Tim and Rory have prepared a special episode of the podcast for those who love a good story, topical chat and the Isle of Wight. On 22nd June Tim suffered a heart attack and this podcast covers the experience, reflections and resolutions.

As Tim is under strict instructions to limit activity, the podcast studio went on the road to Tim's man cave in Rookley, only for the audio to be plagued by electrical interference only discovered when Rory ("the engineer") returned home to start post-production.

A frantic period ensued attemptin audio repairs until Rory determined the best technique for hiding the imperfections in the audio. Accordingly, for one episode only, we are supported by a series of non-invasive backing tracks to hide the pops and clicks from the freezer, the smart meter and possibly the howling sou-westerley's that battered the man cave during recording.

Your enjoyment has been assured and this podcast focusses on Tim's experiences from first inclinations something was not quite right, to the call to his own emergency physician (aka his wife, Ella), the ambulance, the hovercraft ride, the procedure to rectify the problem in his heart and to his recovery.

Interesting insights from Tim's entire experience are topped off with topical tales of recovery, well-being commitments and the discussion of poignant but important life affirming questions.

We thought it was good to share these experiences to both celebrate our emergency services and healthcare providers but also to provide first hand insight of this all too common experience.

Normal technical competence will be resumed for the next episode, but in the meantime, please enjoy this episode for its revealing take on luck, life and the many perils for men in middle-age.

Tim and his family wish to express their thanks to all at the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, St Mary's Hospital in Newport, the Hovertravel team, Queen Alexandra's Hospital in Portsmouth and to all the friends and family who have sent best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Thanks for listening

Tim and Rory

As we roll effortlessly into double digit number of episodes, Tim and Rory, your very own museum pieces, tackle heatwave hysteria, festival frolics, breakfast banter and engage brains for a cost of living discussion that evaluates a new economic theory, donut economics, that does not involve Homer Simpson's bakery item of choice.

Tactics for surviving the Council's designer dumps are discussed alongside a breakdown of our island MP's unfortunate brush with moving pictures that can be played back at you live on air to challenge your poor recollection of what you did or didn't say on the great issue of the last fortnight, in Westminster politics anyway.

Tim continues his interview series with a beachside chat with an old friend of ours, Sophie Blake, for many, the face of the famous Blakes Longshoremen dynasty that has been a fixture on the Ventnor seafront for almost 2 centuries. Don't miss this chat for key insights into life on the beach and how Sophie's very own "Night in the Museum" kicked off a captivating story at the heart of her community.

Our breakfast staple raises its head with a dissection of 2 more breakfast experiences at Goddard's new brewery visitor centre in Arreton and the ever popular Blueberrys Cafe on the cliff top in Shanklin.

Breakfasts with views and podcast hosts with opinions! What better way to start your weekend than in the company of Rory and Tim, helping you plan your next trip out for one of the island's splendid cooked breakfasts or brushing up on sustainable economic models to prepare you for the working week ahead? QWightLike. A Podcast preparing you for work, rest and play.

Thanks for tuning in. We appreciate your support.

Tim and Rory

A further week away from the podcast studio brings tales from Tim's travels tinged with telling toilet tales and topical tittle tattle.

Travel advice is offered from the pocket pat down to how to be chatted up by French museum ticket sales staff. This official QWightLike travel advice notice explains what not to have in your suitcase to avoid a strip search by US Border Force staff.

For the less squeamish we have another fascinating interview from our roving reporter, Tim who spent time with Kerry from The Seapot at Wheeler's Bay, between Ventnor and Bonchurch. Interesting insights from a hospitality business that has been successful for the last 10 years and has navigated pandemics, cost-of-living crisis and now a major blow to footfall with seawall repairs blocking much of their passing trade. We QWightLike The Seapot so please listen and then visit.

This episode reports on French experiences and island music with a little bit of gardening and discussion around the weather.

Tune in to find out more about all the above.

Thanks for listening.

Rory & Tim

Another topical chat-filled extravaganza steers towards your favourite podcast port of call with a cargo of our usual island views, foodie findings and with a special buzz emanating from the podcast studio (no not interference!), as our second outside broadcast interview with Ventnor’s formidable Paul Berry takes to the air waves.

