Life with Nat - EP185: Tony talks #16 - Resolutions

Episode Date: January 1, 2026

New Year, same Nat and Tony! Why would we change something so perfect? Well, we’re talking resolutions anyway, and whether there’s a better option than throwing all that pressure on ourselves. Happy New Year! Enjoy! xx Big shoutout to The Book Nook and their subscription service ⁠⁠⁠https://www.booknookshop.co.uk/⁠⁠⁠ Please subscribe, follow, and leave a review. xxx You can find us in all places here; ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podfollow.com/lifewithnat/view⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We're on Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/lifewithnatpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nat's insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natcass1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Neice's insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@natsnieces⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tony's insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@tonycass68⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Linny's insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@auntielinny.lwn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ THE BIG CHRISTMAS LIVE SHOW 7th December ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- claphamgrand.com/event/live-with-nat-at-christmas/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Book Club: November's book - All Together for Christmas by Sarah Morgan & December's book (optional extra for the speedy readers) - A Heart for Christmas: Advent Romance by Sophie Jomain Nat’s solo chats - any rants always welcome!  Scraping the Barrel - SCAN AND SHOP VIRGIN NO LONGER! Bonce vs list! - Are you a list maker? Always collecting for Nostalgia Fest! What’s brewing with the Nieces - Group chat ettiquette & pranks. Nice Lorraines… get in touch! Advent calendars & gift recommendations v. welcome! Things we’re nagging with Linny about - More lateness stories and some cleaning questions, please! The Tony talks chatter - Keep your DIY questions coming. Can we make Tony an influencer and get him any freebies?  TBC Cultural differences ep - inspired by Linny’s Mediterranean heritage and her & Ellia's Italian trip, we'd love to hear about the cultural differences you've noticed between the UK and basically ANYWHERE else!  A 'Keep It Light Media' Production Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome to Life with Nat. Happy New Year, everybody. I'm joined by my brother, Tony. Happy New Year. Happy New Year, Nat. How you doing? Yeah, not so bad. Funny old day, really, isn't it, New Year's Day?

Yeah, a bit of a nothing day, isn't it? A little bit. Yeah. And, like, always, because his dad's birthday as well, just always a little bit. Yeah, well, that was the only thing that was good about it was... Yeah. But other than that, it's sort of just waiting to go back to work, though, really, I'll find. Yeah.

So, yeah. Yeah, I mean, it's obviously got a double meaning for us with Dad not being around anymore. Of course, of course. But I've never really been a fan of New Year's Eve. No, me, never, ever, ever, ever. Never, ever, ever. Never been excited about it, or... Christmas Eve, I can understand it.

Yeah. Christmas, brilliant. New Year. It goes back for me when I was a kid because I said, I've mentioned to you before when we did one of live shows and I said that we always used to seem to have death and destruction in our house around Christmas. It probably wasn't. It might have been October, November. And so when I was growing up it almost seemed like every new year we were morned a great uncle

or an aunt or this one or that one or a granddad. It probably wasn't like that but it's how it felt it felt like it mum was never a new year person no never a goer out or never had parties and all that sort of stuff and i think that just sticks with you really yeah i just haven't never got into the swing of it really well when so then you used to go out didn't you know when you was sort of 16 17 18 never had a good new year ever no agreed overpriced with a load of people you don't really want to be with you're trying to get home you can't get at home, strangers hugging you. Oh, don't.

Terrible. Terrible. No. I think it's contrived. I think a lot of it is... I think New Year in Scotland might be quite nice because I think I just feel

that they'd probably do it a bit better than we do. I might be wrong. Yes. I just don't think you can beat watching Jules. Hurt, Annie. No.

Jaws on the telly. Exactly. Glass of champagne. That's what we do. Yeah, watch the bells. Watch the fireworks. Watch the fireworks. Go bed.

You've got a window on my world there. That is it. You've just, You just described my New Year's Eve, basically. But for people who do love it, I hope you're listening with a bit of a hangover, having had a fantastic New Year's Eve. Listen, some people absolutely love it.

I understand that, but it's just not for me. It's not that I don't look forward to a new year. I think it's lovely to start fresh. I quite enjoy that feeling of sort of new starts, new diary, crisp pages, what's going to happen? I quite like that. But because I'm such a Christmas person, I can't lie, I find it, I'm very melancholy because everything is sort of, the time that I love is coming to, draw into a close.

Yeah, and you've got another, wait another 12 months for it. Yeah, yeah. I think January generally is just not very nice, is it? No, which is why we do have to talk about resolutions. Yes. I did a lot of chatting in my book, actually. about this, I don't understand why anybody would choose January to stop anything they enjoy. I completely agree.

Dry January, I think, is the most stupid thing anyone's ever invented. If you had a dry July when it was warm, sunny, you've had a few months of the year, you've got rid of all the cold and the wet and the horrible, and it's probably easier to have a month because you're doing it, you're busy and, you know, you go for walks or you can go, you can go swimming, you can do this, you can do that. There's loads of stuff you can do because the weather's nice. But the thought of giving up having a drink in the coldest, wettest, darkest month of the year. Darkest, no one's got any money.

And everyone's skint, everyone's fed up. Yeah. It's sort of like, just, I just don't understand it. People do. I know they do. David did it last year, didn't he? He did, yeah. Brother David did it.

