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Life in Ambridge: Comments week of January 14, 2019
Life in Ambridge: Comments week of January 14, 2019
Who will be Kirsty's neighbors?
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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.
Not the pigs; they are at Hollowtree where Rex is happy as a pig in muck.
ReplyDelete😀😀😀
DeleteAnd I for one am very happy for Rex, who seems now to be very happy himself.
DeleteHe has found his niche in Ambridge and long may he continue at Hollowtree looking after Neil's pigs.
I also still hold out hope for him and Pip to finally come together one day.
First few minutes of last nights episode: David and Pip - aaaarrrggghhh!
ReplyDeletePoor Daddy’s little girl had a rough night with teething daughter so mustn’t be disturbed, treated with kid gloves, go away Ben, come into the office dear.
Admittedly Ben’s whistle was annoying, but honestly the father daughter relationship is rather sick-making to this Archers fan.
(And Bed sounded about 36, most unconvincing!)
Glad to hear Rex is doing well with his pigs and received praise from Neil. Seems he has found his niche at last and is much happier. Now who is he going to settle on for a girl friend, many people will be asking. Pip, Lily or someone we have yet to meet?
Rex only said Neil had praised him - we didn’t hear it happening! I wasn’t impressed by him suggesting Pip should Ignore T❤️O❤️B❤️Y’s phone call. What a snake in the grass!
DeleteArcherphile. . I concur, except for Josh I find the Brookfield Archers tiresome, including deep voiced Ben and his whistle.
DeleteOh for goodness sake Maryellen! Are you suggesting Rex lied about being praised by Neil - just because we didn’t hear it word for word! I am flabbergasted!!
DeleteI can put up with Ben's whistle, or indeed anything else anyone does, if it annoys Pip.
DeleteArcherphile - can’t be denied it’s a possibility.
DeleteI loved your comment Pierre.
DeleteI agree.
I can't abide the way Ben speaks.
He seems to want to speak faster and with less expression in his voice than anyone else as if there will be some form of reward if he achieves his aim.
Of course we can't blame him.
He has spent so many months/years by himself in his room with only the odd email and text from Ruarie as communication.
As for Pip.
We will probably have her for the next few weeks unfortunately.
I forgot though.
Rosie is the only baby who wakes up during the night.
Other young mothers don't know how lucky they are.
Sorry folks, I meant Ben sounded about 36 in my above remark - not Bed!
DeleteI'm amazed Brian didn't check on who is responsible for dividing fences between him and next door. There again he has never had to live next to anyone else, but at least he did a repair job which is a kind neighbourly act. When the house was split something must have been written into the deeds?
ReplyDeleteOf course I know that it was a metaphor for mending fences with Kirsty, how long will it last, I wonder?
Wish Kirsty would remove the ants from her pants, it's tiresome. Amazed by the effort Brian made to 'mend fences', a real stretch for him, but well done - K. seemed to accept peace negotiations eventually.
ReplyDeleteDo agree about the nonsense between Pip, dad & brother. She really is not such a delicate flower, & Ben was pretty good humoured about the constant nagging to stop his whistling practice, which surely he has every right to exercise ( Josh would have given her short shrift).
Good to hear Rex has apparently found his métier; next step, find the right girl (please, not Pip). ✓✓ to Pierre, 9.53am !
Pierre I also loved your comment !
ReplyDeleteMy guess with Rex being enamored with Pip is that its a case of "grass is greener..." I do hope they don't get together - never.
ReplyDeleteHave Rosie's parents no imagination, or perhaps too indoctrinated by modern babycare guidelines ? My idea is that they spice up her last feed of the day with a little scruff gin - result ! Instant sleep, no teething pain for hours....
ReplyDeleteAgree with you, Lanjan, what is all the fuss about ? She gets lots of baby minding help during the day ( granny on tap, apparently), & Toby does the night watch from time to time so she can catch up on sleep. Never mind the plight of single mums who have much less support, there's plenty with partners who don't cover the night shift, not because they're pigs ( well, some probably are), but they've heavy workloads, early starts, late finishes.Not all of them are self employed, with a part time job at The Bull, Ambridge, which is, apparently, very easy to drop at short notice.
Sounds like poor old Jill does a lot of baby minding. Along with all her other tasks, cooking, baking, cleaning, and bee and chicken keeping how is she still breathing? Superwoman, she certainly is, I have to forget she is heading for 90 years. At least she didn't have Rosie dumped on her this time.
ReplyDeleteI thought Pip was extremely patronising towards Rex.
I think that was Pip just being friendly - she's a clumsy communicator, not sensitive to tone & nuance.
DeleteShe certainly is a poor observer and communicator, unfortunately the actress makes her sound patronising.
DeleteShe didn't read the dreadful Toby very well. I suspect he isn't doing as much 'minding' as she claims. Minding his own child for a few hours isn't exactly co- parenting.
I think Rosie wil grow up thinking Jill is her mother. That is, If Jill doesn't die from being overworked. 😁😘
Adam wants to grow quinoa, originally cultivated in the Andean region but now also in Europe and elsewhere. Depending on who you believe, it's good for the local farmers but others will say that they can no longer afford it themselves and have depleted their soils due to the export demands.
ReplyDeleteIs it the western craze for super foods? I find these issues very complex.
My thought is that there is a story line, focusing on Kirsty, soon to become relevant. My reasons are:-
ReplyDeletea) Her constant moaning about her job at Grey Gables
b) Her dislike about Brian + Jenny "dahling" living next door, complaining about their party, and getting Jenny, to move Brian's car, so Kirsty could park in her normal place
c) Her relationship with Philip and his son - which still doesn't sound fully genuine. She deserves far better.
