May Days - Episode 4 - LARK

Join The Simple Things’ Editor Lisa Sykes and Author of The Slow Traveller and regular contributor Jo Tinsley as they talk about sharing a fondness for camping, appreciating the joys of larking about, spontaneous adventures and magical creatures.

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Thanks to our sponsor Titanic Belfast. Find out more and how to visit at titanicbelfast.com and on Instagram @titanicbelfast

Editing & music by Arthur Cosslett. 

On the blog

Recipe: Herdwick lamb curry in a hurry

Camping recipe | Smoky Boston beans & armadillo potatoes

In the June issue (168) on sale from 29 May and available to buy here 

Peaky Blinders: Ways to mark 75 years of the UK’s first National Park 

In the May issue (167) on sale now 

The joy of larking about – Swap organised fun for magical spontaneity 

Magical creatures – An appreciation of the sky lark 

In previous issues available at picsandink.com

My Living – The campsite (158)

Open to visit – The idea of ‘explorer days’ (157)

The pursuit of pleasure – It’s time to move things up the list (122)

To read

The School of Life: Small Pleasures – what makes life truly valuable (2022)

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:13

Hi, welcome to Small Ways to Live Well from the Simple Things, where a monthly magazine about slowing down now and again, remembering what's really important and making the most of what you have and where you live. This is episode four, and I'm here with my co-host and our slow traveller Joe Tinsley. And today we're having a lark. And I forgot to say, I'm the editor, Lisa Sykes. But our theme for this one is larking. And we're going to be sharing a fondness for camping, appreciating the joys of larking about, some spontaneous adventures, and a few magical creatures too. And this season supported by Titanic Belfast, which is a fascinating visitor experience telling the story of that famous ship, the people who built her, and the passengers and crew that sailed on her. It's on the original site where Titanic was designed, built, and launched in Belfast in 1911. And later in the episode, I'll be having a chat to them about some of the artifacts and things you can do there, as well as its role in the wider city. So you can find out more at Titanicbelfast.com. But first, let's answer the question as it's half term when we're releasing this episode, is this the best school holiday of the year? I reckon it could be for parents, don't you, Joe?

Becs Frank 1:23

I think it's a pretty good one because you know it's not long enough to get sort of fed up with the lack of routine and but at the same time the weather's really good, the days are getting longer. And I think like even if you've still got to work some of it, there's still time at the beginning, the end of the day for these larks and adventures.

SPEAKER_02 1:39

I think that's true. I like it this this half term. And the weather's just more reliable than at Easter, isn't it? And there's less kind of other commitments than like there is at Christmas. So I, you know, as school holidays go, I think it's right up there. And we get a long weekend too, of course, because there's a bank holiday.

Becs Frank 1:55

That's true, yeah, yeah. And I think I think it's the first time of the year where you can consider going camping as well.

SPEAKER_02 1:59

I think for a lot of people it is it is the time, isn't it? Because, you know, Easter can be a bit tricky at camping. I mean, I have camped at Easter where the weather's milder, like in Dorset or the Isle of Wight, but you know, I still work it up with ice inside the tent, you know.

Becs Frank 2:14

It's not always a bit more predictable. You definitely wouldn't book something in Easter, maybe an impromptu kind of thing. But you feel a bit more comfortable booking something then.

SPEAKER_02 2:21

Yeah, it's true. Well, it's better when I when we had our camper van, it was better because obviously there's a the it's a bit more substantial than a tent, but we we used to sleep inside and we used to put the girls in the awning with the d with the dog, did you? So they got they got very warm sleeping bags and woolly hats, but they had to sleep in the tent. Well, we had the cozy camper van. So um I felt a bit bad about that, but not bad enough. But not bad enough to give them the van. But do you find though, because yeah, I know you you know, we both camp like camping, don't we? But if you go on a bank holiday weekend, sorry, I'm sounding a little bit of a camping snob here, but you know, it a lot of people who go on bank holiday weekends are not actually campers, really. You know, they there's a lot of brand new kit, and and they're often not that familiar with the kind of unwritten rules of campsites, and and they also want a bit of a big time, don't they? Because they're only there for like three days, two nights, so it turns into party party. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Becs Frank 3:16

It's true, it's true. I mean, I I still think that's great that people are, you know, starting camping or something like that. But um, yeah, they'll learn. Um, but I always find I always find that it's good to go for longer, you know. Yes, because I often camp for a couple of nights and it's such a faff to get everything in the car, to get everything set up, to get it back. It's a lot of effort, isn't it? So much effort. Whereas, you know, if you've got a week or more, then you start to relax into it. By day three, everyone's sleeping better.

SPEAKER_02 3:41

Day three is the magic day. Do you think Yeah, because you know, the first couple of nights you're not used to your bed, you wake up too early, and by day three, the routine slows down. You know, even teenagers start to accept that you're in the middle of a field in Yorkshire and that's how it's gonna be, you know. And everyone just adjusts a bit. And and also you go to bed a bit earlier because you're gonna wake up earlier and you get you get into the schedule of it, don't you? Yeah, definitely. The weather is such an important factor, isn't it? It's really easy to camp when the weather's good.

Becs Frank 4:13

It really sets the mood.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Okay, let's do our worst weather ever stories then. So I think probably mine was Pembrokeshire.

Becs Frank 4:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

Which was actually in the summer holidays, so you know, but even the boat trip we were doing with to go out and look at nature got cancelled because the weather was so awful. Even though it was like a boat trip that they where they gave you full waterproofs because sure you were gonna get wet anyway, they still cancelled it. And the skip and bin area on the campsite was just full of dead tents by the end of the just the little sticks poking out. People were just chucking stuff in there and getting rid of it. I think it was pretty bad. How about you?

Becs Frank 4:50

I think my worst one was on the Isles of Scilly. It was a proper gale and it was on a headland, St. Mary's. And um, yeah, I think I was in a tiny one and a half man tent with a friend, and we survived it because it was like it was, you know, it was a proper hiking tent. We woke up and most of the other tent's been blown away. Everyone was sheltering in the toilet blocks, but you can't get away. You know, the boat's not the boat's not going anywhere. You kind of have to find somewhere to stay. Uh so that was probably my worst.

SPEAKER_02 5:16

Yeah, definitely. I mean, we we we were the last tent standing in the Isle of White once at Easter.

Becs Frank 5:21

I bet you felt proud.