And fair play to him. Yeah. I did it, but I didn't do dry January I just packed it in I started before that Yeah, it was sort of mid-December, wasn't it? No, it was the 28th I did it It was the 28th, I sort of had a bit of a thing

And I thought, no, I'm going to pack it in And I did, I lasted about six weeks And I got middle of February and it was so boring I just, I can't do this anymore All this cobbler's about, honestly, it might just be me, they go, oh, you, after three weeks, you know, you think clearer

and you're this and you're that and you've got more energy and you sleep. But you do sleep better for a while, but then after a while you don't because you sort of go back to your natural worrying rhythm of how you sleep or whatever. And then the thing was like weight loss, you know, sort of if you stop drinking,

because you know, you're drinking dead calories and all the rest. So I didn't drink for seven weeks. And do you know how much weight I lost? None. Zero, not one single ounce of weight. And that is, you know, as true as I am sitting here, that is. Well, I do have to say that

I'm not promoting drinking can I just add to people? No, we never do. Because there's loads and loads of people who don't drink alcohol never have, have chosen to stop it and I think it's absolutely wonderful. I think it's marvellous, but it's each their own. That's the point I'm making and I think if you're,

people feel morally obliged to stop drinking in a month when it's really quite difficult. If you enjoy a glass of wine if you enjoy a couple of beers, if you like a gin and tonic, you know, not every day or every day, if that's what you do. I'm not condoning it, but I just, I don't like the fact that it's so sort of, it's contrived and it's almost put upon people like, you know, if you don't do it,

there's, you know, you're bad, there's something wrong with you. You know, why you're not doing dry January or whatever, which I've seen in the past as well. Yeah, no, I agree, I agree. And also, I saw something on Instagram the other day and all these things come up, you know, you're reading all these bits and pieces. But I do feel it was a lady who was writing in Stylus magazine, or something, you know, her opinion piece, if you like. And there is a part of me, I do feel now this kind of no drinking

is becoming now very forced upon us, that that's the way to be. And there's a lot of pressure, as you say, on people. Again, everyone should do what they want to do. Whatever makes you feel good. Of course we know alcohol is not good for you. We know that. We do know that. Yeah, we do, yeah.

But at the same time, if you do enjoy a glass of wine, you don't feel like it's affecting your life or affecting relationships or situations, then I don't think really it's anyone's business. I agree. Whatever you want to do, do it, as long as it's not nasty, horrible, it doesn't affect other people,

it doesn't wreck other people's lives or whatever, you know. Yeah. But for me personally, like I've got an issue at the moment that you know about, I've got this problem with my back and stuff. And, like, pain relief is impossible. It's impossible because they either give you stuff that sends you mad, anti-depressants, that are also pain blockers or whatever they are.

Right. And they just send me off my head completely. Or you're going down a route of codeine, and I said to you, I took two the other day, and I was in bed for four hours because I couldn't operate. They just literally, I don't know what they did do to me. So they go in the bin. So for me, someone who's in pain every day, I'm sorry. but the only thing, and I told my doctor this,

I said the only thing that makes life tolerable some days is coming home and having a few drinks, relaxing on the sofa, a bit of heat, round the back, or whatever, to help it. And that helps me get through to the next day or whatever, right or wrong. But when you're in a position that I'm in, where you're literally in between the devil and the deep blue sea,

you say, what am I going to do? Am I going to take tablets that make me really ill? Like really, really ill. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or do I have a drink? And that helps me. So I've chosen that option. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And so for me, there is a, there's a bit of that as well. Wait, right for the barrage of messages to come pouring in on the self-medicating Tony. See you all now. Well, sorry. At least we're honest. It is what it is. I agree. I'm not going to sit here and pontificate and say I'm doing stuff that I'm not.

I'm not. It's a fact. But I know, look, I know people that have given up drinking and, And it's done them in the world of good. And they'll probably never go back to it. And if you can do that, that's great. And I've done it. But I just got bored of it and whatever and other things.

So it just depends on your life and your lifestyle and all the rest of it and how you are as a person. I agree. Have a listen to this. Hello, my darling. Hello, Tony. Just seen your post on Insta. And just thought I'd send you a little voice note,

wishing you both a wonderful new year. I don't make New Year's resolutions. I was fabulous last year. I'll be fabulous this year. No, obviously joking. But no, I don't set them. I just think, January, why would you go in with all that pressure? It's like I don't do dry January.

What's the point? There you go. I just wish that everybody has a happy and healthy 2026. If you want to set something, set it whenever through the year. Don't set it in January. I just feel it's, you know, you're setting yourself. up for failure. It's a tough month for a lot of people. I actually love January. You may remember my voice note, which was my first ever voice note that I sent you, and you played it last year.

I just love January. I think it's great. I just love that reset. I just think it's, yeah, just really nice. After all the chaos, let's just reset and go again. So yeah, looking forward to just, you know, setting up in January. Off to Cornwall tomorrow. I can't bloody wait. And, yeah, wishing you all the best. And happy birthday to your daddy. Lots of love, my darling. Oh, thank you, Samantha.

That's our Alice. That was lovely. But yeah, so she's in our boat, really. Cheers. Don't give anything up. So this thing about resolutions, you know, New Year's resolutions. Yeah.

