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Life in Ambridge: Comments week of November 15, 2018
Life in Ambridge: Comments week of November 15, 2018
Life outside Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments" - Episode 14 Life Outside Ambridge Have a seat and let's chat.
Those 2 pigs at the front, facing the camera look big enough to have gone on the lorry last week. Sorry, Porkies.
ReplyDeleteA splendid herd, but I'm so partial to bacon.....not even sure 'herd' is the right collective noun.
DeletePeople asking, rhetorically, I think, why D. & R. don't tell Lynda to get lost, so can only repeat that giving in to that impossible woman is the lazy default position everyone takes with her.
Lovely pic Ruthy , I could murder a bacon sarni though now.
ReplyDeleteHad to look up collective noun for pigs.....either a drift or a drove. Think I like drift best.
ReplyDeleteAnyway Neil will know what’s the most common used one.
It almost looks like there are two rare breed Gloucester Old Spots amongst them, but probably not if it is an American pig unit. Maybe the one Hannah worked at perhaps.
DeleteIf Neil Carter doesn't know, I expect Hannah can tell him! I never heard any collective term used for pigs where I grew up. At auction they were a 'lot' , otherwise just pigs.
DeleteA parcel of pigs? A puddle of pigs? A muck?
DeleteA litter, a lot, a fair number, a few (we didn’t go in for poetic collective terms where I grew up!)
DeleteAre those pigs enjoying a day at the seaside?
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable episode, with Lynda in imperious mode and a clumsy Helen/Lee setup.
The barn is a working space and not a theatre so I would have made it very clear to Lynda that cleaning it was her responsibility.
As for rats, people who live in rural areas wouldn't react with such histrionics to seeing one. She keeps animals and feed so she will have rats, they are unfortunately part of life. Perhaps long suffering Robert deals with the wee critters.
As Lynda told Lee last night, thanks to karate Robert has now become more 'flexible'.
DeleteWas it just me whose mind boggled?!!
DeleteNo, Ev, it was not. Robert becomes ever more appealing.
DeleteMine too!
DeleteAh, those lovely pigs. Thank you Ruthy, makes me come over all nostalgic for when we used to keep pigs. Ours were all white, a breed called Landrace, but I always wanted to have some Tamworths or Berkshires - sadly they were not commercially viable back then.
ReplyDeleteThat Snell woman just has to get her comeuppance sometime soon! I couldn’t believe her arrogance last night, ordering the cleaning up of bird droppings! She jolly well ought to visit my garden if she doesn’t like rats, we get loads of them coming down from the fields. They are certainly to be expected in an old barn where feed has been stored!
And it was totally unrealistic that D & R could have ‘dealt’ with the rat and rats nest in such a short time. Poisoned bait has to be put down and left for several days for the problem to be cured.
Sure as eggs is eggs , that rat (or its cousin) will be back !!
Yep, a nice mediavel touch, busy rat running around Ruth's feet as she delivers her Chaucer lines...
DeleteYes, so Lee was left to go round the shop without anyone looking at his hands, I don't like that either but nor do I like when people who work in a shop continue with their loud banter about something unconnected, they had to shout because Tom said he had to move away for the signal to come through. He then shouted 'oh those brown eyes' and Helen in reply 'it's the rest of her that I'm interested in', was that supposed to be sexy? For the younger audience? Perhaps Lee is a widower whose wife died in tragic circumstances, Helen could talk to him about Greg.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Stasia that it was clumsily contrived and with Basia. Probably designed for a younger audience.
DeleteWe knew they were talking about cows, well I did, but a customer hearing such talk would have wondered at the very least.
I must say that while I did realise that the subject was cows, I could at the same time see how it was designed to sound like a female on a dating site.
Very clumsy indeed.
Yes, very contrived, but, allowing for the constraints of being in such a contrived scene, I don't think Tom and Helen were rude. I'd rather browse uninterrupted, especially on a first visit to a shop. Not sure what the point was: if Tom hadn't been there, Lee could have chatted in a social manner to Helen anyway. Perhaps it was so that Lee knew that Helen wanted him to know that she was free, single and probably heterosexual.
DeleteI do like those pigs Ruthy.
ReplyDeleteBut they look so clean. Somehow that does not seem natural.
How do pigs in barns ' root' ?
Sadly they can't.
DeleteAah! Maybe David & Ruth only said they'd caught the rat & cleared the nest to shut Lynda up! If she wants a clean place for rehearsals she should clean it herself or go somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteLinda often talks out of her backend.
ReplyDeleteShe wants authenticity, but on her terms.
A rat added to the scenario would have been very authentic.
I wonder who's responsibility insurance for Linda's production in David's barn is. I doubt that it's covered by David and Ruth's farm insurance.
ReplyDeleteThe words 'torchlight procession' and 'fuel store' spring to mind 👀
DeleteLove the pigs - but what happened to Ed + Jazzer's sheep sbearing enterprise?
ReplyDeleteThis seems to have been passed by.
Lexi says 'when I'm pregnant', she must mean 'if she's pregnant' but she wants to go home anyway.
ReplyDeleteI suggest she and Roy go to bed together and she becomes pregnant in the usual way, then they can deal with it and Brexit together - a very timely insert tonight.
I can't believe that Jill hasn't spoken to Elizabeth since Halloween, with all this time on her hands.
Lastly, why doesn't the job at the Bull go to someone who needs the money coming up to Christmas? Is it for the amusement of Ambridge?
I too can't believe the family is that removed from E's life - I believe even Dave and Ruth thought she looked brighter the last time she saw them - then Halloween fiasco happened.
DeleteBasia I thought that the beginning of tonight's episode must be have been recorded today but no-one has mentioned it anywhere, so i thought I misheard!
DeleteMy impression was that Lexi is sincere in all she said tonight
ReplyDeleteThe wonder is that she is only now realising that daughters in Bulgaria, lover in England does not make for an enduring relationship. Neither she nor Roy have ever discussed moving to the other's country, clearly not an option & it's not hard to see why. If they were both free, maybe, but they're not. He has 2 daughters also, & a good job. It's a real test, & they aren't upto it.
