Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball - 41: DIG IN: I Accidentally Sent My Dad a Filthy Text

Episode Date: December 1, 2025

Today, when do you finally stop letting your parents’ advice (and gentle nagging) steer your life? They also decode the delicate art of leaving a Hen Do WhatsApp without causing uproar. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER Stay up to date with Dig It — new updates every Friday straight to your inbox. 👉 https://digitpod.substack.com/subscribe GET IN TOUCH 📧 Email us: [e-mail] 📱 Text or Voice Note: 07477 038795 💬 Or tap here to send a voice note or message on WhatsApp:⁠ ⁠https://wa.me/447477038795⁠⁠ SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS This episode is brought to you by QVC, AG1 & Visit Scotland  ✨AG1 has 70 plus high-quality ingredients including vitamins, minerals, botanicals and good bacteria to support immunity, energy and gut health. New customers get £20 off their first month plus a free welcome kit with a shaker, canister and scoop. Only valid in December.Try it at www.drinkag1.com/digit ✨QVC - Click below to discover QVC’s range of menopause products and support. And don’t forget to use the code QDIG10 for £10 off your first purchase (minimum spends apply, see QVC website for full terms and conditions) -   https://www.qvcuk.com/content/menopause-your-way.html?cid=PR-PR-Digit&e22=Digit ✨Visit Scotland – Ready for your next great escape? Discover breathtaking beaches, ancient castles, whisky trails, and some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. Start planning your adventure with TripAdvisor’s travel guides, hidden gems and must-see spots across Scotland’s stunning landscapes – https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Scotland CREDITS Exec Producer: Jonathan O’Sullivan Assistant Producer: Eve Jones Technical Producer: Will Gibson Smith Video Editors: Danny Pape and Jack Whiteside Dig It is a Persephonica production 

Coming up on Diggett. You know, life is short, and we don't know how long we're going to get on this crazy spinning planet. And you have to do what makes you happy. Oh, my God, can you see this cat on my head? Well, he's attacked your doll head. It's like he's giving me a head massage. It's quite nice, actually. Is that quite nice or really painful?

Oh! I once accidentally WhatsApped my dad something very rude about someone very hot. Oh, my God. What did he reply? All of that right after this. When you think about businesses that are selling through the roof, all birds, skims, sure, you think about a great product, a cool brand, and brilliant marketing. But an often overlooked secret is actually the businesses behind the business,

making selling, and for the shoppers buying, simple. For millions of businesses, that business is Shopify. Nobody does selling better than Shopify, home of the number one checkout on the planet. And the not-so-secret secret, with shop pay, that boosts conversions up to 50%, meaning way less carts going abandoned and way more sales going... So if you're into growing your business, your commerce platform better be ready to sell wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling on the web, in your store, in their feed, and everywhere in between. Businesses that sell more sell on Shopify. Upgrade your business and get the same checkout skim's users. Sign up for your $1 per month trial period at Shopify.com slash audio boom, all lowercase.

Go to Shopify.com slash audio boom to upgrade your selling today. Shopify.com slash audio boom. Hey, happy Monday, Zoe Ball. How you doing? Happy Monday and happy December. Look, I'm starting the gradual phasing of Christmas with my Christmas mug that now. got me for my birthday. I love that. Every time we appear now, there will be more and more festivities behind us. So, Merry December. I've got the Christmas cat who's just run away with my doll one more time. I love December. Even though we're all absolutely broken and fried and

frazzled and exhausted and sort of need it to be Christmas holidays that we can all stop. Yeah, number of my friends who I'm talking to at the moment and they are just like, I cannot cope with intensity of Christmas. There is so much to do, so much to organise. So much. Yeah, so much. Christmas is a lot. But obviously you started your present buying months ago, so you must be not feeling that stress. Well, I'm off going to offer my services to all diggers as your, this is going to be my career. I'm going to give up broadcasting. You're the elf. And I am going to be a Christmas elf because I love shopping. I'm pretty good at finding the right thing for the right person. I mean, not always. But.