Paul is one third of the island crew preparing to take on the World’s Toughest Row, The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge starting on the 12th December 2023 as part of the Mermaid Atlantic 2023 team rowing from the Canary Isles to the Caribbean. Our intrepid, roving reporter, Tim Dedman, meets Paul on the deck of his family tea hut on the beach at Ventnor seafront to learn all about the training, motivation and challenges that face the hardy trio. https://www.worldstoughestrow.com/

Find out all you need to know about this daring challenge and, if that’s not enough compelling content, stay tuned to listen to Tim and Rory celebrate the not-so-humble Isle of Wight tomato, drifting between the island history of Garibaldi and his biscuits alongside the perils of toasted sourdough.

With protest placards firmly hidden from view we, on behalf of regular podcast listeners, launch campaigns for restaurant and cafe menus to provide more information regarding salad garnish and balsamic glaze - to dress or not to dress, that is the question.

With much, much more including, mild-mannered musings, and murmurs from museums, make sure you subscribe to the podcast to ensure you never miss out on the content that makes us the podcast of the people, by the people, for the people … of the Isle of Wight and beyond.

Enjoy!

Rory and Tim

Tim and Rory wax lyrically on steam powered real ale where the porters are fruit-based and the plum festival ale is … well … listen to find out. We veer from brief encounters to national news bulletins and get out of our studio to meet interesting new people and learn what makes them tick and let them talk about their projects, passions and plans. First up, and our crowning glory this week, is Kirsty from Ventnor’s Better Days Cafe, holding an inspiring conversation with our roving reporter, Tim, in our inaugural feature interview. Kirsty and her team are doing stellar work with local people in Ventnor so listen in to her talk about how the cafe emerged from an abandoned pub to once again beat as the heart of the community. Learn more here.

Before all that we learn about new fitness kicks and marvel at a delicious segue from cooked breakfasts to e-bikes, that you’ll only find on QWightLike. A Podcast. Choose your co-hosts’ super hero whilst picking over the crumbs of our very own quichegate!

All of that, some of the usual, and especially listen out for an exciting announcement about future content being planned right now to expand the style and reach of our podcast to add more voices.  We qwight like what we have planned ahead and we’re sure you will too.

Get in touch to tell us what you like and what you want more of. [email protected] Instagram: @QWightLike

We present, episode 5 of our growing podcast, following an extra week off air, and we jump straight to the medium of television to discuss the recent swamping of our screens with Isle of Wight focussed programming. We cover Channel 5's Isle of Wight: Jewel of the South, a homage to the people and places of the island, as well as BBC2’s The Cockfields, a sitcom set on the Isle of Wight and making use of beautiful locations and laugh-out-loud family situations that we can all relate to, served up by a familiar, but still stellar, cast.

With our hunger for island content provoked, we pore over recent culinary experiences and start to ponder what satisfies our lust to be entertained and compare the different value options from books to burgers and football to music gigs.

We correct our maths homework handed in on episode 4 and try our hand at interpreting statistics in the news this week. Pop of the week (from Ep 4) rolls over for another episode and we commit to communicating more often on observations and experiences that catch our eye using our new Instagram account QWightLike

There’s something for everyone in this podcast as we gently meander down the leafy lanes and twinkling bays of our island whilst steeling ourselves for the always welcome influx of visitors marking the start of another summer on the Isle of Wight.

What’s an episode for?  Listening to and being challenged by the views of others, maybe educated a little, and, of course, to enjoy the silky smooth musings and island-linked distractions of a couple of old blokes.  So, please enjoy our very own episode four (do you see what we did there?) of the latest podcast brought to you from the glistening shores of the Isle of Wight.  

Rory and Tim celebrate International Womens’ Day #IWD, not to be confused with Isle of Wight Day #IWD, whilst reviewing listener statistics for our first 3 episodes and make a bid for a more diverse audience by discussing beer and steam trains.  We demonstrate how maths should always be a priority in education as 100-93 doesn’t make 17!  Tune in to find out if this sums up the rest of the show.

