Flour Power

#3 - Weird-Dough

• Flour Power Podcast • Season 1 • Episode 3

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Flour Power returns for Episode 3! This month Lotty and Hannah bake chocolate chip cookies together while chatting about forging your own path in life.

Chocolate chip cookies are an eternal favourite - whether you like yours gooey and oozing with three different kinds of chocolate or simple and crunchy, we've found an (almost!) foolproof recipe that's super easy and endlessly customiseable.

Featured this episode:
Slow Productivity, by Cal Newport
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin
The Secrets of Droon series, by Tony Abbott
The Gilded Wolves, by Roshani Chokshi
Girls Who Walk, a walking group founded to tackle loneliness

Follow along for delicious recipes and thought-provoking conversations - You can find us on Instagram @flour_power_podcast, and listen across Spotify, YouTube, Samsung Podcasts and the RSS Feed on our website https://www.flour-power-podcast.com/  

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Welcome back to the third episode of Flour Power, a baking podcast with two twenty somethings just waffling through our twenties together.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Each episode we choose a recipe to make together, despite being over 150 miles away from each other. In this episode, we're making cookies. And we'll be discussing how we both try to make cookies. To follow our passions, regardless of how other people feel about it. So, we each have our ingredients out and ready to go.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I'm ready to bake?

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

So, today we're making chocolate chip cookies, which are just a classic. And a favourite thing of mine is to keep dough in the freezer. So, I'm not doing that today, but I usually do. Because it's just me and my partner who live together, so we don't usually eat a whole batch of 12 cookies. And if we do, we feel really sick after. So, I will make a batch of 12, but I'll only cook two of them, and I freeze the rest in a log, and then I'll just cut one off at a time and use my handy dandy air fryer behind me to make one cookie when I fancy it.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Add that to the list of reasons why I need to get an air fryer. I had no idea you could make cookies in them. So we

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

You can do everything in them, including like, roast potatoes.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I'm adding that to my, to my list. So, we start as we typically do with a lot of baked goods by mixing up some butter and some sugar. I actually remembered to keep mine out so I've actually got softened butter for once in my life. But I'm just gonna start by dropping in my sugar. Now I'm using half and half caster sugar and dark brown sugar. Just because I really like that rich molasses kind of. It gives it quite a fudgy texture to to my cookies and I'm quite fond of that. So I'm gonna get this old behemoth running again. And I will see you when this is good and creamed.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I'll let Charlotte Creamer now talk you through what I'm doing instead. So I did not warm up my butter cause I forgot. So I'm just gonna break my butter up into smaller chunks with my spatula, just to give it a fighting chance. And I'm using caster sugar I would normally use light brown sugar, but I forgot I didn't have any. So I've added a little bit of golden syrup to still give the same sort of molasses. E taste and it won't be as good, but you know, it's better than nothing. So I'm just going to mix it together by hand just to warm the butter up a little bit and then I'm going to grab my whisk and really go for it. See the thing is you don't actually need an electric whisk and stuff. I didn't have an electric whisk actually until we started this podcast and I still baked all the time. You just end up with really good arm muscles. So I might actually not use my electric whisk and just show you how long it takes to do it by hand. It's still doable, it just takes some muscle. So I'll just tilt my bowl to the side, so that you're using gravity to help you. And just smear it round the sides of the bowl, again, and again, and again, and again.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

You know

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

it will do exactly what

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

You know, one of my favourite YouTubers B. Dylan Hollis, who I think I've mentioned before on the on the programme. He also whisks by hand. Partly, he says, because he has a fear of the electrical items. Partly because, just like Hannah said, you don't have to have every fancy doodad to be able to bake. You just want to, you want to be able to bake, and that's all you need. You don't need a stand mixer, you don't need an electric whisk. You don't need anything fancy. All you need are a couple of ingredients.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

You don't even need a rolling pin, you

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh yeah, exactly.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Cookie cutter, use a glass.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Yeah, or make your own, like, you can make custom, like, cookie cutters just by making shapes with, like, tinfoil and baking paper. So, you don't need to have anything special to do baking.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

See, doing this by hand, is Oh wow, that's very glary. You can see I've still got that light

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Yeah.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

colour. I've used clover, so it's slightly more yellow. Because it's got buttermilk in it. And that's, that's just a personal preference. There's nothing about that that makes it better. It's just what I like to have in my fridge. If you use lurpak, for example, it'd be a lot lighter. just to the colour of the butter itself. But as long as the butter gets lighter than it was to begin with, that's perfect.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Okay, so I think next up is our wet, which is our egg and our vanilla.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Which I'm gonna just add them together, and I'm gonna mix them separately. Again, don't need fancy things. My whisk is too big for this job, so I'm using a fork. And you don't need fancy vanilla either. The vanilla extract I use, I actually made, which I thought would be really difficult. I just, I just, I thought it would be something that would be really hard to do. But if you have alcohol and you go to the shop and you can get some vanilla pods, you can make your own vanilla essence with whatever alcohol you prefer. So I've made vanilla essence with rum and I think it's really nice. I think it's slightly sweeter than it would be if it was done with vodka. And it's spiced rum as well, so it's got a slight flavour to it. But it wouldn't have otherwise. You can experiment.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

It sounds like by using Spiced Rum you get a whole nother, like, level of depth to it. Hmm.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I don't think I'll be going back. I think I'll be using spiced rum from now on. I've even been using, let me go to my cabinet. That makes it sound really fancy, not like it's just my Ikea shelf.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

ha.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

This is the rum that I use to make my vanilla essence, which is also something I go to all at Christmas. And it's from Cornwall, so it's a small company.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh, that's wonderful. We

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

And they do gin and rum, and it's gorgeous.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

We love supporting small

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Their gin is delicious, we've got some.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

See, I've

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

The rum is amazing.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I've just finished this store bought vanilla extract. So, in my next bake, I will be using the vanilla extract that Hannah made me for Christmas. Which has been sitting, waiting for me. Just getting ready to be used. So I'm very excited to try that.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Right, so now my wet is combined. I am just gonna add my flour and my baking powder.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Baking powder.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Tap that

