Life with Nat - EP54: Auntie Linny #4

Episode Date: October 23, 2024

Nat and her sis in law chat about Linda becoming a nonna for the fourth time. Linny tells a tale regarding buying a card and they chat about showering etiquette. Enjoy. ☺️ Please subscribe, follow, and leave a review. xxx You can find us in all places here; https://podfollow.com/lifewithnat/view INSTA: @natcass1 We're also on Facebook now too: https://www.facebook.com/lifewithnatpod A 'Keep It Light Media' Production Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: [e-mail] SHOW INFO: Life with Nat - it’s me! Natalie Cassidy and I’ll be chatting away to family, friends and most importantly YOU. I want to pick people's brains on the subjects that I care about- whether that’s where all the odd socks go, weight and food or kids on phones. Each week I will be letting you into my life as i chat about my week, share my thoughts on the mundane happenings as well as the serious. I have grown up in the public eye and have never changed because of it. Life with Nat is the podcast for proper people. Come join the community. ♥️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

hello happy thursday we've got an auntie lilliet which we've not had for ages because she has been up to her knees in newborn babies congratulations Congratulations Nonna. Oh thanks Natalie. Hi everyone. For the fourth time. It is indeed. With a fifth looming. Oh goodness me. How are you feeling? Yeah I'm really good. Really happy for Elia and Jack. Baby's absolutely adorable. He's such a good boy Natalie as as you know he's really good they're really lucky he's actually allowing elia to have some downtime and heal hopefully quickly because they're not being able to drive i think she's probably finding quite frustrating and not being as mobile as one should be if they've had a cesarean but she's doing well

they're honestly they're all doing well i've been been there, as you know, quite a bit. Sure have. Got to stay in the Murphy Hotel. It's been fun. I've got a lovely guest room. You said you slept better around there than you ever owned. Oh, I really like it. I'm going to check myself in once.

It's been really nice. And, yeah, just for that little bit of support in the morning because jack leaves for work terribly early and i think she was a bit nervous about coming downstairs with a newborn baby and it's just every movement isn't it it just takes that much longer you will laugh though because i've done it a couple of mornings for her and i've shit myself well bringing the back walking downstairs with baby I don't know why that is. Because. It's not my baby.

No, but still, you don't want to be stacking it with a newborn. She's got brand new carpet. Which is silky. Yes, because I've done exactly the same. I walk down at such a slow pace because I'm paranoid. But what I did yesterday, I think it was, because we had friends round. She went upstairs to show them what the work she's done to the house or they've done to the house and I let her walk

downstairs with the baby with us in front of her just so she can see is doable it's just that fear isn't it yeah and I get it and I said even I remember Alfie Maria had had new carpet do you remember how slippery that was uh yeah i remember sitting at the top and coming down on my bottom yeah but she can't do that she's a cesarean no of course minor detail oh yeah but good idea but yeah no but remember maria stays us quite steep yes ellies are not so steep so look it's everything is just so different isn't it it's life and i don't know i always say this maybe like for us for me because i had my children quite young we got married and we were fell pregnant so you haven't got used to having your own life if you

like as a married couple or as as a couple living together they have had years of that so this is massively life-changing it is it really is you men out there please don't take this i'm going to generalize here but it is so life-changing for the mum of course it is without a doubt because jack's already back at work he's got his own business so there's no paternity leave absolutely which i understand fully understand as you know we have very strong work ethics as a family but for her it's everything's changed listen that little newborn baby depends on the mum completely totally totally but she's totally besotted by him oh she's a natural yeah but we knew that yeah and that's why it's um it's the best news that they've been able to have a little one because yeah it's it's earlier all

over but i do feel that these weeks where she hasn't got her independence and living somewhere where of course she's got fantastic neighbors and they really are they're all you know people are dropping in curries and helping with even silly things like printing something out for her. They've been, her neighbours are lovely. But ultimately you are isolated. If you can go for a walk, you can't walk to a shop, everything, you've got to be really organised. And I did say that to her the other day when I was around there.

I said, my goodness me, you live in a little village and it's like Picc day when I was around there. I said, my goodness me, you live in a little village and it's like Picardy Circus around here. That door, I literally felt like I was a full-on housekeeper. The door doesn't stop. No. But I guess it's going to. People popping in, the deliveries, constant deliveries, because everything you do, you've got to get it delivered.

I mean, they're very organised. It's a fantastic set-up. Yeah, it is. It really is. Although I went round, so what I wanted to say is I went round and I just knew you'd been there for the day because it had been linied. It's really weird. I can't explain it to you.

I could clean all day long, but something you do, it just looks different. I've been around there today and you've said it looks terrible. I've not stopped. I've not sat down. I did the flowers. I've taken all the flowers and all that green stuff. And I thought, I can't believe this. It was like a nightmare.

The more you clean, the more you see those little bits. And I thought, I can't believe this. No, the flowers, I have to say, I watered them like the beginning of the last week I can't have lost all track of time but I did say to Elliot the other day those flowers are in desperate need of attention but I knew that was not going to be a five minute job and then obviously go but yesterday Enza popped over along with Sue and Enza said I thought they were dried flowers she goes they they look amazing. So I've told Elliot to just leave them and let them dry out because they look stunning, Natalie.