I think Phil is a "cowboy" as he always seems to be available at short notice. No reputable contracter can do this.
He is already starting to mess up the new Brookfield parlour, as wants to do a "short-cut".
I don't trust him.
Neither do I. Shady character.
DeleteI don't see any real grounds for these suspicions. Brookfield know about the short cut, he hasn't concealed that. Builders take what comes up, often running a few jobs concurrently. I reckon it's dislike of the man surfacing, but hard to pinpoint, as Lanjan has said. I think he,'' fine, but time will tell who is right on this.
DeleteCarolyn - all will be revealed - and who knows what this might be. I just think that things are not quite as appears.
DeleteAs you have so eloquently said, Philip might be "fine".
I have only given my own thoughts, which differ from many others, which I know you do not like.... But that is the magic of The Archers.
We all hear it and then interpret it, so very differently.
That's what I find so fascinating.
Miriam, Kirsty would agree with you.
DeleteThere were certainly hints that Philip and Kirsty may not be together quite soon. The alternative is that their relationship is going to get more attention for a while. But my money's on the first. Is Shula still interested?
DeleteWe don’t know Phil has started to ‘mess up’ the Brookfield milking parlour base. He explained his reasons to David and gave him assurances it would be fine - which David accepted. It wouldn’t do his reputation as the local builder any good at all, if he did a poor job.
DeleteOpinion seems very divided about Phil. I think he’s OK.
Just be grateful Jennifer that you haven't broken any bones, I found it unnerving.
ReplyDeleteI found it enervating - from the moment she got on the ladder, we knew something was going to happen...
DeleteThere is no way Jennifer would have decided to cut down the clematis in Roy's garden.
ReplyDeleteSome clematis should not be pruned at this time.
I would have been furious had she pruned mine.
There was presumably enough work to do in the Gill's garden but Jennifer would not have bothered to do that.
When did she ever do any gardening?
I thought it was a very silly way to show the listeners that Kirsty has a short fuse and always seems to be spoiling for an argument but it certainly looks as Miriam has said that there is going to be another Kirsty storyline which will pre ably mean that we will find out more about Phillip..
I wish his surname were Bell and then I could say
I do not like you Phillip Bell
The reason why I cannot tell.
But this I know and know full well.
I do not like you Phillip Bell.
(I copied the bulk of that from somewhere but can't think from where)
However since his surname is Moss I can't use that..
We have quite often heard about Jennifer’s gardening activities at Home Farm over the years and I imagined her as quite keen and knowledgeable - so if she thinks it’s okay to prune the clematis now, that’s okay by me! I’d be out cutting back myself if the wind wasn’t so cold, must be warmer in Ambridge, rain was mentioned.
DeleteMy book says Willow Farm is an ugly brick house with the front covered with ivy, so either they were at the back of the house, or the ivy got replaced.
"but can't think from where" : possibly from The Cat in a Hat, " I do not like green eggs and ham...."! In the end though he decided he did like green eggs and ham after all!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHow about
ReplyDeleteI do not like you Philip Moss
Even tho’ Kirsty is the boss
T’is you who makes us really cross
I do not like you Philip Moss!
I do not love thee, Philip Moss,
ReplyDeleteThe reason why I cannot guoss
But this I know, and know full toss,
I do not love thee, Philip Moss.
Perhaps we should agree it's not a promising name. Or we could call him Philip Smell in a really childish allusion to his work with pigs. Or make Lynda Snell the target instead! Oh no!
“His work with pigs”? When, where, what have I missed???
DeleteI don’t dislike thee, Philip Moss,
DeleteSo think you shouldn’t give a toss
When others here are at a loss
To find your good points, Philip Moss.
maryellen x
Oops, I slipped Rex and his pigs in there somehow. Senior moment?
DeleteRex Smell, then?
DeleteEv, Bootgums, Maryellen 😂
DeleteI found the Jennifer pruning storyline quite lame and very obvious from the outset that something was going to happen. Actually I thought she'd fall off the ladder rather than cut an electric wire. Goodness knows what she'd have to say about my garden. She's such a neatnik she'd have a fit with her legs up!
ReplyDeleteI really can't see Jennifer pruning in the middle of January and on an unsteady ladder, in front of someone else's part of the house.
ReplyDeleteWhy was Adam not present at the robotic fruit picker presentation? And did Brian agree to being the guinea pig for the product. I wonder what Adam would say.
Family still blind to the fact that Elizabeth is not well at all!
Last night was very like the average introduction to Casualty : woman, wobbly ladder, secateurs - emergency situation impending - call the ambulance! Or in this case the phone company.
ReplyDeleteTypical Alice - trying to get Brian to agree to trialling her company’s new invention, this time a robotic strawberry picker. She virtually bludgeoned Brian into agreeing (though he did say it was really Adam’s call) and the real reason? She’d get a nice fat bonus out if it
Still, if viable, I suppose it could be the answer to lack of foreign pickers after Brexit.
If Jennifer knows so much about clematis she would know that there are three kinds-early,late and large and none of these should be cut back in JANUARY.
ReplyDeleteI doubt if she knew which one she was cutting back anyway.
More to the point .
She was on a ladder ,presumably leaning over the fence to get at the offending clematis.
How come the wire she cut was situated so high up the fence?
What on earth was it doing up there?
What a weak storyline.
A good gardener like Jennifer Aldridge (we heard her being complimented on the Home Farm garden a couple of times at least ) goes by how the season advances not by what the book says. In fact, you can prune some clematis in February and I reckon the seasons have moved forward 3-4 weeks in the last decade, so....... in any case, she’s hardly going to kill it, and curbing its rampancy (if that word doesn’t exist, it should) sounds like a good idea.
