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...
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From Mary Poppins Patio to charging for your expertise.
Heads & Dovetails
Gill has lost her voice with the dreaded lurgi that everyone seems to be getting but Jamie thinks it makes her sound sexy! Gill starts this episode by giving a shout out to Jamie and his expertise as she wanted a particular sign for a present - Mary Poppins Patio, and knew just the man to make it for her! She explains the reason behind it in the podcast and how people don't see the expertise and time that goes into making something. Jamie says how busy he has been with an elephant currently on his bench - which Gill jokes about. They discuss how when you are creating something,...
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From 'Pink-washing' to making a scorched owl.
Heads & Dovetails
With it being cancer awareness month Gill questions are companies simply doing, what she's calling, 'pink-washing' similar to 'green-washing' the public? Jamie and Gill discuss the irony of companies going pink, printing pink ribbons on their packaging to promote cancer awareness month when those same companies use known carcinogenic chemicals in their products! How can that be right? They chat about how they would prefer companies not spend part of the their marketing budget on going pink for a month but to do something to remove toxic chemicals from their products. Jamie talks about candles...
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Is Authenticity making a comeback to terry nappies?!
Heads & Dovetails
A cough from Gill at the start of the recording opens up a discussion about editing both this podcast and Jamie's videos. That discussion then leads into talking about being authentic and how people seem to be slowly returning to a need to see what is actually real rather than acted 'reels' on IG. Gill wants to talk about a particular topic to do with sustainability, which in part has come from the book she reading 'Less' by Patrick Grant, and the use of terry nappies! They chat about the pros and cons of terry nappies v. disposable ones not just on the environment but also on the child. Gill...
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From Agony Aunt to Starbars
Heads & Dovetails
It seems Gill's turned into an Agony Aunt for Jamie in this episode! Jamie had several things, problems he wanted to ask Gill about to see if she could help him work out what was going on in his brain! They talk about the possible reasons for Jamie's washing up obsession and how he's been training not only his brain but his family! His family are now expecting him to do certain tasks - Dad's jobs - like the washing up, emptying the bins etc. Whilst he doesn't mind he wants to know ho wto stop the family taking it for granted they are 'his' jobs! Gill explains, in very basic terms,...
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From Un-ironed pineapple shirts to plastic in compost!
Heads & Dovetails
Jamie has been pondering on the chat he and Gill had in episode 69 about ironing and had an 'Aha' moment about why he doesn't iron his shirts. He realises it goes back to his days of working on boats and having to be in meetings with management one minute whilst also working on boats the next. An unironed shirt seemed to cover both situations well - smart enough for a meeting but not too smart to have the Mickey taken out of him when woking on the boats. Gill goes on to talk about compost and her recent experience of finding a LOT of large, small, solid and thin bits of plastic as well...
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From Freud or Adler to 'updating' ourselves.
Heads & Dovetails
Jamie had sent Gill a link about Freud versus Adler and had society been following the wrong theory? They chat about the differences in approach to helping people - Freud looking back to childhood traumas and Adler looking forward. After chatting about the various types of therapy they both decide they're more in the Adler camp but recognise that what works for one person may not work for another. Gill talks about how she suddenly realised that she had an updated, better solution to carrying the bird food into the garden than she had been using for years as a result of learning to willow...
info_outlineWith it being cancer awareness month Gill questions are companies simply doing, what she's calling, 'pink-washing' similar to 'green-washing' the public?
Jamie and Gill discuss the irony of companies going pink, printing pink ribbons on their packaging to promote cancer awareness month when those same companies use known carcinogenic chemicals in their products! How can that be right? They chat about how they would prefer companies not spend part of the their marketing budget on going pink for a month but to do something to remove toxic chemicals from their products. Jamie talks about candles and how toxic they are but there are no regulations aroudn what they use to make them. Gill says she watched a programme with Joe Wicks and how he made a protein bar out of nothing but chemicals and it was totally legal for him to sell it to the public.
It leads us on to discuss all sorts of things and what we can do to help ourselves. Gill again refers to the book she has just read called 'Less' by Patrick Grant and how it has made her think about the impact just one small thing/habit we have has on the wider world economy. Jamie and Gill go back to talking about one of their favourite topics - how being creative has so many benefits for us, even making something basic. Research is showing how much happier people are when working with their hands or creating something like a piece of music.
The added benefit we can have on the local economy by working and selling our skills and products locally is huge. Jamie is doing much more than simply teaching students, they're learning about themselves and the pleasure you get from creating something. One of his students who has been coming to him for a while has created a beautiful carved owl out of an old gate post. As Jamie said he needed very little imput as the student seemed to get into a flow whilst carving it (see Jamie's recent YouTube video). By running his classes he is helping the local economy. Gill talks about the willow course she has booked on NEXT October which is already sold out and as a result of the course has also booked into a local B & B and will no doubt buy a meal or 2 in the evening in the local area. Hence a great example of a local economy benefitting from one person passing on their willow weaving skills face to face.