I'm personally watching the consequences of this kind of relationship forty years on.
DeleteIt's not a happy picture.
It's a difficult enough situation without the added complexity of surrogacy. If I were an agony aunt I'd advise Lexi to put her own family first, before the desires of 2 men whom she's known only for a short time. She must consider what's important to her. She might be trying to square a circle, like Mrs May.
DeleteWell done to whoever suggested that Oliver might be competing with Joe Grundy for the job at The Bull.
ReplyDelete... and the scene is set for Elizabeth to be busy ... in a state of collapse ... tomorrow.
I mustn't have been listening properly this evening because I thought it was Justin talking not Oliver.
ReplyDeleteI thought Jill was about to burst into tears when she spoke.
I think she really has the oddest way of speaking and to me the way she speaks doesn't sound natural.
I think Lexi should get catch the next plane to Bulgaria
As for Tom.
He sounds like a young lad on his first date not someone who has had several fiancëes.
Lanjan I believe that Patricia Greene has an eye condition now which necessitates her having a script in larger type and therefore more pages to manage than the other cast members so this could account for the way she is speaking and I know what you mean - I heard her mention this on the radio but cannot recall the prog itself.
DeleteLanjan, Tom has had only 2 fiancees. It's treating Kirsty as if she were a boomerang that makes it seem as if he has had several.
DeleteJust catching up after a fortnight away. I didn't understand the comments about the picture on the previous Ambridge blog: mine had a green carton of apple juice with a blue bendy straw, so I was mystified by references to St Stephens, Neil in the middle and Shula in a mini-skirt.
ReplyDeleteThat blog started with the bell ringing picture, but Ruthy changed it after a while, for Bridge Farm juice, made from Natasha's fruit.
DeleteSarnia - I had the bell ringing and red poppy flower pictures to commiserate Remembrance Day.
DeleteRelieved to know that I was not the only one who thought my eyes were playing tricks.
DeleteSarnia, since you've made an appearance, I'd like to tell you that I am expecting to do the boat trip on the river Wye on Saturday. The one that you enjoyed in the summer.
ReplyDeleteI imagine the trees will be glorious.
I hope the weather stays fair for you, as it is such a beautiful spot. Looking forward to reading all about it!
DeleteThanks for the explanation re picture, and I'm sorry I missed the bell-ringing one. I spent Remembrance Sunday at sea on the Queen Elizabeth, en route from Madeira to Vigo, in Spain. Cruise ships always hold a short service when a 'sea-day' falls on a Sunday , but I think this must have been specially planned, as we stayed in port overnight in Madeira, which is unusual. The Royal Court Theatre seats a thousand or so, and it was standing-room only. The bugle-calls were expertly played by one of the brass players from the ship's small orchestra.
A different way of paying respects on Rememberence Sunday.
DeletePleased to hear standing room only.
Indeed. Mrs P, it was a very moving experience.
DeleteLexit negotiations tonight!
ReplyDeleteSo clever!
Delete✔️ very good 👏
DeleteExcellent. 😆
Delete😂😹😂
DeleteLooks like I have managed to sign in again, temporarily at least. Must be careful not to press sign out rather than publish.
ReplyDeleteWell done KP, and for your timely joke too!
ReplyDeleteIt appears that nobody realises that Geraldine has resigned and Lizzie is trying to cope on her own.
ReplyDeleteIf only Oliver would call in to LL to check up on the Hunt Ball arrangements in person he would see what’s going on and might offer to help out, then he wouldn’t need to work at the Bull over Christmas.
It would give him a new interest and something to occupy him, whilst giving Lizzie the support she so badly needs.
Oliver should help E at LL instead of bar tending at the Bull. BTW - Oliver is already helping Liz but what is his relationship with E?
DeleteNot that close a relationship, I don't think, but they've known each other for a long time. Caroline was Shula's closest friend, and one of the local upper crust types. And Caroline was the manager and then owner of Grey Gables, so there are hospitality industry links.
DeleteYou're not lining up something closer, are you, Ruthy?
Just trying to find someone who can help E because her family is letting her down.
DeleteI wonder if the director insert Tom’s line if more have quit
ReplyDeleteI do think Oliver could and will help Elizabeth, as I mentioned at the end of the last blog, because he helped a while ago when LL first lost the alcohol licence. GG hosted some events for them and he debriefed Elizabeth who was very distracted. The writers are teasing us, putting off the moment he calls in and finds Elizabeth in a mess. She is hiding it well from her family.
ReplyDeleteHe could be very good at setting Freddie on the right track as well, as he did with Ed, and one or two fostered teenagers.
Maybe it could even lead to romance as both as widowed, although Oliver is how much older?
As both are widowed
DeleteBest part of twenty years, I think.
DeleteOliver was older than Caroline. After her death he said he'd expected to go first. He's referred to himself as "an old duffer". Caroline was around Shula's age. Elizabeth is 9 years younger than Shula.
DeleteKPnuts. But does Lexit mean Lexit? I hope so.
ReplyDeleteTom's self assessment was spot on. He is sad, asking a woman he has shacked up with on numerous ad hoc occasions for sartorial advice, so he can impress another is daft. For a man heading for forty he was totally oblivious to Hannah's catty remarks. I wanted to scream 'grow up', Johnny's got more sense than you, and he is twenty years younger.
Oh yes! Totally agree, Tom sounded like an immature teenage getting ready for his very first date! 🙄
DeleteAny examples of Hannah’s so called catty remarks? I didn’t hear any myself.
DeleteI don't know how old Oliver is but if he is approaching my age I wish him all the best doing bar work.
ReplyDeleteI did it when I was younger and found it quite tiring.
On the other hand I don't suppose The Bull gets that crowded.
My late husband worked part-time behind a bar until the day he died - at the age of 76, and loved it, hanging out with his friends and earning some pocket money too. He didn't stand all the time though, and had a stool to sit on behind the bar when he wasn't busy. I can quite see Oliver's point in considering the Bull as a good place for him to get out and meet people.