DeleteIf it was a Montana type, it would have grown a metre by next month.
Delete
DeleteIt is only a good idea to prune somebody else's plants if they specifically asked you to do so .
What about the wires?
Why are they so far up the fence?
We haven't any wires on our fences.
We don't know that Jennifer did not employ a gardener.
When they moved she was talking about retaining the cleaner whose name we hadn't heard before.
No in my opinion,Jennifer should keep her nose out of other people's gardens
If they are only going to be there for six months why bother anyway?
The owners of the house were swayed in their decision to rent to The Aldridges rather than Tom and Natasha because they were proud of their garden and knew Jenny was capable of looking after it.
DeleteExactly Janice. I have always supposed Jennifer to be a keen and knowledgable gardener. We have heard many references over the years to the Home Farm gardens and her part in looking after them . I dare say she hired ‘a man’ to do the heavy work such as digging and lawn mowing but we have definitely heard her tidying borders, doing the plants around the swimming pool etc.
DeleteWhat I am surprised about is that the owners, apparently very keen gardeners, had allowed the clematis to get into such a state that it rampaged over the adjoining house.
I thought it was the vintage wine that Brian took round to the Gills which swayed it.
DeleteBribery and corruption.
Doesn't sound like Brian at all.
What I most disliked about Jennifer last night were her comments about Elizabeth, that she rejected her invitation and when Shula mentioned that she misses Lily she replied that she has all this space to herself. Yes Jennifer would like the space but not roam around all by herself, as it is she may find herself on her own with no space, and yes Elizabeth still keeping people at bay.
ReplyDeleteThree cheers to the poets. 👏👏 I was trying to write something,but could only come up with.
ReplyDeletePhilip Moss -er?
What a Toss - er?
Even Kirsty expressed some suspicions about his behaviour.
Détente. Well that easing of hostilities didn't last very long. Jenifer is idle in her little domain so decides to do some gardening which requires a ladder, and boom no internet or landline. Suddenly it's the end of the world for Kirsty, and it isn't even her house or phone. Kirsty, Accidents
happen, and the old you would have been more concerned about the individuals welfare. Since her miscarriage Kirsty has become argumentative and emotionally disengaged.
I don't think being around Philip Moss helps, neither does sharing a house with Roy do her any favours.
stasia - brilliant!
DeleteDoes Willow Farm/Cottage have a wire going up the side of the house delivering broadband? Does anyone else have such an arrangement? Did Roy say the neighbours had refused to let them use theirs? The Carters are nearby, and would help. The Aldridges can use the farm office, and Roy and Kirsty can access the internet at work and via their smartphones. Calm down, everybody!
ReplyDeleteYes, Bootgums, we do, as a matter of fact! Our telephone wire comes across the road from the telegraph pole and is attached to the wall just under the guttering. It then travels down the wall to just below our study window where it enters the house and is wired into our WiFi hub and landline telephone.
DeleteWe have a hydrangea petiolaris on that wall and should we ever want to prune it, would have to be very careful not to snip the wire!!
But, thanks to Jennifer, forewarned is forearmed. 📞
Same as Archerphile here!
DeleteWell, well, you live and learn. And it's good to know The Archers is keeping alive its public information role of old.
DeleteI admire you, Phillip Moss
ReplyDeleteThough you make the others cross
Your Welsh accent makes me swoon
Kirsty should be oe’r the moon.
or Kirsty should be und'r the moon.
DeleteI don't like Philip Moss'er either.
Boo, Ruthy!
DeleteLand line - that sounds so erh 20th century.
ReplyDeleteQuite a lot of Britain still feels like the 20th Century! 😟
DeleteAnd some of it like the 19c !
DeleteI like that Philip moss
ReplyDeleteA man who'd never doss
Like that tosser Russ/Ross
Please stay in Ambridge, Moss
I'd mourn your sudden loss !
✔️✔️✔️
DeleteTo Philip Moss:
ReplyDeleteBeware, beware that Kirsty Miller!
She’s treating you like you’re infiller.
‘Twas desperation made her kiss yer,
Give her Rex and she’d never miss yer!
maryellen x
Give her Rex* and she’d never miss yer!
Delete* Substitute man of your choice as long as he’s only one syllable.
I think we will have to re christen him"Marmite"
ReplyDelete😝
DeleteBut how to distinguish him from all the other Ambridge Marmites.......?
DeleteTaffy Marmite
DeleteNo that won't do because Natasha is from Cymru too.
DeleteTaff-ess Marmite. But I like Marmite and Philip Moss!
DeleteWhy do I feel another "disaster" looming with Alice & the robotic fruit picker & the local media in attendance??
ReplyDeleteThere is an old Welshman called Phil
ReplyDeleteWho I think must be over the hill.
Kirsty ,tell him to go
Don't have him as your beau
(I really don't think that she will.)
✅✔️
DeleteBest yet, Lanjan.
DeleteReally enjoying the posts and rhymes yesterday/today.👍😀
ReplyDeleteJennifer is very self absorbed at the moment so only seeing Elizabeth’s situation from her own point of view. She is put out that her olive branch wasn’t accepted and is so consumed with her own problems of her reduced circumstances she has lost perspective.
I think of her as a keen gardener (and I have been out in my garden this week). The clematis is in Roy’s garden and I think she was trying to build bridges with her neighbours to compensate for Brian’s outburst. Unfortunately it has backfired.