Do you know where it comes from? Do you know the tradition, the history of it? No. In fact, I think, sure, I found some facts out there in my book, but I can't remember. Well, it actually, the idea of a promise in the new year. Yes. So to promise yourself or promise something in the new year actually dates back to the ancient Babylonians.

Okay. Over 4,000 years ago. And in their new year was in mid-March. Yes. Because that coincided with the planting of seeds for the growing season. Yes. Because they were obviously farmers and all the rest of it. And their new year celebration was called Akitu,

which was 12 days of celebrations and during that they would make pledges to do God or they would have a new king or a new elder would become and they would promise to be good to them and they would also promise

during that time to pay back any money they owed or to give back any farming or machinery they'd borrowed and stuff like that so that's where this thing about making a promise to yourself or whatever started

I see. And I know this is true because a friend of mine was an ancient Babylonian and he came back, he was really incarnated as a carpet fitter. But he told me about this and it's absolutely definitely true. Right.

Yeah. Quite a lot to unpick there. So your friend is a carpet fitter. Yeah, it was an ancient Babylonian in a past life. How did he find that out? Well, he just had done regression. Right. And he told me about this.

He said it's all definitely true. It's not really. But, yeah, so that's how it started. And then the Romans got hold of it. Yeah. And they changed New Year from March to January. Was that because of the light and because of winter solstice? I think it was to do with their god Janus.

So Janus was a two-faced god. He looked back and looked forward. and I think they worshipped Janus at that particular time of year but I think they also is it the Gregorian calendar they introduced the good Gorin calendar which was what we now use

correct because it was all different well it was all Julius Caesar wasn't it he wanted certain days and he was like bussy you know Christmas should be in September but it's not it's now December and that's how it's sort of that tradition of New Year promising started and then it then obviously has been

you know it's been adapted and evolved over the years. Of course. I think the first time the term resolution was used in a new year was, I think it was in an American newspaper in the 1860s. Right. When they actually used the term resolution, and that became a thing.

And then it wasn't just promising to other people. It was then promising to yourself. So what am I going to do to make my life the next year better? What can I reflect on and what shall I give up? And that sort of thing. And that's where, so that's how it started and where we are now. It's where we are. A bit useless information.

No, it's lovely. I love a fact. Fantastic. For your New Year's pub with Tony, my lovely mum died last New Year's Eve, so it's been a tough year. Oh, I'm so sorry, Rosie. My New Year's resolution this year is to surround myself

with people I love and that love me back, to take care of myself and find my way back to happiness. Thank you, Rosie, and I'm sorry you've had a tough year. And I'm sure it's a tough time for you too. But as they say, it gets a little bit easier each year. So, you know, you'll be all right. Hi, Nat and family. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas

and I hope you have a great new year. We had lovely Christmas Day, didn't we? Oh, it was brilliant. Really, really, really, really nice. Really nice. Lovely dinner. You cooked a smasher this year. Thank you.

Thank you for me. It was very, everyone didn't stop talking about it. Ah. No, it was really nice to spend time with Sylvie and Bernie as well. Had a bit of a boogie. Yeah. Really nice. It wasn't it.

It wasn't it. It wasn't too late for us. as well, because we had to get home, obviously. So 10 o'clock was probably about right first to get in a cabin. It was a really nice day. But it was a cracking day, yeah, really good. So she said, I just wanted to say thank you for the last year of fantastic pod episodes. I wake up every Monday, I mean, I'll be listening to the podcast while I'm at work

and looking forward to it and the Thursday pod episodes. Thank you again, and I can't wait for all the 2026 podcast from you and your family, love Donna from Norwich. Excellent. That's really lovely. Yeah, thanks. Thanks, Donna. Thank you.

It's interesting. This is the only room, really, that I haven't changed for Christmas too much. I had a little angel up or a little card. Yeah. But it feels really nice coming in here. Yeah, it feels quite fresh. Yes, I know what you mean, yeah.

Yeah. Sort of away from. And it's also, this is sort of a, there's an element of normality to this room. Yeah. So it doesn't change. So it's almost, you know, this is. It's like the grounding room.

Yeah, that's right. Right, yeah, yeah, it keeps you steady this room, doesn't it? Because it's the same every time you come in. Yeah, it's sort of, oh, back to where I'm should be. Exactly, yeah, they're producing some stuff. Yeah, yeah, no, it's great. Hi, Nat, I hope you've had a lovely Christmas. I love listening to podcasts.

I listen every single week without fail. It cheers me up. I usually put it on when I'm cleaning or doing something that I don't particularly enjoy, and it gets me through with a smile. but I just saw your Instagram about New Year's resolution and I'm always one of those people that sets themselves up for a fail you know I do things like giving up chocolate going to the gym every day like giving up wine just things that are kind of made me miserable in January

so this year I've decided I'm going to do something realistic and I'm going to try and grow three things in the garden so I've actually just planted today because I've been looking on Google and Instagram what you can grow this time of year and it said onion and celery so I've just planted some onion seeds and I'm hoping that you might do some more planting podcasts in the new year I really enjoyed being able to give out

sweet peas and cosmos to my friends and family and I thought I'm hopefully going to be able to do homemade hampers so yeah all right I look forward to listening to the next podcast thank you and it's Amy from North Yorkshire thank you Amy what a lovely message see that's nice you're doing something a little goal but something that will bring you a little bit of joy you're not making yourself miserable and that is so lovely

