Hello You 67: 'We just decided life's too short'

Ever wish you could just take off?

Alison and Mark, a Shrewsbury couple in their 50s, decided to do exactly that. Their two-year odyssey’s almost over, but where has it taken them? And what will they do next?

If you enjoy listening to Alison and Mark, why not share this with a friend?

And to see for yourself where they’ve been, here’s their Instagram!

‘The changing of the seasons’

I’ve heard that phrase a lot over the last few weeks, from people who - like me - have found themselves feeling unsettled lately.

Unsettled how? Well, lacking motivation, and physical or emotional energy. Unable to press on with things we want or need to do. Discomfited; a sense that things aren’t quite right, or that we’re not. Low mood.

Is it linked to autumn getting its feet under the table? Shorter days and darker mornings? The moon? What - if anything - is the explanation for what we’re feeling, and how do we drag ourselves out of it?

If you have any thoughts on this, if you’re having similar experiences or if you have some expertise that could illuminate it all, please get in touch? I’d like to talk with you about it on a future episode of Hello You.

Two listeners’ kind thoughts on Hello You

A new subscriber says: ‘I have so many issues that l now count ambulance crews among my special friends! However, although l live vicariously, what you do enables me to catch up with the outside world so brilliantly.’

Steve, on Bluesky: ‘I drive a lot of miles and having your pod on makes me feel like I’ve a friend in the car chatting away. It’s truly brilliant. I’ve listened to the Lady Sally one a few times trying to work it out.’

Steve, mate, I was there and I’m still trying to work it out!

This is - as Steve puts it - the Lady Sally one: Hello You 48, recorded at Mumma’s Emporium in Shrewsbury. If you’ve not heard it before, take a listen and see if you can work it out!

Your comments on Hello You are always welcome!

Bench - where next?

I’ve not recorded any random conversations on a bench for a while. Where should I go?

So if you know somewhere there's quite a bit of footfall, or somewhere where people hang around, chill out and spend some time, and they might be open to the idea of spending some of that time in conversation with me, tell me where it is?

I’ll sit myself there - on a bench, at a table, at an event, on a sofa, somewhere new or somewhere ancient - for an hour or so, and record an episode of Hello You.

Coming soon: Doggo pictures!

Last Sunday, I took some photographs at Grinshill Animal Rescue’s dog show. Everyone loves dog pictures, don’t they?

So I won’t keep them to myself. I’m going to send out a bonus Substack newsletter tomorrow (Saturday 12th) with a bunch of my favourite images from the show.

To make sure you don’t miss the waggy goodness, subscribe! And it’ll land in your inbox tomorrow morning. Click this button:

And if you know someone whose life would be made brighter by an email full of lovely doggy pictures, share this with them?

Here are a few more to whet your appetite:

Also coming soon: The Hello You Sunday Supplement

Social media’s gone to pot, our newsfeeds are full of promotional slop and it’s so hard to find anything interesting and worth reading anymore.

Hence, the Hello You Sunday Supplement.

Every Sunday morning, I drop into your inbox a carefully chosen selection of links and recommendations, ideal for leafing through over your Sunday morning coffee.

I started this a few weeks back, taking a bit of a flyer on it, and I’ve been thrilled with how well it’s being received. Also, I’m getting some great suggestions for how to make it better and more useable, so check it out on Sunday?

To make sure you don’t miss it, subscribe:

And if you know someone else who needs a signpost to the good stuff, share it with them?

Thank you …

… for being there. It means a lot.

Any thoughts on Hello You, any ideas for topics or people you’d like to hear, or if you have your own story to share, just get in touch:

Take care of yourself. Have the best weekend you can have under your particular circumstances.

And watch out for the dog pictures tomorrow!