Natalie bought, obviously, as you can imagine, the most beautiful bouquet of flowers. And they really are striking. But, Natalie, that was a job in itself. It was a job today. But all that greenery goes everywhere. And it was all clean. And then, obviously, Jen had turned up and she was doing her hair

then there's stuff everywhere and I thought I've got to get this because I know you were going tonight I thought come on pack up your stuff get the brushes away

I said I've just got to clean some surfaces put the tablecloth on well by the time well even yesterday Leah was getting her eyelashes done I'd got there oh no I stayed there

the night Wednesday night she was getting her eyelashes done at quarter past nine you popped in we had sue and as you know coming around at quarter past 12 you're like a show house by quarter past 12 i was so but it's such a lovely house to be able to work on because you're so right because you can see it it's rewarding it's all so rewarding i So rewarding. I come in here, I do the same jobs. And it is true. When you're around there, it just, once you do it, it looks sparkling.

It's a lovely house to clean, I have to say. But Ellie's like, Mum, you go looking for things to do. But I think I do. I just generate my own work. But whilst I'm there. You enjoy it, don't you? And you're never going to just sit down. Obviously, you'll be cuddling your grandson

and have time with him but of course but ultimately I'm there to help her and I know that everything I'm doing is going to be a help to her absolutely but no they it's yeah she's just got to get through the next

as I said to Elle's on Monday's pod I might knock one out just so you can clean the house well you said you've got like a mobile speaker thing didn't you so we could stick that on me and i can work my way around your house while i'm doing a pod and cleaning oh that's a good idea no my new mobile microphones are going to be fabulous because they're really good quality we can hold them or stick them onto our clothes and we can go for a walk.

How good is that? So next one, let's go for a walk. Well, this is what Tina and I do most nights and on a Sunday morning. We do a podding effect between ourselves and walking. So, yeah, that's exactly what we should do. It's a shame winter months, Natalie, because obviously it's dark and weather's miserable. But if we're together. And we just can even go up and down broxbourne eye road it doesn't matter if there's a bit of traffic noise but it will help me with the walking because

i'll get no time so i'll say off to do a pod still not doing any exercise you're not using the peloton it's really bad trouble is you get out that habit don't you and it just i've even because of the baby obviously i've been at ellier's and so we've missed a few nights but any opportunity i get you want to get out yeah yeah even last night after having the kids all day i was out there walking no it's brilliant but it is a habit yeah and it's habitual and if you fall out of it it takes what do they say we've said this we're repeating ourselves oh yeah well it takes a certain amount of time to get into doing something and then five minutes to come out of it but you just got to make the time yeah no i know that's the reality of it and whilst on the subject of um the baby natalie before we digress yeah I just wanted to give Deb's a shout out she sent Elia a parcel

bless her she texted me some a little while ago saying Linda can I have your work address I'm going to pop something in the post to you anyway I think a week had gone by or if not longer no longer I think and this parcel hadn't arrived so I thought oh god what do I do do I text Debbie and then it looks like I'm you know we're expecting it but equally I didn't want her to think we were being rude that we weren't thanking her in case it got lost in case it got lost so in the end I ended up texting and saying Debs just to let you know um that parcel never arrived I'm not sure she texted me back bless her she went no it's been in my blimping car and love it came today and ellie's

opened it's beautiful i mean she's made she's um i don't know if she's knitted or crocheted now i'm gonna say was it i need to look at that probably beautiful white blanket so much effort time and love has gone into that so deb's big thank you to you from Elia oh that's lovely we're gonna we're gonna get Debs up we're gonna the three of us let's get together and we'll have a nice pod together in the next month or so yeah people are just so kind don't they in general so especially think when someone makes like Jackie did and Elaine has done so much effort goes into it doesn't it it's really's lovely. I always remember Angela from the help desk at EastEnders, our lovely secretary, if you like, who'd always be there.

And she'd knit all of us, all the crocheted hats, all the stuff. And obviously Jackie now loves this little tradition. She does a little baby hat for everybody. It is. It's so clever and so lovely if you've got the time to do it. And the talent to do it. And the talent to do it. And the talent, yeah. Imagine me in it in a hat.

Rather not, babe. With the Fizz loyalty program, you get rewarded just for having a mobile plan. You know, for texting and stuff. And if you're not getting rewards like extra data and dollars off with your mobile plan, you're not with Fizz. Switch today. Conditions apply. Details at fizz.ca. Moving swiftly on, must tell you this one. Eliza was moaning about food, moaning that we have the same thing all the time

and all she eats is a load of rubbish. And I suppose it's not rubbish. She said it's just very repetitive and chips fish and chips and this and this and i said well it's where you're coming out of school i'm not at home it's convenient stuff she said i just want something a bit more healthy so tonight i've bought two garlic chicken breasts if you like but with lemon wedges in it from marx is just two chicken breasts mange two some nice rice so i thought that would be really lovely they've sat there oh don't like the lemon they've had probably a quarter of it thrown it in the bin made a cheese

toasty i'll stop it on my life well both of them both of them it was quite lemony i did have a taste of it it's quite potent lemon but i thought for goodness sake you've asked me for something different and i've thrown it away no it's aggravating i hate waste and waste isn't that the worst thing and then they made a cheese toasty out of four slices of stale bread and a bit of cheese And they were happy as Larry So what's the answer Well can't they tell you what they want That is a

Slippery slope Because if you start Taking orders I kind of feel like you do need to put it in front of them Sometimes don't you find it again It's difficult to be creative I've got no inspiration at the moment. And there are certain things, if Mark's at home,

he'll do a good curry or a chilli, but then it's the same things that he does. And I've just not been at home, so I've just been buying all shop-bought things, still nice things, but kind of your veg and a little bit of meat or whatever. But I really am craving just the and a little bit of meat or whatever but i really am craving just the weekends or a bit of batch cooking bit of slow cooking i was just gonna say that the

batch cooking that's what i need to do yeah that's what a bit of batch cooking freeze it and you're good at freezing stuff though well i just think sometimes well the other night what did dave he was like a blessing he's been on his own, obviously, because I'm never there now. And I got home, I said, of course, something smells nice. What have you cooked? He said, oh, I found, you know, we do the aubergines, melanzane a la parmigiana. And he'd found one in the freezer that, yeah, and cooked himself that.

