Heads & Dovetails
Gill is a mindset / life coach and and Jamie is known as the Worcestershire Cabinet Maker. They both love to chat to people and find out about their lives as well as chatting with each other about what has been going on, not only in their world but the world at large. Listening to their podcast is like dropping in on someone else’s conversation and you never know what you are going to learn. Some episodes they are chatting about life and other episodes they are joined by guests.
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From watering cans to 'bugbears!'
06/25/2025
From watering cans to 'bugbears!'
Jamie has been suffering stomach type cramps and tells of his search online for a natural cure and how his family nag him to drink more water! Gill and Jamie chat about how various aches and pains can be as a result of something you've been doing or not doing (like drinking water when hot!) the previous day. Gill tells Jamie about the GillHB & Friends podcast she did a few years ago in her 'gardening mini series' with Rich Pennock from Haws Watering cans and a piece of good advice he gave her to help prevent back and posture issues. Changing subjects Gill wants to talk about bugbears! Jamie has a few around the washing up and stuff left in the sink drain cover! For Gill it's about people queueing at petrol stations when there is an empty pump just because their petrol filler is on the other side to the pump and how American spellings in British books drives her nuts! They discuss the dilemma of which spelling to use - do you use the spelling according to the nationality of the author or the publishing company? What are your bugbears in everyday life?
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From weddings and ChapGPT to alcohol
06/11/2025
From weddings and ChapGPT to alcohol
One of Jamie's daughters recently got married in the Lake District and that involved Jamie hiring a car, which he was not impressed with and taking various grand-parents with them. It was the first of his daughter's weddings for him as father of the bride and was held in a hotel overlooking Lake Windermere. It was a small wedding, 20 people in total which these days is apparently known as a 'micro- wedding'. Jamie describes what a wonderful day it was and how his duaghter had removed a lot of pre-wedding stress with the arrangements. He was worried about his speech which he had started to write some weeks before until one of his students suggested using ChatGPT to help him write it. Gill and Jamie discuss the pros and cons of using ChatGPT and Gill is not a fan but acknowledges it is a case of workgin with technology as it's here to stay! Jamie also talks about his need for a drink to help take the 'edge off' and how it helps him be the best version of himself. Gill asks 'What does he mean abut being the best version of himself?' They discuss people's need for alcohol, drecreational drugs etc and the possible deeper reason behind people needing them at certain times. Jamie thinks it is to do with his lack of confidence and probably being bullied at a young age. Finally Jamie wants to wish his dog Po a happy 10th birthday.
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From Chelsea Flower Show to a view from the garden.
05/28/2025
From Chelsea Flower Show to a view from the garden.
Gill loves the Chelsea flower show and has been lucky enough to go a couple of years ago. However reading a post on Instagram made her consider things from a different point of view. Firstly she asks, how did she get to her get and not realise that the RHS was a charity?! Jamie and Gill chat about the positives, not so positives and maybe areas that could be improved around Chelsea. They both agree that a lot of work and effort goes into making Chelsea happen but to what extent are younger people from the local area involved? Running events takes a lot of effort and Jamie tells how The Ruskin Centre where he has his workshop will no longer be hosting the Glass Festival. Again they look at possible reasons behind it. Jamie divulges how he spotted a chair on the pavement and took it home which leads Gill to comment on a photo of Jamie's taken from relaxing in his chair at the end of his garden and they chat about those special moments to be had here right on our doorstep. Finally Jamie says he has something big to talk about on the next episode!
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From VE Day Celebrations to Just go with it!
05/14/2025
From VE Day Celebrations to Just go with it!
With the VE celebrations last weekend Jamie went to see his Mum who had her 6th birthday on VE Day and she shares what she remembers of the day. Gill went down to join in the village celebrations on the green with over 300 people, sandwiches, cake, scones and a cuppa. Clive was also playing with his village ukulele band and it was freezing! It was so cold the ukulele players could hardly feel their fingers and playing in big coats wasn't quite the plan! Jamie also went to 'Yoga in the Park' and describe what it was like doing yoga in the rain, including lying on the mat for the relaxtaion bit at the end. For Gill it's her worse nightmare wearing wet clothes and she says she'll beleive Jamie when he's says he drove home afterwards (in wet clothes!) buzzing. Jamie is learning Japanese and tell so his progress and how he's doing it. They chat about how important it is to have a hobby or learn new skills alongside your career as you never know when they may become a way of earning money and the role it plays in helping with your self worth. No skills are ever lost and you can often use them when you least expect it. One of Jamie's daughter's is getting mariied soon and as Jamie puts it the stress is climbing in certain areas. We decide that sometimes the best thing to keep stress levels down in life is to 'just go with it'.
