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Homespun Wisdom: Talks With My Neighbour

Homespun Wisdom: Talks With My Neighbour

By Sarah Sharman, Daniel Confino

Neighbourly Conversations over a cup of tea. Sarah Sharman and Daniel Confino present, Homespun Wisdom. Talking about life in lockdown, seeing the funny side of everything, lessons for life, dealing with family, and navigating silly rules and regulations.
Find them on Twitter @sa_sharman @danielconfino : Instagram @Talkswithmyneighbour
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A Present or a Gift?

Homespun Wisdom: Talks With My NeighbourJan 08, 2021

00:00
30:31
Live Fire

Live Fire

The magic and wonder of building and cooking over live fire. Daniel is unhappy with NatWest over a foreign exchange trade. Do not covet your neighbour’s wood store. Daniel discusses types of charcoal. Bichotan vs encina (holm oak). Techniques for building a fire. Coal vs wood. Layering a fire and building up to a large log. Collecting combustible materials. Stages of a fire through coals and embers. Seeing the fire as a living thing. Heat signature and dynamic heat range. Steam production. Electricity is made from steam. Boyle’s law. Barbecues and outdoor cooking. Sarah childhood memories of fanning the fire. Importance of high heat which you can get outdoors from close contact with coals. Telling stories around a campfire. Using the charcoal after a fire to paint faces. The dancing flickering light from a fire is magical. Daniel gets nostalgic about his old gas fired tumble driver with its whoosh of combustion and so much more.
Mar 26, 202401:03:33
Kitchen Special

Kitchen Special

Daniel reacts to medical advice about his blood sugar levels. Refuses a KitKat. Daniel discusses his home smoked nuts. Sarah has an allergic reaction to nuts. It started with a kiss…Hobbies and losing your economic sense. Daniel makes lamb tagine. Chutneys: beetroot vs tomato. The beauty of the kitchen not related to the quality of output. Lentil soup. Daniel makes it before going to the cinema. Frittering away your time. Sarah makes creamed spinach. Trial and error, tasting and adjusting until it’s right. Following recipes as opposed to understanding the science in cooking. Russian or rushing. Daniel had a volumetric angst moment. Archimedes and his Eureka moment. Removing salt with a potato. Importance of high heat. Caremelising sugars. Dunking veg in ice water. Texture and mouth feel in food. Importance of crunch. Kitchen equipment fetishists. Daniel makes caramel in his Y-fronts and so much more.
Mar 19, 202401:11:05
Ruled by Principles

Ruled by Principles

Daniel links peanuts with nipples and breast feeding deprivation. Stubborn, principled, strong-willed. Rules unmoored from principle. Inventing rules during Covid. Laws as authority. Principled people are often sad and lonely compared to pragmatists. Nuisance in the park discussed. Lists of prohibited activities…can you do something not on the list? Banning things is simpler than having nuanced rules eg bus lanes. Challenging the rules. Hiding behind rules to make money in parking rules. Danger of obeying rules in the Holocaust. Importance of being irreverent and mocking stupid rules and not just getting angry. Daniel pays corkage at the Trafalgar Tavern and negotiates corkage at the Delaunay for 7 bottles of German Riesling. Daniel gets upset when Sarah usurps his authority and uses Newton’s second law to get the upper hand and so much more.
Mar 11, 202457:08
Irresistible Gestures

Irresistible Gestures

Sarah has an important audition for Mrs Brown (Paddington). Jack and the Beanstalk discussed. We explore invitational gestures and other non verbal signs. The chair in the spotlight. Pulling out a chair as an invitation. Opening doors. Checking a woman is well installed. Car door etiquette. Refusing to shake hands. High fives. Fist bumps. We explore clapping and do a little demonstration. Slow hand clap to show disapproval. Tony Blair comes a cropper at the WI conference. Walking out, turning your back. Don’t hang around after delivering your rebuff. Daniel has a shoe cleaning confrontation. Opening the door for someone. Slamming a door. Blocking a doorway to keep someone out or in. Daniel has a rant about Kia cars…they don’t Kiar about customer service. Driving gestures. Daniel gets all theatrical. Sting “Don’t stand so close to me” about the attractions of a warm dry car. Thumb out as a request for a lift….what has happened to hitchhikers. Restaurant gestures like scribbling in the air. Holding your nose. Showing you think someone is stupid. Zipping up your mouth. Throwing away the key. Spilling salt. Camp gesture. Holding up a hand as sign of refusal. Flat extended palm is sign of refusal. Girl on girl lipstick gestures. Need refill. Tapping the glass or the bottle to indicate need. Showing you have enjoyed a meal. Hands on the stomach. Open arms as an invitation to a hug. Gestures more powerful than words. Making yourself vulnerable…if it is spurned it hurts more. Awkward mismatch..one wants a hug, the other a handshake. The film Poor Things discussed with Emma Stone. The vulnerability of being naked or presenting yourself as naked as an invitation. Ultimate rejection if ignored. Showing cleavage…suggestion or invitation? Jayne wears a stunning dress that floors Daniel. Daniel makes smoked nuts as a nipple substitute and so much more.
Mar 04, 202401:07:43
The End of Days

The End of Days

Fears about bringing children into the world. Daniel works it all out. The individual has replaced the family. Remove family and religion: what has replaced it? Atomisation of society. Are you a boy or a girl? Two spirit cultures in Mexico. Single issue people don’t want to debate. Nuclear weapons and living with the means of our own destruction. A world without electricity. Internet down. Phones not working. Storing original films underground for safety. Fragile existence with no real knowledge of farming or making things. Diseases without cure. Keeping your sense of humour. Don’t stop having children because of threats and uncertainty. Part of the over focus on the individual. Children keep you young and challenge you. Sarah rows against the tide on the Thames. Enough already. Happier talk next time and so much more.
Feb 27, 202454:44
You Never Really Left

