40ish - Pop Socks, Brunch and Barry Manilow

Episode Date: December 19, 2024

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The content was supposed to be quite mid-life, mid-late. Well yeah, yeah, but not as mundane as it's gotten. Do you want to talk about mundane? Do you know, I went to Lake Lantern by and as I poured it at 6.01pm, I said to her, please don't tell your mother that I'm an alcoholic because she won't let you come over anymore. And she said, oh don't worry, my mum's an alcoholic too. In fact, I think you'd get on great. She said we should have lunch. I actually, because there was something else in the order that I've just remembered and I thought, oh I'm going to beat her with how unsexy it is, but you have won.

I mean, and as I unpacked this box I thought this is the least appealing Amazon order I've ever done. Before we jump into the show, we're very excited and honored to tell you that we are currently part of Spotlight. Spotlight is a project from Apple podcasts, which highlights a creator or creative team every couple of months, and they've chosen us for this autumn. Apple's editorial team believes that you will want to be spending a lot more time with us and we definitely want to

spend more time with you so they kindly put us together. Thank you so much to Apple Podcasts. We really hope that you enjoyed this brand new show and we hope you stick around to talk about all things midlife. And don't forget that you can listen ad free to both this show 40ish and Self Care Club when you subscribe to our channel. Hello everyone, welcome to 40ish, I'm Nicole Goodman. And I'm Lauren Mishcon. This is the brand new podcast that navigates the challenges and absurdities of 40 something life and solves all of your dilemmas. Well we attempt to, some weeks we do, some weeks we don't. Last week we didn't. Not really. But that's okay because we're here for the chat innit? We're here for the goss. We're here for the... I tried to come up with something a bit... Riz, are you gonna say Riz? I wasn't but I love it. We're here for the fucking Riz. Okay. I don't think

you can say fucking Riz. You can say whatever you like it's all pre-past. We're here for the Riz, my mum won't like the fucking bit. In the coming weeks we're gonna discuss your problems, your issues and routes that you have kindly shared with us and also we're gonna share our own stories about how we navigate or don't navigate midlife. If you are new to the show then welcome, thank you very much for joining us and please follow and subscribe to this show for new episodes every week. We got an email invitation this week, Nicole. Okay. You and I into our work email. Yeah.

I don't know how interested you're going to be, but I will tell you what it said because I decided to screenshot it for us. Oh, thanks. Obviously I've now lost it. That's just fucking classic. Now I've got what I can find is a recipe for salads. Oh no, here it is. Amazing, amazing audio content this is, come on.

We've been invited to join the world's first sober forward members only dating app. So many problems with that invitation. One, we're both married. Yeah. Two, like I would start dating strangers without alcohol. Yeah. And three, don't even know how to navigate a dating app even if I was single.

I mean. It's the most middle-aged email I feel like I've ever received. I actually think it is very visionary. Do you? Yeah, I do. Because I think sober curiosity is becoming much, much, much bigger and more people are jumping on this sober curious bandwagon.

We've done it on Self Care Club, haven't we? We have done it on Self Care Club. We've explored being sober curious. I'm definitely sober curious. Definitely. I am not fucking curious at all about being sober. I am. In fact, last Friday, I was so delighted to hear that I'm not alone.

We had people for dinner, my son's girlfriend was over, I was making myself a martini, and as I poured it at 6.01 p.m., I said to her, "'Please don't tell your mother that I'm an alcoholic because she won't let you come over anymore and she said, oh don't worry my mum's an alcoholic too, in fact I think you'd get on great, she said we should have lunch. I was like great let's have lunch so we organised the lunch, 24 hours later we were having lunch, we met for the first time and I said your daughter tells me that you're an alcoholic but that's great because so am I. Did you drink at the lunch? No we didn't but to be

honest I bet you both wanted to. Only because alcohol wasn't available at the cafe we chose and we were driving. Can we just well you can have one drink when you're driving. Well I know but we didn't and she was like oh I love a good drink and I was like oh thank god. Yeah. Alright well I'm pleased you've brought this up. Go on. Because can we can we like give a bit more context to this whole thing? Because you basically totally lozzed me off to go and have lunch with this woman.

What do you mean? We had an arrangement. It was at a time when- Lozzed you off, it's the most 80s phrase I've ever heard. Is it? Yeah. Is it?