SPEAKER_02 5:23

Yeah, in the morning, literally everyone had gone in the night, you know. But the same thing, you know, uh it's the only time we'd left a campsite early. And it it was when we were driving around for trying to find something to do in the wind and the rain and going, oh, brass rubbing, that looks interesting. You know, we realized it was probably time to go. That moment though. But the thing was, again, it's an island, everyone had the same idea. So there was this massive queue on all the lanes on the Isle of Wight leading to the ferries because everyone was trying to leave because everyone was off.

Becs Frank 5:52

I love that moment when you're like, right, that's it, we're leaving. Like um, I I think I left, I don't like doing this, but like I left my favourite, one of our favourite campsites we were saying before, Burnbake in Studland.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

Burnbake in Studland, Isle of Studland, yes.

Becs Frank 6:06

But um, yeah, I left it twice last year. I mean, it's really close, so you can just get back really easily. But our duvets got wet, and that's like end game for me. Like, we're having a bad night if your bedding's damp.

SPEAKER_02 6:15

I'm gonna stop you. Duvets? You take duvets? I take a duvet. You'd be a sleeping bag girl.

Becs Frank 6:21

I take a sleeping bag and a duvet. I like to double bag.

SPEAKER_02 6:26

I get really cold. Okay, that's sort of acceptable. I think the problem is we could we could not fit duvets because there were five of us, you know, and we also took five mountain bikes and a dog. That's insane. How did you even fit the bikes on? Well, we used to fit it in one car, but we had a very big car and it was, you know, it was like a game of Jenga trying to get it, you know, working. We would sometimes have to sacrifice pillows and have, you know, fleeces stuffed into sleeping bag bags. But I I once went on this sounds really snancy, but I once went on a safari, an out of Africa style camping experience, you know, and there was a proper table with linens and china, and and they made me this kind of outdoor shower in a discreet bush, you know, and they built a soap dish out of a twig. You know, it was all full of attention to detail. And I was slightly embarrassed about all the paraphernalia that had come for this night, you know, bush camping, as it were. And and I talked to the owner over the dinner, very nice dinner, with wine. And I said, Does it does it not feel a bit over the top to bring all this stuff? You know, and he just looked at me and he went, What you have to understand, Lisa, is that any fool can camp badly. And I think that's a really good mantra for camping, because actually packing what you need is different for different people, but pack it all, pack everything, pack, take as much stuff as you can because Oh, it makes me stressed when there's too much stuff, though.

Becs Frank 7:49

Does it? It's a balance, isn't it? Yeah, it is. Yeah, there's always these things that you just really enjoy. Like I think the thing for my daughter and the dog is they love sleeping in a big pile. Do you know what I mean? Because we've all got our own separate rooms back at home. But you know, she just loves us all sleeping in the same space. Yeah, the dog jumps on top, and it's just, you know, there's luxuries, even though it doesn't feel like there are. Like if you think about it, that you know, there's no there's nothing to clean, like dust is an indoor problem. Absolutely. There's no requirement to do anything other than cooking, eating, sleeping.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

No, it it takes you like five minutes on a morning. We we, you know, just tidy up the shoe mountain, which inevitably is at the beginning of the tent. But there's no actual cleaning, is there? And you see, you've got more time to just linger over meals and second breakfast, second breakfast, the joy of camping. Love that.

Becs Frank 8:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

But you know, that there are things you really need, don't you? Like a friendly light in the tent. That's quite nice, isn't it?

Becs Frank 8:42

Yeah, something nice and ambient, like a storm lantern, like not obviously a real one, but like um a nice light, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 8:48

I really value a washing line that you can hang anyway. Because you think you can just drape stuff over the tent, but it doesn't really dry. Whereas if and and so I I'm always on the lookout for the pitch that's got a post or a tree or something that you can attach it to, and then you can dry stuff properly in the breeze.

Becs Frank 9:05

You get to be a real expert at picking pitches, don't you, after a while?

SPEAKER_02 9:08

Oh yeah.

Becs Frank 9:09

We do a slow circuit of the campsite when we arrive to pick our spot. I can just picture you doing that, staring out.

SPEAKER_02 9:18

Well, you know, we don't want somewhere where everyone walks past because the dog will bark at everyone, you know. And I like it when you've got aspect, it's really important when the sun rises in the morning into the tent, so you can sit having your breakfast in the sunshine. That's quite important for me. So I I have to check that. And yeah, no, it's it's it's proper strategic stuff.

Becs Frank 9:35

Yeah. I really enjoyed there was a feature that I wrote recently about Stella who set up wood fire camping in Sussex. Yes. And it was really inspiring. So her and her husband were inspired by this idea of gastro camping when they were travelling around Italy on the cheap and they were staying in these agro-tourism um projects, which is like a farm stay where the host cooks for you. And they loved that kind of easy hospitality, and they wanted to create something similar on the South Downs. And I think it's a great idea because it's the sort of thing that only campers can understand. It's like when you arrive on a Friday night, you know, you you're almost at divorce level. The stress point, yes. When you the stress of getting there and everyone's wired, like you've got the tent up. Last thing you want to do is start preparing a meal. And so they just would cook this big pot of stew, they'd have half portions for kids, no choices, and you know, everyone's tired. And just how much would you appreciate that having a nice home-cooked meal?

SPEAKER_02 10:25

Oh, that would be great. Now our kids are older and don't really go camping anymore. I would like to, you know, change our camping setup a bit to be more grown up and so eat some better food, really. Yeah, not that we had terrible food, but just, you know, try a few more things, have a good bottle of red wine, you know, like local cheese boards, you know, all of those things that you can do when there's only two of you because it's a bit easier. Yeah.

Becs Frank 10:50

I think it feels great. When you when every when you're roughing it a little bit by camping, and then you have like some really nice local cheeses that you picked up from a farm shop with the right chutney, you know, it it actually feels really good.

SPEAKER_02 11:01

Great. Well, we once camped in France, right, where the campsite shop only sold three things, right? Sold croissants and fresh bread, because obviously it's French shop, Lou Rolls, and homemade cider. I mean, what more do you need? That was all about everything right there.

Becs Frank 11:17

It was great. I bet they didn't sell tea bags, that's what that's the problem.

SPEAKER_02 11:21

Yeah. And the other thing I have to go cold turkey on when I'm um away camping is toast. Because I start every day with toast, but you it really isn't easy to make good toast when you're camping.

Becs Frank 11:32

No, have you ever had one of those little things to put over the fire?

