually pretty sure it my HRT messing with me-but it’s hard to know if that or something else. That said I’ve got veggy soup for lunch for the rest of the week which I made yesterday and can cobble together some healthier dinners from what I have in the fridge.
off to try to get to work. Wish me luck!
A happy Tuesday to all

January is the toughest month to resist temptation, I don't know why New Year resolutions are a thing at all. Much easier in the spring.

Looking forward to a cinema trip to watch Hamnet later then it's a vegan chilli for dinner (dd1 is vegan), unfussy and unNigel but nice.

Tough day yesterday, went to visit a an old friend who is not expected to see the weekend, very very sad to see, no longer 'with us' and looking pitiable, will be supporting kids through it all, adults at least but its still hard for them, DD very upset as we have all been in each others lives since she was a baby.

A small light note to the day though, long story short, DGS has managed to break his ipad (by not doing as he was told) the difference in this child is wonderful. Its only been 3 weeks (he is having to earn his pocket money to pay for the repairs) but its like having a new child, he is engaged, more chatty, better behaved, and saying all this he isn't a bad kid, no sen etc and had regulated screen time, to me it just shows how badly these devices can affect our children. Yesterday he insisted he lent me a book he has been reading at school, a Tudor adventure seen through a childs eye, this is massive progress😁the fact that he has actually, finally, started to enjoy reading is momentous! Its been like pulling teeth with him, reading has been the last thing he wanted to do and its been bloody painful. I'm actually enjoying the book and cant wait to discuss it with him, I think I can finish it tonight😁Long may the ipad remain broken.

Sorry to hear about your friend @thebabessavedme. Nice to hear about DGS and his new found enthusiasm for books though.

I'd quite like all the technology taken away from me today - frustrating one at work so far! Bit talking of books, a couple of my new Nigel haul have arrived and apparently make a great pillow.

I’m liking forward to seeing Hamnet next week.
so story about your friend @thebabessavedmex
we told DD2 her phone was broken once when she was 12 or so. The difference was as you say incredible. I wish we had never given her the damn thing back tbh.

@martha79 what a handsome puss! Name? Because we live in an apartment we can no longer have a cat, I miss my old boys, one of which must have been related to your lovely friend.

@piscofrisco None of us can believe the change in DGS, and it's taken such a short time.

Evening, all!

@thebabessavedme so sorry to hear about your friend. Sending gentle hugs x

@piscofrisco Hope your commute was more successful today. Yesterday sounded like a nightmare.

@martha79 hope today has been a bit easier for you too.

I've just had a phone call from Radio 2. They wanted me to do a voice message for Trevor Nelson's show tomorrow, which I have duly done. Upbeat and energetic they asked for. I possibly sound a little manic, as I talk too fast at the best of times!

So cold here tonight. Just back from one of our trips to the library, and I've already been out a few times in the back garden to check for Aurora. Think I need to get the stove on to warm up!

Oh! I listen to Trevor Nelson on my way home! What time will you be on, did they say?!
suddenly freezing again here after a weird afternoon of sun but a biting wind. Thankful to be off tomorrow as I feel done in!

I don't usually listen to Trevor Nelson, but I will - how exciting @RainbowZebraWarrior

@thebabessavedme the cat is Martha, I borrowed her name for my username! She really likes the new books...

Today has been a bit calmer and the next couple of days should be quieter. Fingers crossed.

Mr Darcy says a very big Meow and Hello to Martha. She's gorgeous! He's sparko on his chair by the fire as usual. Obviously I'm just doing my job as a cat slave by adding logs to it, and his favourite kittibix to his bowl.

oh martha and mr darcey, a match made in heaven. My DDs cat speaks, usually during the middle of the night, it sounds like 'hellllloooo', drives my SIL insane, he is allergic to cats so obviously he is the cats favourite person😂

DS’s girlfriend sent me a video of him cuddling her cat 😍
It’s a bit disconcerting to have someone communicate voluntarily, to be honest 🤣. I haven’t worked out the rules. Don’t want to spook her!

I’m feeling a bit January blue, I think. I have nothing to complain about, not visiting a family waiting to mourn, not suffering a resurgence of symptoms or stuck for 3 hours on a motorway.

Just totally unmotivated and interested in nothing but eating. I think there are a few unresolved tender spots I’m avoiding thinking about. Hopefully they will work their way through my system and I’ll be able to ignore it all once again!

And I have window shopped on Vinted in the hope of training it to offer me bargains! So thank you for that advice, @RainbowZebraWarrior .

Sending gentle thoughts to each of you wrestling with sad situations.