Do your kids say that? I don't know. Well, I don't want to speak like my kids. That would be weird Wouldn't it? I don't know. I didn't know anything. Okay You do know some things you know that you lost me off You do you fucking lost me off It was a week Where we were so busy with work that we decided that we needed to work on the Sunday because we were both going away a week later and we had a lot of shit to get done and I'm pleased you've

brought this up. Oh okay. And I'm pleased you've brought it up on air. Okay. Okay because I was like in a shit storm of visuals and shows and editing and stuff stuff stuff stuff and- You were having a bit of a menti bee. You were. Appropriately so. Appropriately so. Apple needed a lot of stuff from us because we had this amazing opportunity to work with Apple

and they needed a lot of files, they needed a lot of audio, they needed a lot of artwork and it needed to be in a lot of different, there was a lot going on. And you basically turn around and go, oh, I'm going for brunch. I'll be back at two o'clock. Like two o'clock, is she fucking joking me?

I'm so, I very, very rarely get fucked off with you. Very rarely. I was so fucked off. I had a lovely brunch. You turn up at two o'clock, you were relaxed and all. Yeah, we had a real nice time without alcohol. Yeah. I'd just like to say.

But why did you loss me off? Why are you now like just literally replacing me with new mates? They were going. This is like my son's girlfriend's mother. It was her first meeting. It was quite important. I know, but couldn't you have said,

I'm really sorry, I'm working that day. I had to take the opportunity. They were going away. It was like a Sunday morning. I know it was, because we were gonna have some peace and quiet to get a load of work done, because actually what really happens is, we've got kids off on holiday,

I'm either taking one to a friend or one here and one there, Josh has either got tennis camp or he doesn't and you're picking him, like we are all over the place, aren't we? We are. And finding time together has been very, very, very, very challenging. Wow, do you feel better now? No.

Because did we get all the work done? We did. We did. We did actually, we did. We did, didn't we? We did. It was fine. Yeah.

Anyway. You know what, I don't like being lost off for other people. Listen, you're always the number one in my heart. Am I? Yeah. Well, it wouldn't hurt you to say it every now and then, would it?

Just said it, you've got it recorded now. You can make a clip of it and then just play it to yourself. I will when I go on holiday next week. When you're lonely. Yeah. Yeah. Oh. Do you wanna join the same dating app?

Should I tell them to fuck off. Just before we dive into your dilemmas, a quick disclaimer. We are not doctors or healthcare professionals. It's just a fun space where we share our thoughts. Which could be, by the way, totally wrong. Yup. So if there is an issue that you're seriously struggling with, please contact a qualified expert. What's our first question?

I do not know how to respond to this because this is not something that has ever crossed my path in 20 years of motherhood. Wow. I don't know if it's ever crossed yours, but the listener says, is it me or is she just being really stingy? Okay, okay, okay. Dear Lauren and Nicole, I would love to know your thoughts on this situation I found myself in over the summer holidays and how you both would have handled it. My seven-year-old daughter was invited to her classmates house for the first time. I don't really know the mum well but enough to say hi in the playground.

I picked her up in the afternoon and everything was fine. That evening I got the following WhatsApp. She sent us the WhatsApp. Okay. Hi Michelle. This is from the mother. This is from the other mother. Okay. Hi, Michelle. Hope you're good. It was nice to have C over today. Please can you reimburse me for your share of expenses for the playdate? Total is 11 pounds. Let's do it again sometime. She continues. I thought that it might be a joke or even a typo, so I quickly replied, expenses? She replied straight away and she sent us the WhatsApp message. Yes, she used supplies and food while she was here, and this way we can do it more often

without me bearing the financial obligation. She then went on to itemize the lunch and snacks plus a few pounds for art supplies like stickers. This is my favorite bit. She also added two pounds for household expenses itemized as toilet use, TV, electricity, etc. No! I have never heard of money changing hands on a playdate. Is she stingy or is this just standard now since the Cosy Lives? I love that. What's the Cosy Lives? The cost of living crisis. Cause he lives. Has this ever happened to you?

No, no, no, no one's ever asked me. Well, if sometimes the kids are going out. Going out alone. Or let's say the mother is taking them out for the day. Yes. And they go into like a trampoline park, for example. You know, it can't, it's quite expensive. It can be like 16 quid for an hour. So I would always say, well, let me give you the money. Yeah. And they would always say. No, not always. Oh, really? Not

always. They wouldn't always say. Okay. But I'm all right with that. That's okay. And I think everyone is in a very different, obviously this is taken to an extreme of the electricity, the toilet paper, all of that. Like was she checking if she was doing a wee or a poo and if it's a wee then she charges less than if she does a poo and uses more paper, like what? I want to assume good intent here. And now the show that we've done on Self Care Club.

