Printer Rage, Accidental Love & Sidewalk Shuffles
๐๏ธ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ต: ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ & ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ
Welcome back to ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ โ the podcast where everyday life in Herefordshire somehow turns into printer warfare, accidental declarations of love, naked tennis and two women getting unnecessarily angry about people who canโt walk in a straight line. ๐
This time, Kerry and Pauline are tackling some of lifeโs great unanswered questionsโฆ
Why are printers apparently designed by people who hate us? Why can two perfectly functioning adults suddenly lose the ability to walk when approaching each other on a pavement? And just how do you recover after accidentally telling your estate agent โ or your brand-new employee โ that you love them?
Spoiler alert: ๐ป๐ผ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐. ๐คฃ
๐จ๏ธ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐
Pauline bought a new printer.
It promised to be easy to set up.
๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐.
What follows is approximately ten hours of instructions, internet connections, disconnections, blank pieces of paper, helpful friends, IT expertise and an increasingly furious Pauline threatening to launch the offending machine up the garden. ๐
Even Amazonโs perfectly reasonable troubleshooting suggestions eventually receive the verbal equivalent of ๐๐ข ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ ๐.
But there is some good news โ Terry comes to the rescue, a replacement is firmly refused, and Pauline discovers she is far from alone in owning a printer that appears to have absolutely no interest in printing anything.
Technology: making our lives easier sinceโฆ apparently never. ๐จ๏ธ๐ฅ
๐ช ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐๐จ๐ก๐๐ง๐!
Thankfully, it hasnโt all been printer-induced fury.
The Lakefesters got back together for a reunion involving food, laughter, memories and plenty of ideas about how Lakefest could be improved next year.
Whether Lakefest actually wants these suggestions is another matter entirely. ๐
Plans are already forming for a proper camp next year, when everyone will return older, wiser and looking, in Pauline and Kerryโs words, like ๐ฎ ๐น๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ต.
Festival chic. โจ
๐ถโโ๏ธ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐๐๐๐
Youโre walking towards somebody.
You move left.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ move left.
You move right.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ move right.
Suddenly two grown adults are performing an unplanned dance routine in the middle of the pavement.
Welcome to ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ธ ๐ฆ๐ต๐๐ณ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ. ๐๐บ
Kerry and Pauline investigate this strangely universal phenomenon and discover that Pauline has spent years blaming other people for wandering into her personal spaceโฆ only to face the horrifying possibility that ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐บ. ๐ณ
Meanwhile, Emma has developed her own solution: if the shuffle starts looking like a dance, ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
And Christine? Well, apparently the rules change completely if the person approaching happens to be a handsome man.
Then itโs less โavoid collisionโ and more โ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐.โ ๐
๐ค ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐๐: ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฃ ๐๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ข๐ก๐
There are people who can sing.
There are people who canโt sing.
And then there are people who canโt sing but appear to believe they are ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ, ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ป๐ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ง๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ rolled into one.
Kerry has recently endured the latter. At volume. ๐ฌ
Cue a discussion about terrible karaoke, questionable singing ability and the relatives of hopeless talent-show contestants who stand backstage enthusiastically declaring, โTheyโre amazing!โ
๐ก๐ผ. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐.
Sometimes love means telling somebody to put the microphone down. ๐ค๐
โค๏ธ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ, ๐๐ฌ๐!โฆ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐
Have you ever ended a phone conversation and accidentally said:
โ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐, ๐ฏ๐๐ฒ!โ
โฆto somebody you absolutely, categorically, ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ?
Emma has.
Unfortunately, it was her ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐. ๐ โค๏ธ
Her desperate attempt to recover with โI love the work youโre doingโ doesnโt exactly help matters, and now every phone call comes with the inevitable question: ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ถ๐ป ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐?
Emmaโs response?
She will be ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ต๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ. ๐คฃ
๐ ๐ช๐๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ฆ โ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จโ
Christine manages to take things one step further.
She interviews somebody.
Offers them the job.
Sorts out what happens next.
Then ends the call with:
โ๐ข๐ธ๐ฎ๐, ๐ฏ๐๐ฒ, ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐.โ
๐ณ
Cue several weeks of Christine replaying the conversation in her head before eventually explaining herself to her new employeeโฆ who claimed not to have noticed.
Which would have been fine.
Except Christine had now explained the entire thing to them, meaning they ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ noticed. ๐
Nothing says โwelcome to the teamโ quite like an accidental declaration of love from your new boss.
๐ฅธ ๐ ๐๐๐ง, ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐๐๐ & ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐
Another murder mystery in Katโs garden means costumes, characters and the important question of what everyone should wear.
When Tammy asks about her attire, the suggestion is simple:
A hat.
A moustache.
Apparently Tammy was expecting ๐ฎ ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ. ๐
And that, naturally, leads straight intoโฆ
๐ ๐ก๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ฆ: ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ ๐
A naturist club in the Forest of Dean has caught Kerry and Paulineโs attention.
Not enough to actually go there, obviously.
The discussion quickly turns to brambles, naked cooking, bare bottoms on chairs and the inexplicable popularity of playing tennis while wearing absolutely nothing.
After their previous undercover surveillance adventures, could this be the next Herefordshire Hearsay investigation?
๐๐ฏ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐.
The binoculars are staying firmly at home. ๐ญ๐
๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ช, ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ก๐ง๐๐
Could the secret to happiness simply beโฆ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐?
Pauline and Kerry think there might be something in it.
Expect nothing and anything remotely decent becomes a lovely surprise!
This leads to birthdays, disappointing gifts, people who donโt turn up when they say they will and, inevitably, Paulineโs adventures in online dating.
Thereโs the perfectly lovely gentleman who travelled a long way for their date and brought chocolatesโฆ
โฆbut turned out to be considerably shorter than expected.
And, of course, we revisit the gentleman with the ponytail โ along with that all-important dating consideration:
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐น๐๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฝ. ๐ณ๐
High hopes indeed.
๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐จ๐ง-๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐!
A big shout-out goes to Terry, who not only bravely entered the battlefield against Paulineโs printer but is also doing some brilliant work as a squash coach at ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐พ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐น๐๐ฏ. ๐พ
The club is supporting ๐ช๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฆ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ช๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ with free ladiesโ coaching, including one-to-one and group sessions, as well as offering junior coaching for youngsters interested in giving squash a go.
A fun, friendly way to meet people, learn something new and get moving.
And Terry deserves an additional medal for spending part of his day trying to persuade a printer to do the one job a printer is supposed to do.
๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ๐, ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐! ๐
๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ & ๐๐ข๐๐ก ๐จ๐ฆ!
So whether youโre walking the dog, driving around Herefordshire, avoiding eye contact with an approaching pedestrian, hiding from your printer or desperately trying ๐ป๐ผ๐ to tell your estate agent you love themโฆ
Pop your headphones on and join Kerry and Pauline for another gloriously random trip through everyday life.
Expect laughter, tangents, inappropriate observations and absolutely no useful advice whatsoever.
And remember: ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐น๐ผ๐.
That way, Episode 19 might seem absolutely brilliant. ๐
๐ดโโ ๏ธ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐โฆ
Shiver me timbers! Episode 20 is already looming on the horizonโฆ
Weโll be talking ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐, how you like your ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ and having a go at ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐.
What could possibly go wrong? โ๐ดโโ ๏ธโ๏ธ
Follow ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ on Facebook and Instagram so you donโt miss the next episode โ or any of the nonsense in between!
๐๏ธ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ โ local life, random conversations and two friends saying the things everyone else is probably sensible enough to keep to themselves. ๐
๐ Get Involved
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