and I really do hope to do some more planting episodes especially in the spring I'm not sure I'm going to start them yet but actually Mark was downstairs today and we were chatting away and he said do you realise in six weeks time we'll be planting seeds and I said yeah that is crazy because we start them off indoors but yeah that's nice isn't it the cycle

it's nice to look forward to stuff like that I mean I do wish my life away this time of the year doing what I do it can be really miserable cold dark you know damp and just don't really enjoy it this time of year

so for me I sort of we limp and you know along to March hoping you're going to have a decent spring yes yeah and that's not always the case because we've had frost in April before now of freezing cold wind and whatever so but yeah so For me, it's really, I just don't enjoy this time of year at all.

Again, just being really, really honest. I mean, from March round to next January, all good, you know. Fair enough. Talking of that sort of dark time and miserable, we had a message here from Nat, from Northern Ireland. And she said, hi, Nat and everyone, hope you all had a great Christmas. Not sure when you're next doing a pod or who you're doing it with, but I thought I would ask, when do you take your Christmas decorations down before or after New Year's Day? So I think it's really important this.

Now, there's a part of me who wants to get all the boxes out and just to clear it all up really quickly and get it away. But the work that goes into creating these scenes in our homes and the light they bring, it's really important. These 12 days of Christmas, you shouldn't really take your tree down until the 5th of Jam or whatever decorations you've got up. And for me, it's the twinkling. light that make it bearable.

So I usually take it down on the night that you're meant to, say the 4th or 5th of Jan. That all comes down. But I will always leave up. I've got these little hearts that are in the kitchen. And I will leave them up and I'll put them on at night. Just to bring that little bit of twinkle, a little bit of something to these miserable evenings. So I hope that helps. So if you do take down all your decks, that's fine.

But if you've got a little, I don't know, just a little light or. A little scene with a few glowing lights. Keep it out. Just give yourself that little something to look at on these dark mornings, dark evenings, because it does help. And always light a candle. Well, candles are, yeah, I mean,

they're just always in our house, which means I have to redecorate about eight times a year because it's just black soot everywhere. I know. And then Sharon will get them, and she go, no, this one does not do that. This is a soot-free, whatever it is candle, and then guarantee you, you know,

sort of six months later, you'll look at the ceiling and think, repaint that again. Really? Yeah, but that's candles for you, isn't it? It's just what they do. Yeah, that's the other thing people say now, don't they? Don't buy any candles.

Really bad for you. Why? It's what they give out, fragrances. They're meant to be really bad for you. But, you know. Listen, the same people will be eating stuff that's got all sorts in it and not even think about it.

So, I wouldn't know, I think you take your chances, that's it. You take your chances, and that's, that's it. But especially miserable mornings in January. Oh, but. Light a candle when you get up while you're making your cup of tea. Put it on just on the side. Light, it helps. Yeah.

It does. A little bit of light always helps. I just find for me, once Christmas sort of boxing days over, for me, that's it. You're on it all away. I don't see the point in, I don't see the point in sort of, I just don't really. But so we normally, I think we normally wait until just after New Year's Eve, normally I think. New Year's Day, sorry. Yeah, yeah.

That's fair enough. And also, I'm very full. I'm not going back to work. It's about time for people. They might be doing it. They might have done it on the 28th of December. Because it's the only day they've got. Yeah, I agree.

They work in the emergency services. They're on 12-day shift now for whatever. Or they're in retail and they've got to work all over Christmas and New Year. Or in the boxings, you know, so it's all very well. But again, got to do it to suit you. Hey, Nat, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. New Year's Resolution. More time for me now.

Now my kids are all teenagers and doing their own thing. just trying to take things at a slower pace and not sweat the small stuff love the pod from Fiona in Norfolk sounds very sensible Fiona well sweating the small stuff is very very true I think if you're a worry out it's the worst thing you can be and you've got to teach yourself

that 95% of the stuff you worry about is never going to happen so true honestly it's really it's a really really big thing to help you and that's not a resolution but if you are that sort of person who worries about everything read some books yeah get some some positive thoughts in there and rationalise it so so you're not you actually can sit and think you know all those things are worried about they never happened no and it's the things that are catastrophically bad that will happen and change your

life within 10 minutes and you won't even know about them and you're just going to get on with it they're just going to come and bite you on the ass basically so yeah the sweat it's a sort of of, it's a sort of very simple term, but I think it's a massive way to change your outlook going forward, not a resolution as such, because I don't believe in resolution. Mindset, just. Yeah, if you can change that mindset, try and make your life a little bit less hectic, less of a maelstrom of stuff going on in your brain. Yeah, not to be so chaotic.

Then it really helps, yeah. Yeah, because I can be quite chaotic at times, but I am getting better. It's an age thing as well. Mm. You know, as you get older, you tend to care a little bit less about certain things. And you tend to realise that, you know, what experience has taught you is that exactly that, is that you can't worry about everything all the time because it will just send you mad. Yeah, no, so true, so true.