Lovely. So it's something that would take, you know, that's quite a laborious task to make that. It's already done. And he sticks it in the air fryer. That's very good, isn't it? You need to maybe start doing it because then Eliza can just sort herself out, can't she? I'm just busy at the moment.

There's a lot going on. Yeah. But, yeah, and also it's the weekend and i am free well no i'm working tomorrow actually oh yeah i'm doing a job tomorrow again sorry can't say what it is boringly does that frustrate you when you're like at home during the week and then at the weekend you've got to work the girls no not really because it's all much of a muchness i mean the girls are home by five ish and on a saturday so what happens to eliza now for the next because she's off now isn't she yes she's off for two weeks yeah there's a few

bits planned so she'll have things to do friends over laura's gonna take her out right so they might take the girls to a nice theme park i'm gonna take mark away for his birthday for a night oh lovely i'm going to i I don't know, even London. Yeah. Just to go and have a bit of time, me and him time. That's important too. It is. And I feel guilty because it's half term,

but everything falls in the wrong place all the time. But we'll be with them for most of the week. Yeah. So it's only a day and a half we're talking about. Sure, they'll be fine. They'll be absolutely fine. And then who will have them? Laura.

Laura. And she'll probably take them. I maybe do chess into like have a day out yeah and then they'll be by the time they do that we'll be home yeah do something quite interesting as long as they're doing something fun they're not gonna no no we've got halloween yeah that's come around quick yeah i've said to maria she wants to come here and yeah lovely treat it that's a Thursday, so. Oh, gosh. Oh, so you're going to do it on the actual first, yeah, of course.

Yeah. On that first. Oh, well, yeah. So we'll work it out. Maybe you'll come here with them. Oh, yeah. We can take them. Yeah. It'll be dark early.

Yeah. Clocks go forward. So we can do it early. So that'll be early. When do the clocks go forward? Well, it'll be before, is it the weekend before Halloween? Is it really? Yeah. Goodness me, this is all creeping up. Before you know it, it's Christmas. Oh is it the weekend before Halloween? Is it really? Yeah.

Goodness me, this is all creeping up. Before you know it, it's Christmas. Oh, don't. It's crazy, isn't it? And every year I say I'm going to be super prepared. Me too. Super organised. I know.

Oh, dear. There's a lot going on, isn't there? There's a lot. And I feel like this year I'm going to be really unorganised. I've just got too much to, I don't know what I'm going to do. It'llised. I've just got too much to do. I don't know what I'm going to do. It'll be fine. We get it done, don't we?

We do, but it is stressful, isn't it? I find it really stressful knowing what to buy. I know. Well, me and the girls, I'm sure you heard we had this conversation, me and Maria, about gift buying and stuff. And we do need to calm it down. Calm it down a little bit. But you say that every year.

I know. I know. I mean, she was talking about secret Santas and saying £100. Like, it's a lot of money. I know it is. I know. We do go a bit over the top, don't we? Agreed.

Agreed. No, yeah, it is. You can do Christmas cards. Mark and I always do christmas mark does the christmas cards it's a job he's got i didn't do them last year i did them literally to a select and that's the first time in ever yeah i did a select few and i think that's fine you know what i just yeah people do an e-card don't they well this is it i think look i i i still want to send cards to there's certain people you still want to send a card to especially people that maybe aren't on

social media but now you think you've text something we text on christmas day we message messages pictures on facebook stuff on instagram liking it yeah hearting it it's a different world now it is but an old fashioned card I know but it is a dying art I think so too it's a dying art

so I'm not sure this year whether and if I do do them there's going to be a certain place I won't be buying them from I had a little bit of an incident

oh god go on what's happened now no it's really here we go I'm not gonna say where it was fine card shop though yeah it was a card shop listen to this guys this is a good one so i'm at maria's it's a sunday to help you maria do wardrobes out and i didn't want to compromise on my walk so tina and I decided to walk in where? Lovely.

So after we walked, I thought, I must pop into the card shop because Becky, who obviously you've all heard about, has had a baby too, and I wanted to get her a card, which Bex is probably still at Maria's. Why I did just put it in post, I do not know. So apologies if it's not with you yet. So I grabbed a card, popped into the card shop there was not a small card shop not many people in there was actually let me rephrase that there

was no one in there but a lady at the till standing there just sort of looking at her phone and someone walked in a gentleman walked in behind me i've chosen the card very quickly and where i'm choosing the card there is a member of staff, young girl, just stacking cards up and, you know, putting things away. I go to the till. I stand behind the lady that's still standing at the till. I literally give it a few seconds. And then I went to this woman, excuse me, are you being served?

