0:00

I would go in at the statutory size, at

0:02

the normal size of colander first, because I think

0:04

you might just find that one a little bit

0:06

annoying if you get home and you just want

0:08

to rinse out some peas. I'm

0:13

Manvin Rana from The Story, a

0:16

daily news podcast from The Times. Join

0:18

me and my co-host Luke Jones for

0:20

a deep dive into the big stories

0:23

and investigations. Plus each month, William Hague

0:25

hosts an agenda setting interview with a

0:27

key newsmaker or big thinker. That's

0:30

The Story, The Times

0:32

daily podcast that brings you one

0:35

remarkable story told in depth. Listen

0:37

every weekday on The Times radio app or

0:40

wherever you get your podcasts. A

0:46

8Cast powers the world's best

0:49

podcast. Here's a a show that

0:51

we recommend. Kim

0:53

holderness. We host the holderness.

0:56

Family podcast every Tuesday race.

1:06

I can't believe that happened. Listen, we do a

1:08

of stuff that are podcast is our most favorite thing.

1:16

Sometimes we have expert interviews. Sometimes it's just

1:18

us. But our goal is to bring some

1:20

joy and laughter into your life every week.

1:22

Our other goal is that maybe you will learn something as

1:24

well. Right. So search the Holderness Family podcast

1:26

and check out our most recent episodes. We

1:28

have one about staying organized with creators of

1:30

the home edit. And one about being diagnosed

1:32

with ADHD as an adult. We hope you'll join us.

1:36

Acast helps creators launch, grow,

1:39

and monetize their podcasts everywhere.

1:42

acast.com. Okay,

1:55

will you be all right with just

1:57

the wine? Yeah. It is quite strange.

1:59

I'm fine. with it. It's just I'm

2:01

just looking forward to it when I go down

2:03

through Monet and now I know what it's gonna

2:05

feel like. Oh now my dad feels okay. Yeah.

2:07

How is your dad? Well I didn't

2:09

go home last night so because I went

2:11

to Brixton. I've moved into my new home

2:14

but they're well. So they're staying in your

2:16

home in Brighton and you've

2:18

come up to help fit for

2:20

my friend. Okay. Yeah. But

2:22

they are tomorrow going to Canva Sands for

2:25

a couple of days. To Little Cottage that

2:27

I've booked for them and then having a

2:29

little road trip around the Kent Corner going

2:32

to Margate. My dad was very poorly

2:34

the trailed and convalesced in Broadstairs. He

2:36

hasn't been back for you know 75 years

2:39

or whatever. God that would be interesting. Yeah.

2:41

Yeah. And they haven't been to Margate in

2:43

them. Probably forever. So that's obviously

2:45

changed a bit. Yes. Well

2:48

they'll be able to do that thing

2:50

because when you go to Margate as

2:52

you're wandering around you hear the same

2:54

conversation being said by everybody. It

2:57

changed. Yeah. The thing is I think

2:59

my dad and I were talking about when we stopped

3:01

going on holiday in England when I was a child.

3:04

Because we had this one holiday

3:06

in Cornwall where it was so

3:08

windy. Coming in Cornwall when I

3:10

was about five and after that they

3:13

just decided we were never going on holiday in England again.

3:15

So you know there's a lot of England that they

3:18

haven't seen for a while. Because we were always in

3:20

Italy instead. Well I think we're going to need

3:22

some kind of an update on

3:24

how they found Margate. The Kent

3:26

Corner. Yeah. I'll get Kent Corner

3:29

updates as the week goes on. Excellent.

3:31

Look forward to it very much indeed.

3:34

Now we're doing the podcast today

3:36

in the presence of Barbara. So

3:39

Barbara is one of my

3:41

cats and Barbara has been

3:43

painted so beautifully by Caroline

3:45

Priestley. And honestly Caroline I

3:48

just couldn't believe it when I opened the

3:50

package. You've absolutely nailed her. That

3:52

sounds a bit weird but you know what I mean. And

3:54

just from a photograph you haven't even met her but you

3:56

have captures. What would you say that look is Jane? Definitely

4:01

threatening. Evil. Fire.

4:04

She needs to say, I've definitely looked at my mum

4:06

that way, but not since I was 15. It

4:09

is a very straight look that Barbara's got.

4:11

I love Barbara to bits. I don't want

4:13

anyone thinking that I'm nasty to my cats

4:15

at all, but she's got a glint in

4:18

her eye. And sometimes when she's, you know,

4:20

just headed upstairs and done

4:22

some kind of defecation activity. She'll come back

4:24

downstairs with exactly that kind of look. It

4:27

just says, oh, yeah. Yeah,

4:29

I did that. There you go, mum. But

4:31

honestly, Caroline, it's just beautiful. And I will be in

4:33

touch because I can't just have a picture of Barbara.

4:36

I've got to have all the other ones done

4:38

now. Yeah. But Barbara would be perfectly happy if

4:40

you just had one of her. Oh, she'd love it. Yeah. She

4:43

would love it. Yeah. So

4:45

thank you for your emails. I do

4:47

understand that it was a bank holiday

4:49

weekend. It's always a bit strange, isn't

4:51

it, when your podcast is done

4:53

by people other than the people you're used to doing

4:55

the podcast with and all of that kind of stuff. But

4:58

I have to say, Jane, we Jane Garvey and

5:00

I could not have wished for a better substitute

5:03

dance partner than you. And all our listeners

5:05

just really, really love hearing from you and

5:07

all of your experiences. So

5:10

I would just like to say thank you for being

5:12

the fantastic. And it's just a meaning, isn't

5:14

it, to say fill in. But it's just lovely

5:16

to have you on board and you have the whole

5:18

week. I am honestly honored to be a fill in

5:20

for you and Garvey. It's a tremendous privilege. I

5:23

am one of those, you know, I'm a

5:25

big fan. I was a big

5:27

fan of The Other Place. You know, when I'm

5:29

not talking on this podcast,

5:31

I'm listening to this podcast. So,

5:34

you know, I'm a listener to that. So silly, isn't

5:36

it? That's silly. But anyway,

5:38

it is absolutely lovely. And people really do want to

5:40

talk about America. Can we start with? Yeah. Could

5:43

we read the whole of this email because there's three points and

5:45

all of them are very good. Well, you

5:47

do sex first. Oh, OK. Has anyone ever

5:49

said that before? I'm

5:52

not even going to answer that. I mean,

5:54

yes, and recently. So

5:57

this is from a listener who says, I think...