Hi, Nat and Tony, happy New Year to you both and all of your families. On New Year's Day, I like to cook a lovely roast dinner with Christmas pudding, cream, Crackers to pull And a table present I don't make resolutions Because I wouldn't stick to it Love your pods Never stop

P.S will definitely be coming To one of your shows next year If you can come near Kent please Love from Razina Well that sounds lovely A second Christmas dinner in it Good luck to her Basically

Fantastic Two Christmas dinners in a week Well I've had A rather busy I know have you I've sort of done Three Christmas Day So the thought of doing it again

New Year's Day I'm quite pleased That I'm not doing that Yeah, yeah. Very, very quiet. Yes. Watch the darts. Oh, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, fantastic. Hi, Nat, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Off the back of your Instagram story, talking about New Year resolutions, I actually have never done this. Love it for those that do. But since the pod with your moon lady, Kirsty, I now do March intentions. Not resolutions, but intentions.

I make these in March because Kirsty is right. The weather is very bleak in January. You cannot make any decisions at this time of year. And it's very true. I don't believe anyone's in the right frame of mind. No, absolutely not. March, the beginnings, the shoots. Spring is coming.

It goes back to the Babylonian. Absolutely. It's so much better to make your intentions when the world around you is in bloom, just a happier time. So that's lovely. So she's got installing an outside tap. she wants to paint a living room

introduce a bit more colour into her daily outfits really achievable and have actually made her happy so that's lovely some nice little bits it is and the simple things in life can be very very fulfilling

so installing an outside tap I mean that is quite a small thing but it can make a massive difference you know if you want to do your watering and you're doing your potting and you're doing this and you want to walk your garden and you haven't got an outside tap it's a bit of a nightmare

yeah to be quite honest traipsing in it in and traips and out, traips and out. In and out, like a fiddler's elbow. Oh, I said. But it is those little things, I think. Yeah. Is there anything you would, any ideas this year?

I personally, I do, I'm very lucky. I've got this gym membership. So again, I'm not going to sit here and say, I'm going to be in the gym every day. I'm not going to be in the gym every day. No. But I would like to be a bit more active with the children. Eliza would like to use the gym.

She only likes her swimming. Just to go and do something. I am such a home person. I could just stay in all the time. I'm not one to every weekend. I have six things to do, and they've all got loads to do. We can be in.

So I would quite like to go out with them at that little bit more, get that little bit more active. That's what I would like to do. Yeah. Whether it will happen, I'm not sure. No. No, I will say.

I also, I'm looking forward to our live shows. Yeah. and concentrating more on the pod. The more I can do for this, the better. The book club's gone really well. Whilst we are here, may I just say that the book club, I do have two books to review. I know we're in January now.

I'm going to get that recorded for you and get that out ASAP, perhaps tomorrow or the next day, and I'll do a little review of the Christmas books, and then we can send out, or perhaps you could tell me what you'd like to read in January. A lot of people have said Cathy Burke's autobiography is meant to be absolutely fantastic. But if you've got any ideas, O-7-8-28-20, 1919, maybe a nice something positive, a bit about what we're talking about. Not change your life, but maybe a nice mindset book or, I don't know, something nice for the year that we can all have a little think about.

Maybe you've just got a really good romantic novel or a thriller to tell me about. But let me know. And as I say, Book Club will be rolling on in Jan. Excellent. Just been a very busy December. Yeah, of course. Hi, Nat, and hi, Tony. Just watched your little clip asking for stuff for New Year's resolutions.

I take a day, and it's been today for me, where I set out my intentions for the following year. I never call them resolutions, because I think if you put the word resolution in there, you put a bit more pressure on yourself. So I always call them intentions, and I set it out for different categories, so health and well-being, personal growth, development, relationships, work, finances, whatever you want to call it. Anyway, I hope that helps somebody who feels that they have to do resolutions, call them intentions, and start with a positive mind. I hope you've all had a fab Christmas and New Year.

Came to see you at Clap and Grand. Absolutely loved it, and thanks to using the picture of my granny. Happy New Year. Also, I should have said, it's a Stacey from Kent. Oh, lovely. Yep, sounds like the way forward. Intentions, yeah, good. Very, very good. I think, for me, that's, again, the thought of even writing something, I'm probably not the right person for this,

but I tend to do things quite organically. So my EVEy journals, in instance, and it really helps her. I'm not sure she does it so much now because she's doing her law thing, but she used to write really journal stuff, and it really, really helped. And I know people that write, stuff down and do journals and things.

Oh, loads of people, yeah. Whatever really, really helps. But for me, even just writing stuff down, I think just puts too much pressure on me, just even writing it down and saying, I'm going to aim to do this this year. And maybe that's just because I'm getting a bit lazy, I don't know. But I just find any sort of structured stuff like that,

I just find it, yeah, it just puts a little bit too much pressure on. No, I get that. I understand that. Maybe it's because I'm getting old and I'm not looking for any, anything more than what I've got. I don't know. I think it could be just how your brain's wired. People are list makers, aren't they?

Yes. I did an episode. Yeah, my show and my show and lists and lists are stuff. Lists, mark, lists and lists. I'd never make a list. I don't make a list when I go to the supermarket. No. It's all up here.

Yeah. Right or wrong. I don't know. Well, that's all right until you start losing the old marbles and then you've got to start making this. Hopefully I've got a few years, fingers crossed. I'd say so. At least five.

