Bonus Episode 19 - A Q&A with a British Couple
Mar 11 / Charlie Baxter
In this Bonus episode, Charlie's fiancé Stacey makes her BEP debut. In a Q&A conversation, they talk about how their love story started. Learn which traits they value most in each other and find out how Charlie met Stacey's parents for the first time. Finally listen into their lovely journey together as a British couple.
Transcript of Part 1 BEP Stacey + Charlie Q&A No Ads Feb 2022.mp3
Hello, and welcome back to the British English podcast. I am your host, Charlie Baxter, and have been your host since the beginning of this show. So I wanted to shed some light on my life. And to do that, I decided to get my partner Stacey in on the action. So if you are new here, then I suggest coming back to this episode at a later date. Start at the beginning of Season One, Episode One to get a feel for what I usually aim to do, which is to help you learn British English through culture-based conversations.
Ok, so now that we have politely parted ways with the first time listeners, then I welcome you, my beloved return listener, to an episode about me and my partner, Stacey. We do a Q&A all about our relationship, and I managed to get the mic set up around the sofa to give you a casual feel and, and let the real English flow naturally. So I give you a Q&A between myself and Stacey. Enjoy.
All right, so here we are. Thank you very much, Stacey. My girlfriend, my fiancee, for coming on the show. It's your debut, isn't it?
Stacey:
It is. Thank you very much for having me.
You've been on YouTube, but not on the podcast.
Yeah, this is much less pressure.
Less pressure?
It's like...
Visuals...
...involved.
Yeah. So we just sat on the sofa, trying to relax, have a gin. A long week. It's been a long week.
It has been a long week. It's, ah, got the Friday feeling.
Yeah? You attempted to get pizza earlier, weren't you?
But you held off.
Yeah, we're going to make a Saturday night our pizza night.
So what have we got tonight,
Curry.
Curry from a month ago, I think, isn't it?
A couple of week. It has been frozen. I'm not giving anyone food poisoning.
Yeah, we're soon going to go to the UK, so we're- we're trying to be quite calculated with our shopping. Is that right?
Correct. Trying to use up our food stores and leftovers to the best that we can.
And that is one of your strengths, isn't it?
What, being creative with the, the food consumption?
Yeah, yeah. With the leftovers.
Mm-hmm. Okay.
Of a fridge.
I'll take that as a skill.
You can cook up a storm just from the leftovers in a veg drawer. That was, that was a weakness, I'd say, or is a weakness of my mother's. She would often chuck things out.
Oh poor, Elizabeth.
Yeah. But you, on the other hand, great. Anyway, we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about when and where we first met.
Wow. Straight in! Even introducing what this is.
Oh, I did the introduction earlier.
Ok, so question number one.
Question number one?
And I'm taking this one.
Sure! So we met in 2012, 10 years ago in Nottingham.
In Nottingham. Yeah. And what was our meet cute?
Meet cute? I believe it was your birthday.
Yes, it was. Yeah. And I remember I came down to let you in.
Yes, I buzzed the door. You told me I had to rub the door three times to- like it, like how you have to rub a genie's lamp in order to get in.
It didn't work. So you came down and let me in and then actually left and made me go up to your apartment, house party, on my own.
Yeah, but we should go back a little bit further. So you knew my best friend that lived in the apartment with me?
Yes. Correct. Amy.
Yeah. So you were going upstairs to see her, kind of?
This was kind of like our first date, wasn't it?
I would definitely wouldn't classify it as our first date...
No, no, no, no, no. Our first date we'll get to. But yeah, that was how we met. Wasn't it?
Yeah. First meet.
Yeah, our first meet. Oh, the next question is that where was our first date?
That's a tough one, because I wouldn't say that we dated in a traditional sense. I guess, maybe Pizza Hut. And it wasn't a very good day, if I remember correctly. I also think...
I remember very, dear, differently. I thought it was a great day.
I think you chatted up the waitress.
And that's why it was a great day.
I can remember I was in very floral leggings.
You did. You did. And those are the days when it was quite, it was in trend. Is that right to say it like that?
No, definitely not, no. It's on trend.
It was on trend. Yeah, "it was trendy" is a bad way of saying it nowadays, isn't it? You've taught me how to sound a little bit more modern, so it's not "trendy". It was "on trend".
"On trend."
There was. But how would you say "leggings without skirt were on trend" then?
I mean, leggings with a skirt have never been on trend...
But leggings, you know, very thin leggings showing your arse. Basically, they were on trend when we're at uni, weren't they?
Sure. Yeah, I think now more active wear leggings are on trend.
That's true. They're thicker.
I'm sure they're a lot on trend. But.
Yeah, they're- they're..