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From nettles to the added benefit of gardening as exercise
04/30/2025
From nettles to the added benefit of gardening as exercise
Gill starts off by apologising to listeners as they should have released an episode last week but with Easter, family commitments and time flying there simply wasn't a mutually convenient time. Jamie and Gill discuss the 'options' going forward do they do an episode once a month, stay as it is with every 3 weeks or go back to every 2 weeks? Jamie 'does a Gill' as he calls it and they decide to go back to releasing them fortnightly so that it is current but with a time limit of 30 minutes! Jamie will set a timer to make sure they keep to it. Jamie talks about a Japanese book he's reading and his plan to go to Tokyo in 2027 so is learning Japanese using an app. which he says has been designed like a game and therefore makes it more addictive to learn. They chat about the app and the difference between playing games and Gill says she doesn't see Suduko and crosswords as games. Jamie had taken his dog for a walk before recordingthe podcast and mentions collecting nettles to dry as it's the right timeof year. Gill warns of her very recent experience of putting too many in their breakfast smoothie thinking they are so healthy and the side effects she had! Chatting about nature and flowers Jamie mentions how glorious the wisteria is and all the blossoms this year. He says thinks that when you buy a house you have to think in advance about what plants, tres and busshes you want as they take time to grow whilst you are 'doing up your house' they can be maturing. Gill raises the topic of gardening as a fantastic form of exercise as she was moving heavy bits of wood around at the weekend and the added bonus of actually having acheived something tangible at the end of your 'exercise' session which brings another hit of the happiness hormones. She also updates Jamie on the saga of their ongoing subsidence repairs.
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From sorting out to getting creative.
04/02/2025
From sorting out to getting creative.
After a busy Mother's Day being around lots of mothers Jamie was enjoying the calm. As his computer is playing up he's decided it's time for a new computer which prompted Jamie to consolidate his 'bits of paper' that he works from so he can work smarter. Gill is also having a sort out at home and tells Jamie about why she and Clive (her husband) are slowly doing it now so that they can take their time selling / finding new homes for things they realistically don't want anymore or need to just get rid of - like old diaries you put in a drawer and before you know it have 10 years worth of them! She recalls how hard it was when her Mum had died, not knowing what was important to keep or just rubbish her Mum had never actaully cleared. Jamie had put on IG something about the mind needs to be creative other wise it goes weird. Gill says that for her and in her experince that means it creates it's own chaos! Chaos can be anxiety, stress, worries and fears. They chat about what constitutes as being creative and why it is so important to both of them to find that time to aloow for some creativity in their lives. Somehow, as it does with Gill and Janie it leads to Jamie talking about coffee grounds and the PH of coffee for the garden. As part of being creative Jamie has foudn a lovely technique to enhance the grain of wood whilst making a stool and Gill has been busy learning some new weaves for her willow weaving. The mantra from today's episode is: Create time to be creative!
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From the bumps and potholes of life to current strategies
03/12/2025
From the bumps and potholes of life to current strategies
Recently both Jamie and Gill have both had a few bumps and potholes to navigate in life. We they start by having a general and then more specfically about the increasing prices in all areas of life and more importantly how Jamie feels ands struggles with himself over increasing prices for his students. They explore Jamie's 'catch 22' that if he had a bigger workshop he'd save time so could take on bigger commissions as well as keeping his t4eacing going. The downside then of course is his rent and bills would increase along with the pressure to find the work to pay for it. the question then becomes it worth it or are there other options? Jamie admits he spends a lot of time in his head overthinking things and recognises this isn't always a good thing but sometimes he feels that is all he needs as a strategy to work things through. They talk about overthinking and the different strategies people have to cope but how important it is to review your current strategies as those that might have been relevant now or previously worked might no longer be effective in the future. Gill describes how she has a major review / reset between Christmas and New Year and does 'mini resets' through the year checking that waht she needed previously is stillrelevbant and works now. Jamie tells Gill he has 'YouTube envy' over her husband's Clive recent video that for some reason, unbeknown to Clive, has become viral with now over 117,000 views!