At least. Yeah. This one's from Annie. Hello I wanted to say thank you I love listening to your podcast really feels like chatting with friends just messaging regarding new year I don't make new year's resolutions

but I do try to think of a few goals I'd like to achieve for 2026 making new memories with the family and widening friendship groups happy new year to you and love your family Annie

well I'm sorry Annie I haven't got time to see the friends I've got now I love the fact you want to widen your friendship group but really I haven't got a time I mean that means that must be not you know joining clubs and all sorts of stuff or go to coffee I don't know or book clubs or this or that or going swimming

or joining a running club or it must mean that you've got to go out there and sort of put yourself on people and find people unless she's a mum as well maybe she's thinking I'll make a bit more effort with the school mum's at the school gate maybe you can do that

Yeah, yeah. But yeah, it's lovely to have lots of acquaintances. I talk to a lot of people. But when it comes to groups of people that I am going to dedicate an evening with, they're few and far between, I'm afraid. Yeah, yeah. Well, I think someone said to me once

that, you know, by the time you get to a certain age, you'll be able to count true friends on one hand. I can probably count it on three fingers, actually. Yeah. I don't think it's even five. That's someone, you know, in the middle of the night. You could call them. The way I look at it is, it's the middle of the night, it's an emergency.

Yes. Who could your phone? Yes, I completely... Who would react? I completely agree with you. Probably two. I reckon... This is not family.

Not family, no, no, I know. I mean, you know... Yeah, yeah, it's different, yeah. Yeah, I reckon two, three. Probably two or three, yeah. Yeah. We're not saying who they are, but obviously... No, but...

Definitely two or three One of them lives on the other side of the world now And also I'm fuck there Oh dear So yeah shame But I'd still ring her Yeah she ain't to help me Well you're washing now is she

That's for sure She's definitely not doing that Oh don't A lovely message here Lovely picky from Steph Hope you and the family Had the most wonderful Christmas Had to send a pick of me wearing my favours present

from the hubby. Off to use my trolley token for the first time. Happy New Year all. Steph, it's a lovely picture. She's got one of our Life of Nat t-shirts on that the hubby bought her.

Oh, lovely. Please remember everybody, the merch shop. It's www. www. life with Nat dot shop. And there's all the t-shirts, hoodies, different bits and pieces,

water bottles, shopping bags. But thank you. A lot of you have sent me your gifts over Christmas and you've had a few them so I'm really pleased you're enjoying them it's lovely got to sort out your jumper and I in your t-shirt well I don't want to keep mentioning no I will I will I mean literally I said

to everyone don't buy me any clothes for Christmas I said I've got shit coming right I don't want any t-shirts don't any hoodies I've got stuff coming didn't turn up did it need to have a word with somebody I'll be sorting it I'll be sorting it out Hi Nat and Tony, I hope you both had a good Christmas. I personally look forward to January, packing away Christmas decks, starting the new year fresh, decluttering the house, getting back into a routine, writing neatly in a new diary, I'm with you there, Cheryl. I don't bother with resolutions, just be kind to everyone and help people if you can. All the best, and wishing you both and all the listeners are healthy and happy 2026. Got some lovely, lovely people who listen to this pod.

Absolutely. We're all human, lovely people. Nice people. Yeah. Definitely. And again, I understand that blowing the cobwebs away and what I prefer if it was March. Yeah. Or April.

Because that feels to me. Yeah. I'll tell you when, for me, when the new year feels like the new year, Mm-hmm. It's that first spring morning. Mm-hmm. When you wake up. You can hear the birds singing.

You can hear the birds singing. And anyone that doesn't like being woken up by birds, sorry, should be shot. I hear people, I've had people in the past say, then birds woke me up this morning, woke me up. I can't get back to sleep. I know exactly what you're saying. For me, one of the greatest things in life that doesn't cost any money and doesn't take any emotional requirement

is to open your eyes and hear the birds singing outside where it's just getting light. I think it's incredible. So for me, really, the new year, if you like, starts when that cold weather finally goes and you've got that first, you know, the first sort of flush of spring, and you hear the birds singing,

and there's a smell about spring. There is, yeah. There's a freshness about spring. For me, that's sort of, that's when you think, right, now we're going to, what we're going to do. For me, sorry, January and February, are just about survival.

It's that Higger, the Swedish word, Higger. It's hibernation. Yeah. You're in, staying at home. Yeah, and then you've just got to drag yourself out and do it again and then come back again. And it's not enjoyable, is it? It's just, you just know you've got to do it.

Whereas, yeah, when you reach that, and it's also, for me, it's a realisation and it's a relief at that point where I think that worst part of the year is over. And I've got nine months of generally decent weather or nice things to look forward to. You know, even once we get into, October, November, you've got firework night, haven't you?

And then it's countdown to Christmas. Yeah. So even that period is nice. It's just this little bit here. Yeah, no, I don't think I feel as bad about January and February as you do. But then I'm not, I'm not working outside or I have to worry about damp and weather and all that. I quite enjoy the fact that because it's the way it is it does make you slow down a bit. Yeah, yeah.

