Views from the Summerhouse

It’s winter; its lockdown – we have permission to be kind to ourselves and enjoy comfort food.

For their 12th and last episode of season one,  Tiggy,  Susie and Ann, who all enjoy their comfort food in winter, laugh about their favourites,  talk about their signature dishes and outline their favourite recipes.  They also reveal where to buy the best Cornish pasties!  They run through some of their listener comments too and do their best to answer their questions - including on how to choose the right swim wet suit!

Listeners also hear for the first time from Pete, their production engineer.

Although the episode is once again recorded on Zoom,  the 40 mph wind whistling in the chimneys was extremely noisy during the recording – apologies if this is has been picked up by the mike.

Notes and mentions:

Bread and butter pudding with melted chocolate – make as normal bread and butter pudding but add squares of good plain chocolate just before baking

The right pet could be a wonderful companion – but what are the costs?

This week, with the help of Rebecca Morgan who knows all about taking on a puppy,   Susie,  Tiggy and Ann look at what is involved in taking on a pet - something which a newly retired person might well consider once they were able to give them a bit more time than would have been possible when they were working.  Lots of issues to consider of course:  what are the costs?  How much time is involved?  Where can you find the help you might need?  Can you provide the right facilities?  What are the benefits?  Which would be the right pet for you?  And given that you have to make a lot of sacrifices to have a pet with you ….. is it worth it?  Rebecca tells us about the time she had to care for a python;  and Tiggy tells us about the time she bought a puppy from Harrods!

Apologies as usual if there is annoying interference affecting the sound quality.

Notes and mentions:

The Kennel Club – registered puppy breeders

Borrowmydoggy.com – to experience looking after a dog without buying

Moor View Alpacas – for alpaca trekking on Bodmin Moor

Lower Tokenbury Equestrian Centre, Caradon Hill Trekking; Hallogena Trekking – for horse and pony riding on Bodmin Moor.

Cold Comfort Farm - film

The Dig - Netflix

Diary of an MP’s Wife by Sasha Swire

Furniture upcycling – could this be the perfect winter hobby for you if you have just stopped work?  Could it even be a money spinner?

No guest this week but Tiggy, Susie and Ann in their little Zoom boxes giggle their way through what they know about turning old furniture which has seen better days into something that is bright and cheerful for today’s homes.  Chalk paint, crackle glaze, decoupage, where to pick up your old furniture in the first place and even how to get a diploma in furniture restoration, all feature in their conversation.

Apologies as usual if there is annoying interference affecting the sound quality.  Fingers crossed not so bad this week!

Notes and mentions:

Watching birds in winter – is there anything interesting to see?  Surely it’s all blackbirds, robins and seagulls at this time of year?

In this episode, again recorded in lockdown but with the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 29th to 31st January in mind, Susie, Tiggy and Ann are joined on zoom by their friend,  Jane, to chat about the birds they have seen this winter.  Jane lives at the coast and so is able to bring a different perspective from the Liskeard gardens and farmland. Winter is often the best time to see birds if this is a new hobby for you because you can see them so easily without any leaves on the trees – and lockdown walking and a little bit of seed in the bird feeders have brought some surprising bird sightings for our podcasters; Jane also reports a range of night time noises; Susie and Ann identify more unusual birds with distinctive markings; and Tiggy tells us how her bedroom is full of unexpected companions!

Our podcasters hope you will have time to try the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch this week end (see below).  And they apologise for omitting the spectacular starling murmurations that Susie and Ann have been to watch this winter at Rough Tor, near Camelford – well worth a visit at sunset.

Apologies too for the usual interference from outside activities – this time a delivery of logs forces an interruption to the recording!

Notes and mentions:

Useful Bird Guide:  Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe  (Available from Amazon during lockdown)

Singing in a choir – surely you need a really good voice and, in Cornwall,  isn’t it all male voice choirs?

In this episode, recorded in Lockdown 3,  Tiggy and Ann are delighted to be talking with Jem Hall,  a member of Polperro Fishermen’s Choir. (Susie sadly could not take part because she had to give up her pc to home schooling!).   Male voice choirs in Cornwall are a bit like pasties and cream teas:  Every fishing port and mining community has one and should be sampled by residents and visitors alike.  Research now shows that singing in a choir improves both your physical and mental health as well as bringing you lots of social benefits – so a great adventure activity for newly retired men and women in Cornwall.

In the interview Jem answers questions on how he came to join his choirs and explains enthusiasm is far more important than having a good voice or being able to read music. Jem, who has taken part in choral events at The Royal Opera House and at The Royal Albert Hall and has also recorded a number of CD’s,  describes some of the lovely adventures he has had with his choir, even in 2020.  Tiggy and Ann take a look too at local female voice choirs.

Apologies again for any noise interference…...this week the main culprits were Ann’s family members on the floor above where she was recording!

Notes and mentions:

Walking the Cornish Coast Path – isn’t it all steep hills and very chilly at this time of year?

In this episode, recorded while Liskeard was in Tier 3 and the day before lockdown,  Susie,  Tiggy and Ann resort to recording their podcast via zoom and interview Carol Beaver, an experienced coast path walker with her little dog, Mica.