You Never Really Left

Daniel has been in Andalucia hearing about the golden years before 1492 when the world religions lived in harmony. Front row of comedy clubs and taking up space. Noticing the presence and the absence of living beings. Interrupting space in a room. Phantom limbs after amputations. The brain gradually adjusts to loss….or maybe never does. Discussion of “What Remains” series on iPlayer. Treatment of abused fat actor in the series. Fighting for life and giving up and losing the will to live. Discussion of “The Hit” from the 1980s. Couples together for decades and then losing one. Is it like the phantom limb? The sound of silence similar to not being there. Sarah discusses her Dad and still feels a great loss. Daniel talks of two children leaving home and leaving a void. Coming home to an empty house. Partners not in/in…do you instinctively know? Daniel gets into “This House is Empty Now” by Elvis Costello. Rooms have memories of good and bad times. The film “Gaslight” discussed. Tim Bryars campaign to save the gas street lamps referenced. Feng shui and feel of space. Ghosts and trapped spirits. Murder scenes like 10 Rillington Place. Live radio creating atmosphere like Steve Wright’s (RIP) love songs show on Sunday morning. The gap he leaves in our lives and routines. Burglary and looking for something that is missing. Auschwitz discussed…the birds don’t sing there. Dead child’s bedroom kept intact and standing there to sense their existence and so much more.
Feb 23, 202457:52
Feeling Fantastic

Feeling Fantastic

Daniel gets into trouble over dates with the yellow sticker lady at M&S. Daniel is having to take the stairs as his lift is broken and getting fitter. Arse appreciation on the elevator. A good brisk walk. Sarah’s knees and ankles creak. Women end up looking after men in old age. “She’s always up to something”. Do we wear out the body with exercise. Fear of losing mobility. The typical life in times past incorporated physical effort with no need to add going to the gym. Star jumps. Push ups. Using the stairs. Lowering yourself slowly into a chair. Sarah loves Park Run at Hillyfields and gets satisfaction from whacking a golf ball. Bowling and the perfect delivery. See The Great Lebowski. . Brain exercises and sense of achievement. Daniel does his good deed of the day for a Sicilian products stall in the market and so much more.
Feb 20, 202442:50
Gendered Language: Don’t be a Parrot.

Gendered Language: Don’t be a Parrot.

Daniel and Sarah start slow-mo talking. Cutting cakes into bite sized experience. Sharing food at restaurants. Words have usage, not absolute meaning, The way a word is used determines its meaning. EU diktat on gendered language. Have words ending in “man” lost their gender power. A female chairman makes the point better than calling her chairwoman. Sarah wonders if she can call “man on” at hockey, especially with trans people. Danger of bland boring language. Can changing language change attitudes for the better? Discussion of “master”. Expressions examined: “Shrill”. “Jo Public”. “No Man’s Land”. “Handyman”. “Manpower”. Problem of doing some manual work with great nails. “Bossy”. “King and Queen”. “Virile”. “Fireman”. “Guys”. Daniel manages to go on a non PC rant and spoil the show and so much more.
Feb 13, 202401:00:48
Winning the Argument

Winning the Argument

Daniel and Sarah are at Champagne et Fromage Greenwich. Excuse the jolly accordion and jazz background music. Sarah wants Daniel to teach how to argue. Daniel tells the sad story of 6 “ripen at home” mangos from Waitrose which were still cannon balls 4 days later. Sarah has an argument with Argos for not taking a tablet back still in the box. Daniel wonders how Moses could have argued the wording of the 10 commandments. Daniel explains how to exploit the press office tab on a company website to get the contact details of the top brass. Rhiannon (who has joined) remembers trying to get her £3.50 back from a launderette machine. Use of threats. Learning to argue with your parents. Transmitting generational trauma. The great dilemma: deliver your message with emotion or rationality. Emotion can be more persuasive. Take Trump. Daniel tries the Ray Winston threat approach. Arguments in relationships. Believing in yourself and getting beyond embarrassment. We discuss Rhiannon’s dinner shopping plans at Marks & Spencer. Daniel challenged over how he reacts to being the subject of a complaint…a whimpering mess. Daniel talks his way out of being arrested under the Public Order Act and so much more. Artwork: Simon Confino from We-Q
Feb 06, 202455:46
Wake up to Good Sleep

Wake up to Good Sleep

Daniel and Sarah are in Champagne et Fromage by Greenwich Market. The mysteries of sleep. Distractions that prevent sleep. Need for a ritual. Bed widths. Type of mattress. Norris still making traditional mattresses. Preferences on comfort and side of the bed. Police “Bed’s too big without you”. Daniel sing song. Post coital sleep. Interrupted sleep. Covid effect. Unfamiliar beds and hotels. Can you enjoy sleep when you are asleep? When your feet are up you will nod off…recliner chairs. Importance of napping. Sleep is logical if no food, no alcohol and no women are available. Sleeping in the nude. Daniel caught out by earthquake warning in Mexico City. Over-heating in bed. Tudor England two sleep routine…get up at 4am do some stuff for a couple of hours and go back to bed. Snoring and being sensitive to your partner. Avoiding being a “hag” in the morning. Sleeptalking. Accusations always made by the dominant partner. Acting waking up. Never looks authentic. Sarah falls into a trance. Sleeping in cinemas. Daniel suggests all night cinemas as an alternative to hotels. Going to bed at the same time. An early night as an invitation to sex. Going to bed at 8pm means that person is depressed. Sleepwalking and Daniel’s reactions to canal trips. Sarah babysits a sleepwalking child. The parents forget to warn her. Daniel remembers “My Bed is Not for Sleeping”. Sarah reads the suggestive synopsis. Notches on the bedpost. Doug gives his sleep knock out advice and so much more.
Jan 30, 202459:31
Dog Day Morning

Dog Day Morning

Daniel is worried about lisping. Sarah suggests it might be siblant s. Sarah calls 101 to speak to the police. Police stop Daniel and Sarah and Daniel causes chaos at Lewisham Police Station. Royal Mail vans and the postie’s fear of dogs. Planning to escape dangerous animals. Sarah has Duke of Edinburgh award rampaging cow story. Daniel and Sarah give an irreverent review of the advice to customers from the Royal Mail. Attacks on hands protruding through the letterbox. Is the red fleece a problem? The idea of different ring tones at the door: one for the postie, one for food delivery, one for Johovah’s witnesses etc. A dog bark sound when you are out. Infectious coughing fit noise to deter unwelcome visitors. Advice to wait 10 minutes after your post has arrived. Difference between telling and explaining. The sad case of postie Kimberley Link who was savaged by a dog. One case is a tragedy. 1900 are a statistic. Dedicating the show in praise of our valiant posties. Keep your dogs under control.
Jan 23, 202401:04:60
Life is Beautiful

