Now, here’s a thing…

This podcast is not total improvisation. Yes, and occasionally we do prepare what we are going to say. Yes, and we are also comfortable with winging it. Yes, and today was a mixture of both inspired by "Whose Line Is It Anyway?". Then we turn to a troubling matter, well for Tracy anyway. Lateness. According to this article Heather found, being 5 minutes late isn't really late..... hmmmm. Apparently no one will bear a grudge or be annoyed. Really? It becomes apparent that maybe Tracy should consider therapy. Or maybe everyone needs to make sure they are on time ;) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to "Now Here's a Brian Thing".This week Heather shared the top ten songs that have been scientifically proven to make us feel happier. We are not convinced, but we are not scientists. See what you think.Tracy wonders about the new blue economy, ie seaweed farming in Wales. Is regenerative ocean farming as good for nature as it is expected to be for the economy? We do hope so.And finally, Heather is delighted with her new Ring camera (and her neighbour Brian). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heather is expanding her gardening experience with the help of Charles Dowding, her neighbour Brian (secret garden elf) and a calendar gifted to her by her husband. I can't believe she's not watching Gardener's World yet though. Her Friday nights are sorted from here on in.Poorna Bell wrote an inspiring book about women's strength which I can highly recommend but that wasn't my thing this week (although we need to give a quick nod to the inspiring Joan Macdonald). Instead, I focused on GoodGyms founded by Ivo Gormley, where participants combine volunteering with getting fit.Now we're off to lift weights and grow some spuds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's still series 1 and we have no plans to move onto series 2 at any point. It's easier to keep track of how many episodes we have published ;)Raging Grannies captured our imaginations this week thanks to Sharon Blackie, author of Hagitude. Social justice activists who dress up and sing protest songs. Sounds right up our street but there don't seem to be any gaggles in UK and we can't sing (but apparently that's not a requirement). One to think about.Having read an article in The Guardian about a rocket scientist who started acting professionally in her 60s, Tracy was interested to understand what drew Heather to acting at a more mature age (apologies for title Heather, I am not suggesting that you are elderly, honest!). I am hoping that Heather doesn't read this blurb....Heather's thing is an article with 38 images that change the way we see women, for better and for worse. Of course images don't lend themselves to podcasts, but she has a good attempt at describing these Protestors, Popstars and Pioneers.And then Heather wondered who decided that a sandwich and crisps is THE lunch food? And when did that happen? Beware nostalgia incoming.Right. Let's revolt! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the absence of any credible preparation by Tracy on account of her being totally pre-occupied by a book she's reading, what and how we like to read is the first subject we explored this week. If any of you know what a "novel reader" is, as referenced in the actual novel "Spellbreaker", then please do contact either of us on social media. So far we have drawn a blank.And Heather brings up the subject of Swedish Death Cleaning which she read about this week. She did some actual prep work. Nice one.Finally, Tracy identifies Heather as a psychopath because of an uneaten chocolate bunny sitting on her desk! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Heather has been triggered a couple of times this week and here you'll find out what Heather experienced 50 years ago which has caused her to the the butt of a joke in her family since then and stopped her joining the police force. And please don't offer her the role of a male character in a play!Please do let us know if you see a police officer jumping 1 metre on the streets.Tracy shares that one of her childhood crushes was Adam Ant dressed as a dandy highwayman. It is important to note that he was not a socially inferior footpad, oh no! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inspired by an article about an avant garde mother in The Observer, Tracy & Heather explore the nature of what it means to be an artist and when you can call yourself one. We also learn that Heather is often surprised to realise that she is indeed an adult. We both need to read this book called "When I grow up" by Moya Sarner just so that we can be prepared!Heather's "thing" this week was a social group event that she attended and was deeply moved by. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You may be disappointed when you hear that a slap around the face wasn't one of our "things" for this week. Nevermind, we proceeded to discuss the complicated languages of flowers and fans. That geraniums represent folly did not surprise us, but orange lilies meaning hatred did. But then we blew our own minds trying to negotiate the scenario in which you were presented with an upside down bunch of them! But trying to cool ourselves down by wafting our fans across our faces only made mattes worse - who knows what message we were sending.Then, inspired by the Apple TV programme Severance, we ponder on the benefits or otherwise of having no memory of life outside of work whilst working, and having no memory of work whilst not working. No clear decision is made apart from that Heather has no intention of watching the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heather goes mad for royalty this week and Tracy exclaims a little too much (not being a massive fan of the concept) although admits to being slightly intrigued by the court circular and the finer details contained therein. And we were both enthralled/horrified/amused by the etiquette guide in Debrett's. And now we know the dangers of calling your child Richard (Dick) Head.It's good to know that no societies have been found to have no sense of humour at all (although some individuals may be lacking in that area). And so, humour is universal, but also culturally specific. We then explore the cultural differences in humour in our own special, clumsy way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the podcast with the signature hum/buzz/drone!When we get over this annoyance we chat about animals, specifically medal worthy animals such as Simon the cat. We learned that the PDSA Dickin medal is the highest award any animal can receive whilst serving in military conflict. No longer do we underestimate the significance of carrier pigeons.And then we wonder what is good for the soul and then what is a soul...? Then we meander around until we end up exploring what an idiom is. It's a wild ride this podcast!Finally we hear that Heather had a disappointing weekend but at least she learned something new about peacocks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To say that these two subjects are diverse would be quite the understatement, as it would also be to say I (Tracy) was annoyed with the background hum that I have tried but largely failed to edit out of this episode. One day we'll find out what is causing the hum and we'll do a whole episode on that!What movements bring you joy? For me it's open water swimming and yoga. Heather puts herself in the hands of her personal trainer for her joyful movement.And then we contemplate human destruction of the world and end on a downer. Heather also swears. Sorry folks! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is your earliest memory? And is it real or learned? Tracy smells a wendy house (pretty sure that's real) and recalls throwing her toys off a balcony (this could be learned from a mother who remembers having to deal with it!). Heather remembers being told off for getting lost at the seaside. Heather brings some weird stories to the pod this week plus a tv show recommendation.Tracy lazily brought the research she had done last week but didn't have time to talk about. Leaving her more time to crochet instead of researching. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Returning after an extend break for Christmas and New Year Tracy (me) is ready to stay snuggled down under her new blanket. It's weighted don't you know. But words fail her when trying to name the fabric it is made from. But in case you are concerned, I can now confirm that the fabric is in fact breathable MicroCool™ Fleece.Heather then eulogises about pantomimes and delves into the history of this very British form of entertainment. Very interesting. Oh yes it is! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

White coat syndrome is a real thing according to researchers. As well as chatting about what this is, we reveal the guilt that we always feel when walking through the "nothing to declare" channel even though we are totally innocent.And a day you perhaps didn't realise you needed is teeny tiny Christmas, the day before the day before the big day where the big day is actually the day before the big day in UK. Confused yet? You will be! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I (Tracy) did very little (no) prep for this podcast but we still managed to talk at length. When you are winging it you can talk about winging it!Heather's thing is better researched but rather scarily leads us both to have a got a singing. Winging or singing. Which is worse? And if you are older than Gen Z then you want to listen right to the end because we'll be teaching you a new word. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anyone for cow cuddling? Grandma Snowflake and Cuddlepuff are Highland Cows ready and willing to offer solace at times of need.And then you can look back on the whole experience with rosy retrospection, but only after a little time has elapsed.Eclectic discussions once again! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The the event of surviving an apocalypse, the skills of foraging and, importantly, how to cook your finds so that they don't kill you will probably be valued quite highly. Thanks to Harvard University you can spend 14 weeks learning how to cook microbes and fungi - for free. You could also listen to this podcast but I wouldn't fancy your chances of surviving much beyond the apocalypse based on our scant knowledge.Heather also found, and went on to sign up for, a free online course on the Science of Happiness. We'll give her 8 weeks and demand she shares all that she has learned, shall we? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If on average we tell 30 lies a day (we as in humans, not just me and Heather) how many did we tell during this episode?Everything we said about Epistemic Vigilance and the Nietzsche Thesis was the truth as we see it, courtesy of bigthink.com. They also provide us with three useful tips to improve our lie detection skills.Heather then shared her learning experience with a group of submariners (pirates?) in a boozer in London last weekend. Random? Yes. Fascinating? Yes. Unusual for Heather to chat to strangers in pubs? No. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No tricks, just treats from us two this week.Heather digs up some more of our old memories talking about superstitions (this podcast is starting to become a nostalgia-fest). And we have a question - do the younger generations have the same superstitions as we did?And I got excited about the history of witches and didn't tell the stories quite as quite as Ronald Hutton or Susannah Lipscomb. But I am looking forward to reading Ronald's book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is not about poo samples and I did my best to remove the humming sound that appeared from nowhere. Apologies for the residual rumbling - which at least is not as loud in the podcast as it was in the room on the night.What we did talk about was the council of Hull passing a motion (fnarr, fnarr) to grant the "right to grow" on unused council land, thanks to community organisation Rooted in Hull. This led us to a chat about the Incredible Edible network. Both organisations have a vision to connect communities through food. And after the apocalypse the skill of growing food will be invaluable.... Do you remember the first movie you saw in the cinema? The first live music concert you attended? We do, and you can find out what they were when you listen in. Also, I shared a bit of trivia about The Haunting in Venice (was this humblebragging by proxy I wonder?).And we finish the podcast with one big question - why would you miss 15 minutes of a film to get a coffee and then return to the auditorium to watch what was left of the film? Preposterous idea, no? Someone didn't think so. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Humblebragging appears on a list of 50 things that annoy people and, as well as wondering why the list wasn't longer than 50, we ruminated on the reasons why people do this (no doubt, we've done it too in the past so apologise profusely to anyone we annoyed at the time!). So what we took from this is that we need to take the humble out of humblebragging today.Subsequently, I stood firmly on the fence on the subject of reality TV which Heather had done some research on and in the process of sharing with us stirred up some dim and distant memories. Any TV producers listening in will no doubt be interested to learn that Heather might be up for being cast in a reality TV show, whereas I most definitely would not be, although I'm up for being her booking agent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whilst discussing the process of leaf shedding by deciduous trees we discover that the process is actually quite gruesome (if badly explained!) and also that we don't have sleepless nights worrying about storm damage if we aren't in our own homes.World Mental Health Day is 10th October and we learned that it was established in 1992 and then nattered on about its various themes since 1994. Our chat did raise a question that we didn't answer and that is how do you include people who don't have pets when you implement a pet wall at work...? Erm.... a picture of your favourite book, or plant?Finally, once again we take inspiration from Positive News and vow to spend £1 to do something good. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a few weeks since we last met up and so the start of the podcast is a bit of a rambling catch up of a couple of middle aged birds. It all sounded fine as we were talking but as I'm editing it sounds more like the content of a fever dream. We had fun anyway.As we delve into the actual topics for the episode, Heather discovers a fascination with sea glass and we may soon find that she's the world expert on the subject.And I picked up on an article in Positive News which referenced 80s pop group A-ha, breaking the law in Norway with an electric car. I won't become obsessed with this topic but I did think it was a mildly interesting bit of social history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're squeezing a podcast recording in between holidays (Heather and Tracy) and gym visits (Heather only). Whilst on holiday I (Tracy) was inspired to look into the history of sleep, particularly biphasic sleep, and felt the need to discuss it with Heather. So we I did, but not during the watch (you need to listen to the podcast to know what I mean!).And before Heather headed off to the gym again, and me for my first sleep of the night, we discussed Heather's topic of migrating birds and other creatures. Now we all need to research the migratory habits of earth worms and lose ourselves in the website with lists of everything. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the evening that my (Tracy) son made katsu chicken for tea, we also recorded a podcast in which we explored field names and ended up with more questions than answers. At least Heather was able to point us towards a couple of useful books that might help. And old maps reveal that I live in turnip field.Then we ponder about the possibility of a 2nd dark age and whether Heather's grandfather was fed up with her during summer 1976 or if he really was concerned about her safety. These two topics are not related.Our unanswerable questions give way to statement jewellery which we both love to wear ourselves but not for the same reasonw as the Egyptians or Romans, honest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What did we do before we had sat navs? In the olden days we had adventures with a road atlas and an A to Z. But what about before we had maps?One thing is for sure I (Tracy) knew very little about OS maps until Heather tested me with a quiz. Have a listen and be amazed by maps (and my lack of knowledge on the subject). One fact that I did retain is that that the most popular pub name with "Royal" in it is Royal Oak. Now where's my pint?With our satnavs and maps we can then navigate our way to the best companies to work for according to Escape 100. Although a company car would help with the journey, a sense of purpose is what attracts people their jobs these days and climate quitting is a new trend to be aware of if you are an employer (or an employee looking for an excuse to resign). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with double rumblings (I only managed to edit out part of it, sorry) and a couple of bangs from next door, but eventually settle into a explanation of BookTok by Heather who discovered it in one of our favourite publications, Positive News.I apologise profusely for my lack of editing out of the annoying new tic of slapping our gums that we have both recently developed. I previously meticulously got rid of them, but today I am tired and so the oral clicks remain.We ramble through a short discussion on Threads, the new social media platform not embroidery. Perhaps I would describe myself as whelmed with it - neither under nor over.Then we dream about working from the side of a pool in a villa in Spain and realise that we can call it a workation. Just off to buy the tickets now! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start off by considering a Nanna/Grandad/Noble (?) nap but revive sufficiently to natter on for the best part of half an hour.We are treated to Heather reflecting on how we ate in the olden days as we discuss a recent report by WWF about how to achieve a healthy and sustainable diet, and it certainly wasn't by ordering everything in or having breakfast dates (and Heather is not ready for those new fangled ideas yet, if ever).And finally, we fantasise about our ideal Glastonbury experience. It involves real beds, transport around the site, comfy chairs and a pool. And no, we can't afford that so will continue to watch from our sofas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No, this episode is not about poets who've had virgin births. But it is about virgin births and poets. I am fairly certain that there is no intersection of these two subjects.... but.... maybe....And I have also decided that should I be required to wear a dress made from a book it will be In Search of Lost Time by Proust. 1.3 million words should provide ample coverage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Very quickly we recognise that we speak French like old ladies and that Heather is unlikely to progress with learning Mandarin even if her 5 year old niece teaches her (Japanese and Korean are already discarded). Spanish comes much more easily to her but won't boost her income as much as if she could speak German. Sometimes we struggle to get English words out coherently so...... wish us luck.And then, inspired by a call with Octopus Money we delved into a discussion about money and financial wellbeing. Apparently, people find it easier to talk about affairs and STDs than money.... we chose to talk about money, go us, talking about the trickier subjects! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We both love the idea of The Kinder Shop in Cumbria (thanks AGAIN to Positive News) where items on sale have prices expressed in terms of hours of voluntary work pledged. A great initiative that we hope will cause ripples through more communities.Technical kerfuffles result from a low battery on the recording equipment, but we eventually overcome these difficulties to continue and move on to discussing the benefits of volunteering and our own experiences and reasons for volunteering. And finally we ponder on the need for companies to think creatively about their CSR strategies and options for volunteering. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We both love a new concept and CQ is one that rather pleased us to explore in this episode. After recording I (Tracy) did a bit more research and confirmed that we have clearly been living under a rock because the concept has been around for at least 20 years. Hey ho. So much for proclaiming that it's one of the next big things.....And as it's mental health awareness week at the time of recording it made sense to explore ways to look after our mental health. Thanks to Positive News for providing some good material to use as the basis for our discussion. We add some of our own thoughts too, of course. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They say that you continue to live as long as people still talk about you and Heather is still talking about farmer Hannah Hauxwell, subject of several TV documentaries starting with Too Long a Winter from 1972. Google her name and talk about her with someone you know - and Hannah lives on in our memories.And then as if we planned this (we didn't!), we segue neatly from living on in people's minds to having your own last words remembered. Starting with the idiom we move to actual last words (although some are questionable). We'll leave you with the assertion that "a woman who can fart is not dead". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are well blessed with 3 bank holidays in May this year and that prompted Heather to research the history of bank holidays and we both looked back on holidays and boring Sundays when we were kids.And during the 1st bank holiday in May I (Tracy) binge read Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (highly recommended btw) and then wondered whether I would enjoy the TV adaptation. There are lots of opinions on this (for books to TV and film and vice versa) and we came to no conclusion (as usual) but managed to talk for long enough that Zoom kicked us off the meeting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We love a new word and this time we offer you.... bifurcation.... have a listen and then try to use it in a sentence. Better still, ram the phrase "fallacy of bifurcation" into a sentence and revel in the glory of your knowledge watch your friends drift away.Anyone who's ever met Heather will also know that she likes to wear bold colours and indeed it makes her look friendly, cheerful and confident according to colour psychology - sounds about right. I (Tracy) was wearing black tonight and that suggests a power move..... I don't think so, not today. And at one time it seems I was rugged and simple. Can't argue with that.And then we wonder why the smell of cut grass reminds us (particularly Heather) of being a child. Perhaps we were closer to the ground? Or we rolled around in cut grass? Any other suggestions??And then we round off this episode with a roll around in a totally unresearched topic of male working patterns vs female working patterns. Unsure if we come to a satisfactory conclusion but we had fun not getting there..... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tid or tit? That is the question. We opt for titbits instead of tidbits. And then Heather fascinates us with hers. Listen in if you want to learn some facts and figures to dazzle your companions with if you are stuck for small talk at a party. I'm sure your fellow guests will be thrilled as you share your knowledge of when Interpol was founded with them.Not to be outdone my (Tracy) stomach decides to join in the conversation and then, as usual, the central heating system in Heather's office makes the loudest rumbling noise ever (so far) which I have done my best to edit away (the heating rumble not the stomach rumble).We soldier on and have a laugh about mistakes that people have made buying things online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What a week to start recording when hungry.... at least the recipes that Heather dug up from the 1940/50s archives weren't all that appealing. And then we pivot from mock goose to vulvas, vaginas and labia and the problems that the embarrassment about naming these parts of our anatomy is putting women's health in jeopardy. Heather reckons this stunned her into silence but she manages to continue talking..... We finish by not amusing Heather with a pun on the name of the 90s hip hop group, De la Soul, for the Worthing-based social enterprise Dad la Soul aimed at tackling male loneliness. We are nothing if not eclectic with our research! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Saggar makers had bottom knockers, did you know? And what about gandy dancers, do you know what they did? Listen to this episode and find out about these and more nuggets of information that you didn't realise you needed to know. And, don't you forget that this week I (Tracy) remembered to talk about memory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Turmeric stained Tracy and, presumably unstained, Heather are women and are talking about Women Talking (film) and about bingeing (TV). We convince ourselves that we don't have a binge watching problem..... and then identify a few binge-worthy programmes coming up later this year to feed the habit.And while recording there were some strange rumbling sounds that didn't sound so loud in real life but sound awfully loud in headphones whilst editing. Apologies for that. We are blaming the heating system in Heather's office. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talkative? Us? Well yes, we have to agree. We kicked of this episode with words and the origin of words and origin of the word that means the origin of words. We rambled our way through a discussion about turtles and tortoises and Jonathan and ended up discussing wool from The Falklands.Random as well as loquacious. That's us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As well as learning about Heather's desire to buy an inflatable cow suit, we chatted this week about World Book Day and other days that we hadn't known about before (and, honestly, will probably forget about again). I also let Heather know that we had been invited on a night out with my husband and his friends and then immediately uninvited. Weirdly he thought that Heather wouldn't feel comfortable with a group of strangers which makes me wonder whether he'd ever actually met her.... because she's great with small talk with anyone! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is brought to you with the support of the much valued (by people who have to speak for a living) Jakemans cough sweet. Be grateful I edited out some of the (more phlegmy) coughs at least....As this was recorded on Fat Tuesday we delved into the eggy and fatty world of pancakes and carnivals. After which Heather took a dark turn towards life imprisonment before we talked about things that enrage us. No connections between the two should be implied from this conversation as both of us can keep our rage levels under control! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I (Tracy) did indeed edit out the first couple of minutes of our chat where Heather was venting her anger with f***ers who hacked her social media accounts and messed up her access to her Google calendar. Not because I don't agree that they are indeed f***ers but there was quite a bit of background noise as we shuffled around.We then discuss the exciting career of futurology (well in my opinion anyway, but I'm a bit of a geek) having met one this week at a Future of Work conference. Crystal balls at the ready as you consider a future beyond existing boundaries.Heather then channels Daniel Pink and poses a number of reflective questions that are sure to keep me awake at night as I consider my answers. Try them yourself but don't blame us if you struggle with your own answers - blame Daniel Pink!Finally, Heather shares the story of a group of women of a certain age (our age) who formed a punk band because they "have no f**ks to give anymore" and don't want to join a choir. Love it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heather was hungry and taunted herself by talking about food, not that nettle pudding sounds particularly appealing and cockentrice sounds positively bizarre. Straight after this recording I (Tracy) expect her to whip up a quick fromenty...... or order a pizza..... whatever.Warning, if you decide to Google the last dish that Heather mentions and if you mistype you may be presented with details of a panniculectomy. What you need to search is panackelty.And finally, are you ready for a subjective temporal gear shift? If so, the helter skelter of life analogy is my gift it to the world. It's as likely to be correct as all the other theories about why time seems to go faster as we get older, I'm pretty sure. You're welcome.And I decided not to edit out the section where I had to ask my family to pipe down. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we enjoy Heather's newly refurbished office and Heather manages to stand up without making an old person noise. Nice one.In other news, and in different seats to normal, we muse about the revival (or resurgence?) of vinyl and are amazed at how long it's been reviving (resurging?) for. We learn about solar punks who sleep on the roof in a Bedknobs and Broomsticks style bed and the diverse range of relationships around the globe (courtesy of Positive News, thank you). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heather seems to be a magnet for creatives at the moment and is wondering whether she unleashed the creativity dragon by attending a boozy art class last week. I reckon I should join her next month to see if it has the same effect on me. I've got a good portion of creativity in my life already but can't resist the chance to doodle in a wine bar!Are you a friendly person? Do you unfriend more readily on social media than in real life? We had a chat about the impact and reasons for unfriending and I reiterate here that I have no intention of unfriending Heather on social media or in real life.... not yet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a week with few technical hitches (apart from an interruption by the ever vigilant Alexa) Heather shared some new words with us and Tracy shared a love of digging up useful/usless (you decide) information from public bodies. Something for everyone including the kinkeepers amongst us (which is more about the keeping of kin than kink, I am assured). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apologies aplenty for our absence in December. I (Tracy) proved to be a technical doofus (again!) and my masters degree in IT clearly counts for naught. But here we are now. It's a brand new year and we are still talking, and in this episode you'll learn that the best way to stop me talking is to point a camera at me. You also learn that Heather doesn't expect to but to be, but wouldn't say no if, offered a Damehood. And finally, if Heather can get her new laptop to function as it should (notice the angry tap tapping of the mouse during this episode?) then she would consider volunteering to spot sharks and skates on underwater (not underground) videos. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You're at a training course/workshop/meeting and the facilitator asks you to introduce yourself and tell everyone a "fun" fact about yourself. Is that fun fact actually fun or do you offer up a list of serious illnesses you have suffered from and your last meal request....?Perhaps one of your fun facts could be that you collect coins. If you don't already participate in that pass time, Heather might just entice you into the world of numismatics (we didn't use that word in the recording but wish we had done!). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Although the title of the episode could perhaps suggest that steam trains and cultural birthday gifts were causes of death in 1632, neither of those two things appeared on the list we found on Twitter today. Instead we were faced with flux, wolf, surfet and the king's evil - and had to look them all up on a suitable historical website.Heather's not admitting to being a regular train spotter but she knows a thing or two about steam engines and even saw "Gordon without a face" this weekend (and has video evidence to prove it). Sadly she doesn't still own the vinyl album of steam train sounds but the memory of hearing an engine pan from right to left across her living room it is still strong.Finally, we learned that birthday gifts from German, French, Italian and Spanish governments are way better than UK! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.