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 ensured her husband was to become a household name. 

Plenty to meditate on there ... although Sandi's not really a fan of that particular practice...books are far less stressful.

So, sit back, close your eyes and remember ... We Will Get Past This. 

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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. 

Being judgemental is obviously a part of human nature, but surely not everything needs our stamp of approval? Unless of course you're about to say something nice about this show in the comments below... you're actively encouraged to do that and whilst you do, remember ... We Will Get Past This. 

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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 impossible to talk hounds from history without acknowledging how they help us in times of need - and are happy to do so. 

And I'm sure man's best friend would also agree ... We Will Get Past This. 

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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 the only tale of an ungrateful husband putting their wife up for sale, as it was seen as an easier and cheaper alternative to dissolving a marriage. It's almost as if women had no human rights at all, so thank goodness for the toils of Flora Tristan and if you don't know who she is, then Sandi is here to remedy that in this episode, as well as suggesting a small project for someone out there who may want to enable the world to have more access to information about Flora and what she did. 

Enjoy and don't forget ...We Will Get Past This. 

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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 with loved ones. But, new technology is always faced with suspicion and worry that it heralds the demise of future generations, as Sandi's books are able to prove... so if we can't embrace each other, let's embrace the technology which enables us to keep in touch and remind each other that ...We Will Get Past This. 

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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 that of a male who only rode half the distance, it leads Sandi to ponder, who gets to decide who the heroes are? 

We also get to hear about another brave, clever young woman, whose story has been immortalised - but almost completely inaccurately - there's even evidence to suggest that Pocahontas wasn't her real name.

Take care, be kind...We Will Get Past This. 

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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 women in entertainment is of course played down throughout history, for example, it may surprise you to know that there were plenty of female jesters in royal court? You may also not be aware of Joseph Haines who made the career jump from member of parliament to comedian? 

Well, Sandi's books hold many surprises and so prepare to be amazed and remember... We Will Get Past This. 

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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 this glorious tale of a woman we should have all learned about at school and remember, We Will Get Past This. 

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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 significant contributor to entomology, and had to of course, battle the stigma of being female, in order to study and practise her passion, managing to write books on the subject AND raise silkworms whilst she was at it... perhaps that could be a good hobby during isolation?

Sandi's back tomorrow, so no surprises there.

Take care, We Will Get Past This. 

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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 where women were not supposed to be educated in maths and science, determinedly gave herself enough of an education which would make her one of the sharpest mathematicians in history, and whose findings contributed to the construction of the Eiffel Tower. She should be a household name and that's no joke. 

Have fun and don't forget, We Will Get Past This. 

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