Fruitfulness Episode 2 - SPARK

Wellbeing Editor of The Simple Things magazine, Becs Frank and regular contributor, Jo Tinsley discuss our fascination with fire, spicy foods for eating and healing, mending winter woollens and ways to make an autumn walk more ‘awe’ inspiring. Plus a short short on creative autumn pastimes.

Small Ways to Live Well is a podcast from The Simple Things, a monthly magazine about slowing down, remembering what’s important and making the most of where you live.

To subscribe or order a copy of the magazine visit thesimplethings.com

Music and editing by Arthur Cosslett

To go:
Somerset carnivals
https://www.somersetcountycarnivals.com

To read:
Enchantment Reawakening wonder in an exhausted age by Katherine May (Faber & Faber)

Awe: The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder by Dacher Keltner (Penguin)

To make:
Pumpkin projects
https://www.thesimplethings.com/blog/pumpkin-beer-keg?rq=beer%20keghttps://www.thesimplethings.com/blog/pumpkin-bird-feeder?rq=beer%20kegDip dye candles:
https://www.thesimplethings.com/blog/make-dip-dye-candles

From The Simple Things
October WEAVE issue -
https://picsandink.com/products/the-simple-things-issue-148-october?_pos=1&_psq=The+Simple+Things&_ss=e&_v=1.0November JEWEL issue –
https://picsandink.com/products/the-simple-things-issue-149-november?_pos=2&_psq=The+Simple+Things&_ss=e&_v=1.0

Flourish – volume 3 of our wellbeing bookazine
https://picsandink.com/products/flourish-volume-3?_pos=1&_sid=45c0aa519&_ss=rOn the blog:

Turmeric balls
https://www.thesimplethings.com/blog/turmeric-balls?rq=turmeric

Hot cranberry toddy
https://www.thesimplethings.com/blog/cranberrytoddy?rq=cranberry%20toddy

Revamp your woollens
https://www.thesimplethings.com/blog/revamp-woollies


Feature references
The Christmas Craft Gathering and Know a Thing or Two Spices features appeared in November 2023 (issue 137)

Looking up feature appeared in October 2023 (issue 136)

Know a Thing or Two Wool appeared in November 2021 (issue 113)

Know a Thing or Two Fungi appeared in November 2020 (issue 101)

Back issues are available to buy at https://picsandink.com/collections/the-simple-things

If you can’t find the issue you’re looking for send us an email hello@picsandink.com

Transcript

Becs Frank (00:12):

Hello, I'm Becs Frank Wellbeing, editor of The Simple Things, and this is the second episode in season four of our Small Ways to Live Well podcast, we've called this season Fruitfulness for Good Reason. There's a bounty of the harvest to eat and enjoy. And because it's a good time to take stock, make plans, and put some of our good ideas to use, we'll be releasing an episode every Sunday right through to the end of November when we're going to have our Christmas stirrup Sunday cook along. So don't forget to follow us on your podcast app so you don't miss out. If you listen regularly, you'll know that each episode we take a word and a mood for our starting point. This episode we're calling Spark and we're giving Lisa a week off. So I'm here with contributor to The Simple Things editor of Ernest Journal and regular on the podcast, Jo Tinsley. Hi, Joe. November can be a hard month to love, can't it? It gets darker and colder. It's a bit like the waiting room for winter, but we found quite a lot. Spark our imagination this week, haven't we?

Jo Tinsley (01:02):

Yeah, I think have. I think it's been really great to remind myself of all the joys of this month because I think there's plenty.

Becs Frank (01:09):

Yeah, I agree. So we're going to reframe November, aren't we? And over the next month we'll be bringing you a could do list of things to note and do that'll ensure we enjoy and appreciate everything the month has to offer and feel fortified for the winter ahead. This week in our Spark episode, we're going to be talking about bonfires and spicy fireside feasts, the joys of hobbies, and joining a club, spooky stories by the fire. And then we'll be wrapping up in our winter Woollies and finding things to marvel at outdoors. So Halloween's over, we can move on. We know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but before we start on bonfires, what about all the, sorry looking pumpkins rotting on people's doorsteps. What can we do about them? There must be something.

Jo Tinsley (01:48):

Yeah, I'm sure there's lots we can do that. I mean, for a start off, you will have already scooped out all of that tasty sort of flesh and the seeds, you can roast the seeds, you can dry those to plant again. And also just making sort of spicy pumpkin soups or cakes is a really nice thing. It feels like warming spices is the right thing for this time of year.

Becs Frank (02:08):

Yes, definitely.

Jo Tinsley (02:09):

But yeah, you're right. There's also things you can do with the actual pumpkin.

Becs Frank (02:14):

We've done quite a few projects, haven't we, in the magazine before?

Jo Tinsley (02:16):

We have, yeah. Yeah. I think one of my favourites was to make a beer keg out of a pumpkin, which is not something I would've ever thought about, but you just, oh, wow. It's quite simple. You just cut off the crown, keep that to one side, scoop out the seeds, and then add a tap and fill with beer. It would be a really good showpiece, wouldn't it, for a gathering.