DeleteI should add that he was working in small local pubs, just like the Bull, so not too strenuous a job.
DeleteOliver said the Bull has employed someone else to replace Toby and he - Oliver - is to be available for extra Christmas shifts so he may not expect to work too many hours a week. It could still give him time to help Elizabeth.
DeleteOk seems I need to enter via google chrome and it hides when I look at other sites on my iPad, hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteLike others it strikes me as unlikely that none of Elizabeth’s close family would have been in touch since the Halloween debacle.
I agree, highly unlikely
DeleteKP - I think the trouble with logging in via an iPad is the Safari browser rather than the iPad itself. After the lastest upgrade Safari just didn’t seem able to cope with Blogger. I downloaded Google Chrome and use it exclusively for these blogs and have had no trouble since - probably because both things are run by Google so they are compatible.
DeleteI did the upgade on the iPad today and ran into problems here - but found to my surprise that it appears to be okay on my ancient laptop. (Assuming I can publish this message when I've finished typing,,,) I think I'll have to follow your advice about Google Chrome for the iPad, Archerphile. Thanks!
DeleteIt has been the only way I can use blogger with the new iPad upgrade Maryellen. I just keep the Archersfan blog open all the time on Google Chrome . Don’t use it for anything else though. As you say, no problems on our old PC with windows so it must just be Safari that causes the problem.
DeleteI thought for a sec that Tom was going to ask Hannah to Nutfield. Did anyone else thought the same?
ReplyDeleteRoy just give her up already!!! Why won't E want Mom to know?! This is a really bad cliffhanger!!! Am I using to many !!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNo, you're not ! This banging head against wall frustration time !!
DeleteI guess Russ is still sponging off Lily and she sounded she needed to get away (from him) for the weekend. So is this a set up for her coming home to rescue Mom?
ReplyDeleteYES
DeleteSo Princess Lily comes in and immediately assesses the situation and can see exactly what needs doing and how to do it straight away, whereas the extended family who have been around Elizabeth haven't noticed, or even bothered to check!
ReplyDeleteOh Roy just dump Lexi now.....please! We don't want another drawn out saga
Lexi has dumped him, despite protestations of love etc. He can't accept this, but wants to talk it over, to which she just moans & generally emotes ( rather like Shula did with Alistair - has Lexi got the Archer obfuscation gene, passed down the female line? Except L. has more care for the unfortunate man.)Of course, Roy is right, they should sit down & talk it all through, see if they can see any other options, & it's more than odd they didn't months ago. However, no cliff hangers then, a different level of drama altogether.
DeleteSo Lily swans in, meeting a pile of boxes, a disgusting kitchen, a scruffy mum, who probably smells, & certainly lies. So, she sacked Geraldine, did she? No, Geraldine resigned, & she begged her to change her mind. At least Lily uncovered that fairly quickly, & I hope she acts pretty quickly now to involve the extended family & get some help. Elizabeth has blocked them all, including Shula, her best ally, so don't think it is entirely fair to blame them for not intervening since the Halloween fiasco.
ReplyDeleteJust give it up Roy! Lexi doesn't want you and she's not really saying why. Her actions are not one of someone in love and if love was really there she and Roy would find a way to work round their locations. Feel sorry for Roy but he needs to - what , I don't want to say 'man up' , how about put on a brave face and act as if he doesn't care.
ReplyDeleteA whole set of characters in denial about their situation now bumping up against reality - Elizabeth in meltdown at Lower Loxley whilst Lily hinted in her hesitant and evasive answers to Johnny, and the fact she has run home, that life in Manchester is not all rosy; Lexi perhaps realising her life is back with her family and Roy’s bubble bursting; Hannah indicating to Jill and to Johnny that her life is not going/doesn’t go the way she wants it to, despite her outer layer of confidence and being in control. Johnny seems to have a role as conduit for others’ actions and feelings.
ReplyDelete✔️✔️
Delete✔️✔️
DeleteYes
DeleteLexi seemed decidedly lukewarm and awkward towards Roy when she returned, then transformed into 'I love you so much!', 'I'm so confused!' Different scriptwriters, or a hypocritical character?
ReplyDeleteI think she is hiding something.
Delete✔️✔️✔️
DeleteWhy is Hannah such a poor excuse for a human being. I’d love for her to come a cropper.
ReplyDeleteWhat an earth is a man, let's call him Roy, doing with a woman who in real terms he hardly knows, has spent very little time with, and at a very early stage in their relationship with this woman, lets call her Lexi, declares to him she would like to act as a surrogate for a local couple!! (Apologies very long sentence!!!) It beggars belief that any love professed by either is highly questionable. Roy I feel just wants to be 'in love', loved, love someone. A man desperate to be in a relationship even one that is doomed from the start. As for Lexi a woman with children of her own (whom she has left behind in her home country) suddenly has this urge to perform a huge altruistic act despite the fact that any sane woman would see this as the 'kiss of death' for any relationship and a disservice to her neglected older children.
ReplyDeleteConclusion: Friday night, TA scripwriters sitting round the table, eager to get home, chewing pencils, waiting for a good idea to surface; some young eager newcomer throws in this idea just for the hell of it, which is gratefully grabbed. Exit happy team. Jeez and they get paid for this rubbish 🙄.
Apologies for the length of this post but as you can see I have a lot of time on my hands at this hour. Can still hear an Owl hooting outside too! 😊
Hear hear! Spot on BB.
Delete( btw. Posted through Safari)
Agree BB, if Lexi was really in love with Roy why would she put herself forward to be a surrogate for I & A which has meant (in her eyes at least) that she cannot at anytime have even protected sex with Roy, however his house and company have been acceptable to her! I think Lily may well delay her Uni place until next year because of personal circumstances (my Great nephew did this when he realised his chosen course was not the right one for him - he returned and his Graduation Ceremony is next Tuesday in Sheffield / top grades and first in our family too do this 👏🎓 ) and Lily may not even return to Manchester at all.......🤔
Delete🤗✓✓too-wit, too-whooo....
ReplyDeleteAnd amazingly I too have been up and about since six.