But yes, if anyone needs a personal shopper, yeah, here I am. Just call this number. One of the nicest things to do is to try an earmark a morning. That's what I'm going to try and do. Earmark a morning when I can just sit down and do, I'm going to do a bunch of shopping online because I just haven't got the time to physically get to the shops very often at the moment. So, yeah, just to have a cup of coffee, really nice pastry, my iPad in front of me and just going to go through it. Obviously, I'll be very diligent. I'll write down everyone's names and I'll write down everything I've bought them. That will never happen, by the way. That will never happen. No.

And I will be there on Christmas morning just going, I don't know what this is that I've wrapped up. It's obviously very, very special and important. It's terrible, isn't it? And that's the only problem with if you buy and wrap early and label, it's like on the label, you have to make sure you write something on the label that gives away what it is because otherwise you think, what if I bought them?

What did I get them? Who was that for? And yeah, there is that danger. So clues on labels. for you, not for them. No. Not for the gifty. No, no, no. It's very, very important to be organised like that.

I saw, I think it's Rockets and George have got these amazing sacks. My mum bought them last year. Just big sacks that I'm going to buy and I'm going to put them around the fireplace and each child is going to have their own sack and I've never done that before. Normally we have stockings,

which obviously they've had since they were born. But they're quite tiny and it's really difficult to fit anything in. So I'm just going to do that. As I buy presents, I'm for the kids anyway, I'm going to buy them, wrap them, put them in the sack, and then hopefully on Christmas Eve, I will just go and pick up a sack and I'll put it in the room by the fireplace.

It's such a good idea, labelled sacks. And you can buy them online, really cheap. They're really cheap, yeah. Diggers, if you discover any good Christmas ideas, you want to share with us, now is the season. Do let us know, because we can always put a load in our substack. And tips for how to make it, you know, get to try and eliminate as much stress as possible. How can we all do this together? We're all in this together.

We're all feeling exactly the same way, a little bit overwhelmed, a little bit manic. So let's just advise each other along the way. How do we make it better? How do we make it easier? We can do this. We can have a good Christmas this year. By the way, if you do enjoy hanging out with us every week, then make sure you're subscribed on YouTube or hit follow on Apple or Spotify.

And then the latest episode will just pop up as soon as they're out. So it's really easy. If you want to be part of this crazy gang that we're creating right now, then yeah, subscribe on YouTube and hit the follow on Apple or Spotify. We have had so many messages from our fabulous diggers and we've had so many over the last couple of weeks and I keep trying to sort of message everyone about saying thank you so much being a digger and welcome to our community because everywhere we go, Joe and I meet people who are really enjoying the podcast and it's lovely to know that we're quite a community now. There's quite a gang. So welcome if you're new and this is our funny little world and a Monday show is where our diggers get in touch with us with. questions that we open out to the group. So hi, Zoe and Joe, this is a question from Jane. I'm 54 and an empty nester. My hubby and I are thinking of moving our lives a good few hours away from where we've been for the last 10 years. Our kids seem happy enough with the idea. They're

27, 25 and 20, but our parents say we are being irresponsible. Oh no, the parent guilt. I'm now having lots of menopausal anxieties about it and worried we're being unfair to the kids. We just want to start a new chapter for ourselves moving back to our roots. Any thoughts or advice on navigating this difficult time of our lives, please love the pod and you girls and we love you, Jane. So I think when your parents are around, that will always be there. I mean, I will always live in fear of my mum and my dad and their disapproval. And I think that goes for absolutely everybody. For example, the other day when I think I relayed this on the podcast, when my mum just turned to me, went, I think you need a haircut. And instantly, I've thought of nothing else since.

Oh, God, I probably do need a haircut. And I've asked everybody else, do I need a haircut? Because what your mum and dad say goes. And it really affects you. It really impacts you. But then when you are a grown-up and you're in your 50s, you are kind of trying to carve your own life and do your own thing and do what makes you happy as well. So you have to kind of sometimes put that to one side. And I absolutely, Jane, understand the menopause and anxiety and the doubts and just thinking, oh my God, they don't approve of what we're planning to do. But you absolutely have to do what is right for you. And your kids are obviously older. And you're saying you want to go back to your roots and where you were. And if you feel like that is what you need to do, then you should do that. We've had quite a few friends who've moved away. And it's been interesting watching how it's worked out for everybody. And the one thing that I have noticed is that it's quite hard. And you know, we talk about about when you have children and you move out of London maybe or you move out of a big city and move to the countryside. It's really difficult to make new friends. And I think that kind of applies when you're in midlife or getting on and you want to make a change in your life and you

