The Year Round Nigel Slater discussion thread part 6

[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

N.B. The Christmas Chronicles thread proper will start in late October, ready for the book beginning on 1st November (seems a long way off, but will be here before we know it!)

Loving that bucket @RainbowZebraWarrior

It has rained all day here. I had to go into work (grown up clothes and everything). Massive problems on trains and I ripped my cardigan on a broken loo role dispenser at the station, which has upset me. Still, I was not having the worst day so counting my blessings. Tidying this weekend. Looking forward to having had a proper sort out. Not looking forward to doing it. It will be worth it!

@frozendaisy I salute you - 4 is not “aspirational” tsk! Love that you are stepping in.

@Seasidebubbles fabulous knitting what beautiful work ❤️

I love that little wreath @Seasidebubblesand also the sound of your kick ass wigs @thebabesavedme.

Sorry you are having a rough go of it @RainbowZebraWarrior. You are very stoic but it’s most certainly ok to not be all the time. Lots of love to you. I like yer new bucket. I see that friend of the thread Trevor Nelson is back on on Monday. I have missed him.
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well they probably need a bit of shaking up @petitpasta! the planetarium sounds good.

defo going in the right direction @frozendaisy.

excellent mug @martha79

torrential rain for me too this morning and my first wear of wellies since April. Warm by the afternoon still. I feel like death warmed up and have been wearing a face mask all day as I was working with a very vulnerable co farmer. How we put up with that for nearly 2 years in care homes is beyond me. I forgot how much they hurt behind the ears.

We are meant to go to the Burghley Horse Trials tomorrow so hoping to feel better by then.

Glad it’s Friday-it has felt like a looong week.

Love the blackberry bucket!

Warm and cloudy/breezy here today, temps have been in the low 20s all week and not cooling down at night as much as last week. We have had rain some days but not today. It feels humid when it isn’t raining. Still got the French windows open all day and certainly haven’t needed cardis, hoodies etc yet but it does feel autumnal.

I am tired, DH will not be driving again for a few weeks (broken arm) so that is a lot of extra driving for me and DS to get him to work and take DD anywhere that DH might usually take her. Plus he can do very little around the house so more housework for the rest of us.

Felt a bit emotional today hearing Trevor's voice @piscofrisco and that he will be returning after his brain tumour. I'm going to send him a text from all of us here in the 'Nigel Slater Groupie Group' as he coined it. Hope you're feeling better soon my lovely. It's so weird thinking back to the Pandemic, and no doubt it affected a lot of us in so many ways that we have probably tried to wipe from our memories but actually should possibly talk about more x

Oooh look - Birmingham

https://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/event-book-1/330331AVNQHGGHGJSSSQPGDBDGVDMHMMS/nigel-slaters-toast/

How exciting. I wish one of the theatres here would pick it up.

The beach this morning is stunning and virtually deserted. Perfect!

Need to get back home soon for JL delivery and some patching up of the garage windows.

I can get to Birmingham in an hour or so on the train! Thankyou for notifying :)

the beach looks lovely and very calming this morning.

I made myself actually throw up due to coughing last night and have woken up with a painful chest and feeling generally quite wobbly and feverish. I’ve taken all the medicine possible but I don’t think there will be any horse trials for me today :( so fed up as I was really looking forward to it and it’s the perfect day for it, crisp and sunny. I had even got my tweed esque blazer out for the occasion (h and m’s version, though I aspire to dress like that skinny glamorous Holland Cooper woman for country type pursuits 😂). F my total lack of imunity, it’s an absolute joke. (of course I know there are people far worse off and I absolutely have no right to complain but I’m feeling very petulant this morning).

Hope everyone else is well this morning and planning lovely Saturdays :)

Oh, @piscofrisco I hope you feel better soon. I recently treated myself to an olive green heated gilet, which makes my feel very country pursuits whenever I wear it.

@RainbowZebraWarrior your beach is so beautiful! It must feel lovely to have it back to peaceful after the summer hoardes.

My swimming lake felt very autumnal yesterday evening, and there were fewer people but vast crowds of ducks! The Queen Anne's lace seedheads were looking very lovely.

Bless you @piscofrisco Sending gentle hugs. You have every right to complain as you have had back to back health issues for ages. I know it isn't helpful, but I do believe it's stress related. I know it's the biggest factor in regular / recurrent colds and infections. I'd look up any and all things you can get into your system to avoid further. Vit C, Vit D, Zinc, etc. I really feel for you. It was relentless for you and your DH last year.

Do get on the phone to out of hours or whatever if you suspect an infection so you can get meds into your system before Monday rolls around again x

Note to self: Get the Vit D back out of the cupboard!

Just to show that I do practice what I preach, here's my meds cupboard. I do believe in a thorough approach 🙈

I love your diatribe against that school @frozendaisy, the worst enemy of education in more recent years has been a culture of low expectations for kids in demographically 'challenging' areas. I moved my dc from one such school to the one I now work in - the difference was night and day. Yes, the journey to and fro was a pain but well worth it. Well done stepping up for that child and best of British with the revision sessions.