Life is Beautiful

Finding beauty in unlikely places. Raiding the Flexiplus terminal at Eurotunnel. Impersonating a commercial driver to get a big breakfast on P&O ferries. Beauty in economy of movement. Unloading the dishwasher in a spiritually pleasing manner. The grace of tea ceremonies and the gliding movement of Thai women. Mindfulness debunked. Excess of grated Parmesan cheese. late years pregnancy. Good head of hair and follicle envy. Letting yourself go in stable relationships and so much more.
Jan 21, 202459:08
Under the Weather

Under the Weather

Daniel suffers podcast sibling rivalry. The difference between a Satsuma and a Tangerine. Basic sexual provocations for men. Shopping at camera-operated Aldi. Weather does affect your mood. Daniel tests Sarah’s spelling for a bottle of Baileys. Sarah discovers the joys of laziness. Daniel wins a planning case. The council have the last laugh. Apostrophe in St. James’s. Sally called to help. Getting slapped for a wrong move. Not being able to face the day. Daniel quotes Elvis Costello from “This House is Empty Now” about filling your life to deaden difficult memories. Where do you go to my lovely when you’re alone in your bed. Predictable weather vs variable. Keeping warm in freezing conditions. Amount of daylight and feeling gloomy. SAD condition and need for light. Finland discussed but Daniel never finished with his girlfriend. Sarah talks about Togo and we imagined a meeting between a Togan and a Finn. Solar space panels and climate. Sarah finds that Finns are the happiest nation which ruins Daniel’s day. No Country for Old Men reviewed for terrifying hair styles. Daniel wants a slap to end the show and actually nothing more this time,
Jan 09, 202401:05:29
Farcical Facial Recognition

Farcical Facial Recognition

Daniel gets picked on at a stand up show. Thing 1 and Thing 2 disgusting joke. Daniel chats up a bar maid. Unique quality of faces with just differences in eyes, nose and mouth. Doppelgängers and 7 identical versions of you in the world. Chinese facial recognition. Seeing the dentist for the first time. Putting a name to a face and a face to a body. The identity parade and the photo fit. Presumptive close. The face is common currency these days. Sarah can’t admit to fancying the new Dr Who. Political correctness at police line up. Casting for films using search engine. When people don’t like your face. Nina Gold casting director. Daniel confuses Agent Provocateur with Ann Summers. Rounding up the usual suspects. Future for human models is being taken over by AI creations. My Funny Valentine as sung by Sarah. Sarah describes Daniel to a police officer in a role play. Sarah can recognise people from the arse and so much more.
Jan 02, 202401:12:08
Finding the Right Words

Finding the Right Words

Online instructions. Not even a quick start guide to set up a Canon printer with ink tanks. Customer services saying “look online” to every question. Daniel discusses Bernard Tapie the French business doctor and owner of Adidas. He had a crazy nostalgic idea to help kids on housing projects. Sarah got into trouble saying the wrong thing. Daniel gives precious advice on tackling sensitive subjects especially about love life. Daniel gets his wisdom from studying movies and how people deal with situations. Smashing things to break the spell of a mood. Daniel explains open and closed question like how or why or what. Daniel suggests to Sarah how to obtain permission to ask difficult questions. Daniel offers help by sending Elvis Costello’s incredible depressing “Painted from Memory”. The founding of Hollywood by Jews banned from Broadway. The importance of context. Apologies and second chances and so much more.
Dec 26, 202301:09:11
The Fair Sex and Chivalry

The Fair Sex and Chivalry

Daniel goes on a historical survey of chivalry and control of male physical strength. Sarah admires the good crop of hair on a lad at the bar. He turns a bit nasty. Vulnerable females and the need to intervene to defuse situations. Men should learn to box and have confidence in stepping into conflict. Feminism has not helped by denying men the protector role and not objecting to invasion of female spaces and sports. The fair sex in trouble. Asking a man to use his strength. Women and children treated more favourably. First to lifeboats on the Titanic. Women preserve the species. Why are people heroic? The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins. Laying down your life for another. Bystanders and putting yourself in harm’s way. Women protecting their men from other women. Passengers in a car behaving responsibly. Men seeing women as the enemy, competing in every arena of life. Andrew Tate fills a dangerous vacuum then offers an explanation and a solution. Sarah goes to an Argentinian tango class. Women are naturally softer and more caring. Men not sharing or talking. Real men don’t cry. Slapping in the face. Men and women’s roles…natural or just convention? Philippinos as caring types both male and female. Role models. Playing the gender roles to massage ego. The great experiment of the correct roles for men and women has gone too far and we should look at strengthening the bonds between people.
Dec 19, 202356:60
Getting Your Way

Getting Your Way

Sarah explains the world of securing acting jobs. Taking time from your busy schedule. Making yourself less available. Scarcity value. Rejecting food at restaurants…even if free. Jayne has trouble with a Shingles jab. Sarah rejects a delicious sounding smoothie. Dealing with “that’s how it is”. Calling the manager. Complainers improve the world. Daniel sucks “fizzy” petrol in Zimbabwe. Sarah remembers drinking fuel from her fire stick days. Complaining as a performance. Nagging is more wearing and less effective. Dealing with “you’re the only one who has ever complained”. Dangers of all dealings being remote or app-based as opposed to personal. Feeling powerful in the world and believing you will win. Using the words “like you’re going to”. Pointing a Colt 45 to get your way. Western town roles for Sarah and Daniel. How to deal with a gun pointed at you. ANPR in car parks and speeding. The madness of 20mph speed limit across London and so much more.
Dec 12, 202355:01
The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons

In which Jayne buys an expensive fur coat and Daniel asks no questions. The plate of biscuits gets a forensic examination. Sarah disrespects the Gingerbread man, Daniel bumps into a traffic warden and a man with a rear/wash wiper problem. Dressing for the seasonal weather. Daniel has to explain the heavy wear on his right thigh. Timelines are the new danger with too much tech tracking. Each person has a favourite season and looks good in the seasonal clothes eg being bundled up for winter. A good winter coat. Jayne has a fur coat which is taken to a mystery man for summer storage. Jayne avoids discussing the price of the coat in a seductive way. Expensive shoes and shoe revenge in a marriage. Daniel has a snug sheepskin and rabbit lined gloves. Realises he has a fur fetish. Sarah finds her singing voice and wins the song association game. Relationships going through the Seasons. The Winter of our Discontent and so much more.
Dec 05, 202301:12:33
Intertwined Identities