We introduce a perfect day out on and near the island as described by our 2 preserved old relics including many of the museums on our doorsteps and gangways whilst rattling through stories of other preserved old relics, railways, roads, radio and real ale retreats.  Butcher's breakfasts and Navy larks snuggle up to chess clubs and dashing dogs, and remember, we quite like the Isle of Wight and our neighbouring attractions and all they have to offer.

Find out more about our intrepid hosts with a quickfire Q&A segment designed to reveal our innermost selves.  We’re sure it will explain everything.  We may ask you a few questions whilst you listen (on Spotify only if we've read the manual right)

Before you cast aside all inhibition and dive headlong into our fortnightly pod, we profusely apologise as owing to an editorial/production miscommunication, you’ll be left asking where’s “Where’s Bob”?  We did make sure to pop in “Pop of the Week” to our running order as we had thirsts to quench (which may explain the omission) and thus you’ll find out the almost winner of our first aural, gluggable, guessing game. Tune in to learn which pop pipped others and to whom the first auspicious prize was awarded and listen very carefully to see if you can identify this week's popcast.  Will Tim suppress his cough?  Has Rory stopped laughing. Answers to us using email at [email protected], please.

Peg back your ears to hear our first “guest” make a brief, unplanned intervention.  Thunderbirds are go … m’lady!

Enjoy,

Rory and Tim

Sit back, relax and unwind as Rory and Tim ease you through a fact-filled pod, casting our net never too far from the Isle of Wight which, remember, we quite like, without contriving a dubious Wight link (!) to bring us all back to our island home.  

Find out what connects Glasgow's Nicola Sturgeon (c.2023) to Carisbrooke's Isabella de Fortibus (c.1293) and discover if Tim can get hold of all the ingredients he needs for this week's soup.  Is our topical chat a recipe to have rotten tomatoes hurled at us (if they stay on the shelves long enough to rot) or an opportunity to listen to one of the two old guys confuse his Brits with his Baftas?

From soup to Steinbeck and from royalty to greatest hits radio, we bump our gums, through brothers, burgers, Barnett formulas and funding for island and highland budgets as we contrast what £50million buys you compared with £15,500.  Clue - one of them affects the healthcare of 140,000 islanders but which one.  We swing from waterfront eateries on the East Wight to the West Wight as easily as you can say "sea-wall erosion".

Listen out for the moment when this week's "Pop of the Week" goes ... ahem ... cough ... pop! Literally!

We wind things up with an introduction of some of our favourite listenings and readings and a guest spot as we reveal our island MP's response to Tim's correspondence in our "Where's Bob!?" feature.

Be sure to catch all our episodes and don't forget to gird your loins to enter our no-holds barred "Pop of the Week" competition if you think you can guess the answer.  Send your guesses in on an email to [email protected] and we'll read out our favourite submissions and any correct ones.

Well, we made it to a second episode ... and it says here ... back by popular demand.

In our eagerly anticipated follow-up episode, Tim and Rory talk about off-island trips and returning ferry travails interspersed with the glamour of Los Angeles mingling with the blood, sweat and tears, for some, of Twickenham.  Tune in to catch up on English Heritage ketchup, the mystery pop opening and for updates on the great cooked breakfast with Ventnor and London twists.

We celebrate our favourite Isle of Wight podcasts from Harriet Hadfield and Benjamin Hope (links below) and provide and find out why this week's soup has a topical flavour.

We recommend the following podcasts as well as our own.  All available on Spotify or from wherever you grab your podcasts.

Adventures of Wight by Benjamin Hope 

Island Stories by Harriet Hadfield

Don't forget to support the Better Days Caffe in Ventnor run by Kirsty and her team with the support of many volunteers. Find out more here https://thebetterdayscafe.co.uk/

Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe, wherever you get your podcasts, so you don't miss out on future fun and fact-filled episodes.  

For any questions don't hesitate to get in touch by email on [email protected] 

Until next time, thanks for listening.

Rory and Tim