Incidentally I think the Gills are the people who have bought Home Farm. I can’t remember the name of the people at Willow Cottage.
Phoenix, I agree that seeking publicity for Home Farm with the court case coming up is probably not in their best interests. I don’t think they’ll need to make any effort to attract attention.
ReplyDeleteLoving all the poetry. I just wish I could write similar, but cannot do.
ReplyDeleteI have only just realised, for the 'phone line to be cut, it is still an "overhead" wire.
Still I am sure Kirsty + Roy will be fine wirhout the "tinternet" for a night or two.
I just cannot warm to Philip, and I think he is so wrong for Kirsty. She needs some-one who really understands her - my money is on Tom.
To me, they are destined, to be together. It won't happen, though.
PS I use my land line all the time. I prefer it to my mobile, as to get a decent signal to use it, I have to go into the back garden.
DeleteAlso my intertent package (superfast broadband/TV box +line rental) is still only £32/month) and also allows me free landline 'phone calls 24/7. It suits me.
Tom certainly knows a lot about her ( much of her woes the last few years are down to him!) but I think he is very far from understanding her.
DeleteI like Philip, but there do seem to be some cracks appearing in their relationship, so, if not him forever, how about Alistair ? They've things in common, & she has a penchant for the older man.....
I just want Dr. Locke to reappear.
DeleteAh now Caroline I do like that .
ReplyDeleteAlastair would be ideal for Kirsty and she for him.
Scriptwriters please note that Carolyn said that first.
Kirsty deserves better than Alistair, but who knows?
DeleteIsn't there about a twenty year age gap between Kirsty and Alistair - but otherwise, they would be a good match.
DeleteNot long ago, Neil couldn't work due to a back problem. In his abscence - Hannah took control and persuaded Justin to pay for something - but don't recall what.
ReplyDeleteThe Berrow Farm situation, with Neil + Hannah, has now gone very silent. Just wondering.....
It was an agricultural gadget to the value of about 50 quid. No, I can't remember what it was either, but it was cheap for what it was (?).
DeleteA device to check feed quality. Neil doesn't need a gadget. He used to sell animal-feed.
DeleteI said the transfer would work so that Susan can have her say, little does she know and if I were Lexi I wouldn't have bought decaffeinated - a give away but it had to be. She refused Ian's offer of food and drink and went to scype her mother.
ReplyDeleteEmma and Ed have got their mortgage offer but not the deposit, rather strange.
Perhaps there is an outside chance that it is Roy's baby, it is Ambridge but I guess wishful thinking.
ReplyDeleteBasia I do hope you are wrong.
ReplyDeleteThere's an Ambridge tradition of women getting pregnant when a relationship is over: Kirsty, Pip. Shula even.
DeleteEd + Emma have been approved to have an affordable Beechwood new build. This seems to have been done, without any evidence that the deposit and mortgage are in place. Is this how this scheme works?
ReplyDeleteI am naive on this.
I have a thought that Emma + Ed will have major financial problems before they secure
their new home. I hope I am wrong, as they do deserve a bit of positivity, for a change.
Is it a part-owned/part-rental property?
DeleteI thought that Emma was working 3 jobs to come up with the down payment. Now they are worried about mortgage and other bills. Plus they need to furnish a house. So, lots of expenses coming up for them.
DeleteIs Caroline's chaise-longue still knocking about? Beds, a dining table and a few chairs would be more useful, but a chaise-longue would look stylish.
DeleteI think most of us would like more detail about just how and whether Ed and Emma have the wherewithal to buy a Beechwood house, rather than the agony and ecstasy of 'No they can't, yes they can', whatever generates the most emotion.
Basia - I don’t think that could be Roy’s baby. They haven’t had sex for months.
ReplyDeleteWould Lexi few the affects of being pregnant after just 1 week?
I should stop listening to TA but I JUST CAN’T.
I meant feel.
DeleteI can’t understand why anyone goes into the village shop. I would avoid it like the plague if I lived in Ambridge!
ReplyDeleteThere must not be a supermarket within 50 miles of Ambridge. No one is ever going to do a “big shop”.
DeleteOr even waiting in for an online delivery.
😀 Archerphile I would be the same, or would go in when Susan is working at Bridge Farm.
DeleteThere are probably people in Ambridge without easy access to a car and/or who do not want to shop online, people who like a chat with someone they know (some supermarket till operators have tunnel vision which doesn’t the customer!) I would use the village shop as a way of supporting my local community.
DeleteYeah, there's a supermarket, as Tom knows to his cost. But it's a drive/bus ride away, so the village shop is handy sometimes. And essential as a setting for dialogue, obviously.
DeleteI would be in that shop every day feeding Susan the finest made--up rumours & gossip I could think of! I would have a blast. Many years ago I lived in a tiny village on the island of Arran & I had a field day with the local Susans - many a time I heard some innocuous rubbish I had invented repeated back to me by someone in the local pub!
ReplyDeleteGary, that's exactly what Anisha did on Alistair's advice to contact 'the village radio', she told Susan the truth about cheating on Jazzer and not being a hard drinker.
DeleteWhat fun, GG! We have to infiltrate you into Ambridge, where you will quickly charm Susan with a load of fake news, causing all manner of misunderstandings & outrage, setting in motion a host of ludicrous storylines....
DeleteWell reminded, Basia, I'd forgotten about that - a number of posters on the old BBC blog took exception to Anisha's trick, but I liked her for it - beating Jazzer at his own game.
Cheating, not beating! I was one of the disapprovers.
DeleteShe beat him by cheating...I thought he asked for it.
