Podcast 22

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> Busy week coming up
- next podcast should be from Nova Scotia but not sure when
- houses to view and fireworks (part of Apple Blossom Festival), party being thrown in our honour

> Leaving do – meal plus went to a bar. Contractors came - very nice. It was smokey, having to talk loudly
- emotional event, never thought I would ever have a leaving do like that. Tears, lovely album of memories
- really nice night - wont have another night like that again

> City life
- Nottingham was calculated to have 115.54 crimes overall per 1,000 population, followed by Leeds, with 107.22, Stockport, Greater Manchester, with 100.42 and Bradford, with 100.4.
- Bradford and Leeds are the “gun crime capitals” of the UK
- Leeds is second most dangerous city in the UK
- figures were disputed by the council but if there were consistent errors on population of the UK, the league table stands
- Friday night – drunken people in Leeds – lots of police

> Odeo – widget – give it a go – probably only a broadband thing

> Message from Carolyn

> Billy – is from Hong Kong, not Hong Kong, China

> House - met with the new owner about the chickens
- shipper met and waiting for quote

> Househunting trip to Nova Scotia in June

> TV - Big Brother

> Templars - Templar Street and Temple Newsam in Leeds

> The Downshiftme Stalker - plus family!

> Frappr update and shoutout
- Hello to: Derek, from Nova Scotia
- Anne is the winner of the draw – we need to send her something
- Special hello to Flora and thank her for the link to the website about one of the houses we are going to look at

Bad things
Matt – smoking - smoking ban can't come soon enough
AJ - iTunes music store only working with iPods

Good things
Matt – people I work with
AJ - stopped raining and the sun has been shining

Podcast coming Sunday

It is bank holiday weekend in the UK (so no work Monday) and lots to do before our trip to Nova Scotia.

We have delayed the podcast until Sunday - sorry for any inconvenience.

Tomorrow we have news of my leaving party from work, thoughts on city life and update on the big move.

I hope to be able to talk about my leaving party without crying too!

In the meantime, click on the link below to record us a message for the podcast tomorrow.

Matt

Podcast 21

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> House - still sold - nothing signed - survey done
- 10 bags of rubbish to tip
- need to recycle things
- giving stuff away

> Trip booked – househunting trip to Nova Scotia in June
- "Tickets" arrived
- Cabin all booked
- properties selected for viewing - 6 shortlisted
- want to sort out a bank account
- Canadian mobile phone SIM card purchased
- New MP3 player - iRiver H320
- Canada is in North America

> TV - It’s not east being green - we want it on DVD
- wind power – such nice people - resonance for us - they are downshifters
- Happiness programme (The Happiness Formula)
- Is Matt a hapiness guru?
– don’t get happy through consumption
- theory that shopping is a caveman instinct
- Big Brother UK

> Templars - Chinese in Cape Breton - theory on CBC Nova Scotia and in Chronicle Herald - Sinclair, Rosslyn, Da Vinci Code II.

> Frappr update and shoutout
- Up to 22!
- Hello to: Jen -Kitchener, Ontario, Wayne L. Mart, Texas, Andrea and Craig McCormick, San Francisco, California, Matt Bailey, Gloucester, England, and Gilda Renehan, Liverpool, England
- We want listeners in Baltimore
- Anne is the winner of the draw – so Anne should email her address to us
- Special hello to Flora because of her lovely email – look forward to meeting her for a coffee in the valley one day
- Nova Scotian downshiftme picnic or barbecue could become an annual event

Bad things
Matt – weather - too much rain - although its fresh and green
AJ - weather too - hot and rainy

Good things
AJ - we are going to Nova Scotia
Matt - my leaving do at work - 20 of us going out for a meal

Peace Out - Be Excellent to Each Other

Podcast coming later

It's recorded and coming later on today when I have a chance to upload.

Just a quick(ish) update as all the big news was last week.