move to a new area. And actually it's quite hard because you haven't got young kids to make friends at the school gate and you don't quite know how to make new friends at this age. And yet it's quite hard work to do it. And so I've had quite a few friends have actually moved back. They've moved away. They've had an adventure. Some of them have tried. traveled and then ultimately they come back to where all their really old friends are who they've grown up with, who know them inside and out, whose families, your families are kind of mixed in meshed together and they decide to move back because that is actually where their home is. So maybe renting, if you are going to move, maybe rent for a year and see how it works out.

But yeah, I mean, that whole thing about needing and wanting and being unable to escape, the parental judgment is something that I have struggled with all my life, Jane. Thing I've found also with lots of my friends and when we all got together for my birthday last week, it was so lovely to get everyone together because everyone has dispersed all around the country because you go where your unit partner is, where the work is, where your love is, where it works for your kids. There are so many reasons people move for jobs. And so I've found that my friends are all quite far apart now. We're not necessarily on each other's doorsteps, which we always used to be. So it is a little bit harder. But what you need in life changes as well. And it might be that Jane's saying they're going back to their roots. So maybe they're going back to where their friends were. Maybe they're going back to where they grew up.

Or, you know, there's obviously they've got to that point when you've got an empty nest. And it's like, actually, now's the time to do something for us. Because, you know, we've made our life about raising the kids. And now we need something for us. And the other thing, like you picked up on that, Joe, I think it's good to remember that if you try something and it doesn't work, it's okay that you can say, do you know what? We tried that and actually that didn't work for us and we'll come back. And I think maybe that's something to say to your parents, Jane, is like, look, this is what we need for us now.

We will still be here for you. We will always be there for our kids. But, you know, life is short and we don't know how long we're going to get on this crazy spinning planet. and you have to do what makes you happy and take that time for you because, you know, and treasure those moments. So it's an exciting adventure, Jane. And yeah, both Joe and I understand the menopausal anxieties. I mean, it's not as if you're worrying about everything enough to then have menopausal anxiety on top of your own anxiety is, but remember in your heart, you and your partner will know, we're doing this for us. You say that your kids are okay with it. So it's your

parents who are saying you're being unfair on the kids. Actually, if the kids are saying it's okay, it's okay. And also, our parents parented very differently to how we parent and we have learned from their strengths and their mistakes. And we then try to learn from that. And we have very different relationships, perhaps, with our own kids. And I'm still learning, good parenting. And sometimes I get it right. Sometimes I get it wrong. But I love it as your kids grow up. You can have these great conversations with them where they're like, hey, I get it. I know that that's what you need. And, you know, maybe you thought you needed that, but now you need this. And if each generation learns lessons from the last, then, you know, that's only a good thing. We've got to make progress.

Yeah, Jane, good luck with your new adventure. It sounds really exciting. My kids are always saying, don't ever leave home. Don't move house. You cannot move from this house. So I feel like my parents are telling me to stay here. My kids are telling me to stay here. So I don't feel like I'm going to be going anywhere. Joe, your house is amazing. Please, as your friend. Don't ever leave that house. Okay, all right. And for you as well. So you're telling me to stay here too. Yeah, that's fine. Very selfishly. Please stay there. Right. This question is from Rebecca, who says, hi, Joe and Zoe. Love the pod. Day one listener here. Thank you, Rebecca. I went on a hen party in the summer and had a brilliant time. But the

WhatsApp group is still going. I'm friends with a bride through work, but I barely know the rest of girls and I'm waking up to 20 plus messages a day about TV shows I'm not watching and plans I am just not part of. I'm not a big texter and I just want my WhatsApp tidy again. The problem is I feel too awkward to leave. I've tried archiving, but I'm worried they'll ask me something directly. Is there a polite way to exit without causing drama? What's the etiquette here? And have either of you ever successfully pulled off a drama-free exits? Yes, I know exactly this feeling I'm a member of too many WhatsApp groups and you do you quieten them don't you quieten them I think we just have to be bold and brave what if you just send a little message saying