You haven't got to be excused if you don't want to go out. sitting in front of the television and getting your pyjamas on early it's sort of the thing that everybody's doing so you don't feel guilty about it so there's a certain slow pace which I quite enjoy through these winter months

and I like stews and slow cooking food and I think the food's lovely What's your favourite stew? I do like a thick like a beef Burgagnon or Oh we're doing that

Yeah, you said that You said you were doing it But I like a thick Or kind of a mushroom strogan off creamy Sort of quite rich Quite rich, yeah Yeah, yeah I love it when we do mum's chicken stew

Yeah Chicken noodles onions And chicken and stuff and whatever I love it with loads and loads of carrots And the kids can't stand it So they don't like it Because they don't like the carrots in it

Fair enough Loads of carrots in it And we've just tweaked it we just put a little bit of sweet corn in it. And that is, if you want wholesome. Yeah. Yeah. It's really.

And it hasn't got any cream. It hasn't got any... Oh no, it's just stocked noodles, isn't it? Just stock noodles and... Nothing rich, in it? onions, carrots. Carrots. Yeah.

That's it. Chicken fries. Yeah. Yeah, chicken fries, yeah. I do it, but without the noodles. Yeah. And I do carrots, really what I've ever, ever I've got. So it's not exactly the same as mummies, but I'll do your chicken fires,

Carrots. a few leaks, a bit of onion, like you say. Mommy used to do the little onions. Yes, she did. She used to do dumplings as well. And I always do dumplings. I find them a bit too dense. James loves a dumpling, but I think they're really dense.

They are. They're just sort of gluten fest, aren't they? They are, yeah. But Eliza loves dumplings. Joni doesn't. But whenever I do it, I do dumplings. And you can pick them out, can you? Chuck them at the wall.

Yeah, chuck them on the ceiling? Like one of them jelly toys and you watch it sort of roll down the wall, you know? Oh, yeah, the little men? Yeah, yeah. you get a good dumpling, chuck it at the wall and see if it's, how many times it takes to roll it down. So all you children listen in the car with Mummy and Daddy,

just remember, get home, and when Mummy does a dumpling or nanny or whatever... You don't want it, chuck it at the wall. Pop it on the wall and you can do a little competition. Get a barro out, you can mark it all up. And that's from Uncle Tony here. That's from Tony Talks. They'll be cursing you.

I know they will, yeah. There'll be towels of dumpling gate. Oh dear. Good morning. Happy 57 3rd, I can't say it, 5-7 erd as if it's a third, she's been funny. Good morning. Happy 57th December or whatever fecking day it is. Introduced a mate to your pod last night and she's just bought us tickets for Folkston. Hope you had a smashing Christmas and have a happy and healthy new year. My message for the pod is hoping that 2026 is kinder to my family and me. No resolutions

as promises to myself to not be a dick and to try and be more tolerant of the fools that I don't suffer gladly, Georgina. And that is from my lovely friend of the pod Georgina, and I know you've had a very tough end of 2025. And you know I've been thinking of you. And for everyone, really, anyone who's had a really tough 20 to 25, I hope it's a little bit of a nice fresh leaf for you,

if you've had loss or illness, or you've lost your job, or you've got divorced or all those just crap things that happen in life I hope that 2026 you feel excited about for it to be a bit better

you know there's got to be something in that isn't it if you've had a terrible time because there are people like we just all jog along yeah so we you know we jog along and we go

oh it's just another year and you're getting on doing what you're doing and some people try and improve themselves and they write their not resolutions they write their lists or whatever it is they do

and they want to try and say that's a goal I want to achieve and that's fabulous and fantastic but sometimes we do forget that some people have just had horrendous years and literally just they just want to shut the door on it because it's just been so difficult for various reasons and I think for me that is where the new year probably

is the absolute best thing that can happen at a certain point in time where you just shut it down, close the book, lock it away and then you move on with the rest of your life hopefully. Yeah. So, yeah, really, really understand that as a... I get that. Yeah, definitely. Definitely.

Hi, Nat, happy new year. Hope there's plenty of fizz popping. We'll be, yeah. Just want to say, re-new year, why does everyone want to start something new? The cupboards are full of food and goodies that we haven't got around to eating over Christmas. The fridge is more or less healthy things than the rest of the year.

And the other half states, as it's the first of jam, we need to go on a diet. FML, no way, let's wait till Feb, love Karen. Or March? But she's right, though. Absolutely right. There are loads. I've got so much cheese down there.

Different blue cheeses that I've bought myself. Mark doesn't eat peaches. You do know, you do know that there's a European shortage of cheese because of you, don't you? There's people in Brussels and Paris. I haven't got any cheese because you bought it all. There's a bit down there. The, it's the Hartfordshire cheese, man, in the corner. Look, I've got, there's a bit, I've done better than usual on the food front.

Yes. I haven't thrown a lot of way at all, genuinely. Yeah, that's good. I've done really well with seafood. I always over by, I've done very, very well. But with the cheese and I'm not going to eat that. I've got it. No, but it, look, it goes back, it goes back to this thing.

So a lot of it is driven, it's consumer driven. Of course it is. So, so the same company. is that are trying to sell you all this high sugar, high fat, all this stuff you've got to eat over Christmas because it's Christmas and you've got to be gluttonous and enjoy it and whatever. They're the same people that then trying to sell you stuff to lose weight until you've been really bad.