ReplyDeleteVery little sleep but feel reasonably ok.
6am Mrs P 😮
DeleteExcellent posts regarding last evening's episode.
ReplyDeletePrediction
Lexi will not become pregnant and will go back to Bulgaria and not be heard of again
Lily will go to see Geraldine and will persuade her to return to LL.
I liked Geraldine but more to the point the actress was really good.
I really don't care whether Tom and Natasha make a go of it or whether he ends up with HH.
Another week to go in the 5 week cycle and then we will no doubt get a bit more of Pip and the Piplet and daddy T❤️O❤️B❤️Y .
Well at least Maryellen will be pleased.
Sorry Maryellen.
DeleteI have got that wrong.
We have another two weeks of these present storylines I think.
According to The Times it was the new editor's birthday yesterday
Hope he had a good day.
Lanjan, I doubt whether we shall be hearing from Geraldine again, at least, not for a while. Her excellent actress Bharti Patel is currently taking the very difficult part of the grieving widow of her doctor husband who has just been killed in a car crash (on ‘Doctors’ the daytime BBC1 programme). She is quite outstanding in this rôle and I suspect the ramifications of the story are going to occupy her for quite a while.
DeleteI agree with all of the above, I was disappointed last night and had nothing to say but it seems that's just how life is, no big drama. Damara has not relented. Hannah fed up with her current escort and looking for a new one online. Elizabeth in denial but still focused on her work, so the Hunt Ball may happen. Lily running out of money not because of a busy social life but Russ sponging off her. Lexi finally facing the truth but Roy still living in hope. Johnny watching from the sidelines, hopefully not feeling he's missing out and Jill hovering like a mother hen.
ReplyDeleteLexit doesn't love Roy and she sounds impatient with his wanting her to discuss things. I interpreted her heavy sighs as, 'oh no, not him again, pestering me with his declarations of love'. Roy is driving me mad, constantly fussing over a woman who sees him as an irritant.
ReplyDeleteI think she returned to Ambridge to get pregnant, and if my memory is correct Ian and Adam agreed that she could go back to Bulgaria for the duration of the pregnancy. I can't remember if they agreed to fund her whilst out there.
It's not Roy who drives me mad so much as Lexi, who's acting as if she's only just considered that this relationship may not be manageable. Of course, Roy is also mentally capable of seeing pitfalls, but not emotionally, it seems. As BB says, he's desperate to being love, be loved. It also BB raises the question of whetherexi has been using him all along. Sure, she liked him, a foothold in the UK, but how come, if she was really keen, she would even consider surrogacy, so early in the relationship, indeed, at any stage ? Altruism, maybe, was the motive, or a way of embedding herself, + girls, perhaps mum, inthe community ? Now, however it might be, she's feeling guilty, he really is such a nice, decent man, & she can see what this split is doing to him.
Delete( desperate to love, be loved) correction.
DeleteThe signs were there before she went back to Bulgaria. In fact if I remember correctly I think she went back the previous year and was reacting as surprised by Roy’s gushing behaviour at the airport. Maybe the truth is that she has always realised the relationship wouldn’t be a long term one but lived for the moment whereas Roy was looking for love. If love is blind, Roy has certainly blinded himself to how he thought this would work out long term with their respective commitments in different countries.
DeleteI agree that she feels guilty about hurting Roy. I wonder where she will stay after a night at Grey Gables or will she just disappear home without arranging the transfer. Do Ian and Adam have a spare room?
I too think Lexie sounded exasperated, but with herself and her guilt.
DeleteShe sounds to me as though she is easily twenty years older than Roy, ( they are probably about the same age) and is exasperated by allowing herself to have become involved with such a 'sweet innocent' of a boy, compared to her 'world weary older woman '.
Sorry, badly put, but I guess you will get the meaning.
I think I know what you mean MrsP. The deception and the lying is wearing her down. The SL that keeps the surrogacy obligation on Lexi is really just ridiculous. There is no reason to why she came back to Ambridge. She could have ended her relationship with Roy via phone and canceled surrogacy.
DeleteI hope that Adam + Ian realise that Lexi, will only go for the 3rd surrogacy attempt, as she feels obliged to them.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, they will realise that this is not as they originally envisaged things.
They could be wonderful "foster parents" or could adopt an older child. This just might suit them better, despite their disappointment of a "child of their own". They have a lot to give.
That would be a good outcome.
DeleteTesting Chrome
ReplyDeleteWell, it seems to work Maryellen - I can see you 😄
DeleteYes, thanks to you, Archerphile! 💐 Using Safari, I could login to read the blog on the iPad as before but could no longer sign in to comment and couldn’t figure out what to do about it. So I reckon this could be one reason for Mrs P’s “silent readers” who follow the blog but don’t post.
DeleteOh yes, I hadn’t thought of that. It would only apply to iPad or iPod users of course, but would be very frustrating if they are able to read but not post.
DeleteI wonder what Russ is up to in Manchester with Lily away? She hasn’t mentioned him which is a bit suspicious as she is/was so much in love. Maybe the sheen is wearing off! I noticed she was a bit hesitant about Friends she has made at university which suggests he is cramping her style. She is saying she is back out of concern for E but has also admitted to Johnnie that she wants to tap her for more money. Poor Elizabeth! Sorry, a bit of cattiness on my part but I don’t warm to her just at the moment!
ReplyDeleteWell, she did change her tune when she saw the state of Elizabeth & LL . Still, she's not a girl one particularly warms to generally, is she.
DeleteDo you know who Lily reminds me of?
ReplyDeleteSome years ago a very clever young girl was admitted to an Oxford College when she was about 12 years old.
Her name was Ruth.
I remember feeling so sorry for her at the time because her main companion seemed to be her father.
No young woman of 18 years of age wants to go round with a child.
It would rather cramp one's style.
I know it isn't quite the same but if Lily is still with Russ it won't help her to make other friends as Ev said earlier.
Ruth Lawrence. Graduated at the age of 13. I remember having the launderette her father was banned from pointed out to me. He seemed a bit creepy – banning her from having boyfriends (not unreasonable when she was very young), but also seeming to discourage friendships of any sort. But she seems to have survived.
