Episode 30 Dear Nan: Lolly Jars and Hard Times

Show NotesTo celebrate 30 episodes of Tell Me Over Tea, I’m sharing another letter from my Dear Nan series — letters I’ve written to my nan since she died, as a way of processing grief and holding onto our story.This one turns the lens further back, to my nan’s parents — my great-grandparents, known in our family as Big Grandma and Big Grandpa. Piecing together old letters, family memories, and stories passed down from Nan and Grandpa and nan’s sister, I try to build a picture of who they really were: a father who drifted from job to job through the Depression, with a gambling habit, but who also wrote his wife tender letters that reveal a softer side. And a mother — practical, resilient, and shaped by loss from childhood — who raised siblings after being orphaned young, cooked for prisoners, and once talked her way out of more than one hospital stay through sheer stubbornness.It’s a letter about the contradictions that make our family human, and about how much there still is to uncover the more we ask.If this episode has you wanting to write your own letters — to a grandparent, a memory, or just to yourself — I’d love for you to join the Lovely Letters Project, my free pen pal exchange. Details are in the show notes below.In this episode we talk about:* Celebrating 30 episodes with a cup of tea from Sarah at Ettie & Dorrie* The Dear Nan letters and why I write them* Piecing together my great-grandparents’ story from old letters and family memory* A father shaped by the Depression, restlessness, and a gambling problem* A tender letter that revealed an unexpected softness* My great-grandmother’s resilience after losing both parents young* Family stories of home births, illness, and quiet determination* An invitation to join the Lovely Letters ProjectThe tea I sipped throughout this episode was gifted to me by the lovely Sara from Ettie and Dorrie. The tea I brewed today was called: Annette (The Home Blend) and it was a delicious, comforting tea with hints of maple syrup (though the extra addition was actually peach and peach blossom). If you’d like to get some of your own, you can do that here.If you enjoyed this episode, follow Tell Me Over Tea wherever you listen, and if you feel inclined, please leave a little review — it helps more story-lovers find their way here:)Kim xWhere to find me:✨I write, on Substack, a weekly newsletter, you can subscribe to that here: Betty Mae Wrote newsletter. It’s the space where I share stories (both mine and other people’s) and it’s also a way of keeping up to date with all things Betty Mae Wrote, Little Life Stories, Lovely Letters and the podcast.✨The Tea + Toast Letter Club! A little moment to pour yourself a cuppa, find a comfy spot, and enjoy a letter (and some other goodies) in the mail every month. You can read more about it here. ✨If you’d like to get back into the gorgeous slow soothe of letter writing, please know you are always welcome to join: The Lovely Letters Project (it’s free!)✨To find out more about my memory writing program, Little Life Stories you can do that here: Little Life Stories✨I’ve created a simple and beautiful starting point for your own storytelling: The Five Minute Memory List.It’s a short, exercise (a cuppa’s worth), to help you gather memories and begin. It’s fun and easy peasey and it’s something you can use in your letter writing, journaling and personal life writing. You can grab that by subscribing to my newsletter (you’ll find it in the welcome letter one you’ve signed up): here✨Or if you simply need a good old sticky beak around the place, please head on over here to the website: www.bettymaewrote.com✨Oh and if you’re an Instagram type, be sure to follow me on Instagram: @bettymaewroteTell Me Over Tea is a cosy storytelling podcast about the stories that matter — one memory, and cuppa, at a time.Written and hosted by Kim, founder of Betty Mae Wrote — a slow-living space for letter writing, memory keeping, and everyday storytelling, from a tin cottage on the Far South Coast of NSW.Music: Kim on the uke;) Rattling teacups – also KimProduction and Editing: Surprise, surprise, guess who? Yep! Kim again!Art by Lewis Dillon (thanks, Lew!) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bettymaewrote.substack.com