She said, no, no, I'm just waiting for someone. So she's stacking cards on the shop floor. Our friend is stacking cards, oblivious to the fact that there's somebody at the till and the lady at the till was just standing there waiting to be served by someone probably not realized there was a woman there stacking cards i don't know so anyway so i said oh let me get someone so i sort of reversed back literally three steps and i've got into this woman excuse me um is anybody serving she went be there in a minute so I was like I looked at her and I thought nah I went excuse me I went excuse me she went you heard I'll be there Natalie I sort of lost it a bit but in a calm way I went who do you think you're talking to like that I said I deal with the general public and

I would never be able to speak to someone in that manner she said well I don't like your attitude no she didn't she did I went my attitude I said oh no anyway I was saving I've gone back to the till and the girl there went to me the woman woman that was standing there said, did I just hear that? I said, was I rude? She went, no. I said, I'll tell you, I'm done. I'm done with a certain generation. I said, I'm so confused.

Anyway, as we're having this conversation, a woman's come out of the back. So this girl's probably gone around the back, said, you better go and serve this couple of customers. I'm not serving them. Either she was embarrassed or angry or anyway out comes this woman she's gone everything all right ladies so this the woman standing in front of me said no not really your staff member has been exceptionally rude to this lady she just ignored her picked up the cards this woman had bought and went, oh, these are nice. Oh, dear.

But how do you talk to your inner, your selling? Well, one thing I will say, how old was she? I don't know, no. I would say, I want to say in her 20s. Controversial, but I do feel that there's a certain generation around that sort of age who do feel like they, I don't know, if you're a shop worker, I feel like you're there to serve That's your job isn't it Is that not your role Yeah I didn't

But you're serving aren't you Yeah And you have to put on a smile And just be a bit respectful Of the customer That you enjoy your job I feel like it's I'm all for being equal i really am equality and respecting all

ages i understand it but within that setting there is a hierarchy and unfortunately the hierarchy is the customer is always right absolutely but i think that goes a bit missed. I'll probably get told off now. 07788 2019 19. But it'd be nice to have some thoughts and any other experiences people have had. Well, absolutely. Not necessarily in a shop, but anywhere. Here's an experience for you. Driving up the road, taking Eliza to school the other morning. It's tiny little roads. There are always cars parked on the right-hand side of the road taking Eliza to school the other morning. It's tiny little roads.

There are always cars parked on the right-hand side of the road, lots of bushes the other side. You're permanently stopping. It really is a puzzle in the mornings, but you're stopping. It is a timing thing. Sometimes people get it wrong. You have to reverse up. It is a bit of a pain the whole way, this straight road down the villages. Anyway, the other morning, there's a car in front

with his brakes on. A very posh BM, immaculate, probably brown spanking new, stopped. There is a reason for this, why I'm mentioning the car he stopped and i can see the lady behind obviously in front of me but but you know in front of him and she's within a gap but bless her she's got a little bit wedged he needs to come back and let her he really does because she's got four cars she'd have to reverse so far back. I've sat there. 30 seconds. A minute.

And this is a long time in this road. I thought, what is going on? He's got out the car. No, he hasn't. He has. He's got out the car. The guy in the BMW. Yeah, he's got out of the car.

He's gone round to her car. He hasn't. And he said, you need to reverse i'm not scratching you need to reverse a bit because i need to come a bit forward because i'm not scratching my car there are bushes this side there are twigs i could do i got out the car eliza went no mummy don't don't you know she panics oh no i said i'm not gonna do anything wrong but i've got the car and everything all everything alright I was so waiting so I thought you're being so rude to this lady

so she's wound her window she wound her window down yeah but she was honestly just a lovely middle aged woman

and I could hear her going well you could go back a bit and he went I'm not going back he was so arrogant so when you got out and said everything alright what did

no nothing he got back in the car I said are you you gonna reverse he went yes i am i am i'm doing it now but i just need to go forward a little bit i said okay so i got back in the car and then whatever happened she must have gone back a little bit he went forward she came back and then as she's come next to me i went are you all right love you're right and she went yeah she went oh you're whatchamacallit i said i am whatchamacallit and are you okay she went, yeah. She went, oh, you're a whatchamacallit. I said, I am whatchamacallit, and are you okay?

She went, yeah, bloody cheek. I went, he was really rude. I hope you're all right. She went, yeah, no, I'm fine. Have a lovely day. Lovely to meet you. And off she went. But as a guy, you can't get out the car and confront a woman. He was so arrogant.

You can't do that anymore. And I thought, I am waiting for him to say something else and i'm gonna go for him oh no and he just had that air about him i'm driving a oh just really and i thought don't do it with me behind you mate because i'm driving my car no i'm not gonna have it how i thought don't talk to women like that you You can't do that. No. Especially in this day and age where you hear of these stories where people, you know, hit your bumper to make, to fabricate an accident so that you all get out the car and the next thing they jump into your car and drive off.

I'm not saying, I'm sure she'd figured out that wasn't the scenario. No, no. But you can't, as a woman, I wouldn't even wind my window down now. No. And I mean, my goodness me, back in the day, road rage. I used to chase people if they abused me on the road. I mean, you wouldn't even dream of even making eye contact with someone. No, but even then, on the way, so then I've left her,

and obviously I'm following this guy, and his driving habit the whole way was arrogant. Yeah. He didn't want to stop for anyone. He kept going, I thought, you are really getting on my nerves. I hope you get a knock in your new car. I hope you have a little knock. Nothing too much, but I hope you scratch your car with the tweaks.

No, you really got on my nerves. Was he young? No. No. No, he wasn't. He was probably, I don't know, 40, 50, middle-aged. Should know better. Very much so.