They're a staple. They're a, they're a core, staple item now.
There we go. Yeah. Got you on for a reason. All right. So Pizza Hut, you think, was our first date. I think our first date was bingo.
Ohh! Actually, yeah, no, I agree.
I guess because it was, there were three guys on this date? That I forget that it was a date? But yes, that should have been our first date. It was going to be a double date. Then unfortunately, I think Amy had too much work to do. Uni work? We were in university. I think we forgot to say that, at the time.
We both attended Nottingham Trent University. And yes, Amy had too much work to do so her boyfriend at the time, instead of just also bailing out, decided it would be a good idea to instead substitute Amy with another bloke. So on our first date, there was me, Charlie and two other guys.
Which is what you like the most, isn't it? Three guys.
Easy now. We're only on question two and already the innuendos are going.
Ok, should we go on to question three then?
Well, it's a bit raunchy, should we? Should we save it for later? Not ready for raunchiness? Yes? Yet?
I'm only one Jenin.
Yeah. Ok. When's my birthday?
Your birthday is the 18th of April and you were born in nineteen ninety.
It's probably a security thing that I shouldn't disclose on the internet.
Yeah, that's true, actually. Yeah. Maybe we'll jumble the 1990. But it does mean that I was born a decade later than you.
It was. I was born in the 80s.
How were The 80s?
The 80s? All 24 days of them were great.
Yeah, because you were- well, this is another security question.
No, we won't disclose that. But yeah, that indicates what date I was born on '89.
Yeah. If you guys can do the maths, then you can- imposters. So gosh, yeah. The next question, I mean, they could take my taxes. Where was I born? Yeah, let's not do that. Ok, what colour are my eyes?
Your eyes are blue.
Your eyes are brown.
I'm closing them now for..
They're brown, aren't they?
My eyes are brown. Yes.
I would say that. Brown.
Yeah, I do struggle with that. I am colour-blind, but I don't really.
I know whenever anyone asks me, like, what colour people's eyes are, I don't think I look at people's eyes.
Not very intently.
But it's a shame because I feel like we do appreciate each other's eyes. Like we look into each other's eyes but I don't, I don't think..
Yeah, I don't register,
...oh lovely, brown eyes...
I don't register the colour. The only reason I do, I do remember your eye colour is because your sister's wedding. You have a photo and I think yours, Holly, is your mum's and Laura's eyes are all very blue in the photo.
Laura's- Laura's, I think, green.
Me and my mum and my sister Holly share the same. I think.
That's the only reason I remember.
Ok, this is all very focussed on me. I'm sitting in front of the TV. What's on the screen? So what do you think I watch?
Seinfeld?
That has been on a lot recently, yes. Seinfeld, which is ah a- an American TV sitcom. A bit like Friends, but 20 years earlier.
Well, 10. Ten is...
Well, I thought they were around the same time.
Not. Probably not 20 years, but 10 years earlier.
Yeah. Yeah, I think the Friends creators kind of appreciated what Seinfeld was and it was focussed around one character, if you remember. And they're like, we want to make a show around six people equally.
Hmm. Ok.
So maybe they were influenced by that a little bit. But I want to ask- you, can you ask me that?
What's on the TV? If I am in front of it?
Youtube. Not me.
Guilty.
Not, not my channel, but you're watching either a beauty vlog.
Oh, don't do this to me.
A "what's in my wardrobe?"
This is- this is incorrect.
Very rarely-.
Or, I'll give you this: a travel vlog.
Yeah, OK.
Of people living in vans.
Yeah, I am guilty of.. I think I watch a lot of like architect digests kind of thing. I do!
Why should you mention that one? That's the most pretentious one!
No, no, no! Ok, not pretentious, but like home style stuff, I do watch a lot of. I would say I am a fan of the Vogue beauty secrets. I think it's cool that one is very good.
You think. Also skincare, like, not just beauty, but like skin care. A lot. You- you, I think you could pass quite a few medical tests or exams. So, about dermatology?
Yeah, if I were to retrain, I might- I might study dermatology. It's only six years of study, I think.
Yeah, OK. What food do you like and hate?
Me? Or you?
Ah, I said 'you', because I want to talk about you a bit more. So I'm just going to answer the question that I've asked.
Ok, sure. It's a one man podcast, yeah.
You like a lot of foods.
What's my favourite food?
Your favourite food is chocolate.
Oh? I don't know.
Or very ginger infused Thai curry.
Mmm, true. But I would say, OK, what? What's this- it's, it's this...
Indian curry.
...item. It's- it's a singular.
Roast.
...item, a singular item?
Oh, and what- chocolate?
One item, not chocolate. There's- there's something I enjoy more than chocolate.
Me?!