Becs Frank (02:33):

Yeah, definitely. I've heard of pumpkin soup being served in the pumpkin, but not beer. I guess it might take on some of the nice unusual flavour of the pumpkin. Yeah, imagine it would have

Jo Tinsley (02:43):

To, the unusual flavour. I think it would be really

Becs Frank (02:46):

Nice. I think that's a great idea and really simple, which is nice. And yeah, we've got another, in fact, we've got two pumpkin projects in the latest edition of Flourish, which I'll just let our listeners know about. So the new edition of Flourish is out, it's our third one. It's fresh off the printers and available now to order from the website and inside the autumn chapter, there are two makes and for your pumpkins. One is a bird feeder and one is a really pretty pumpkin vase, so that's definitely worth checking out. So maybe moving on to fires. We like a fire we

Jo Tinsley (03:18):

Do, and sort of bonfires just seem so nostalgic, they even just the smell of them brings you back to your childhood. And I don't even know if we have as many bonfires happening today as we had when we were little. There was no,

Becs Frank (03:33):

I don't think we do.

Jo Tinsley (03:34):

Well so many it seems then, but it's just that smell of wood smoke on your clothes, the taste of parking and toffee, apples and tooth breaking treacle toffee and sort of sparkler and pockets filled with conquers. I mean, it's just one smell can take you back there.

Becs Frank (03:50):

You've taken me back there. My gosh. Yeah, you've literally taken me back there. We did. We used to go to a really big village bonfire just outside Sheffield where I grew up, and it was exactly that. People passing around Tupperwares and tins full of parking and bonfire toffee. Yeah, I just remember finding it really. They had little games around the fire and things exciting and a bit dangerous as well. And I think all kids love that, don't they?

Jo Tinsley (04:15):

I think so. Yeah. I think all kids are pyromaniac. I think we all were. And I've got a 4-year-old at the moment and we're teaching her how to build fires in the woods and cook sausages over it, and she's just,

Becs Frank (04:26):

She's

Jo Tinsley (04:27):

Absolutely engaged. This summer we went camping with some friends and a friend brought along some King Alfred's cakes. Have you heard of King Alfred's cakes?

Becs Frank (04:36):

So they're the mushrooms, the black mushrooms, is that right?

Jo Tinsley (04:39):

Yeah, they look like kind of black lumps about the size of golf balls, and they grow on tree trunks on trees, but for thousands of years they've been used as a portable fire lighting material. So this friend of ours was teaching her and obviously teaching us how you can then light fire with just a flint and these fungi. Yeah,

Becs Frank (04:58):

So what the fungi are, the combustible material then?

Jo Tinsley (05:01):

Yeah, that's the super dry stuff. So you can also use sort of really dry cloth or cotton wool.

Becs Frank (05:06):

Yes, that's what I've seen it done with.

Jo Tinsley (05:09):

It's something to put your spark onto.

Becs Frank (05:11):

Yes.

Jo Tinsley (05:12):

And it's just fascinating and makes you kind of look for these things.

Becs Frank (05:16):

And it worked.

Jo Tinsley (05:16):

And it worked. Yeah. Just really, really cool.

Becs Frank (05:19):

Oh, I bet she loved that. She really did. She really did. Yeah. Oh, we're going to be talking a bit more about interesting fungi later, aren't we? No. Yeah, I think bonfire's a fab fireworks I do enjoy, but probably more of an organised one. We've both got dogs, haven't we, Joe? And I think because both of mine are terrified of fireworks, I go for more of a fire pit in the garden or if I can find a bonfire probably rather than fireworks. But you can have just as much fun with lighting a fire pit, aren't you? And there are other ways of bringing in light into November, aren't there?

Jo Tinsley (05:53):

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And where I live in Somerset, we're quite close to each other. We, but down in the deepest summerset, there's so much going on that kind of

Becs Frank (06:02):

You're a bit more deep.

Jo Tinsley (06:03):

I'm a bit deeper, but yeah, there's so much going on that kind of brings light into this time of year. It's a really exciting time of year, and they run up to Christmas. So we have a lantern parade that goes through our town, which is really magical. All the children come out and

Becs Frank (06:15):

They'll make their own lanterns.

Jo Tinsley (06:16):

Yeah, there's weeks of free workshops making lanterns. But the big event is the Somerset carnivals, and this is a really ancient tradition, dates back to the 16 hundreds as a way of commemorating the gunpowder plot. But today these tractors haul these enormous sort of a hundred foot long floats through Somerset towns over several weeks. Amazing. Starting in Bridgewater and then carries on for philosophy. Well, Shep mullet, and it's just bonkers.

Becs Frank (06:41):

I've seen pictures of it,

Jo Tinsley (06:43):

The sort of themes that people have.

