
Gretel le Maître Ponders, with Bede & other guests
Gretel le Maître likes to look for the beauty and curiosities in life, one day at a time. She shares with you snippets from books about history, art and literature and regularly takes you on adventures to new locations, to explore churches, cathedrals and architecture.
Gretel invites you to accompany her as she navigates the world a day at a time; the podcast is unscripted, it’s ad-free, and you’re invited to join in. There’s space in the warm tent for everyone; there’s tea in the pot 🫖. It’s super unpolished and Gretel would be grateful for you to forgive her for that. Polish would be too time-consuming 🤓
Gretel loves the world and history, architecture, literature and people. And so is determined to walk this path with light footsteps and with humour and warmth. 🌞
Please follow me on X @gretellemaitre. 🌳
Or email me: gretellem@yahoo.com
“Gretel le Maitre is a podcaster and host of the series Gretel Pod-Ponders Life and Loss with Bede and Other Guests. The podcast explores themes of grief, life transitions, and introspection, particularly focusing on her experiences as she anticipates the loss of her mother. In the series, she combines historical reflections—often inspired by the works of the Venerable Bede, an English monk and historian—with her own musings on architecture, literature, and the natural world. Gretel approaches these deep topics with warmth and humor, aiming to provide listeners a comforting space to explore complex emotions .
If you’re interested, you can listen to her podcast on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music, where she shares her reflections in episodes filled with gentle insights and an invitation to journey with her through challenging times .”
In a fast-paced world, Gretel Pod-Ponders Life and Loss provides a much-needed pause and sanctuary for those navigating life’s transitions and searching for deeper meaning. Hosted by Gretel Le Maitre, this unique podcast blends personal storytelling with historical insights from figures like the Venerable Bede, offering listeners an inspiring journey of healing and hope.
With themes of grief, transformation, and spirituality, the podcast has earned praise for its calming tone, authenticity, and ability to connect on a deeply human level. As one listener shared, it feels like sitting down with a trusted friend who understands.
Perfect for audiences seeking introspection, comfort, or simply a quiet moment of reflection, Gretel Pod-Ponders Life and Loss is available now on all major platforms.
Please note, I get daily ad offers that I turn down to keep this an ad-free podcast. So I’d be delighted if you could subscribe to help with my pot of tea and cake on my church crawls 🙋♀️
Episodes
Pepys Prospers; we ponder the Decorated Gothic Period and T Hardy lulls with his gentle Poetry

Canterbury Part II

Canterbury Part I

Early English Churches; Early Cornish and Irish Christianity; and Archbishop Mellitus

Norbert’s Day; Pepys has Diaper Napkins; and Pevsner describe Sherborne Old Castle

A Wessex Poem; Poor Boniface is Murdered as an Old Man; and Pepys falls out with his Wife

Hardy’s poignant poetry; and Pepys hears Organ music in Westminster for the first time.

We discover Iona was called Hii; dear Walter Scott woos our hearts; and Pepys ruefully clocks the severed limbs of ‘traytors’

Pepys watches the death of a Regicide; we ponder Egdon Heath and celebrate a clutch of Saints

Pepys is taken aback by grand Clerical Vestments; we commemorate poor Jeanne D’Arc; and we visit Thomas Hardy in his home

Possible Ghost of Emma Gifford sings in her old Church St Juliot’s; Witchery in Boscastle; and Bloodlines

Pepys drinks his first Cupp of Tea 🫖 while we take a walk among grasses and graves.

Cornish sounds; Hengist and Horsa; and an evening visit to a cliff-top Church

The Venerable Bede: a Celebration

Origins of Oratorios; Saint Augustine’s Feast Day; and Pepys discusses whether True Argument is at the Heart of a good Tragedie

Saints, Celtic Christians, a thieving Servant, and we make a start on the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

We remember David of Scotland 🏴; Celebrate France 🇫🇷; Ponder human nature; and eagerly anticipate tonight’s episode where we begin…

A tour inside a 1533 Chancel that’s lost its Nave; Why the Lord Chancellor sits atop a Bale of Wool; and we hear Swallows, Warblers and Long-Tailed Tits

A Litter of Puppies for Pepys; The Abingdon Manuscript; and good William of Rochester.

The Winchester Chronicle, The Court of Pleas and Pepys buys Lobster 🦞