SPEAKER_02 11:35

Yeah, and they just sort of burn half of it and then don't cook the rest of it, it's not not ideal. Um, yeah, so I I give up toast, but I do always take some whiskey. Um, not for breakfast, but then I do take some whiskey. And I I rarely drink whiskey any other time, but this when the kids are in bed and you've got maybe half an hour before you're gonna collapse too, and you just want a sip of something while you're reading and yeah, and you can take your time over it, can't you? Yeah, get the tea lights going, and it's oh oh, I really feel like I want to go camping now. Yeah, I know, that's exactly what's making me feel like a couple of good recipes on our blog, actually, um, which I came across. Herdwick lamb curry in a hurry, which is a local, local lamb basically, one pan dish, very easy, and that looks really tasty. And the other one is smoky Boston beans and armadillo potatoes. What's an armadillo potato? That sounds amazing. I think they're more like hasslebacks, you know, that you kind of slip them. Yeah. Um, but you cook them in foil in the coals of a fire, or you can cook the beans on the stove as well. But um, they sound great. So we'll put the links to those. And as always, show notes um we'll have links to issues we mentioned, features, uh, how to subscribe, details about Titanic Belfast, all sorts of things. So, yeah, so larking about, lots of larking about happens on campsites, doesn't it? Ours all learn to ride their bikes there, and you know, kids are running wild, basically, aren't they? And they love that.

Becs Frank 12:59

And you have to make up your own fun, and I think that's what it's about. So there was a feature in a recent May issue, I think. So the writer was talking about how everything she's learned about Larking About came from her great aunts who were called Lettuce and Lamb, and only one of those was a nickname.

SPEAKER_02 13:11

I love that. I I want great two great aunts calling Lettuce and Lamb. I have to say though, I don't know if you've seen this, but the writer, after the issue came out, shared a picture of them on Instagram. Really? And you have never seen two more mischievous, jolly old ladies ever. They just look like they know how to have fun. And and you know, they used to do ridiculous things, didn't they? Uh the my favourite of their games, because they used to make up games all the time, apparently, was duster hockey, which are basically balloons being whacked around the house with a feather duster.

Becs Frank 13:42

Great idea. I love a made-up game. So in our house, I mean they're often really simple. So in our house we play cat in a basket, which is really simple. You just tip out a washing basket and you just chuck cat softies.

SPEAKER_02 13:52

You haven't got a cat.

Becs Frank 13:53

No, softies, like cat softies. Yeah, we don't chuck cats. So basically, every year me and my daughter go to Wookiee Hole to meet Santa, and she always chooses a cat softie as her gift. Okay. And so it's become a thing. And so we've got all of these cat softies, and so yeah, it's it's different points for hitting different points of the basket where we can get it straight in. Nice. It's similar when we go out with the dog, I always choose a point to hit like a football post or a hollow under a specific tree. And I get really competitive trying to get the ball in there. I can be there for hours, everyone else is like, we're going home.

SPEAKER_02 14:23

I think you turn this into a competition as well, right? I saw this couple on social media the other day, and it just made me laugh so much because you know how everyone hates sorting pants and socks out. You know, when you've washed them, they're in a basket and you have to sort out the pairs. And in our house, you know, we had three girls who were all in the same size socks and all bought the same socks, and everyone would complain. But they're playing go fish with a wash basket, right? So they've both got a pile of socks and they're going, Have you got the yellow one with the ribbed underside? He's like, no, go fish. And eventually they sort the fans and socks out.

Becs Frank 14:59

And I thought we could have had days of fun with that with the kids when they were growing up. I've got a constant set made-up game set up in my house. We've got a makeshift pulley system going up the stairs. Wow. Which my daughter set up. She's the one that comes up with this. She's five and she's set all this up. Um, so she's tied loads of skipping ropes together. And we put a little basket, like a little shopping basket at the end, and she pulls it up and I put something random in it, and then hear her laughing about what the random thing. And it really reminds me of this meme on Instagram where teenagers have water in their mouths and they bring in random stuff from their parents' home and try not to laugh. Have you seen it?

SPEAKER_02 15:30

No. So basically, when they laugh, the water all splits out.

Becs Frank 15:34

Yeah, but they're literally just pulling out something that's completely normal for us and completely ridiculous for them. Great. Um, but yeah, it reminds me of that. So I like try and put the most random thing in the basket. It's all basket games in my house.

SPEAKER_02 15:44

Oh, there's so many those. I mean, when I was thinking about camping again, you know, the worm game where you get in your sleeping bag and your legs and you put the hood round to the top, tie it up so you can't get your arms out, and then you wrestle and you just they just fall over like nine pins. And the girls used to play that all the time when we're camping.

Becs Frank 16:03

We do similarly, we do sock wrestling at home, which is where you stick a sock on the end of your foot on both feet, and then you have to wrestle each other to grab the foot.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

You see, we we do more locking than we think, although I have to say I don't do as much as I used to, and it's a good reminder, you know, things like wheelbarrow racing, although I'm not sure I could do that now. I'm not sure I could support myself, but but maybe that's the thing. More funer than going to the gym. I think it's great. But harmless pranks, they're good as well, aren't they? Yeah. In their feature, they suggest blue-tacking a pound to the kitchen table and see who tries to pick it up, which is quite fun.

Becs Frank 16:36

Or goo googly eyes on everything in the fridge, which I've actually done. Have you?

unknown 16:39

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:40

Impressive. Um, with the the the prank that also most often happens in the Hower House is you know, someone waits behind the loo door. And so when you open it when it's at night, you know, when the lights behind you, you can't see, and then they go boo.

Becs Frank 16:56

I don't, I wouldn't like that.

SPEAKER_02 16:57

And the kids and David are always doing it in our house, and it never fails to get me.

Becs Frank 17:02

I've got the nervous system of a fainting goat. I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna cope with that.

SPEAKER_02 17:07

As she says in the piece, unprofessional boating or messing about on the water is always good for some, you know, escapades, isn't it? Yeah. Actually, we've got a really I just flagged this because we've got a really lovely gathering. I was looking at the photos for it yesterday that we shot last year, because um we shot it in the summer, and it's coming in our July issue, and it's all about messing about on the water, and it just looks such a dreamy day out. It reminded me to to to book one in this summer.

Becs Frank 17:34

Yeah. We we were big fans of rope swings as well. And we've we've got this one near us in the woods near us, which we call we play cannonball. So it's like, you know, normally a rope swing would would would go out over something. Oh, yeah. Yeah. This this goes round, if you can imagine, like maybe like a five-meter circle.

SPEAKER_02 17:51

Oh, what like a fairground swing when it swings out.

Becs Frank 17:54

Yeah. And we we often sing Miley Cyrus's cannonball as we play it. So basically we swing Ayla really fast around it, and then we stand like basketles and see if she can knock us down. So you basically turn your daughter into a bowling ball.