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh my gosh, I nearly forgot baking powder. Where is it? And here we have our first fudge up, ladies and gentlemen. Which

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I'm covering myself in flour. We actually have a section of our kitchen that's perpetually covered in flour.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Amazing. We did yesterday, too.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

It is, but it's incredibly messy.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Actually, this whole surface was covered in flour last night, because my partner and I decided we'd make we'd make homemade tortillas. So we're going to make tortillas. We did, in fact, get flour everywhere, but the tortillas were lovely.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

We did the same thing, pretty much. We did the, the Greek flatbreads last

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

and the flour Yeah. You taught me that one. It was great.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

which is why there is currently a puddle of flour that you can't see at my feet that is in fact covering my socks.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Wonderful. That

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Right, and now I've got a decent cookie mixture here. Now, That's very yellow, isn't it? My light is incredibly yellow.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

See, I'm running a tad behind, because

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

So you can see

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

That's looking really good. I'm running a tad behind, because I forgot my baking powder. So, as this is going in, as folks can probably tell who are watching this, No, this is not just flour. I wanted more chocolate for my chocolate, and I added cocoa powder to this mix as well. Because I am nothing if not a massive chocoholic. And Probably one of my defining traits as a person.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

So the best thing about cookie dough is that once you've made the basic dough, which again A lot of baking is the same basic ingredients So this cupboard in here that I'm not going to show you because it's chaos is our baking cupboard And once you've got a couple different kinds of flour If you've got eggs in the cupboard, butter in the fridge, you can make so many different things. But you can add different things to this. So I'm just doing your standard chocolate chip cookie, except Easter egg version, because I chopped up some Easter eggs. But you could add more chocolate, like Charlotte's done. You could add extra salt, you could add caramel. What else could you add? Sprinkles.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Well, what I'm doing is a double chocolate, you can do triple chocolate yeah, you could probably make these into a salted caramel version. If, unlike me, you don't have an allergy to nuts, you can add chopped nuts, if you're into that sort of thing. You can add all kinds of things. I reckon, I reckon you could probably add spices to this too, like I bet cinnamon would work with this. And like, then suddenly you have Christmas

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Oh yeah. I mean, some of my favourite biscuits, some of my favourite

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh yeah.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

From September till January, I just have a constant stack of gingerbread. They're my favourite biscuit. And then in the summer, I make a lot of bread. Not intentionally. It's just the cookie crumbles that way. So, this is what my dough is looking like. Nice and chunky and chocolatey. Just gonna

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

very dark, very Moorish. I think

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Gonna

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I'm just about ready to start putting in my chocolate. Which yes, all of this is in fact going in, because if my cookies don't have equal ratio of flour to chocolate, I'm doing something wrong.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

The fuck

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Yeah, exactly. Measure it with your heart. My heart says more chocolate. That's

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

things that we've found recently. A recipe, a book, or just something intriguing we've discovered. As well as sharing a little fudge up or two. Because we're human, not perfect, and we make a little fudge up sometimes. So on the topic of favourites, my favourite is For this episode is basically a specific author. He came out with a new book recently which is called Slow Productivity. And I've not finished it, but I've read a lot of it so far and I love it, which I'm not surprised by because I've loved every single one of his books that he's written and he's written a lot of books about productivity, how to excel in school or college. Another one of them is called So Good. Be So Good They Can't Ignore You, or So Good They Can't Ignore You. And that book is basically about why following the passion hypothesis is wrong. So in school you're told, do the thing that you're passionate about, do the thing that you love. And how that's innately a really flawed concept. Because most people love watching films. Most people like eating chocolate. The reality is, There are not a lot of jobs in that department. So it's more about finding a job that has aspects that you love so that you can tolerate the bits that you don't. Which has helped me get the career that I've got, because if you told me at 16 that I was going to work in logistics, I would have told you not, but I'm actually quite good at it and I actually really enjoy it. So I think that having an attitude of finding things that you enjoy within a role is actually incredibly important. And a lot of his books have really good messages to take away, and like, for books that have a lot of fact and information to take in, the font size is great, the book size is great. So I could sing his praises all day long, and I've read every single one of his books, and that's not gonna stop. So next episode I'm sure I'll tell you what I learned.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I mean, I can attest to how much Hannah loves Cal Nevin. Because she sent me this book that she's not even finished reading called Slow Productivity. And went, you have to read this. You have to read this. And it arrived last week? I think like a day after she sent it, so that's very efficient of you. And my friend Ellie, who's, like, who's got dyslexia, she had a quick flick through it. She was like, oh, this is really good, like, the font's really well spaced out, like, this is something I want to read. So the book is going to be on a journey. I will be happily Digesting it and reading it soon. I haven't picked it up yet, but i'm looking forward to it and then it's getting passed on to ellie as soon as I finish it because like If it's coming with this high praise from hannah, then I know it's going to be good

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Yeah, I read a lot of books and I don't give that high of a prose to many of them. A lot of them I'll be like, oh it was good, but here's the

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Yeah, whereas this one's like

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Especially, I read a lot of information based books. And I'll be like, oh it's really good, but you don't have to read all 400 pages, here's what I took from it.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

This one it's like no you have to read this i'm

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

his books, I'm like, you have to, you have to. And I find his books are the kind of books that you sit and like, I know lots of people don't like highlighting in books, and I get that, but books are here to be loved, and especially like an information book, or like, a textbook. If, to get the most information out of it, I doodle in the bits and highlight it, then so be it. And I think a book is really loved if it's got annotations in it or pencil marks or highlightings. And I always love getting a secondhand book, especially like a poetry book or a book on a topic that's got highlightings in it and notes scribbled down the side. Because you just know that someone loved it so much that they needed to write it down. They couldn't just Absorb the words, there had to be more. that's why I highlight all my books like a crazy person. Not all my books, only ones that I take value