such a fun hen but I've got a really crazy WhatsApp groups I'm just I'm just going to come off the group but you know where I am if you need me something like that I think sometimes we're so busy trying to be polite and actually we don't do what we need to do for ourselves and sometimes you know just it's like rip the plaster off don't overthink it because no one will think ill of you at all at all. You're being practical and they're probably thinking the same as you, to be honest. Or they're mates and they're just chatting away and they're not even thinking at the impact that their messages are having on you, how it's clogging your phone or whatever. So don't worry about it. We had, we've had a work WhatsApp group and lovely Bernie who worked on

my show left last week. And then she just sent a message on Friday and said, as I'm, as I've left the show, I'm just removing myself from this group and we can welcome Franken now and here's his number. and it was just such a tidy and clean transition. I was like, oh, first of all, my main seat was like, oh, you're leaving. And then I was like, oh, no, no, that's very practical. So absolutely, yeah. Join another WhatsApp group and Frank, welcome in. So, yeah, just do that, Rebecca.

Just say exactly what Zoe said. It was fun and now I'm out. You know where I am if you need me. I constantly get the wrong group. I text the wrong people, the wrong things. So, like we have Jonathan, our producer on Digit, and then also have Jonathan, who's my PT, and I have often messaged them, the wrong messages.

I once accidentally WhatsApped my dad, something very rude about someone very hot and was trying to send it to another friend of mine and sent it to my dad. How did you get dad confused with your friend? What was the... Because my friend's name began with the D, A, D-A, something. And I texted my dad saying something really filled.

about a celebrity. Oh, my God. What did he reply? I can't remember if he either replied. I was like, delete, go back, delete this message. It was quite funny actually. I don't know. I never send messages like that.

That's the other thing. I'm like, I'm not that person. And also because my eyesight and we do everything so quickly, don't we? Like, da-da, bum-ba-bum, la-la. It is that thing of quick, get that out. But I've got a few, yeah, WhatsApp groups that I probably should come out. I archive. There's a group that I am part of and I've archived it and it's a big group. And there are like 10 million messages on that group and I'm like, thank God I've archived them. I just, that is too much of my life to give away to somebody. It is. Good luck with exiting the WhatsApp group. Let us know when you've done it and we'll be like. Yeah, good love, Rebecca. And if anyone gives you any shit, say Joe and Zoe told me to do that. So we'll take full responsibility for you. Oh my God. Can you see this cat on my head? I know. Well, he's attacked your doll head and now he's now going to give your own hair the style he's given the doll.

It's like he's giving me a head massage. It's quite nice, actually. Is that quite nice or really painful? Oh! Nemo, you're a little rascal. We're going to take a quick break for some ads. If you'd like these episodes, ad free, why not become a subscriber to the potting shed? you will get longer episodes, bonus content and also early access to our live shows which should be happening next year. But most importantly, you'll be supporting the show. To subscribe, head to digipod.com.com.uk. Or tap the link in the show notes. This episode of Digit is sponsored by QVC.

I've been improving my bedtime routine lately. Lights low, limited phone time, just trying to introduce a bit of calm before I sleep. Limited phone time. I'm impressed already. I know. But honestly, I found a gorgeous neon magnesium bath milk and body butter on menopause Your Way at QVC. It helps me unwind. And then I use this retinal night moisturiser from Pericon and I am out cold in minutes. That sounds divine.

Menopause Your Way at QVC is such a brilliant hub for women who are juggling everything, work, family, caring for others. And just needs somewhere that says, here's what might help you. Exactly. one size fits all. Everyone's experience of menopause is different. Whether you need a product for sleep, stress or skin changes, QVC's shot by symptom tool helps you find what's right for you. And they've got loads of expert advice to everything from relaxation and confidence to relationships and nutrition. It's made such a difference. To explore more, search menopause at QVCUK.com. And don't forget to use the code QDig 10 for 10 pounds off your

first purchase over 30 pounds. That's QDIG 10, QDIG-10 for 10 pounds off your first order over 30 pounds. For full terms, visit QVC websites. When you think about businesses that are selling through the roof, all birds, skims, sure, you think about a great product, a cool brand, and brilliant marketing. But an often overlooked secret is actually the businesses behind the business, making selling, and for the shoppers buying, For millions of businesses, that business is Shopify. Nobody does selling better than Shopify, home of the number one checkout on the planet. And the not-so-secret secret, with shop pay, that boosts conversions up to 50%, meaning way less carts going abandoned and way more sales going...