5:59

better be anonymous today. I think you're better than

6:02

me. And I do agree that that

6:04

would be wise given the first paragraph. Sex

6:07

is the subtitle of the first

6:09

junky paragraph. I thought Jane made

6:12

a really interesting comment about open

6:14

relationships and sex today as a

6:16

listener. I've been married for 28 years

6:18

and I adore my husband. He's my best

6:20

friend. He never bores me. We laugh, we

6:22

travel, and we constantly enjoy each other's company.

6:25

I'm well aware I got one of the good ones and

6:27

have zero interest in a relationship with any other

6:29

man. However, after

6:32

that length of time together, sex is just

6:34

boring and we often don't bother. Now

6:36

love is still there, but it's like eating the same

6:38

flavour of ice cream forever. It might

6:41

be a flavour at flavour, but sometimes you want

6:43

to try Butter Beacon for a change. I'm

6:46

100% confident, says our reader, that

6:48

neither of us would want to have an

6:50

affair, but I do sometimes think if there

6:52

was a societal, acceptable service where you could

6:54

go and have sex with a stranger just

6:56

for fun without conversation or any other connection

6:58

once in a while, would

7:00

older people's sexual needs be more

7:02

satisfied? The service could also be good

7:04

for divorced people who fancy a bit of safe

7:06

sex but have zero interest in a new relationship.

7:09

Our listener says, I have several female friends who

7:12

feel that way too. Well,

7:15

can I just say I think the services

7:17

are out there. Yeah, they are. If you

7:19

go and find them. And I think

7:21

it's brave of you to put

7:23

that down in an email actually, because I think

7:25

a lot of people are doing that anyway without

7:31

acknowledging the reasons why they are.

7:33

And I think it's just so

7:35

lovely that you recognise that you've

7:37

got a fantastic marriage, but

7:40

actually there's something that's not quite

7:42

being met. I do wonder whether your

7:44

husband feels the same way and whether that's a conversation that

7:46

you might want to have. It is

7:48

very interesting. I interviewed the great Esther Perel

7:50

quite a few times and she says

7:53

in her first book, Mating and Captivity, she

7:56

says that an affair can really help

7:58

a marriage because actually... it can

8:00

often reignite feelings. You're

8:03

looking at me like Barbara. Well,

8:07

I suppose it's the definition of an

8:09

affair because I think what our listener

8:11

has said so well are just the

8:13

reasons for wanting to go and have

8:15

sex with somebody. So it's just, if

8:18

you're gonna compare it to ice cream,

8:21

then it is just wanting to

8:23

try some other flavors. It's not wanting a

8:25

different kind of putting all together. Or

8:27

wanting to leave your, wanting to put in a

8:30

different place, et cetera, et cetera. And so having

8:32

an affair, you see, I always think that's different

8:34

because I think that is about emotion. And I

8:36

think there's somebody else involved in that. Absolutely. No,

8:39

I agree. But I think there

8:41

can be affairs that are purely physical. Just

8:44

as there can be affairs that are purely emotional,

8:46

which can be also quite damaging on all

8:49

sides. But I do think, yes, I agree

8:51

with our listener. I think I've certainly, and

8:53

lots of people have interviewed you to have said

8:55

this, that they don't want to break up their

8:57

relationship. They don't wanna leave it. They don't wanna change it.

8:59

They don't wanna swap it. You

9:02

know, some people do want a little bit of

9:04

variation in their sex life, particularly if you've been

9:07

married for nearly three decades. And

9:09

I think certainly women

9:11

are not encouraged to admit

9:13

that very often. It's not something we're supposed to

9:15

want. Totally, totally. A very, very

9:17

wise male friend of mine said to

9:19

me once that

9:21

the problem with sex between the

9:23

sexes is that men are told

9:25

to treat their libido like some

9:27

kind of a friend when they're

9:29

growing up. It becomes a thing.

9:32

You know, it is something that sits

9:34

alongside them. It gets on board

9:37

them in physics. It embarrasses them when they're

9:39

younger. Do you know what I mean? You know,

9:41

in fact, what I'm talking about, and I'm not going to

9:43

use explicit lyrics to describe that, but it's quite a

9:45

visible thing to men. And the

9:47

libido is something, you know,

9:49

that you get to- They can be proud of

9:51

and parade it around. Just put it on. And

9:54

to keep it going and to keep it fair and

9:56

all of that. And women are taught the exact opposite

9:59

or worse. I think it is changing

10:01

now, but I still think a woman with

10:03

a libido is regarded as a rather dangerous

10:05

thing. 100% so good

10:08

on you our listener for just putting

10:10

it down in such a delightful way

10:13

and I really hope that something, you know,

10:15

I hope that something happens for you. I

10:18

don't, I'd be very interested if you ever

10:20

did have that conversation with your husband, how

10:22

that all panned out and I

10:25

suppose the perfectly happy ending, don't

10:27

laugh, is if it

10:30

turns out that your partner feels exactly the same

10:32

way and then you can both kind of,

10:34

you know, chug on out and do

10:36

your thing and come back and it doesn't disturb

10:38

anything, but yeah keep us posted.

10:40

Yeah and I think it would be very interesting

10:42

to know, I don't know if there is a way

10:45

of knowing how this listener's partner

10:47

feels, but um, do you remember we did

10:49

that piece of the magazine a few weeks

10:51

ago when it was people talking about their

10:53

sex lives, the reality of their sex lives?

10:56

Well it doesn't distinguish, we can all

10:58

just change, be honest. I did some of the interviews

11:02

and some

11:05

of the people I interviewed, you know,

11:07

admitted to me that they felt incredibly

11:09

sad about their lack of sex in

11:12

their marriage and you know

11:14

one person even admitted to me that if it

11:16

weren't for the children in their relationship that

11:19

person felt that they would have that relationship because

11:21

of the lack of sex and I think, I

11:24

don't know, I think some relationships everyone's

11:26

kind of okay with it, you

11:28

know, it's a kind of like, oh it's a shame we don't

11:31

really do that anymore but we're kind of okay with it, we're

11:33

comfortable and I think for other people it causes a tremendous

11:35

amount of pain and I think

11:37

it's really difficult and they feel unloved

11:39

and unwanted and the lack of desire,

11:41

you know, really sort of chips away

11:43

at them. So I think every situation

11:45

is different. And we

11:48

need to be accepting, don't we, of anybody's choices.

11:51

Shall we move on to Democrats which is

11:53

the final paragraph? Sex and Democrats not often found

11:55

in the same email. Well I mean the

11:57

bit in the middle of the term which

11:59

is guns. and I'm just going to park

12:01

that for a second. We might do that tomorrow. But

12:04

this is thoughtful about Democrats. The argument

12:06

that Democrats are overly educated and aloof

12:08

is a very old go-to for Republicans.