I love a planetarium, @petitpasta, have fun. I came back to sardines on toast this year, as a low fat lunch that wouldn't irritate my dodgy gallbladder, and they are firmly in my top 5 lunches now.

So pleased our dear Trevor is back, good health and a long career ahead to him.

The antibiotics aren't kicking my arse anywhere near as ferociously as they did last time - feeling fine and about to head to the church organ open morning. I'm hoping dd1 will accompany me as she loves her keyboard and the organ is her favourite instrument but she tends to get anxious in the moment so we'll see.

Beaut morning at the harbour meanwhile.

Love your Lake! ❤️

I definitely need to up my supplements game. I’ve got all the damn peri ones and none of the cold ones. Like an idiot I gave a lot of antibiotics I was given for my lumpy booby
(in case it was an infecrtion of some sort but that I didn’t take), to my colleague for her dental abscess, as she was struggling to get hold of her dentist for any.

The boys have all gone to the horse trials and left me at home with the Doggles. The sausage makes a very good hot water bottle. Fed up, though I have just watched James Martin make a macaroni cheese with haddock and it looked spectacular.

I have heated clothes on my list this year for work although it was only cold cold for a week or so last year. It was more the endless rain that did for me last winter.

the harbour looks Suitably lovely for a sunny autumn day @leporello

Oh he's such a beautiful boy ❤️ Hope you feel a little better after some rest and peace.

I've had Dad and Belle here for most of the day so far. Dad fixing the garage window and Belle nicking pears. She has a collection of apples in her bed at home, but obviously fancied a change so plumped for a windfall pear from my garden instead. She gets very protective of them!

Oh no, I've been auto-moderated because I talked about the Rescue Remedy chewy things - MN doesn't like the word g**my for some reason, think it thinks we're trying to sell drugs!

@frozendaisylove the sea glass wreath

@RainbowZebraWarriorin Hope you are feeling better.

not being biased but I’m very thankful I work in the school I work in. I hear some horror stories on courses and things. + a recent bbc panorama programme about schools not 10 miles away.

had a girls night out last night which was later than I predicted so felt rather delicate this morning. So after dog had been to the groomers we went into town for some hair of the dog cocktails and a lovely lunch. Brought a lovely dress which I’m planning to.l wearing to a black tie dinner next month… more on that to come as feels VVVN.

weather here is better than expected… had lunch outside in a real suntrap. Making the most of it as I feel glorious sunny days are numbered

Oh, no! I will try and pre-empt your question by saying that DD and I like the pastilles and the chewy sort you may have seen in my cupboard. They taste delicious, and for us, they seem to work to calm us. Wether that is the actual things themselves, or just the act of taking them and enjoying them. We prefer the orangey ones to the blackcurrant ones. Taking one every day gives me a moment to enjoy it melting in my mouth and gives me a minute to enjoy the sensation and taste. I also like the drops. They are often on offer for 3 for 2 in Tesco and Sainsbury's, but I also grab them on Amazon when they are on a deal.

I was just saying I liked them 😁 Although I think what I've had is actually the pastilles. When I was studying music at uni we used to swig the drops before exams, sure we were just mildly tipsy!

I bought the RR pastilles for Ds before his first driving test but he didn't like them so they are still in the cupboard. They taste fine for me but don't work for nervousness, whereas the spray version really does. I should have dug it out today, I have been feeling all twitchy.

DSS1 swears by the spray as he gets so anxious before his football matches and before the change between houses.
I hope everyone has had a lovely Sunday so far.
I feel like absolute death warmed up-I tried to get up for a bit but gave up and went back to bed. So it will be the Dr for me tomorrow I think. I beg of you, it’s so annoying and I really didn’t want to have to take any further time off work. Feel very fed up today. Missing DD2 (though she is having a lovey time in Bristol).
A bit of the horse trials I didn’t get to go to yesterday is on the tv so I’ve got that on in the background whilst I try and have a snooze.

Sorry you're feeling so rubbish @piscofrisco

Maybe I should give Rescue Remedy another go!

Have had a very sleepy day, just feeling a bit off. On the plus side I have ordered myself some ankle length wellies that I've had my eye on, for walks in the park when it's rainy (somehow I don't seem to have any decent wet weather shoes left apart from full length wellies which are sometimes a bit much!). Spent ages debating over which colour will go with most things and ended up with grey leopard print ones 😄

Sausages and mash for tea. Back to work tomorrow and not sure I'm looking forward to it.

I wear ankle length wellies all winter. They are the way forwards….

I love my ankle wellies. Great for running around with the dog on the beach and agility. Have never got on with normal wellies.

had a fab day on the beach. Low 20s and sunny here so packed with sunbathers and dog walkers as it’s the first weekend we’re dogs are allowed back on the beach. Great seeing the dog charging around