DeleteResidents of Ambridge are lucky. They have a village shop, farm shop and a pub. Many villages round here, larger than Ambridge, have no facilities, and the pubs went long ago. I might venture into the shop when Susan is working, but only to buy the papers or have a flutter on the lottery. Oh, and engage in some gossip, it is amazing what one can learn.
ReplyDeleteWe lived in a village with post office shop when my daughter was little. I used to watch her as she went to the shop with her pocket money. She could barely see over the counter but would emerge triumphant with a bagful of bargain broken sweets! The most touching thing was when she gave her pocket money via the post office for children who had lost a parent in the Falklands war. Being a Naval family it was close to our hearts. Sadly the shop together with the pub which was like someone’s front room are both gone now but long after we moved away. They were both at the heart of the village.
DeleteSusan was the one to find out first about Lexi's pregnancy, so let it be her implying to Roy that he might become a father again and Ian and Adam to find out from him. I'm so fed up with this storyline that I expect anything to happen.
ReplyDeleteSo it seems Lexi is pregnant - following her visit home? I assume she found this out for sure (had her suspicions which is why she split with Roy on her return to Ambridge) when she went for her recent surrogacy treatment and is now in turmoil re A & I does she confess or try to pass it off as theirs.....or I am completely wrong 😂
ReplyDeleteI would have thought the clinic would check to make sure she wasn't pregnant before they implanted.
DeleteThat is my thinking Ruthy and that was when her pregnancy was found and why she is so quiet with A & I - as A said I last night something along the lines of “it’s been some time now and Lexi is not talking about her visit to the clinic like she has done before”
DeleteI thought that too, Lady R, when she split up with Roy, giving a plausible reason but one which any couple would have discussed months before when the affair started( different countries, children etc.)
DeleteSo, Lexi could indeed be pulling a fast one, passing off the product of a one night stand as Adam's & leaving them with a baby not related by blood OR throwing a wobbly post birth, & claiming rights over baby in Bulgaria with the father who wasn't just a one night stand but the Love of her Life, established over the summer months last year.....
carolyn - you really be the SW for TA. Can we start a petition?
DeleteOr is she ill and can’t go ahead with either the surrogacy or her relationship with Roy? There is doubt that Susan is as keen to crack the mystery as I am 🤔
ReplyDeleteSusan has spotted a change in Lexie, mind being Susan she will follow her instincts. Many women can identify when another women is pregnant, I had a friend who got herself up the duff, and my mother noticed right away. But then my mother had seven children so had a bit of experience.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Pip, Susan is an experienced observer, and whilst she might be right about Lexie, she did come across as an MI5 interrogator.
Agree certainly not subtle 😂
DeleteIt seems to me that Lexi will soon leave Ambridge, pregnant, but not as a surrogate for Adam + Ian. I think Lexi is about to be written out (and rightly so). I still favour Adam + Ian as long term foster parents for older children. This way they can both keep their "jobs" with a bit of juggling, and will still provide wonderful care for children, who need a loving home. OK they might need extra help, so enter Jennifer "dahling" when Brian is either "inside" or doing his unpaid community work.
ReplyDeleteMiriam, may I remind you that Brian is guilty until proven innocent. (Have I got that right?)
DeleteWell it’s certainly got us talking as well as Susan. I think some of us speculated about Lexi being pregnant when she returned to Ambridge, and whether the baby could be Roy’s or someone back in Bulgaria as Carolyn suggests. That would certainly make sense of her behaviour since she returned. I hope if A and I are going to ask her in a few days we will all be put out of our misery.
ReplyDeleteMiriam I still agree with you that fostering would be a good outcome and yes, Jenny needs a distraction at the moment to keep her out of mischief with the neighbours. I’ve been reading about community notices councils can impose on people, including problem neighbours so she should be careful.
Well ,Maryellen after your whoop of joy when you heard that T❤️O❤️B❤️Y was in the programme ,were you not rather disgusted with his childish behaviour?
ReplyDeleteBen/Rex/Toby: go whistle!
DeleteSadly Lan Jan, this is what most of us expected I believe once the novelty wore of and realism set in.
DeleteIf Lexi is pregnant she must have found out at the clinic or if she had known previously she would have ducked out of going there. She certainly has acted strangely since coming back and a good explanation would be that there is an amour in Bulgaria! Has she provided any information about the girls’ father? Maybe he is back on the scene! Hopefully all will be revealed soon!
ReplyDeleteOh no.
ReplyDeleteIt looks as if Kirsty and Philip are going to become an item as they say.
I really think that Kirsty thinks the clock is ticking and he is her only option.
The naysayers will not agree ( Lanjan, just read your comment above !😉) but I was delighted by the satisfactory & rather touching sorting out between Kirsty & Philip, both admitting their insecurities & reassuring each other.
ReplyDeleteThat said, she came across as unpleasantly vindictive, when gloating over Brian's imminent trial. Fair enough, a principle is involved, one she sincerely upholds, but....I suppose it would be unrealistic if she was saintly & was never mean !
I agree about Kirsty, Carolyn - she expects justice and should be serious about it, not express her girlish satisfaction.
DeleteI am aware that Kirsty is a favourite of many, but for me her most distinctive trait has always been her vindictive approach to all and what she sees as 'enemy'. This goes back in my memory all the way to her crop trashing days with Tom years ago.
DeleteI visualise Kirsty with her left and right index fingers in an almost permanent cross held on high, directed at anybody who does not share her ' values ' and vision. She is the most intolerant person in Ambridge, far worse than Brian Aldridge.
As you will guess, I am not overly fond of Kirsty.