Becs Frank (06:45):

Yeah, I've heard about them and I've never actually been,

Jo Tinsley (06:48):

Yeah, I would recommend everyone to come.

Becs Frank (06:50):

Okay, well, we should all, I'm definitely going to go and we should all head down to sunset or I'm sure there are lots of other interesting and quirky different celebrations going on all around the country. The thing about fire is it kind of brings people together. It makes you just feel relaxed. And there are actually studies that show that it lowers blood pressure. It how people to relax and that kind of feeling of all the best conversations happen around a fire. There's truth in it because people are more likely to talk more openly, I think, sitting around a fire. And there have been studies to show that too. And that's happened going way back, hasn't it?

Jo Tinsley (07:24):

Yeah, I think in our house, even just having a fire is an event. Do you know what I mean? It's like, what are we going to do this Sunday? Rainy afternoon, we're going to lie to fire. And that's enough. But I think there's also rituals around fire that can help us slow down. So just like a kettle on top of a wood burner adds this other dimension to the ritual of having afternoon cup of tea, roasting chest nuts. Or you were saying before, writing things down and putting 'em into the fire. Did you do that at a retreat once?

Becs Frank (07:53):

Yeah, so I did. Yeah. And it was actually a really quite powerful thing. We all had to write down something. It was kind of at the end of the retreat and we'd all been thinking about lots of things and then write down something that we wanted to let go of emotion or a time or a memory or just something that we felt wasn't being as helpful to us anymore. We didn't show them to anyone, and then we all just popped them in the fire at the end and we watched them burn and it was actually really quite a powerful thing to do.

Jo Tinsley (08:18):

That sounds really magical. I've done something similar myself, but we are also going to be putting our ISTs up the chimney to help them. Oh, really? Go up in smoke. So yeah, you can have that sort of magic at any age. Can't you

Becs Frank (08:32):

Find their way to Santa? Yeah, that's brilliant.

Jo Tinsley (08:35):

Exactly. They hopefully get to read them first.

Becs Frank (08:38):

I love that. That's brilliant. And there's many traditions around telling stories around a fire, aren't they? And lots of these stories would've been quite spooky, quite gruesome actually. Tales of ghosts and odd occurrences. Do you like a spooky story as a genre really popular at the moment?

Jo Tinsley (08:57):

It really is. Yeah. I mean, I don't like horror stories, but then when I thought about this, I do the classic ones, the turn of the screw or the telltale heart or the Charles Dickens kind of things. And I really like dystopian fiction, but I wouldn't ever sit down to watch a horror story or read a really scary story. But I know you do, so maybe you can tell us what the appeal is.

Becs Frank (09:19):

Well, no, actually, I used to really horror films when I was younger and I used to watch my friend and I used to watch them together and shut the curtains and literally scare ourselves silly to the point where we couldn't, we had to go to the Lew together, couldn't have the lights off, but now less, and I do get more scared, but I was interested, I wrote a piece about this, I think it was last year in the Simple things, and I spoke to a psychologist about why people like to be scared, why we have this fascination with horror. And it was quite interesting because she explained to me that it's kind of like the process of being scared when we're in a safe place allows us to process different and sometimes difficult emotions. So maybe subconsciously without even knowing it, that's happening to us. And so it feels quite emotionally kind of free afterwards maybe.

Jo Tinsley (10:10):

So maybe it's good for us. Maybe I should start watching more horror.

Becs Frank (10:14):

Yeah. Well, I think they did say interestingly as why do some people like it simply? They said, well, there are different personality types, so it tends to be people. I think she said more fearless, extrovert kind of type people will be perhaps the more extreme horror and then the more sensitive. I mean, it makes sense. Empaths would feel a bit more affected by that. Yeah,

Jo Tinsley (10:36):

I think my imagination's too strong,

Becs Frank (10:39):

But I think it's that thing about maybe practising little coping strategies and coming to terms with things we might be scared of, but in our own sort of safe way, but fairytales, I mean, a lot of those are pretty gruesome. They or they were in their original incarnations.

Jo Tinsley (10:53):

Yeah, they're really, really creepy. All the brothers grim stuff and Hans Christian Anderson, they were,

Becs Frank (11:00):

Yeah, no, exactly. Yeah. And they've been tampered down a lot where the ones that we might've read or heard as children or read to our own children, they're a lot less scary than they would've been. And these did come from people sitting around sharing these stories around a fire. So it's nice to think about that as we're maybe sitting with a book around the fire, I think, isn't it? It's true. And there are other things as well, aren't there that we can do around a fire.

Jo Tinsley (11:27):

Yeah, it's really nice to sort of sit and share food around a fire to kind of gather people together, invite people around, and for that to be a sort of focal point, I guess, that helps you imagine interesting dishes and interesting things that you're going to do. And we've done a lot of these in the magazine as well.

Becs Frank (11:44):

Yeah, outside then.

