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!

Still heatwaving here, I'm in the blessed cool of the m&s cafe planning to buy wet wipes for the freezer. Poor dd has a very hot back bedroom and has broken her window hinge so she can't let the cool night air in, poor thing.

Will be jumping in the sea later and checking out Springwatch. Hope your dad is getting to where he needs to be with his health @RainbowZebraWarrior.

Should add I won't be watching Springwatch in the sea - that would be weird 😄

@EasterlyDirection, sympathies about the train issues - I use the train for my commute and it is truly maddeningly unreliable. At this point I'm starting to suspect either managed decline or nefarious Russian interference.

Thanks @leporello he's gone a bit downhill again today so it's rather maddening and frustrating. Will get to the bottom of it all in the end, just have to go through the doctors' 'flow chart' of tests, scans and cultures.

That does sound maddening @EasterlyDirection and puts me right off taking DD on a train as she would have a huge panic attack / meltdown.

It is truly freezing cold here. So weird. Proper bleak, steel grey skies, heaters on in the car and numb fingers outdoors. Feels like about 7 degrees due to the rather blowy Easterly wind coming straight off the sea!

Going to go for lunch when the Trattoria opens at midday. A nice bowl of minestrone followed by a spicy arrabiata pasta should warm us right up! Darcy has gone back to bed - made a den under the covers - he will probably be there all day as there's no sunny windowsill alternative today.

I also used to love reading my parents Readers Digests. It was a proper institution! We also still have (well, my parents do) The Readers Digest Book of the Road, which I Loved reading as a child. Crikey, they were simple times, eh? I either played in a field or read books. I actually picked up a Readers Digest gardening book this morning on the book table, but my brain went "Put it down, Rainbow. You're here to drop off books, not pick up more!"

Three unread library books are also going back today. The pile next to the bedside table almost became higher than the bedside table, and I felt enough was enough.

That said, I am still on the lookout for a new bookcase, so if I eventually find one that fits, it's Game On!

@leporello I am very glad I don't commute by train, but am pretty annoyed as I missed a show and have no way of recouping the ticket cost, only the train fare itself.

@RainbowZebraWarrior I have had to do a lot of training for ND DS to be able to use public transport and it still isn't without its issues. When he was younger if we were on a train and there was a delay you could see he was struggling not to have a meltdown, the first time he went on his own I took him to the station in the car then drove as fast as I could to the next station to meet him, and built it up from there and I have frequently had to be on the end of the phone for him while he travels even as a young adult. He's scared to use the tube, the smells and screeching of brakes are overwhelming.

26 degrees here now.

The town of Camborne which is about 10 miles away from me recorded the highest ever overnight temperature last night. It was hot.

dog on her mini break to my parents so feels odd with out her but it means I can have the front door open to increase breeze through the house and I can do some strimming without her thinking it’s the best play thing ever.

This is quite an image 😆

@RainbowZebraWarrior I'm bored of being warm, I quite fancy a freezing sea breeze followed by spicy pasta!

Having said that it's not so hot today, and I spent quite a bit of the morning reading and eating in the garden while it was shady. Had salami, cheese, olives and a lemon San Pellegrino for lunch and it felt almost like being on holiday.

I am also defrosting the freezer (a job I cannot imagine Nigel doing) in the hope of removing the old bags of crinkly veg (mostly kale and leeks from what I can see so far through the icebergs) and buying some nice ice cream and sorbet.

Hayfever is being tricky - I believe we're into grass pollen season now. I bought some fexofenadine, and whoever it was that commented about the tablets being massive (sorry, have forgotten who) is absolutely right (I got Boots own). I'm now hesitating about taking them as I've felt relatively well, apart from the heat, the last few days, and am not sure about changing anything.

Thanks for this ❤️ We had a massive issue in November 2024 when she had a huge meltdown after not being able to get on a packed train on our way back from York (despite being able to see oir reserved seats through the window) and I haven't managed to get her on a train ever since. We are hoping for a short local train journey on Friday to Seaham beach. I am so hopeful, but I am also starting to feel a bit rubbish (sore throat, temp and aches; covid again maybe?) so hoping it does actually happen. We have talked about her maybe trying the metro on her own once she's in sixth form (over two years away) I think part of the problem is that her stupid OT tried to force her into getting the train into the city centre completely alone at 12 years old. I had to intervene and tell them they were making a 12 year old Autistic, mute (at the time) girl ill with worry but apparently I was an overbearing arse of a parent. We discharged ourselves from their services. Of course they sent a letter declaring their input a huge success. That didnt help much with the EHCP application either. Bonkers. Like the sound of your approach, though.

Meant to say that I'm so sorry you missed the show @EasterlyDirection that's really annoying!

Lunch sounded lovely @martha79 I'll try and send you a cool sea breeze (and anyone else that would like some)

If only we could swap weather - a high of 16 degrees here today with a freezing sea breeze! Nice and sunny though, but I wish I could send those of you who are boiling a nice norcal coastal blast.

I think I have to accept that some of the sprouts are in fact not going to sprout.... [please ignore the clutter and the book overspill]

Just wrote a lovely long post then lost it. But suffice to say still boiling here, sympathies on the damn trains, the unopened peonies and the chill beach winds.
commendation to the freezer defroster. I need to do mine. Worst job.
and sending love to your Dad RZW.

Today is work, get very hot, home, Pilates, get very hot, then housework as we have friends coming for the weekend, get very hot, then bed! Normal temperatures resume tomorrow for us. 29 and humid today according to forecast. I’ve got a cracking farm t shirt tan. Very white shoulders though.

Frock and Hatinator for Ascot have arrived. Well one option for frock anyway. I have two existing that may work. I will seek your advice when it’s cool enough to be bothered trying things on.

