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!

Hope your first night went well. A KFC and a sour ice pop sounds like just the ticket to me!

These droughts and wildfires are awful. Hope nobody is caught up in the fires. Such a worrying thought going ahead to future summers, if this is what we are looking at in the long term.

Not much to report here. We have done our daily walk in the dene and I am now about to binge the 2nd series of Bergerac.

It was ok, a bit restless with different noises (and I really need to get curtains sorted).

Did the last car load this afternoon and handed over my keys to the old landlord.

Finally got my mattress delivered (refusing to buy anything that comes via DX Delivery again, absolutely useless) and it was doorstep delivery only so the guy wouldn't bring it upstairs. Friend who helped with the car had to help me shove it upstairs - he's in his late 70s and I'm a weakling these days so that was fun... anyway, it's here and unwrapped and I'm just going to lie on the floor on it for the foreseeable future 😂

That sounds a palaver @martha79 .

That sounds massively frustrating @martha79

I went down to the beach for a couple of hours at 6.30 this morning. Alternated picking sea glass with picking up plastic nurdles from the beach. So depressing to think that we will probably still be seeing these bloody things for months to come. I was rewarded by finding this beautiful piece of red sea glass.

I have just happened across DD staring into space whilst eating an ice pop, and it reminded me of this email, sent by Miranda Hart today:

6. Ice lollies are a food group
Particularly eaten straight from the freezer, standing still, staring into the distance.
7. Move at your own pace
Summer does not require productivity. It requires hydration and a lie-down.
8. Laugh at the chaos
Sunburnt noses, melted makeup, sandals that betray you — all excellent material for future anecdotes.
9. Prioritise small joys
Shade. Cold drinks. A good book. A nap you didn’t plan.
10. Be kind to yourself
You do not need a “summer body”. You need a body in summer. That’s it.

Oh. And daffodil bulbs are in Sainsbury's. And Halloween stuff is out at Hobbycraft. It's August tomorrow. You just know that the supermarkets are going to put out the sparkly Christmas party wear.

Afternoon all, beautiful piece of glass @RainbowZebraWarrior .

I have been picking blackberries in the garden all week and froze a tray full yesterday, they look so beautiful after a couple of minutes out of the freezer when they get a sheen of frost on them

Good morning all
Back from Cornwall after a 9 hour (!) drive yesterday. Traffic. Car charging drama. Horrendous.
Mixed bag of a week. I love Cornwall and there were some god days but the stress of DSS’s, doddery but also critical Mother, DD2’s painfully quiet boyfriend (bless him but it’s hard work when someone can barely speak) and 3 Dogs (one with bad legs) does not make for a relaxing combination. I’ve come back feeling like I would very much like a week in Cornwall on my own!

Still Sun is shining, I’m going to walk into town for a nail appointment, hopefully my Mother will depart at some point today and we can have a peaceful afternoon.

Hope everyone here is well. Well done on getting your mattress up the stairs martha79.

Those blackberries gave me an autumn shiver-hands down my favourite season-just August to get through first (I hate August as a month for a variety of reasons but it has always just felt rubbish to me).

still sad about the Nurdels :(

Gorgeous blackberries @ElegantDresses

That does sound quite hard work @piscofrisco - no wonder you feel like you need another holiday!

I've got mixed feelings about going back to work on Monday - will be nice to have some normality but I also haven't had a holiday. Trying not to do too much this weekend, even though there's still lots to do - the tiredness has properly kicked in after the big push to get everything moved.

Waiting in for a couple of deliveries today anyway including some storage things to sort out the bathroom, that'll be a nice little job when those arrive.

Am enjoying brief wanders into the local park. The community garden there has an open day tomorrow so will try to pop along to that.

Oh and I'm totally in agreement about August @piscofrisco - growing up in Scotland it always meant going back to school. But I always feel it's the stage when everything is too hot and too much and overgrown and just stale and horrible. Bring on some September freshness!

That’s exactly it @martha79everything in the garden is going over, there is no energy for anything at work as half the people are on holiday, kids school holidays are already becoming testing and expensive and the weather is usually grey and humid. It’s just meh.

rest up the weekend for sure, you certainly deserve it.
Community garden sounds a great shout

They look so pretty. We've been picking them for a week or so now. I have just had a text from Mum saying Dad has some of his giant ones this morning and to call round for some. Also have greengages a plenty (mostly from the allotment)

Seems weird here as it was cold when I left the house at 6.30am and I smelled (and saw) woodsmoke coming from my neighbours chimney. We have been having single figures of an evening already. At the beach, it was slightly warmer as the sun was out, but folk still have coats on.

Yet we still haven't had our first summer ripe tomato from the greenhouse.

Jeez @piscofrisco that all sounds like an ordeal not a holiday. Bless you.