Jo Tinsley (11:46):

Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

Becs Frank (11:47):

Around a fire pit. Around fire. Or if you don't have to have a bonfire, you could have a fire pit and just make some nice food and take it outside or cook it outside.

Jo Tinsley (11:55):

Have an autumn barbecue or something.

Becs Frank (11:57):

Yeah, yeah, yeah,

Jo Tinsley (11:58):

Exactly.

Becs Frank (11:59):

There's one isn't there in there? Is it? The November issue?

Jo Tinsley (12:01):

There was Isn't that out now? Yeah, kind of like spicy warming bowls of mac and

Becs Frank (12:06):

Cheese

Jo Tinsley (12:07):

And tacos, and then obviously finishing off with churro and sort of spicy chocolate things. Yeah, no, that looked really good.

Becs Frank (12:15):

There was a Chipotle crumb, which I thought sounded great as This is all Mexican themed, isn't it? And this was a nice little topping for, I think it was breadcrumbs with smoked paprika, Chipotle flakes and paste, and you can just put it on top of your tacos or your mac and cheese. I thought that sounded absolutely delicious because you want to, as soon as the kind of seasons turn, you just automatically want to put more spices in your food, don't you? Don't find,

Jo Tinsley (12:41):

It's interesting, isn't it, that as soon as it starts to get a little cooler, you get drawn towards these more kind of warming spices and there's a long history of spices and we had Rachel Walker wrote a piece for the magazine about that sort of really going into the history, which we won't go into now, but I'd recommend that people look up that issue.

Becs Frank (13:01):

Yes. It was a never thing or two wasn't. It

Jo Tinsley (13:03):

Was, yeah. But I just think there's a really good opportunity here to be more adventurous. We always have salt and pepper on the table to season our food, but why not have nutmeg a grater on the table to add to your french toast or your salads or your roasted squash and things like that. Why not go back to some of these more hearty warming spices at this time of year?

Becs Frank (13:25):

Yeah, no, I think you're absolutely right. It's strange to think, isn't it, that we, nutmeg, for example, was this incredible kind of very valuable spice that was almost like a status symbol, and now we sort of just pluck it off the shelves and it sits there and we get it out maybe every time we make a rice pudding or a white sauce or something, or a pudding. But also maybe we're drawn to these spices at this time of year as well because of their health benefits.

Jo Tinsley (13:50):

Yeah, that's

Becs Frank (13:50):

True. Because they do have strong health benefits and they can help us to boost our immunity, to reduce inflammation, to help lower cholesterol, and maybe when we are needing a bit more of a boost for our wellbeing. But that's obviously something that we can use all year round. But I was thinking about a remedy for this spark episode and I thought a remedy with spice in it would be appropriate. So turmeric is obviously very spicy, very health giving spice that has this active ingredient called curcumin and that has strong anti-inflammatory benefits. So it's good for all sorts of things like aches and pains, digestion, and it may even have anti-cancer properties. There's been quite a lot of research going into it. I think we could use something really simple. You can obviously use turmeric a lot more in your cooking, but you could also make a really nice golden milk, which is almond milk with turmeric and ginger that you could have as a bedtime drink. And all you do is gently heat the milk, add some honey, and then some turmeric along with any other spices that you like. That sounds really nice. I've never had one, and I think that sounds like a lovely bedtime drink.

Jo Tinsley (14:57):

Yeah, we have hot toddies actually got something obviously about the whiskey, but got one that I'm drinking right now, but yeah, that sounds really nice and sort of something to have a warm drink in your hand as you kind of pause in time for our story.

Becs Frank (15:11):

Yes, great idea. So now, yeah, it's time for our story. So pour yourself a hot drink and have a listen.

Lisa Sykes (15:29):

Autumn knits, A short story by Amy Lavell sat curled up in the armchair. I was knitting. I was knitting so that I wouldn't text a man who referred to himself in the third person, which felt like something I was in danger of doing, having just been set up on a blind date with someone who did that. That was before I had hobbies though, which is something I decided I needed after that last setup. I wanted something to show for my spare time other than a burgeoning sense of apathy. I had started that winter with quilting. I was going to make a throw for my sofa on my bed, maybe both who knew I could be a prodigy. There was a brief talk in my head of craft markets I could attend with my quilts. It was inspired. I wouldn't even have to buy fabric. I could go through my wardrobe and cut up old clothes I didn't wear anymore.

(16:18):

I would literally weave in the memories or whatever you did when you made quilts. When I finished, I would've something practical and meaningful to show for it. I was halfway through cutting up a silk skirt that didn't fit me properly. When I realised that I'd borrowed it from my sister and had never returned it, my next hobby was searching for the exact same skirt on eBay and avoiding my sister. I moved on to painting. I love to paint. I had painted my bedroom three times before I called a professional in. It was only when I started my first class that I remembered I can't draw hands. There's a portrait of my grandmother somewhere that I made as a child in which I eagerly foreshadowed her arthritis. I tried to explain this to my instructor, but he wasn't interested. This is a still life he had said.