12:11

I'm not sure when being educated became

12:13

a negative, but here we are. America

12:15

is rejecting science and history at an

12:17

astounding rate in the classroom. We have

12:20

Republican governors banning the teachings of documented

12:22

history and the proven science of many

12:24

issues as being reported on cable TV

12:26

as false. The irony of American politics

12:29

right now is that the Republican

12:31

Party has been taken over by

12:33

evangelical Christians who could not be

12:35

more unlike Jesus and the Democrats

12:37

are trying to pass legislation to

12:39

care for the less fortunate. Democrats

12:41

are far from perfect, but what

12:43

they are working on is much

12:45

more the foundations of America than

12:47

the self-called patriotic Trump voters. America

12:49

is a country founded on welcoming

12:51

immigrants. We are a country that

12:53

is founded on a separation of

12:55

church and state. This election will

12:57

have a terrible outcome regardless if

12:59

Trump wins America as we know it

13:02

will cease to exist and if Trump

13:04

loses we will have an uprising. These

13:06

are truly scary times to be living

13:08

here in brackets, particularly if you are

13:10

a woman. So I don't

13:13

doubt that all of what you say is

13:15

true. And I suppose

13:17

after our conversation about it yesterday, what

13:20

I haven't really thought through

13:22

before in that difference between

13:24

our politics and American politics

13:27

is that our left is founded on

13:29

the working class, isn't it? But

13:32

America's left is founded on

13:34

the elite, Camelot and all

13:36

of that, and the establishment

13:38

and the power in the

13:40

Democrat circle. Partly,

13:42

yes. I think certainly sort of

13:44

second half of the 20th century

13:47

possibly the power. But there are

13:49

similar kind of movements and shifts

13:51

in that, you

13:53

know, the old rust belt where it

13:55

was, you know, manual labor and used

13:57

to vote Democrat now is overwhelming.

14:00

Republican in the similar kind of models

14:02

of shifting patterns in voting that have

14:04

happened. But I think you're right,

14:06

that is very interesting that the sort of the

14:08

power elite, the power structures

14:10

certainly in the second half of the 20th

14:12

century are definitely not from the

14:14

working class in America. Yeah and the

14:17

call to the working classes is just

14:19

so different now isn't it? Because as

14:21

soon as you put technology into the

14:23

mix and as soon as you put

14:25

AI on top of technology, that that

14:28

feeling of the

14:30

working class strength lying in

14:32

manufacturing in bodies, in working

14:34

hard and all of that

14:36

is so threatened, I

14:39

mean permanently threatened

14:41

and reduced that whatever

14:43

it is you're calling out to the

14:45

working class with, it's just I don't

14:47

think it's moved on enough. I don't

14:49

think it's not a clever enough call,

14:51

it's a dangerous call isn't it? Hence

14:54

the make America great game. But I

14:56

couldn't agree more with our listener saying

14:58

that in whatever happens it's

15:00

going to be a terrible outcome. I do

15:03

think it's a terrifying time

15:05

because I think the last four years

15:07

have proven, you know,

15:10

I remember watching the events

15:12

of January the 6th happen and just

15:15

thinking there's no way that Trump can

15:17

ever run again and yet

15:19

the sort of the belief that that

15:21

election was stolen has really calcified and

15:24

now he's managing to,

15:27

you know, raise more

15:29

funds for him every time

15:31

he's, you know, charged with

15:33

another felony, you know, people really

15:35

do believe that it, on

15:37

his side, that it was a stolen election more

15:40

than they ever did four years ago and I

15:43

think no one could have seen that coming. It

15:45

is bizarre, really really bizarre. So if

15:47

he doesn't win this election, the

15:49

sort of victim narrative is going

15:51

to be stronger and deeper and

15:53

more damaging to the

15:55

Democrats than ever. Yeah,

15:58

it's a god of feels just

16:00

even just talking and thinking about it. Yeah, it makes

16:02

me very anxious. Final question about American

16:04

politics, and then don't worry, we will move on because

16:06

we've got TV to talk about. We've got someone who's

16:08

had a terrible time with a financial advisor, and we've

16:10

got stories about being taught by your mum at school

16:12

all to come. But just that thing

16:15

about two really, really old men, representative

16:18

of a country. How's

16:21

that happened? Well, I

16:25

think one of the things that we

16:27

don't really get

16:29

to understand about America is how

16:32

you don't have anything like the 1922 committee. I

16:35

think I said this to Jane the other day. You don't

16:37

have anything like the 1922 committee in America where people

16:40

can put in, you know, let

16:42

there be no confidence in their

16:44

leader. It's this incredibly centralized,

16:47

you know, monolithic power

16:49

in a president. You don't have,

16:51

you know, civil service in the same way.

16:53

Everyone who works as a president works as a president.

16:56

They don't work for the party, you know,

16:58

all the sort of centralized structure.

17:00

So someone like Joe Biden

17:02

has a tremendous amount of

17:04

power as president in a different way to

17:07

the way that a prime minister has here. So

17:09

there are very few challenges to that

17:11

authority. He's not surrounded by people saying,

17:14

well, you thought about what's better for the party. So

17:17

I think in this particular case, part

17:20

of the problem is that they don't want to

17:22

cede power to other people, and there's no one

17:24

encouraging them to. So

17:26

they haven't allowed people to come up through the ranks.

17:29

I mean, there's obviously a bigger problem in that,

17:31

you know, a longer problem in

17:33

that way. You don't have anyone even

17:36

in their 50s or 60s, let

17:38

alone in their 40s. Yeah, but it

17:40

just seems so bizarre, because I wouldn't have

17:42

said that America as a society really venerates

17:45

its elderly population. No, it's quite

17:47

ageist in many ways. It's

17:49

much more ageist than art in many ways. Well,

17:53

look, let's just

17:55

take some deep breaths and move

17:57

on. I'm going to inject a

17:59

note of levity. here and it's also a

18:01

negotistical one because Glynn is amongst a couple

18:03

of people who've pointed out that I've absolutely

18:06

made it, Mulcarrens, because

18:08

my name was an answer in this week's

18:10

round Britain quiz on Radio 4. I

18:12

love this. I feel a die-happy mic

18:15

drop, Glynn. And this

18:17

is the question and I thought when I

18:19

first read it I thought, Glynn, that you'd

18:21

attached the wrong things. I just didn't get

18:23

it at all. It took me a few

18:25

reads actually and I still don't know the

18:27

first answer. So the question was, why might

18:29

you find Billy Casper's unforgiving teacher,

18:31

the creator of Atlanta

18:33

and one for whom

18:35

listening was a long-term

18:38

project in Yovil town?