So if you're into growing your business, your commerce platform better be ready to sell wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling on the web, in your store, in their feed, and everywhere in between. Businesses that sell more, sell on Shopify. Upgrade your business and get the same checkout skim's uses. Sign up for your $1 per month trial period at Shopify.com slash audio boom, all lowercase. Go to Shopify.com slash audio boom to upgrade your selling today. Shopify.com slash audio boom. You guys have been in touch, we have a voice note from Mia. Hi, Mia. Hi, Mia.

Hi, girls. I just want to say massive thank you for the podcast. I was a therapist. I had to give up work to be a full-time carer for my daughter, Penny, who's eight. She's autistic and non-speaking, and that can be so isolating, feel like you're existing in a different reality to people, not living with disabilities. So, um, A massive thank you to Joe for sharing about Francis because it makes me feel a little less alone. And thank you to both you girls for talking about menopause. I had an early one. I'm 47 now and I'm 10 years in. So I haven't been able to talk about that with my peers. So it's fabulous that you're talking about it. And again, makes me feel a little less isolated alone.

Thank you. I love the podcast so much. Bye. Oh, God. cried, Mia, thank you. My goodness me. There's a lot of isolation and loneliness going on, isn't there? And Mia, you've had a lot, you've got a lot that you're dealing with at the moment. Yeah, I will always talk about Francis and I'm so aware that there are lots and lots of other people, whether they're parents or siblings who have got people with learn disabilities in their lives,

you know, everybody has their own complex needs and demands, and that affects you in so many different ways. So I'll always share stuff that's going on with Francis and how hard it is. For example, we are thinking about Christmas and I don't know how other people with people with learned disabilities in their lives feel about Christmas but it's quite challenging for us and it's going to be more difficult this year because mum and dad are not quite as able as they were last year

but everything's changed. So to the family we just keep going Christmas Day, let's not think about that now, let's think about that at some point. So we'll return to this another time but yeah, Mia, thank you for mentioning and I hope things are okay with your daughter and you don't feel isolated

and alone, and there are people you can talk to. I have friends who have kids who are autistic and nonverbal, and it can be so lonely because it's obviously incredibly challenging. And so you're parenting and then parenting a hell of a lot more. So you're being a carer as well, and that is 24-7, isn't it? And often there's not a huge amount of support and where you might, you know, hang out with other parents and have lots of things to share, that can be challenging as well.

So I really hope you find a community who give you some support, Mia, and whether that's a way that you visit or whether there is a centre that you can visit with Mia. We're seeing some amazing projects that are supported by children in need that we're hearing about when Sarah was doing her challenge. So I really hope that you can find a good support network, Mia. and going through menopause really young. I'm hearing more and more how many young women are going through menopause. I know Emma Barnett, amazing radio journalist.

She's fantastic last she hosted Woman's Hour and she does the Today program and she's had a really tough challenge with her menopause and she's been sharing a lot about that experience. So she's definitely someone to follow. She's on Instagram, Mia, because she's had a really tough challenge. She's had a shared experience with you there. So, yeah, don't feel alone. Because that's the thing.

I guess for Joe and I, we've got all our other girlfriends to talk about with it. I was the first of my gang, Mia, to go through it. And I remember a couple of my mates saying to me, will you stop wanging on about the menopause? And then they've gone through it and they're like, actually, I'm really sorry I said that because, yeah, it's only when you go through it that you can really understand it. So I'm glad you found us a lot. Next, we've got a text from Paulette and she says, hi, both. love the show. Zoe's advice, live your life for you are words that I live by. And I have Bon Jovis. It's my life on my run playlist. I can't recommend it enough. It's funny. I was listening

to Billy Joel my life yesterday and just I love that song and I belt that song out and those words have similar kind of resonance. Anyway, she continues, Paulette. Also to the listener who was worried about using colour in her kitchen, we changed ours last year. Just go for it. It really cheers me up every day. And she's sent through, Paulette sent through a photograph. for us to have a look at now and it's oh my god that's gorgeous describe it so okay so we've got fabulous orange walls and then some of the cabinets are this kind of chartreuse yellowy color yellowy green and then you've got stainless steel and then some of those cabinets underneath are also like a russity orange color and these beautiful glass lamps above and the tiles behind the