No. We have a good supply of it here and where we live.
Toilet roll. Tea!
A recent shop just opened up selling this.
I just made a shave with my hands.
It looked like a rug, people.
Sourdough!
There's so much.. I want- you just complain about with that. I can't believe that you thought I'd get that from that.
Yeah, I think bread. Bread and...
Sourdough.
Bread and...
Yes. Yes, yes. Yes. Sourdough.
Salad, in general is probably my favourite food.
All the cups.
And often, you ah, you ban bread from the house.
A little bit addicted. Yeah, I can. I can actually get through a whole, whole loaf sour dough in it, in a day. No problem. I won't have any other meals, but
And she's not showing off, guys. That's actually a fact.
Yeah. So that's what you like. What do you hate? I know you hate celery.
Correct. That is probably my, my most hated.
Oh, wow. Ok, well, I've got it.
What's my second most hated? You have it quite often. You had it today.
Tuna? No. Peanut butter.
Peanut was ... you like tuna?
Yeah, I love tuna.
We had a tuna sandwich together recently.
We have had tuna jacket potatoes.
Oh yes. Yes. Yes. Yes, yes. Okay. Yeah, OK, so you hate those?
We're going off on a bit of a tangent.
What about me? Let's get back to me.
Let's get back to you. Ok? I think a pasta dish is probably your favourite.
Love a pasta dish.
Yeah. I feel like, like you would choose pasta right...
I feel like I said- I said something recently that I was like, This would be my Death Road dinner.
I think it was pasta.
Was it just pasta?
Yeah, it could be.
And oh, you do love falafel, though, actually as well.
I love a falafel wrap.
You are a true veggie at heart, even though you're a meat eater.
I do like a good steak, but I don't have it very often and I love a burger.
... you do love a burger, I'll give you that.
Love a burger. Yeah. The messier, the juicier, the better. Yeah.
What's this- "dislikes" for you? Tricky. You're quite easily pleased.
Yeah. Does that offend you?
You don't like tofu?
Oh no, I hate tofu.
Mmm. So I'm not a veggie.
You know, there are other veggie things.
Yes, yes. And you have proven that. Yeah. What are we? When we don't have- We don't have meat very often. So what's that called?
I mean, technically, what- flexitarian?
Flexitarian. Guys, never use that word. Flexitarian means that you rarely have meat, but you do have it occasionally.
But as Stacy just said, it's a very pretentious word.
Only maybe some people would think it's pretentious, though.
Usually maybe fully fledged meat- daily meat eaters might find it pretentious, but plant based people...
Do they respect it?
They might respect it.
I mean, I think now plant based is, is the easiest, most general term for someone who is based..
On plant.
Plants..?
And then they might incorporate animal produce like dairy or other things.
Stuff like that.
Yeah, OK. What's my shoe size?
Oh, wow. I think it's like a seven. But I think you buy shoes that are too big for you just to boost your ego.
I don't know if it's boosting my, or just not depleting it.
Yeah, I think you own mostly size eight.
But I think you could happily squeeze your foot into a size six.
Wouldn't be a squeeze. Yeah, I've got- I've got small feet. Yeah. No more. No more needed there. It's boring to talk about your shoe size.
Mmm. Very boring.
Because it's, you. No, joking. Because you know, the whole joke about guys and shoe sizes is related to the size of their socks.
What is my shoe size?
Three. Four? No, no, no, no, no, no. Sorry, I take that back. You're a size five.
Yes. I just thought.
I just thought, I can't marry you then.
Yeah. The slipper doesn't fit. Ok? What am I really bad at? And I want to do this with you.
Ohh. I feel like I should have pre-read these questions because I can- we can come up with some better answers. What are you bad at? Oh, you're really bad at cooking.
Yeah, I'm really bad at cooking.
I'm really bad at cleaning, though. So it's a good...
Oh, I've got more on that. You're really bad at listening.
I'm bad at ...
No, you've got a lot better. You've got a lot better.
I pretend to be better.
You got a lot better at acting. You've also got a lot better at empathy.
Oh, thanks. I've been working on it.
You did suck at that.
And you still suck.
Oh no, I'm good now.
From time to time.
I think I'm pretty good.
But I'll tell you what I'm bad at.
Wasting your time when we're about to leave the apartment.
Or I'm very good at it, actually.
I'm bad at leaving on time.
I think you are the king of faffing.
Faffing. What's that?
Just general wasting of time and filling time with things you don't need to do. So like when we need to leave the house, somehow you then need to clip your toenails or randomly shave your beard a point two of a millimetre shorter. Put on some eye cream.
Have a glass of water. Check all of the windows in our whole entire apartment. Maybe check them again. Maybe decide that you want to wear a new shoe that you haven't worn in a while. Dig that one out.