Having time off but not having a holiday sucks @martha79 (especially after an enforced move and the associated stress and exertion) I keep telling myself every time I am at the beach that this is my holiday, but truth be told I want a real bloody holiday. I keep singing my lovely happy choral song "and in the morning I'll head to the shoreline"

The nurdels are becoming less and less now thankfully. I was down the beach with my seive for two hours first thing. It was a beautiful morning and the sea was like a millpond.

Well I knew it would be. It’s hard because I know mum is lonely and I feel sad for her and of course I want her to be ok but she is so very hard to be around at times-which then I feel guilty for thinking and so we go around. She will have to move in with us sooner or later I think which will be…testing. But we will cross that bridge when we come to it which I hope won’t be quite yet.

tired tired today so Dh and I are just loafing about which is just the ticket.

I was lucky enough to go up to the Festival of Quilts at the NEC. I didn’t have a list this year, so spent a fortune but enjoyed every moment. The quilts on display were amazing… they are not preselected, so if you pay the fee you are in. Noticed that several were hung upside down… note to self if I enter next year must say which side is up. There was an amazing American black quilter who used fabric and thread like coloured pencils with amazing shading. There were several that made me cry, a piece called Red Flags by the female prisoners at New Hall, the War Widows Quilt, made mostly of Uniform pockets and the travelling suicide quilts… tissues were needed.

I may have some fabric, from Petra Prins, a company based in Amsterdam, Dutch fabrics were in gorgeous muted tones, William Morris but faded… so I may have bought the makings of a quilt from my Dutch best friend.

Loveliest part of the day, grabbing a G&T at lunch time, when two ther solo ladies joined the table, Julie, whose birthday it was yesterday and Ann from the South Coast… we discussed everything from ecclesiastical embroidery, French linens from Brocantes and the challenge of being a vegetarian on the continent. I could have sat and sipped with them for hours… I think our table might have been in the naughty corner as everyone else was drinking tea!

Glad you are having a more restful day @piscofrisco. Sounds like you very much deserved it.

@LatteLady the quilt festival sounds wonderful.

My joints have been really painful the last few days and I realised I had run out of omega 3 so I have ordered some and will note if it makes a difference. I did do two longer circuit and strength classes this week but I am used to exercising 6 days a week now so that would be odd to react to that. Perhaps the supplements aren't just a placebo!

I've had a manicure and am now on the sofa with Dan Brown's newest book. It's complete piffle but it's engaging and fast paced which is just the ticket right now.

I seem to have over ordered tomatoes so tomato and mozzarella salad it is for dinner with a pesto and balsamic dressing.

Those blackberries look gorgeous. I have tasked dh with freezing some of ours as we have quite a few brambles going through the garden.

It does feel fresher and cooler. The shops have their autumn clothes coming in and we’ve only just begun with August! It’s our wedding anniversary today so we’ve had a lovely meal out followed by a mooch in the bookshops. I have a stack of holiday reads as I’m taking a few weeks off work over the summer hols (albeit keeping my hand in and prepping).

Im glad to hear things are feeling more like a new home @martha79 despite the ongoing moving hassles.

@LatteLady that sounds like a perfect day.

@petitpasta yum what a lovely salad. I hope the omega 3 helps. I’ve just moved onto some stronger evening primrose for the hot flushes. The tiredness is ridiculous at present - I slept 10 hours last night and woke up tired.

Yes, very autumnal leaves falling all around us today on our afternoon woodland walk.

Happy Anniversary @Bimblesalong

Congratulations @Bimblesalong! Gorgeous looking food.

Lovely looking food @Bimblesalong . It's our wedding anniversary the day after tomorrow. Given that I haven't reminded DH, he will probably forget! To be honest, we've never made a big deal of our anniversary, so it won't be for the first time and I don't really mind. I shall enjoy myself making him feel guilty though 🤣 He is a really kind, loving DH, he was an absolute rock through my cancer treatment and he makes me feel loved all year round, so all is good!

Happy anniversary @Bimblesalong and @Confusedmeanderings
What a lovely description of your day at the quilting convention @LatteLady sounds like you had a wonderful time. I know nothing about quilting but am in awe of the beautiful things that people make. You have probably already seen it but I watched a really interesting little documentary on Netflix a while ago about inmates in an American prison who made quilts for children in foster care. A very uplifting watch.
Been a nice week here, getting fully into the swing of summer holidays - our last summer before DD starts school! Been swimming a couple of times, had a playdate, done lots of crafts, all very low key. Weather still very dry but thankfully not as hot as it has been. Loving the pictures of blackberries. I don't seem to have seen many ripe around us yet (unless others have beaten me to it and picked them all!) I love picking fruit, such a relaxing activity and takes me back to childhood. DD likes it too (or she likes eating them anyway)
Got Nigel's Kitchen Diary 3 out of the library last week and made a nice light summery meal from it yesterday - chicken with haricot beans, lemon and parsley. Turned out really well, will be added to repertoire.
On night shift tonight. Drinking tea and looking forward to my bed in the morning!