18:40

It's just a bizarre

18:42

information. I know the

18:44

creator of Atlanta was Donald Glover.

18:46

Yeah. Billy Casper's unforgiving

18:49

teacher. I'm stuck

18:51

on that. And Yovil? No

18:53

idea. No. Okay. But we know that

18:55

you were... Yes,

18:58

so the listening project for a very long

19:01

time. Yeah. So anyways,

19:03

well spotted, Glynn, and thank you very

19:05

much for that. I know. Well, you

19:07

know what? My mother will be delighted

19:09

by that. I

19:12

think it's safe to say and I hope

19:14

that this doesn't impinge on my future here

19:16

at Times Radio, but my mother has not

19:18

managed to leave radio for to join her

19:20

daughter on the afternoon show, all

19:23

the podcasts. So yeah,

19:25

she's still back listening to that. I'm sorry about

19:27

that. She'll come on board one day. Can

19:30

I just talk about Sue's teeny

19:32

tiny teeny tiny colander? So this

19:34

is a lovely message from Sue

19:36

who's in Ireland and has responded

19:39

to my lack of colander by

19:41

telling us that she has two colanders

19:43

in her life, a big one that

19:46

she rarely uses exactly soon, and a

19:48

teeny weeny one photographed besides her breakfast

19:50

mug and teaspoon to show scale. And

19:52

it's very teeny. She uses it every

19:54

single morning to wash a handful of

19:56

blueberries for her porridge. She doesn't know what she'd

19:59

do without it, she does. in Germany years ago, no

20:01

idea if and where they would be available nowadays.

20:03

She loved it. I should probably do a search

20:06

for a teeny tiny colander. Although I probably wouldn't

20:08

use that one either, but it would be normal.

20:10

I would go in at the statutory size, at

20:12

the normal size of colander, because I think you

20:14

might just find that one a little bit annoying

20:17

if you get home and you just want to

20:19

rinse out some peas for

20:21

a decent meal. I mean, I

20:23

love that. The very, very specific,

20:25

tiny one for the little blueberries,

20:27

but I'd just go normal size

20:29

too. If I've been no other

20:31

used to you in your life at

20:33

all, just that advice about corrinders I'd

20:35

really like you to take. I feel

20:37

quite protective of your domestic fallibility

20:40

already. Yeah, but I've got a very

20:42

clean outside area, thanks to the power washer.

20:45

So, phenomenal. Much

20:47

love to you both and to Jane. Gee says,

20:49

Leslie, this is the briefest of brief correspondences, but

20:52

I couldn't let it go past without wondering, do

20:54

you or any of your other listeners have an

20:56

involuntary reaction to the name Michael Parkinson? I asked

20:59

because the second his name was read

21:01

out in your latest podcast. I sang

21:03

internally Michael Parkinson's, Lisa Goddard and Lionel

21:05

Blair. I can't do the tune. Of

21:08

course, maybe nobody else was a lazy-ish

21:10

student in the 90s when Give Us

21:12

a Clue was a day-time TV favourite.

21:16

My very dear pal and flatmate Gwen and

21:18

I used to sing it at any given

21:20

opportunity and I'm pretty sure we sang the

21:22

Going for Gold theme tune too. I

21:25

also love Going for Gold. What happy

21:27

memories. So before or

21:29

after Lunchtime Neighbours? Before? No, before. No,

21:33

this wasn't the news before Neighbours. Please

21:37

do let us know if you can recall.

21:39

I'm going to be there before and after.

21:41

I'm 35. Lunchtime Neighbours. I think

21:43

Going for Gold might have been for the very,

21:45

very lazy students who didn't move on after the

21:48

first edition of Neighbours. Well, I'm going to

21:50

do a seamless link and say maybe that's

21:52

because they're just eating a jacket potato. There

21:55

was some lunchtime talk. So

21:57

We've read very few of the jacket with many, many.

22:00

Then you can keep a safe of emails

22:02

which floods it in over the weekend. and

22:04

I just like to read this on from

22:06

rates of from Sydney Fc covers t. Topics

22:08

and three mins Cambridge

22:10

and Potatoes I have.

22:13

Ah, Rachel says you com and the everyone

22:15

who guns and that feel the same comment.

22:17

Not me. I haven't gone to Cameras bangs.

22:20

On about it surprised me says Rachel.

22:22

I've got a Phd from Cambridge, but I

22:25

hardly ever mention it. I would normally vote

22:27

never volunteer this information and mates. My

22:29

university friends from around the same time.

22:31

The same any that.the title doctor. When

22:33

booking a plane. Ticket and if I'm asked,

22:35

why spend time in. England I usually vaguely

22:38

say to study a mark of a

22:40

modest of the right so busy. Also

22:42

says it was also moving to Cambridge

22:44

that I saw my first Am and

22:46

sixty potato another student in my said.

22:48

House through assholes I am potato

22:51

until into the microwave. Stance on.

22:53

The next to selectively shrivel and

22:55

die. And

22:58

it's in a microwave up Ops see that?

23:00

A guess it was a melted butter on

23:02

top. I was horrified and right? So it

23:04

looks and smells disgusting and I didn't believe

23:07

her when she told me this is really

23:09

common and up think everyone he that hath.

23:11

I also didn't believe her when she

23:13

told me that the with a fast

23:15

food chain that sold only just dictators

23:17

assistant for years I stand corrected. We

23:20

told him about on July. he doesn't

23:22

deny that Uk I can find it.

23:24

He writes allows. I love the way

23:26

to threaded and. Various yeah, I mean

23:28

I wish his own thing a little.

23:30

Bit concerned thirty minutes and the might such

23:32

a whole family unit when they says get

23:34

that kind of hard pumice stone inside a

23:37

youtube as he's as a weapon he afterwards

23:39

as waiting own business when I was I

23:41

guess I'm very proud of my life will

23:43

make it isn't blowing My name is a

23:46

as might have been an right now we're

23:48

gonna steady ourselves can something fun for this

23:50

email and I check it out and to

23:52

our isa because I wonder whether anybody else

23:55

has had the same kind of experience and

23:57

it's going to remain anonymous at that. My

23:59

sense. These are with you there listener.

24:01

He recently were talking about pensions and

24:04

wells and I just wanted said most

24:06

extraordinary conversation my husband and I had

24:08

with our new financial advisor without wanting

24:10

to give where our identities. It's that

24:12

say that I gave up my great

24:14

sport my husband in his knee business

24:17

about six years ago. Long story short,

24:19

the financial advisor only bullies. It's worth

24:21

taking out critical illness and death insurance

24:23

the my husband and not me. It

24:25

is true that he is the one

24:27

else on the to say to speak.