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I think that's,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

And it also makes it really easy when you go back to them. Heh

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I think that's a really beautiful way of looking at it. I know when I was younger, certainly, I thought that anyone who annotated in their book was a heathen. I even refused to annotate in like my English books, even though I didn't like said books. Until I was actively forced to by my teachers, because it was how you learned. But like, I understand that it's actually a really great way of absorbing information and like, of of sharing information. In a complete, like, non segue at all my favourite thing that I found recently was another find from Book Club called Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, which is a bit of a mouthful but it's a book, a fiction book by Gabrielle Zevin and I picked it up thinking, okay, I don't know how interested or invested I'm going to be with this. Because it starts off like a meet cute, and I think, well, I don't typically read real life romances. Trust me, this is not a romance story. It is quite possibly one of the most beautiful explorations of platonic soulmates that I've ever read. It's, it's a story of how two people with very separate lives come together. so much that they almost become one person. They become so inseparable, and their story is so intertwined that, like, they overlap. Like, as people, as personalities. And it was, it was so good that I managed to read it twice in a week. and then I read it a third

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Oh wow.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I handed it straight to my partner and said, You have to read this. I don't know if he's actually,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I need you to talk to me about this.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

need someone to talk to about this because I missed last book club and I didn't get to talk to people about this. I'm not missing next book club. Actually they're talking about Matt Haig in next week's book club. I know,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

my god!

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

him. Cause last week,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Well, love might be Actually, no. I love

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

you know what I mean. Love him as an author. But I think one of the books that they chose last week, which I missed, was The Humans. I

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

not read that one, but I

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

but I've heard very good things about it. I don't know if you've put your cookies in yet, but I've got six on my tray here that are ready to go. Oh!

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I'm putting them in the fridge for about ten minutes. Just so that they don't spread as

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I should try that, because my cookies have a big tendency to just spread all over the

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Habit of

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

So Yeah, let's,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

them in the fridge for 10 minutes,

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

let's make these cookies social distance.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I, I find that Matt Haig is an author that I can just, I fall into his world. There are, I kind of went off of books for a while. In our childhood, we were very much like Book driven. Like, I have my head in a book a lot of the time. Me and Charlotte read pretty much all of the Rainbow Fairies series.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

books.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Was there? The one with the door. The secret. Do you remember the one I'm talking about? There was a little door that you went into another world. And I read all of them.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I know which one you mean. It wasn't The Rainbow Fairies. It was another one that was like that sort of era of like early 2000s children's books.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Yeah, I can, I can visualise it as well, but I don't know what it's

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I don't remember. We'll have to find that one. I also remember you lending me all

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

will find it out.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

of the series of unfortunate events.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

By the way, I have re read as an adult, and they, they still stand

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

read them. It's, it's been a while. But then there was also What was it? Pseudonymous Bosch?

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Oh god, those

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

yeah, there was just a, a whole dass of, like, amazing, amazing like, children's literature when we were younger, like when we were sort of probably in our late childhood, early adolescence. And then I think a lot of life just started catching up with us on our teens and that's probably when we both kind of didn't read quite as much. I mean it's taken me several years to get back into almost the level of reading that I used to be. I used to just read constantly. My head would be always in a book. It would take quite a lot of persuasion to get me outta the book because the worlds were just so much better in the books and sometimes

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

So the series by Sudonimus, Sudonimus?

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

So Bosch?

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Pseudonymous, Bosch, is called The Secret

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I know. One of them was called, this book is Not Good for You, and the cover looked like a bar of chocolate.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

oh look, that

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

That was good.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

They were great

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

were clever

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I liked any book that, yeah, that made you feel like you were a part of a secret. The same as Ruby

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

loved

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

that did the same thing.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

because they made you feel part of the

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Yeah, I know.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

And they made you feel like you were solving everything along with the protagonist. They were excellent books. I think, actually,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

There was a little door under the stairs.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Speaking of, I know we're still going with the favourites here, but speaking of secrets and codes and ciphers and stuff, I found another excellent book not all that recently, some point last year, but I finally got around to finishing it, called The Gilded Wolves, and it's got secret societies, it's got coded messages, it's got a revolution, it's got found family, and it's all set in 1889 Paris, and it is excellent. I, I just finished the first book this weekend. And there are two more in the series, which I didn't realize. So it left me on the cliffhanger and I'm mad about it. So I need to find the next two books. But yeah, those, those have been my favorites.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

that author. Oh, what was the name of it? That's not the book I want. Yes it is, there we go,

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

You found it?

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

there we go, Tony Abbott, that's who, no I just, I knew another book by the guy and I knew it had a very distinctive cover, cover, so I could find the name of the author to then find the name of the rest of his book series.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Did you find it?

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I'm still googling. The Secrets of Droon,

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I didn't actually read that one. I didn't read those. But I recognise the

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

The first book was called The Hidden, The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet. If you look at the photo, you'll probably remember me reading

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I remember those books. I definitely didn't read them. I don't know why, because that sounds like exactly the kind of thing I'd love.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

And then I also read another one about, that's been turned into a Netflix show that's about like a set of keys that open doors and then there's like new worlds in the doors. I loved reading. We loved reading. We, basically we spent our childhood

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

We did, we did.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

reading, faking, and playing with dollies.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh my god, you're going really far back in time here. But yes, we did do

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

But we've had some incredible books and we've come back to reading. I think both of us have in such a big way. Like I was on holiday last, not last, three weeks ago, four weeks ago, a while ago. And while I was on holiday in three days, I read four books. What did you just drop?