DeleteLewis's name has been mentioned, by Russ of all people.
ReplyDeleteI thought exactly the same, Basia! It was as if he’d been reading this blog....
DeleteLily & Elizabeth are being very economical with the truth to each other, some of it complete lies. Roy is deluding himself about his relationship with Lexi and confiding in Lynda Snell??? What crazy mixed up lives!!
ReplyDeletePoor old Roy ! I think Kirsty & even Lynda tried to be realistic with him, as well as sympathetic, but he's shellshocked. From L.'s surprise that Lexi had moved in with Adam & Iain, I gather the surrogacy plans were kept secret from most people. Forgot about that.
DeleteLily had 2 aspects tonight, genuinely concerned about mum & LL business, determined to do all she could over a couple of days, but still, alas, soppy about Russ, in denial about his disgrace professionally. He sounded worse than ever, a pathetic excuse of a man. May he sink without trace from the airwaves, together with his no doubt fearfully pretentious daubs. ( I hope you will find that awful mixed metaphor excusable, under the circumstances)
ReplyDeleteI think 'sink without trace' in connection with 'airwaves' is rather good, Carolyn. But I'm a little bit more optimistic than you about Lily. She didn't offer to rush back to Russ immediately. Oh dear! She ought to get back to Manchester, but to resume her studies, not just to minister to Russ's sad little needs.
Delete...AND another thing : got no more time whatsoever for Elizabeth, blaming Geraldine as she does, in such a vilely vindictive way. If it weren't for her former, undervalued, manager, the business would have hit the rocks sooner than it has. E. takes the classic victim stance - everyone else is to blame, be it the police, lawyers, courts, her employee, her brothers, but never her son, or herself ( though she does the easy bit of wailing after the event about how she has failed as a mother). Better shut up now, rant over.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn - you can rant on! The SWs have been very unkind to E. I don't think E is really like the way she is currently being portrayed. I was surprised she wasn't so keen to have Lily stay another couple of days to help out. Do we think Lily will stay beyond Tuesday?
DeleteCurrent pathetic characters - Roy, Elizabeth, Russ and Lexi. Lynda is being intolerable - why do everyone put up with her antics?
ReplyDeleteLily doesn't seem to be in a hurry to get back to her man Russ. He is the most pathetic and Lily's assertion that he is a painter is even more pathetic.
Nice to hear Kirsty - has she moved in with Philip, or still with Roy? Maybe we will get more of her for a while.
Lynda is certainly at her best, with her so-called wonderful production.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I am envisiging two disasters looming.
The first will be involving Elizabeth + LL (health + finances) and the second has to be related to Brookfield + Lynda's so called "drama" (hopefully not a repeat of 22nd. September, 1955).
I am still suspicious about the Lily and Russ setup. E is happy for her to go back after the weekend but she is telling Russ that she has to stay on until Tuesday. Why is she in no hurry to get back to him? Could it be that he is too dependent on her presence and she needs to get away? Whatever she is a bit two faced! E has forgotten that it was her shortcoming in not confirming the original Halloween entertainment that forced Geraldine into making last minute arrangements leaving no time for in depth consultation about the content. E is in a delusional state about everything including Freddie. He deserves his punishment!
ReplyDeleteI don't think E. has forgotten at all, it's a face saving lie.
DeleteIt did sound as if Lily is still besotted with the man - maybe intimidated by his emotional demands as well ? We don't know yet. I do think she really wants to help E., & clearly L L means a lot to her.
It strikes me that the whole Pargeter family are very adept at being ‘economical with the vérité’.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, Lily and Freddie have all been lying through their teeth for the past few months.
I am fed up with the lot of them and hope they stew in their own juice - (as we used to say when I was at school!)
The only folk I feel sorry for are the staff at Lower Loxley, including the long suffering Geraldine, who rely on Elizabeth for their livelihoods.
About time the trustees held a meeting to discuss the ongoing situation and plan for the future of the establishment.
Archerphile, I suspect the scriptwriters have forgotten all about the trustees of Lower Loxley.
DeleteRoy still being pathetic and no-one trying to tell him that if Lexi's behaving this way, he needs to back off. I agree with Carolyn about Elizabeth. She never admits anything is her fault and blames everyone and everything else. Lily is covering up about her life with Russ. She sounded so fake about 'new friends' and obviously there aren't any. Elizabeth does really need her help though. It is good to hear Kirsty's voice again.
ReplyDeleteAt the time of Geraldine's booking Elizabeth said that her forgetting to confirm was 'a blessing in disguise' - that is always a cue that something will go wrong, like Nigel saying to David that he 'saved his life' when he found a brooch in the attic, then the opposite happened...
ReplyDeleteI think Lily is helpful and she knows the set up but she's staying on because she hasn't broached the subject of money yet, as I don't suppose that she and Russ have been 'foraging and eating baked beans'.
MrsP. Who are the trustees of LL?
ReplyDeleteI am not sure who all of them are, Ruthy, but I am sure that Lewis is one of them. He is the elderly gent, an art expert, who married Julia Pargeter (Nigel’s Mum) and still, apparently, lives in a cottage on the Estate. He helped convert a barn into an art gallery and still, I presume, runs it. The trustees are supposed to oversee the future of LL and ensure it is preserved in good condition and is run properly (until Freddie is of age to inherit, I think)
DeleteI remember Lizzie having to persuade the trustees to agree to her converting some buildings and spending a lot of money to increase the number of bedrooms in order to present Lower Loxley as a wedding venue with overnight accommodation for
I should have thought the trustees would be very concerned about the loss of the alcohol
license and it’s effect on the profitability of LL and worried about the recent bad publicity.
Hopefully Lily will soon find out he true state of the business at LoLo. Close observation of her mother's erratic moods will also indicate there's something really wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe next step is to go to her Welfare Officer at university and lay her cards on the table; brother just sent to prison, mother total breakdown, family business on the skids, studying , working somewhere or other to support a 'partner' and generally having to run around after everyone.