If she continues in a relationship with Philip Moss I would hope that his more measured look at life may moderate her angry rant at life in general.
Dear Philip Moss, well played
ReplyDeleteYou won the girl
Who's such a pearl
The pair in joy are made !
I cannot get excited about Kirsty + Phil, as a perfect couple. I think Kirsty deserves someone better.
DeleteHowever, it is her choice, so wish her well, whatever she chooses.
Hooray! Now I hope the Phil haters will lay off for a bit and give the couple a chance of happiness. He sounded pretty genuine to me last night and I hope to have been proved right all along. I still think he’s a good’un.
DeleteKirsty + Roy, can still use their mobile 'phones to call, and talk to friends + family. They can also send + receive text messages.
ReplyDeleteI cannot see their problem, but this is probably due a massive, generation gap.
Well we will see........
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the way Kirsty is behaving now,Carolyn.
She was never vindictive.
Why have the script writers made her behave so nastily now?
Why do we have a disproportionate number of men who come to Ambrdge with broken marriages seemingly searching for other partners?
We've had Richard Locke,,Justin,Lee,and Phillip to name but four.
I am not sure that Phillip is being entirely truthful with Kirsty either.
However if proved wrong I will admit defeat -graciously.
There was a time, when Shula and Caroline were both young widows, when there seemed to be a endless stream of appropriate-aged, handsome, intelligent, rich bachelors – vets, doctors, landowners and the like. That the eligible men tend to be divorced these days is more probable, I think. More complicated though.
DeleteAnd then there were Matt and Rob who arrived with soon-to-be-dumped wives.
DeleteAnd Justin.
DeleteIn Matt's defence (*@^?), it was his wife that dumped him!
DeleteI'm really hoping Lexi is not pregnant as I just want her to leave the programme. Then Ian and Adam can apply to foster/adopt a child who needs a loving home.
ReplyDeleteKirsty is a strident SJW and is becoming rather boring. Surely Emma and Ed would have thought about the deposit beforehand. Seems as if they only think of things at the last moment and then it's "How will we get the money".
Bank of Mum and Dad. AKA Susan and Neil.
DeleteWhat's an SJW?
DeleteEmma and Ed have been thinking about, and saving for, the deposit for ages. That's why Emma took the job at the chicken factory. Just a clumsy bit of script-writing.
bootgums SJW is a social justice warrior
DeleteLike Mrs P I have never liked Kirsty. She arrived as a self opinionated teenager environmental warrior but it was when she turned into Bridezilla I really went off her. All the plans she and Tom had made for the wedding day and afterwards were changed. A newly built house at Brookfield was ditched after planning permission granted; a marquee and caterers at Brookfield was changed to a much ''posher' venue; a second wedding dress was bought as Kirsty changed her mind. All of which in the end cost thousands which Pat and Tony had to pay after Tom did a runner.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember if the number of new houses had been mentioned but it still could be several months before Ed and Emma's house is built. They will need all the time they can get to get the money together.
Hey, not fair on Kirsty! There were many years between teenage eco-warrior Kirsty (and good for her) and unconvincing Bridezilla, during which Tom strayed several times and Kirsty was beyond doubt the stable one that Tom was very lucky to have landed. (Bridge Farm, not Brookfield.)
DeleteYup Bridge Farm. Sorry ☺️
DeleteBut nope still don't like her ☺️
Every episode recently has had more than its fair share of nastiness.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of shouting and snide comments.
The one last night involving Toby and Ben was unnecessarily unpleasant I thought.
To be fair to Toby I thought he acted out of character.
He had in my opinion improved a lot recently .
He has been doing more than his fair in looking after the baby who Pip was going to bring up alone.
He has probably had enough of being used by Pip and who can blame him?
Why can't we have some "feel good" episodes?
There was one a few years ago between Pecggy and Helen and another between Emma and somebody which was particularly moving..
I want,at 7.20 pm sometimes to be able to think
"That was really enjoyable" instead of going "Grrrrrr!"
Goodness Lanjan, are we listening to the same programme?
DeleteToby arrived and immediately began sponging on others, he would spend long periods in bed being fed by Pip ( in more than one way) and Misused Bert's hospitality. He is a waste of airtime, and I don't find his boyish behaviour very entertaining. He is an unpleasant person and irresponsible.
The baby is the responsibility of both. I don't see him doing his fair share, help out maybe and then he ducks out last night. Pip may have originally said she would manage on her own but that did change.
DeleteMuch as I dislike Pip. using him no, I see no evidence.
Pip wanted to bring up the baby by herself then when it got "tough " for her Toby offered to come and sleep on the couch so that she would not be disturbed in the night.
DeleteHe still had to do a job of work.
I don't know many men who would have volunteered to do that.
I agree ,Stasia with what you say happened when he first arrived.
Then for a brief (,admittedly ) period ,he pulled up his socks a bit and seemed quite pleasant.
He didn't take his bat home when Jill was so rude to him after he was helpful when she fell off a ladder.
I remember commenting at the time that I was warming to him.
Then we had a long period when he wasn't heard.
Now that he has returned it sounds that he has reverted to his earlier childish ,spoilt behaviour.
Pip has to come clean though about what she wants from Toby .
She can't have it both ways-or perhaps she can.
Well said Lanjan - just my thoughts on Pip.
DeleteI second that Lanjan. Pip and Toby are not married or even living together yet Pip behaves as though the situation between them is just that!
DeleteIndeed Pip sounded as though she had the pip re her meeting because Gran - in her late 80’s wasn’t free that day to look after Rosie nor Mum or Dad.
Technically she is still on maternity leave anyway - I believe it can be a year these days!
