Year Round Nigel Slater discussion thread - Part 4

[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 has been running for a few years, and the contributors 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, grab a drink and relax.

A very hearty welcome to friends new and old!

Thank you on all fronts.

Morming all!

<tentatively peeks outside>

Seems like a pleasant morning. I am queueing for the latest Pokemon drop at 8am, so nice not to have to do so in the pouring rain like last time.

Just a note on fexofenadine, it was hailed as, and is, a brilliant new generation antihistamine as it was less likely to cause drowsiness as a side effect. It's also meant to be quicker acting. I know a few folk who get on well with it. I was trialled on it when it was first released and it didnt work for me unfortunately. The NHS does note, however that it is less effective if you drink fruit juice like grapefruit, apple or orange - I have checked and this is still on the NHS fexofenadine page - It can reduce absorption by up to 60%. Cetirizine and Loratadine are not affected by fruit juice.

Happy friday, and Happy Mando and Grogu dsy, all! And may the sun shine for us all today.

I am off to dig out some three quarter length trousers and slap the factor 50 on 😊🌞

I was given fexofenadine when I was struggling a few weeks ago - it’s been bad this year and my usual loratidine (works ok for me usually!) wasn’t cutting it. It does seem better so far but it also wears off more quickly And (irrelevant point) the tablets are huge! Don’t know if it is just the brand I’ve got but I’m used to teeny tiny antihistamines 🤣
My weather app says 24 degrees today. We Will See ( seems unlikely). I’m a bit nervous today as meeting a long-term online friend in real life. I’m picking her up from the station later, we will go for lunch and a bit of a look round, then I’ll drop her to her accommodation as she’s in town all weekend for a choir thing. Fingers crossed.

What excellent news about your dad, @RainbowZebraWarrior, he must feel like he has a new lease of life.

Awww, the naughty dog, @piscofrisco, we bought leather sofas as advised cats were less likely to claw them to pieces. Well, guess what...

Jealous of your Puccini fest @Bimblesalong, I used to have a friend in Viareggio, neighbouring Torre del Lago, and she was always full of festival info but sadly she moved away. It will be amazing 🤩.

Meant to add - we have heatwave! Plenty of people on the beach already at 7 am! Last day at work before half term, let me at it!

Morning all, happy Friday. Quiet day here apart from an initial appointment with a counsellor who (from her website at least) seems to have decent knowledge of chronic illness. I was referred to the 'appropriate' NHS service but had an awful phonecall with them earlier in the week, they were clueless.

I've been taking loratadine for a while but am considering trying fexofenadine as my hayfever is still irritating (both can potentially help with long COVID symptoms too, though I've genuinely no idea if it's making a difference).

Saw some nice Chelsea garden news earlier - will get to see a bit of it closer to home https://www.cpre.org.uk/news/from-chelsea-to-sheffield-on-the-edge-garden-to-take-root-at-park-hill

Hope you enjoy meeting your friend @Celiathebanshee - I've made so many good friends online but it's still a bit nerve-wracking the first time you meet in person!

Hope all goes well with your online friend meeting @Celiathebanshee

I have a t shirt and 3/4 trousers on and it feels odd. I also can't quite get my head around the expected forecast (23 apparently here) 🤷‍♀️

Thanks for the good wishes for my Dad. He's being investigated for something else and gets some results at 10am today, so fingers crossed. Would be nice for him to be able to really move forward a bit. He also has his cancer op on 8th June so we are looking forward to finally getting that out of the way. Onwards and upwards!

Hope all goes well with your online friend meeting @Celiathebanshee

I have a t shirt and 3/4 trousers on and it feels odd. I also can't quite get my head around the expected forecast (23 apparently here) 🤷‍♀️

Thanks for the good wishes for my Dad. He's being investigated for something else and gets some results at 10am today, so fingers crossed. Would be nice for him to be able to really move forward a bit. He also has his cancer op on 8th June so we are looking forward to finally getting that out of the way. Onwards and upwards!

Good morning all. Sun is shining, shorts on!
Im pleased you have sun too for once @RZW.

Very jealous of you breaking up today @leporello. What a week of weather in store!