I am sure said WO will recommend that she drops out for this year and start again next October. But I suppose that is too mundane and sensible answer for the scriptwriters! ((Sigh)
Maybe not so mundane, if detaching herself from ego inflated Russ gives opportunity for all sorts of dramatic angst ! I'm sure we can hardly wait for that....
DeleteWhat I'd like to see is Freddie acquire backbone & purpose inside, perhaps morphing into one of those reformed characters who devote themselves to helping other lost young people - sport, counselling, anything. A lot of positive results reported from initiatives like that. As now, he wouldn't be the slightest bit interested in luxury hospitality, but hand over management to Lily, who is both capable, suitable & interested. Eventually, he could ( don't know how) give up this poison chalice of an inheritance, but claim some share of the profits to augment his own career as a fitness coach, or youth counsellor...
I’m sure once released he will want to distance himself maybe travelling to S Africa as previously planned. He may then stay out there or return. Either way his experiences should make him man up and mature. I don’t think his future will be at LL and agree Carolyn that he will leave the management to Lily who should do well. E can then sit back as well. Lily will have appointed Geraldine or similar to help manage things. I hope this will be the scenario rather than more angst in prison leading to his downfall.
DeleteI hope E has enough sense not to finance Lily further as it is obvious Russ is living at E’s expense already. It’s all very well having artistic aspirations but where is his pride?
ReplyDeletePride appears not to be a consideration, but being on the make is, even if it means leeching off a girl half his age but coming from what initially presented as an affluent background !
DeleteEv, men like Russ, frequently 'creatives', don't generally have pride.
DeleteOften, somewhere in the past they have been programmed by some, or several, women ( mother's, aunts, sisters ) to believe they are special enough to be exempt from both pride and responsibility.
And yes, that is a very personal POV !
I was waiting for Russ to ask if Lily had gotten the money to keep him in delusional land. It is clear that he thinks she is a rich young woman who can buy and spend whenever they/he wants something. Their relationship reminds of the M.Munroe song, " but my heart belongs to daddy" there is something mildly obscene about his husky voice and need for an eighteen year old to love him. Her needs are very obvious!!
ReplyDeleteRoy would drive me into insanity with his constant exclamations of love and fussing and gushing over a woman who wants to have somebody else's baby. Are people like him for real?
Money, makes the world go around, the world go around, and so on.
That's my laugh for today Stasia.
DeleteWonderful post.
Now that Jill and David have learnt that Lizzie is without Geraldine and is struggling to cope at LL, will either of them do anything to help (apart from Jill making a batch of flapjacks that is!)?
ReplyDeleteWill David go to see Lizzie and offer some practical help or at least persuade her to get a new manager a.s.a.p
And at last Neil is seeing the writing on the wall at Berrow Pig Unit - but what is he going to do about it? Remonstrate with Hannah for overstepping her responsibilities without consulting him first (good luck with that Neil) or ask for a meeting with Justin to point out exactly what has been going on during his absence?
Problems, problems!
But at least Bess is proving to be the saving of Ben.
That was just Neil Carter’s paranoia talking! Thank goodness for Susan’ common sense to put his fears into proper perspective. He seemed to be taking what she said on board.
DeleteWhy is Susan taking Hannah's part?
ReplyDeleteHow come Bess is doing so well with the sheep after only two weeks, thought they’d gone to pick up a puppy. I mean she should just be doing well with the toilet training by now not rounding up everything in sight.
ReplyDeleteCan’t believe Susan was siding with HH either.....not like her at all when it concerns HH undermining her Neil.
As well as being the voice of common sense, Susan is trying to stop her husband making a fool of himself.
DeleteArcherphile: I agree with your post at 3:08 PM - Jill's help is making dinner and David wasn't concerned at all - but do you have time to come watch Bess! You would thought David would at least make a call or drop over to LL for a visit. I am not happy with this family right now.
ReplyDeleteAh, but you forget, Ruthy, Lynda is making urgent demands on David"s time, E. is just going secretly mad in a crumbling stately home !! (sounds like a (19 gothic novel....)
DeleteI, too, was puzzled by Susan, well aware of her behaviour towards Emma, let alone what's going on at Berrow, but can only think she's focused on Neil getting better. Still, when he muttered suspicions about a takeover bid, I thought she'd 'listen up' Maybe S. is wised up, more than we know, because she took HH's cheeky reminder about anti bacterial gel in her stride, calmly, not at all a typical reaction from her, surely.
ReplyDeleteNot cheeky, just taking responsibilities seriously, as Susan recognised.
DeleteSo agree PtbY about Bess. Suspending disbelief is one thing taking the Mick is quite another. I'll add to that Roy/Lexi, Elizabeth (for one moment it looked as if the story was heading, admittingly with a few tweaks, towards the first Mrs Rochester's finale!!!!) If the SW's paid a bit more attention to some of life's realities they could still have a very good drama /soap on their hands.. (You choose!)..........again and again it's all about the quality of the writing. Simples!
ReplyDeleteAs in Sean O’Connor’s day,when the main focus was on life’s realities and with excellent writing and acting to support it.Taking Archerphile’s advice, I am giving this new editor time to get into his stride before assessing his performance - but so far .....
DeleteArcherphile mentioned the long suffering Geraldine earlier and I agree with what she wrote.
ReplyDeleteI wonder though how somebody can just walk out of what presumably is a well paid position without any idea of where she is going to get another comparable job.
What sort of Reference would Elizabeth give to Geraldine?
I would like Lily to find her and persuade her to return.
However I still think that Lily will give up on her University Course and take over the running of LL.
Russ will soon be forgotten.
I think Geraldine was just so fed up with E putting all the blame for the Halloween disaster on her shoulders, E’s obsession with Freddie and also of being totally overloaded with work and precious little thanks, that she just wanted out.
DeleteNever mind that there was no new job ready and waiting - anything to put Lower Loxley behind her.
As for a reference, that will probably depend on Elizabeth havid a lucid moment when she realises what a gem Geraldine was and actually finding time to write it.