(17:06):

Then there was the incident, which is how I refer to my attempt to take up beekeeping that had ended in hospital with what I had suspected was a heart attack, but what turned out to be a panic attack. And that's all I'm willing to say about that. This time though, I was fairly sure I had discovered my craft knitting was cosy. Knitting was autumnal Meryl Street knits. Besides my dog, Alfie really needed a scarf, and so I knit whenever I had a spare few minutes, I would pick up my needles and my wool and lose myself in my stitches. I learned how to cast on and off the basics of garter stitch, which I was told is as basic as it gets. Much like Meryl before me probably. I even learned how to knit in stripes from a woman who worked at my local fabric shop.

(17:53):

She had shown me a very helpful YouTube video. At one point I thought I might be inducing early arthritis myself after I woke up and found my hand had seized into a clore and gone numb. But it was all worth it because I had found my craft. And finally after three months of counting stitches and rows, I was finished. I lifted up the scarf and examined my masterpiece. Okay, fine. It wasn't perfect. In fact, it was wonky. It was also wider in the middle than either end, and there was a hole I didn't remember putting there, but that didn't matter. It was a scarf and I'd made it myself. I knelt down and wrapped it around Alfie's neck. He sniffed it, then pulled it off and tried to eat it. There was a ripping sound. Then he walked off. I picked up what was left of the scarf. Perhaps I should try crochet.

Jo Tinsley (18:54):

I think that's the story that I've most enjoyed of all these podcasts. I really know that feeling well, that idea of starting a new craft and thinking I could be a prodigy. I should probably book a stall at a craft market. I mean, I've been very similar back in the time when I had more time, I was always taking on new crafts and hobbies and things like that, but really got into knitting. Do knit books?

Becs Frank (19:20):

No. Well, I did use to knit when I was younger and my mum taught me to knit and we used to knit together. So mum, if you're listening, I'm sorry I don't knit anymore. She does know that. But I should because I have an obsession with knitwear. I have so many jumpers and scarves and gloves. Are you the same?

Jo Tinsley (19:38):

Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely same. And I love them and I just think it's such a remarkable fabric, such a remarkable material as well. And it keeps us warm because of the arrangement of the two types of cells in that you've got the crimp and the fibre, which kind of traps these tiny pockets of air and forms like this thermal barrier that keeps you warm. It also keeps you cool. Yeah, it keeps you warm and keeps you cool. So people use it for insulating in cool bags and delivery boxes and things like that.

Becs Frank (20:07):

Yes, that's right.

Jo Tinsley (20:08):

Yeah. It's got these sort of two sides to it, which I think is really interesting.

Becs Frank (20:13):

And Sauna hats.

Jo Tinsley (20:14):

Sauna hats, exactly. Do you wear sauna hats?

Becs Frank (20:17):

I haven't actually. But I didn't really understand how they worked and then was explained that they actually, they are made from wool, aren't they? And they stop their,

Jo Tinsley (20:26):

They meant to keep you cool.

Becs Frank (20:28):

Yes. They keep you cool. They keep the head cool. So obviously that's fascinating, isn't it?

Jo Tinsley (20:33):

Yeah.

Becs Frank (20:33):

It's that time of year when I just think you just want to snuggle up in something woolly, whether it's a nice pair of bed socks or a blanket of which I also have many. But yeah, it's such a part of our heritage, isn't it? Part of our

Jo Tinsley (20:46):

History and yeah, it really is. And it goes back so long in the Bronze Age. This was the first time it was made into textiles. And then during the mediaeval period, the wealth brought by the wool industry to parts of Suffolk meant that the fibre was credited with building many of its iconics of half timbered houses and churches, which was since referred to as small towns. And obviously the industrial North became part of this sort of woollen cloth production. And it kind of sees a kind of rise and decline of a lot of our towns.

(21:16):

Now it's currently set for a bit of a revival because of its eco credentials. It's by a degradable. It's kind of the ultimate antidote to the manufacturing and waste issues associated with fast fashion.

Becs Frank (21:29):

Yes, it's one of those things it's worth investing in, isn't it? I always think

Jo Tinsley (21:33):

Definitely, as long as you can keep it moth free. Wow. But we did a feature, yeah, we did a feature in the magazine about know a thing or two about wool. We did. And it had some fleecy phrases in it, and I just wondered if I could run some past you and see if you know them.

Becs Frank (21:49):

I know what's coming.

Jo Tinsley (21:52):

Oh, I'm getting the Joe quiz. It's always going to be there. But yeah, if I was to say to pull the wool over someone's eyes, can you sort of think where that phrase comes from or what it means?

Becs Frank (22:05):

I think I know this actually, that it was something to do with, is it something to do with the judge's wool? Because obviously if you are trying to deceive somebody so that they wouldn't find out the truth about you, is that what it's That's

Jo Tinsley (22:15):

Exactly right. Yeah. So it was this idea of altering a judge's wool and wig so that they can't see the true state of affairs. So yeah,

Becs Frank (22:23):

Done. That's

Jo Tinsley (22:24):

Really good. Thank you. What about spinster? Where does spinster come from?