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

fell out of my cupboard.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Charlotte's next fudge up.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I'm doing great this evening. First I forget the baking powder, then my colander attacks me.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

And, and. I think, I think this is a perfect segue to fudge up of the month. So, I'll leave with my fudge up and let Charlotte regain composure after being

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

That might take a while.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

So, my fudge up of the month was that I bought jeans in the exact same size of jeans that I have multiple pairs of that fit me perfectly. I didn't try them on because I was so confident I always try jeans on because you know, they never fit the same even if you buy them from the same place It doesn't matter. They're a slightly different style. I should have just tried them on either way I didn't just I didn't try them on I just put them in my work bag and I got up and I went to the gym and then After the gym sweaty smelly and with 20 minutes before I start work i'm having to squeeze myself Into these jeans and it wasn't that they didn't fit at all. They were just not comfortable So I had to spend all day Uncomfortable because I didn't pack any other trousers or anything so that's my fudge up

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh my goodness. It, honestly, it sucks when jeans just don't fit right. They might be like, the right size, but like, there's something really aggravating when they just don't quite sit right. And it's just, when you're just hyper aware of it, it's the worst.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

you spend all day just like adjusting.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Mine. My first job? Oh dear. So I, for some context, for those who don't know me, I am almost perpetually running late for things. It's, again, it's one of those, like, character traits. I like to say I was late for my own birth, I will be late for my own funeral. That's just, it will be a fact.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Yes, she will be and I will make sure of it

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I love that. I'm gonna hold you to that, because I've been saying this for years. So naturally, this month's fudge up was that I was running late for an appointment. And I got very, very flustered and very panicked because I was gonna meet someone at like, on the hour, and I just left my house on the hour. And it took, it takes me 15 minutes to walk to this place. And so I call them up, all in like a fluster of like, I'm so sorry, I'm gonna be late, I lost track of time. And they call me up like, actually, you're good. I'm not gonna be there for another half hour, you'll be fine. You know, don't worry about it. So, I was super, super flustered about the whole thing, and I didn't need to be. So, yeah, moral of that story is I need to take a chill pill. And actually, maybe. Not worry quite so much. So, yeah.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Yeah,

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I am getting better at being more on time. It's, you know, I was only running like five, ten minutes later than I thought I was going to be. But at the same time, I can definitely improve on that. We'll see how we go.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Yeah, I get you. Exactly. I think it's, it's just one of those things though. Like, I am at, being like a teenager and whatever, being late, especially like school and stuff, they made it out like being late was the worst thing that would ever happen to you. And like, other than at work, no one's that bothered about you being late. I am, I am a serial early person, and so I'm a little bit bothered about people being late. But if I know someone, like, I've known Charlotte most of my life, so if I say I'm gonna meet Charlotte at 8pm, realistically, Charlotte will be there between quarter past and half past eight. And I don't stress about that, because I know what she's like, and if she's there at eight, bonus, but if she's not, I'm not holding that against her. I know, I know my friend. And it's just like, it's whatever, I'm perpetually early. If we're meant to be meeting at 8, I'll be there at 7. 45. So it's just like, the other side of

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

At some point we'll balance it out. Like,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Exactly.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

have like a schedule that I can stick to, so for example if I have to catch a specific train, you bet your ass I'm gonna catch that train. So like if I'm coming up to visit you, for example, or like I went to visit my friend in Yorkshire the other week I planned in advance which train I would get, so I was actually on time. Which, yes, I was still running around like a headless chicken before I caught the train, but by the other end I was actually on time. It was great. Yeah, just give me some planning and some tips and of like, when I need to be there and I can backwards plan, and then I'll be okay. But yeah, it's, it's still something I'm working on.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

That's alright, everybody's working

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh yeah.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

aren't they? It's just part of life. So, my cookies have just come out of the fridge. Which sounds ridiculous, but

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

There's method in the madness.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

And I'm just gonna pop them in the oven

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

think, I,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Ten minutes, starting now. Perfect. I've got some extra dough left over as well, so I can make some more

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I've made a whole log of dough and just put it in the back of my fridge. So I'm gonna just leave that and Either freeze that or bake those later, but I'm gonna start with these six and see how they go

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Perfect. So while these are baking, I think that a perfect opportunity is to talk about our, our like topic of the episode which in this case, our food for thought is to do with following passions regardless of how other people feel about it. Hence, weirdo. I think when you're younger, if you have different hobbies to people or do something that other people might not consider normal, you're kind of the weird kid former weird

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Ditto

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Well, I don't even think I ever grew out of it. I'm still here. Yeah.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

has been being weird and being ashamed for it and being weird and like choosing to be proud of that because I Deliberately call myself weird. I love being weird Because I feel that being normal is overrated Like, you don't go through however many years of school of not quite fitting in, but also not not fitting in. Without feeling like, Actually, no, I want to be my own person. I want to have my own identity. Because if school didn't let me have that, I'll be damned if I don't let my adult self have that individuality, that weirdness that I was like, denied or you know. Or shout out for when I was little. So. Yeah.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I get you. 100%. I know that one of the things that I'm probably known for is, I say probably known for, I think that I am known for, is doing exactly what I want regardless of how people feel about it. I'm very good at it. I'm very much a you tell me I can't do it, fucking watch me,

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I think you take the word can't

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

type of, type of bitch. I'm like, yeah, fucking wait. But I also, part of that is now like not being so rebellious. So instead of just somebody saying, Oh, you can't do that, or you won't do that. And being like, okay, I'm going to do everything in my power to make it happen. Now I also do things I actually want to do instead of the things that other people are telling me I shouldn't be doing. And part of that is tattoos. So I've got five tattoos currently, and I really hope my nan's not listening to this cause that might be the end of my life. So if you don't hear from me again, we all know what happened. And I love my nan. I really do. I just don't think I'm going to send her the link for this one, to be honest. So I've got my little dog on the back of my arm here. So Obi which is a very similar tattoo to one of my friends Nat, she's got her little kitty paws down her arm. And while I'm on the topic of it, hello Ewan, I know you listened to the episodes before Nat, now you can say you were called out as well. Shout it out, not called out. That sounds very aggressive. I'm calling you out!