24:30

But I do everything else I, marketing,

24:32

Pr, accounts, receptionist, sales, I t and

24:34

in the home I'm literally responsible for

24:36

everything. We've been married well over twenty

24:38

years. He still com put on the

24:40

dishwasher or the watch me see without

24:43

asking. He has no idea how still

24:45

online banking doesn't cook clean or sort

24:47

out the kids sorta insurances or holidays

24:49

etc keep us I could go on

24:51

us and of choice Nothing I think

24:53

you get the just. I had to

24:55

argue that yes I was worth some

24:57

money tree amounts because if I die.

25:00

Before him he doesn't have a clue and

25:02

he would vastly need money to keep them

25:04

going for months if not years because he

25:06

wouldn't be able to work while he tries

25:08

to learn everything while sorting out my funeral

25:11

and everything that goes with it when someone

25:13

dies or is he got so they get

25:15

a terminal illness or dies. I can go

25:17

out and earn money across multiple industries because

25:19

the my skillset he has a much more

25:21

limited choice and therefore with the the money

25:24

more than I would. Can anyone else relate?

25:26

Well, I would be really interested to hear

25:28

from people as it's had a similar. Experience

25:30

the Also I think that success

25:33

so much about the prejudice against

25:35

has so much power financial advisors

25:37

this means he suggests that one

25:39

part one half of the couple

25:42

the anyone was a of having

25:44

but it is what's no value

25:46

audience to minister labor services which

25:48

are easily being done for free

25:50

but you would then have to

25:53

pay somebody to do. And thus

25:55

the points because he got a

25:57

voice is. Day get, you know,

26:00

fair enough. I mean, it doesn't sound like they're unhappy

26:02

at all. So I don't want to plant that kind

26:04

of seed in anybody's mind. But I'm absolutely with you

26:06

on being outraged by that. And

26:08

I really hope that you didn't give the financial

26:10

advisor any of your money. I just

26:13

sent him packing and, you know, find a better

26:15

one. Maybe

26:17

find a woman. Yeah. You've bought

26:19

a book in today. I've got a book

26:21

in to school today. And actually, we've had

26:23

an email about the book from Eileen. She

26:26

said that she also bought that

26:29

book for her mother. Forgetting

26:31

that her mother was a bit straight laced. This is David

26:33

Niven's book, by the way, The Moon is a Balloon. A

26:35

few months later, she borrowed it. She'd forgotten

26:38

that her mother was a bit straight laced, only to

26:40

discover that her mum had crossed out every single swear

26:42

word in the book. And apparently, there was a lot.

26:45

So I look forward to that. Before we do

26:47

the reading, can I tell you my David Niven

26:49

story? Oh, God, please. It's quite long. But so

26:51

many, many, many years ago, sort of

26:54

between jobs, I had worked

26:56

at the Sunday Times in my first job, and then I'd

26:58

gone to another newspaper and then I was freelance for a

27:00

while. And I ended up weirdly being a

27:02

sort of stunt girl for the driving section. It

27:04

was very odd. I drove tanks and went

27:06

on the back of motorbikes and things like that. And

27:10

one weekend I was

27:12

dispatched to go to Sussex to

27:14

interview a man who would,

27:17

a former RAF pilot who was thrown in

27:19

the Battle of Britain, squadron

27:21

leader Christopher Riddle. And he

27:24

was amazing. I turned up and he'd raised a

27:26

flagpole in his garden and he had an RAF

27:28

squadron tie on. And we were

27:30

interviewing him because of the Goodwood Revival. And

27:32

one of the bases that he'd taken off

27:34

from was Goodwood and another airbase called Pangmare

27:36

nearby. So he must have been nearly 90

27:39

when I interviewed him, he said, sadly, since

27:41

it was the way I understand the play.

27:43

And this was about 15 years ago. But

27:45

he was just full of these incredible

27:48

tales about being in this squadron.

27:50

So he was in this very fast squadron

27:52

called 601 Squadron, all of

27:54

whom had been members of White's, the

27:57

club. And It was basically

27:59

a. Story of that she went

28:02

and looked up on wikipedia. I'm potential

28:04

a crazed squadron which is a sort

28:06

of in i would you call it

28:08

an amateur squadron and will play with

28:10

alcohol safe. They will behave inappropriately but

28:13

some of the thief Westminster and a

28:15

Millionaire squads and it was cold and

28:17

apparently the love the rigid discipline of

28:19

the regular service A line the uniforms

28:21

and bright red silk a. Trace Sports

28:24

cars the Squadron cop heartless had

28:26

resemble a Concord Elegance And you

28:28

say, You didn't is fast. Goddard with David

28:30

Nathan and he was telling me that they

28:32

would go up as they are. They are

28:34

not a plane for their own savings account.

28:36

I don't think of fish five of the

28:38

Hurricanes with their own plane but they have

28:41

climbed on their own plane that he was

28:43

telling me that they would fill up and

28:45

the dog fights. For the Germans over the

28:47

Channel in prison and I'm. And.

28:49

It made him a kind of a little

28:51

bit aroused like they love the sort of

28:54

adrenalin of these dogs i say with the

28:56

channel with the job as said com bust

28:58

land and then they want to take out

29:00

girls and a sports car of understandably because

29:02

they were in a feeling that with please

29:04

themselves haven't had a dog fight with the

29:06

measure smit any whites glendale because i basically

29:08

what lies at the heart is it's hot

29:10

outside size so many other moves say that

29:12

case but because the with the war on

29:15

actual with the russians so in order to

29:17

be. Able to keep taking Galvao and

29:19

this both cause six One squadron. Both

29:21

are in petrol stations with oh my

29:23

word. Oh my was so.

29:25

I've always have had a very soft

29:27

spot for David Niven and all of

29:30

his millionaire Aviator friends. Just buying petrol

29:32

station said they couldn't take out. Love

29:34

that story doesn't surprise me says having

29:36

read that sentence of David Defense Books

29:38

and me the thing to remember with

29:41

with David live in the is that

29:43

he never says himself up. As you

29:45

know writing dispatcher in a it is

29:47

no answers as is necessary for three

29:49

months here and social injustice and tasted

29:52

his chest nights on the flames. Of

29:54

the quality is just writing about a very

29:56

privileged lies as and in the weirdness that

29:58

can with it at so I take quite

30:00

a choice little paragraph which I'm gonna do

30:03

have two thirds are in Sea of the

30:05

Day and Shade I just for the next

30:07

three days you can see Michael Parkinson smooth

30:09

as they say it's just a little book

30:12

at that time. After you get to the

30:14

end of the and he say he will

30:16

lead join us and we'll just a little

30:18

eating and then say good night Sir David

30:20

Niven as can. Now.