Geraldine told Elizabeth that she should give a month's notice, but, as she was owed a lot of holiday (which, presumably, she had been unable to take due to the growing shambles at Lower Loxley), she would leave immediately, using the holiday allowance in lieu of the month's notice - which she would be entitled to do. She also said that she needed a rest after all the overwork and hassle she had been experiencing, so was presumably intending to take some time off before looking for another job, and, as she has shown herself to be such an efficient and experienced P.A., she has surely already got some glowing references which she can use without needing Elizabeth's contribution.
DeleteI support the view that Lily will stay and take on Geraldine's position. However, she will not dump Russ. He will, as I predicted, return from Manchester and move into LL as Lily's dependant hanger on. He is an unpleasant leech.
DeleteLanjan. HH reminds me of a little man with a cropped mustachio who people greeted with HH. She is currently in the embryonic stage of development. 👨🏻
MrsP. You are very generous, if I could bake a lemon drizzle cake like Jill, who seems to cook for England, I would send it post haste by Bessie delivery. What a clever puppy dog. No good using cats they are notoriously bad at taking commands.
ReplyDeleteLet's see what Ben is like when young Master R. Aldridge Esquire returns for Christmas.
I am very disappointed in yet another character change to facilitate an improbable storyline. There is no way the 'old' Susan would take an 'outsider's ' part against one of her family. Susan Carter (nee Horrobin) has Family Loyalty writ through her!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Burnham Beeches. Lazy second class plot development and scriptwriting to overlap the existing dramas of: Home Farm break up and sale, affordable homes double cross, surrogacy for a middle aged couple, (neither of whom have had any experience of babies,) demise of Stately Home business, lecherous college tutor and his victim, and the pathetic behaviour of single guys desperate for love (and/or sex.)
Hopefully one or more of the more improbable storylines will be resolved soon. I am so hoping it won't be about a successful 'implant!'
Were there fireworks on the village Green this year Will they have a grand 'Lighting up' of the Christmas lights? Was there a hosted Harvest Supper? At least there is the annual show even if it is in an incredibly unlikely format!
I think there were fireworks and Elizabeth attended and despite Halloweengate was perceived to be just fine by her insightful family.
DeleteSusan may be secretly worrying that her husband is losing it. I am too.
DeleteThat’I am worried too, hopefully not losing it too!
DeleteI was amazed that the new puppy was so well trained within ten days, that she was already at the rounding up of sheep stage.
ReplyDeleteRidiculous !
Listening to Susan again this afternoon I thought three or four weeks ahead, and look forward to Susan's round condemnation of HH ( horrible Hannah ) when she discovers that Neil is correct in his suspicions that she is trying to step into his shoes.
Your living in cloud cuckoo land Maryellen.
Like I was with T❤️O❤️B❤️Y? 🙂
DeleteMrs P I believe working collies are not sold until they have proved that they will be suitable. I assumed that Bess was not a six week old puppy but a young dog which had already been out with her mother.
DeleteSeasider - I'd forgotten about the family thinking Elizabeth was ok at the fireworks!
According to a website, sheepdogs can be puppies, starter or started dogs (part-trained, anything from 8 to 18 months old) or fully trained. I didn't get the impression Bess was a young puppy – you'd only have the pedigree to indicate whether she might make a decent sheepdog – and she's obviously not fully trained (though presumably even a dog described as fully trained would need to get used to a new handler and environment). So perhaps Ben is making unusually rapid progress but he's not training a puppy from scratch.
DeleteCarolyn - 3 thumbs up for your reply to my post 12:46 AM - "crumbling stately home" indeed! I hear eerie music...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ruthy !
DeleteListening to Will tonight, I wondered had I missed something I.e. what happened about his custody battle for Jake and Mia? I remember Jake stayed with his father, we didn’t know whether forever and can’t remember anything about Mia. I may have missed a vital episode or is this another unfinished SL?
ReplyDeleteI think I remember an episode when Will had a real heart to heart conversation with someone (can’t remember if it was Joe or another man). The upshot was that he realised it was wrong to fight for custody and drag the children through the courts etc so he decided to leave things as they were, especially as Jake seemed to be very happy with the arrangements. Wish I could remember who the confidant was!
DeleteOh, yes, Brian, you still have 'the old magic' !!
ReplyDeleteNow, if Ruairi is back at school, could the guilty party be Ben?? Do hope not, thought he was too busy with the frisky puppy, who can do amazing stunts with sheep, implausibly, according to those who know about dogs & how they learn. I believe them.
I confirm..... it is an abandoned SL....
ReplyDeleteUntil we hear otherwise !
My impression is that it is a resolved SL. There never was a custody battle. Will took fright because the father did go to a solicitor to ascertain his rights, as Nic had died, but that's all. The same arrangements obtain : Jake & Mia with Dad weekdays, they go to school from his home, weekends, or some, with Will & family.
DeleteThank you, Carolyn. I thought I might have missed something. Sounds like a good arrangement!
DeleteI thought I heard Will say he had to collect the children from Grange Farm suggesting that more than one child is at his house. Didn't Jake go to his father's and Mia stay with Will?
DeleteYes Will did say that tonight and I agree that suggested more than one child to collect.
DeleteI have also remembered that Grundy senior had a quiet chat with Will, possibly Joe spoke to him too. Anyway the suggestion was put to Will that it could become very nasty and expensive to continue any pursuit of paternity rights.
Therefore I apologise to the SW s for accusing them of abandoning the SL.
Brian: Still thinks he is sprinkling magic at 75! Topic for an essay. Discuss!! 🙄
DeleteRoy (Give me strength!) Tucker as pantomime character not listening to the audience screaming at him "It's behind you - the elephant in the room - SURROGACY" 😣
I apologise to SW’s too. This is where having several heads we can fill in the gaps in our memory! I hope we will have some insight into how Mia and Jake are getting on.
DeleteI wonder who the joyrider is. Surely not Ben on his own and R is back at school or is he.....?
When Roy decides to "go for it" that will kill the relationship with Lexi stone dead immediately so I am all for him trying that out.
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly does Tom mean by "go for it ,Roy"?