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Call you out for being a superfan.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

got five tattoos Exactly. I've got five tattoos, two on either side of my ribs here and two on my thighs on either side here And then just me doggie on the back of my arm, which is the only one that people really see My mom was less than impressed. My nan went, what is that? And you know what? It's on my skin So it doesn't really bother me like if I didn't want it I wouldn't have got it and all of my tattoos I've thought about really extensively and they're just nice reminders for me And if I'm covered in ink, but I'm happy about it, then why does it matter and it doesn't affect anybody else? And another thing I did was I moved. I moved really, really far away on almost a whim. Yeah, so are most people, but you know what? I think I made the right choice. So I I got fed up of living where I was living and feeling like my life was kind of in other people's hands and that I was doing what everybody wanted me to do. And in, in true Hannah fashion, I went, I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to leave. So, I, I, I posted myself up in Sheffield. Almost 200 miles from all of my friends and family. Having known no one and visited Sheffield once drunk which I would like to say doesn't count, because the first time I walked around the city after moving there, I was like, and where am I? But I, I moved on a whim and it was, it was sad. I still sometimes wish I was closer to people, but it's the best thing I've ever done. And if I hadn't done it, I think I would still be sat where Charlotte lives, thinking to myself, Well, I wish I'd just done it. And now I'm not afraid to do other things like that. Like, if I got the opportunity to move abroad, I'd do it. If someone offered me a job in one of the Outer Scottish Islands, to like, herd some cows. That would be the best day of my life. And, as my boyfriend is well aware, I would say, I'm doing this, are you coming? That's the kind of relationship we have, is it wouldn't be a, Oh, but if I do this then I have to leave you behind, and, Oh, I don't want to do that. We both have very strong ambition. So if I want to do something, I'll do it. And if that means that we can't be together or we have to work long distance or whatever, then so be it. Because my life is much bigger than the people who I'm around, and I need to do things that I want to do, regardless of how anyone else feels about it, and regardless of how weird it makes me to just move to the other end of the country with three weeks notice. Just having my driving license and not really that much of a plan, but you know what? It worked out for me, and I'd do it again.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

be honest, the first I say the second thought I had after you told me you were going to be moving. The first one was obviously, how dare you betray me like this. The second thought was, that is probably the most you thing that you've ever done, is going, I want to do something for myself, I want to do something bold, this is for me, this is for nobody else, and I'm gonna make it work, and if it doesn't make, if I don't make it work, no worries, I will do something different, but I'm going to do this, and no one will stop me. Like, it was, I think, quite possibly the most

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I think that people's negative comments

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

every time someone was like, What are you doing? Why are you doing this? It reinforced you wanting to move more. Which, honestly, iconic. Absolutely iconic. So mine

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

you know what? I'm a hardheaded, stubborn bitch,

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

and I love you for it. So mine is more like My idea of following my passion. Is, I've, I've taken a bit more of a deviating route than what I first expected out of life. And, it's taken me some time to realise actually that's okay. So, my chosen career path, I chose for myself aged 13, was to be an architect. I, I loved the idea of designing really cool buildings and being a part of the construction process. And like, all these cool star architects like, you know, Zaha Hadid and stuff, were people that I looked up to. And so, age 13, I set my entire life around this career program. I chose GCSEs based off it, I chose A levels based off it. I was absolutely devastated when I failed maths at A level and thought, that's the end of my dream. You don't have to have maths to do, like, to do architecture, first of all. So, Screwbarth University in particular for telling me that I had to have maths. I'm still annoyed about that.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

do remember your meltdown.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

my god.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

about the, the maths and thinking

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I had never failed anything in my life

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

could go back to like, younger Charlotte now?

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh so that was the first deviation of, of like, that was I don't actually need maths to be an architect. So I instead went for a more creative degree. Parts of my life happened at the same time as my degree, that meant I didn't enjoy it as much as I really wanted to, but there were other parts of university that I absolutely loved, and I've got some very fond memories of it, and I'm glad I did my three years of architecture. However, since then, I've diverted a lot from being an architect. Firstly, Please hold one second, just getting cookies. Ooh, okay, these smell

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Mine definitely need longer.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

These smell divine, but they're still very soft.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Oh no, it smells so good.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I'mma give those another two minutes. Where was I? Okay, so my career path deviated, somewhat. Part of that is because trying to find a job, As a part one architectural assistant in the middle of a pandemic is really sodding hard.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Alexa, stop.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

and so I, I went a little bit sideways and thought, okay, well I can still do stuff in construction. It just might take me a little bit longer. I then also discovered that there is such a career path as conservation. And I don't mean like wildlife conservation, I mean building conservation. I've always loved old buildings, so the fact that I could potentially work with old buildings and it not just be a volunteer thing, that was my new dream. It still is. So my 13 year old self would probably look at me now and go, but you've designed ventilation. How is that architecture? That must be so boring. And honestly, some days it is. Some days it is just. You know, you've seen one ductwork piece, you've seen them all. But also, I've seen some sides to the construction industry that if I'd just gone for straight architecture, I wouldn't have seen. For example, I've learned that architects don't know what the hell they're doing half the time. I mean, to be fair, none of us do. It's not just them. But like, I've seen my fair share of people, consultants, coming through and not knowing what they're talking about. Drives me up the wall. But I think you have that in every single career. But my, my, point, my point, to this very long amble is, it's okay to change your path. It's okay to take a pause on something to be more practical minded if it's not quite working out. And, If your parents are still pushing you to do a master's, three years after graduating,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

You don't have to do it.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

master's. Although, no matter how many times I tell them, there's no changing their minds.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

And that's fine, but you still need to live your life the way you want to live it. I am 110 percent certain that 14 year old Hannah would be like, what do you mean you're a senior import and export coordinator? First of all, what the fuck is that? And second of all, what? And also, if you said that I lived in Manchester, she'd be like. Not California?

