The Year Round Nigel Slater Discussion Thread - Part 5

[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 on Mumsnet 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!

This is the colour I mentioned before. Kitchen Green by Little Greene. I have it in my bedroom and I love it as it's so restful and calming. I'll have it repainted the same colour again for sure.

I am also secretly wishing for autumn a little bit. Although it will be here before we know it in these parts. Leaves were dropping and conkers ripe by mid August last year.

www.decoratingcentreonline.co.uk/products/little-greene-kitchen-green?currency=GBP&variant=47798383411539&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23336926236&gclid=CjwKCAjwmozTBhAeEiwAkEGZzrj_tgDE2J-gk5Z7VfWdhexapKbwmOI2WUB9Kv0y4PNybYYwmCrtdhoCDMYQAvD_BwE

Thanks lovely x

I love the image of a line of woodland creatures waiting patiently for you to wake up and serve breakfast.

I also LOVE your cat! 😍

Oh gosh bless you @piscofrisco coming down with cold. DD came down with one the minute we finished school last week. I do wonder about the badger behaviour. I think you are right and they are having to go for easier pickings as no worms to be had in the hard earth.

You will have to update us with what your Mum arrives with (Have chicken. Will travel)
Remember, we are always here if you need to scream.

I went down to the beach at 6.30am for a couple of hours - I haven't been for a week! - Thankfully DD is happy to have a lie in for a couple of hours with the cat while I do this. She has told me she doesn't want to come with me at all during the hols (after saying she wanted to come down a couple of times a week), so at least I now know this and am happy enough with my early morning quiet time. It definitely feels like when you get up early on holiday and you're out and about before everyone else. Ahhh. The best time of the day!

Has anyone watched this Ann Droid thing yet? I'm not sure if it's my bag, but I am going to give it ago. Then I really must get round to assembling the cordless mower I bought two months ago!

Lovely colours there @RainbowZebraWarrior - what's the orangey one?

I started Ann Droid but only got halfway through the first episode - it was a day when I was feeling quite rough and rather sorry for myself being all alone though, so maybe hit some nerve about getting older and having to be cared for by a robot, I don't know!

Not at my best today after all the activity yesterday. I have however successfully booked some men and a van for next week to take the big bits of furniture including dismantling and rebuilding my sofa bed, so that feels like a big tick off the list.

Oh, on the TV front, I've really enjoyed The Hairdresser Mysteries - just very light and funny (if you like Madame Blanc, it's similar but even lighter-going). Good music too.

I shall have to look out for the Hairdresser Mysteries. I need something light to watch. Over the past 18 months we have watched Midsomer Murders from start to finish! DH has got very fixed in his viewing habits as his cognitive function has declined so it's that or F1, including endless reruns, or cricket and occasionally golf! The decline is only minor at the moment and if you didn't know him well you wouldn't be able to tell, but his fixed viewing habits is one of the changes.

In hedgehog news, who knew that hedgehogs like cold roast potatoes! DH woke me up last night to announce that he had put the roasting tin with a couple of leftover roasties in it on the floor in the utility room (no idea why, and he just looked confused when I asked!), and Prickle was tucking in with gusto! Unfortunately he didn't think to catch him and put him out! Somebody asked if it was the heat that was making him come in, but it isn't. He came in last year too, I think he just sees us as a convenient food source. Last year we were convinced we had rats in the sitting room and it turned out to be Prickle setting up home underneath a bookcase. He had dragged all sorts of bits and pieces under there to make it comfy!

My goodness, Prickle will be demanding a full Sunday roast soon 😁

Hairdresser Mysteries is on iPlayer. Also on BBC, I've been watching Death in Paradise from the very beginning and Austin, which is quite a sweet, easy-going drama too. There's a lot of cast crossover between those three though, and sometimes if I doze off I forget which one I've got on!

Well all in all not a good week, my lurker is now officially a stalker, caught for the third time in so many weeks peeking in through the front window, update sent to the Met Police but crickets is their response. Jim next door announced that the joint drain from our down pipes is blocked with hedge and Sycamore roots, plus the tree outside his house... we have a complex lease, the garden and ground that the house is on, still technically belongs to the Council... so they will have to chat with Jim, but I might be chaining myself to a tree or hedge shortly.