range look beautiful as well. That is a gorgeous use of colour. Oh, that's good. It's bringing kind of citrusy colours, autumnal colours, but it is really bright and hopeful. And yeah, look at that. Fantastic. I also really love something in this kitchen that I wish I'd stolen myself. Is those kind of like shelves, those long shelves you can put art on them and you can change the art around if you ever get bored. So she's got lots of pictures propped up. It's great. isn't it? The minute you look at anyone who has this kitchen. He just want to change your own kitchen, yeah. You want to change your own. Obviously, I've been doing my own kitchen up,

and the one thing I became really aware of is that next year, everybody will have wooden doors for their kitchen. So wood is everywhere, and that's what's going to happen next year. I'm telling you now, and Paulette's got wooden doors, so I'm quite jealous of those. But it wasn't an option for us because we were too deep in with a paint, and there was no way that disco was going to allow for a complete renovation. And I haven't got the energy for a complete renovation.

So we're nearly there with our kitchen and we put the tiles in last week. I will take photographs, but they're a deep, greeny blue, maybe teal, maybe green, and they go all along the back wall. So they make the chalk cabinets, they complement each other really well, basically. The tiles stand out, which is amazing. And I've just got a tap, which I'm waiting for, to be delivered tomorrow. still haven't got a range oven, still waiting on trying to find a range oven to you

put in, but otherwise it's looking good I'm really very happy with it. The tiles are such an important part of the kitchen aren't they? They just make everything just kind of spring into life. Oh, I can't wait to see the photos. I haven't done the photos because I went away for the weekend and the tiles

were being done on the Friday and I came back on the Saturday thinking stupid me that somebody might have put everything away that was kind of out and they might have actually cleaned the surfaces. That didn't happens. After a household last weekend, I'm like, if I, if someone else doesn't load this dishwasher, I'm on purpose dishroher, I am going to scream. A boys are really good and Steve's really good if I ask them to do something. Yeah. If I ask them to do something. Tows, that's what it is

for me. It's picking up towels. I like, just pick up the towels. Put them up. Then they'll dry. Then they don't smell. Oh, we haven't got any food in the house, isn't it? We've run out of all the food. Go to the shops. Order the food yourself. Yeah. Just pop to the shop. Or look in the freezer. Look in the freezer. I have filled it with all your favourites. Yeah. I might blow if we carry on over this conversation. I know. I actually don't. What we should do is then get the kids and the lodger and everyone to then have their little moan about us and the things that we do. They get their revenge. No, no, no, no, no. We're perfect. We are perfect. Yeah. They would have nothing to say. No. and Katie Reynolds' garden design has sent us a top gardening tip.

You'll love this. Hi, Jo and Zoe. My name's Katie Reynolds, and I'm an interior and garden designer up in Aberdeenshire. I'm loving the Digit Pod and listen to you as I go about my day, driving to my clients across the Scottish countryside. So thank you very much for keeping me company. I have a little gardening tip that I wanted to share about pots and planters, especially as we're coming into the tulip planting season.

I always advise buying as bigger plant as you can afford as it makes much of a statement feature. But obviously that can be expensive, especially if they're, say, terracotta or zinc or something. So once you've made this big purchase, you want to make sure the display in your large planter is always looking really good. So to ensure I have interest through the seasons, I plant up different displays in large plastic pots that fit inside the big terracotta ones. And then these can be lifted in and out to change between the seasons. It works particularly well for tulips as there's not really much to see whilst they're getting going and then they also don't look great

when the leaves are dying back after flowering. So both those stages can be done out of sight and then they're only on display and the big planters when they're at their best. And then once the tulips are over you can swap in another pot for your summer display and so on through the seasons. Anyway, I hope that might be of use to you and your listeners

and thanks again for a great podcast. Oh, Katie, that was so good. Oh, that was so good. And just talking about her drive to her clients through the Scottish countryside. Oh, Katie. How wonderful. Imagine those views. Yeah, yeah. What a top tip though. Yeah. No, plastic plant is really, really good idea. I've got some Agapanthas, which are an amazing display. Huge, huge, huge plant. But they look incredibly tattie now. And they are in plastic pots. So I'm going to take those out really soon. And I'll probably put some tulips in, I think. Because it is. The ground is now cold. We've had our frost. The ground is really cold. And it's perfect for planting tulips. So if anybody hasn't done them, do not panic yet. You can do that still. But yeah, what an amazing. With lovely voice, lovely photographs that you sent us. Great advice.