I have learnt from that show, assuming good intent, which is seeing the best in people, assuming they are doing their best. And perhaps she is maybe a single mom, maybe she is very, very financially strapped and challenged, and maybe having a child over and giving her lunch comes a huge expense to her. I totally understand and agree with what you've just said, but my feeling is this listener would have the capacity to understand if that was the situation and not be writing in with that question because she would go, okay, that's a big deal for her to spend 11 quid on my kid for the afternoon is like a big chunk of

her weekly budget and she wouldn't be writing us this letter because she'd get it. So my feeling is this woman doesn't need the 11 quid, which is why she's surprised that she's got this WhatsApp message because any normal reasonable human being would understand if that was the situation. I think so. Not make a thing of it. Be like, of course, here's 11 quid, send me your bank details or I'll give you the cash when I see you. End of. The fact she's sending us the message tells me that she knows bloody well this woman doesn't need the 11 quid. Which is why she's asking is she just stingy? Or the woman who's writing to us is not very kind. But I'm going gonna assume good intent and say she's not.

I did have a funny play date and I'm going back years. My kids were really little and Daisy was probably about six and Lily Rose was about four. She was really young and they both were friendly with these two girls and they went over to the house. And when I went to pick them up, it was dinner time, you know when you used to give your kids food, dinner at like five.

And she said, oh, should I give them something to eat? I said, you know what, that'd be great. It was like around five o'clock. I said, that'd be really nice, thank you. She put dinner on for the two older ones and her younger daughter and didn't make anything for my youngest. What? Why?

I don't know. What did she think? Four-year-olds don't eat food? Or maybe she was even younger. I don't know. Or maybe she hadn't been there for the play date. I think maybe she, my younger one hadn't been there for the play date, but when I went to pick them up,

obviously I was with her. Oh, I see. So it's like, I'll cook for the three that are date, but when I went to pick them up, obviously I was with her. Oh, I see. So it's like, I'll cook for the three that are here, but you've just bought your random kid to pick up your other kid and I'm not cooking dinner for her. Yeah, and I will never, ever, ever forget it. Because like, how hard is it to put in another spoonful of pasta?

It wasn't even pasta, and I'll remember exactly what it was because my best friend always goes on about it and she calls her happy faces woman. Oh, it was McCain McCain smiley faces? It was the happy faces. She didn't put any like fish fingers and have- That's not good now, what was with it? Fish fingers.

Oh, okay. She didn't put any fish fingers and happy faces on for my little one. So I had to come home and then feed her. But why didn't I just say, oh, can you put some fish fingers on for her? Do you know what I would have done? I would have cut up the food on Daisy's plate,

said, would you mind if I have another plate and cut up half of Daisy's and put it on- I must have done something like that I can't imagine I would have let her sit there and not be fit that's so weird as a mom of two to like not acknowledge there's another child yeah my general feeling on this is that yes sometimes you host I have hosted and also my kids have been on many many many many many play dates over the course of 20 years. And my general feeling is it is like tit for tat, give and take. Well, it is if they're going backwards and forwards between houses. Yeah. But there is always a situation where you have a child more than they have yours.

There is sometimes that mom who takes a bit of advantage, who's like always needs you to have her kids. But I always feel like if I am around and I'm able to help, I'm happy to do that because it takes a fucking village and all of that and like everyone needs someone. And everyone needs a hand. Listen, I'm always happy to have kids at my house because it means my kids are amused and they're happier.

Same, the more kids I have in my house, the less there ever is for me to do. So I'm always happy to do it. And I'm the same as you, like if they say, oh, I'm taking them to, taking them go-karting, or I'm taking them something, and I know it's quite a lot, I'll always say, can I just transfer you the money? No, no, no, no, no, no, but they've never said,

yes, please give me 20 quid. Or if it's the cinema, which is so expensive now, but I always feel like then they come to yours and you pay for what you're doing. So it kind of always evens out in the end. So I don't know, if I was in this situation and I got that message, because I'm like can't deal with confrontation

or any or feeling uncomfortable. I would just give them a so much. I would just definitely transfer it. I wouldn't even comment, I would just say, sure, send me your bank details. And I would pay the money, but I would never ever, ever ask her to do the same. I would also do exactly the same.

I would also never forget it, and I would keep trying to assume good intent and just to assume that that is just her thing and not allow it to be weird going forward. But maybe that just is kind of how she loves it. And how she's been raised. And maybe that just is kind of how she loves it. And how she's been raised. And maybe that's fine. It just feels unusual if it's not how you go about things.