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Yeah.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

She'd be, she'd be so confused. But I actually find so much joy in logistics. Because it's just problem solving. And I'm, I'm, I like puzzles. I like puzzles. I like mysteries. I am often found Half asleep on the sofa with, like, a murder documentary on. It's not the best thing for my partner to come home to because he comes home and I'm on the sofa like, and then there's just, in the background, and then she was stabbed 38 times, and he's like, what are you doing, and how are you sleeping through this?

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

That was brilliant.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

But, like, following my passions, and following The stuff that makes me weird has enabled me to do things like this podcast, like boyfriend enabled me to do things like my boyfriend. Not quite what I meant.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Whoops.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

but we're both exceptionally weird people. Like I don't even have the words to explain. He's lovely. He's absolutely lovely, but he's absolutely fucking nuts. And our house is filled with like Lego. And we watch videos about ghosts at night to unwind, and yeah, we're just a bit different than, I guess, the average. That's nice, and Charlotte's different, and Nat's different, and Ewan, I've not met you yet, but I'm sure you're lovely and different and I hope you're

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

To be honest,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

because that's what

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

to be honest, I think the weirdest people in life are also the most wonderful just to be around. Because you get some absolute chaos from them. But like, that's, that's what makes life exciting, that's what makes life worth living is that. Little sprinkling of chaos. Or you know, like rainbow sprinkles of chaos on a cake. That's what you need. Oh I

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

with the most individual people because There's a lot of people who are like, very samey. And they don't really stand out. I've met a lot of people, probably more than the average just because of living in the US and stuff. And there are a lot of people where there's like a, like a carbon copy of them. And I've already met them once. Or met someone incredibly similar to the point where I couldn't actually tell you the difference And probably would call them by the same name But then there's people who like are very individual and i've never met another charlotte And I hope to god I never do because i'm very happy with the one that i've got

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

mean I have met other people called hannah, but i've never met another hannah And honestly

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

One of a kind, baby

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

so much Hm.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Absolutely mad here for it. So my cookies have just come out of the oven and they look so nice. I also sprinkled a little bit of salt on the top so they're gonna be like salted chocolate cookies

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh, that sounds amazing.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

They smell so good. I am losing my mind.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

They sound absolutely amazing. I mean, mine, my entire kitchen just smells of chocolate right now, which, I'm in heaven. These, I am not sharing these cookies. They are mine.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Well, none of my team's in the office tomorrow, so I don't actually have to, I say have to take them like I have to. It would be nice to take them to my team, but none of them are in tomorrow, so it, that makes it a free cookie day for me.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I do have a whole batch. left in the fridge that I will probably make off camera that I will most likely take in the office because nobody needs 12, 24 cookies, certainly not if you live as one person,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Are you kidding?

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

It's like, that's, that's a lot of cookie. So most likely I will, I will take those into the office and they will be a free for all in the kitchenette. Yeah. To be fair, I made, I made carrot cake for Easter. We had a bake off in the office last week. As of recording this is the day after Easter Monday, so last week was, you know, the run up to Easter. And I made carrot cake for the office. And I actually won a prize for it, so that was pretty neat. I didn't realise they were giving out prizes, so I just, I made these carrot cakes and used up the frosting that we made way too much of in episode one. Because,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Which was in January, by the way,

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

it stays in the freezer really well.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

keeps well.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

the freezer. So I used that up and it worked so well with the carrot cakes. I was very, very pleased with them. They, they came out really nicely. So I've done a lot of baking over the last couple of days, so I made those. I made chocolate nests. You know, Easter, Easter egg nests with mini eggs. I say I, my partner helped, my partner

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

made some flour biscuits that were the,

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh my god, we made flour biscuits?

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

flour biscuits that were the bane of my

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

to do episode 3 based around these absolutely adorable little melting moment flour biscuits. We recorded the episode, it took an hour to form the damn thing. I don't know. So, that might come out as a blooper reel in the future, but I'm never making those things again, I don't know about you. And at the weekend,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

No, I'm not either and they all fell apart.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

didn't fall apart, but they were dry as dust and didn't taste of anything.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Mine did in transit.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

No, mine, mine actually survived a trip up to York and back. But they didn't taste of anything, so.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Well, you did a much better job than me.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I think because I added water to them, it made the dough a bit more settled. But I'm not making those again. Like, they can stay on Instagram, they were adorable, but too much fuss for their worth. And then at the weekend I went to see my friend, and she and I made cookies as well. So, I've done a lot of baking. But honestly,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

A bake's a bake session.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

done four bake sessions in the past ten days, which I think is a new record for me, actually. I'm very impressed. Okay, I really want to try one of these cookies. Are yours out of the oven yet?

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Oh yeah. Right, I'll grab one to try.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I assume it would be interesting to contrast them, because we've used the same base recipe, but obviously done something very different with them. So mine is Oh, yours look good.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Oh my god. These have like Millie's Cookies vibe.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh yeah, you guys have to make these.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

You'll have to follow the recipe on our website. Also, please message us on Instagram and let us know what you

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Absolutely, we're open to suggestions and if you have any particular requests, we will quite happily play around with those and do some baking for ya.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Well, if you have something that you see on Instagram and you're like,

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Hmm.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

that can't be as easy as it looks

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh, yummy.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

send it to us. It probably

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

do like an Instagram debunked kind of thing.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

That could be our bloopers reel.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

These are so freaking good.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Oh, the salt on the top is just

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I'm trying that next time.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Oh, I think this is going to be actually quite a short episode. Cookies are very easy. Let me just grab myself some water.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

That's a really good idea actually.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Hydration check, people.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Hydration check. I haven't had anything to drink since I got back from the office.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Charlotte.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

know, I'm sorry.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

See, the last topic that we have to cover. Topic? Is our fresh finds. So, my first find is just a fabulous memory. Me and Nat, or Nat and I, I don't know the correct grammar, I'm sure my boyfriend will correct me. We went to puppy yoga, and it was the best thing ever, and I don't have any words to describe it other than the best thing ever. It was worth every penny. It was like five pound a ticket, which at the time I was like, that's a lot of money. I'd pay 70 pounds. I cuddled on the floor with staffy puppies