Becs Frank (22:31):

So I'm thinking it's probably, was it were the women who worked the spinning wheels, was that they tend to be the ones that weren't married? I don't know.

Jo Tinsley (22:40):

Pretty much, yeah. So in the late mediaeval period, single women were likely to end up in the lower income, lower status sort of employment, such as spinning wool.

Becs Frank (22:49):

Okay.

Jo Tinsley (22:50):

Than their married counterpoint. So if you were single, you were more likely to end up spinning wolf.

Becs Frank (22:54):

Right. Okay. Yeah.

Jo Tinsley (22:56):

So the terms never used for a married woman,

Becs Frank (22:59):

Right. Yeah. Harsh.

Jo Tinsley (23:02):

So, yeah, harsh. Very harsh. And what about shoddy workmanship? Where does the word shoddy come from? So

Becs Frank (23:12):

The shoddy? No. Oh, shoddy. I dunno. This one, Joe, sorry. No,

Jo Tinsley (23:16):

Short. So Shie was a cheap cloth made from pressing together scraps of wool waste or clippings.

Becs Frank (23:22):

Oh. So

Jo Tinsley (23:22):

Its like an inferior quality of using the sort of whole proper fibres. So it now refers to sort of a poorly executed job, which is how we use it today.

Becs Frank (23:33):

Brilliant. I enjoy using that expression more now I know what it means. And have you got any more for me, or am I done?

Jo Tinsley (23:41):

I've just got one more. One more. So the black sheep of the family, where do you think that comes from?

Becs Frank (23:48):

So I'm presuming that you don't get the odd black sheep in a flock of sheep and they're the odd one out. So

Jo Tinsley (23:56):

Yeah, pretty much. So you'd

Becs Frank (23:58):

Occasion that happens if you are the odd one out in your family?

Jo Tinsley (24:01):

Sort of? Yeah. So you do get an occasional black sheep, but the reason that they wouldn't be desirable is because they'd have to dye the wool in order to use it. So that sheep wasn't very useful in terms

Becs Frank (24:12):

Of

Jo Tinsley (24:13):

The sort of use of the wool. It was a different colour from everything else. So that's where black sheep for the family comes from.

Becs Frank (24:18):

Interesting. Oh, that fantastic. That's fascinating, Jo, thank you. Well, I'll think about all my lovely woolly jumpers in a kind of slightly different way now, but have you got yours out yet? Do you sort of pack them away and bring them out in the winter or,

Jo Tinsley (24:34):

Yeah, no, I've got all mine now. It's quite cold. I'm in an old sort stonehouse, so yeah, I got 'em out a few weeks ago.

Becs Frank (24:41):

Have they survived the winter? I always find there's a couple of moth eaten kind of.

Jo Tinsley (24:45):

Not all of them, no. We do have moths here. So yeah, there's always a few sort of holes to repair, but I'm not brilliant at doing that. I often just pass 'em to my mother-in-law.

Becs Frank (24:55):

But

Jo Tinsley (24:55):

What about you? Are you good at looking after all ins?

Becs Frank (24:58):

Well, I mean, I packed them away carefully, but at one point we did have quite a bad problem with moths. And likewise, I haven't actually had to go mending them myself, but I was very inspired by the invisible downing piece that we've got.

Jo Tinsley (25:11):

Oh, I remember that one.

Becs Frank (25:12):

Yeah. That we've had in, I think it's in a November issue that's out now, isn't it? Or it might've been the October one, but We'll, October. It's October. Yeah. We'll put it in the show notes. But it was really simple, wasn't it? And actually my daughter and I were looking at it together and we decided that she's good with a sewing machine. So we were saying we could both learn to Dar. I think it looks quite achievable,

Jo Tinsley (25:33):

And I like the fact that they use quite thick kind of colourful wool so you can really see what they're doing in this feature. It did make it seem like it was an achievable goal.

Becs Frank (25:42):

Well, I think the visible mending is really nice, isn't it? Because it's not meant to be perfect, and we like that, don't we? It's imperfect and it kind of makes a bit of a colourful feature. So that's kind of a nice little thing I can imagine sitting and doing by the fire doing my dining clubs are a good way. I know Lisa's a big fan of her sewing club, and it's a nice way to go further or crack on with a hobby if you're someone who like most of us by the sounds of it, that starts and stops things. And also a way of getting yourself out on these kind of dark evenings and meeting people, which is important, isn't it?

Jo Tinsley (26:16):

It's true. Yeah. I mean, I don't have a huge number of clubs nowadays. I've got a swimming club and I'm going to go along to a craft swimming and I am going to go along to a local club where you kind of bring your own crafts to finish them off in company, which is really nice.

Becs Frank (26:30):

Oh, that's a nice idea.