It leaves a little bit of a taste though, doesn't it? It's only that last bit about like the looping for the TV, the electricity, I don't know. I don't know. I'd pay her, I'd just pay her. I would definitely pay her. Just pay her and don't talk about it. And maybe they wouldn't have so many play dates.

And you know what, like, give her the money with love. Send it with love. Send it with love, I love that. Yeah, it's a really good thing for like, someone taught it to me, it's really good for just like, manifesting in good karma and good financial health. Whenever you pay a bill, even if it's really annoying, even if it's a parking ticket,

just send the money and send it with good intent and love. And also always say, I am grateful that I have enough money to be able to pay this bill. Love it! I'm going with that. I'm going with that. I'm going with that. I went to Lakeland this week. Hi, my name is Laura Mishcon, I went to Lakeland.

Yeah. Okay. I mean, is that really, is that really what we're now? I mean, you know, when we decided to start this podcast, the content was supposed to be quite midlife, middle age. Yeah, yeah, but not as mundane as it's gotten. Do you wanna talk about mundane?

Do you know why I went to Lake Lanterby? The fucking hardest thing in the world to find, Nicole, I'm not joking, a sink mat. You know, in your sink, sometimes you want a silicon mat. I've actually never understood your sink mat. Gotta be honest, now that we're on it. What? You have this weird sink mat.

It's like, you know, when you go to your grandma's house, obviously, my grandma passed away many, many years ago. So, all right, when you go to a person who's in an older generation to you, and they've got like a shower mat in the shower to stop you from slipping, that is what your sink mat is. I don't get it, because you don't stand in the sink. What are you doing with the mat?

Why do you need a mat? What's it for? I'll tell you exactly why I need the mat. I have a ceramic sink, and if you don't have a sink mat in it, and you put saucepans and other scrappy things in it, it scratches the sink. But you don't put it all around the sink, you just put it on the bottom. Yes. Why did you get a ceramic sink?

Because it looks nicer. Well it doesn't with the sink mat. It doesn't. You see, this is the problem, trying to find a white sink mat that is not unattractive. They're all unattractive. They're all. I've searched high, I've searched low, I've searched wide and far.

They're all, I'm sorry, I think you're better off with a scratch sink. No way. You are, I don't get the sink mat. I think it's very, very, very elderly. Do you? Yeah. But I don't want a scratch sink. You know, it's like a pop sock.

Oh my God. It's like that. It is never a pop sock. No my God. It's like that. It is never wear a pop sock. Now I'm just saying, but it is, it is like a pop sock. You are saying that a sink mat is the foot equivalent of pop sock. Yeah, standing solidly behind that statement, yeah. Oh, you've given me the ick.

Given me the ick about my sink mat. Have I? Yeah. Oh good. Did you find one? I went to John Lewis, I went to Lakeland, I trawled the high street. Do they not exist anymore?

So hard to find one. Yeah, because nobody's having, nobody wants one because they're not okay. They are not okay. I had to order one on a very popular online shopping site. Why didn't you just go straight to the online? Why are you so weird about saying Amazon? I'm not weird.

You did this last week, what is this? I just don't want people to feel like we're sponsored by them. Well, we're not, but we're middle-aged and we've got very busy family lives and I fucking live on it. So, you know. Yeah, my-

But Amazon came yesterday, right? And I knew Adam was getting really pissed off with all the Amazon parcels. He does like to comment, oh another parcel. Yeah. He always comments. Because he works from home a lot. So then he says to me like the beginning of the week,

can we stop with the Amazon parcels? I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's fine. Okay. And then I basically went on Instagram and there's a fashion influencer that we both follow and she was promoting these, she was promoting these sunglasses that are so cool. And they are on Amazon and they were 11.99. I thought, well. Basically free.

They are basically free and I've got to have them and she looked great in them and you don't like them and you've already dissed them, but whatever we'll get onto that. So I thought I'd have got to order them. But then to make myself feel less guilty, I ordered this sesame dressing that he likes so you could only get on Amazon.

I know the one. Yeah. It's delicious. It is delicious. So when Amazon, the doorbell rang at like six o'clock and he's like, who's that? And I'm like, oh, it's Amazon. He's like, I thought we weren't. I said, no, it's the dressing you like. For you, for you, your dressing. He like stomps down says, oh, the dressing I like. And it's basic. And it's like a massive, like one liter bottle of this dressing. And obviously the package arrives, it was just a flat pack.