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From building repairs to old versus new houses.
02/20/2025
From building repairs to old versus new houses.
Gill's excited to report that 3 years on from subsidence happening on their house the underpinning and repairs have started! Jamie tells the saga his Mum has been having with a builder and sub contractors and how he's had to put a stop to the work. Gill can't sing high enough praise of the team that did their refurbishment. We chat about the lack of due diligence people do these days (which a guest on Gill's last 'GillHB & Friends' podcast was talking about) and when would you take a personal referral or what can you do to check someone out. Gill brings up the topic of wondering why people avoid going into a shop / cafe that has no customers in it and tell Jamie that when they owned a cafe if it wsa empty no one woudl come in but if just one person sat in the window suddenly they'd be busy. Finally they talk about living in an older house with beams versus living in a newer house. Gill admits that she used to want to live in an old house and did live in an Edwardian one and likes 'oldie worldie' houses to stay in but having now lived in new houses wouldn't want to live in one.
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From supporting January to the great British bird watch.
01/29/2025
From supporting January to the great British bird watch.
Having seen so many post on social media moaning about January Gill decides it's time to stick up for it! There are another 6 months with 31 days in them and you never hear anyone complaining about them. Gill makes the case that it's not January's fault that you overspent at the end of last year! This opens up the chat for Jamie and Gill to talk about money management, or lack of it these days and how many people are actually in a lot of debt. It is also not being taught in schools and peole jus need basic money managemnt skills. As Gill had signed up to a webinar about running a business off social media they discuss is it even possible? Gill wil report back! Jamie's daughter was showing him an old photo on line of the house he grew up in and as they enlarged it he saw in the corner of the garden a figure that was his Dad. One of the positives of modern technology. Gill tells Jamie that she and her husband were watching a documentary about Carole King and James Taylor were wondering when it was filmed. Gill thought it must be pre 2012 as there was a distinct lack of people watching it through their phones. Shec checked the date fo the tour and it was 2010 - how different things were back then! Finally Jamie asks Gill hwo their RSPB bird watch went at the weekend having seen a post of Gill's as they settled to do their hour...which was right when a storm came overhead! Jamie said his wife was aprticiaprting but after half an hour gave up as she hadn't seen one bird!
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From up-cycling a workbench to buying a washing machine!
01/08/2025
From up-cycling a workbench to buying a washing machine!
As both Jamie and Gill are into up-cycling/recycling, Gill was very excited to learn more about Jamie's new project for 2025 having seen his post on IG and watched his video on YouTube (The Worcestershire Cabinet Maker) Jamie's taking an old, somewhat flimsy workbench and basically rebuilding it into a much sturdier one using a lot of bits that he has rescued and are in his workshop like old drawers and other bits of wood. He'll be filming every step so people can learn from what he is doing and see how to reuse other items they might just have thrown away. In her own workshop (aka garage) Gill has been working on a couple of up-cycling pieces and sold a small cabinet last week - not making a profit but at least covering her costs. She explains to Jamie that she doesn't do it to make money (although that would be a bonus of course!) but because she really enjoys it and wants to save things from landfill - currently over 30 items of furniture - by giving them a new life. Plus she couldn't keep stock piling all the finished items in her workshop as she was runnning out of room! Meanwhile 2025 for Gill started with a bang and a horrible burning smell - her trusty, old washing machine sounded like it had pebbles in it and was emitting an acrid smell! She'd had it for years and it had finally died so it was time to do some research. Wow, she discovered how things have changed and thinks she'll need a computer science degree to do her washing! Begs the question how many people use ALL the programmes and various options? Seriously do people need to start their machines from an App on their phone?? And, as she says to Jamie to think she used to believe her washing was clean years ago when she had an old twin tub and wooden tongs to transfer the washing from washer to spinner!! She'll be reporting back as to how she gets on.
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From pain from a slipped disc to controlling your mindset
12/04/2024
From pain from a slipped disc to controlling your mindset
Jamie slipped a disc since the last podcast whilst putting his socks on and was in agony. He went to the doctor who prescribed a combination of medications that he's never taken before. Jamie talks about how he thinks doing these podcasts and chatting to Gill has really helped him change his mindset and he can now control his thoughts in a more positive way. Gill double check is he sure it's not the medication and talks about how importnt reframing is and that eventually your change in mindest becomes teh automatic default response. Gill chats about a fun post that was put on a group she belongs to asking the members to name one thing they like about themselves. She explains hwo she struggled to come up with one thing not because there isn't anything she liked about herself but because she just likes herself and that made her realise how lucky she is to be in a very contented place in her life.