Jo Tinsley (26:31):

But yeah, I used to go to a lot of clubs and I lived in Bristol or Brighton, and I used to set up quite a few clubs. If there wasn't the club that was the one that I wanted, I'd just set it up.

Becs Frank (26:42):

Yeah, really?

Jo Tinsley (26:43):

Yeah, when I was in Brighton with a friend. So what clubs did you set up? We set up a collage club, which was really fun because it's just something, it's just cutting and pasting. It's something you can do quite mindlessly or mindfully, however you'd sort of see it. But it meant that you could just catch up with people, make new friends. We had podcasts on sometimes in the background. It's something that you can kind of do without thinking,

Becs Frank (27:08):

And

Jo Tinsley (27:08):

I think that that's really important to not do something that's really new or really taxing because then everyone's in their own little zone, aren't they?

Becs Frank (27:14):

Yeah, no, I think you're absolutely right.

Jo Tinsley (27:16):

But yeah, getting the sort of difficulty level just right works really well for clubs.

Becs Frank (27:21):

That's right. Yeah. And also just once you get, because I'm not a member of a craft club, but I've done quite a lot of workshops and day craft afternoons and things. I remember doing one with Mosaic, and it was exactly like that. I went with an old friend and at first we were bit, oh my gosh, we dunno what we're doing. And then once we kind of got into the flow of it, it was just very, very relaxing and we were just having nice conversations while we were doing it. And it's actually, there are studies that show that being a member of a club is incredibly good for our psychological wellbeing. I think it was a study from Nottingham Trent Uni showed that happiness levels are boosted by 9% for every club or community you belong to. And that if you're a member of two clubs, it's as protective for the physical health as exercise. I mean, that's amazing, isn't it? Obviously. That's

Jo Tinsley (28:07):

Amazing. That's really amazing.

Becs Frank (28:08):

Yeah, I mean, what we're experiencing,

Jo Tinsley (28:11):

And I think at this time of year as well, you don't have to commit to a long-term weekly club. These one-off clubs that you do at this time of year and they run up to Christmas are really great. So just bringing together friends to make Christmas decorations or make up a winter reef.

Becs Frank (28:26):

Yes,

Jo Tinsley (28:27):

They can be really,

Becs Frank (28:27):

We do that every year.

Jo Tinsley (28:29):

Do you? Yeah. It's really nice, isn't it?

Becs Frank (28:31):

Yeah, one of my neighbours does it and I mean there's so many wreath making workshops now, aren't there? But it's something that one of my neighbours has done for a while. Sometimes you just don't even get together with your neighbours enough and you wave at them, don't you, every day, but don't really have proper conversations. And it's a really nice event where we all sit around and again, we've done it a few times, so it doesn't really matter what they look like. It's more about the social No, exactly. And having a tipple and just feeling Christmasy, but also catching up with the neighbours. But there has to be a tipple, I think. Don't you?

Jo Tinsley (29:04):

There has to be a tipple. Yeah. There was a really nice feature, a gathering feature in last year's November issue actually, which was about making decorations for winter,

Becs Frank (29:12):

And

Jo Tinsley (29:12):

It had ideas for snacks and fruity tipples like warm spiced cranberry, which I thought sounded amazing.

Becs Frank (29:19):

Yeah, really nice.

Jo Tinsley (29:21):

And a stolen tray bake.

Becs Frank (29:23):

Yeah,

Jo Tinsley (29:23):

So there's just tip and nibbles tip and nibbles. They were doing a hand painted candles, which looked really nice.

Becs Frank (29:29):

Oh, that sounds fun actually. There's a great candle project in the November issue in the Almanack section, which is a dip eye candles. I think you just use old crayons and candle stubs and heat them up, and then you kind create these colourful candles, which I just think sounds like a great idea. So that's sounds really cool. Yeah, you need something quite straightforward like that, don't you, that can just have a good old chat. Exactly. But do you think we should head outdoors Joe as well? Yeah, I think so. We've got our Woollies on. We've been quite cosy, haven't we so far this episode?

Jo Tinsley (30:02):

Yeah. I think getting outdoors is another great thing to do at this time of year to sort of blow away the cobwebs. Yeah, I mean, any time of year, I think it really pays to look for those things in nature, that spark or in wonder.

Becs Frank (30:14):

So definitely

Jo Tinsley (30:16):

There was a feature a while back by Catherine May who wrote a book called Enchantment.

Becs Frank (30:21):

Yes, I remember it well.

Jo Tinsley (30:23):

Yeah. She was talking about kind of finding that childlike sense of fascination in familiar places so that they become magical again.

Becs Frank (30:30):

That's brilliant, isn't it? It's about opening your eyes and being curious and being the way that child will just stop a walk will take so much longer because they'll just stop and look at something and touch something.