30:23

And destination Fabulous. The time Session Director

30:25

Animosity takes us on a journey around

30:27

midlife and beyond. Looking ahead to what

30:30

we might expect when we hit sixty

30:32

or thereabouts, it's full of useful tips

30:34

about changing our wardrobes, our mindset, sound

30:37

of facial we teens are exercise and

30:39

even our friendships to sit with. The

30:41

place the now find ourselves and and

30:44

I loved it every single name until

30:46

that reading. it felt like sitting in

30:48

a very sunny happy spoke for half

30:51

an hour. So every day the. Book

30:53

is also full of mentions of work

30:55

done by other people say psychologists, writers,

30:57

thoughtful people with degrees, poets, all of

30:59

which I wanted to stills from what

31:02

I imagine must be quite a library

31:04

detailing her own journey would not be

31:06

Rice on a Mercy that you've been

31:08

on something of a journey yourself. Yeah,

31:10

absolutely. I'm I mean, not for life.

31:13

isn't that really? sort of the beginning

31:15

and at some point you get the

31:17

end. and the certainly can recent some

31:19

bumps in the roses and twists and

31:21

turns in the decades. In between

31:24

and. Yeah, that was really

31:26

the essence of kind. Of what I wanted

31:28

to communicate in the book, I think

31:30

this is narrative. Out and Society that's

31:32

aging is it is a downhill slope.

31:34

Raising his some to be feared, easy

31:36

something to be fought against and actually

31:38

walked. Is your roads in kind of

31:40

broad and out? What? if you can

31:42

have a more expansive time and you're

31:44

late allies and. You may be had when

31:47

you were younger and I think a starting

31:49

point for me with with realizing. Be.

31:51

Used quite tough. I mean, I can. We.

31:53

Were Ruth. Drilled. We

31:55

decided we all want to be twenty seemed a

31:58

back to what you're actually like a twenty. Probably

32:00

in some ways I'm your fantastic time

32:02

in some ways to having a hard

32:04

time, so it's sort of about celebrating

32:06

actually, sort of not being twenty. And

32:09

I kind of two kids from

32:11

things have come to me via

32:13

beings. Has no to the time to fasten

32:15

beauty tips for authors you suggest reading this.

32:17

Nothing to do with in a wearing a

32:19

ridiculous color velvet blaze as. Well I mean

32:21

you always that way the fabulous of

32:23

course he to be terrible if he

32:25

just turns up in a pair of

32:27

scaffold have passed the fucking asses something

32:29

that for next week's notice that he

32:31

always that wonderful and they i think

32:33

it's always really interesting to hear people

32:35

thought process to that guessing that kind

32:37

of the because you don't just chalk

32:39

on what you're wearing at your as

32:41

very very keen supporter of the bright

32:43

flashes of color she wants to talk

32:45

has three today's well yes I think

32:47

you'll find I'm just throwing us discuss

32:49

simple Kingfisher Blue Blazer. Don't call it

32:51

from me and I am one of

32:54

my favorite brands son spell as tank

32:56

top knitted tanks. Am I? Why some

32:58

ridiculous. Whites Beat the make me think of

33:00

a no strict filled novel. Actually wrote an

33:02

uncle White Boots or yeah, why not wear

33:04

white boots when you fifty two. I

33:06

think for me obese have always. Been interested

33:08

in the power of close. it's is my job

33:10

to beams in the power flows but I've really

33:13

come to see as I've got older. Or

33:15

you can change preconceptions about yourself. Either

33:17

way, you dress. You know, if you

33:19

if you always have something surprising about

33:21

your luck and it doesn't matter what

33:23

that is that what matters is that

33:25

isn't surprising. Who makes. You happy than

33:28

actually starts to of cliches.

33:30

About in a war being fifty two

33:32

Or indeed, eighty two is. I

33:34

really like your points about use

33:37

being a place as the is

33:39

quite happy than such say and

33:41

I think never more so than

33:43

now. I wouldn't be a ton

33:45

see something young woman Now for

33:47

all of the t into and

33:49

I mean Isis have no desire

33:51

to roll back the is my

33:53

life to mean apart from anything

33:55

else. just that's what is being

33:57

sucked to young women and men

33:59

about. Their appearance a is is

34:01

so troubling at stay isn't it?

34:03

They can't proceed off so hard

34:06

and I think what it's really

34:08

easy to forget is that as

34:10

you. Get older, you have points of

34:12

reference. I mean one of the most

34:14

interesting ideas I came for us in

34:17

my research with is this Am urologist.

34:19

I'm daniel defeated and he talks about

34:21

this idea of. Generalization in the

34:23

mind and generalization is essentially cross.

34:25

Referencing say is essentially

34:27

experience so. Is this thing

34:29

I'm going through now is entering? It's happening

34:31

in the past, relevant to what do I know

34:34

about vests. And of course when you all

34:36

kind of age you have much. More generalization

34:38

to drawn than when you're young, when.

34:40

Everything's coming at you have fresh you don't

34:42

have a point of reference on I think

34:44

some me so much about. Growing Old

34:47

Well is about keeping two different,

34:49

seemingly oppositional things in play at

34:51

once. And generalization with also

34:54

a kind of. Enjoyment of

34:56

the moments and and enjoyment of the. Specificity.

34:59

Of now is is it really kind

35:01

of t superpower that we can have

35:03

as older people and I think we'd

35:05

see assets and again especially as as

35:08

women I say we have set a

35:10

really good example about the benefits of

35:12

getting older because what's think chances are

35:14

young women is a is a certain

35:17

way of looking and a certain way

35:19

as the hazing loads of voices like

35:21

ours telling them to not worry about

35:24

said without actually offering them a solution

35:26

for his knuckles. Honestly since his say.

35:28

He come through it and he comes

35:30

a much nicer place and yells much

35:33

more forgiving. Yeah again completely missing from

35:35

the story I think. He's that feeling

35:37

of kind of freedom and liberty is

35:39

not to say that are on complications.