Intertwined Identities

Eccles cake vs Bakewell tarts. Food items named after the place of origin like Parma ham or Parmesan cheese. How wheels got on luggage. Wheel whine. AirBnB murders. Australia careening downhill without wheels. Daniel filing criminal reports on antisemites. Useful idiots discussed. Sarah discusses mixed race identity. Multi cultural vs multi ethnic. The need for common humanity. Eye level grilling of bacon. Meat and two veg vs ethnic food. Indian and Mexican treatment of vegetables discussed. Moneymaker tomatoes. Take away food on the 24th floor. Sarah goes into a swoon about buns. A magpie distracts by landing on the window ledge. Daniel has tits visiting his bird feeder. Children learning 2 or 3 languages at home. Sometimes you have to pick a side and not be too reasonable. Perpetual motion machines. Sperm banks. Identical and non identical twins. Sarah corrects Daniel and teaches him a biology lesson and so much more.
Nov 28, 202301:00:19
Fireworks and Eccles Cakes

Fireworks and Eccles Cakes

Show starts with a damp squib…a type of firework. Value for money with cakes. The M&S Eccles cake is a show stopper. Paying for brands. Still have to do your homework or check out “Which”. Sarah wants thick curtains. 15th Century paper making techniques. Navajo sheep. Navajo and military code in the War. Killers of the Flower Moon discussed involving the Osage tribe and oil rights. Estuarian accent replacing Queen’s English and BBC English. Hells Angels taking posh boys from Surrey. Sarah goes Hula dancing. Fireworks named. Catherine wheels and martyrs. Daniel had a terrifying firework story. Daniel explains basic optics as gateway to perception theories. Daniel leaves his inflated sex doll sticking out the bin and so much more.
Nov 21, 202355:09
Staying Grounded

Staying Grounded

Daniel returns from Israel with views on the state of humanity. Sarah orders six pairs of trainers and sees red. The next crop of young people are not employable. Protestors are spoiled brats and entitled lazy wastrels, Beliefs and actions and justifications. “Death of England” the new play by Roy Williams and Clint Dyer discussed. Cancel culture discussed. Being damned by association. Blame and anger. Milking anger. Feigned anger. Hamming up a story with fake embellishments. Daniel worries about making people angry. Betrayal in relationships. Revenge is different for women and men. Women use relational and reputational methods which plays well on social media. Laurence Fox gets in a fix over shagging. Sarah and Daniel discuss basic humanity and not losing it over causes you adopt. Toxic masculinity and femininity compared. Relations are polluted by pornography. Social media still at the Wild West stage and needs laws and taming. The dangers of the mob motivated by social media. Queers for Palestine is a great oxymoron and defies gravity. Losing friends over deep felt issues. Following the Roy Williams lead of taking an unflinching look at tough issues and so much more.
Nov 14, 202359:12
Escape Velocity: Fast Car/Thunder Road

Escape Velocity: Fast Car/Thunder Road

What it takes to make big moves in life. Daniel explains stereo sound. Importance of live music. Bringing back performers from the dead. Joyless people complaining about live music and the Blackheath tea hut. People being petty and nasty, probably to make up for some disappointment in their own lives. Getting revenge by spreading unhappiness. Fans (not onlyfans) discussed. Phones all looking the same. People unhappy with their life often shrink from big decisions. Getting stuck in a rut. Daniel struck by two songs: Thunder Road and Fast Car. Daniel and Sarah compare and contrast and mix up the songs to create a new hymn for trapped and stultified lives. Having nothing to lose. “What the hell effect” on decisions. Daniel and Sarah try out more accents. American girls voices carry further. Careful over the word “shrill”. What impetus do you need to move. Some people just stay where they were born. Others are restless souls. Fear of straying too far from the known. Others are adventurous spirits. The motivations to leave and a sense of last chance and desperation in the two songs. Eleanor Rigby discussed. Final judgement made on Fast Car and Thunder Road. Take a listen. The songs will be way more powerful for getting into our comparison and understanding the motivations for breaking away and making moves out of choice, desperation or boredom…and so much more.
Nov 07, 202358:26
50 Ways To Please Your Lover

50 Ways To Please Your Lover

The old ruse of asking neighbours for a cup of sugar. Inviting guests for dinner changes the dynamics of normal meals. Inviting lonely waifs and strays to Christmas lunch. Daniel buys a deck of 50 cards with love life advice picking random cards to discuss….Card 38 the importance of laughing together and telling jokes. Infectious laughter. Signature laugh. Embarrassed laughter. Dangers of laughing in bed. Card 15 be careful not to say something horrible in anger. Hot buttons in a relationship. Learning to take a step back. Daniel reads from “The Owl and the Nightingale”. Card 2 the importance of hugs especially in crowded places. Card 1 book a weekend away at home and stay in a local B&B. Hotel rooms force you to explore and break habits. Card 44 going to the movies, buying popcorn and holding hands. Holding hands and eating popcorn. Really? Choose a tear jerker and carry a freshly laundered handkerchief. Good for hanky panky. Sarah cries over “The secret life of bees”. Daniel choses 27. Do the household chores without making a fuss. A bit sexist but maybe it refers to the man. Daniel looks for praise for cleaning the loo. Sarah selects number 10. Have a half way birthday. Give half of a matching present. Daniel goes for 33. Go out on blind date with your partner. Daniel remembers doing exactly that while at university to great effect. Sarah chooses 20. Pamper your partner when they are sick. Daniel choses 45. Be on time for your partner. Daniel choses 5. Once a year plan to do something new. Daniel praises Sarah’s climbing skills. Sarah goes for 18. Write a love letter. Daniel goes all gooey over Sarah’s climbing prowess. Number 31. Taking a bath together. Daniel is drawn to be Kristin Scott Thomas in the bath scene from “The English Patient” and so much more. Photo from Daniel’s “132”studies of street scenes from fixed positions.
Oct 31, 202301:20:04
Sunrise, Sunset, Clouds & Climate

