Hello and welcome to today's corner of calm, as Sandi invites you to retreat with her to her room of books, where past lives of some great and (almost always overlooked) women are being brought into the spotlight. In this episode, we learn why we have Walt Disney's wife Lillian to thank for the most iconic cartoon character of all-time, that Alma Hitchcock's keen eye for detail saved her husband's film 'Psycho' from being a laughingstock and that in sacrificing her own career, artist Lee Krasner...
May 30, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Today, as well as celebrating the written word, Sandi shows some appreciation for the ability to record and listen to the human voice - after all, without those pioneering first records, she wouldn't be in a position to speak to you now. But, when something is put-out into the world for public consumption, it's often the case that people feel the need to judge it; take YouTube for example, there's not a video on there where people haven't taken the time to give it a thumbs-up, or thumbs down. Be...
May 29, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Today Sandi has some company whilst she peruses her shelves of books, as her dog Mildred pops-in with a request. It would appear that Sandi has yet to mention any canine tails of daring-do and knowing full-well that Mildred is head of the household, Sandi immediately sought to remedy this oversight. Not only will you get to hear how dogs were used as a kitchen time-saving device in days gone-by, but Sandi also covers some fascinating back-stories of dogs of the silver screen and would be impossi...
May 28, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In a time when many relationships are under some rather intense scrutiny, Sandi happens to spot a story in her Chamber's Book of Days, which may tempt a few people listening to replicate. It's the story of a public auction held by Joseph Thompson in order to sell his wife Mary-Ann. Now, no matter how you might be feeling towards your spouse, it's not the best solution to put them up for sale - the postage alone would cost a fortune. On further inspection, Sandi has discovered that this wasn't th...
May 27, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 19
As you know, these episodes are being recorded at a time when everyone is having to get-to-grips with brand new ways of communicating and entertaining. For many people alive today, the typewriter, landline telephone and only having 4 television channels are clearly within memory, so there might be some fears that now we know how to contact each other remotely, why bother meeting in the flesh again? Of course, this is completely baseless, as everyone is craving that holy grail of a simple hug wit...
May 26, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Do children collect stamps anymore? Sandi's managed to unearth her own childhood collection, many of which are depictions of the American Civil War. This inspired a quest through the bookshelves to unearth and re-account some heroic - and largely overlooked - tales of women during that time. As a 16 year old girl, Sybil Ludington, took-on the task of riding 40 miles across the land, at the dead of night to warn of the approaching enemy troops. Whilst Sybil's story is passed-over in favour of tha...
May 25, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Welcome to another day in Sandi's favourite room, which is stuffed to the gills with books. Today, Sandi looks at the birth of circus and the characters who played a role in shaping the familiar show we see today. Philip Astley and his wife Patty Jones staged the first circus on a site believed to now house St Thomas' Hospital in London and unsurprisingly far more is written about Philip than Patty, who must have been a hugely accomplished equestrian and entertainer in her own right. The role of...
May 24, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Today Sandi provides some wonderful escapism in the story of a life well lived. Lady Fanny Lucy Houston, wasn't born with a title, in fact her early life was one of poverty. So, how did she become the wealthiest woman in Britain? Her riches enabled her to not only indulge eccentricities, but to also become a leading light in the Suffragette movement and pioneer of aviation technology. If it hadn't been for Lady Houston, the outcome of WW2 may have been rather different. So, immerse yourself in t...
May 23, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Surprise, surprise - here's Sandi with another nougat of calm for the day. And even though she hasn't left the left the house in weeks - the dark recesses of her kitchen cupboards have produced as many surprises as one might expect on Christmas Day. It must have also been one heck of a surprise to Ponce de Leon to look through his telescope and spot the coast of Florida, which is something Sandi explores in this episode, as well as the life and times of Maria Sibylla Merian - who was a significa...
May 22, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 14
This episode was recorded on April Fool's Day - although you could argue that most of us were in no mood for practical jokes this year, but in these times surely we should be aiming to keep a sense of humour wherever possible? Sandi muses on some April Fool's of the past which have taken-in whole nations and exposed how little we seem to know of the world in order to have been tricked in the first place. Sandi also introduces us to one Marie Sophie Germain - who despite being born into an era wh...
May 21, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 13
How do you like your coffee? Well if it's anything like Sandi, you could listen to 3 of these episodes whilst waiting for it to pour - which would be an excellent use of your time. And whilst the world slows it's pace, we have to contemplate if that's exactly what we and the world have been crying out for? As always, Sandi treats us to some nuggets of calm from her books and today questions, just what is the rush? Will we want a walk in an ancient woodland when we have the freedom, or a high-spe...