SPEAKER_02 18:08

Yeah, she loves it.

Becs Frank 18:09

Yeah, she loves it.

SPEAKER_02 18:11

Oh no, it's fun. I think, you know, you've just got to remember to do these things, haven't you? You know, you've got to kind of have the kitchen disco, or you've got to kind of, you know, do the race, do the silly thing. I mean, even a snail race is a lark, isn't it? You know, we we do a lot of those because this isn't, yeah, everyone's got snails. Yeah. And that's a bit of a good way to calm things down as well.

SPEAKER_00 18:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:32

I don't know. Do you think I think there's some times of your life when you're more silly than others, don't you? I'm hoping that I when I'm a grandparent, for example, I might get back into it again.

Becs Frank 18:42

I think it's all about who I mean, you're right about being a grandparent for sure. But um, I think it's all about who you're with. So if I go away with other people, with a group of friends to a house in the countryside, that's when that's when I get silliest, other than when I'm with my daughter. So we used to play whenever we'd go away to like a country house, I brought this. When we'd be doing a quiz, I always do a quiz, and we used to do house house maps, which is where I mean when you're in a fancy house where there's all kinds of different pictures on the wall and stuff like that. So you'd have to count up all the sheep in the pictures, plus all the coat hooks in the hall, divide by the number of vases minus the number of clocks, and then come up with a number and I'd vote it out. So it's like this frantic treasure hunt with maps at it. That's great. I love that. So yeah, I think it's all about location as well.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

I think I there's a nice line in the article that I think is is a good motto, really. And she said it, you know, it's easier to approach fun with steel, planning days out and activities to fill every waking minute, but looking back, it's the spontaneous moment she's treasured and remember, and it really is, isn't it?

Becs Frank 19:41

Yeah, it really is. And I, you know, I love being spontaneous, I love spontaneity, but it's actually quite hard. And um, this this came out in a feature recently about explorer days and about how to kind of structure or scaffold, you know, spontaneity, um, which I think is really interesting. So this this writer had kind of ring-fenced Explorer days. You put it in, you put it in the diary, and you're like, this is a day when we go and do something adventurous. And you know, it's just like travel locally with the same wide-eyed curiosity that you get when you're going traveling abroad. But it might just be a different town, it might be a different neighborhood, different street, you know, something really local. Over the years, they kind of worked out the formula, and everyone in their family had a different formula. So for her, it was like an independent cafe, a bakery, a corporate space, a bookshop. For her husband, it was a charity shop, local museum, pub, library. I love that idea of like making sure you take that time, but also giving it some structure to allow yourself to be spontaneous.

SPEAKER_02 20:36

So it's kind of a structured spontaneity, isn't it? Yeah. If we went to a new market town, you know, when we're on holiday somewhere, we would do a game. This is when the girls got a little bit older, and we'd say, right, shopping challenge, you've got an hour or something to, you know, go, go, here's a little bit of cash, you know, and you've got to buy something secondhand or in a market or a charity shop, and you can't buy food or sweets, and you've got to buy something that you know that you kind of want as like a souvenir of the holiday, and it was always great. And people got really inventive, and the girls really liked it because they got a bit of independence, and it was it was really good. I it was a really and it was a formula that we took all over the place. And now obviously, if your kids are younger, you can do it with them, you can accompany them, but we used to send hours off, you know, and then I could go to my bookshop or my coffee shop while they were doing that for an hour. So it was it was clever, it was clever.

Becs Frank 21:25

I think for me it's about yeah, finding something local and then eating it outside in the specific place. So when I used to go to um Hastings, I used to always go to the Rock and Or fisheries and get some fresh fish and then eat it on the beach, or in Stanage Edge, you know, in the Peak District, going to there's a I think it's the outside cafe, above it's a a cafe above an outdoor gear shop, and they make the most amazing, you can pick anything to put in a butty. Um so I get a homemade black pudding and egg butty to like then take up on Stanage Edge, something like that. And it's like every time we go, it's like you know where this is gonna be, or just a good pasty, you know.

SPEAKER_02 21:59

You've got a little Things you do in certain places, haven't you? Yeah, exactly. But you know, in the end, it's about making time for this, isn't it? You know, and and we did another feature. We we've obviously banged on about this theme quite a lot because I think I think it is so crucial to busy, busy people, isn't it? You know, at our age, women who are working and trying to run a family and all sorts of stuff. Whether it's guilt or busyness or putting others first, the things we love we often put last on our list. And this piece was arguing that it's time to move them up, you know, and and we overcomplicate it. We say, I'll do this when I've done that, and of course that never gets done, and then you don't end up doing this. Um, and I I just think I don't know, do you put yourself first?

Becs Frank 22:40

Do you know what? I'm really good at it, but I've learned that because yeah, because I grew up in a in a quite martyr-like household, and I was like, Well, I'm not gonna do that, but you have to practice doing it. It feels uncomfortable, it feels really uncomfortable. Yeah, I always, if I've got a busy week coming up, I always structure in the things that I know I'm gonna really enjoy doing. So, like I was I was um saying to my friend yesterday what a busy week I had, and she was like, Oh gosh, how are you gonna get through that stuff? And I was like, I'm off to the Lido to have a swim and to then go and do it. Quite right. Yeah, it's like put those things in first, and then you know you're gonna be calm enough.

