From: How do I get myself into these things? to tyres
Heads & Dovetails
Jamie and Gill talk chat about how they get ourselves into things without meaning to?! Gill explains that she's found herself running a willow obelisk workshop for her village 'allotmenteers' having been asked by her neighbour but didn't think she'd actually said yes so not quite sure how it happened. Gill describes what is involved in preparing for the workshop especially when you don't have the right equipment to start with! Jamie shares a similar type story involving a stair gate and his accountant. When peole ask for things they rarely take into account how much tiem is involved prior to...
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From Competition time! to selling on Ebay and Facebook
Heads & Dovetails
Jamie and Gill have both been busy in the garden. Gill has been clearing their wild flowers area in the garden which has became overgrown with deep rooted plants like: nettles, cleavers and dock leaves whilst the clay soil is wet enough to get them out. Jamie has been busy removing ivy covering a tree at the end of his garden. The mention of ivy leads Gill to talk about making laundry liquid from ivy leaves and Jamie is keen to know how to do it and says to Gill 'Don't tell me that it must be that Nancy Birtwhistle again!' Gill, beign passionate about the environment and keen to do her...
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From fitness regimes changing to no more starbars!
Heads & Dovetails
Gill starts the episode by sharing a piece that her friend Justin Buckthorp posted on how our fitness regimes change as we age and for good reason. What we could do at 25 and get away with we can no longer do at 45 and for good reason. Jamie and Gill chat about how health, for them, has become the number one driver as they age. They very much think about and are far more aware of what they do, how they do it and why, from exercise to eating. Gill no longer goes to a gym but gets her exercise out in her large garden or moving around on the floor when she is willow weaving. Jamie...
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From the weather to we digress...again!
Heads & Dovetails
Jamie and Gill thought they'd see if they could have 2 random topics to talk about and if they could somehow get from one topic to the other linking them together. They both agreed that being typically British they had to talk about the weather and Jamie had said he wanted to talk about smoking - well giving up. The challenge was set! They started, as agreed, with the amount of rain everyone has been experiencing and how that was impacting their ability to get out in the garden. This lead very nicely into talking about potholes and cars. Cars allowed Gill to bring up the...
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From AI pros and cons to changing your weekly routine.
Heads & Dovetails
Back to talking about AI again. Jamie tells Gill about his use of ChatGPT and what he sees as the positives to for a one man business. It's helped him with his YouTube videos and to be more eloquent when messaging an ill friend when he didn't know what to say in his message. Whilst Gill can absolutely see the benefits of AI in lots of areas she share her concerns around AI, including environmental ones that people can't see, vast buidlings to house the servers, and huge amounts of water being used. Gill also asks is AI actually dumbing us down, removing our personalities from...
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From episode 80 to baths in bedrooms!
Heads & Dovetails
A new year and episode 80 of our podcast! Gill wishes Jame Happy New Year but wants to know when do we stop saying Happy New Year to people?! They chat about family adaptability over the festive season and how that changes over the years esepcially as the family grow up. Somehow this leads to Jamie saying he has had to contend with snow and ice going up a hill. He tells of how he managed to get around a taxi that was having real problems and his thoughts on why electric cars also struggle and younger drivers. Many 'younger than us' who drive will rarely have had an opportunity to do so...
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From Christmas past to Christmas present.
Heads & Dovetails
It's Christmas this week Jamie and Gill decide to chat about their memories of Christmas past and how we've changed how we feel about it now. Gill can remember lots of her family traditions based around Christmas including the last one she had with her Dad before he died in the January. Jamie admits he struggles to remember anything of his childhood Christmases other than his Action man tank which he still has in the attic. He tells a funny story about how he somehow sat on and rode his new tank down the stairs. As Gill talks he slowly recalls things he had forgotten. They...
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From Crocodiles to palm oil in chocolate
Heads & Dovetails
This episode it's Jamie's turn to sound sexy as he's got a sore throat! Apart from his sore throat he's really happy as he's sold the crocodile that the made a couple of years ago for a panto. (Look at his video of it on his YouTube channel The Worcestershire Cabinet Maker). He could have sold it for a lot more, as one person told him, but he is happy with the price and explains that he found a balance with the purchaser based on his values of 'pay it forward' to another amateur dramatic society. Jamie is concerned that these societies are getting far too technical with one person...
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From cancelling Spotify to car problems at garages!
Heads & Dovetails
Gill and Jamie chat about why, after some research, they've decided to stop posting their podcast (and Gill her other podcast too) onto Spotify. Spotify are getting wealthier by the day and the average creator is struggling with musicians getting between £0.0024 and £0.004 per download. With the introduction of AI being able to use any content on the platform creators will end up becoming obsolete! The conversation turns to other big companies like Amazong which Jamie is not a big fan of! He explains how when looking to buy some tools it lead him to take a deep dive into the product...
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From Tree Felling to Smart meters
Heads & Dovetails
Following an observation from Gill's husband on last week's episode she apologises to Jamie for talking so much at the start of the last episode. In her defence she says she was praising Jamie about his skills. Talking of skills Jamie is a bit 'miffed' as he was asked to become involved with a tree removal at a local church. He was asked to use his skills to make some things, stool, benches etc. from the wood of the tree being felled to help parishioners accept it had to come down. He was also promised some of the wood. It's another tale of mis-communication with a number of...
info_outlineJamie and Gill wanted to start the episode by giving a big shout out and dedicate this episode to Alex Holden https://www.holdenconcertinas.com/ for no other reason than they found out he has listened to every single one of their episodes! If you are a maker, listened to our podcast and would like a mention let us know.
Gill had a couple of big questions for Jamie as part of her 'research': Did Jamie use a top sheet on their bed? Did they iron their sheets? Gill explains why she likes a top sheet and why she likes ironed bedding. Jamie explains why he doesn iron although admits he does like sleeping in ironed sheets. Gill, unlike Jamie, likes to iron and sees it as a from of meditation / time to think. She tells Jamie about how nylon sheets became all the rage back in the 1970's and brushed nylon in the winter (the company she was trying to remember was Brentford Nylons and they were actually based in London not as she thought in the midlands - clue in the name!)
They chat about what might have influenced their choices of 'to iron or not to iron' not only bedding but their clothes as well and why their different approaches say something about their lifestyles.
On the same theme Jamie admits his obsession with washing up continues and part of his excuses (reasoning) is he says the warm water helps his hands and joints. He then goes on to talk about being medication free for the last 5+ years and how he thinks his change in his mindset / approach has helped that process.
Jamie asks Gill if she has noticed an abundance of fruit this year when out on her walks as he's seen a huge amount. She says she has but how only one of her three apple trees has a lot of fruit on and possible reason as to why. Jamie tells a funny story of him with a sheet (back to bedding again??) and collecting fruit which sounds more like an episode from 'Only Fools and Horses'! He tells Gill he'll be making a lot of different flavoured gins this year with all the fruit.