But like you say, people's behaviour is bamboozling at times. Yeah, for me, the thing with the rudeness in whether you're serving a customer or I just don't. There's just no need for it to be rude to people or short with people that you don't know. It's not just worth just having a smile. But also, if you're going to be rude, like this girl, she was rude to me. I think she probably didn't expect me to react.

No. But she got it back. I know, but then. So if you're going to give it. No, but I don't think people are used to. And you weren't, I'm not being rude. i'm not being rude but you weren't overly rude you were just no i wasn't rude at all i just i was i wasn't rude when i asked her to serve is anyone serving not i didn't say can you serve us please said is anyone serving and then when she reacted the way she did which

was completely unacceptable and you said don't talk to me like that. I said, who do you think you're talking to? You can't talk to people like that. It's not justified. It shocks me. It shocks me. And is that the area we're from where we are that, you know, like're up again we're repeating ourselves possibly i always remember going to lincolnshire to see your dad and everyone's saying good morning good afternoon

hello it was a friendlier well i've been working a lot up north the minute you get on a train with the staff everyone's talking to you they're all chatting away yeah we are colder down bolton sheffield yeah herefordshire even the other other way, Portsmouth, Southend. Like, it is, we're all in a bit of a rush. We're all very busy. I'm not saying it's just Hertfordshire. No. But London, you know, central kind of places.

I think it is a bit of a rat race. Yeah, and just that giving people a bit of time, even if it is a good morning or a good afternoon. Oh, my goodness, yeah. Yeah, it's sad it's sad it is lynnie's a lovely message by the way that we received have a listen to this it's nicola from newcastle i've just listened to episode 40 with Auntie Linny. Just want to say,

I love the episode. I love all your episodes, but especially love the ones with Auntie Linny. For some reason, she's the kind of person that I would love to meet up for, have a nice glass of wine

and a natter. She's just such a lovely person. She gives such a lovely vibe off. Love the Auntie Linny pods. Love all your pods, but particularly Auntie Linny. More Auntie Linny, please. Lots of love. Speak soon but particularly auntie linny more auntie linny please lots of love speak soon oh it's so sweet auntie linny i can't believe i've become

oh that's lovely some of the feedback is so really special it really really is really is they're nice people now they're a warm bunch. They have jordies. Yeah. Very warm people. And I wonder what they make of us. If we amongst ourselves think we're a bit cold. I know. Well, we're not. No.

No, I know. And talking of people, we had a knock at the door the other night. Dave assumed it was Tina knocking for us to go and walk. Oh, yeah. He's opened the door and there's a young girl standing there and then he gets all oh and i've gone because thinking it's my friend tina and it's not and this girl's standing there with a lanyard on he said she was from marie curie and dave's gone talk to my wife talk to my wife and i said dave's okay and she was like basically coming around saying that they're

now recruiting nurses to work for them to assist you know to assist them obviously and I guess they want to get the word out they're trying to raise money and Dave went oh well my wife does pods with my sister she can give you a shout out. So this is a shout out to Marie Curie. But straight away he goes into panic mode. It's like, no, but you. He's going around the country talking to lots of people. Very important.

Yeah, thousands of people. Crazy, isn't it? Is he all right? He's good. Good. Yeah. Looking forward to his retirement in December. Lovely.

Still working hard. Good. Playing lots of golf. Yes, I think I've got that day off, which is an absolute. Oh, lovely. That'll be lovely. Get there on time, et cetera, because it'll be a pain. Yeah.

It's going to be a lovely evening and a nice send-off for him. Yeah. So that's nice. Well, that'll be good. You can come to that. That'll be really special. Really nice. And I enjoyed your pod with Tony that you did.

Oh, yes. Yeah. A week ago. That was really good. Yeah, he's all good. He's all good. People are loving a little bit of building advice. They are, aren't they?

Yeah, they really are. Getting loads and loads of stuff through. Although, you have to be careful. I keep saying it. It's not solid advice. No. If you take the advice, don't come back. It's just a chat.

No, absolutely. But it's nice. And the carpet hack, cleaning the carpet. Oh, go on, go for it. Yeah, just remembered. Oh, go on then. Because I don't think you'd have spoken about it. No, not at all.

So the carpet hack, guys, this is brilliant. To be honest, I can't take credit for it because it was the contractor that laid the contractor that laid the carpet that had advised Elia of it but Elia hadn't tried it so she has brand new carpet laid straight away notices a little marking on her bedroom carpet and so I had a little swatch of the carpet you wet it slightly. And guys, this really works. It's brilliant. It's genius.

You wet it slightly so it's just damp. Then you rub it on the carpet that has the stain. And voila, the stain disappears. So you're using no products. You're not, because sometimes even with the products, you can not damage your carpet, but it's apparent that you've cleaned that little patch. Absolutely.

This, just remove the mark. So the same carpet. So when you have your carpet laid, obviously have a little bit, you know, the spare cutoffs. Save them, which why would we? But you'd save them. So Ellie's got a few all cut up in little pieces. So if there's a little accident, you just rub carpet to carpet. Do you think that would, what was the stain?

Do you know? She couldn't tell me what it was. I don't know what it was. But it was quite a tough stain? Well, I at first tried it myself with just a little cloth. And it weren't, I couldn't shift it. So I said, I'm not putting Dr Beckman's on this because it's brand new carpet. So I said, well, let's try the carpet to carpet.

But didn't even try hard. It's really clever. That's really good. Yeah, really good. And now I'm thinking, have I got any lounge carpet? Have you got marks on that carpet? No, not at the moment, but it's good to... Yeah, that's why you've got to keep...