I made a food friend online, on here actually @Celiathebansheeand we have been friends for 20 years now. In fact I was who she came to when she left her horrible husband. I feel sure you will get on like a house on fire with yours. I still describe mine as my online friend now which gets some funny looks sometimes :)

long day for me as work, then a meet up with my local newbie friends, then I have to get DSS from a party at 10.30. I did not love the waiting outside of parities stage with the DD’s and I love it even less now 😂. I like to be in bed by 10 latest these days!
The sausage has taken up residence in poorly dogs crate. He won’t come out and the other one won’t go in 🫣.

A lovely sunny Friday to all :)

Sorry-wishing you luck with your counsellor @martha79i hope she turns out to be the right one for you.

Wow! It's High Tide (right up to the sea wall) here until about 8.30am but will be interesting to see how busy our beach is when I get down there in a couple of hours. Pleasant ish 16 degrees so far but with a slightly nippy wind.

Best of luck with the counsellor appointment @martha79 and if they have some knowledge and understanding of chronic illness then that's a good start. I was referred to NHS talking therapies when my physical health plummeted and was also awaiting an Autism assessment. They were also utterly clueless and frustrated me massively. It's just too generic and therefore a waste of time for some.

Good luck with your day @piscofrisco as that sounds looooong. Bless the doggies, too!

I am just pondering teen parties and what they involve these days (like house parties of old?) It's not a concept we are familiar with and am secretly rather pleased about. However, hanging around in a car park every six weeks queuing for pokemon stuff for DD is the cross I personally have to bear. For the past 50 minutes I have had surround sound of Crying Baby, Manic Videos being shared by the couple in front (Crazy Frog?) And a million speaker phone chats including Lady with Loud Voice alternating between extremely personal conversations and intense legal discussions. She reminds me of Edina Monsoon!!!

Total madness. Shop opens in 7 minutes. Send prayers!

My birthday is on June 4 @RainbowZebraWarrior. I’m thinking of booking myself in for a manicure and pedicure, especially if it’s sandal weather. DS is offering to organise lunch in the restaurant where he is working and where his friend is a chef and I also have another lunch invitation from friends so the diary is filling up nicely. Thinking back to my Menton trip for @piscofrisco and @Bimblesalong, all my favourite things were free. The breathtaking view from the top of the old town by the cimitière du vieux château over the basilica and across the bay and the view from the harbour of the old town spilling down the hill into the sea, or better still by swimming out from the plage des Sablettes! The walk along the seafront from Menton around the Cap Martin for fabulous views of the coast towards Monaco. I would recommend taking a picnic because there are lots of lovely places to stop - we didn’t and I wish we had! For a few euros you can return to Menton by train from Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. The covered market is probably the most Nigelesque destination (we should have popped in there to pick up stuff for our picnic!) And one final recommendation - the salle des mariage in the Mairie de Menton, designed by Jean Cocteau in every detail right down to the fixtures and fittings.

Happy mando day!

I’ve started the day by watching hummingbird hawk moths sip nectar from some of the flowers in the garden. There’s a golden oriole in the background and a charm of goldfinches, amongst other nature (skips over the giant spider on the duvet and the grasshopper thingies on the bathroom wall…). Wish me luck for this evening and the passport system - I hope to be back to sing in my choir’s thingy tomorrow (obviously lots of choir stuff going on in the city tomorrow).

Enjoy your meet @Celiathebanshee - Nigels; Celia and I met through one of Celia’s pals. I met this pal on MN in a fab online group, where I made a lot of friends.

All the best with your appointment @martha79

@piscofrisco such a cute sausage. I hope things are on the mend with doggo - what a long haul though. Enjoy your friend - I don’t envy the party pick up!

I’ve been taking loratadine for around 18 months. I started it on chemo as it helped with the joint pains and the nonsense from the injections I had to give myself. Then I read some research papers about loratadine reducing the recurrence of bc, so it seemed a good idea to keep taking it. My cousin is a paediatric allergy specialist dr, so I have the occasional convo with him about what might be relevant to adults.

That’s right, @Bimblesalong , you are an online friend once removed!

@Bimblesalong
Your garden sounds incredible! My eldest used to be interested in moths and would often get up at 4am to check his moth trap. He’s 28 now and still enjoys the natural world. He recently visited the Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park with his gf. I used to take him there when he was tiny, beautiful place especially when the rhododendrons are out.
The best I can do this morning is hearing a chiffchaff in the park on the (short) dog walk.
It’s already feeling very warm here.
Hair appointment to banish my roots this morning. Going to see Operation Mincemeat this evening. Heard great things about it. Hoping they’ve got air conditioning!