He's like, it is not the dressing. You're like, it comes in a refillable sachet now. Anyway, I had to sneak the glasses past him. My Amazon delivery arrived last night. Is this the sink, Matt? No, no, that's already been bought. No, have you got it? Is it arrived?

Is it in your sink? Is it pretty? Not really, no. that's already been bought. No, have you got it? Is it arrived? Yeah, I've got one, yeah. Is it in your sink? Yeah. Is it pretty? Not really, no. It's white, but it's not great. I don't really like it. It's tricky when you make porridge. I don't love it. Oh, when you make porridge, that's horrendous. What about rice?

Rice can't be good. Rice cannot be good. I take it out. I take it out. Do you ever make poke bowls with the sushi rice? No, I'm not that bougie, but if I did- You are really bougie with your cooking, FYI. You should get onto that. I you ever make poke bowls with the sushi rice? No, I'm not that bougie, but if I did. You are really bougie with your cooking, FYI. You should get onto that. I don't make poke bowls, but I feel like I should.

You make a mean poke bowl. I should make a poke bowl. I'll make you one for lunch one day instead of the scrambled eggs. Thanks. But you won't want that sushi rice in that, Matt. That I can tell you. My Amazon order arrived last night

and I opened it up and I thought, this isn't a sexy order. What is it? It was, it was two new pairs of Ready Reader glasses plus one because- Why you buy so many glasses? You have got so many readers. Because I bought the five pack of Ready Reader plus ones. Yeah, how many do you need? Because I'm old, I gave you a pair and then I-

You're cold. No, because I'm old. Oh, right. And then I was wearing them the other day to read the paper and- Yeah, how many do you need? I'm old, I gave you a pair. You're cold. No, cause I'm old. Oh right. And then I was wearing them the other day to read the paper and- Oh, your eyes have got worse. Yeah, and the children and Ollie were laughing at me

cause I have a pair in bright green, bright red, bright blue. They're cool, they're cool. And they were like, I said, why are you laughing? They said your glasses, they are fucking awful. And I said, don't mock my glasses. Yeah, yeah. I bought five pairs for 20 quid. And Ollie was like, maybe you could have spent a bit more and got some nice ones. So I thought,

okay, I'm fed up with the mocking. I'm just going to buy plain black and tortoise shell. So that was the first item. And then the second item was disposable diapers for my incontinent dog. I thought I actually, cause there was something else in the order that I've just remembered and I thought, oh, I'm going to beat her with how unsexy it is, but you have one.

I mean, and I, as I unpacked this box, I thought this is the least appealing Amazon order I've ever done. Failing eyesight, failing bladder in the elderly dog. The second part of my Amazon order, a Veruca sock. Oh, fuck, sorry. Not for me. That might top it.

I don't know, I think they are head to head, head to head. What's worse, a pop sock or a Veruca sock? A pop sock. No, a Veruca sock. No, because a Veruca sock has a reason for being on the fucking foot. A pop sock has no place on any foot ever. Of course it does because it's like to stop.

I don't really know what I'm talking about. Stop what? I don't really know. What is a pop sock for? My mum says it stops her ankles being cold but I don't think that's true. I don't think that's true. How come it? They're like five dead yet.

The wind is still whistling around those ankles. Forget it. And then they just roll down anyway. It's just a no. What about the knee high's just a no. What about the knee-high ones? Just no. No. Don't worry even I don't own popsocks. You don't own popsocks. Or tights. Or tights. No you don't own tights. Or stockings. None of the above. Stockings are okay. They are okay but I don't own them either. They are okay, but I don't own them either. What's our next question?

It's actually not a question. She wanted to share a funny story. Okay. Okay. She says, I work in a busy hair salon and I'm also in perimenopause, which is making my brain fog and memory a little unreliable. Okay. I so know what she means.

On Saturday night, I was out at a restaurant in town with my husband. I spotted a familiar looking guy at a nearby table and smiled at him and he smiled back. Later in the evening, I went to the loo and the same man was walking into the men's toilet. We again exchanged a friendly smile and a nod again Oh, it was really bugging me how I knew him

So when we both came out I said to him on the way back to our respective tables Hi, I think you come into the salon that I work at you're so familiar He said nice to meet you. I'm Barry Manilow Special oh Nice to meet you, I'm Barry Manilow. Oh, special. Oh, so special. So she actually recognized him from the Copa Copacabana. Who wouldn't recognize Barry Manilow? Oh, that's amazing. Also like what kind of clientele does she get in that salon?