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From coping with clients problems to when's enough stuff enough!
11/13/2024
From coping with clients problems to when's enough stuff enough!
Gill gets asked a lot, how do you manage not to take on clients problems / issues? She was pondering this question when out for one of her walks and realised that is actrually how she copes - by getting out in nature. By going for long walks it helps clear her head and gives her time to reflect. If not ime to do that it's important to create small 'gaps' between one thing and another. Jamie and Gill discuss how it's not just trained coaches / therapists that deal with people's problems but often hairdressers, PT's or people like Jamie working one on one or in a small group. Jamie has an Aha' moment about ho wit affects him and has various examples of how that happens in his workshop. With a recent commission for a client Jamie has found that the space they are developing has a lovely calming energy and he has realised that it would be good to spend more time out of his workshop working in nature or simply sitting in the space they've created. Gill and Jamie have both had pressurised jobs in the past with bigger incomes but question at what cost do people chase financial freedom and is it actually freedom or just more stuff? They discuss when is enough 'stuff' enough?
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From repairing items to the state of sold properties.
10/23/2024
From repairing items to the state of sold properties.
Jamie has completed a letter engraving project in a font the client wanted and explains why it could have been so much better but ultimately it was what the client wanted and they were happy with the result. Gill says it's the reason she asks the experts/trades who are doing something for her what they would suggest. She can then decide to take their advice or not but can at least make an infomred decision. Jamie has a pair of Bose hedphones he loves but the ear pads are worn out so he's decided to repair/recycle them. He's found a 'cool 1970's' brand for 99p on Ebayand is going to amalgamate the pair by taking the Bose workings and put them into the 1970's external covering. Gill has a moan about the filthy state some properties are left in when they've been sold. The contracts state properties 'will be left clean and tidy' which is very often not the case! As she and her husband found out when they moved into their current home and her son has just found out on his first home purchase last week which took the edge off the excitement of moving in. The oven was unuseable caked in baked on grease and grime and the shower was in a simiiar state! As Gill found out when buying their house there appears to be no real comeback on the seller if they don't agree to refund some monies and she knows from other friends it happens a lot! When you've cleaned the house (including appliances) you're selling and have to spend hours cleaning the one you're moving in to! The only option appears to be, if the seller won't agree compensation, is to take them to the small claims court and who wants that hastle! But it ruins the excitement of moving into a new home when it's filthy and the first thing you have to do is clean it! Jamie and Gill chat about what other possible options there could be in this situation.
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From a quote by Sir Anthony Hopkin to perspectives
10/02/2024
From a quote by Sir Anthony Hopkin to perspectives
Jamie had read this quote by Sir Anthony Hopkins: "My philosophy is: What people say about me is none of my business. I am who I am and do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. And that makes life easier. We live in a world where funerals are more important than the deceased, marriage is more important than love, looks are more important than the soul. We live in a packaging culture that despises content". that he wanted to discuss. Interestingly the part of the quote that had caught Gill's attention was different to the part that had caught Jamie's attention. Gill has a slightly different view point about "what people say is none of my business" in that she thinks it is more about how you react to what people say about you and what you can learn about yourself. Jamie's attention was focussed on 2 other parts of the quote "...marriage is more important than love..." and the final sentence: "We live in a packaging culture that despises content." In essence both Jamie and Gill agreed with the quote but also agreed that it can be interpreted in lots of different ways depending on the situation and person.
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From chairs to hitting that notification bell!
09/11/2024
From chairs to hitting that notification bell!
Jamie was in 'grump' mode to start with on this episode but he and Gill got talking about the root cause of it which Gill pushes back on. She reminds him that he was in a bit of grump when the festival of glass was on but that after a chat with her on the phone they had found a solution and reframed how he was approaching the day. That lead onto them talking about the day and how some cultural information he had been given about the chairs, he mentioned in the last episode, had changed his view on them and how they had been made. Both of them love to restore, up-cycle and reuse things. Jamie talks about 'trading up' which one of his students is good at and how it makes a lot of sense. He has seen 4 good quality wooden chairs for sale so is going to 'trade up' his old chairs. With Gill just having started a channel they chat about YouTube and how Jamie has discovered, from a couple of comments from subscribers that they aren't seeing his videos! As they chat about it Gill says she's not getting any notifications from the channels hse has subscribed to wither. They realise that people aren't hitting the notification when they subscribe. So as well as asking people to 'Subscribe' they need to be reminded to 'HIt the Notification bell' as well if they want to know when a new video has been relased! Probably very obvious to those who use YouTube a lot but there will be people, like them, who don't know or forget.