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

That sounds like,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

for an hour.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

that sounds like a dream come true.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

And so next time Lottie visits, we're

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Yes! Yes, please.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

they do it every week with different breeds. So we're gonna go do it because it was so good. And then my partner went to a rescue sanctuary with work and now we're having serious conversations about having a dog and that is

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

really, really exciting.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

gonna be like and here meet my puppy. We're not there

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

groundworks.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I would be really happy but yeah I would love that in the future and we wouldn't get a puppy. We'd get a rescue dog,

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Hmm,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

but it's just what I want So I just have the best time and I will definitely be sharing photos of it and videos on instagram because they were little staffies And they were so cute and I just wanted to take one

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

They were so adorable.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I texted my boyfriend like can I please please have one and he was like no You Which was incredibly mean. What was your

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

my fresh find? is I pushed myself really far out of my comfort zone and decided to sign up to a class at my local leisure centre called Body Combat. Now, I have never done anything like Body Combat before. Was it the last time I did anything like this? was PE class where we had like, a couple of dance sessions or like a couple of boxing sessions. And let me tell you, I was one of the kids who hated PE. So I thought, okay, it can't be any worse than PE. The bar for this is on the floor. Turns out it was so much fun. My bones and my muscles ached for a week straight afterwards. But like, I felt utterly exhilarated. Cause you basically just punch stuff, like you punch the air and you do kicks and you do high jumps, to music. And they had some excellent musical choices in the first couple sessions that I've been to. And you just, you just punch your problems for an hour, it's great, it's I really enjoyed it. And I didn't think I would enjoy it, but I thought, what's the worst that could happen? And I get. you know, trauma flashbacks from P. E. class age 12. Didn't have that, I was just too absorbed in the moment. Felt amazing. It also did my back a world of good which is amazing because I've had persistent back problems for years, and I went an entire two weeks without having any, like, back twinges and back issues for just punching and kicking stuff. It was great!

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Well there you go.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I do also want to add,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Charlotte's gonna have to

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Oh, absolutely I will. It's, it's one of those unexpected things of like, I didn't think I'd enjoy this so much, but now like, I need my fix, I wanna go do it, do this. And I know that it's good, because there's a lady who's been doing this class for like, ten years? So if she's been doing it for ten years, then like, it must be good. It's good. But I do also, like, I think I've been on a bit of a sport kick recently, which, that doesn't sound like me at all. But I rediscovered the joy of cycling. I rediscovered the joy of cycling recently. So, my partner and I are taking a trip to the Netherlands soon, and, in my opinion, you can't really go to the Netherlands without going cycling. Because, like, they have some of the best bike infrastructure in the world. It's all like really flat, you've got canals, you've got like tulip fields and stuff, and so our working plan from January has been we're going to hire a tandem and we're going to go cycling. So to test out how well my partner and I were going to do as like a duo on the roads, we went cycling around our hometown like last, a couple weekends ago. The weather was wonderful and we got like I think we went cycling for about two and a half hours which is the longest that he's been on a bike, because he's not been much of a cyclist up until fairly recently, and it's the longest that I've been on a bike for a fair few years. I used to do a lot of cycling when I was this old but I haven't really gone on many bike rides until very recently. It was so good, I forgot how much I loved just the feel of the wind in my hair, and like past people and it was great. It was really great. So yeah, it just. A fresh find and a fresh rediscovery.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Yeah, I think there's a lot of that, like, now that we're in our, I don't want to say it, but mid twenties, we're in our, we're definitely in our

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

That's I'm trying not to be terrified by that prospect. It's just a number.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I'm so excited by that prospect. Like, if you think about it, compared to, like, where we were ten years ago, how different we are and how exciting it is that we're here, like, I'm just, I'm just so excited. And like, I very much woke up this year, at the beginning of this year, and I said to everyone that 2024 is going to be my year because I'm turning 25 and I just want to live. I don't want to survive, I want to live. So that comes into the account of festival tickets and just booking things like I'm going on holiday again. Yeah, we're going to Cologne which would be lovely. And then we're going to go away again. in November sort of time, which means that every month apart from July, between May and September, I've got a trip.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Amazing. It

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I'm gonna be a busy bunny. So I just wanna, I just wanna live. I want to not just do the minimum. I want to survive and thrive and make cookies with my best friend and talk to my other best friends. And another fresh find, for example, is that I went to a Girls Who Walk Manchester evening and it was absolutely terrifying. Not because of the girls, but because it was like, okay, so I'm going to a place where I know no one. I've not had to do this since school or like starting a new job. And when you start a new job, I feel like it's less terrifying because you've been interviewed to be there. You know, like someone knows you're coming. You've met someone before in the interview process. It's not like you're going into it completely blind. And this is an experience I went into completely blind

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

terrifying.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

it was great. I'm going

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

You're going climbing

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I'm going climbing, not next week, tomorrow, yeah, I'm going rock climbing with a girl I met called Lucy.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

that sounds amazing. I really hope you guys have fun.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

but exciting, and I just want to get a chance to meet new people, and live a little bit, and do things outside of my comfort zone. It's just incredibly exciting, and I, I'm, I'm finally, Feel like I'm getting somewhere. And so while being in your mid twenties is a little bit terrifying I actually feel like I'm starting to figure some shit out and get things sorted and based. And it's, it's lovely. I'm loving every minute of it. Like I'm still in pain from my car accident, but I'm a lot more positive about it. I'm just, I'm just loving life at the