Because Barry Manilow looks a little bit questionable these days. He's a special look. He's very mannequin-esque, isn't he? Well, yes. That could be surgery. You think? You think?

Do you think you'd recognize Barry Manilow if you saw him? Yeah, I would. I totally would. But I just love that she didn't realise, she just knew she knew him. But she just didn't know why she knew him. And also, what a gent.

Yes, I am Barry Manilow. Yeah, to make a mockery. She's like, oh, you don't come in the salon then. Oh, that's amazing. Have you ever done that? I haven't done it, but I was in a restaurant a couple of weeks ago, and here's an 80s reference for you. Fergal Sharkey was at the next table. Do you remember Fergal Sharkey?

I do, but didn't he have long hair? I don't know. It was just so him, and it was him. He got quite drunk and quite loud, and then we were all like, oh my God, it's Fergal Sharkey. Are we just going to do celebrity spots now? But my father-in-law did this. He was having coffee outside at this cafe one morning in town and saw a man he recognized, went over very enthusiastically, hi, how are you?

Oh, it's so good to see you, like shook his hand, started this whole conversation because he thought that this man was a fellow architect. And after a few minutes of conversation, this man just looked increasingly confused and then looked at him and said, hello, Simon Cowell. I can hear him saying it. Can hear him saying it.

But these people become so familiar to you. Like Simon Cowell is so familiar that you could always feel like you knew him. So we went to a talk on International Women's Day and the talk was hosted by Davina McCall, in case you're wondering, there's only one Davina. And I literally had to stop myself from going up to her and just sort of saying, hi, how are you? Because she's so down to earth and she's so friendly

and she's so like my she's so like my friend. She's my friend. I actually did have this, but I didn't actually go up to her, I caught myself just before. I was in Miami and I was in one of the big shopping malls there and I saw one of the Real Housewives. Who, which? Sy from New York.

I know, I know who that is. Yeah, so now the thing is, is that New York did a reboot. So that particular season, they're not my best friends yet. But on some seasons, they're my best friends. They become my best friends. So I didn't feel the need to go up to Si and go, hello, we're best friends, because we weren't. And she's not my favorite.

She's a little salty for my liking. Okay, I like salty, but okay. You are salty. Yeah. So I didn't, but you know, it was that moment of, oh, I know you and you just go up and. But you don't know them. Well, you do.

They just don't know you. Do and you don't. Well, you do. You know they're the, you only know the persona that you are shown. You don't actually know them as you don't say such things. You know I am so obsessed with any show that is on Bravo and they do they become like my best friends. They do. If you especially in Covid. If you in your own words loz me off for a bunch of real housewives. I'd be really, really offended, but I'd be less offended if you invited me on the trips.

Why am I lozzing you off for a bunch of housewives? Just saying, like, oh, they're my best friends. I mean, they're not, they're not your best friends. No, no, I know they're not my best friends because they're not actually in my real life. Yet. Would you, if you got offered to do Real Housewives. No.

I wouldn't either. Fat no, big fat no. Fat no, and they all, because they all get divorced as well when they go on there. Let's forget it. I was about to say, firstly, my husband is a very sensible man with a very sensible job and he would have no truck with this shit.

It would be no cameras in the house. My children don't do social media. So they would also be like, that's not happening, you're not filming our birthdays. And their birthdays won't be very lavish. No, they really wouldn't be. And also like, I don't want to have plastic surgery or augmentation or filler or boat box. Or row with a million women all day long. I would be an anxious wreck. Just no, I have no desire to be a real housewife. Thank you. Thank you so much, but no thank you.

Anyway, thank you so much to this woman for A, admitting that it was part of her perimenbos and B, just bringing such a lovely story. We love it. We enjoyed that thoroughly. We want more. We want more. So if you want to be in touch with us and you want to share your stories, your rants, your issues, your dilemmas, whatever you want to share with us that's happening in your 40s, please email

us. Hello at 40ish.co.uk. I have such a problem remembering that email address. It's because I'm 47, isn't it? We're also on social media. We're on Instagram, Fortyish.podcast, we're on TikTok, don't message us there because we don't know how the messaging stuff works. We're on Facebook if you are a proper middle aged person and I believe we're on YouTube. So get in touch. Yeah please get in touch, all of our show notes are below so just scroll down. Please come subscribe, be part of the show. Make sure you're following us. Make sure you're following us everywhere.

There's a lot to do. We love you. Thank you for your support. We'll be back next week. Good night. God bless.