Just one of them.
Change your T-shirt, then actually open a window, pop outside onto the balcony. Check the temperature, make sure it's not too warm, then maybe change your outfit based on the temperature and then you might be ready to go. But you'll need to double check that you've got your mints, your keys, your lip balm, a water bottle. Now a mask, in current COVID times, and then you might be ready to go.
Combined, that's ridiculous.
Accurate, though.
Accurate to some degree. To some degree. The lip balm. I haven't had lip balm in my pocket for a while!
... have been outdated one.
And that's probably Australia?
Yeah, maybe.
Warmer? My lips aren't so...
More humid, less moisture in the air.
So I need to stock up on that when I go back to the UK. Gosh, I need to get some for our new trip! You need to go get- go back to Chemist Warehouse, the pharmacy. Which sports do you like the most? Why don't you tell me?
... flying or like...
Watching, playing, any of the two
Ohh. And I'm answering for you?
Nah, you.
Let's talk about you.
I really love a few of the Olympic sports. I say, I really like watching gymnastics.
Oh, you like the floor, don't you?
Love the floor routine. Gymnastics?
What is it about the floor gym routine, gymnastics routine that you like?
It's impressive. Quite beautiful. Yeah, I feel like it's really impressive. I feel like I'm in awe of the, of the people. And I guess it's like, not necessarily- it is competitive. I know it's competitive, but it's more isolated and more like a performance, I guess.
Yeah. And I imagine that you like the choreographed aspect to it.
And the fact that it's flips and you used to do gym.
And you want to think that you can still do that, but you really, really can't.
That's not necessarily the reason I like it, but I think maybe I respect how difficult it is and...
Do you reckon you can still do a cartwheel?
Yeah, of course. Anyone can do a cartwheel. You can do a cartwheel. I'll do a cartwheel right now.
I don't have enough room.
It's a podcast. I don't need to prove myself.
Yeah. Oh my god, that was amazing, Stace! Wow! And you did a flip at the end. Could you do a back flip?
No, no, no.
No. Okay. So you like gym? Gymnastics.
Gymnastics.
I like to encourage you to play tennis. Do you like tennis?
I enjoy hitting a ball with a tennis racket. I'm not sure you can call it tennis, but ahm...
Ah! Skiing!
I love skiing. Yes, I don't like watching skiing, though.
No, it's just like what- film. Ah, Films? What sports do you like?
Yeah, skiing is probably my most enjoyed sport as a participator myself.
I mean, you, you do a lot of gym classes. Like exercise classes, but I was about to say that skiing is the one that you would dedicate the most amount of time to socially, isn't it? Like, you spend a whole week or weekend, or a week sometimes, doing that sport. Yeah.
But you do do a gym class very often.
Every now and again.
Yeah. A HIIT. It's a HIIT class?
High Intensity Interval Training class. Is that right?
I do like a bit of it. I'd be at pilates. Maybe some yoga. I like to vary it.
Yeah, you sound quite calming, almost like a yoga.
Oh, I wish. I wish. What's my favourite sport?
Not football anymore. I've gone off football and I've gone off cricket.
Because you- because you broke your thumb and tore your ACL.
Fully ruptured.
Fully ruptured ACL.
Poor you.
Poor me. Poor me. Yes, I don't like them, but I do like skiing still, even though I go steady now. But we haven't done much of that in a long time, haven't we?
No. We're supposed to go to New Zealand skiing last year and unfortunately, COVID cancelled that, I think, a week before we went.
Hmm. Talking of travel, where would you love to travel?
I would love to travel to the UK in six days.
Without having contracted COVID.
Which is where we going!
We are going back to the UK for a short visit for two and a half weeks, been the first time you've been back home in two years and nine months.
Goodness me.
Which is a very long time and we're both very excited.
And we got four new family members to meet.
Yeah, you've got two nephews and I've got a niece and a nephew that we haven't met yet.
And we got all the presents.
All the presents.
In the suitcase.
We will be splitting them between our suitcases.
None of them will get like held up at customs, will they?
Hopefully not.
Not sure where we go into this now!
What- what presents have you got?
That sent me a while? It's a real freedom, so...
OK. Didn't you get some presents stuck in customs? No?
Different girl.
I actually bought you some olive oil when I went to Italy.
Oh yeah, ira. Liquid.
Yeah, I didn't think about that.
At raw. Okay, all right. We're going to continue this in Part Two.
But this is the end of Part One!
Already?!
Already! Time flies when you're having fun!
Does that mean I can have a sip of my drink?
It does, but you also need to say goodbye to the Part One listeners.
Goodbye, Part One listeners! It was a pleasure.