Thank you so much, Katie. Yeah, thank you, Katie. And also, if you're getting plastic ones, just remember they've got holes. If they haven't got holes in the bottom, just drill a little or tap a little hole in the bottom. So you've got drainage as well. But yes, great cheats. Lifting them in, lifting them out. Pop the next one's in.

And, oh, this is, it's quite organised. I love that. But these tips are so, so good. Finally, we've got a message from Dai in Somerset who said, you may remember I asked your advice on coping with my last day at work when I retired in October. I do. I really do. It was a lovely day. You'll be glad to know and I'm so glad that I went in. However, moving on, I heard you talk about road trips and what are the best ways to enjoy them. We've recently bought a third camper van and I cannot recommend van life enough, Zoe. So that is for you, Zoe. From wild camping on a remote beach on the outer head. to pitching up in knee-high snow on the French Alps, it's become a real passion. It's obviously not the most relaxing holiday, but the challenges and the experiences it brings

along with that sense of adventure are addictive. It's particularly rewarding as you age to retain that curiosity about how to get from A to B and so much to learn along the way. So I say, go for it, Zoe. And if you want to buy our old van, mate's rates, okay? Lots of love from Die. Die, send me photos of your van.

How wonderful, gosh, just you painting the picture of the adventures that you're having, Di, in your van. The only thing I've got to do is if I get a van, I'm going to have to find somewhere to keep it because we've got on-street parking and getting a parking permit is a nightmare as, you know, Woody got a clamp the other day. So it's, yeah, I've just got a plan when I get it and where I would keep it. But, Di, definitely send me photos. And Joe, you are absolutely right. You said, go into work, you know, enjoy people celebrating you.

your last day, Dice. I'm really glad to hear that you took the advice and I hope you're really enjoying your retirement. Sounds like she is. You've inspired me, Dai. Can I just say as I was reading that? I was thinking, do you know what? I am looking forward to when I do have more time to do that. I've seen India and Alex, my daughter and her boyfriend and the amazing adventures. They've done the same as you. Go to the Outer Hebrides and they've been to the French Alps and Switzerland and swam in lakes. And I've never had time to do that for myself. And I really want to in my life. I really want to go and swim in Lake Geneva or, you know, wherever. So, yeah, Dai, thank you for inspiring us as well.

Yes, van life. I love it when people get like old trucks or old ambulances and then they convert them as well. And you see, I've seen quite a few on, is it Grand Designs or George Clark's amazing spaces? George Clark, yeah, he does that. And people convert them and, oh, they're just gorgeous. And that's it for today's. episode but if you want even more questions and answers become a member of the potting shed and get longer episodes and they're all there for you to enjoy remember if you have any questions or comments

we'd love to hear from you details on how to subscribe to the potting shed which is obviously the great thing to do and also how to get in touch with the show are all there in the show notes we will see you on wednesday i'm off to get my advent calendars in order she's always very exciting and i just love an advent calendar as do everybody in the family including the animals so yeah got to make sure everybody is sorted for that Does everybody get one? Yep. Okay, I like it.

Actually, I don't think Disco does. He doesn't. Poor Disco. He deserves an advent calendar. He doesn't care. He does not care at all. Does not care. Yeah, we have Lego ones.

We have beauty ones. Yes. I've even got one this year. In fact, I've got two this year. I've got a beauty one sent to me by a very nice department store. Oh, lucky you. And I've got, I know lucky me, which I am hiding from everyone else in the household because otherwise they'll all be, I'll be like, hang on.

There's nothing in Doree. Who's had this? And also, Nell got me, my favorite chocolate one. So, yes. Have a good couple of days. See you on Wednesday. See you on Wednesday, darling. Take care.

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