Catch you later,

Matt and AJ
xxx

Podcast 20

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> House - sold
- It’s very scary and exciting now
- It’s really happening now – after so much planning – things are really starting to happen
- new owner is taking chickens
- shippers giving us quotes
- Spencer booked in for jabs and has DEFRA forms
> Trip booked – househunting trip to Nova Scotia in June
- staying in a cabin
- going to visit Carolyn
- stay in Lunenburg one night in Mariner King Inn (which looks lovely)
– in their attic suite
- try to podcast a few times while we are there
- going to do some video but won’t upload it while we are there (I doubt)
> TV
- It’s not east being green
- we can't keep pigs
- solar water heating
> Templars
- New report – video be available on the “feed” later or tomorrow
- Oak Island Report - click photo below for the video (11mb)



- Hope to go and have a look at Oak Island – take some photos
- Explore Oak Island Weekend is 11th to 13th August 2006
> Frappr update
- Misty from Indiana (first US map pin – push pin) and Angel from Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Up to 17
> Buckeye Drive Time Promo
- The Now Show - podcast on Radio 4
- Gemma is reading the Da Vinci Code
- May go see the film in Nova Scotia
Bad things
AJ - weekend rain after weekday sun
Matt – weekend rain after weekday sun (and people stealing your bad things)
Good things
Matt - selling house, Canadian Affair - cheap flights to Canada
AJ - same sort of things

Oak Island Report - this weekend

Our roving reporter has been out and about overlooking Oak Island to bring a roving report to downshiftme.com

Look out on Saturday or subscribe to our feed to have the video downloaded automatically to your computer.

Podcast 19 - a happy theme

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> Beautiful day in Leeds - birds are singing and children are shreaking
> House - Second viewing last night – nice people – going to have a think over the weekend
> Shooting
- We have a new sound effect
- Great fun
- Bear target
- Cabbages
- Melons
- Don’t think I could shoot live things though


Not a bad shot


My colleague Matthew with the bear
target he made for me


> TV
- It’s not east being green - wind turbine, water pumping from well
- Happiness thing “Britain is less happy than in the 1950s - despite the fact that we are three times richer.” BBC
- Money doesn't make people happy
- Being happy makes people perform better
- AJ is happy
- Wellington College are teaching happiness or "wellbeing"
- More important things than money - success can be measured in your own terms
- Not all about how much you earn and how much your house is worth

> Film - Brokeback Mountain - we loved it - but it was VERY sad - deserved more Oscars - life is about passion - happiness and sadness

> Templar slot
- New book arrived "Lost Colony of the Templars"
- Oak Island news – new buyer
- Our roving reporter may go there

> Matt’s work
- Last month
- Successor has started
- Planning my leaving do
- One more pay cheque until... whenever!

> Frappr update and shoutout (still at 15)
- Noorgy - Sydney, New South Wales (Australia)
- Tim - Worcester, England (United Kingdom)
- Bruce Murray The Zedcast - Pictou, Nova Scotia (Canada)
- Anne - Taunton, England (United Kingdom)
- Shelley - Stourbridge, England (United Kingdom)
- Rhonda - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Canada)
- Paul and David - Llandovery, Wales (United Kingdom)
- Grant and Laura - Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)
- Mark Kenneally - Leeds, England (United Kingdom)
- Billy Leung - Hong Kong, China
- Daniel MacDonald - Truro, Nova Scotia (Canada)
- Gemma, Sam and Hope - Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
- Flora - Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
- Rob - Stourbridge, England (United Kingdom)
- Downshiftme - Leeds, England (United Kingdom)

Bad things
AJ - nothing
Matt - World Vision - their assumptions and their junk mail - you are annoying - stop it!

Good things
AJ - sunshine and happiness
Matt - AJ

Shooting

Yesterday I went shooting in the Yorkshire Dales. A colleague thought I should learn to shoot in case confronted by bears in the wilds of Nova Scotia so we went out for some shooting practice.

I will tell the full story on next week's podcast - but in the meantime, this is me having just shot at a target (foreground)