And then this morning, I realised I was spotting, I am 15 yrs after my last period... an interesting chat with the GP knowing that this was a two week pathway with the local hospital. I think it is caused by Clopidigrel, which I take because I had a TIA about five years ago and I also know that 90% of this sort of issue is not sinister. Then I realised the milk had gone off and the cat next door followed me over a big road to go to the corner shop, he survived and then I broke my cafetiere... which means I will have to get over the fear of my coffee machine.

My boss asked me how I was doing, so I told him, I have food in the kitchen (along with a huge pile of ironing) a roof over my head and money in the bank (payday today), so not too bad. And yes, I had cheese and biscuits for lunch with a glass of vinho verde... sod it, I am going old school to the 1990s, it has been that sort of a week!

The orangey one is a flower agate.

Aye, it's a bit depressing, the thought of being looked after by a robot carer. I've just done the first episode. The music so far has been good, and I'm getting on canny with it.

I'll look into the hairdresser mysteries next.

Well done on getting another big job ticked off the list, and take it easy for a bit.

I'm sorry to hear about your awful week @LatteLady and hoping all turns out ok with the pathway investigations. If you are sent for a hysterospcopy, please consider anaesthetic as it can be difficult to tolerate. I took my Mum for one last year and I've seen a lot of folk since calling for anaesthetic to be offered as standard. She's also on Clopidogrel, which, although a life saving drug, is also a nightmare side-effect wise. Sorry to also hear about the crazy stalker issue. That's the last thing you need. Sending gentle hugs.

Also sorry to hear about your DH's decline, @Confusedmeanderings as I know it's been really difficult this past year or so. Sending hugs to you too x Loving the cold roast potatoes for the hog, though. Your Prickle is a one off!

4pm Friday phone call from hospital for Dad today. "We need to do another bone scan" It's always 4pm on a Friday with this type of call. Just to leave you worrying over the weekend.

This is the impulse buys from today as a result of a crap week, here. Snacks are very much needed, and Tim Tam's are my favourite. Currently £1 at Spar. Waitrose will also shortly be here with the rest of the food and also the wine. Cheers!

Sorry about all the difficult things @LatteLady . I ended up on the 2 week pathway for post-meno bleeding last year (age 58), didn’t need a hysteroscopy but I was told that if I did it GA would be offered. I did have internal ultrasound and biopsy (the latter was ouchy but bearable), but got the all clear. The Dr said sometimes your hormones have a last late surge. I got the results very quickly via the NHS app which was a relief.

That sounds an awful lot @LatteLady I’d echo the anaesthetic for hysteroscopy - I had one a year before my bc diagnosis. If I’d realised the effect of extra oestrogen on my body (hrt plus) I’d have asked for a radical review of the additional hormones I was having. I know it’s different in your case but it’s just my psa as my bc was oestrogen driven.

I’m having the weekend at mum’s as I’m taking ds2 to a folk festival tomorrow, in the hope of getting in to some sessions with him and his violin. It is warm here!

She has arrived. No chicken! (But randomly a mango, 3 satsumas and 1 slice of ham). She is currently sitting in the garden checking the route on a 2018 road map. I’ve tried to explain Sat Nav and also that an 8 year old road map isn’t going to be that helpful but she won’t have it and I suppose it will keep her busy for an hour or so.

In other news our cat is home! After nearly 3 weeks and in 34 degree heat. Someone saw him in their garden this morning about a mile away and remembered him from our flyer and dug it out and called me. I was just on my way to work but rushed there by which time he had gone but the lovely man knocked on all the doors to explain what I was doing whilst I rushed into the gardens because I could hear him miaowing but couldn’t see which garden he was in. He was found after garden 4! Someone must have been feeding him as he did not look thin, though he was a bit dishevelled. Tears all round and it feels like a miracle! I’m waiting for it to cool down before I walk the dashy down there with a bunch of flowers for the man that found him!

bloody hell @lattelady!A stalker! Be careful!! Sending lots of love re your health issue. Joyful being a woman eh? A truly crummy week definitely deserves a glass of Vin.

Love a TimTam @RainbowZebraWarriorgreat choice!

well done on continuing progress @martha79i hope you will not be too disturbed by Tramlines this weekend.

off to pack and try and clean the house a bit before we go tomorrow.

That such love news about your cat
@piscofrisco
When you said he was missing I remembered walking the streets as a teenager looking for my cat. I still remember the relief as she miaowed back in response to me calling her. She was quite young and had a small cut on her thigh which was becoming infected.