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From to have or not have children to taking your time.
08/21/2024
From to have or not have children to taking your time.
Gill raises the topic of the pressure couples face over their decision to not have children having seen a post on IG where a young couple, in response to comments about the sound of tiny feet, told everyone that they didn't want children and asked people not to say they would change theri minds. Jamie and Gill talk about how something personal ends up involving more than just the couple making the decision including thier parents, family and friends. Gill tells Jamie how she's already getting the comments from friends who are now grand-parents about 'I bet you can't wait to be a grand-mother' when actually she's not bothered either way and when she tells them that they say 'you'll feel differently...' Gill says if she has grand-children then great but she doesn't want her son to feel any 'unspoken' pressure from her for him to have them if he and any future partner decide otherwise. In the second part of the podcsat Jamie talks about the patio he has been making and how it is actually a joy not to rush it but to take your time. Gill tells Jamie how she now leaves a piece of furniture for a while before up cycling it, taking her time to decide what she wants to do with it and what feels right. They both talk about how taking time to make decisions impacts on so many different areas of your life from designing your kitchen to choosing furniture.
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From failure to patience
07/31/2024
From failure to patience
Gill has been busy learning how to weave a willow basket. She tells Jamie about how she made several mistakes and had things go wrong like weavers snapping at the wrong time etc. or the base not looking quite as it should be on the video. She explains to Jamie how it made her think that 'failures' are rarely mentioned these days as she was posting photos of her 'mishaps' on IG so people could see the reality and process of learning a new skill. Jamie and Gill chat about the need for everything to appear to be perfect in these days of social media and the pressure people put on themsleves to be perfect at something the first time they try it. The discuss how important embracing failures are and how they see it very much as a part of the process of learning. Their chat leads them into talking about how patience is also something else that is lacking these days and is all part of the fear of failing. This fear then means people either don't have a go at something or give up rather than practice, practice, practice. Jamie and Gill both agree that the feeling of acheivement when you do manage to do something (and it still might not be perfect!) is worth all the effort.
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From shopping lists to thorns on lemon trees.
07/10/2024
From shopping lists to thorns on lemon trees.
Jamie shares with Gill that he was feeling down last week and this was compounded by struggling with some tech issues. They discuss the challenges that men, particularly younger men, face nowadays finding where they fit in the world. Which leads Gill to tell Jamie how she'd love to offer sharing her garden and gardening with someone who's struggling with their mental health or has S.E.N.D. but has no garden. They chat about the potential issues that brings as Gill's aware that if she simply posts on social media she'll probably get some negative comments like: 'So you want a free gardener then?' 'How much are you going to pay them to do your garden?' 'Do you have the necessary safeguarding checks in place?' So she's decided, as well as doing a bit of research, to 'put it out to the universe' and see if anyone naturally comes along that she can help or offer their carer some respite for a few hours a week. Gill discloses how she goes about writing her shopping list which Jamie finds absolutely fascinating! He drills in wanting to know more, when and how did she start this? Was it connected to her work. Gill has never really thoght about it as it just seemd logical to her but does say it may be linked to her having been cabin crew many years ago. She is sure she can't be the only one that does it like this! As his briquette videos are gaining interest on YouTube Jamie has been making a press from everyday things you can find in the kitchen for his briquettes so anyone can make them. Gill and Jamie chat about willow weaving, blackening wood, how to tie a knot that doesn't require 'borrowing a finger' and Gill's discovery that lemon trees have thorns! Who knew?! Oh and Jamie finally gets Gill to reveal that she's very quietly started her YouTube channel GillHB-LIFE!
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From making hazel hurdles to identifying bird song.
06/19/2024
From making hazel hurdles to identifying bird song.