35:41

It's not to say that their own

35:43

duties and responsibilities that come up as

35:45

you get older, maybe around your parents

35:47

or whatever but you. I think you have a

35:49

chance to kind of. Inhabit your

35:52

own space in a way that is really,

35:54

really hard to do. And in fact that

35:56

a conversation I had very early on in the kind

35:58

of genesis of this boat with with a group of

36:00

friends. The Arena: Late twenties, early. Thirties or them

36:02

female and one of them throughout the question

36:04

oh you know what age could you go

36:06

back to his is if you could would

36:09

you go back to answer the it'll women

36:11

who about twenty years younger than me and

36:13

they all started throwing i ages of eighteen,

36:15

twenty two, twenty five and and I didn't

36:17

and eventually they noticed I hadn't given an

36:20

agency wanted and said while I was about

36:22

you and I said well I wouldn't go

36:24

bad because of to. See operative word. You

36:26

know I've I've worked jolly hard to

36:28

be. You are. I'm off as. There's.

36:31

Been some learning, some of it fairly unpleasant

36:33

isn't enough as it inevitably the case. Why

36:36

would a bad back as the

36:38

operative word? And these young women

36:40

what passing gobsmacked. At the idea that

36:42

I wouldn't do that. And and of course

36:44

they are because this message is no

36:46

out there and the messages that is

36:48

out there is is do this stuff

36:50

your face. These are also women some

36:52

of him already having and. Social

36:54

treatments. Yeah this huge amounts

36:56

of money being made us isn't Mason.

36:58

people have a sadist getting older and

37:01

there's no money he made as miss

37:03

Miss embrace it were very trees and

37:05

that see on that point Easy points

37:07

How's that the it's an industry the

37:09

treatment industry that recruit see that very

37:11

young age on the basis that it

37:13

can sell you something every three or

37:15

four month that you're gonna need for

37:17

the rest of your life. So the

37:19

roadmap that it creates for you his

37:21

never ending and the see to destination

37:23

is probably just don't know. I

37:26

mean, this is thoughts newfangled stuff

37:28

so or any real it's really

37:30

starting to see say says are

37:32

a few decades into having procedures.

37:35

Whether. They're smaller will launch us and.

37:38

In a in general and it to typically

37:40

the women he was have been doing it

37:42

for decades. The outliers I wealthy women that

37:44

well known women's piano looks not that pretty.

37:47

I mean I would argue even from physician

37:49

insanity Yes sure I look in the bathroom

37:51

mirror those lines I don't like but I'd

37:53

rather that than than I think losing control.

37:56

of your face which is what various the

37:58

happens when you concede control. Money

38:00

to someone else who's making money or. And

38:03

then the person he's looking at you

38:05

does that way. The odds. Condors edition

38:07

of yours doesn't it? C C So

38:09

when he's had too much work on

38:11

their face and you think well say

38:13

that trying to look fifty, that probably

38:15

sixty. but you tend to think in

38:17

your head that seventy two because he

38:19

can't work out with an asshole ages

38:21

for you by.when young if that's the

38:23

either you a buddy way. Well as

38:25

a British. Quote I'm our with one

38:27

chatting to the to the recently departed

38:30

are resentful You know is such a

38:32

wonderful starlike whole. New well and well

38:34

into us. Beyond hundred and beyond and.

38:36

She said to me you know what, I'd never have

38:38

it and it ended he done because I get a

38:40

lot of friends who ended up looking like a protest

38:42

though and I think. It's slightly three way of

38:44

putting it, but you know that. Is the

38:47

risk? I mean I think the other point

38:49

is well the way we the way we

38:51

see our own face and see your point.

38:54

Especially with the rise of social media in

38:56

our phones. We maximize our own

38:58

face in the way we don't and us

39:00

my other people's face. You know when I

39:02

see you am I think we are. She

39:04

looked happy as she you know I don't

39:07

think oh there's a line added in east

39:09

be there so say we. We. We.

39:11

Just don't look our faces the right way. And I

39:13

think fundamentally, we'd I love. All sizes were

39:15

taught to see what the problems are

39:18

rather than six hundred apprehend the whole,

39:20

which is if. You're having as good

39:22

a life as you can have given. You're

39:24

saying? That. As a potency

39:26

to that This and very good

39:28

stuff about challenging your mindset around

39:30

relationships as well in your book.

39:32

And the point that you made

39:35

about power I thought was absolutely

39:37

brilliant and it's based on the

39:39

power that lies between siblings relationship

39:41

which is often the first think

39:43

relationship that we have the you

39:45

might this very good points but

39:47

actually really trump walk away in

39:49

later life from relationships have any

39:51

kind that have power at their

39:53

hearts yeah I mean again this.

39:55

is something i wouldn't have had a

39:57

clue about decades ago and adidas one

39:59

underlines It's not as if this book means

40:01

I've got everything sorted because I very much

40:03

don't have. But I think

40:06

yes, as you suggest, those early defining relationships

40:08

do tend to be about power. You know,

40:10

you're the elder sibling and so you have

40:12

power or you're the younger sibling and you

40:14

don't, your parents have power over you, your

40:16

teachers have power over you. I

40:19

think that's why for many of us actually

40:21

being young and again, we forget this, can

40:23

be quite frustrating period. I mean, I

40:25

remember just being desperate to be grown up and

40:27

say people could stop telling me what to do and

40:30

I could decide what I wanted to do for myself. So

40:33

yeah, I think growing older is an

40:35

opportunity to recalibrate where

40:37

necessary and find in as much

40:39

as one can relationships between equals.

40:41

And that's certainly something that I've

40:43

been able to do and that

40:46

just means a huge amount

40:48

to me. What is

40:50

peach luck? Oh yes, I'm

40:52

slightly obsessed with peach luck. Yes, well, one

40:54

of the more surprising things possibly about Anna

40:56

Murphy fashion art at the time is I'm

40:58

a bit of a, I've become somewhere along

41:00

the way, a bit of a hippie. I'm

41:02

quite open to alternative thinking. And

41:05

one of the areas of thinking I've

41:07

been really fascinated by is Chinese

41:09

medicine. And in Chinese

41:11

medicine, one of the diagnostic tools is

41:13

your face essentially. So they read the face

41:15

to tell you kind of what's wrong with

41:17

you. And again, I think we know this

41:19

ourselves. You can tell if a friend looks hungover

41:22

or miserable or delighted or whatever. It's

41:24

just in Chinese medicine, it's much more

41:27

diagnostic in the kind of narrowest sense. So

41:30

peach luck is something that is readable in the

41:32

face and peach luck is essentially

41:34

something that babies are naturally born

41:36

with. It's that sort of juicy

41:38

squishy cheekiness that little babies have.