Sunrise, Sunset, Clouds & Climate

Sunrise or sunset: which is more you? Sarah starts singing from Fiddler on the Roof. Red sky in the morning and shepherds. Gathering for the magical viewing of the sunset over the Thames. Clouds and global warming. Daniel prefers sunset with a big G&T. Working from sun up to sun down in the outdoor film making world. Post production to flatten the weather. Weather forecasting and Robert Fitzroy the captain of the Beagle who spent years with Darwin. Global warming and cloud cover. Carbon dioxide is 4 parts per million. Gas stoves/hobs being banned. Dressing for the weather. Looking up. Appreciating evolving cloud formations. Daniel’s theories on making clouds by paper making. Seeding clouds to give up the rain. Categories of clouds. Looking down from an aeroplane at massive seductive soft beds of clouds. Climate change needs an end date. Otherwise we will never know. Counsel of despair needs to be replaced by innovation to solve climate change. Eclipses and primitive beliefs. Yom Kippur and waiting for the sun to go down before breaking the fast.
Oct 23, 202358:34
Jokes On You

Jokes On You

Changing addresses and redirecting mail. Unwanted attention from men. Daniel admits to scissor phobia. Struwwelpeter and Max Wall thumb snipper. Daniel is fasting on Yom Kippur watching Sarah eat a KitKat. Finding a religion to suit you. Practical jokes and April Fool tricks. Cream pies. Throwing milk shakes. The Dimbleby Spaghetti harvest. Egg on your face. Heckler&Koch guns discussed. Borat films. Top Gear practical jokes. Disappointing oversized presents. Stomachs get upset when you ignore them or over indulge them. Pole dancing and knowing your limits. Knock down ginger explained. Rude food. Sarah discusses vagina cakes. Joke shop item from whoopee cushions to fake injuries to parking tickets to car scratches. Losing and testing your sense of humour. Jokes backfiring. Joke winning scratch card. The true person revealed by a good targeted practical joke. Humiliation, embarrassment and shame from being tricked in public. Dangers of offending people in today’s world. Hate is the new offence. Front row of a stand up show. Being the butt of a joke. People making anonymous complaints rather than telling it to your face. Daniel has childhood slipper rage. Possible revenge for sibling rivalry. Needing to witness the result of your joke and the reaction. Preparing children to deal with pranks. Learning “come-backs”. Not being predictable and being noticed. Avoiding being the wallpaper. Taking the Mick the ultimate weapon in unsettling dictators. AI taking jokes to a new level and so much more.
Oct 16, 202301:22:05
Hitting the Target

Hitting the Target

Sarah goes on an American accent course. Daniel and Sarah experiment with accents. Talking dirty. Odd one out question. School discipline. Risk assessment and victim blaming. Daniel’s secrets to deep loo cleaning. Scouring non stick pans. Cast iron is better and how to re-season. Reference to Silence of the Lambs. Pancake pans and developing arm strength to flip. Daniel debunks non stick. Throwing things in the bin from a distance. Winning a goldfish at the fair. Techniques of throwing. Variables of weight and air resistance. Beer pong. Primitive hunters. Spears. Boomerangs. The joy of using skill and judgment to hit a target. Underarm and overarm. Belief in your ability. Your brain does so much of the work in hand eye coordination. Basketball discussed. The longer the throw the greater the joy. The bride’s bouquet thrown backwards. Throwing your life away. Jayne returns with her fur coat from storage and so much more.
Oct 09, 202301:07:49
Playing, Lying & Cheating to Win

Playing, Lying & Cheating to Win

Daniel starts ruminating. Danger of traps and the dangling lure. Tribal battle lines. The mob is always there, usually just indoors watching TV until rallied. Snakes and ladders discussed as a spiritual journey. Emotional development through games. Masterpiece teaches you to lie and cheat and control your emotions. Sarah plays a witch denunciation game for 7 hours. Board games as safe spaces for bad behaviour. Leakage from the reputation from playing the game to the real world….a bastard at monopoly. Liar’s poker an exercise in statistics and psychology. Games that bring out your personality. Duck a l’orange compared with frog a la peche. Emmental and Sherlock Holmes. All is fair in love and war. Ending the war in Ukraine by a no-holds barred fight between Putin and Zelensky. Being over-dressed or under-dressed. Margaret Thatcher at Balmoral. Daniel fesses up to defeating the cameras at Aldi Shop & Go and so much more.
Oct 02, 202301:07:12
The Best Laid Plans

The Best Laid Plans

Starting the day with a plan. Being pragmatic: German vs Italian approach. War plans abandoned after first shot. Burning Man goes all wrong. Dangers of crowding out the unpredictable stuff in life. Changing plans. Keeping things flexible. Heaven and hell. Purgatory until your plans are clear. Day of Judgement. Sarah does a check-in against her original plan. Having a whole life plan. Deadline thrills. Tax returns. Anxiety and risk tolerance. Being unpredictable in relationships. How much control do you want. The habit of bad decisions. 5year plans under communism and the mystery of bread distribution. Hoping for the best. Devil may care. To hell with the consequences. Sarah can’t cope with the angst of not knowing. Learning to live with doubt. Chaps go home and surprise the other person in your life and so much more.
Sep 25, 202346:53
Your Day of Judgement

Your Day of Judgement

Sarah screws up and has to do three takes to introduce the show. Sarah steals wall plugs from the closing down Wilko store. Daniel steals a huge mug from a motorway service station and three children books from Foyles after a bomb threat. “Five finger discounts”. Weighing technology to stop cheating at self check outs. May as we’ll be hung for a sheep as a lamb. Sarah the opportunist sellotape thief. Dangers of oestrogen in salmon. Daniel gets annoyed by a Spanish customer glued to his phone, Rules for a Citizen’s arrest. Sarah prevents a massive theft from ASDA. Turning a blind eye to those in need. Connection between shoplifting clothes and avoiding baggage charges travelling with Ryanair etc. insurance losses and the police. Difference between stealing and losing virginity. Stolen kisses and much more.
Sep 18, 202301:08:13
A Long Hot French Summer