Vet said she had probably been spooked by another cat, caught her leg on something and run off getting lost several streets away.

Oh that's brilliant about your cat @piscofrisco ❤️

So glad to hear about the cat @piscofrisco. I'm avoiding Tramlines altogether and finishing my packing at this quiet end of town! I've been enjoying seeing the process of building a music festival in the park this week though.

Sorry you've got so many things to deal with at once @LatteLady - very much hoping everything resolves well.

NVN Nandos takeaway this evening - they've got new roast potato slices with aioli which are rather nice (not sure if hedgehogs would be a fan, maybe a bit spicy).

Fantastic news about the cat @piscofrisco and also Mum being sans chicken. Good luck with the holiday!

I had an awful time for years with a stalker (old school friend from childhood who was obsessed with me as a teen) He moved away, but found me on facebook about 12 years ago, and as a result, I only use nicknames on social media now as otherwise he would pop up every six months. He would randomly find my Pinterest account etc and say - menacingly - "It's me again, I've found you again. This is your twice yearly check in" He even used his nephew's account to get to me. He sent a message recently to another old (female) school pal who then got in touch with me to tell me how sad he was that I wouldn't speak to him. I replied saying he was a complete nutter who beat his wife to a pulp, and reminded her that his father murdered his partner (the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree in this case)

Sorry for the horror story there. In the words of Crimewatch, don't have nightmares, and do sleep well.

@piscofriscothats fab news about your cat.
@LatteLady that sounds like a very tough week indeed.

We’ll inhave finally broken up for summer. After a VN school trip.

it was a water sports activity day at a local lake with the most amazing cafe. Went for a bit of a canoe and ate some delicious food. And the kids behaved themselves so an all around success.!

@RainbowZebraWarrior have thoroughly enjoyed listening to you on the podcast, and echo all the lovely comments from other listeners (here and elsewhere)

Thank you so much. It's been really weird not feeling able to reply to all the lovely comments due to it being anonymous.
<sits on hands>

Pleased to hear the good news about the cat @piscofrisco!

@LatteLady the update on the stalker is concerning. I hope the police can do something.

Gosh you really are having a tough time @LatteLady . A stalker sounds scary.

Great news about the cat @piscofrisco .

@RainbowZebraWarrior you may be interested to know that you accompanied me in a Waymo driverless car today.

WTF am I talking about you ask? Well, I called a Waymo to get home from the supermarket as I had heavy bags and didn't fancy the walk, and when I got in and set my bags down, I heard this lovely voice talking. After a confused minute I realised it was because my Spotify is synced with Waymo to play music when I get into the car, and the last thing I listened to on Spotify was the beginning of your podcast If this all sounds very weird and futuristic I can say that I've gone from giving a suspicious side-eye at the driverless cars, to being happy that I can get a lift without a creepy or dangerous driver. You get used to the robot helpers!

On that note, I've only seen a bit of Ann Droid so far but I thought it was lovely and will definitely watch more. My sister and I are currently caring for my Dad who lives alone but with daily care visits, and I thought the programme captured the dark comedy of this stage of life very well.

@Confusedmeanderings I'm loving the hedgehog tales. And what a beautiful cat, who is clearly too busy being gorgeous to chase wildlife away.

for @LatteLady, you have an awful lot on your shoulders.

@piscofrisco I'm laughing out loud at "She has arrived. No chicken! (But randomly a mango, 3 satsumas and 1 slice of ham)", which I 100% heard in Victoria Wood's voice. And what lovely news about the cat.

Good luck all with the returning heat. I struggled through it during my recent 3 weeks in England and am very relieved to be back in San Francisco with our cool sea breeze and copious fog.

Wow! That's amazing. Good points about not having to put up with creepy or speedy drivers. I avoid taxis for those reasons. Driverless cars now seem so much more appealing to me!

Dark humour is definitely the way to describe that time of life / situation. I guess it's a bit like the One Foot in the Grave type comedy. I'm on to episode 3 of Ann Droid and enjoying it much more than I thought I would. Mind, I think that's largely down to the wonderful Sue Johnson. Can't stand the son, but then I guess we are meant to hate him as he's pathetic. I am kind of hoping he comes into his own / grows some balls by the end.

Absolutely spot on with Victoria Wood. I can also hear her saying this! A bit like..

"Red cabbage how much?"
"Red cabbage no idea!" 🤷‍♀️