Loving all the pictures catching up here! I had some really promising early growth in our garden, including my quinces, currants and apples, but nearly everything looks dead now due to the lack of rain (we have very poor soil that does not hold moisture). I'm hoping the actual plants survive even if any crop is now out of the question. Blackberries round here are not great this year either, sadly.

We are in "birthday month" II here, so I have two cakes to make today. Coffee and walnut for my Mum and a chocolate sponge for my (nearly) five year old. There have been no requests for outlandish designs though, so that is a relief (I had to do "Malory Towers" for my 7 year old's birthday this year - which was a bit much).

I have been enjoying walks with DDog in the evenings. There are lots of wild oats along the edges of the fields and they are just the most beautiful colour - not gold, not white, not cream, not yellow - they are really the colour of a blonde child's hair after being in the sun and the sea all day (lots of Scandi heritage here 🤣).

It's nearly half way through the summer holidays - which is hard to believe. I haven't got as much done as I would like, but maybe I am overly ambitious. I'd like all the children ready to take their next piano exam by the end of the summer, as well as one flute exam. I've also been trying to get my eldest to read more "grown up" books as recommended by his 11+ tutor. He is currently failing to get through "The Phantom Tollbooth", which I find shocking because it was always one of my favourite books. I'm thinking of Swallows and Amazons or The Ghost of Thomas Kemp next. Any recommendations for getting an 8 year old who loves Dogman into "proper" books gratefully received! (The 7 year old on the other hand had read all of her specific "summer holiday" books before school had finished. Have to keep reminding myself it takes all sorts). We did find out that he got a distinction on his LAMDA exam, which he did with the school - so that was rather fantastic (and shows that he can read when he is motivated 🤣).

MichaelmasDaisiesAndAutumSunset; I love coffee walnut cake. I still use my Mum's recipe (which is basically a Victoria sandwich with Camp coffee and chopped walnuts.) She used to make it all the time for us, although she didn't actually like it herself.

Mmm. Chicken with haricot beans, lemon and parsley sounds good. I am doing sunday roast (ish) today, but that's an idea for tomorrow!

Yes, over two weeks into the summer hols already eh? We haven't done as much as I would have liked either, but DDs B12 jab is imminent, and there should be more abundance of energy going forward. I am never overly ambitious these days, as DD has shown me her limitations and I have had to take them on board. Tbh, I am happy that we have gone on a daily walk and continue to go to our weekend market.

I am also planning some crafting (covering books with lovely japanese fabrics) and I have devised a game for us both called 'Five ways with a Fiver' I have stuck two £5 notes in an envelope with a set of individual instructions saying things like "buy a thunderball ticket and swap" / "go to the charity shop and buy the beat thing you can find for £1" / "make a meal using only £1 worth of ingredients" and "buy a book for £1 and actually read it" / "Rescue a plant from the sad corner and bring it back to life" / "Donate £1 to the charity you most think the other person supports" The idea is that we both have to do whichever five instructions we pull from the envelope costing around £1 each. We also have to swap items / books / lotto tickets / pokemon cards etc. Should take a whole day by time we trawl the charity shops, Book shops, look for groceries and cook some soup etc (as it probably will be soup. I can't think a quid will buy much more than a potato, carrot and onion, but you never know!)

Anyway, it will make for a cheap day and if we enjoy it, we will do it weekly. Trying to think of more. Any ideas, please do shout up!

Happy Sunday, all.

Oh just WOW. I am so excited I just had to come on here to, well quite frankly to crow! I'm at a small antiques fair in Watchet. I have a box of my paintings for sale at the end of the stall and today I have received my first ever art commission! A couple was looking through the box and liked my style, so they asked if they could commission a painting of their house. I am bursting with pride! I always feel a bit of an imposter describing myself as an artist, but I definitely feel like one now!

That sounds really fun @RainbowZebraWarrior - how about create an artwork that costs you no more than £1 to make (thinking you might find a cheap notebook or pencils in a charity shop and add free things)?

I think coffee and walnut might be my favourite cake @MichaelmasDaisiesAndAutumSunset - even loved it as a kid before I liked coffee!

Gorgeous food @Bimblesalong, happy anniversary.

Excellent Nigelling @Markknopflersheadband. I have unpacked the cookery books but I've been more assembling than cooking anything.

Popped out to the local community garden open day this morning - it's in an old walled garden which is lovely, but was hotter than I expected (it's very sheltered). So didn't stay too long but was nice to see the space and I'm sure it'll become a regular haunt as it's only five minutes walk. It's right next to the library and a nice cafe too. Some of the lovely planting and one of the lion trail - licorice allsort themed as the factory is very nearby.

That's wonderful - well done!