@RainbowZebraWarrior
Fantastic news about your Dad, very pleased for you.
My Dad had a lung cancer scare recently..it’s actually emphysema and COPD.
Having an inhaler is really helping but he’s definitely slowing down which is sometimes hard to see.

No dramas last night. DD still asleep. Apparently a good time was had by all. They’ve been together as a year group since 2019 so a bit emotional.

@piscofrisco
Your sausage is gorgeous. I thought it was a very small chocolate Lab at first! His fur looks so silky.

@RipplePlease its even better than my garden, as it’s my friend’s in Spain’s! - I don’t have to maintain it, just enjoy it.

Good tips, thanks @LillianGish

Vertical hold might be achieved later, when I’ve finished testing the shady hammock. There are no guarantees that I’ll be able to manoeuvre myself out of it!

Hope you are safely home from the chaos @RainbowZebraWarrior!

Aww the little sausage @piscofrisco, he looks so comfy.

Love your hammock @Bimblesalong and the wildlife sounds amazing. I saw a hummingbird hawk moth here once, what incredible things they are - initially thought it was a strange little bird and then realised what it was.

Meeting with the counsellor was good - she seemed to get it, and said what I'd been thinking about the Long COVID being a tipping point rather than a starting point, and my previously very busy life quite possibly having been a way to avoid dealing with some past things. She also seemed very aware of the concept of your body stopping you doing things because it feels unsafe, and the links around chronic fatigue/ hypermobility/ inflammation/ hormones/ immune stuff - unusual for someone to specifically make a note around hypermobility as if it matters rather than go "hmm, OK, bendy joints, whatever" - and I only mentioned it to say that I do shift around a lot, and if we do in person I will struggle sitting like a normal person in a chair for an hour. She's local but going to start online, with the option to swap to in-person if I feel ready to.

The heat is already a bit much for me, so I'm having a quiet day mostly indoors. Going to find a nice film or two to watch.

Last day of my holiday today and I've been a bit AWOL. Head all over the place with impending redundancy. Several of my team have also been affected so I've had messages asking for help.

I've got three permanent and one interim application in and one definite interview so far. DH is being amazing and has told me to take the summer off - I just can't do it though.

I have obviously missed a lot while I've been off the thread but @RainbowZebraWarrior I am pleased to see the update about your dad, although it's obviously very frustrating that he has had to live with that hanging over him.

I've done a little more watercolour experimenting and also tried a gorgeous Greek pastry and re-visited the gorgeous Richborough Roman fort. It's absolutely enormous and it's really quite incredible what has lasted over a thousand years.

Great news about your dad @RainbowZebraWarrior. A bit disconcerting that he's been living under the shadow on an incorrect diagnosis for so long. A friend from Luxembourg was telling me her father is booked in for euthanasia next Tuesday - it just makes you hope the physicians have got it right!

Lovely painting @piscofrisco. Keeping my fingers crossed for the job applications.

Came across this nice podcast about Chelsea - https://play.megaphone.fm/tn0wfm5bt6e9k5cr8ws7zw - Nigel was on yesterday's episode.

I saw operation mincemeat last week @RipplePlease - can't remember if we discussed it here or not but we LOVED it, you are in for a real treat.
Lovely watercolours @petitpasta , you could spend your lovely summer off wafting about and painting? I'd say you might get the hang of it. (But fingers crossed for your job applications if that is really what you want to do!)
I survived meeting my online friend - she was exactly as expected and not a hairy trucker. We had a nice lunch of tapas in the sunshine then I showed her round the city a bit and now I am home lying on the sofa to recover. It was excellent.

This is amazing @martha79 to see this being finally recognised. Six years ago, when I was trying to get my so called team of specialists to see the link, I was repeatedly asked "where are you going with this?" Things are changing. Albeit slowly, but we are getting there.

I think I may have mentioned this before, but Dr Tina Peers is worth a look up, as is the charity Mast Cell Action.

I am not saying that this applies to you, but if it helps anyone else, then it might just be useful. There's also a huge link between Hypermobility and Neurdivergence.

Hope you've managed ok today. I don't do well with the heat either, so it has been quite the challenge today. My hives are off the scale. Doing all I can to combat, but it takes extra spoons which I'm sure you understand.