Everyone knows that Cornwall has some steep and rocky coastal sections and so the coast path at first sight might not appeal to all newly retired people.  However, it is definitely worth looking into more closely as a possible adventure hobby.    Carol explains how, for people living in South East Cornwall, it is possible to start quite gently since much of the south coast is has quite gentle undulations and there are a lot of fairly short circular walks with spectacular coastal views, great cafes and easy car parking to get you started. She also explains it is a great hobby for this time of year provided you have a good pair of walking boots and the right sort of jacket.

Apologies in advance for any noise interference.  Certainly Geoff,  Ann’s husband, was both stoking the wood burner and taking down Christmas decorations around her while they were recording.  Oh well …….

Notes and mentions:

Carol Beaver, Mobile Hairdressing in the Liskeard and surrounding area.  Call or text to hear about her range of services and for a quote:  07951 405268

Guide book with 25 of the Cornish Coast Path circular walks including details of cafes, pubs, dog friendly beaches and parking: Cornwall Outstanding Circular Walks (Pathfinder Guides) by Sue Viccars, Ordnance Survey.

Iphone app:  iWalk Cornwall

Book about a couple who became homeless, bought a tent and walked the whole of the South West Coast Path:  The Salt Path,  Raynor Winn,  Penguin Books

Also by Raynor Winn,  The Wild Silence, Penguin Books and Michael Joseph.

TV series on now:  Cornwall and Devon Walks with Julia Bradbury  ITV  Wednesdays 8.30 pm  or on ITV hub.

Painting and drawing – the perfect activity for chilly winter days!

In this episode, recorded just before Liskeard moved into Tier 3,  we start 2021 with a self indulgent look at all the fun you can have just sitting down with your paints or a sketch book and pencil.

Painting and drawing is the perfect activity for this time of year and whether,  like Susie, Tiggy and Ann you are coming back to it after your working life,  or whether you are starting from scratch, it is probably hard to beat sitting down at your kitchen table with a mug of tea, Radio 4 on in the background and just playing around with a bit of paper and some sort of drawing or painting utensil.  Susie,  Tiggy and Ann talk about how they have learned this year that it doesn’t matter what you do with your paint,  or what the result looks like – and it doesn’t matter what materials you use (a fork and a bit of old wallpaper or an Amazon box is as good as anything else) you can still have the best possible time.  They also talk about how much fun it was sitting out in the garden during the summer chatting with a box of watercolour pencils and attempting to give the impression of some of the lovely flowers they were surrounded with.

Apologies again for the external noises (hail showers this time) around the open-sided summerhouse.

Notes and mentions:

Yoga, probably not for me?

In this episode we interview Susie’s, daughter, Emily who runs her yoga business, EmilyRuthYoga.

Emily, trained in India and is an experienced and sought after yoga trainer, normally based in the French Alps but currently running her classes on line. 

We thought this was a great opportunity to find out more about yoga and to ask her specifically whether it can be recommended for older people who possibly are a little stiff and unbending after a lifetime of sitting at a desk or similar and probably will not be able to put their leg behind their neck, etc. We also find out about where and how to do it for a range of budgets.

Apologies again for the wind whistling round the open-sided summerhouse. This episode was recorded just before the November lockdown.

Mentions:

Sport? Me, really?

In this week’s episode,  again recorded before the November lockdown (and at the mercy of some very noisy squalls of rain outside the summer house - apologies),  we discuss what is involved in taking up a new sport, even if you don’t have a history of being sporty; why you might give it a try; the social and health benefits it can bring; and where this could lead.

We are delighted to be interviewing Anne Bennett who relatively recently found she enjoyed triathlon and has now worked her way up and competed for the British Age Group Team at both the European and World Triathlon Championships.

Notes and mentions:

So what about gardening?

In this week’s episode,  again recorded before the November lockdown,  we discuss what is involved;  how you can begin even if you know nothing about it; what are the benefits, etc.  and then we take a look at some tasks we can get started on this autumn.

Mentioned

Ever thought about cycling?

In this week’s episode,  again recorded before the November lockdown,  we discuss how we started with cycling, the benefits,  how to find a group that suits you and which are the best local cafes for when out on a bike ride.  We also talk about e bikes and how you can give cycling a go if you are a very nervous beginner.

Mentioned

If you are wondering how to make the most of your free time in Cornwall this might be the Podcast for you.

This week we introduce ourselves,  Tiggy, Susie and Ann (with Pete our sound engineer)  in our summerhouse just outside Liskeard in Cornwall.

We talk about the purpose of our podcast over the coming weeks – to share the huge range of adventures in Cornwall available to women no longer held back by work, both those that we have already tried and those that our guests can tell us about.  We hope to cover everything from yoga, through growing vegetables to sky diving, gig racing and swimming off our beautiful coastline.  We have found the range of activities available to us incredibly exciting and we hope to be able to share some of that excitement with you.

Huge apologies that our podcast recorded from our summerhouse before the November lockdown,  sounds as if it has been recorded at the coast! This is in fact the wind outside because, in order to be Covid safe, the summerhouse has no walls.  We are so sorry if this interferes with your listening.

Mentioned: