Life with Nat - EP71: Auntie Linny #6

Episode Date: December 22, 2024

So… Christmas is nearly here! Nat and her sister in law Linny take a look at some of your messages and chat all things Christmas. We are nearly there everyone! Enjoy! X 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

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Visit BetterHelp.com today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P.com. Hi Nat, just got your message about voice notes about christmas and my son james asked if he could uh send you his favorite things about christmas so what is your best things about christmas the train of lights the train of lights which i also have sent a video so you really should watch the train of lights because i think your mark would love it um and how old are you james i'm just three and a half he's just three and a half and are you excited for christmas we're already in christmas nearly christmas yeah already

yeah we've been celebrating christ Christmas now for a little while. But yeah, not long now until the big man comes. My favourite Christmas tradition is waking up with alcohol, going to sleep with alcohol. Take that as you like. Oh, Merry Christmas, James. Bless his little heart. I am joined by Aunty Linny tonight for a Christmas special How are you sweetheart?

I'm a bit fragile tonight After a little celebration last night You didn't drink that much last night No, I don't know, no, but we didn't eat either Why did we not go for lunch? Don't know, we all said that after We should have done lunch first, shouldn't we? Maybe we just thought it would be a long day i

don't know i know what you mean yesterday was my brother david's retirement day and we all went up to barclays after 43 years at barclays 43 with the same institution it's crazy isn't it it's incredible stuff it was amazing lovely lovely evening it was just very very nice just to hear about his life at work because obviously you're not privy to it are you not at all

met a couple of his work wives which was nice Ali Gray I said I'd give her a little shout out because she does listen to the pod it's just strange some of them referring to me as Aunty Linny

yeah that's what they listen to the pod yeah just what yeah it was quite overwhelming wasn't it it was and it was yeah a really nice evening a late evening on a school night I was up super early

yeah you had a busy one today didn't you busy one today lots of podding, documentary voiceovers. Went to pick Eliza up. Yeah, I've been on the go. Yeah. I do feel rather tired. But you are right. It's not eating, not enough food. Yeah. I got in and ravaged a large packet of crisps. Did you eat anything when you got in? No, I crawled into bed. I literally crawled into bed. Oh, brilliant. But today, yeah, I needed stodge today.

And went to work and been for my walk. And now I'm here. Well done. Going to talk about Christmas, aren't we? We certainly are. So lovely James there. Oh, lovely. How are the grandchildren?

Do you feel like they're excited? Are they chatting about it so excited well we've just had um we have a every year around Broxbourne and I guess they do in other towns we've had father Christmas on his sleigh with all the music and all the lights they come they're collecting yes charity and they drive up all the roads and literally as I pulled into my road, having been for my walk, they're all out there, so I took a video, sent it to Maria and Lisa to show the children.

Yeah, it's just super, super exciting for them, isn't it? It's just a lovely age now, the three. Because they're beginning to understand it. And it's, yeah, it's brilliant it's going yeah and what's lovely I think this year because again the presents are so and again I'd be interesting to see what other people think about this but there's so many gifts in such a sort of short space of time for them to open yeah i just remember last year in the end they weren't even looking at their presents no that's right just ripping it open

just ripping it open so i think it's really nice this year that they're going to have their christmas day with their you know other grandparents and they'll have a day of opening presents there then they can do boxing day with us then when we we're with you we're doing it new year's with the children we're doing it new year's eve yeah so i feel like it spreads it across a few days yeah rather than yeah something to look forward to oh my gosh because it is a lot are you on your christmas morning are you one to sit down and open your presents first or do you sort of stretch it out and save them no what we do so if i was doing christmas day do you mean if they were all at me christmas yeah well like this year this is what will happen again i think this is going to be nice

so that the girls are sleeping with the children christ Eve. So I'll be doing Christmas Eve. They're all staying the night. And then Christmas morning we go in the lounge and they'll open their stockings. Yeah. So they'll do my stockings that I've done for the grandchildren. Not the adults. These are the children. Yes.

And then they'll open, I guess, their parents' gifts. And then they're going to their prospective others. Yeah, lovely. So again, that sort of breaks it up a little bit. And then Boxing Day, the children will open their presents. And there is no way we can say to the children, let's do a few now and we'll do a few after dinner and a few in the evening. No. It's just not going to happen.

So they'll do this. But you could hide some. Yeah. Do you know what? That's actually a... You could hide some. Mine, I've always instilled it to do a few. Do a few, have them in a bag or, you know,

just put them in the garage or away and then bring a few more out. And it's even more exciting for them. Little idea. Yeah. bring a few more out and it's even more exciting for them yeah it's it's a hard one isn't it because you get caught up in the moment and then like we're there all as a family so ellia will give the children her gifts and lisa and don will give the children their gifts and then yeah i guess i could hold one of mine or they they do it. They hold theirs. It's something to think about because it is a lot. After, you know, Annalise does hers at 12 o'clock. Yeah.

Do you remember last year? When did you come over? Was it last Boxing Day? Yeah, Boxing Day. And we were opening presents at 9 o'clock at night. Yeah, no. It's been a whole day of just opening gifts. Yeah, it was a lot, wasn't it? It sort of becomes...

Not as special as it should be. Yeah, exactly that. But I don't think we've all gone as mad as usual. No? Well. Your brother said he went to pick up a load of gifts from Ria's to bring to mine. Yes. So the kids don't see them. Yeah.

He said, I've got a couple of free sacks full of toys in the garage. Oh, my goodness. And interesting, I've seen some voice notes where people are saying, do you put all your gifts under the tree? Yes. Funny you've said that. I've got a lovely message here. Hi Nat, I have a question for you.

Lovely ladies, once the tree is up, do you start putting all your presents underneath it for the kids or do you hide theirs and only get them out once they're in bed on Christmas Eve? This is what I've always done, but I know some people start adding them under the tree to build up the excitement. I've always been the last to go to bed Christmas Eve and always the first up. I like to put the lights on, put the kettle on, and I arrange all the presents into little piles,

different spots around the room, and we've got all our own spots. I just wondered what you do. Are they out so the kids can squeeze them or so i thank you for your message i um like to lay all of mine out and i don't put them under the tree and then obviously father christmas comes in the night anyway so he just dumps his he's not very tidy father christmas he must just sort of shovel him out the sack because he's got so much to do but that you know they end up sort of being wherever so you don't put your gifts under the tree my gifts for the children don't go under the tree

last year i think i did and it was a nightmare because they're poking them and looking at them. Oh, really? And I prefer them not to be there. See, again, it's different for me because it's my, A, my children are adults. Yeah. And B, the grandchildren are not coming, they're not in my house every day. No, of course not.

But I do like to see them under the tree. Well, I put everyone else's under the tree. I tend, yeah, well, you've seen what happens at mine. Not really under the tree, i put everyone else's under the tree yeah i tend yeah well you've seen what happens at mine not really under the tree are they lynn no they're like full of our entire lounge well i've got i've got three how many stockings have i got i've got three for the older my kids and four for the grandchildren so i've got seven stockings. What about that one? It's a lot. It is a lot. Yeah. So you put yours under, I don't.

I like to see them under the tree. No, I get it. I get it. But I get the method behind the different scenarios of what people do. Because, yeah, if you've got, say, for argument's sake, your lounge is your main room, and then you've got all your presents under the tree, and the children are in that lounge every evening, the temptation. Yeah. Whereas I guess I'm looking at it from a perspective where they're not at mine. The lounge is a separate room.

Yeah. Which we only use Christmas. Yeah. So they're kind of put away under that tree. And it's a, yeah, it's an area that the kids will just go and have a look. Yeah. Like tomorrow when I collect them from school, they'll probably go into the lounge to see how many presents are building up.

It is all, I feel like. It's all part of it. Yeah, yeah. Have you wrapped stuff? Natalie, I've wrapped one present and that took me about half an hour because you'd want it to be pretty and perfect and the ribbon and no. The lengths we go to. I'm using...

This is going to shock you. Oh, gosh. I'm being serious. I am using... Tinfoil? Not tinfoil. I'm not doing a smithy, but I am using everything from last year. I've got so much to use up.

I'm using it up. Yeah, but again... It won't all match. I don't care. I'm using it all up. Yeah. It's a shame because we all do this, don't care I'm using it all up yeah it's a shame because we all do this

don't we because I've done the same thing I bought wrapping paper for the children yes and I'm not quite sure it's going to be enough and then I found a roll

of wrapping paper that I used last year for the children so I've used that for Alfie so he's got his own and the girls have got matching yeah perfect yeah there's nothing wrong with that

isn't it hard as well sometimes you just don't know how much to buy. I know. It's hard to gauge, isn't it? I know. And when it says three metres, I know that I'm a bit of an idiot

when it comes to this stuff, but I never know. You think, how long is that? Yeah, and I'm a feet, I'm not great with metres either. What's a metre? 2.2 feet, I believe. You're asking the wrong person.

I think it's a couple of foot. Yeah, see, so I work in feet. So I think three metres is roughly six foot over six foot but that's hard to gauge I've got huge boxes but yeah I think there's nothing wrong

with using last year's and a bit of recycling I actually don't think there's too much wrong with that well Karen's messaged talking of recycling things lovely to hear your podcast always makes me smile when i see them come up funny story now i'm all for recycling gifts but one year i brought my mother slippers and a tweed perfume the following year

i received them back even in the same paper no i wouldn mind, but I was about 19 at the time, so granny slippers and a tweed perfume weren't quite right. I was very good. I smiled and said thank you. Stop. Even to this day, over 43 years ago, I still laugh about it. Karen, that is brilliant. So she didn't even open it. Would that?

No. Well, I'm giving her back a gift. But she didn't know what was in it. Maybe she opened a little bit of it at a peak. I thought, well, if it's good enough for me, it'll be good enough for her. Brilliant. What's the worst present you've ever got? Do you know what?

I've spoke to your brother tonight. I said, I'm trying to think think have we ever amongst us had any like weird gifts absolute clangers I just can't actually think of anything I think we're good

gift buyers aren't we I think we are what I mean Mark bought me a every year we try and do

something fun like a funny thing so there was a reason for it but it came out of the stocking Linda and while not being crude i thought we can't open this in front of the children it looked rather long and i just thought what what what is this gift but actually it was a um it was a knife sharpener oh right okay it was

a knife sharpener it just looked a funny shape but we like to buy just a bit of a mundane like a little something like a practical yeah but again do you think that's a bad gift that you go to see i think i can be a bit practical which then that's a bit boring no i think practicality is good i'll tell you another present because i can talk to you about these things i won't go into any detail i don't want to embarrass you but mark's present last year his favorite present in his stocking i bought some plastic door wedges oh yeah because then you know no one's gonna walk in you can put the wedge in i said it's not to keep the door open. No, it's to keep it shut. Okay, shall we move on? Did you realise they were bought for that purpose?

Yes, you knew immediately. So, yeah, onwards and upwards. Hi, Natalie. I've been so enjoying listening to your pods pods i'm playing catch up on the pods and just wanted to add after listening to your pod where you talked about when to put up the christmas tree i looked back at my photos and saw that i put mine up on the 11th of november golly i realized that life is too short not to celebrate no matter what i mean i have to say this year you smashed it it's the earliest i've ever put one well i didn't have all three two out of the three trees were up but i on dominic's

birthday and i've never ever he's 30 help me three four four oh goodness me yeah 34 he's born in 1990 so he's 34 and i have never had christmas decorations up for his birthday which is the 21st of november but i had two out of the three trees i didn't have all the decorations up because like you said on a previous pod i think i kind of was doing it when i had a spare couple of hours yeah but, but I feel like I've smashed it. Yeah, because of that. I haven't gone. I'm doing everything in one day.

Me too. And it's been actually quite enjoyable. Me too. Yeah. It's the way to do it. Spread it out. It is if you've got, you know, a lot of decorations and tree. If you're doing more than one tree,

I think the trees are quite time consuming, you know, with your beautiful one in the lounge. So I think if you can do those over a period of days it doesn't because again even that becomes tiresome and it's not enjoyable no i have to say i will do the same next year spread it out and do it a tad earlier and yeah so everyone listening if you find it overwhelming with the decorations we highly recommend start a little bit earlier. I even put the tree together, did the lights, then left it, then I decorated it the next day, and it just feels more of a hobby and a nice thing to do rather than a chore.

Than a task, yeah. It could take all day. Now, again, do you know you know what people got to do what works for them because it is again like we keep saying an exceptionally overwhelming time of year there is so much going on and then throw you know life as i've said before life carries on look we've had a retirement due december is full on full on it's more full on for you than me. Do you think? No, you've been doing some hours as well.

I'm doing some hours, but your social calendar is bigger. You've got your Christmas party tomorrow? No, tomorrow I'm babysitting Amelia after having the kids all day. Friday night's my Christmas do. Sunday we're out on our taking the children out. We are, we're going to Essex Fest. It's a new Christmas

experience they've opened this year and I can't wait to go where is it where is it Natalie it's Billericay Way Billericay

not Chelmsford then no no okay but it looks absolutely fantastic I think we're going to have a really lovely afternoon

oh lovely yeah so that's lovely to do with the children isn't it yeah might bring my recorder do a little bit what do you mean you're gonna play a recorder no my my microphones and that i can't play a recorder i only play the trumpet can you no no really bad, really badly. And talking of going back to Christmas, do you remember when I used to do the Christmas Eves?

Yes. How did we do that? I don't know. I didn't do anything but come around and have a drink. But you used to have a house full of people. But to be fair, Natalie, it started off with very, very close friends and the family. And it just got out of it.

It became a tradition. Talking of traditions, my Christmas Eve became an open house, started off as an open house and people would pop in, have a glass of Prosecco or champagne or a coffee and a mince pie and then the following year more people came because they all started to say oh let's go to the cassidys for christmas eve it's lovely we can just pop in and then by the end of it how many people at the end of it did you have and how did you stop it because you didn't you haven't done it for a few years so how did it stop it stopped because grandchildren started to arrive fine i could not host well the biggest one was maria's engagement yes which was about 70 people christmas eve and then hosting christmas day but on average during on a normal christmas eve i think during the course of a day i don't 30 more

i don't know how we did that i have to to say that Christmas Eve for me is a sacred day. If someone wants to pop in and have a little glass of champagne, but that's a rarity, but people might pop past and it's my day. My cooking shows are on. I have to watch Carol from Kings on the television when it's on and I'll make some mince pies and prepare the food i love it it's my favorite yes yeah no i get it i get that because tony and family they it will chat about it because we're going to do a little christmas special as well coming up but they always go for lunch

christmas eat they go out yeah it's funny but everyone's different everyone's got their own little tradition but that's nice it's yeah yeah it's a nice yeah we we tend not to do we'll do the going out leading to up to christmas but that christmas period we like to be at home yeah yeah i'm really looking forward to the break this year i feel very fortunate because i've got a nice little nice little break for you know 10 to 12 days and i don't want to do much. I mean, there's enough going on. We've got New Year's Eve here. Yeah, that'd be lovely. That's going to be lovely.

Jack wants to do karaoke. Oh, fantastic. So, going to sort out some karaoke. Oh, your brother would love that. So, we'll have a little bit of karaoke, a few picky bits. Yeah, make it fun. Yeah, and that's all you need, isn't it? That's it.

But it is, yeah, it must be lovely to have that little break. Again, it'd be interesting to see how many people are going back into work in between. Well, what about people who work Christmas Day all the time? I know. You know, people in the emergency services, people in care homes that help the elderly or whoever. But they'll make that fun too. Of course they will. It's quite a lovely time of year when you're doing jobs like that, isn't it?

Because you can... Of course it is. You can make it so special. And in turn, well, we spoke about it, didn't we? Saying that we'd have to do that one year where we hire the village hall and cook. I would love to do that. We must do that one year. For all the lonely people.

My lovely friend, Rachel, who you know very well now. Yeah. She has an older man go to her house for Christmas dinner. Does she? Because he's on his own. And now she's found another one. No. And she asked the children, could so and so.

And they said, mum, please, because they know the man that she always has. They said, mum, please, can we just have Christmas as we have it? But she'd have any way from straight around. But she's really up for doing what we said. She'd be involved. We could. We'd love to do it one year. I would love to do it.

Love to. Let the kids get a bit older. Yeah, that's exactly it. We've got to let the kids get a little bit older. And then we could so do it. Your brother would love it in that kitchen cooking for all. And we could do a table. We'd do a quiz, get music. It would be. And the kids would love it your brother would love it in that kitchen cooking for all and we could do all table we'd do a quiz get a music it would be and the kids would love it they would they would yeah

we should perhaps we should really think about it i'm with you and do it yeah let's do it yeah isn't it sad to think that people are on their own there's a lot of people that will be on their own um and as we said in our last pod really you, it can bring up a lot for people as well. It's a hard time of year. People who don't drink, who are brilliant and have decided to stop drinking or stop doing things that aren't good for them. It's a difficult time of year for them

because it's a very alcohol-based time of year as well. So well done, all of you, really, for cracking on. Yeah. Well done. Changing the subject slightly, of year as well so well done all of you really for cracking on yeah well done changing the subject slightly but i feel like you need to hear it i know it's beth here just looking on your insta page in regards to the podcast with aunt lily blimey she looked good for her age considering she's 60 plus and you look brilliant too however I cannot believe she does not look her age as you say she looks at least 20 years younger but then you only look in your 30s

anyways so don't ever put yourself down and I'd like to know the secret please Aunt Linny on what you do to make yourself look 20 years younger than what you already are have a good day bye oh that's nice what do you do i don't do anything i hear this a lot though i'm not being arrogant by the way even yet last night i think it is i think it's a combination. I mean, I don't think it. I personally look in the mirror, especially in the last year or so, I think I'm starting to look my age.

But I have always been complimented on not looking my age. And I don't physically feel my age. No. As you know, I'm very active. I think it's a combination of that little bit of Mediterranean, maybe DNA. maybe the old Italian I do think that possibly and I think it's having daughters that kind of just keep you young because I'm not saying you're trying to keep up with them, but you've got young women. I've had young women around me that have lived with me. And I don't know.

I do think maybe it's. Oh, I hope that's true because I've got two of them in all. Yeah, I think. I don't know. Or is it just your makeup? I don't know. I don't do anything. You know I don't.

You know, I don't do anything other than walk. No, you don't have any Botox. I don't do all that You know I don't. You know, I don't do anything other than walk. No, you don't have any Botox. I don't do all that stuff. Facials. No, no, I like a little facial every now and then. But I don't do the obvious things. I have my nails. I look after myself, but I don't go above and beyond what anyone else probably does.

I just think, but then I'm not a big drinker. I've never been a smoker. We eat well. I like to exercise. Maybe it's a combination of all those things. I don't know. But, yeah, often, yeah, often, I mean, Maria will tell you more than anyone that everyone says, like, oh, you sisters.

She hates that. Sorry, Maria. But, yeah, I just, I think you're just blessed with what you're blessed with aren't you but i also think it is being so busy and driven i do think if your outlook on life is good then you age well if you're interested in things you keep doing stuff you love your work yeah do you know what i mean yeah i do think yeah do think the outlook shows on your face. Yeah, possibly. And I think when you do go to work and, you know, we're a client-based business, you get up every morning, you do dress up. I'll dress up for work.

I'll wear a bit of makeup. I suppose when you're at home or if you're working remotely day in, day out, it's easy to just not bother so much, I guess. Fall into a trap of makeup and watching this morning every day yeah which is not a bad thing not being so worried about if your hair's you don't hide your hair colored or car or because you're not necessarily going anywhere every day i don't know i did do you know what i don't actually know what the answer is i just think it's in your makeup i think you're either just made that way. Well, there you go.

So, but thank you. Thank you very much. It's nice to hear. Thank you very much. Although I feel 100 tonight. Lightweight. Listen to this. Hey, just heard your voice note on Instagram.

Our Christmas tradition has always been we aren't allowed to open our presents till after the Queen or king's speech oh i will keep this tradition going with my daughter as i think it makes the day last longer so that's nice no and it is lovely and i think again it's i've had so many christmases where they're in the lounge four hours opening presents and i want to i love that part of christmas i've done all the hard work buying them wrapping them and then i've got to miss out on watching them open open because you're busy because i'm in the kitchen trying to get everything organized even though your brother is a huge help in the kitchen as you know but obviously i'm there um

so yeah i i think that's nice then if you can spread it out because then you can be part of it. Yeah. Because I can't afford to sit in a lounge for three hours opening Christmas presents. I'm really excited that we're spending Christmas Day together. Oh, it's lovely. It is going to be really lovely. Yeah, it's lovely.

Are we going to watch EastEnders? Do you fancy sitting down and hunkering down and watching a bit of telly in the evening? Yeah. Because we've got a quiet house. Be nice. Absolutely. It's on at 7.35 or half seven.

Then it's the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special. Oh, definitely got to watch that. Yeah. And then EastEnders is on again at half past ten. Oh. I know. It's very late. That is late.

They don't, do they normally do this? No. They always have the two episodes. They do, but not usually. There's quite a lot. Or maybe there's a reason they're putting it on well call the midwife christmas special is eight o'clock oh i've got to record all this stuff call the midwife love that too that's an hour and then gavin and stacy's 90 minutes wow i've done a fantastic gavin and stacy special for off the telly by the way and we spoke to some of Joanna's cast members and director and we had a

really wonderful chat and it's all things Gavin and Stacey so I highly recommend to listen to that one I believe it comes out it's next Wednesday or Friday I should know that you must listen to that yes Gavin and Stacey special I was invited to the screening but you can't go no i could go i don't want to what you don't spoil it for yourself i don't want to see it before everyone else has how funny it's like an event yeah i don't want to watch it before everybody else has it was lovely to be invited oh amazing what she said about it Joanna then it was she just said it's amazing and she is a chatter box um and she's been amazing she hasn't said a word can't get a thing out of her and I don't actually want to know but she just said it's amazing and this is the last one forever and

ever amen is it but you never know do you no but she said it's Really incredible She went in and did All of her ADR Sort of all the voice stuff And she just said She was in floods of tears She said it's brilliant So yeah It's going to be a great one

But we talked to Quite a lot of special people On the pod Do you All about it So yeah One to listen to Definitely

Yeah Hi Nat and Linny Have you ever marinated Your turkey In buttermilk Did it for Easter Was delicious Definitely Yeah Hi Nat and Linny Have you ever marinated your turkey In buttermilk Did it for Easter Was delicious Will be doing the same for Christmas

Nevin Maguire recipe Most tender turkey ever If you see this Will you show Linny The job I did on the rings of the cooker What's she done So She sent us a question

Saying her oven was a little bit ropey Was this not the one with the cooker. What's she done? So she sent us a question saying her oven was a little bit ropey. Was this not the one with the electric hob? It was. Oh, she managed to get it clean? Well, she said thank you to you because she got a knife, she scraped it. Did she?

And she got some degreaser and it's come out smelling of roses. Unbelievable. So she said thank you so much. Oh, bless her. Well done you That's good eh Yeah

Yeah I've never ever put My turkey in anything I'd be really worried Buttermilk Buttermilk Mmm I can't say I've ever heard that

But when you say soak You've not really told me A lot about it So is it like The water and brine Because you can do brine Can't you in the bucket Yeah

Talking to Gavin and Stacey That's what he does do brine, can't you, in the bucket? Yeah. Talking to Governor Stacey. That's what he does, isn't it? Mick puts the turkey in the bucket. But people do soak their turkeys. Yeah, they do indeed. Again, not something we've done. Have you ever done that? Never.

No. What do you do with yours then? It varies. Do you remember when people used to say cooking it upside down? Oh, yeah. So the fat, yeah. And then you end up doing the traditional i just do the traditional stuff i cover it in butter yeah two packets of butter goes on it does it absolutely thick cover it i put a bit of bacon on it sometimes but that was mommy

yeah she always put she did but baking my sticks. She always did the bacon. So I put a bit on. I usually put half a clementine in, a little bit of garlic sometimes. Now Dad's not here, but I might not do that this year. Do you think it's the quality of the turkey? I do. As opposed to? I think it's both. I think it's a mix of both.

I think it's the quality of the turkey, and I do think it's the timing and the resting. Yeah. Because I have got a meter, which is a little thermometer for meat that goes in the oven, and you have an app on your phone for people that don't know. It's a bit of a fancy tool. But when I have used it for the turkey, you absolutely shit yourself

because the turkey's in for about two hours. And usually you're thinking this is a massive bird. Surely it's four or five hours. And you have to trust it. You get it out and then it will say rest for an hour and 20 or whatever. And I've never tasted turkey like it. It's like butter. Please let it go well this year because you're real.

It will. And we've got Dave's goose. And we've got Dave's goose. Yeah. So. If all else fails. I'm sure it will be delicious. You're a very good cook.

Oh, that's very kind. No. Do you, have you ever cooked a Christmas dinner? Yeah. Yeah. No, because I know Dave loves his cooking. So I can't remember. Yeah, he's hogged the kitchen now, hasn't he?

And then it's like anything, isn't it? I mean, I would struggle now, to be honest, because I'm out of practice to fashion. I could do it if I was put in that situation, but he just takes control of it. And to be honest, Natalie, it helps me immensely because I couldn't do it all. Well, you... I just couldn't. No. Something I would have to give well it's like Mark really I do the cooking but he's going around behind you

you need that he's clearing that's a job in it that's a job in itself at least your job's enjoyable yeah if you enjoy cooking it's pleasurable exactly yeah um but yeah no I yeah I get involved but he'll do the meat Absolutely But they're all cooks Aren't they at mine I've got Elia Likes dabbling

Maria gets involved They're all great cooks They're such good Even Dominic now Yeah Yeah We're lucky Yeah

Very much so Very much so If we did the village hall Everyone could cook something Yeah Bring it Absolutely We've definitely got to do that It's a cracker Yeah I agree Very much so. If we did the village hall, everyone could cook something. Yeah. Bring it. Absolutely. We've definitely got to do that.

It's a cracker. Yeah, I agree. Hi Nat and Aunty Linny. Just a quick one. Just wanted to let you know what I do at Christmas time. On the 1st of December, i get little boxes put together and they i give them to my son who's nine and my granddaughter who's two and i fill them up and i put their christmas pajamas in and their slippers and an ass coat and they have little

bath bombs or bubble bath or a little bottle of aftershave they also have their advent calendars in there they have a chocolate one and maybe a little toy one and obviously the elf comes and it starts off our Christmas and we will have a roast dinner or this year we had a big roast dinner um and it just starts off our Christmas really lovely so yeah I used to do it at Christmas Eve and I thought why am I doing this at Christmas Eve when in actual fact they don't really get time to play with anything that's in their magic box or wear their pajamas and their slippers because they might get Christmas pajamas and they only wear them a couple of times over the Christmas period so I'll give it to them on the 1st of December and then they have it all through the Christmas. There's many times they want to wear it,

wash and wear, wash and wear, and they can have their bath bombs and celebrate all the lovely little things about Christmas. It's all lovely. Anyway, on that note, Merry Christmas, happy, wealthy, healthy New Year. Love to you both and love from me Dee from Broxbourne

oh thank you Dee what a lovely message oh she's from Broxbourne yeah oh what a lovely message but again how lovely

people are being sensible they're spreading like the joy of Christmas yes over the whole month because it is true I used to do Christmas Eve pyjamas

yeah and it's ridiculous. Yeah, because you're wearing them. A few nights. Yeah. She's absolutely right what she's doing. I've got the kids' Christmas pyjamas. I know.

They've got Christmas pyjamas coming out of it. They're going to be wearing them throughout the whole year. They're lovely, aren't they? But, yeah, give them early. Yeah. Wash and wear. Yeah, because otherwise, as you say, they're But, yeah, give them early. Yeah. Wash and wear. Yeah, because otherwise, as you say, they're not going to be wearing them in a day.

No, and kids grow. It's not like ours. My pyjamas, I get out every year. I put them in a box. Then I wash them and they're ready to go. You wash them, that's good. Yeah. When I've got time.

When the washing machine's working Got a lovely new washing machine What did you get? Samsung Oh It sends you messages How does it send the messages? Well not to my phone

Because Mark set it up But it gets messages Please clean me Oh stop And it's got a cleaning Device Program Has it?

Oh it's good yeah And he can time it on his phone. So he can put it all in. Oh, I love that. You'd like that. Yeah, now that is a handy gadget. It is good. And I had to get a new dryer because both conked out on me.

Oh, so the washing machine went as well? Yes. I knew the dryer was gone. Yeah, the washing machine was before, actually. I just didn't mention it to you. Oh, wow. Now, that's a clever gadget because sometimes, like, you want to set a time, you know, you want to set it and you're not there.

So I find myself sort of hanging around for the washing machine to either end or put it on late at night, and I'm like, oh, that's a really clever gadget. And it's really good to put the washing and dryer on late at night and i'm like oh that's a really clever and it's really good to put the washing and dryer on late at night because of the energy saving it's more yeah energy efficient of course so it is worth it oh good yeah oh you didn't go for the old mealy then no only because it's in granddad's this one so i need a new mealy at some point oh so this is in your dad's yeah oh okay yeah but it's really good and it was you know quite reasonable yeah where did you buy it highly recommend uh a yeah really good

they were lovely delivered it well fitted it obviously you could pay a little bit more but they take the other one away so it just gets it all done i had all my ovens cleaned yesterday lynn oh you've done oh so you do all the let's get everything clean before christmas yeah it's funny isn't it how we do that i know because clean your ovens but you're gonna the worst day of the year for an oven yeah but it was filthy so i needed it so yeah i've never had my ovens professionally clean well you don't need to because you clean it every time you use it just Just, no, I think I might have to do it one year just for... I mean, it looks brand new, you've got to have a look.

It's satisfying. How did they do it? Does he steam them or does he use chemicals? Chemicals, I believe. He puts stuff outside. He takes all the racks out and stuff. But then he does it himself within the oven itself, you know. But he did say, oh, this is a tough job.

Yeah. Oh. So when was your oven oh, this is a tough job. Did he? Yeah. Oh. So when was your oven last cleaned? About nine months ago. Oh, really? But I never clean my... Oven? Ever.

Oh, wow. It's not a job I do. Oh, so you don't need to keep. I mean, sometimes I might wipe it over. Yeah, but you're not cleaning it. No, I don't clean an oven. You should get the... It's like a liner.

I've seen it. You'm on amazon just put them in the bottom of your thing so any spillages it's a good idea and then you've only got to wipe the door haven't you then yes and you use it and then you sort of maintain yeah but for me you know when you open the oven door yeah for anyone listening you know you if you open it and you look at the back of it there's kind of a little groove yeah that's swimming in fat oh natalie swimming so sometimes i'll get a tissue and think i've got it's overflowing so i have to soak it up it's really bad isn't it how do you do though do you spill things in i don't feel like i do yeah because i think we do a lot of roasts and I feel like roasts batter the oven.

I must say, I don't feel like we use our oven as much anymore. Air fryer. Yeah. It's sort of made the ovens a little bit redundant. Different when everyone's round for dinner. Yeah, yeah. Because obviously you're not going to cook a meal in an air fryer. But with just me and Dave now, yeah, the air fryer does. They are good, aren't they?

Very good tool as well i have to say yeah very good kitchen aid that i'm 10 out of 10 i got mine from maria so it was lovely last year yeah i use it i use it we would never we would never have bought one no because we don't do all these gadgets no but that is a very good gadget it is yeah. Yeah. Dave's told me he'd like a brand new, nice, sturdy, old-fashioned corkscrew. Oh. Because yours is broken. Yeah, our electric one has. No.

The manual one. Just the normal one. It broke yesterday. Oh, wow. Yeah. So I'm going to do that. Oh, like an old-fashioned. Just an old-fashioned, but a nice one that's going to last.

Oh, his bro-cal one. He didn't mean it. that oh like an old-fashioned just an old-fashioned but a nice one that's gonna last oh he's broke out one he didn't mean it no it's probably been had a lot of use now he's doing dry jam apparently oh is he that'd be interesting we'll do we'll do a pod about dry jam in january and see how he's getting on oh that'll be good that'll be really good it's getting closer isn't it how organized are you yet today I had that day where you have to do you have to kind of wrap what you've got to see what you've still got left to get I've done that today which has made me feel slightly more festive I have to say and this Saturday talking of traditions is one of our traditions where we one of our is some woods near us where there's like a walk around it and a few years ago or

several years ago someone started obviously to put baubles on a tree in the middle of the wood and it's been called the magic tree so and every year they get out all the baubles from previous years and hang a lot of them back on the tree. So when my son was little, it was like, oh, we're going to go find the magic tree. And we go with his godmother. And every year she makes him a new bauble. And we go and hang a bauble on the tree. And then we try and find the baubles from all the previous years that we've hung baubles on the tree as well. So that's one of our little traditions that happens just before Christmas and that's this

Saturday so um once I've done that I do then feel quite festive um anyway I hope your Christmas prep is going well and I hope you've got that gravy made anyway um speak to you soon that's my lovely bex we live far away from each other but she's literally like a doppelganger we get on so well and it's only voice notes and the odd sort of video message but we get on really really well and we need to meet up so you don't know each other no no just from the pod oh bless um but that sounds lovely bex really lovely love the concepts about what they do in the woods but also isn't it ironic how we are all so alike like i i have to do exactly what she's just done i need to wrap what i've got i've got roughly 25 to 30 boxes downstairs i need to open the boxes to see what i've got to see if everything's arrived

to check through oh dear and then like you say lay it all out and start wrapping it yeah i have to do i feel that's when i'll feel which i'm hoping to do that this weekend well saturday wrap what i have because then i'll have an understanding of what i haven't got or what i've missed or me too who maybe you've bought a bit more for. But the problem now we have is if you're doing it online, you're cutting it fine. You're a poet and you don't know it. Absolutely.

Talking of poems, your niece knocked one out. It's five minutes for her dad. It was really lovely. Stuck that on LinkedIn. She's good, isn't she? Yeah. She's very, very good. And Dave's memory book that his work got for him,

they'd also compiled a poem, which was really good. That's good. Yeah. The speeches were good, weren't they? Oh, my goodness me. We haven't spoken about that. They were great, weren't they? Incredible.

Incredible. Yeah, incredible incredible your brother smashed that he's a good speaker it was 33 minutes long he's speaking yeah i know it did go on but he didn't feel no it didn't i mean maybe maybe for others it did i don't know everyone got a mention he did really well he did very very well i'm very impressed. Yeah. Yeah, really good. Going to have to get him on this pod. Now he's not working, I have an idea for David and I. I would like to do each quarter, perhaps. We're going to pick a restaurant and I'm going to record our lunch.

And we're going to talk about what we're eating and talk about what we're up to. Lovely. Do it. Dave's dinners. Do it. It is, wouldn't it? It's so good. Yeah.

So I get to sit in your bedroom with a glass of water and Dave gets taken out to posh restaurants drinking expensive wines. Yeah. Hmm. I'm joking. But next year, I think that maybe Aunty Linny and Nat Nat should go on a spa experience and do some podding from a nice spa. Would you reckon?

I absolutely love a spa. Maybe test a couple out next year. We could sample a few, couldn't we? Different, you know, facials, new things that are going on. Why not? That's exactly what we should do. There you go, ladies. There we are.

We can tell you what's about, new things that are happening. Yeah, good idea. And have a little night away. Oh, nice. Lovely. Hi, Nat. Georgina here from Kent. Not a fun fact or an idiom today, but a Christmas tip.

How to do my spuds, Christmas potatoes. Ah, here we go. Basically, when you boil them, parboil them, but add a gel pot. So we normally chuck a beef stock gel pot in with the water. And boil them off. Once you've kind of got them slightly par done, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, depending on the size of the cut, strain them off, leave them in the strainer. Sometimes I'll pop a tea towel over it just to kind of let them steam in there properly.

Yes. Heat the oven. Any kind of fat you want. It doesn't matter. It doesn't need to be duck fat. We use vegetable oil quite a lot, not vegetable oil, olive oil. Me too. Put it in, let it heat up. Add up add the potatoes cook them don't turn them for about half an hour turn them once

cook them again for as long as until you get the right color crush them with 20 minutes to go and then bosh lovely jubbly yeah that sounds good see there's so many connotations isn't it i like the idea of adding a stock yeah that's interesting i like it yeah i have to try that one i think i might i'm not going to do it christmas day though no probably not but one to try yeah maybe i'll do it soon do you do see dave does this he'll he'll do a trial run of something say he's found a recipe on i don't know how to do the carrots or yeah stuffing or he'll do a trial run yeah you can't do it on the day no yeah i do fancy doing the clementine clementine carrots they were jamie oliver spesh all right you parboil them drain them you put them in a frying pan with a little bit of oil and you squeeze a clementine juice into it and they fry

off so they're infused with the clementine i have done it before they are lovely and then i'll do honeyed parsnips maybe not Not sure. Don't know yet. That's the thing as well. Again, something Dave and I spoke about. I said, you know, you kind of want to do all of it, don't you? You want to do the honeyed parsnips and then you do your Brussels with pancetta maybe. And then before you know it, you've just gone a little bit overboard with all the richness and all the different tastes it can be too much yes sometimes that less is more yeah oh you know i'm all for absolutely zhuzhing up your carrots your brussels your stuffing but i think you've got to have a

balance as to some of it has got to be nice and plain simple yeah because otherwise your taste buds are all over the show i agree and it could be very rich yeah i'm not going to do massive plates either a dinner you know like a huge pile down where you don't enjoy it yeah i agreed yeah don't it go up for more you can go up have a little sandwich in the evening yeah and sometimes that's the best bit dave's sandwiches are the best they are the best we look forward to those yeah but again it's that's become a thing now because i've always done the a bit of an italian dish of an evening yeah which always goes down well it's my favorite but um yeah it's good isn't it i'll have to try and make one that it is the best maybe i'll do it for new year's eve yes please yeah that's what we'll do that's

what you'll do yeah yeah a couple of trays quite a lot yeah yeah yeah. Yeah, that's what we'll do. Yes, that's what you'll do. Yeah. A couple of trays, quite a lot. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, great. Yeah, that's exactly what we'll do. Maria said she did one the other night and it came out brilliant. Amazing. She said it was incredible. Maybe she can do a tray. Yeah, no, I'll do them as well. Well, I think we've come to the end of tonight. Thank you so

much for all of your voice notes and messages. It's been loads. I only messaged you at, I think it was five o'clock outside eliza's school and pick up and i thought well i'll chuck a message out and say we're doing a pod tonight any christmas stuff and you've really made it what it is so thank you so much guys uh lynn thank you no sorry if i sound a bit tired but i yeah i think you're allowed to sound tired every now and again i'd like to wish all our listeners a very Merry Christmas because I'm probably not going to be on here until after Christmas now.

Absolutely. Unless we knock one out Christmas Day. Well, I did think we could pop up here for half an hour. As long as we've got a glass of shampoo, then absolutely. I think that would be quite... Yeah, it'd be nice. It would be nice to pop up. Wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

We'll have Maria with us. That'd be nice. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, let's do it. Really nice. But yeah, guys, have the christmas and um don't stress yeah enjoy yourselves embrace it you know think of your loved ones for those of you that are going to either be on your own or have lost loved ones we know it's a difficult time of year as well for so many of us us included yeah but um make the best of it. Make it a special one.

Yeah. Ah. See you soon. Yeah, God bless. Thanks for listening. See you later. Bye. Bye, darling.

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 haven't we Di? We do. What's it called? Winning isn't everything. Every week me and Diane are 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.