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

that is absolutely wonderful to hear. I must admit, like, looking back on who I was as a person aged 14 versus who I am now, I am so much more myself and so much more unapologetically myself than who I was at 14. And I have to say, I'm proud of myself for getting through all of that, because like, there were definitely points in my life where I couldn't fathom what 24 looked like. And now I'm here, I'm like, okay, well this isn't what I imagined, but I kind of love it. Because I have the freedom to do the things I want to do. And I have the autonomy to not have to do all the things that I don't want to do. And I can just hop on that train to go see lovely people, or I can just book a holiday to an amazing place I've always wanted to go, or I can just pick up a new skill. Like, my friend was teaching me embroidery over the weekend. I'm not going to show it to the camera because it is amateur at best and I would like to do some more practice. But I'm still proud of myself because I'm learning a new thing because I want to. That's That's really quite awesome. I think that is what life is about and maybe it's quite premature to say that at 24 That like you've figured out the secret of life No one's figured out the secret of life. I think that is the secret But it's really nice to just have a couple of eureka moments of oh, this is what comfort feels like This is what happiness feels like. This is what I as a person feel like It's I think it's really quite special when you have that little moment of enlightenment where you realise you are who you want to be and that you're already halfway there. I think that's just an amazing thing really and I'm, I'm proud of myself for getting to that point in my life and I'm excited to see where I go really.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Yeah, me too. I couldn't have put it better. And we're gonna continue waffling through our twenties, and, you know, we might waffle through our thirties as

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

We, yeah, exactly, who knows.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I know that's a long way off, but we're just gonna take it as it comes. This, this podcast is a huge passion project for me and Charlotte, and having this creative outlet that I've not had otherwise, And basically just recording the conversations that we'd have anyway. Because these are the kind of conversations that we'd have anyway. It's just ever so slightly more

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Yeah, like, we don't really have scripts going through into this. We have some bullet points of like, yeah, let's cover a couple of these things. And then we just go off on that. And I reckon if we just read the script out, it would probably take about ten minutes. We managed to stretch these things out for, what, an hour? Hour twenty? And I love every single second of it. And,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

exactly. And none of it feels like it's

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

None, none of it feels, none of

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

a chore,

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

either. None of it feels like we're putting on, like a facade of like, this is who we are on camera, this is who we are off camera. They're two very separate things. Like, on camera, this is me. Off camera, same person. Same slightly mad energy. Of forgetting to drink and having a bit of a mess behind me.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I'm wearing, I'm wearing my black dungarees covered in flour from wearing them for several days now, probably over a week's worth of wearing them without washing them. Because if I put them in the wash, then I don't get to wear them.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

But also like, they're dungarees. Dungarees are meant to be utility wear, like they're meant to last. Like this beanie, which, it's, I love wearing this thing. It'll last me several, like, several outings before it's ready to be washed. Because it's, it's a hard wearing, like, piece of clothing, which is really good. Like, unless I spill

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

this is just one of my favorite products.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

it's funny actually, I didn't think,

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

This is one of those things that I, I ummed dungarees for a real long time because I was like, they look cute, they look kind of comfortable, but I don't really know. I saw the Lucy and Yak ones, and people like Lena Norms, I I was watching her with all her Lucy and Yaks and I was like, I want some! And then I would look at the price of it and I would go, I don't know if I can justify it. And my lovely, lovely, lovely boyfriend just went and bought them for me for Christmas. He was like, I don't know how many times I can watch you look at this on your phone and still not buy them. And he's very good at that, like for presents and stuff. He ends up buying me things that I've said I wanted a long time ago and said that they were too expensive. And then he goes and buys them for me. And I'm like, This is the best thing ever, like, my dungarees, which are quite possibly the best present I've ever received in my life. Sorry to anyone who got me anything incredible, but, I mean, since Christmas, these have basically not left my body. So, cost per wear is actually now incredibly

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I think that just shows how well your partner knows you though. Which can only be a

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Oh yeah, I mean, for Christmas. I bought him a, a pillow. So, he's been talking about, when we first moved into our house, about literally a year ago this month

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

True

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

into our house, he was like, Oh, I don't really like your pillows, because I'd lived here Out beforehand, and he hadn't. He was like, I don't really like your pillows, we should, we should invest. We should upgrade. And we just didn't. Other things got in the way, or I wanted something else. So it just never felt important. So for Christmas, I bought him a pillow. Because I was like, you've been talking about how you really wanted a pillow. So here you go! And this morning I woke up on his pillow. And he didn't have any. Because I nicked it. True love is that he wasn't mad at me for it.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

That's really sweet.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Anyway, I think we should probably wrap up the episode

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

I think we should.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

Let me scoop myself over the counters.

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Let's see if we can actually get all of the the places that you can find us on. Because I think last time we didn't quite have it figured out yet. The

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I will list them off now, and then Charlotte can read the proper finalized version. The, the nicer Bit that's really good to clip and edit and put in, to think, the polish bit. It's on Samsung Podcasts. It's not on Apple Podcasts, because quite frankly I don't have an iPhone and it's confusing. And if anyone else would love to show me how to do it, then that's fine, I'll do it, but until then it's not happening. YouTube, Spotify, Buzzsprout, our website, where else? I think that might be

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

that's not so bad. I was expecting like this whole long, like, long list. But yeah.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

I can't figure everything out because lots of things require their own accounts to do, and then you'll have to upload the separate file every single time. People who have their podcasts on all platforms, please,

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Yeah, how, how

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

do you do that?

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

That's like, who are you outsourcing this to? But yeah. So, you can find us on Instagram at flower power podcast. And that's flour as in, like, plain flour, baking flour, not flour as in, you know, florals. Or on our website, www. flower power podcast. com where you can find episode transcripts, recipes, and bonus content. We release our episodes monthly via YouTube for the videos, Spotify, Samsung Podcasts, and over on the Flower Power website where we will have an RSS feed for you where you'll be able to follow along with the transcript. Thank you so much for listening to us. We have been Flower Power. We hope you enjoyed the episode, and happy baking.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

All episodes are released usually the middle Wednesday of the month. What that will be will determine on when I get around to editing it

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

That's, yeah.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

But generally middle Wednesday

squadcaster-7c67_1_04-02-2024_194819:

Wednesday.

hannah_1_04-02-2024_194817:

See you soon. Bye

Um, Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Okay. Mm.