A Long Hot French Summer

Daniel and Sarah pop the champagne cork. Daniel gets all religious about how to pour, cradling the bottle and pressing the thumb into the dimple. Daniel builds a fold-out table that disappears and discovers a carpenter bee copying his work. No love lost among boring types. Bird songs and identifying birds. Ice cream making and experimenting with flavours. Sarah goes hunting the perfect ice cream in Seville, Rituals when away. Making pancakes (crepes) in France. Daniel discusses ceviche recipes with a Peruvian. Never more than 3 minutes in the lime juice. Morning mercy dash to the boulangerie. Backing off tensions when two cars cannot pass. Sarah goes into rapture about Togo delicacies from roadside BBQ to sweet dumplings to nut brittle. Memories are situational. Monopolistic behaviour by chain coffee shops. Lighting candles in cathedrals. Finding safety in McDonalds or an Irish pub when away from home. Having a sense of adventure in life, travel and with food. Wowing the French neighbours with inverted Maqluba from Iraq. Cold soups. Vichyssoise. Gazpacho. Salmorejo. Big Enders vs Little Enders. Eat French, think French. Daniel discuses giving Sarah a fireman’s lift and throwing her out and so much more.
Sep 11, 202301:11:23
Back to School Madness & Memories

Back to School Madness & Memories

Jayne joins the show and helps make this excruciatingly painful for Daniel and funny for everyone else. First day at school. Getting organised. Stationery fetish. Pleasure from sharpening pencils. Attractions of school vs home life. School friends and lifelong relationships. The “best days of my life”. Newly scrubbed floors and painted walls. Dinner ladies. Going back home to.visit old school friends. Being linked to your siblings reputation. Dr Beckmann carpet cleaner vs Shake ‘N’ Vac. Checking school uniforms for skirt length and heels. Daniel feeling left out and forced to goal hang. Daniel remembers a toilet accident on first day of school. Daniel wears dark glasses at school and is called “Roy” after Roy Orbison. Bullying at school. Daniel bites his oppressor but make up in later life. New exercise books. Covering text books with Tackyback. Greeks often made the butt of jokes. EMOs explained to Daniel. Macaroni cheese in the oven…girls exhibiting food anxiety. Daniel gets bullied by the girls reviving childhood anxieties. Jayne was an art whizz. Table set for lunch. Churros snipping and male trauma. Sewing name tapes. Phone policy. First day advice. Take a photo. Give them bunging op food to avoid a toilet accident….oh and never let Sarah sign off.
Sep 05, 202301:01:26
Three Weddings and a Heatwave

Three Weddings and a Heatwave

Daniel and Sarah do some catch up after weeks apart. Daniel is still in France. Daniel has been to Sicily by car and ferry with a dog. Sarah has been to Bulgaria to shoot a commercial for electric car charging. Sarah also been to Wilderness festival and confuses Seville with Sicily. Going away for weddings, hen and stag parties. Elaborate vs simple plans. Disastrous stag parties. Scouring the world for cheap beer. Disappointing male strippers. Remake of Snow White trashed. Is romance dead? Feeling lonely in relationships. Need for intimacy. Getting on with the wider friendship and family group. Showing vulnerability by showing pieces of you. Wedding vows going freestyle. Weather disrupting the best laid plans. When the weather is hotter than body temperature of 37.5C. Creating rain in movie shoots. Sarah gets drenched for several shoots over 10 hours with no change of clothes. Bulgarian food. Chopping up lunch to disguise it when served up for dinner. Wedding structure. Wedding breakfast confusion. Champagne more expensive in France than UK. Cakes and tiers. Festival style food at weddings. Poisoning the entire wedding party. Sarah wants Matt Monroe to perform at her wedding. We get a snippet. AI recreating dead performers. ABBA voyage. Sarah steals a Hannukiah. Sarah gets 3 piece suit confused with a 3 piece suite. Dress codes and not making a fuss. People falling out at weddings. Not attracting attention away from the happy couple. Who to invite/not invite. No shows. Is it all worth it? Wedding ceremonies. Indian weddings: Henna days, Turmeric days. Cancelling at the last minute. Memorable food. Beetroot dumplings. A long sign off and so much more.
Aug 28, 202351:47
Seven Deadly Sins (part 2)

Seven Deadly Sins (part 2)

Daniel wafer slices a Mars bar for Sarah. Stuffing your face and greed. Greed and burying treasure. Hoarding vs greed. Anger management and overload. Snapping when you reach your limit. Quick to anger if you feel life is unfair. Cain and Abel discussed. Anger on social media fuelled by anonymity. Vanity and pride compared. Biblical reference to “all is vanity and chasing after wind” (Eccl). Daniel goes off on gender stuff. Can you combine the Deadly Sins. Dirty little secrets vs public displays of sins. Does Deliveroo spare you from public gluttony. Sin and the soul. Daniel gives his theory of evolution to be proved right by his great granddaughter. Film Seven discussed. Daniel goes all Ray Winstone and much more.
Aug 20, 202301:03:23
Seven Deadly Sins (part 1)

Seven Deadly Sins (part 1)

Daniel was a bit of a “looker”. Importance of good legs and calf definition. The natural perfect body shape. The Seven Deadly Sins don’t help keeping in shape. Daniel’s granddaughter thinks she can flatten Daniel’s stomach by prodding to let the air out. Gluttony discussed. Midnight feasts. Guilty scoffing. Eating ice cream in bed. Eating on your own vs the constraint of eating in company. Feasting and fasting. Daniel has self-restraint issues. Table manners. Delicate eating vs wolfing it down. Sloth. Being lazy, doing nothing. What is the natural state: joyful or grudging work. Tell tale signs of “sofalis” and too much TV. Lust. Daniel fancies a cocktail waitress. Envy of things you don’t have. Cain and Abel discussed. The lazy person envies the success of the hard worker. Sarah loses her picnic rug and her rag. Daniel indulges himself with a pancake stack at Bill’s. Food envy when looking furtively at other people’s order. Looking through the window of restaurants. Daniel wafer slices a Mars Bar. Sarah tried to control people taking too much chocolate at breaks on set and much more.
Aug 13, 202301:06:45
Tempting Fate