Another character not seeing the reality of the situation - or perhaps he was just thinking about himself. I expect Natasha, just out of a long term relationship, needs Tom trotting around her no more than Lexi wants Roy declaring undying love for her (grammar?), but neither Tom nor Roy wants to face that.
DeleteI found 'Go for it' meaningless as well. Tom seemed to be suggesting that faint heart never won fair lady and all that, but as Lexi has clearly ended the relationship there doesn't seem much point, dignity or even kindness in pestering her. Roy the stalker?
DeleteTom Archer is the last person I would go to for relationship advice.
ReplyDeleteROY. Your eyes are dim,
You cannot see,
You have got your Rose tinted specs on you.
I'd put Tom slightly ahead of Hannah, and perhaps Pip. Definitely Lily.
DeleteI listened again last night's episode. Is Will that inept to not able to think on his feet? Not so believable. I also agree with comments already written Tom and the absurdity that Tom is given relationship advise. He who couldn't decide what jacket goes with what shirt.
ReplyDelete' go for it ' is meaningless, but that is the mindset of many young, and some not so young people. It seems to me to be a case of lazy speech patterns that seems to be engaging with the speaker but is used to just shut that person up by a form of agreement. But the response shows no thought, just a knee jerk response for the sake of making any reply. Silence might give some food for thought.
ReplyDeleteI don't like it, but accept that we have to ' put up or shut up '.
Ruthy, you are correct in your assessment of Will.
In the past Will would have thought through and delivered an alternative plan for the shoot. Probably the plan that Brian came up with in this instance. He would then have gone to Brian and told him what he planned to do.
Another case of change of character to facilitate the plot.
It was supposed to be Brian's birthday present, the nicest, he said himself, being able to point Will in the right direction even though he's no longer in charge. It made it worth getting up at 6:30 and feeling needed, all devised by the SWs.
DeleteQuite Basia !
DeleteThe SW could give themselves a B'day present by trawling the archives now and again and learning some TA history.
Or......
Consulting some long term listeners.
😂🤔
DeleteJust to be awkward....am inclined to indulge the SWs over the Will/Brian exchange. Will could have figured out way round the problem all by himself, in fact, he realised that when B. pointed out the alternative shooting places, even suggesting last one himself, I think. So, why panic ? I reckon it's because the Gibson rotter unnerves him, he's been disobliging, unappreciative & mean since he took over. Setbacks like that in the past, fine, he knows the job, had confidence, a good working relationship with the boss, but now ? Agreed, it allowed B. to feel better about himself on his B'day, but feasible, maybe...
DeleteTo be even more awkward, whilst I agree Tom is the last person one would go to for relationship advice (along with Lily, Pip etc as others point out, I also think Roy had a point, Lexi is giving mixed messages. She did indeed say she loved Roy more than once, at the same time as saying it was all hopeless, they must split up, without even being willing to talk about/consider options.
ReplyDeleteTrue, the 'surrogacy' is the elephant in the room, Roy avoids that, but does Tom know ? I suspect not, don't think many people do know.
I know for sure Helen knows about Lexi being the surrogate. So I am gonna assume Tom knows too. Lexi is not really sending mix message since she move out.
DeleteExit Lexit please, or do we have to wait till March? That's when Fred should exit too.
DeleteOliver said he wanted to work at the Bull to stop thinking about Caroline, now he can feel her presence there, when was it that she worked there, I can't remember and she's more present at Grey Gables than anywhere else. Joe echoed my words about Oliver not needing the money and he, Joe, would only be suited to the job thanks to his drinking habits, still at least he knew when to stop his stupid trick, I'll give him that.
ReplyDeleteRuthy, (7.23 tonight), I take your word for it, that Helen knows about the Lexi surrogacy attempts, as Adam is her favourite 1st cousin & Ian a close friend, not so sure this would have been passed on to Tom, but not unlikely, I guess. The one I don't get is Lexi as she's had plenty of time away to be completely clear about the Roy affair & what her reasons are. She owes him. Why not talk properly, however painful ? But that would be too easy. I don't at all like the way she's strung him along with Skype calls, protestations of love etc. If he does 'go for it', that expression everyone dislikes, she's asked for it.
ReplyDeleteTonight just jogged along, Joe being silly, Oliver rather touching, & Lynda mostly insufferable. I liked the way Kirsty moderated her pompous 'keeping personal life & professional separate', by appealing to her kinder side.
ReplyDeleteBasia When Caroline first came to Ambridge she took a job as barmaid at The Bull. This must have been in the 1970s. Sid and Polly Perks were managing it then (I think) for Peggy Woolley, only she was Peggy Archer then. I can't remember what she did after that but she stayed around Ambridge. Later she married a 'Gentleman farmer,' Guy Pemberton, who had a heart attack just six months after their wedding in mid 1990s which left her quite wealthy. Sid and Polly bought The Bull from Peggy with a partnership with Caroline. She later sold her half of the business to Lilian when she was raising money to buy Grey Gables when Jack Woolley retired. That's about all I remember, and may have missed something or got it all muddled!!!
ReplyDeleteDon't think your muddled Spiceycushion. More or less as I remember it along with the gap in the middle.
DeleteBut I do remember when Oliver came to Ambridge and I am pretty sure it was several decades after Caroline worked at the Bull, possibly even after she had sold her share to Lilian.
So my complaint about not looking at the history or archives is again relevant, only this time they have manufactured a thread that is massively out of date.
Spicy - you have brilliant recall - that’s just about how I remember Caroline’s history too.
DeleteI would just add that I think Caroline was in charge of the food at the Bull when she first came. She was dead posh (though awfully nice) and cordon bleu-trained, so her offerings were not always quite suitable for an establishment more used to supplying basic pub grub. Jack Woolley offered her a job at Grey Gables, where her haute cuisine was a better fit, and she rose to assistant manager and eventually manager.
DeleteI do hope Roy doesn't think that "go for it" means force yourself on Lexi. Surely he's not that clueless. As commented, that would at least kill the relationship at once.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness Joe's heart was touched by Oliver's comments and dropped his inane plot.