SPEAKER_02 23:14

It's prioritizing the could-do list, isn't it? That's the thing. I I I think it's really important. But look, I'm gonna move on because uh we're talking away and we've got lots to fit in this episode. So I I'm gonna talk about our story because hopefully one of people's small pleasures today will be listening to our read aloud story, and we've got one that's all about spontaneity and friendship and small pleasures. Cassie Scott was not a big fan of spontaneity. She was a woman who liked an itinerary, loved a spreadsheet, lived for a to-do list. But it was summer, which meant summer Fridays. Although she had all sorts of schemes to use the precious time wisely, reading improving books, declutter, then pack for a big house move, her best friend Lucy had other ideas. Lucy was a free spirit, or as much of a free spirit as she could be when life hadn't always been kind to her. She was all about the spontaneity, and because Cassie loved Lucy, she could be spontaneous too. Or at least she'd try. It was a simple plan. They'd meet one Friday lunchtime at a main line station and get on a train to somewhere, a spontaneous somewhere. So on this fourth summer Friday at the end of June, Cassie found herself sat on a blue and white striped deck chair, on a sandy beach, an hour's train journey and a ten minute walk from Liverpool Street. There was something to be said for being spontaneous after all. She happy sighed at the vista in front of her, golden sand stretching down to blue sea where Lucy paddled, her egg yolk yellow dress hitched up almost to her hips. There were few things nicer than the British seaside when the weather was obliging. It made Cassie remember the summer holidays of her childhood, building elaborate sand castles, the smell of sun cream as she was basted like a chicken for the Sunday roast, sandwiches from home that were always a bit crunchy thanks to her sandy hands. They had no sandwiches, and although the delicious fragrance of freshly baked donuts from the stall on the pier was tempting, there'd been a fruit stall outside the station. Now Cassie reached for one of the bulging brown paper bags and pulled out a nectarine. Peaches got all the attention, but Cassie loved a nectarine. Also, she couldn't trust fruit with her furry skin. Don't even get her started on kiwis. Lychees were lychees furry? Maybe not, but it was like biting into eyeballs. Ugh The nectarine was large in the way they were at the peak of their season. Dark red splashed with yellow. When Cassie bit into it it was plump, perfectly ripe, and the juice ran down her chin as Lucy walked back up the beach towards her. I wish I brought my Cosie with me, she said, sitting down in the neighbouring deck chair. That's the problem with being spontaneous, Cassie told her with a smile as she held out the bag of nectarines. Of course, if I was really spontaneous, I'd strip down to my undies and have a swim anyway, Lucy said contemplatively, as she gave it serious thought. Cassie didn't point out that Lucy would have to go back to London in damp underwear with sand in every crevice, and that she'd moan about it a lot. Lucy didn't point out that Cassie hadn't read a single page of the improving book that was laying on her lap. They sat side by side, relishing the warm, balmy breeze, the sun glinting off the water, powdery sand underneath their bare feet, not saying a word. Friendship, true friendship, wasn't just about finding a person who you could share all of your secrets and hopes and dreams with. Friendship was also about finding a person you could be silent with. On a spontaneous trip to the beach on a summer Friday, eating nectarines and licking the juice off skin that was salty from the sea air.

Becs Frank 27:26

She actually sounds quite a lot like me. Like I love an itinerary, a spreadsheet, a to-do list. But then I've, you know, that's why I've written a whole book called The Slow Traveler about throwing out the bucket list and being spontaneous. Because it's actually quite hard to do.

SPEAKER_02 27:39

Isn't it? I know, but you're right, you've got some really good advice in your book about it. But I think for me, a spontaneous day out, the first thing is it needs to be not too far away, doesn't it? Yeah, that's true. And and you know, for many of us, the peak district really qualifies if you want to do a you know a national park day out. Because and one of my favourite facts about it is that 20 million people, that's almost a third of England and Wales, live within an hour of its borders.

Becs Frank 28:05

Yeah, because there's so many cities, isn't there?

SPEAKER_02 28:07

Yeah, because see if if you think it's right in the heart of England, and you know, so many people live near there. And you know, well, we both grew up on its borders, didn't we? You know, either side of the Pennines and um on its very northern edge. The reason we're doing a feature in our June issue, which goes on until this week, is we're celebrating the Peak District because 75 years since it became our first national park, which was quite an important thing, wasn't it? Yeah.

Becs Frank 28:33

It really was, yeah. So it was established in 1951, um, which I'll go into why in a minute, but it could, like you said, it covers 550 square miles, so it across five counties. So you've got Derbyshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, and Greater Manchester. 13 million visitors annually, and also UK's first national trail, the Penn Way, which also turned 60 last year, I think. So yeah, it's definitely a place of firsts. And it was actually, it was where the Kinder Trespass happened.

SPEAKER_02 28:58

Yeah, reminders about its casino. It's such a famous thing, the Kinder Trespass. But it kind of you forget how important it was, don't you, for like rights of way.

Becs Frank 29:06

Yes, this was 1932, and there's this mountain plateau called Kinder Scout, and that was the back the backdrop for protest by workers against wealthy landowners who prevented people from walking in the countryside. So they were fed up of working in factories and looking out over this high moorland plateau, but it being illegal for them to access it. And so 500 walkers took part in this mass trespass. You know, people ended up in jail because it actually kick-started people this conversation around people's right to access outdoor spaces. And then in the aftermath of that in 1933, there was a standing committee by the Ramblers, Youth Hostel Association, and Councils for the Preservation of Rural England and Wales, and that set out the kind of principles for establishing the national park.

SPEAKER_02 29:48

Yeah, really interesting. I mean, so impactful and obviously paved the way later on, then, didn't it, for the Countryside Act in uh 2000, I think it was, wasn't it, when when we got all the open access land that we've now got on Mountain and Loureland? But you know, there's still there's still more campaigning to be done, isn't there? You know, people are very persuasive in their arguments for a right to roam in England, like like there is in Scotland.

Becs Frank 30:10

Like there is in Scotland, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:11

Yeah, exactly. So um, you know, it the the fight goes on, doesn't it? But this is where it all started. And you know, they and that they also l paved the way for what a national park means here. Because obviously you go to some parts of the world, and national parks are like nobody lives there, do they? They're they're just wilderness areas. But our national parks are not like that. They're they're they're kind of places to live and work, aren't they? Which actually is interesting.

Becs Frank 30:34

They're so much about protecting those working landscapes, like you know, the dry stone wall building, the the farming practices. They're about the people as much as about the landscape.

SPEAKER_02 30:42

Definitely. So, you know, you grew up in Lancashire on the edge of the Pete district. And did you know, did you spend much time there?

Becs Frank 30:48

Yeah, so I was we were in Lancashire and the family was in Yorkshire and Sheffield. So we used to drive across it several times a year. But yeah, there's so many iconic landscape features that we'd see or visit. So, you know, they've got Stanage Edge, Mamtor, Jacob's Ladder in Edale, you've got the reservoirs with the drowned or one drowned village underneath it, Winnet's Pass, which is incredible to drive down, and obviously the Devil's Arse, which is which is a cave.

SPEAKER_02 31:14

They're just really iconic games, aren't they? You know, they really are. And actually, when you do live on the doorstep, there's two things that happen, isn't there? There's one that you take it slightly for granted because you can see the moors out of your window, so you don't necessarily go there as often because it's not like a day trip for you, it's down the road, isn't it? But the other thing that happens is that because you do live there, things become more than a place, and you associate them with things that happened there. For example, Ladybauer Reservoir for me, right? Very beautiful, is always associated with. So after I would finish my degree, a few of us went up to see my friend in Blackburn and he drove up there in his car. And we're coming back past Ladybauer, back to Nottingham, where we were at university, and we pulled over to look at Ladybauer because we had two southerners in the car who'd never been there before. And we just pulled into this lay-by, but this this old couple behind us just hadn't registered and drove into the back of us, right? And it wasn't a high speed and no one was hurt, but the car got written off and the back end got all crushed because it was quite an old car. And it but in the boat was my dissertation.