Tempting Fate

Sarah tempts Daniel with some broken curved Easter egg pieces. Daniel goes off on curvature and how he extrapolates the female form. Over confidence met by disaster. Pride goes before a fall. Sarah suffers a dog pooh incident. ABBA “Winner Takes it All” discussed. “Does it feel the same when she calls your name” arguably the most meaningful line in all of pop history. Complaints need to be matched by compliments or the complainers will get their way. The climate emergency debunked and discussed as a cover story for more control over our lives. Interest rates and Bank of England madness. Risk taking and “asking for it” and much more…
Aug 06, 202301:00:40
Food, Sex and Humanity

Food, Sex and Humanity

Daniel had a Forest Road beer and rants about sachets. Olive oil in mini doses makes you feel small and controlled and unloved. Just put a bottle on the table. Spanish potato tortillas soaking up the oil. Fried eggs cooked in a vat of boiling oil. Eggs from the fridge or room temperature. Dippy eggs and timing. Personal preferences around eggs. Runny yolks. The radiant yellow spilling out. How to decapitate a boiled egg. Loli at the Parador falls in love with Daniel. Vueling can’t distinguish between people and bags. Beauty contests and the objectification of women discussed. Lessons of Jonah and the whale. Zeitgeist the spirit of the age discussed. Daniel destroys mathematics. Tempura asparagus in Spain. A bar joke about eggs and much more
Jul 30, 202353:58
First Things First

First Things First

Daniel impersonates the Metro Goldwyn Mayer lion growling to exercise his jaw. Daniel causes Kit Kat chaos in a random Spanish bar. Elvis Costello having to decide if we need a licence to play his songs. Sarah’s trousers get a detailed inspection. Doing first things first. Sexual tension between Daniel and Sarah. Being first to arrive and getting warmed up. Taking advantage of the of the longer days. Bud Lite gets in a marketing muddle. Sarah comes begging for poached pears and smoked nuts. New meaning of “rude”. Daniel gets into an argument about Concierge services in a 5 star hotel. Shower positioning. Dynamic and static envelope. How Spain bought trains that don’t fit the tunnels. Having a To Do list. Managing priorities and easy wins. Low hanging fruit or the difficult job first? Procrastination. The joy of ticking things off. Saving the best till last. Is that correlated with tackling the tough jobs first? Twitter vs YouTube. Dev the panel beater in a marriage made in heaven with John who sprays paint. Vueling found wanting in the court of passenger opinion and much more….
Jul 23, 202356:01
Everything is Connected

Everything is Connected

Daniel looks forward to a cold beer. Trip to the airport shows the connectedness of all things. Daniel plays trick on Jayne. Sarah misdirects her Mum to the wrong side of Waterloo bridge. Daniel realises he is connected to his feet after walking the Camino. Digging deep to find the resolve to get through challenging times. Running toe-heel rather than heel-toe. Supermodel catwalk technique. I’m Your Toy by Elvis Costello referenced. Sarah goes to see “Christine and the Queens” and is transfixed. How to meet the dancing girls after the show. Child bearing hips discussed. Bumping into long lost friends and other consequences. Nudges and the hand of God apparent in your life. Daniel talks to his Vicar and Rabbi for divine inspiration and breaks protocol at the cathedral of Santiago. The swinging botafumeiro incense burner captured. The right time in life to do things and much more.
Jul 16, 202355:51
Worldly Wisdom

Worldly Wisdom

Sarah ups the energy levels. Dental care routine. Wisdom teeth. Classic idea of a wise face. Are women wise or knowing? The bearded rabbi. Eastern images like Confucius. Importance of a beard for the right look. Using spectacles as a prop to look wise. Judges as classic wise image, Is there a wise world leader? Not Sunak or Biden. Covid measures lacked wise heads. Holistic approach to risk. Driving at 10mph will stop road deaths. Panic measures resulting from creating fear. Dispassionate judgements vs lived experience. The “animal spirits” according to Keynes. Churchill discussed as leader, painter, writer and bricklayer. All of my life has been a preparation for this moment. Integrating experiences into better decisions and much more.
Jul 09, 202354:34
Feeling Trapped & Panic Reactions

Feeling Trapped & Panic Reactions

Sarah talks about lift crash anxiety. Daniel can’t breathe when cornered by a beautiful woman. The A&E motto: “Don’t just do something, stand there.” Three Mile Island panic reaction, ironically at a nuclear reactor. Fools rush in…..Getting free stuff “on the house”. Tunnels and fear of being trapped. Keeping your head when all around are losing theirs. Heroes in an emergency. Presence of mind. General Patton speech on D-Day. Queen Elizabeth I rallying cry at Tilbury. Sarah gets locked in the loo and suffers lifelong trauma. Being trapped by mining accidents and earthquakes. Solly miraculously landing a plane on the Hudson. Making decisions in the heat of the moment. Apollo 13 discussed.. Cabin fever and being trapped. Daniel talks about his fear of blind tunnels and being corralled. Provoking fear and inciting over-reactions online. A new form of digital entrapment. Sex and being tied up. Trapped in relationships. Windowless rooms. Cellars are very scary places. “Inside Man” referenced. Daniel nearly compliments Sarah and much more.
Jul 02, 202356:54
Being in the Mood

Being in the Mood

Daniel and Sarah have not quite finished breakfast before recording starts. So it’s a slow burn but worth persevering. How to gate crash a picnic. Circling the wagons. Sarah goes climbing on a first date. Being moody for attention . Mo Mowlem breaks the Irish deadlock by breaking the historic mood using Daniel’s 3 rules. Sulking as a power play. Being number 2 or 3 on the birth order and sulking into later life. Using food and drink to influence mood. Being unfair to waitresses. Music to change mood. Confusion over Pavlovas and Pavlovian reactions. Taking people up and down the emotional spectrum. Making someone laugh and smashing things to change the mood. Opening the curtains to throw light on a gloomy situation. The calming effect of lavender and pets. The Birds will Still be Singing” (Elvis Costello) versus “The World Goes Round” play off and much more…..
Jun 25, 202354:27
Vueling : No Flight Tonight

Vueling : No Flight Tonight

A musical account from (14.30 minutes) of Vueling night time jettisoning 200 pilgrims at Santiago De Compostella airport.
Jun 22, 202336:22
 Beating the AI Systems