I think I threw it all away. Yeah, shame. Yeah, clever hack, that. That's really good. Yeah. Really, really good. Talking of cleaning hacks, have you seen this one for Linny? Hi, Nat and Linny.

I have an electric ring on the side of a cooker, two circles that I cannot for the life of me get rid of. I've tried the lot. Elbow grease spray, the pink stuff, paste, sift, and even tried to use oil as a lubricant to lift it sounds like it's burnt on the only other things you can try oh goodness that's the picture yeah i'm not sure you're going to save that the only thing you can try is like a stanley knife and try and scrape it but that may be seem yeah that that might be a replacement hob.

I mean, if it's working, you've just got to live with the look of it, but that may be a replacement hob. That's a good idea, though. If something's burnt on it, to use a very thin, sharp knife. Yeah, like a, is that right? A standing knife? Yeah. Yeah, and you can just scrape.

You have to be very careful because you're going to scratch the glass otherwise, but it looks like that's it. I wonder how she's done that that's just burnt on who knows you can do that with um i mean i've got it off mine but there is a faint mark and you know mine's no so annoying purely boiling water where it all over boiled and then it's baking hot like you say and it's not good when it doesn't just wipe off after it does but there is a slight mark so annoying i've never had um electric hob but obviously we have thousands of them in our rental properties yeah and yeah the cleaners do the cleaners do even cleaners endotendency cleaners, don't get them pristine because once it's really ground in, you're not getting it out.

No. No. Sorry. Have a go with the old knife and then get back to us. Then buy a new one. She's not a miracle worker. I try. Lynn, we've had a message here from Catherine from Dunfermline, Scotland.

These are good. These are a couple of corkers. These will start a debate, and I'm going to be really honest. People are not going to like this. How often do people shower? Morning, night, or both? Shoot. I personally shower in the morning.

Yeah. If I go to London for the day, I'll shower and I'll get home because I've been on the underground trains. But generally I shower of a morning unless I'm going out of an evening, then I'll shower of an evening as well. Someone like Jack will shower in the morning, unless I'm going out of an evening, then I'll shower in the evening as well. Right. Someone like Jack will shower in the morning, in the evening, and probably, if he could, at lunchtime.

Before he gets into bed. Yeah. Yeah, I shower in the morning. Your brother showers in the morning. We would only shower of a night if we are going out for the evening. What do you do? Well, I'm going to be honest. You don't shower at all?

If I am pottering around. Yeah, but I'm talking about going to work. So I go Monday to Friday, obviously, we're at the office. Yeah, but if I'm going to work, there will be times where I would have showered. Let's say it's a Tuesday. I'll shower Tuesday morning. Yeah. I'll have a full day at work.

Yeah. Take my makeup off, have a little wash, go to bed, get up in the morning, go to work, and not have a shower until the night time. Sorry? I will. No, you can't i do what you don't shower in the morning every morning no before going to work no nah no it's a bit soapy isn't it yeah oh i'm being honest she's asked me a question it's very i'm not saying it's rare i do know some people that shower of an evening

oh shower and they go to work in the morning and not shower because they've showered the night before because they go to work very early and so it's a lot of i do that more than in the morning so i'm a nighttime person i'll do my hair dry my hair off have a nice shower but then i'm not i don't get too hot in the night i I don't move a lot in the night. So I could not go to work. Without having a shower. No way. Firstly, it freshens you up.

It rejuvenates you a bit. Wakes you up. Wakes you up. I get it. Yeah. I would rather another 10 minutes in bed. Really? Yeah. And that's when I can skip a shower where I would rather have another 15 minutes in bed

and think, oh, I'll have one tonight. And I'll just get up and have a quick wash. As I said on Loose Women, flannel wash. When they thought I said fanny wash. What about that? Isn't that ridiculous? Do you see that? I do see it.

Charlene was shocked, wasn't she? Yeah, she looked horrified. I thought, why is everyone looking horrified? Looking at me. She went, did you say what you... I said flannel wash. She went, oh. Well, that's silly.

Sit on ITV daytime, say I have a fanny wash, even though I do. I could have said horse bath, but I didn't. Are you tongue-tied? Am I tongue-tied? Yeah. Oh, probably. Why did you say that? No, because the baby...

Is it my lisp? No, because the baby had his... That was another joy I had last Thursday. I know. I had to hold his head. Oh, God. Oh, God. I'm nutsy now. I met that lady.

She stomped into it. She blessed her. Was she there? Yeah, but I went. I said, I'm going now. That was so funny. She was fantastic. Yeah. Fantastic.

She had a bit of a lisp herself. Oh, did she? Was she tongue-tied? She was Spanish. Me and Elliot just looked at each other. I'm not saying all spanish people do that not at all we love them she was amazing but we did look at each other and say oh but yeah and she said so oh my god i mean i don't know if anyone's ever seen it done i've never my kids i have never what was it was it traumatic well it wasn't but it was not great to watch. Elliot went in the other room. I had to hold it.

She said, you hold his head still. So she's put her finger in his mouth. So he's sucking on her finger. And then as she pulls her finger out, he's let out a yelp. And she snips. It takes like, oh, no, it was the weirdest thing. But she said it was quite like, you it was quite badly tongue-tied it was right the right decision to make because i know people that said their children are tongue

tied and they've not done anything about it but yeah that can cause a lit stop looking at yourself she's currently checking to see if she's tongue-tied but she says it can cause lisps and she said it's there would be somebody in the family that would be tongue-tied for baby James to be tongue-tied. Oh. So it's got to be you. Well, the worst things Elliot usually gets from me, so that's probably one of them as well.

Because you're doing mine now. Oh, Natalie, imagine. Can you only have it done as a baby? from me so that's probably one of them as well because you're doing mine now oh Natalie imagine can you only have it done as a baby well I'm guessing if you're doing that be extremely painful cool can you imagine if I had it done I just went oh hello everybody absolutely wonderful my tongue is working absolutely spoke absolutely different oh dear so I never got to see Elliot give birth I missed all of that

no to be honest I do feel a bit relieved because I don't know how me and Jack would have got on in that scenario no he would have been

bouncing off the walls running around like a headless chicken cleaning all the clean Mrs Cassidy this is not your place or domain to clean. Take the rubber gloves off. Oh, gosh.

What was really special is one of my best friends, Rachel, helped. Oh, how amazing that she actually got to... She was there. Yeah. She was there, yeah. Well done, Rachel. That is super. Really nice to have someone you know

Yeah of course Yeah Really lucky Although did Elliot say That she didn't find The whole cesarean experience Like No

No she didn't really Go into it really But she Wasn't a fan No It does feel But then she doesn't know Any difference

She doesn't know What going into labour is Well neither do I No That's why you can't I don't know how you can say You're not a fan If then she doesn't know any difference. She doesn't know what going into labour is. Well, neither do I. No. That's why you can't... I don't know how you can say you're not a fan if you actually don't know... If you've...

I don't know. Not a natural birth. Well, it's just the rummaging around. Yeah. And you can't really feel it, but you can. It's very odd. It's a very odd sensation, the tingling of the legs, and then you're numb.

And they're going going can you feel your legs and you're going oh i don't know i don't think so oh yeah i can oh no i don't know because you're not sure so it's all a bit but um well she's done it so well yeah she really has healing well yeah scar looks amazing really good and the baby came out perfect because of it because i guess there's no although they had to get him out with forceps Even with a caesarean Yeah so I hear It's crazy isn't it

Again I've never heard of that one before It's amazing how all these different scenarios And I didn't even know that was a thing The thing that gets me every time And I know it's ridiculous and it's so simple But I can't believe I was sat eating a pizza with her on a Sunday night. And then a few hours later, she's a mum. And I will never get my head, you know, one minute they're not here

and then they're just here and life changes. And you can't imagine life without them. No. Yeah. Isn't it lovely, just a little baby? Oh, it's lovely. Baby boys I did think about having another

I've been very broody Oh no don't start all that I've been so broody It's made me so broody but I know But this is what you do You got broody when Annalisa and Maria had the girls Yeah but it's fine Because it's that stage

That beautiful newborn Don't last forever Just have to keep remembering. Then you've got two, three, four, five and onward. No thank you. And that's such hard ages, isn't it? All of it. It's so hard.

A whole lot. Isn't it hard work? Yeah. It's really, really hard, isn't it, parenting? I'm just, yeah. I mean, you say it now. Look at you now. You're getting busier and busier and

busier oh goodness oh my goodness yeah my feet are not touching the ground but i want to help them because i know how hard it is i had you know you and i didn't have a choice we had to do it without our mums they don't need to no and i'm still working so you know i'm sure if i didn't work i'd be around way more for them but maybe that's not a good thing either because they do need to stand on their own i think you do enough no i know i think you do enough i know but oh it's lovely though and also i get time with the as you say they're not babies for very long so at least i get a bit of time with them. These six weeks go so quickly.

It's all a blur in my head. I even said to Mark, because it takes you back, I said, oh, did we have loads of visitors when Joni was born? He said it was really hot and we were in the back of the garden. Do you remember? I can't actually remember. Isn't it crazy? Where were you?

At Broxbourne. But you know the back of the garden, we had the decking. Yeah, yeah, of course. And the seats. He said when people came over, we were all down there. But I remember you and the girls coming around most during the day and stuff. But, you know, we haven't got the network of people that you guys have queuing up, waiting to come in, which is lovely, don't get me wrong.

But it's nice to have a little bit of quiet time. I said to her, don't worry about a little bit of quiet time because it will just go. And then you turn around and it'll be like Jenna's baby. I know. Who's, you can believe it, four or five months old and you think you're so big compared to that. Yeah, and that's why that baby stage, you're absolutely right.

You have just got to savor every moment and don't feel guilty if you're sitting holding them or you're breastfeeding all day long. Doesn't matter. She smashed that as well, didn't she? Of course, she's done well. I mean, again, credit to her and baby James. Well, he can do anything.

He's doing boob. He's doing little bottle he's doing this just a meal he's just you know a little bit of everything if if it's needed she loves the breastfeeding the most which is great but it's lovely that he can take a bottle of her expressed milk it's just no yeah no natalie she's that side of it again if she's doing something and i've got to feed him or whoever's there They can And again, it takes an element of pressure off But yeah, that's happened I don't know if that's happened by default

I remember Mark and Maria would never take a bottle Because I was breastfeeding How about when you tell me the story of when you and Dave went out I think it was one of the only times Mum had Maria, and she was a little baby, and she went and took the bottle, and she cut the teat and was trying to pour it. Yeah, down her throat, basically,

because she was screaming because she wouldn't take the bottle, because she was gagging on the teat. So your mum made a... Oh, your dad made a massive hole in the teat and poured it down her throat. But, yeah, you get a lot of babies that get used to one thing. Yeah, and that's where Elliot's cracked it, I think. So good on her, yeah. Again, it'd be lovely to hear from mums,

their experience of doing both breastfeeding, bottle feeding. Whatever it takes. Because, again, your body naturally does this. But my goodness, as a woman, what we have to do. It's a lot. It's crazy. I felt a failure when I had to give up. That was my problem. What, the breastfeeding?