It's all about being outside on this week's episode. Jamie's been on an adventure - to collect some fence panels he bid on some 60 miles away for his garden. He's decided it's time to clear the end of his garden including keeping some dreaded bamboo under control. He's also removing his tree house he built for George Clarke's Amazing Spaces a fwe years ago Meanwhile Gill has been on the hunt for wood to attempt to make a natural hurdle - hazle and willow being the main ones. She hates to admit that she's got to her age and can't identify a lot of the UK's native trees. First step - learn how to identify them (and now she can't stop seeing them even in her own garden!) Gill explains to Jamie the reason she doesn't wear headphones / earphones on her walks in nature and consequently wanted to be able to identify the different birds she can hear singing. She's discovered a great app 'Merlin Bird Id' to help her identify birdsong when out on my walks and is now addicted to using it even in her back garden. Jamie gives the other viewpoint as to why he does wear earphones occasionally. Jamie has also been finding another possible use for his briquette mixture - growing mushrooms and is busy experimenting!
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From an election free zone to basket weaving.
05/29/2024
From an election free zone to basket weaving.
Gill and Jamie start by saying how they've already had enough of the General Election so the only time they are mentioning it is now to say they vow not to talk about it in the coming weeks! They cover a real range of topics in this episode but typical of Gill and Jamie they are somehow all linked. Although Gill apologises, as she seems to be doing most of the talking in this episode about her passions! Gill explains her experience and reality of selling the furniture she up cycles and when you see people on social media selling items how easy it appears and how much you can make! She explains that it's important not to compare and to keep in mind the extra work other sellers do to have a ready made clinet base. Money is not Gill's main reason for up cycling things but a bonus if she can make a profit. She also says why she believes it is important not to be afraid to ask the buyers for advice and feedback e.g. as to where they would tend to look for her type of items and style. Jamie clarifies what he sees as the main feedback to take on board going forward. Following on the last episode Gill did buy some chisels, with Jamie's expert help, for an idea she wants to make. Jamie has offered to do a basic chisel sharpening YouTube video for Gill - but hopefully other 'real beginners' will find it helpful as well. They continue to chat about how important it is not to compare ourselves as we are all very different. Jamie tells of his yoga experiences after Gill gives an example using her sister! Gill, having got some alpaca wool, wants to try out sheep's wool on the garden as a slug / snail deterrent. Having spoken to Graham Hull from on her GillHB & Friends podcast about the fate of most wool she asked locally if anyone had some wool. Helen a local farmer said: 'Come help yourself we've got 300 fleeces you're welcome to!' Helen tells a similar tale about her wool and how little they get and that's got Gill thinking!
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From selling books to buying chisels - it's all about reducing waste.
05/08/2024
From selling books to buying chisels - it's all about reducing waste.
Jamie and Gill are both passionate about reducing waste and sustainability. In this episode they cover a range of topics from Japanese blacksmiths to how they do what they can to reuse things but are always looking to do and learn more. Jamie starts by telling Gill he has bought some very good chisels made by Japanese blacksmith Masters and how they recycle old iron from discarded bridge frameworks. Gill is wanting to purchase some chisels and had immediately gone to Amazon to look for some. She's learning from Jamie about how to find used items that are actually better value than simply hitting the 'Buy" button on websites like Amazon. Gill has some books she'd like to get rid of or 'pass on' including some that aren't really in any condition to read now but isn't sure what to do with those. She had considered selling on line but with postage costs that hardly seems worth it - Jamie comes up with a viable solution! They discuss how they think it should be much easier to find out the best way to recycle all sorts of items. Jamie mentions the plastic rope Gill has recently made and she admits that as an ideas person she is always coming up with different ways to do things and sometimes her head explodes with all the ideas she has! The discussion around waste reduction and sustainability is to be continued!
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From raised beds to Japanese artists
04/17/2024
From raised beds to Japanese artists
Being British Jamie and Gill just had to chat about the weather but it had allowed Gill to get out in the garden over the weekend and Jamie into his shed for a short while. Jamie tells Gill he really likes her new raised beds, having seen lots of photos on socila media of her making them. He says they remind him of previous times. Gill explains the reason for posting so many photos on Instagram of each stage is that so many peole have asked her in the past how she does them and to explain what the no dig method is and how to do it. Gill brings up one of her bug bears for discussion and admits that she's also guilty of over using the word 'So' and it drives her mad! So she asks Jamie, "when did we start answering every question with 'So'...?" Another current bug bear for Gill is that of house buying as several family and friends have been going through the tortuous process. They chat about how complicated the house buying system is here and how stressful it can be. Finally Gill is intrigued to knwo from Jamie what prompted his recent post about Japanese artwork. Jamie gives some backgournd and explains what it has inspired him to do, or should that be that he has got his Mum to do?