Pip was so annoying and manipulative. "Oh Tooooby I did tell you I have to hang out with young farmers group and it was today not tomorrow. Oh Rex you can watch Rosie how lovely but you don't have to but oh I would like to go hang out with young farmers and have a drink." Why do these two even stay around her? BTW - why couldn't Ben have watched Rosie for a couple of hours? Two busy practicing his whistling? Give me a break everyone!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree Ruthy. Why not Ben?? I do hope Rex is well and truly over Pip and finds someone lovely if that’s what he wants. He is everyone’s best friend when they are in need but doesn’t get much in return.
DeleteI have to agree Pip deliberately went to see Rex knowing full well that if she wheedled, just a little, - he doesn't need a great deal of wheedling to respond, -he would offer to care for Rosie in her absence.
DeleteNot good !
I have just listened again to last night's programme.
DeleteThis is what I noticed.
1) Pip was extremely bossy
"I told you yesterday Tobee that I had a meeting......
It is the"told " bit that I find so annoying.
"I told you therefore you must drop everything to fall in with my wishes."
2) I am surprised that when a baby. Is teething one is up all night with it but I have to admit that any disturbed sleep isn't good and Toby does seem to have had rather a loT of it recently
3)Pip said that Jill couldn't look after Rosie because she was going out but later Ben said that his grandmother had a headache so he couldn't use the whistle in the house .
So who was telling the truth
4) "Mum and dad are busy"
Busy doing what?
Stick Rosie in a pram and let her watch them.
That is what busy people do and the baby won't mind.
5) Take the baby with you ,Pip.
Everyone at the meeting will just love her and think how clever you are being able to work so hard and look after a baby
6) Don't Rex and Ben sound similar?
7) Kirsty mentioned her poor track record with men.
Who have been her previous boyfriends before or after Tom?
There was the birdwatcher but he wasn't really her boyfriend.
Kirsty went out with Sam, Ruth's almost lover, I don't think it was in our hearing. She told Ruth that she thought they'd had something going and couldn't understand why he left. There was a brief moment with a Hungarian (who was first keen on Usha, David said that probably because he'd never seen someone so exotic?) when Tom was briefly with Fallon.
DeleteI think Kirsty and Tom had three periods together.
Yes, Lanjan, I noticed that inconsistency about Jill, perhaps she just went out to the shop.
Kirsty saying her record with relationships wasn't great was either because she sets the bar very high or because the scriptwriters have bad memories. Like Basia, I can't remember anyone other than Sam (he dumped her in a pub, bringing back memories of Tom dumping her in a posh restaurant in favour of the awful supermarket woman) and the Hungarian, whose name slips my memory. Hardly a chequered past.
DeleteThough there was the Ambridge Extra incident when Kirsty travelled north with Fallon and Jazzer, and Harry who then worked at the Bull. They had an automotive breakdown, Harry remembered that he had an old acquaintance in the vicinity, they tracked him down, Kirsty fancied him and tried to 'seduce' him (am I being old-fashioned here?), but he preferred Harry (who suddenly turned out to be bisexual), and Fallon ended up in bed (van? caravan?) with Jazzer. But Ambridge Extra did get a bit silly.
Am I remembering this aright?
LJ
ReplyDeleteYour points, above.
1: agree, but Toby does need to be ' told ' not asked. IMO
3: should we be concerned for Jill ? Health issues ?
4: agree
5 : possibly ?
7: can't remember
Doesn't seem to me Rex is moving on - he is working near Pip which keeps him close to mother and baby at the moment. Feel like he wants to be more than just an uncle - but that makes it so complicated. Why can't the script writer give him a better girlfriend?
ReplyDeleteI would settle for old Kirsty,Ruthy but not for the one we have at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info about Kirsty's boyfriends,Basia
I couldn't remember any of that happening.
Couldn't remember Tom going out with Fallon but once when I was on my way to a Dinner somewhere I pulled over into a lay bye because Fallon and Ed were together in a hotel room .
Ed turned her down because of Emma I think.
It must have been about 20 years ago.
Can that be right?
I am sure I haven't made that up
Absolutely, Lanjan. Ed and Fallon were a couple for a short time (Eddie had hopes of a musical dynasty), had a meant-to-be-romantic weekend away, and Ed was unmanned by his thoughts of Emma, whom he Truly Loved. I remember thinking he was a fool for preferring Emma to Fallon.
DeleteI'm impressed with how much listeners remember of all past events, lovers etc.
DeleteAre Rex + Toby, still lodging with Bert?
ReplyDeleteAlso how is Rex getting an income, taxi driving and pigs with Neil or Tom?
Can't recall what he is doing, so to be able to suddenly be a baby-sitter for Rosie.
Would love to learn.
Rex is keeping hens as well, it seemed the other day. Lots of eggs, and Rosie loves the chickens. I can understand that he might have free time at short notice, and he wouldn't necessarily have had to devote 100% of his attention to a baby, as long as she was safe and happy enough. (She probably reserves her teething-related screaming for the night-time, for maximum impact.) I suppose Rex works shifts as a taxi-driver, or just waits for someone to ask him for a ride (is he self-employed in that respect?), and the pigs would require routine care at particular times of the day, but not all day.
DeleteIf Elizabeth was my sister I would have *insisted* on staying the night instead of pumping her full of medication, especially that Shula has ALL this time. And was Elizabeth telling the truth about the hearing, or was she confused and missed the date, perhaps not, IF there is a solicitor involved?
