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!)

Warm and sunny here today too, it got up to about 23º this afternoon, just right. Still 18 now, I am sitting in the kitchen with the French windows open.

I had a trip to Ikea today, all by myself and had loads of time to mooch. I had to force myself not to buy one of these beautiful heavy enamel colanders (we already have several but no traditional ones).

I fancy a trip to Ikea. For no good reason as I don’t need anything and I’ve got DD all the bits she needs. Just fancy a mooch around and a purchase of a pot plant I don’t need. It’s a long drive for no real purpose though. I think our nearest one is Milton Keynes.

I have been cough cough all night so about to call in sick to work :( and try and get a Dr’s appointment (unlikely).

Hope everyone else has a lovely Monday-I was Awake before sunrise which was notably later for me, or seemed so. Our neighbour has a lovely pear tree and it looked really pretty in the early morning sun. Little things.

Feel better soon @piscofrisco, hope you can get your gp appointment.

Still summer/autumn cusp here, very warm yesterday so we went for a wander along the coast finishing in a pub garden. How much longer will we be able to do this?

Came home and put my dried leaf garland thing on the TV unit and lit a candle

Nice colanders @ElegantDress. I also fancy a trip to Ikea - it's a single tram trip (about 45 mins) from here, although the things I actually need from there are too big to carry home.

Hope you can get an appointment @piscofrisco

I'm clearly behind the times with the ankle wellies! I'm quite excited about them 😂Also got new slippers this week, which are lovely and warm but also have decent soles so I can pop downstairs to answer the door in them.

It's pretty grey here and I'm back at work. Starting an online 'recovery' programme this week in the hope of getting a bit more active, so lots of appointments. It's coming up for a year since the dreaded COVID took me out and while I don't expect to ever be quite the same as I was before, I'm hoping I can get a bit more life back.

A year @martha79:( you have done so well…I know how debilitating long Covid is-and it feels so forgotten about nowadays.
I do wonder if my low immunity is a low level
effect of Covid. The second time I had it in 2021 I was very poorly and it’s been since then that I’ve got everything going. That also coincided with what we refer to as The Extreme Calamity Years 21-24, so it might also be the stress of those and the body keeping score. Not that it would help me to know either way I suppose.

I need some new slippers too. I actually don’t think I’ve ever had a pair I like except for some faux Ugg ones I had once which one of the Dogs took a shine to and chewed to bits.

I got my slippers from Lunar Shoes - I wanted some that had proper enclosed heels as I fall out of the mule-type ones.

I think there's a lot of people dealing with COVID fall-out at different levels, with the combination of illness and extreme stress - I think I had it in March last year and wasn't quite right after that, then October tipped me over the edge. I see recovery stories about people sky-diving or whatever and I have no desire for that, I'd just like to be able to go to a yoga class or sit in a cafe without my body feeling like it's going to collapse.

That site looks good for slippers @martha79, I'll take a deeper look later on but i do like the ones with backs on as I also tend to walk out of mules.

I'm going out for a curry and a catch up with my cousin later. We started doing it after realising at a family wedding that we only get together for weddings and funerals so now we put something in the diary every 6 weeks. Our mums meet weekly so it's always amusing to hear what they've been talking about (especially about us!)

I'm off on holiday next week and have somehow managed to book something in every evening so that's somewhat counterproductive! Need to fit in packing (and I probably need to pack for everything from boiling heat to torrential freezing rain!). Both DCs are coming plus DD's boyfriend. I have spent all my holiday weeks this year applying for jobs so it will be lovely to have a break where I can just read , watch the sea, walk on the beach and wander round some historic sites. We won't be far from Sarah Hickey jewellery (well about 50 minutes but that's a lot closer than home!) who makes beautiful jewellery so I may divert there and spend my 'pretty things' budget that DH gives me in lieu of him shopping for presents and getting overwhelmed and stressed (he's ASD).

I was on this lovely thread a while ago and now need to rejoin.
Seeing @RainbowZebraWarrior on another Christmas-based thread gave me a nudge to come back!
I’ve bought my (pleasingly half priced) edition of The Christmas Chronicles.
When do you usually start reading?

Welcome back!

I will start the CC thread on 23rd October. This gives us all around a week to assemble and read through the intro before it begins properly on 1st November.

I will post the link here when it's been created, and I may give a shout out on some other threads too (someone asked on one of the autumn threads the other day)

I need to catch up myself. Busiest week of the year here.

I've started the Poncetastic thread as I got sick of waiting. It hasn't had any particular owner in recent years. Anyway, if anyone usually joins in with it, here it is:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/christmas/5575724-poncetastic-christmas-thread-2026

Thanks @RainbowZebraWarrior
I may join the Poncetastic thread too, purely for gazing on in admiration purposes.
My crafting skills have always been lacking!

Welcome back @RipplePlease6!

Had a funny day back at work - caught up quite quickly and had a fairly productive morning, then spent the afternoon in limbo because I had a 4.30pm meeting. Which the person didn't turn up for. Meanwhile my landlady had messaged to ask if I could show someone round the empty flat next door because they could only do 5pm and she couldn't get there. So I have done my best estate agent bit. And my wellies (pictured, alongside new slippers) arrived just as they were leaving.

Going to take myself out for a little walk (wellies not needed) and then I've got chicken casserole with dumplings this evening.

Hello friends - I've dropped off the thread (again!) and spent the last couple of days catching up. Sorry to hear there are various lurgies and other ailments afflicting some of you. Wishing you all speedy recoveries!