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From overnight accommodation issues to Patreon
03/27/2024
From overnight accommodation issues to Patreon
Gill and her husband Clive like to support small independent businesses when they can. Recently they spent a couple of night's away in 2 different pub type accommodation. The second one was holding a private 30th birthday event and their room right above it overlooking the glass dome in the ceiling. Consequently they got to 'enjoy' the disco lights and loud music! Gill and Jamie discuss the dilemma of a small business and the pros and cons of should they pre-warn guests when they book or what could be done to mitigate the situation. Gill goes on to tell how they made the best of the situation and the next day, with little sleep, they visited Rushmere Country Park (near the village of Heath and Reach in Bedfordshire) in the pouring rain. From heron watching to doing the sculpture walk and discovering all the beautiful sculputes hidden in amongst the trees, finishing off with coffee in the cafe she highly recommends it. Gill's been having quite the time with the car with this time the rear break light not working even after changing the bulb a few times. She bemaons the fact of spending a few hours waiting for it at the garage only to find after paying the bill for diagnostic work that it's not been fixed as they can't get the part and no idea when it will arrive! Jamie has been busy testing out his various versions of his briquettes and showing the result on social media as well as doing the 'day job'. They chat about whether making videos and being on Youtube are it. Jamie explains how he sees it as a 6 year experiment with YouTube to see if he can make a living from social media. This has lead Jamie to make the decision to join Patreon and they discuss the various ways of using it. Nothing is ever as simple as it looks when your not technically minded!
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From moments in time to vices (of the woodworking kind!)
03/06/2024
From moments in time to vices (of the woodworking kind!)
As Gill's son was born on this day she can recall every detail about day, even the weather. Jamie and Gill chat about 'time lining' and how we use specific incidences, like covid, to help us pin point when things happened and we cross reference that with other people's time lines. Jamie uses an example of how we might use things only specific to us so you might say 'no it had to be before then because I remember I was in my old car'. Jamie gives an update on his next briquette experiment and Gill is happy to report on some progress with their our subsidence issue and all that it will involve! She explains how they are thinking in advance of the work so have been busy moving some water butts and will have to move some plants. Jamie asks about the garden and how it's progressing ready for Gill's veg growing which leads her on to talking abiut wanting a circular saw. Jamie clarifies does she mean chop saw? Mitre saw? And needing a saw for several jobs has made her realise how she really needs a vice. Jamie offers up several solutions but in the end they both decide a work mate will do the job!
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From sleep and books to resin and socks!
02/14/2024
From sleep and books to resin and socks!
Jamie overslept so was a bit late for recording this week's episode. Hence Gill and Jamie chat about how important sleep is to our minds and bodies. A lack of sleep can lead to other conditions being misdiagnosed which are actually symptoms of being sleep deprived. Gill tells Jamie about the book she was given for her birthday, 'Teaching the World to Sleep' by David Lee, following the webinar she had booked onto last year. Jamie asks about the type of books Gill likes to read which is quite a range from: fiction and non fiction, particularly biographies to more science based, philosphical books. Gill wanted to talk about the use of resin, which seems to be growing in popularity - both in items for the home such as furniture and coasters to driveways. She tells Jamie that she and her husband had considered it for their drive but after researching a bit more realised it was just adding more 'plastic/micro plastic' to the world! Jamie has a similar his view on it as well and avoids using it in any of his wood working that he does. He also explains how people end up using even more chemicals on driveways as it cracks to kill weeds and moss. Gill thinks that people need to think beyond single use plastic and consider the wider impact of using resin - an interesting topic for discussion! Jamie wants to talk about 'socks' and how many pairs he has and gets given (classic male present!). Whilst he loves colourful socks he explains why thin socks are not for him but for men who work in offices. He is very impressed iwth a new pair his wife has given him made from alpaca wool. He vows to go sort out his sock drawer that is currently rammed with socks!
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From car parts to car insurance.
01/24/2024
From car parts to car insurance.