Yeah. And I feel. And I know people say you persevere. I know there's a lot of pro breastfeeding, which I completely agree with, because I wanted to do it more than anyone. But I did not have any milk. I did. I did it.

But I used to express for an hour. And I'd have what Elliot gets out of that hacker thing. It's just dripping out. I can't get over it. She keeps laughing at me. That's not just come out of. Without squeezing it. Without expressing. Just sitting on her. No, she's sitting there. So she's laughing at me and that's not just come out of yeah without squeezing it without expressing just sitting on her no she's sitting there so she's got the milk it's fantastic

it's really but it doesn't happen for everybody no it doesn't and you shouldn't feel bad about it but you do at the time especially when you've had a cesarean so you haven't had a natural birth then you want to be the mother that you're meant to be and breastfeed. It's hard. And Elliot definitely put herself under that pressure because I think she felt exactly that, Natalie. She hadn't had a natural childbirth, and then she was adamant she was going to breastfeed. And she had a bit of a challenge in a few days, but, again, it's natural. It's week one. It's all trial and error.

Absolutely. You're tired. You've had an op. Well, she's done so well. But she got through, and, yeah, now it's week one it's all trial and error absolutely you're tired you've had an op and um she's done so well she got through and yeah she's now it's a breeze he's taken to everything this is brilliant honestly it's it's impressive yeah it's impressive but also you have to respect women that make that decision like analisa for instance she had a cesarean first time round so she's not going to even attempt to try and have same as i did same as you so she's going to have cesarean first time round so she's not going to even attempt to try and have same as what

i did same as you so she's going to have cesarean yeah and breastfeeding didn't work for her first time round so she's kind of made a decision that the likelihood is the likelihood is she may change her mind here at the time i think sometimes that's a good thing because if you've made that decision then you're not going to feel bad if it doesn't work for you because you've made a decision yes and there's no right or wrong no you've just got to do there's no right or wrong you have to do what suits you yeah the aftercare that ellia's had at home the midwives that have gone to the house they have been brilliant i saw one the other day did you i heard from joni i said you came to my house she said yeah i remember i've really been impressed with that they sit with you they're not rushing to leave

having a chat they're having a chat because i feel like they want to make sure mum's okay as well yeah and they think more about mental health the emotional side of things it's super good yeah really good yeah i must say yeah i met one i met hayley um not even ellia's midwife she was covering for someone and she's taking it upon herself to go there ring her text her checking in on her telling her how proud she is of her i tell you it's impressive yeah really really well that's great even like harlow hospital as busy as they are there oh my god it's so busy yeah i mean elia on monday thanks everybody but yeah it's it's incredible what they all do they're really up against it certainly are when they do their utmost to do the best job. I know. Which is what we're sort of talking about, the card shop. Yeah.

Really. Yeah. We're not saving lives or having babies. Just want to pay for a £2.99 card, an envelope, if you don't mind. You've been had a go at. It's unbelievable, really. Just shows, doesn't it? There's these poor girls running around after women who are

about to give birth yeah you know on low salaries working all the hours probably getting abused as well and they're just doing their job with a smile on their face and yeah and then you just buy a card and you get annihilated strange stuff oh well it's been lovely having an egg yeah always lovely it's always nice so should we do a walk next time 100% weather depending yeah although how mild has it turned i'm so confused what do you wear nowadays i don't know what is this weather everyone's ill though aren't they they? Also, the insect situation before we go. The ladybirds. Well, we had an infestation.

An infestation of ladybirds. I popped in there, literally popped in there, because I'd got an evaluation in Sorbo, so I had swung by. All the doors were closed. It was like a sauna in the house. I went, what is going on here? We can't open any doors, any windows. Ibirds and then and then i've looked out the window it was like a scene out of a very old film hitchcock film the birds only with ladybirds oh my god they were everywhere

all over the window weren't they now that's got to be a temperature thing i just don't okay i've never seen unless it was just a day you know you have flying ant day and that was maybe it was ladybird day good lord but we had a swarm of wasps by the bush the other day as we've walked him by the drive not the other day today walked joanie home and there was loads and loads and i thought it could be a wasp's nest but i think it's where they they're confused they don't know what to do with themselves yeah because it's just turned really mild it was freezing cold at the weekend they're thinking what's going on here do i take my coat off do i put my shoes on do i get my sunglasses out and they're all asking each other well it's rain tomorrow so a few days good for the grass absolutely alright it's been a pleasure absolutely really nice catching up Nat

lovely any questions for Linny or myself for the Auntie Linny pods because it's nice getting into a little rhythm of different people everyone's got their faves

but if there's anything you'd like to chat to us about it's 07788 201919 have a really lovely weekend I'll be back on Monday not sure who

with yet because I haven't recorded it but there you go at least I'm honest thanks Lyn our pleasure see you guys

love you and you and congratulations thanks darling alright see ya bye bye hi this is

Chris McCausland and this is Diane Boswell. And we've got a new podcast, haven't we, Di? We do. What's it called? Winning. Isn't.

Everything. Every week, me and Diane, we're going to be having a little catch up on the back of Strictly, aren't we, Di? We are. I've missed you, Chris. I've missed you, too. We're going to talk some nonsense, so why not tune in? Available everywhere you get your podcasts.