And it's just this cycle, isn't it? Yeah. Of overdo it, then feel bad about yourself. I'll give up drink. I'll give up chocolate. I'll give up cakes. I'll give up this. I'll give up that.

And then they go, happy Easter, everyone. I'm sorry, no, it's Valentine's Day. Oh, Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day. Yeah, you pour a load of champagne down your neck. And I've stuffed those hot chocolates in your gob. Yeah, and have two ton of chocolates in your gob. And have a shatabriand with a great big bottle of red.

Yeah. And 130-pound roses that are worth 25 pounds. Get those down your neck. Well, Evie said to me the other day, she popped in somewhere, and they've got, they've actually got Valentine stuff here. Yeah, of course they've. Already. By mid-January, Easter. Easter eggs would be out.

Yeah, yeah. Crazy. It's just the world we're living. it is we've got to go at our own pace do whatever you want this year I think it's going to be a really nice year please God yeah touch wood

touch wood and I hope everybody has a lovely time 0778 20 1919 I have no resolutions all I want to do is continue continue making these podcast episodes as well as I can and for you to keep enjoying them

my family to come up and see me me it's perfect really and I don't know what else is out there it is quite nice it's a bit of an open book tone for me what's that the just career wise in general this year yes yes I agree with that I'm not sure double-edged sword could feel very exciting and open but also could be a little bit hmm what's going to happen yes you know so I completely understand that from where you're coming from but my documentary's out this year yes so I'm really looking forward to that And that should be, I mean, I think they're going to try and make it quite prominent, as I understand. And it should be, from what I've seen of it and what we've, I did a little bit where you did know on it.

And from what you've told me about it, I think it, I think it should be quite prominent. It should be something that's not consigned to BBC 3 or whatever. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it should be quite a... Fingers crossed. Yeah, it should be a good one. So if you're listening, BBC, sort your lives out. No, that's Stacey's show. What's that?

Sort your life out. Oh, is it? Yeah. Oh, sorry, I don't watch it. No, yeah. Oh, Stacey and Joe, of course, it is, yeah. Well, I said lives. Oh, fine, yeah.

So I'll get away with that one. It's slightly different. Sorry, Stace, that's not a copyright issue. Please don't sue me. No, but... Great show that. Yeah, yeah, I don't really... I was talking about this to someone, about television.

And I took... We went out before Christmas with a few lads from work, and I was talking to somebody. And he said to me, I can't watch tell you if I don't get anything out of it. And by that, and I understand what he means. So I'm like really, I'm either comedy, documentaries, the odd unbelievable film. You know, like The Godfather or Raiders or whatever it is.

But I just struggle with general, you know, the Netflix thing. Oh, there's this new thing on Netflix. Yeah. Like they've got a child and the child goes missing and then it turns out there's someone in the family. Yeah. Or they're in the Hebrides and there's a murder and then it's all about, you know. I just can't watch any of it. And I'm, the old funeral face is coming out now,

but I just, I just don't get anything out of it at all. Yeah, but then don't waste your time, it's good. Just don't do it. I don't, because the show and the kids have said to me, oh, you must watch this, and I'll, you know, I watch sort of like gangland, was it, whatever it was called, with Pierce and Helen and Tom Hardy in it. Is it gangster something?

I watched sort of two of them, and I just thought, oh, I can't be bothered. Look, I did the, off the telepod with Joe paid. I had to watch telly there was a lot of it that just wasn't for me Give me

a series of Christmas University Challenge Yes And I'm happy Yes I only connect Which I still don't understand And even when they

Give you the answers I don't understand It's really really frustrating I know We were watching it last night I just gave up on it No no it's great One per cent club

I can't stand One minute I'll get it Next minute I don't Yeah but that's how your brain works Yeah it's just frustrating I don't like it Joni's good at that. Is she?

Very good. Oh, I bet. Very, very good at it, yeah. Yeah, I don't mind a quiz. I don't mind... Apparently there's a lovely thing on. It was David. Her brother said, you've got to look at it.

Go on. It's Amadeus on Sky. Oh, I've seen it advertised. And it's the Mozart story. Yeah, Rory Keneers in it. I think he's the... He said, he's never seen it any... He said, we've got to watch it.

Right, okay. So maybe... But what I would say to that is, that that is... It's historical, isn't it? And it's interesting. This is the thing. I watch stuff like... that if it's historical

because I like to know about the things that went on and know where we've come from and how things happened and whatever else. So that's me, that's really my thing but just all this sort of random things about someone that I think I can't remember if someone's doing

something and she's a nanny and like she's bad and she's not going anywhere and it's on ITV next week and no please I'd rather you know rather sort of watch something about the battle of the bulge and find out how the Germans lost rather than... I getcha.

I'm a bit boring. No, I think it's because you're an autodidact, actually. It's not boring. It's because you like to learn. Funny enough, yeah. Yeah, I was just going to say that. Yeah. Yeah, I just can't...

I can't deal with the mundane stuff, really. Well, thanks for doing this pod because it couldn't be more mundane if you tried. Well, you know, listen, it gets me out of the house, you know. Yeah, yeah. Pleased I'm doing your favour. Thanks. Right, on that note, thank you. It's a pleasure, as ever.

Let's have a good year. Yes, I think we will do. So do I. Love you all. Thanks for listening, and I'll speak to you again in a few days. Take care. See ya. See you. Bye.