Having had an 'advisory' for new brake pads on its service Gill booked their car in to get them replaced only to discover it needed a new caliper as well as the old one fell apart! The price of parts has rocketed and Jamie and Gill discuss the 'pros and cons' of new cars, buying them on finance and how buyers can be left horrified at costs to replace basic parts like tyres! We discuss the knock on impact of these rising costs as to why everyone's car insurance has increased so much. They discuss some of the possible reasons why cars are so differnt nowadays and need to be so big. With safety being a major issue cars have had to incoporate lots of safety features and part of that is the size of the required child seats now needed in the car - gone are the days of sitting on an adults lap! Not only have seats increased in size but so have the prams and pushchairs that would no longer fit in the car boots of yesteryear. Jamie has also been busy repairing his daughter's car and he often buys parts, after doing lots of research on the internet, from sites like Ebay to save money. We chat about the need for things to be more sustainable and Gill menaions her recent podcast on GillHB & Friends where she's been chatting to Sarah, a young entrepreneur who runs the online magaine, Lumera, that looks at sustainable fashion brands.
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From Happy New Year to drying logs for a project.
01/03/2024
From Happy New Year to drying logs for a project.
Gill explains why she doesn't do new year's resolutions but takes time to reflect on the year gone and focus on what she did achieve rather than what she didn't. Too many people end the year thinking about those things they didn't achieve! Jamie agrees and says it's better to simply let them go and look focus forward. Jamie asks Gill about how she finds people respond to her when she goes for her walks without a dog. She explains how it still means that she gets to chat to people for that very reason as they ask where her dog is and she's made several new friends. Jamie says he's realised (whether it's an age thing or not) that he perefers to be around less people these days and going to a noisy pub isn't for him as he enjoys more quiet time. Gill picks Jamie's brains about an idea she's had of how she wants to use a pile of logs, currently just piled up in the garden and asks his expert advice on how best to dry them. Seems a lot of patience is involved to get it right before she can start to use them for her projects!
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From Scams to flame throwing on furniture!
12/13/2023
From Scams to flame throwing on furniture!
Gill starts off the episode relating the story of hwo she very nearly falling for a scam whilst advertising her refurbished furniture on FB Marketplace. As a result of multiple attempts at the same scam she's deleted the adverts and going to research another avenue to sell them that feels much better to her. Flea amrkets and independent stores are on her research list - they take her furniture as stock, display and sell it and get a commission. Jame has possbily had a little too much fun taking a flame thrower to his furniture turning the wood black! And now seems to want to have a go at a lot more! And on the same theme of fires and flames he shares some exciting news that he has been contacted by someone in America wanting to find out more about his composting coffee and wood shaving briquettes that they can then implement with their city waste prgramme. They have a plan involving employing homeless people and creating compost and fuel and apparently Jamie is the only person they can find that has done this. Watch this space to see what happens in 2024!
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From technology and AI to Conkers laundry liquid!
11/22/2023
From technology and AI to Conkers laundry liquid!
Jamie has discovered that one of his videos on YouTube has suddenly get a lot of views and he has no idea why. He mentions how a chat with someone made him realise he was earning the equivalent of a mini pension from his channel. We discuss how fast things can change and what we think may earn us money in our old age with social media may well not even exist with the way technology marches on with things like AI taking over a lot of roles. With all the electric we now need or will need we swap stories about log burners and the future - will it involve returning to the things we did in the past? Gill admits even she's surprised she's turning into an up-cycler and eco warrior - using conkers to make laundry liquid thanks to Nancy Birtwhistle!
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From Sleep to Washing Machines!
11/01/2023
From Sleep to Washing Machines!
Jamie and Gill both listened to Diary of a CEO's podcast with Tim Spector on ultra processed foods and how this impacts on our lives these days. They chat about how clever marketing from big corporates can havre us fooled into believing things are healthy when they're not. As they discuss modern life Gill talks about a webinar she attended all about sleep - it was entitled "Sleep in people living with the symptoms of menopause'. However it went into depth about sleep and how we need to get the 'scaffolding' around sleep correct to aid women suffering with symptoms of the menopause. We are a society now where a large number of people are sleep deprived which results in all sort of issues from mis-diagnosis of ADHD in some people to depression. Gill learnt how some of the things we think will help us sleep are actually myths. Jamie mentioned at the start of the podcast that he has a story about his washing machine! So to end the podcast he tells his tale of woe that actually ends up with a good outcome for the planet and no new washing machine purchased!
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