May 20, 2020•11 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Today Sandi is taking pleasures in the childish things in life, which can be a huge tonic in times of difficulty. It's a shame that as adults, we don't indulge in childish play, as there are so many games to be enjoyed. If you are fining yourself spending the majority of the day / evening night alone, then why not have a go at the 'Wiki game' - Sandi will tell you how. As well as giving some tips on how to while away the hours in solitude, Sandi dips-in to female storybook characters, some of wh...
May 19, 2020•11 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Sandi's back for her daily dose of calm and being a sticker for the rules means you'll find here every day. How is she a sticker though? What does that actually mean? Thank goodness Sandi has her book of days on hand to help us get to the answer. Our host also ponders on her school days and just why such strange rules were enforced on sanctioned shopping trips and if you've never heard the true story of the wrestling baron of Bunny Hall, then this episode will remedy that. Plus, we also find out...
May 18, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Today's episode is filled with the aroma of a bowl of comforting, chicken soup - which is no mean feat for a podcast! As well as learning some spicy facts about food history, courtesy of 18th century food writer, Hannah Glasse, we also hear about the time Sandi learned a valuable life lesson in the markets of Mozambique. Plus, if you're missing the ambience of eating food in a communal setting, Sandi also has one or two suggestions which may help. So, pull-up a chair, ladle yourself a bowl of so...
May 17, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 9
How many times do we need to sing 'Happy Birthday' whilst washing our hands? Well, Sandi's opted a rather different tune for her ablutions as you'll hear, although on the day of record the tune of 'Happy Birthday' would have been rather apt, as it's the day Patty Hill was born... you know who she is don't you? Well if you would have sung that well known tune to her, she would have charged you, as she along with her sister Mildred, wrote the darn ditty! As well as an education into the Hill siste...
May 16, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In today's snippet of calm, Sandi muses if we still have traffic wardens during a global pandemic? The role of the 'Angel of Siberia' in nursing history and celebrates another unsung heroine of medical research, Kate Marsden - who whose attempts to find a cure for leprosy, although unsuccessful, were nevertheless brave. So relax, take a deep breath and smell the coffee ... we will get past this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 15, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Happy EU talent day! What do you mean you've never heard of that? Next you'll be saying that you've also never heard of Lucy Townsend or Ida B Wells! Well thankfully Sandi is on hand with her 1929 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica to tell us about all of these things and a whole lot more besides, but Ida paved the way for the civil rights movement 70 years before Rosa Parks' own heroic actions. Have a break for a moment and remember, We Will Get Past This. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...
May 14, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Sandi takes a break from Zumba to let us all in to her room of books and today we hear about Anne of Denmark, who isn't to be confused with the Anne played by Olivia Coleman, but who in fact was wife to King James I and played a significant role in getting women on the stage...although he and her husband had some pretty idiotic arguments whilst she was achieving this. And Sandi also educates us all on the first (and only?) women to be banned from the Olympics after a champagne 'doping' scandal. ...
May 13, 2020•8 min•Season 1Ep. 5
At the time of recording this episode it was Mother's Day in the UK, but as we all know, we should appreciate our mums all year round. And so Sandi recites a poem by Anne of Greengables author Lucy Maude Montogomery for her own mum. Lucy coincidentally lived through the Spanish Flu epidemic one hundred years ago and so serves as a reminder that, We Will Get Past This. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 12, 2020•3 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Sandi's here again to mine some gems from her room of books, and today shares some fascinating tales of forgotten women from history (as they almost always seem to have been), including Victorian artist Rosa Bonheur; who as a trouser wearing, cropped haired, smoker was something of a trailblazer. We find out that not only was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe a REALLY annoying child, but we also learn that if it hadn't been for his wife, Christiane Vulpius, he would have fallen foul of Napoleon's army ...
May 12, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Sandi opens her book of days so we can go on a magical journey, starting with the Duchess of Brunswick (sister to 'mad' King George III , no less), then moving on to artist Angelica Kauffman - - who helped establish the Royal Academy of Art - we also stop-by to have a look at the woman who swallowed a padlock (it's difficult NOT to look at that), which brings us neatly on to Monsiuer Mangetout, who could comfortably polish-off a jumbo jet for his lunch... there are some strange people about aren...
May 12, 2020•8 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Welcome to We Will Get Past This, with Sandi Toksvig, who invites you into her room of books so she can help transport you away from the current world and the difficulties we find ourselves in. To start things-off, Sandi dips into her 'Book of Days' and discovers a forgotten heroine of the English civil war (depending on which side you're on). Although it does start with a beheading in 1330, things soon pick-up when we hear about Charlotte Trémoille, Countess of Derby and her courageous exploits...
Apr 27, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 1