Jo Tinsley (30:43):

Yeah, it's much easier if there's a child there because then you can get into their pace. It's all about slowing down because walks can feel like these do them at the same pace that we go through our lives, but if you slow down, she's got a number of ideas to help you do that. So you can name things. She uses the idea of wild flowers, but I mean, Autumn's a fantastic place to,

Becs Frank (31:04):

That's a great idea.

Jo Tinsley (31:05):

To look at leaves and nuts and seeds and see what you can identify,

Becs Frank (31:10):

And you could also bring some of those things back home with you. Then you can have a little, when you get home, you can look them up and also create your, I talked about last week on the podcast, your little autumn display, which is just a nice way of honouring the season.

Jo Tinsley (31:25):

Exactly, yeah. She talks about that as well, because she was saying that your mind sinks into a dreamy, peaceful state when you're in this activity of seeking and selecting,

Becs Frank (31:33):

Oh, that sounds brilliant.

Jo Tinsley (31:34):

So you get to have the things that you bring back, but it's really good for you while you're on your walk doing that.

Becs Frank (31:41):

They also say that in terms of tapping into awe and how to experience that, one of the, there's a professor DCA Kelner, who has written a book about awe, and something that really stuck with me when I read it was that he said, just spending a few minutes looking up is one of the easiest way to tap into this feeling of awe of being in, which is basically being in the presence of something big, something that sort of transcends your understanding of the world. So I kind of like that idea of going out and as well as sort of looking down and picking up things off the forest floor, looking up, looking at the tree canopy. But also you can do this in towns, can't you, in cities?

Jo Tinsley (32:19):

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Looking for the architectural details like the chimney pots, the rooftops engravings on churches, all going into places like the vast interiors of the cathedral or a gallery. How noting how that makes you feel

(32:32):

You do get that sense of awe and almost silence like a stillness in you I find. Or just climbing to the top of a high building because height infers a sense of awe and can enable the kind of more abstract way of thinking. So just noticing how it changes how you feel and how you think I think can be really useful.

Becs Frank (32:52):

Yeah, there's something that's, I find nothing really quite as awesome on the forest floor or in the forest as fungi do you as mushrooms and all the kind of incredible things that you see growing at this time of year. That's true. That's true. Although I'm

Jo Tinsley (33:08):

Always aware that I don't know enough about it, but I do find them really fascinating to look at.

Becs Frank (33:14):

Yeah, I mean, we did another thing or two on fungi, and there's so much information in there and it is obviously something that you can really dive so deep into just even thinking about them found so interesting to think about them as the fruiting body. So a bit like the apples on a tree. There's so much else going on beneath the mushrooms and totals that we see. So have you heard of mycelium? That's the root, basically of the fungus.

Jo Tinsley (33:42):

Yeah, I have in a Robert McFarland book. I have heard of that. Yeah. Can you tell me more about that?

Becs Frank (33:46):

Well, it's just these sort of vegetative strands that kind of are underneath wrap around the plants and trees and the roots and the evidence suggests that they have this, they're almost like a network connecting and the forest can communicate with each other about pests and it's so fascinating warning.

Jo Tinsley (34:05):

It's so fascinating. There's so much we don't know isn't there

Becs Frank (34:08):

Of dangers and diseases. So I think I would love to dive into fungi bits more, but it's something obviously you do have to be quite careful with, isn't it? And always go mushroom foraging with a guide, especially for the first time, I would say.

Jo Tinsley (34:22):

Absolutely. Yeah.

Becs Frank (34:23):

Yeah. But like you said, you could still do your naming. You are looking and naming without picking or

Jo Tinsley (34:29):

Yeah, you don't have to be foraging for things to eat for sure. Yeah. But yeah, there's so many reasons to love November, and I think we are always touching on those in the simple things. It's a time of year where you've got that permission to slow down. It's an opportunity to, there's no harm in going to bed early. People always used to at this time of year. No. Or

Becs Frank (34:52):

It's a bit, they calm before the storm really, isn't it? I think November it

Jo Tinsley (34:57):

Is. Yeah. And so much easier than after Christmas and cold mornings. It's nice incentive to sort of get back in bed and brew in with a book and a cup of coffee. It's giving yourself permission to do these things.

Becs Frank (35:10):

It is. I like that. And I'm really growing to light November the more we talk about it. So we are going to set an intention, we Jo, for this week. We like to do that at the end of each episode. And I think from my conversation, what I'm going to practise trying to tap in an experience or by switching my phone off, putting it in my pocket and looking up more when I'm out on my walks.

Jo Tinsley (35:35):

That's a good one. I think I'm going to repair my own wools or at least try to, because yeah, looking at that feature, it does seem like it's not as difficult as I thought. So that's going to be my fireside project this year.

Becs Frank (35:48):

Well, let me know how you get on and maybe you could show us some of your work. Gosh, now I have to do it. Exactly. Well thank you very much Joe, and thanks everyone for listening. Lisa and Joe are going to be back next Sunday talking about seed. So don't forget to tune in or to follow us on your podcast app. See you then.