SPEAKER_00 32:21

Oh no.

SPEAKER_02 32:22

And and I had to go back to Nottingham because uh, you know, they did Vivors where you'd have to talk about your dissertation to kind of prove you'd done the work, and my dissertation was trapped in the back of the car. And so in the end, my dad had to come and get us and drive us back to Nottingham, and we had to get this extract this dissertation from the boot. And so, for for me now, Ladybower Reservoir is forever associated with that scenario because it was quite a big deal.

Becs Frank 32:46

When I think about Ladybauer, I always think about have you seen the massive plug holes that they've got in it? So it's just it's to stop flooding. Oh, they're like weirs to to kind of Yeah, but they're circular and the water just goes down them.

SPEAKER_02 32:59

Oh, they sound terrifying.

Becs Frank 33:00

They're terrifying, and obviously you're not supposed to swim in reservoirs, but every time I see them, I'm like, oh my gosh, because you wouldn't see it if you were swimming. It just suck you in. Yeah. This is the sort of thing that nightmares are made of. Let's talk about the food instead. Bake well pudding, bakewell tart. Yeah, because I was I was thinking when I was when we were talking about this, I was thinking that um when you go to the home of famous local food, which you often do in the north and midwest, it's either going to be the best ever version or it's gonna be a completely different version to the one that you get in supernova. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 33:29

No, because we always have bakewell tart at home, yeah. Or, you know, slice, like a tray bake. Yeah. But bakewell pudding is what they have in bakewell, isn't it?

Becs Frank 33:36

It's really different, yeah. So it's this traditional English dessert from Derbyshire, which has got a flaky puff pastry base, a layer of jam, and a rich, soft set almond custard filling. So it tastes similar, but it's completely not the same as the iced tart that you get elsewhere.

SPEAKER_02 33:50

I just need to insert something here because I have a horrible feeling that Bex and I might have talked about bakewell pudding already this season. But I if we have, we are big fans of it, and that's why we're mentioning it again. I I feel like Bex, maybe Bex and I just talked about it. We might not have talked about it in the podcast, but apologies if we have.

Becs Frank 34:09

It's good saying something twice. But there's also Derbyshire oat cakes. Have you have you had these? They're like they're like pancakes. No, they're not they're not the dry crisp biscuits that you get in Scotland. They're like thick, savoury, yeasted pancakes, and they're kind of a soft, chewy cross between a pancake and a crumpet.

SPEAKER_02 34:24

Okay, interesting. And you serve them hot with bacon and cheese. Do you know what? I I can't believe I've never had those. I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try. It's uh no, very interesting. Anyway, I think, you know, like we're saying, that this can be another spontaneous trip, and spontaneous trips are good, but also planned ones are good. And so this is a way in to talk about Titanic Belfast because they have a day out to remember. And so I had a chat with them to find out a little bit more. So I'm here with Emir Kearney, who's the commercial director at Titanic Belfast, who's gonna tell us a bit more about how they are retelling the story of this famous ship that was built in the shipload shipyards of Belfast and is now a visitor experience on the site. So, hi Emirha, thank you for joining us.

SPEAKER_03 35:05

Hi, Lisa, thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_02 35:07

No, you're welcome. It's gonna be interesting. So I understand you've just had your 10 millionth visitor at Titanic Belfast. I mean, literally in the last few weeks, I think, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 35:16

Yes, just earlier this week.

SPEAKER_02 35:18

Yeah, that I mean that's that's people really are fascinated about the story of this ship and obviously the tragedy on the maiden voyage. But but tell us what's unique and important about the experience at Titanic Belfast.

SPEAKER_03 35:30

So Titanic Belfast opened in 2012 to mark the hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the ship. And to be honest, Titanic was a story that Belfast didn't talk about for a long time. It was a story that um carried a lot of shame for the city, and we just thought, you know, it was a story not to be told. So when the concept of Titanic Belfast came about and um everybody got behind it, and we decided that it was time for us to tell our story, and we thought we needed to aim for a big date, and the 100th anniversary was that. So, as you said, we've welcomed 10 million visitors now in our first 14 years of operation, and it has completely transformed our city. Um, we were set up as part of the Good Friday Agreement as a tourism project that would really ignite tourism and be a catalyst for opening Belfast up to international visitors and to make us known for something other than our troubled past, and we've certainly delivered that in spades. We've welcomed people from 145 different countries around the world, and I bet yeah, the the city has literally transformed as an international um place for people to visit.

SPEAKER_02 36:35

And I can I can tell you're you know passion about it and proud of it, and um because you're you're from Belfast yourself, aren't you?

SPEAKER_03 36:42

I am. I I was born and bred in Belfast. I live just a couple of miles from Titanic Belfast, and in my lifetime I've seen the city completely change.

SPEAKER_02 36:51

I bet, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:52

Our doors are open, we um see tourists all over the city, uh um all throughout the year, and the city, just in terms of our new hotels and our bars and our restaurants and our experiences, the city is just thriving and it's great to see.

SPEAKER_02 37:05

So, was the shipyard still a shipyard when you were a child, or or is it already kind of um ceased building then?

SPEAKER_03 37:12

No, so Harland and Wolf is still there, it's still a shipyard, it's just um where it built huge ocean liners, it doesn't do that um in in the same way. It would do a lot of work with um cruise ships, it does a lot of work with renewable energy, so wind turbines and oil rigs and things like that. Ah, okay, yeah. Harland and Wolf is still a really important part of the city's industry.

SPEAKER_02 37:33

If you haven't visited the shipyard before, I think it's probably quite hard to get across the scale of the site, isn't it? Because these these liners were vast, weren't they? And you know, being on the site, do you do you get that across as part of the visitor experience?

SPEAKER_03 37:46

You do Queens Island, where we're located, um, is a huge area and it's one of the largest um waterfront redevelopments that's happening um in the world at the moment. And Titanic Belfast was a big part of the catalyst for getting that started. So we're located on the exact spot where Titanic was built. We're on the historic slipway. So for visitors who know about Titanic and want to know more, to come to Belfast and be able to walk on the slipway where she was built, and um, even the the whole area is filled with heritage. So our building is located beside the slipway, it's also located beside the original drawing offices where Titanic was designed, which is now a stunning boutique hotel. That real heritage story has been brought to life, and then also um SS Nomadic, which was Titanic's tender ship, and it's the last remaining White Star line ship in the world. So and you can actually go aboard it, right? Yeah, you can. Yes, SS Nomadic is part of our visitor experience. So anybody who has a ticket to Titanic Belfast can step on board nomadic as part of that experience, and it's absolutely beautiful. Titanic Belfast tells the story of Titanic and the the passengers and the men that built the ship and all of those human stories in quite a contemporary way using a lot of immersive technology and really bringing the story to life. But to step on board SS Nomadic, which is the original ship that took passengers out to Titanic whenever she was in Cherbourg, because in Cherbourg, which was one of the ports on the maiden voyage in the north of France, the water wasn't deep enough for Titanic to go right into the port. Ah, so this was like a tender ship, yeah. Yes, they built a mini Titanic and she's exactly a quarter the length that Titanic would have been. She has one funnel instead of four, but all she's been restored to her original condition. So um SS Nomadic, all of the interiors, all of the benches and the panelling and the portals are the original ones that those first and second class passengers would have seen when they were going um to Titanic. So it's beautiful to have both come together. And that's part of your ticket if you visit, is it? Yes, it is, and you don't have to do it all on the same day because uh we know that people like to take their time at things, and so your your ticket for SS Nomadic, you can use it on that day, or you can use it any other day for a year. So lots of reasons for people to come back as well.

SPEAKER_02 40:05

Definitely, and you're only about 10-15 minutes walk from the city centre, I understand, as well.

SPEAKER_03 40:10

Yes, and it's a it's along the river, so the Maritime Mile runs right from the city centre, and there's lots of lovely park public art pieces and um lovely bits of animation along the waterfront. So I can't guarantee it'll not be raining in Belfast, but um it's definitely a lovely walk, real hail hail or shine. So it's all right. I'm from Yorkshire, I'm used to bad weather. Yeah, no, and it all adds to the atmosphere. You can imagine what the men building the ships and the shipyard were experiencing up at those heights in the weather. So it's all part of it.

SPEAKER_02 40:39

Well, I've been exploring some of the stories on your website and I've gone down a few rabbit holes, and some of the artifacts you've got are, you know, so poignant, so part of the story. You know, I think it's important to say, isn't it, that all your artifacts are either from the surface or from survivors, they're not being salvaged. So there's a respect there, isn't there, in terms of what you're presenting to the public. But I've got to ask you, what, you know, do you have a favourite? You know, you obviously spend a lot of time there. What what what is it that speaks to you from the artifacts in the exhibition?

SPEAKER_03 41:09

Well, we you're you're right, we do have an ethical policy, and we've worked very closely with Dr. Robert Ballard since we opened, and we don't take anything from the seabed. So you're you're right, these artifacts all have personal connections to passengers or to relatives of people who have kept them over the years. So for me, it is about those human stories. Um, one of my favourite artifacts is the violin. So we have Wallace Hartley's original violin. He was, of course, the bandmaster that um very famously portrayed as uh playing the music to entertain the passengers right up until the point that the ship sank. Um, his violin was a gift from his um fiance as an engagement present, and it has a little plaque from her on the front of it. Um, so to have that here, there's only one of those in the world. You cannot see this anywhere else, only here in Belfast. And for us to have that on display for visitors to see, it's so poignant, it really is, because they come and, as I I mentioned, we tell the story in a very immersive and sort of technology and storytelling led way. But then to see that original piece of heritage there in front of you, very prominent, is it's it's really impactful and it really deepens that connection that the um the visitors have to the story. So it's just one of many. We um did a human referb a few years ago, and uh we felt that we really needed to draw out some of those human stories, so we now have a significant collection of original Titanic artifacts that really bring those stories to life.

SPEAKER_02 42:40

Very special. And um I know you you're also an exhibition space, aren't you? So I I think you've got something on this summer that is uh is also interesting to go and see that tells more about the story of Belfast and the connection, really.

SPEAKER_03 42:52

Yeah, so Titanic Belfast is architecturally um it's a very unique building and we have lots of different spaces within it. So we have the main Titanic experience, but we also have a contemporary gallery called the Andrews Gallery, named after Thomas Andrews, who um was the chief designer of the ship. And we use that space to do seasonal pop-up exhibitions. So we have just launched Northern Threads, which is an exhibition which will run from the 1st of May right through to the end of September, and it's free for anybody to come and visit. And it's really a celebration of um fashion and creativity of a number of local designers from Northern Ireland who are really putting their stamp um out on a global stage. So, what the inspiration behind that is really they're bringing back um old textiles and old things that um around the time of Titanic, such as linen, that was um so famous in Belfast at the time, Belfast was known as Lininopolis. And some of these up and coming designers are so creative in terms of bringing those old textiles back, bringing back all the old um processes. There's one in particular, it's called Beetling, and they use um machines on One of them in Ireland, and you use the beetle, the linen, and it creates this beautiful sheen. And there's there's one of the designers that we're showcasing in the exhibition, Amy Anderson, who her brand is Kindred of Ireland, and the pieces that she is creating are just stunning, and she's known throughout the world. But for her to have her story really rooted in Belfast and rooted in this place is very special. So we're supporting her and to tell that story through our exhibition space and sort of giving her a platform in front of our 500,000 visitors that will be through our building in that five months.

SPEAKER_02 44:32

Well, it sounds fascinating, and you've certainly sold it to me, Amy. I'll just tell people how to find out more. Thanks very much for joining us. And if you go to titanicbellfast.com or you can follow them on Instagram at Titanic Bellfast, and you can find out all about how to get there, how to buy tickets, what to see, and get yourself down there. Thanks very much. Thanks, Lisa. So we've just got one more thing I want to talk about this episode, and that is actual larks. Because our May Lark cover had meant we had to include a skylark as our magical creature. And you know, for anyone who doesn't know, we do a magical creature every single issue, and we have a beautiful illustration, and we've we've covered well, we'd like to think we've covered most creatures, but then we keep finding ones we haven't. But this time we did the skylark, and I mean they are beautiful, aren't they?

Becs Frank 45:20

They're like one of my favourite birds, and I feel like you can't mistake them once you recognise them. And they're such an unremarkable looking bird, but they produce this absolutely beautiful song. But um, you notice them because of their behavior. So they um the males helicopter like straight up into the sky, sometimes going as high as like 300 metres.

SPEAKER_02 45:39

So just vertically, don't they? Yeah.