I have started to feel a bit autumnal this week. I've bought a (new to me) raincoat from Vinted in anticipation of unsettled weather. I also have a pair of ankle wellie boots @martha79 that are just right for gardening or a jaunt through the local woods after some rain, wouldn't be without them! Yours are much snazzier than mine!

I've also lit an Orange and Cinnamon candle by St Eval. Very pleased with the Scent, nicely citrus and not sweet. It's cheering up my mantlepiece now the evenings are drawing in!

Ooh love those wellies @martha79 they're so cool. Never had a pair of ankle wellies but I think I need some.
Annoying sort of day today. Managed to lock myself out of the house in the rain this morning and had to call my dad to come round with spare key. He thought it was hilarious. Quite a temperamental dd4 here after starting school last week, lots of emotions today and over the weekend! Feeling a bit frazzled this evening and looking forward to sitting down, eating chocolate and watching eastenders! NVN but will hit the spot for me.

I also dropped back off the thread again @WhoAteMyBiscuit and love the wellies @martha79 . I'm hoping to come back to be more of a regular once 2/3 of the children are away to uni and life gains a bit of structure. The remaining one started sixth form today so that was very exciting and secretly I think we were all relieved to have an early morning alarm. Bit sleepy (jet lagged!) tonight though and I need to go out to book group in half an hour. I should have baked a cake but I ran out of time/energy and found myself at M&S so I'm taking a Colin.
I can't possibly join the poncetastic thread yet, nor anything to do with the C-word. September is still summer in my book (although it is quite dark out there already)

Another dropper-offer peering in to wave. I’ve kind of kept up and send those who need it my oohms and otherwise am passing around autumnal virtual beverages of your liking. Finally home after travels, having had a week at the tip of Cornwall with family. Back to work and looking forward to a bit of routine!

eventually, the dahlias complied with expectations, although it’s been another crap year for them.

Gorgeous dahlias @Bimblesalong! They are my favourite flowers. They're just so cheerful.

Ooh @martha79 those are seriously nice wellies!

Just as you’re all cooling down we are heating up - going to be 29° on Wednesday. September and October are the warmest months in SF, but the days are rapidly getting shorter, so it’s a confusing time of year!

My Trader Joes hydrangeas are well worth the $12 I paid for them.

What gorgeous flower photos! I really like your vase too @Bimblesalong

Thanks for the welly love 😁They're from Next - quite glad now that the plain colours were sold out in my size. It's raining today but I'm not sure it's quite welly weather.

Your candle sounds lovely @WhoAteMyBiscuit. I've got a mix of the ends of a couple of wax melts on this morning, and have ended up with a minty, slightly smoky combination, it's quite nice.

Lovely flower pics.

I have Merry People short wellies and they look quite like Chelsea boots so I sometimes wear them on dry days as they are so comfy and easy to just chuck on. So I say wear your short wellies at will @martha79!

I would love it if someone turned up to anything I was attending with a Colin @Celiathebanshee

hope DD settles in at school ok @Markknopflersheadband-big changes for them at little ages. I remember DD1 just being so sleepy all weekend after her first week that we thought she was ill, but she was just processing it all I think.

Another day off for me and I feel no better early except maybe my temperature has gone down a touch. Woken up at 2am by very loud tinnitus however which is new and most unwelcome.
Have the three Dogs for company and can hear the rain on the flat roof whilst I doze this morning.

Hope everyone has a nice Tuesday

Loving the dahlias and hydrangeas, just the job to cheer up a wet morning in the GP waiting room.
Back to school for the choral society last night - it's a Rutterfest this term, with his Requiem and Cantate Dominum. I surprised myself by liking it more than I thought I would.
We've made an 'autumn table' outside the office at work - we're at the top of a dark stairwell so it cheers the place up a treat.

My hydrangeas died this summer. I love them and I don't seem to be able to get them to grow! Mind you, most things in my garden died this summer 😭

Hello all. Gorgeous photos of flowers and wellies and candles and beaches!

I'm a bit behind, so will try and catch up in my lunch break.

Hope you are feeling much better soon @piscofrisco I feel you might be right about the stress / fovid combo. I also went through similar repeated infections from around 46 to 49 so age / Perimenopause is probably also another unwelcome factor.

I think it was you who was saying you had no exams this year (DD in uni year 2 and the DSS's in yrs 7 and 10 iirc) Well I thought the same until last night. DD has just picked her options and started yr 10 last week. Apparently her mocks start on Nov 2nd and she will be taking English Literature and Statistics GCSEs this academic year. The thinking is that A. She is capable (only top set take the Statistics GCSE) and B. It gets a very text heavy - Eng Lit - revision wise GCSE out of the way a year early, leaving a bit more time to revise for the remaining exams in year 11. Bloody genius, I say! Two GCSEs potentially under your belt at 15 is a great thing.

Well, I need no further encouragement. I am all over this like a rash. I'm shocking for not using my Audible credits so I have used them this morning to download a great version of Macbeth and An Inspector Calls GCSE English Literature guide. Hopefully this could be handy for anyone else who, like me, didn't think of resources via audible until now.

Anyway. A dry day here so far. Long may it continue. It's been cold and drookit for the last couple of days.

Right. Back to candle making.

Actually you may be right on the exams. DSS2 has also just started year 10 and both my girls did one of their sciences that year as they sort of split it. I will ask him tomorrow but he has his head in the clouds about such things so probably it won’t even have registered if he has :)
Macbeth is my favourite Shakespeare so I’m hoping beyond hope that DSS2 has it on his syllabus here. I once went to see James McAvoy in it in a theatre in the round. I was on the front row and he spat on my face by mistake during one of the soliloquies. I was thrilled 😂.