41:41

And typically somewhere along the way, people tend

41:43

to kind of lose their peach luck. But

41:45

the Chinese medicine thinking is you

41:47

can get it back by kind of again, I'm

41:50

using a slightly naff phrase, living your

41:52

best life. And the example in one of

41:54

the books I've got on face reading is

41:56

Alan Roosevelt, former wife of a... former

42:00

president of the United States obviously, and there's a

42:02

picture of her in the book when she's

42:04

a kind of bit of an on entity

42:06

in her early 20s, looks like

42:08

nobody much really. And then there's a picture

42:10

of her as a much, much older woman when

42:12

she is a La Roosevelt, capital

42:14

E, capital R. And she

42:17

has come alive, I suppose

42:19

is the best way to put it. And

42:21

what she's manifesting is peach luck.

42:24

She's kind of stepped into her

42:26

and the Roosevelt nurse. That

42:29

is visible in her face. And

42:31

I have one friend in

42:33

particular who's a bit older than me. I

42:36

remember her, like everyone, she's had

42:39

some things to deal with in her life. Her

42:41

husband passed away and left her with two young

42:43

children many years ago. And she once

42:45

said to me, oh, you know, I

42:47

actually look better now in my late 60s than

42:50

I did when I was younger. And

42:53

I sort of didn't really believe that. And then

42:55

I saw a picture of a much younger woman,

42:57

and she's right. And what she's got, because the

42:59

death of her husband prompted a

43:01

kind of journey, I suppose, a self-discovery,

43:04

what she's got is her peach luck.

43:06

Yeah. It's one of many lovely examples

43:09

that you use in the book. Can

43:11

you do just 30 seconds on the

43:13

joy of a handstand? Why

43:15

does a handstand mean so much to you? Have

43:17

I only got 30 seconds? Well,

43:19

again, you know, mad things you would

43:22

never expect to get into. I mean,

43:24

I think such a great piece of advice

43:26

for life is not only prepared to be

43:28

surprised, but set out to surprise yourself. And

43:30

I was that person who gave up gym

43:32

when I couldn't do a backwards role after,

43:34

you know, about five sessions when

43:36

I was probably about five. And

43:39

here I am, you know, many, many years later trying

43:41

and quite often failing to do a handstand. It's

43:44

the perfect in the book, I'm obsessed with

43:46

balance, as I said, I'm obsessed with these

43:49

keeping two oppositional things in

43:51

balance and even close. They seem to be

43:53

a superficial thing, but I would argue they're

43:55

a way you connect with the world. And

43:57

handstand is the ultimate example of balance. So

44:00

if you're doing a handstand properly, it's

44:02

strength and flexibility in equal measure. It's

44:05

also if I'm going to really geek out,

44:07

it's your sympathetic and your parasympathetic nervous

44:09

systems working at the same level. And

44:11

it's also just fun. So

44:15

you describe it as feeling like flying. If

44:17

you get it right, you feel like you're

44:19

flying. Yeah. Amazing. And

44:22

what's incredible is you can be

44:24

in a room of people who are decades younger

44:26

than you, and you can be

44:28

sort of doing what they're doing. The thing

44:30

I love more generally about yoga, which is

44:32

how I discovered handstand, is

44:34

if you just kind of keep on showing up whatever

44:37

age you're at, you

44:39

again, you start a journey, you improve

44:41

day by day. And there's a

44:43

very inspirational catch. I mentioned the book, Vanda Scaravelli. She

44:46

was an Italian. She started yoga in the early

44:48

fifties. She died in her nineties.

44:50

And there are these remarkable pictures of her as

44:53

a very old lady standing and bending

44:55

so far back that her

44:57

hands almost touch the floor

44:59

but don't. So I, unbelievable

45:01

strength and mobility that

45:04

she only started working on in her fifties. Well

45:06

that'll be your next book, won't it? Yes.

45:09

Back bending with Anna. Back bending your nineties. Anna

45:12

Murphy and Destination Fabulous is out

45:14

in paperback now. Honestly,

45:16

I just enjoyed every moment of reading that

45:19

book. It was just really, really lovely and

45:21

really optimistic and really hopeful and also not

45:23

too far up its own half. That's

45:26

the bit that we can say on the podcast that we can't say

45:28

on the live radio show. So

45:31

would you like now a little bit of

45:33

David Lippen? I can't wait for a little bit of

45:35

Niven. So settle back

45:38

everybody. We joined David in the... Twirling

45:40

my moustache. Please, could you? Yeah.

45:42

In the Master Polo Club as a young

45:45

man. I think that's in somewhere

45:47

on the, it's in

45:49

the pink bit. It'll be Al Mal.

45:51

No, it's somewhere in the colonies.

45:53

Oh, I see. Somewhere off in

45:55

the British Empire way back when. So

45:58

picture that scene. Here we go. There

46:01

was a professionally languid captain in the

46:03

headquarters wing who wore a monocle. His

46:05

wife was very pretty in a sort

46:07

of chocolate boxy way and could have

46:09

been described in polite society as a

46:11

flirt. Anywhere else she would have been

46:13

called a coop-teaser. I

46:16

had its true nibbled her ear and snapped

46:18

her garter a couple of times whilst watching

46:20

polo from her car, but nothing more. So

46:23

I was all unsuspecting when a runner informed

46:25

me that the captain wished to see me

46:27

immediately in his company office. I entered and

46:30

saluted. He was busy looking

46:32

over some ammunition returns with the quartermaster sergeant.

46:34

I fidgeted around for quite a while, but

46:36

he still did not look up. Finally, head

46:39

still down, he spoke. Niven,

46:41

are you very much in love with my wife? My

46:44

toes tried to grip the floor through my

46:46

brogue to stop me from

46:48

keeling over. No, sir, not at

46:50

all, sir, I murmured. Oh, sorry, I didn't murmur.

46:52

No, sir, not at all, sir, I murmured. And

46:55

then for no apparent reason, I added, thank you

46:57

very much, sir. Well,

46:59

if you're not, sir, the captain, putting some papers

47:01

in the folder, be a good chap. Don't go

47:03

telling her that you are upset, so you know.

47:05

Now, quartermaster sergeant, about the range allotment of 303.

47:07

I saluted the top of

47:10

his head and withdrew. After that, I

47:12

decided to be a good deal more selective

47:14

in my nibbled area. Well

47:35

done for getting to the end of another

47:37

episode of Off Air with Jane Garvey and

47:39

Sea Glover. Our Times Radio producer is Rosie

47:41

Kotler and the podcast executive producer is Henry

47:43

Tribe. And don't forget, there is even more

47:45

of us every afternoon on Times Radio. It's

47:47

Monday to Thursday, three till five. You can

47:49

pop us on when you're crotching around the

47:51

house or heading out in the car on

47:53

the school run or running a bank. Thank

47:55

you for joining us and we hope you

47:58

can join us again on Off Air. very

48:00

soon. It's very soon. Why don't you

48:02

go back? I know that you've made it very soon.