Beating the AI Systems

Sarah jumps the gun. Daniel has a trick when going to the dentist and at ALDI Shop & Go camera operated store. Odd numbers and Daniel buys three of a kind. Making faces to get recognised by the NatWest banking app. The more AI takes hold the more we must assert our humanity through wit and humour. The system at Colditz made rule breakers out of our POWs. Sarah cheats the train system. Daniel gets caught by his wife early one morning wearing his Y-fronts and a beret. All is revealed. Nearly all anyway. Sarah loses her reflection. Dinner at the Coal Office. Vlad from Transylvania makes us feel like royalty. Sarah has a boozy week and goes to a 24 hour play with Ruth Wilson in the early hours. Why its not a good idea to be too compliant. AI systems suffering from personality disorders like Marvin from Hitchhiker’s Guide.
Jun 18, 202359:27
Powering up Your Life

Powering up Your Life

Different sources of energy. You can come alive in different ways. Beauty. A muse. Sex. Work. Hobbies. Anger. Exercise. Music. Art. Expression. Photography. Daniel photographs his brother’s wedding. The importance of life skills. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert cooks draw beautifully. Most people had artistic expression or a sing along repertoire. The need to look and concentrate and draw accurately, learn your lines or music. Downplaying soft skills at school and leaving you unprepared for presentations which are critical to work success. Sarah tried out a huge range of pursuits as a child encouraged by her Mum and Dad including Irish dancing. The dangers of the video cosh. Persistent encouragement from parents/carers. Building new interests and pursuits into your routine. Daniel gets bored by Sarah but it all ends well and much more.
Jun 11, 202301:03:08
Compliance in Your Extinction

Compliance in Your Extinction

Daniel gets in a tangle over a double whiskey. A good bartender. Danger of being replaced by machines, robots and AI if you don’t engage and use humour. Incompetence and narcissism compared. Daniel wastes 35 years of good behaviour at the Moules Frites restaurant with one explosion. The French don’t have the game of Snakes&Ladders. Following procedures, not your judgement. Compliance discussed around the film “Coming Home in the Dark”. Comparison with “The Hit” from the 1980s. Denial of humanity and its dangers. Sarah’s trip to Jersey posing as young bride/gold digger material. Bloomsbury Set and the Pre-Raphaelites were just after removing objections to sex. Oscars gone woke, Dangers of AI diagnosis when you have an axe in your head. Being generally less compliant and much more.
Jun 04, 202301:01:45
Scared Out of Your Wits

Scared Out of Your Wits

Daniel and Sarah discuss the movie Sightseers part road trip, part couple serial murderers. Cinema warnings when it’s too late to leave. Scary theatrical tricks in “Dracula the Bloody Truth”. Bomb disposal as the scariest job. The English Patient discussed. Dogs and fireworks. April’s fools. Daniel shocks Sarah. Room 101 and your greatest fears. Anticipating torture is worse than the reality. Children being scared by stories while feeling safe. Clowns. Masks and fixed faces. Sarah intervenes with disturbed guy on the tube. Danger seekers and scaredy-cats. Piper Alpha disaster and jumping from height into water. False safety in numbers. Being scared of the dark. Fight or flight reaction and freezing. The primal scream. Sarah scared by whirling dervisher brushes at a car wash. Daniel traumatised by Struwwelpeter, from Germany.
May 28, 202301:01:51
Daniel Goes all Guru

Daniel Goes all Guru

Daniel and Sarah hit a new audience milestone. Online grocery substitutes. Buying Himalayan salt in bulk. Using Avios to get a discount. Going large, Chatting up Emma. The eject button of being (claiming to be) gay. Smokehouses and kippers. Talking at Jazz venues and awkward silences. Men using sex to get a better deal. Daniel’s moment of reverie as he goes all Guru. The power-of a muse to inspire a creative person. Playing 20 questions….animal, vegetable or mineral. Dark Water:an American Story radio play discussed (link below). Julia Cameron the pioneer photographer. Darwin and much more…. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0006zl8?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile
May 21, 202301:02:39
The Doors of Perception

The Doors of Perception

Daniel and Sarah go on a fantastic voyage of perception covering complicated stuff about your reality and the imagined life with the people you left behind on the road. We then develop the concept of “ to be or be seen” meaning being the first person or having the indirect viewpoint. The 4th wall in movies of not looking into the camera. Fleabag discussed. Engaging directly, soliloquies and asides. Blur compared to focus. Getting your life in focus through experimentation. Daniel worried that photos are never out of focus these days. No sense of getting it spot on by under and over compensating, Knowing when you are the centre of the universe…that subliminal blip. Making eye contact with stage actors. We discuss Laura Wade’s play “The Watsons” (Jane Austin unfinished) in which the actors revolt when the plot goes thin and much more.
May 14, 202357:10
Taking Your Recipes to the Grave

Taking Your Recipes to the Grave

Daniel has a Kabbalah mystic moment when his bill at Aldi is exactly £10. Your “go-to” recipes which nobody would ever challenge. Daniel talks pickles for a wedding, underground smoked meats and cold smoked nuts. Sarah talks Egusi West African soup, macaroni cheese (or is cheese and macaroni) and scrambled eggs. Daniel loses his rag over Sarah’s aunt’s rogue ingredients and admits childhood trauma over breakfast at hotels with his Dad. Sarah wants to destroy family harmony with cooking competitions. Should you teach the next generation or leave them with fond memories of your creations. Your food legacy and much more.
May 07, 202356:14
Fashionable Ideas vs Conventional Wisdom

Fashionable Ideas vs Conventional Wisdom

Daniel and Sarah open with a discussion about love expressed in words and deeds and when the two do not match. The danger of simplistic ideas like Ibram X Kendi which view everything through the lens of race. Challenging lazy acceptance and going with the herd. Denying your individuality. Evolution and adaptation compared. No need for God in Darwin’s world. Daniel upsetting dinner party guests (relax, he was a lawyer). Transgender fashion discussed. How the fashion of switching to oat milk or soya creates other problems. Framing your identity in an authentic process and being prepared to speak up for what you believe. BLM founders questioned. Merit vs favouritism. Hiding behind the conventional wisdom and fashionable causes without looking deeper. Intersex discussed and much more…..
Apr 30, 202355:51