Have a lovely Thursday all

Lovely flowers @noodlezoodle

Hope you can find a bit of cool/ shade @piscofrisco

I had to abandon the freezer defrosting to go to bed - it's not great but I can at least close the door properly now and I've got ice cubes and a selection of ice cream in today's grocery delivery.

It's back up to 28 here this afternoon, then more sensible weather after that. Got a couple of friends visiting today for late lunch and possibly a walk, but also quite possibly sitting in the house with the curtains shut 😅

Gorgeous peonies! Hopefully the rest will open soon. My peonies are still 'sprouts' but all the others in the vicinity are out. My weather is pretty much the same Noodle. I care not for boiling weather though so that's just fine for me.

Atrocious night last night for bad news and awful hapoenings. Won't go into the grisly details of all of it though. Fairly certain now that Dad has viral meningitis.

Despite all that, DD have planned a gentle day today of finally building our storage bench, having ice cream and watching a film at home. She's on board with us going on the train to Seaham with me tomorrow. (Please, if there is a god, don't ruin this!) 🤞

A gentle day sounds much needed @RainbowZebraWarrior . I hope now there is a diagnosis that treatment will be more effective, so sorry to hear of how grotty this illness is.

Heartening to see plant pictures. We are to hit 29 here today. I'm stumbling like a zombie after a night of very powerful thunderstorms. However, before we went to bed, we took the night vision binocs down to the field at the end of the road to watch baby foxes playing. We were serenaded by the pair of tawny owls who live in the stand of trees opposite. All very bucolic.

The weather in this country is mad! Left Cornwall in rain and mist. Now in the midlands and it’s sunny and boiling again

Just back from the pool where the roof was off. It’s the only place to get cool at the moment - otherwise we are staying indoors with the fans on. It is too energy sapping to do anything else. I also have a peony sprout which has failed to sprout @noodlezoodle - all the other have bloomed and finished, this one has been relegated to a bud vase and is holding out! Hope you have better news about your dad @RainbowZebraWarrior and that you and DD had a nice day despite everything. Longing for a thunderstorm @Bimblesalong, but I think we may have to wait until Sunday. Sending cooling vibes to all.

I seem to remember watching a florist deal with peonies once and she was not at all gentle. Maybe give them a bit of a firm massage and see if that helps?
Sorry about dad/horrible night, @RainbowZebraWarrior - at least you have a diagnosis now.
DH and I popped to Chester zoo today. We were supposed to be taking DD3 to get her away from revision for a bit but as it happens she has done almost none all of half term and decided she wanted to stay home and do physics! Went anyway 🤣 we are members so easy to bob in for a couple of hours. Half term though so quite busy. We had hoped to see the baby aardvark (have a look on the zoo’s instagram, it is the cutest thing ever) but missed it by a matter of minutes. But we saw its mum, and the giant anteater which is my favourite, and the jaguars, and the baby snow leopard having a snooze. I can’t imagine they are loving the heat.
Then I came home and constructed a net cage, to keep the butterflies off my broccoli plants, out of old hosepipe and coat hangers. It is not elegant but not were the caterpillars on my brassicas last year. And then I made this lemon chicken recipe from last month’s Waitrose magazine which was excellent so I strongly recommend you all try it.

Oh did the link not work? It’s this https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/recipe/lemon-chicken

Hope things look up for your dad @RainbowZebraWarriorand good luck for the train trip.

Pool looks beautiful @LillianGish

@Celiathebanshee sounds like a fun day, sorry you missed the baby aardvark, it's so cute!

Nice day here with friends visiting and a walk round the city farm, although all the animals there also looked like they'd had enough of the heat. Spotted calves for the first time and some almost ripe strawberries!

Am a bit broken by the heat - I slept for two hours after friends had left and have such a headache.

Lots of fluids @martha79 - having a touch of heat is too much. I’m considering packing some of those rehydration salts for my trips overseas this summer (that’ll make it rain!).

Zoo trip sounds great @Celiathebanshee we haven’t been members for years and used to love it. Well done on the physics revision, young student!

It feels thundery here, even though it isn’t. There’s a much more pleasant cool breeze in the air. I made a large chilled watermelon and feta salad for supper, with red onions pickled in lime and salt, all mixed up with garden mint. It’s similar to a meal served on the Ralph Lauren restaurant’s terrace, @LillianGish - I had it there on my 50th birthday.

It's so lovely to have this thread to keep bobbing in and out of, such a calming influence on me right now.

I've now got two interviews next week, including the cathedral one. I am ridiculously excited about it bit need to sort out a presentation and another task but eeeek, I got an interview!!!!

Bobbing out of Lurkerdom to say I'm sorry things are a bit tough at the moment @RainbowZebraWarrior . And also to wish @petitpasta good luck for her interviews .

Yes @petitpasta! Keeping it all crossed!!

Good morning all

A bit more sleep had last night and it feels a touch cooler this morning.

up early as we have a pre work meeting about our stand at a local big ish music festival. We took our tractor last year and trimmed it up-it looked magnificent and featured in lots of people’s pictures for the ‘gram -so we will probably do that again and maybe some other bits. We get free staff tickets for the festival so it’s lovely as it turns into our work night (s) out.
We have friends coming tomorrow at 11.30 and Dh is not back til 5. I am out this evening at 7 with newbie group women. I have neither cleaned the house (and it really does need it)or stocked up the fridge and I don’t actually have time to do either of those things I now realise. This is not ideal.I washed all the sheets to take advantage of the nice drying weather so I’ve got 4 beds to make back up as well. I did not think this through.

DD is at her dad’s so I actually have the house to myself for once until everyone comes back tomorrow. It’s lovely actually-I’m very rarely
in this house on my own for any length of time (with three Dogs obvs, but people wise)and it feels very calm.

wishing everyone a happy Friday.