Becs Frank 45:41

Yeah. And then they hover like looks effort effortlessly, uh singing this incredible song, which is to defend territory, advertise potential mates, and stuff like that, and then they kind of just float off with the wind and then come back down and then do it again. And I think I think I love them because like all birds, I really relate them to place. And so it's Moorland, so it's where I grew up, it's salt marsh, it's grasslands, and so whenever I hear them, even if it's a you know in on the South Downs or um in the east of England, it reminds me of home.

SPEAKER_02 46:08

Do you know what? I feel a bit shamefaced because as you know, I spend quite a lot of time on the moors one way or another. And I don't think I've ever really sat and watched them. So I I need to go out probably without the dog, actually, because um it's not I mean the dog would disturb them, which would make them rise, but actually Yeah, they're ground nesting.

Becs Frank 46:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 46:24

You're kind of then worried about the dog chasing stuff, and and you can't really take the dog where they're ground nesting. So I I'm gonna go out and I'm gonna I'm gonna sit there for a while and watch for one because they're not rare, are they? But they're they're kind of localized where you find them, so you don't find them everywhere. Yeah.

unknown 46:38

Yeah.

Becs Frank 46:39

I went up to Yorkshire recently, and yeah, there was like four out of five my favourite birds because they had the skylarks, the lap wings, the oyster catchers, and curlews. And the the sound of curlews, oh my gosh, it just I felt like crying. I felt so at home to have those kind of northern bird sounds.

SPEAKER_02 46:53

I know. Well, um Bex and I listened to them on our Dawn Chorus Walk, which we did in episode one, and I played the sound of that call on the podcast, and it is haunting, isn't it?

Becs Frank 47:04

Haunting, yeah, yeah, yeah. Really nice.

SPEAKER_02 47:06

But um, I don't know if you've listened to it yet, Joe, but she does some pretty good bird impressions that are worth a listen to.

Becs Frank 47:12

Does she? No, I haven't listened to it.

SPEAKER_02 47:15

Yeah, definitely worth checking out. She made me guess them. I wasn't amazing, but there was one or two I got. But there's you know, there's other summer magical creatures as well, isn't it? Swallows and dragonflies.

Becs Frank 47:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:27

Well, which one do you like?

Becs Frank 47:29

For me, it's the Swifts, which, as we're recording this, we're recording this a little bit earlier, but they arrived yesterday. And I was I got so worried about them, I was googling like when are the Swifts gonna arrive. But yeah, they screech, they screech like across the sky. So it's not necessarily a nice sound, but it is a sound that always reminds me of the you know, end of spring, beginning of summer.

SPEAKER_02 47:47

Do they look like they're having fun? I mean, do they look like they're just playing around, or do you think they're you know that there's a serious purpose to it?

Becs Frank 47:54

Yeah, I think they're really enjoying it. I think that's what I really like about watching some animals is that um like when you're watching, you know, lambs frisking about, you're thinking they're actually being really playful. They are just larking about. Yeah, I don't know if it's that I'm kind of anthropomorphi, I can't even say that word. Um anthropomorphizing. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 48:11

Anthropomorphizing. Um it's not often I can do the pronunciation.

Becs Frank 48:15

But yeah, no, I think you notice how you feel when you're watching these animals. So, you know, like do you think animals play in that way?

SPEAKER_02 48:21

Yeah, I do. And I I think you're right. I think you know, we can make them give them human attributes, but there's no way that dolphins, I mean, they've proved it now, I think, haven't they? That you know, dolphins surf out of pure joy in the waves. There is no uh real purpose to them doing that. And and you know, there are other ones, aren't they? Yeah, because it uh you mentioned about otters and they they they surf as well, don't they? They snow surf.

Becs Frank 48:43

I mean, it looks like they do everything for the joy of it. Like, yeah, they go snow surfing. And when you watch um wolves, they do play bows like like pet dogs.

SPEAKER_02 48:51

There you go.

Becs Frank 48:51

But I I remember when I went um staying in a farm in France once and there was this baby goat and it had formed a bond with a three-year-old little girl, and um and it used to just watch her on the swing, and then I watched it as it got up onto a stool next to swing and jump to jump on the swing, fall off, kept doing it again and again, like the girl, until it got on the swing. And it was just like how it was it was basically playing. Yeah, yeah. You know, so I loved watching them.

SPEAKER_02 49:16

I think they're quite intelligent goats, aren't they? You know, I've been watching this David Attenborough Secret Gardens series on iPlayer, and the way they filmed it, it showed the owners of the gardens being largely unaware of the wildlife and natural worlds going out around them, and you know, it's a real reminder to stop and notice. And of course, it is David Attenborough's hundredth birthday today as we're recording this episode. So I think it's a really good. We did a great life lessons. We'll put a link in the show notes actually. Life lessons from David Attenborough in our January shoe to celebrate the fact that he was going to be a hundred this year.

Becs Frank 49:49

Are you gonna celebrate tonight then?

SPEAKER_02 49:51

I am, and you know, I think because it it leads us nicely on to how are we going to waste time this week, inspired by our episode. And tonight I am going to waste time in honour of David Attenborough, Sir David Attenborough, turning 100. And I'm gonna watch a favourite episode or two of his programs. Probably it'll be from Planet Earth or Blue Planet, because the old ones are very good, but the photography and the and the quality of the filming in the latest ones are amazing. And you know, I was watching earlier because there's lots of clips out about today, and um a terrifying but mesmerizing sequence about the Portuguese man of war that is like it's practically a horror film, you know, it's like really scary. But that's gonna be the way I waste time. How about you, Joe?

Becs Frank 50:33

Well, I rightly like this idea of the gourmet camping that we were talking about, and so um I'd quite like to put together a fun, fancy kit box of all the things to make, you know, the the cooking part more fun. So herbs, spices, good booze, you know, something that's completely not essential. But yeah, we'll make it make it good when I actually do go camping.

SPEAKER_02 50:53

And then you'll be all ready to go. And then you have more time for your outings and your larks. Yeah. Well, it's been always good to have a chat about life, Joe. Thank you.

unknown 51:02

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 51:02

And the thanks also to Titanic Belfast for supporting our podcast this season. Hopefully, you found their chat interesting. You can follow them on Instagram at Titanic Belfast to hear some more of the stories and find out how to visit for yourself. So next week I will be off, hopefully having a few larks of my own. But Joe and our well-being editor Bex will be back for episode five, which we're kind of optimistically calling sunshine to mark the first day of summer. But they're going to be embracing the season by taking it outside, everything from yoga, festivals, summer sports, and beer gardens. So join us next Sunday. And remember, if you subscribe, you'll be notified when the next episode is out. And for the May or June issues, you can see there's links in our show notes, but an immediate start subscription will see you get them straight away. So bye from us and thanks for listening.