Explore every episode of the podcast Restid

Joan Didion said “we share our stories to live”.  Beryl Cook celebrated people enjoying riotous fun.  Keen observation and the sharing of travel stories keeps those journeys and memories alive. With trips to Xanadu, Llareggub and the moon.

The mystery of E and F.  Distractions for power or profit and the cognitive surrender fuelled by sycophantic AI.   We don’t know what we’re missing.  

Comfortably anonymous, occupied or lonely. How different are we?

Recognising when we’ve had enough and reducing our waste - whether it’s puddings, public space, speed or energy

Solutions need problems to solve and the optimism of Norman.  Acknowledging the elephant in the garage and the cooling love affair with the car.

Peter Drucker said, “the best way to predict the future is to create it”.  Nevertheless, our interest in knowing the future and our fortunes remain as keen as ever.  What if we could travel in time, just once?  Would we? 

Terry Pratchett wrote “Why do you go away?  So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours.  And the people there see you differently, too.  Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” (A Hat Full of Sky)

“Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine.” - Beethoven

We’re surrounded by secrets, awaiting discovery.  The efficiency of a thumbnail secret, ‘The Underground Railroad’ by Colson Whitehead, ‘Platform Souls’ by Nicholas Whittaker, and the Shetland Bus.

To Australia and back, for free?  The dangers of crate escapes and the impact of breaking barriers.

Finding a new destination when trouble lies ahead.  Reducing the impact on ourselves of a bubble bursting.  As Dana Milbank writes "Stop trying to be happy — and start figuring out how to make other people happy."

Shadows in the dark, imagining the worst and the safety provided by the travelling community. I've never been locked in a station before.

John Steinbeck, California, bright shiny technology, bubbles and the giant with a scarred face and an evil white eye.

Finding good fortune and tackling loneliness on our travels

The inspiration and tenacity of those who ride the storms and the Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894

Village life with a horse, a mouse and rabbits. Train politeness, buses in Samoa and the art of John Noakes in Dunedin. Together with the long-lasting relevance of a Victorian Act of Parliament.

The Delta Lady and random direction choices. Remarkable navigation, the human fishing fleet, and sailing down the Thames

A story of survival and recovery.  From Singapore to New Zealand via Japan.  A new family and communities of mobility. Not forgetting Granny’s bottle of rum.

A 1625 atlas, the Swedish Mile and the Kiwi Kilometre confuse, and William Whyte laments that the human backside is a dimension architects seem to have forgotten.  ‘On Looking: A Walkers Guide to the Art of Observation' by Alexandra Horowitz.  The Trooping Of the Colour and birthday suits.

Meeting the wise, appreciating a vegetable, and making unexpected discoveries.  Buddha’s tooth is revealed and a Tardis on wheels saves the day.  All wrapped up with the delights of the Lost Gypsy Gallery and Peake’s Kitchen.

Trusted friends are important as a market correction or recession looms, and trusted strangers can help too, just like the Trail Angels.  New opportunities will arise, as they have in the past. Meanwhile, for Willow, a long unexpected journey has begun.

And ‘If This Isn’t Nice, What Is?’ by Kurt Vonnegut is a good read in these turbulent times.

Flocking herds, pearls and possums.  ‘Careless People’ by Sarah Wynn-Williams and ‘Adolescence’ on Netflix.  The silent majority, the vocal minority and the assumptions we make about people.  Thankfully, kindness and common sense invariably prevail.

A new life and a long journey begin. Travelling around the World demonstrates again the kindness of strangers and that our goals so often fall short of our reach.

Swifties and Deadheads, engaged, loyal travellers all.  Whether it’s great distances or 15-minute neighbourhoods.  Proximity, accessibility and safety matter.  Hopefully you know the route.

A demonstration of multitasking, human service, engagement and how apparent solutions commonly put carts in front of horses.  Strange misconceptions and engineered addiction.

It’s surprisingly easy to make a difference, however small we feel.  And our goals are shared by strangers, frustrating those who stoke fear, prejudice and friction.

The squirrels, Growth and Progress.  Applying the skills of Sherlock Holmes in Baker Street.  The art of seeing, rather than drawing, and where you might roam for free.

..come to those who wait.  Really? Realising the noble ambition of appreciation, ignoring the game of blame and making a difference instead. The victim is not the problem.

Helping people explore and smile. The birthday travel initiative. Dogs, cats and conversation triggers and the use of opera to counter antisocial behaviour.

Could home deliveries and public transport play a bigger role in communities, tackling loneliness and providing a new generation of third places?

Bing Crosby once sang “We’re busy going nowhere, Isn’t it just a crime”. 

Thank goodness we now know the answer to congestion and where we're going.  The bumper stickers will help us more than the inflatable dolls.  And, though Robert Moses failed, an 82-year-old hitchhiker continues to confirm the innate kindness of most human beings. 

Enjoy your travels.

A glimpse of transport perfection and rapid transformations.  The laws of garden sheds, sartorial elegance and bohemian excitement.  We can choose to be a participant, an observer, or simply ignore the theatre of travel around us.  The choice remains ours. 

Enjoy your travels.

Making small talk and breaking bread with strangers. It can make both parties much happier.  Reach out, show interest, respect and be kind. The legend, and sound, of carrots and the ejection seat.

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Creating invisible transport, the value of local knowledge, seeing the familiar from a new perspective and discovering the unfamiliar. Socrates said "the unexamined life is not worth living", perhaps the unexamined route is not worth taking.

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The challenges of transparency and the four Yorkshiremen. Car-free roads and the humanity of fellow travellers. Catching a baby and the woman laughing on a train. The final episode before the summer break to observe and meet  listeners.  Look out for the coming meditation recordings.

Gaining an unfair advantage on court and balancing on a bus. The strange case of Entrance Proximity Compulsion (EPC). Diamond Michael, Steve Jobs and the isolation challenge.

David Hockney's "Bigger and Closer" and the state of 'sonder', in which each of us is at once a hero, a supporting cast member and an extra in overlapping stories.  With Sir Anthony Hopkins, John Steinbeck, the Magna Carta and the birthday problem. The joy and surprises of bus and train travel.

Starting is easier than stopping.  Agents of change, building trust, mutual respect and civility on the platforms of shared, public transport and transit.  As Churchill once said "Why do we regard history as of the past and forget we are making it?"

Safe and secure with strangers, surprising adventures, parking in a bus lane, the joys of the Far North Line (https://www.fofnl.org.uk/) and remember, there are more of us.

The creative ways that people use to make and save money, riding on buses and trains. This episode includes a magic bus, a convent of arthritic nuns, parking in Amsterdam, John LeCarre, Duke Ellington and more.  The opportunities to explore and earn are there to be grasped.

Productive time vs Elapsed time and overcoming cabin fever.  

It's not just how long a trip takes but what you can do with the time the trip lasts. 

The Man in Seat 61 and living, studying and playing on trains.

Nightingales

Wales and Japan

Rolling Stones

The Cliffhanger

Romance

Feedback from listeners and questions answered

Feel happier, more engaged, and learn new things - speak with a stranger.

Bus queues in Finland.

Insecurity and social interactions.

Brief Encounter

Strangers as trusted confidantes.

Bus drivers, the most thanked workers in Britain.

Autonomous vehicles, driverless cars and carless drivers.

Observing with sagacity

How American men cross their legs

Dealing with annoying travellers and drivers

The reluctance of the English to interact with fellow travellers, and the risk of being viewed as "drunk, drugged or deranged".

Amtrak community dining

Introducing the Restid podcast

Embracing a lifestyle choice

Why Restid?