Big Skies and Small Ponds...with Drew Baxter

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Big Skies and Small Ponds… with Drew Baxter.Come in… sit a while.This is a storytelling podcast with quiet reflections, real moments and the sort of thoughts that tend to arrive when life slows down.  Each episode is a chapter - a small pond holding a very big sky. Stories drawn from real life —  from memory, from people and from the moments that shape us.   Some are gently humorous, some are thoughtful, and some may touch on grief, love, and what it means to be human.There’s no rush...just come in and see what you find. Warm wishes....Drew Baxter  Written and Read by Drew Baxter 

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  1. The Sea

    5일 전

    The Sea

    Send us Fan Mail Chapter Eight – The Sea Some places stay with us forever. For Drew, it's the sea. From childhood days on the Norfolk coast to standing beside the Pacific Ocean, from rivers and books to cruise ships and poetry, this chapter explores a lifelong fascination with water and the journeys it inspires. A reflective voyage through memory, wonder, belonging and the people we meet along the way. Because sometimes the places we return to aren't places at all. They're feelings.

    15분
  2. Grandad

    6월 23일

    Grandad

    Send us Fan Mail Chapter Seven – Grandad "My grandfather always thought I should be a vicar. I've often wondered why".  In this chapter, Drew reflects on the life of Frederick Baxter: farmer, parish councillor, First World War survivor, whistler, snuff-taker and maker of lasting memories. A story about family, community, kindness and the mysteries that remain long after those we love are gone. Because sometimes the people who know us best see something in us long before we see it ourselves.

    17분
  3. Paprika

    6월 16일

    Paprika

    Send us Fan Mail Chapter Six – Paprika Supermarkets are curious places. You go in for butter, yoghurt, or perhaps a missing jar of paprika... and somehow end up collecting stories instead. In this chapter, Drew reflects on chance encounters, familiar voices, old police memories, shoplifters, supermarket wisdom, and one unforgettable conversation beside the herbs and spices. A warm and gently humorous reminder that the people we love are never very far away — and that even the smallest lives can leave the biggest stories.

    15분
  4. Chapter 5 - Pause

    6월 9일

    Chapter 5 - Pause

    Send us Fan Mail Chapter Five – Pause We spend much of our lives labelling things. Objects. Places. Memories. People. In this chapter, Drew reflects on names, silence, kindness, loss, and the small but important space between seeing and speaking. From childhood nights and quiet streets to funeral chapels and everyday encounters, Pause explores what can happen when we slow down long enough to truly notice one another. Because sometimes the most important part of any conversation isn't the words at all. It's the pause between them.

    19분
  5. Chapter 4 - Masks

    6월 2일

    Chapter 4 - Masks

    Send us Fan Mail Chapter 4  - Masks There are moments in life when we realise that fitting in and belonging are not quite the same thing. In this chapter, Drew reflects on faith, anxiety, identity and the roles we play for the world around us. From a crowded Salvation Army gathering to a supermarket aisle lined with tins of soup, these are stories about barriers, masks, fences and gates — and the quiet search for places where we can simply be ourselves. Because perhaps the people who matter most are not the ones who expect us to fit in everywhere... but the ones who accept us exactly as we are. This chapter includes reflections on anxiety, mental health and a period of emotional difficulty experienced by the author. This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Lewis Smith. And to everyone who loved him.

    18분
  6. Between Chapters - Not The Hero

    5월 26일

    Between Chapters - Not The Hero

    Send us Fan Mail Between Chapters – Not The Hero This week, a shorter and more personal pause between chapters. Drew reflects on storytelling, memory, ego, kindness… and the strange reality that when you write about your own life, you can never fully step outside the frame. With warmth, self-deprecating humour, and honesty, this episode explores the difference between being the central figure in your own story… and believing yourself to be the hero of it. Not declarations.Not achievements. Just reflections. Come in… sit awhile… and perhaps recognise a little of yourself along the way.

    8분
  7. Chapter Three - The Blue Suit

    5월 19일

    Chapter Three - The Blue Suit

    Send us Fan Mail Chapter Three – The Blue Suit In this deeply personal chapter of Big Skies and Small Ponds, Drew Baxter reflects on the quiet emotional weight carried by those who stand at the front of a funeral service. Through the story of a highly visible funeral for a mother and daughter, Drew explores the unseen work of a celebrant; the preparation, the listening, the responsibility of telling someone’s story with care… and the strange reality that a crowded chapel and a quiet room can carry exactly the same emotional weight. At the centre of it all is the “scruffy blue suit”,  part uniform, part armour, part companion and worn while walking into some of life’s hardest moments. This chapter is not about grief as spectacle, nor about the details of private loss. Instead, it is a thoughtful and humane reflection on trust, dignity, compassion… and the hidden emotional labour of helping people say goodbye. Contains some adult language and references to sudden death and bereavement. Drew Baxter

    16분
  8. Chapter Two - That Voice

    5월 12일

    Chapter Two - That Voice

    Send us Fan Mail A small note before we settle in… this chapter touches briefly on sudden death and police experiences, and includes one or two moments of strong language where they belonged to the story. Big Skies and Small Ponds – Chapter Two - That Voice If words matter… then perhaps the way we speak them matters too. In this chapter, Drew reflects on voices — the ones we hear, remember, trust… and sometimes carry with us for years afterwards. From standing beneath Lincoln’s Stonebow as a young police officer… to learning how calmness, humour, kindness and pause can shape human moments… this is a gentle and deeply personal reflection on finding your own voice, and discovering what it can mean to others. Because sometimes a voice is more than sound. Sometimes… it becomes reassurance.

    18분
  9. Chapter One - The Stories We Tell

    5월 5일

    Chapter One - The Stories We Tell

    Send us Fan Mail Chapter One  In this opening chapter, Drew reflects on the stories we tell… and the way they shape how we remember. From childhood memories of being read to and listening in wonder… to the fragments of lives shared in his work as a celebrant, this is a gentle exploration of storytelling in all its forms. Because sometimes… it isn’t the story itself that stays with us… …it’s the telling.

    20분

  10. 예고편

    Big Skies and Small Ponds - an introduction & welcome.

    Send us Fan Mail A short introduction to the world of Big Skies and Small Ponds - a place for stories, memories and quiet reflections...

    2분

예고편

소개

Big Skies and Small Ponds… with Drew Baxter.Come in… sit a while.This is a storytelling podcast with quiet reflections, real moments and the sort of thoughts that tend to arrive when life slows down.  Each episode is a chapter - a small pond holding a very big sky. Stories drawn from real life —  from memory, from people and from the moments that shape us.   Some are gently humorous, some are thoughtful, and some may touch on grief, love, and what it means to be human.There’s no rush...just come in and see what you find. Warm wishes....Drew Baxter  Written and Read by Drew Baxter 

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