ReplyDeleteOr did she not turn up, perhaps unable to face going out, and/or perhaps not having prepared her report. I fear the business is going to hit the buffers - she was supposedly sorting out her bills the other week when Lily was left to induct Glen, but was she? I really hope the GP did give her a tiny prescription, and I hope she’s going to see her again soon. As for Shula going on about going out to films again...for goodness sake check she’s eating and help Elizabeth sort out her kitchen. Will Shula tell Jill? They tried to keep her in the dark months ago so perhaps not.
DeleteI hope Lily comes back soon. Shula and the rest of the family is stupid and useless in helping E. I don't like seeing her going to pieces.
DeleteShula's faith in medication was unconvincing. It was like someone thirty years ago insisting that antibiotics would cure them, regardless of the cause.
DeleteYes, Basia, it didn't sound as though Elizabeth was telling the truth (though perhaps out of a desire not to cause anxiety to anyone else).
DeleteAgree with all said. Don't think she was ' lying ' exactly. Rather hiding the truth for fear that anybody discovers or realises how and what sort of poor state she is in.
DeleteElizabeth is certainly recognising this for herself.
It can be appalling to realise what a state one is in and want to hide it, from shame for oneself and anxiety for ones loved ones.
I heard tonight in the same way that Seasider has described.
I was relieved that at last someone had taken note of Elizabeth but Shula didn't do enough and I agree she could have stayed the night and helped sort out the kitchen. Shula also took what E said at face value about the hearing. It seemed to me that E is so confused that she may have had the date wrong or not turned up at all.
DeleteI was concerned when Shula asked about the 'locum' doctor. To me that inferred a doctor who would not see how strange Elizabeth's behaviour was compared to the usual, therefore 'seeing the doctor' will not advance the sorting out of her problems. Once again Elizabeth is lying left right and centre. She obviously has done nothing about getting the licence back and probably spun another web of deceit with the doctor.
DeleteThought it sounded like Elizabeth was liar, liar, pants on fire on everything.
ReplyDeleteKenton is a liability to David.
Hopefully he’s now learnt never to lend Kenton money again.
Can’t remember how this loan came about. Can anyone fill me in please ?
Wasn't it a flood or THE FLOOD ?
DeleteThey had to rebuild ........something ?
Didn’t Kenton fail to do a maintenance job Jolene asked him to do, and the cellar flooded? Perhaps compounded by The Flood as you say Mrs P. I think the Bull was in danger of closure and in a brotherly/community gesture not to lose the village pub, David lent the money. Why does David keep turning up when the pub is busy? Of course Kenton has an excuse not to talk to David.
DeleteAh right. Thank you. That does ring a bell
DeleteYes, surely Elizabeth was economical with the truth, out of shame, though not consideration for others, I suspect. Her defences are breaking down to an extent so that at least Shula was able to pinpoint the insomnia & make her go to the surgery. Short term use of sleeping pills may help or not, but it's a start.
ReplyDeleteFor all that she is a 'cause for concern', I still find E. an unsympathetic character with this tendency to hit out at others when she's out of sorts. Even Lily came in for it, putting crockery away in the wrong places, not getting in touch as often as she said she would....next moment she's distressed because of breaking the girl's favourite mug. Ok, she's a mess, & it's going to take a lot more than a few pills to get her functioning reasonably again, & as for her unappealing traits, that's another matter !
Totally agree Carolyn. I'm not sure what Elizabeth's behaviour is supposed to signify? It doesn't seem to be a classic 'nervous breakdown' She was manic after Freddie was sent down now she is disassociating from real life. Like you I am not sympathetic to her character. The only time she was likeable was when Nigel was around. All other times she has been a spoilt, grasping, selfish brat. Not a nice lady at all.
DeleteI don't like Elizabeth anymore that the others but she is in trouble, in denial about it and it'll only get worse because it's good for the drama. Perhaps Alan will turn up since Richard was not at the surgery.
DeleteI still cannot understand why Jill hasn't done more to try to help Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteAt Christmas she was more concerned in feeding all and sundry rather than going to see her younger daughter.
Maybe Elizabeth doesn't want her mother to interfere but if I were Jill I would have been round there to see how she was rather than looking after her great grandchild.
Shula has time on her hands so I agree she could do more for Elizabeth. E was the baby of the family and also had the heart trouble so she might have been over indulged when growing up as a result hence her sometimes selfish behaviour. I was appalled when she was so petulant about the proposed Will way back and demanded more from it. David has run the farm all his adult life so of course should have the greater share of it. E already has the security of LL, Shula the stables and Kenton, well where do I start?! I like the actress and think she has given a winning performance over the last few months but like many of you find the character of E quite unappealing!
DeleteRef. night before last, I wish everyone would get off 16yr. old Ben's back ! Damn well let the lad whistle !! It's OK for his siblings to dump babies & farm machinery, neither much wanted initially, but, no, Ben's purposeful whistling is the scapegoat for everyone else's negative moods. It is NOT fair...
ReplyDeleteNot one to rush to Pip's defence, but surely she was being perfectly reasonable in expecting Toby to remember/ get the date right, for an agreed baby care arrangement. It seems he was lying about his whereabouts, anyway, & then joined the Bash Ben gang. What a waste of space Rosie's dad is - I'm sure he still thinks she's 'sweet', but the ecstatic honeymoon is over...
Agree with those who think Pip was using Rex - she was transparent, waiting for him to offer his services ! Still, he was happy to be used, if not so happy to be caught in the crossfire between her & his bro'. I have hopes that he will now turn his attention to Lily & rescue her....
Can’t remember Elizabeth’s age but could any of her recent behaviour and moodiness be due to the menopause? I know this often gets blamed when a woman starts behaving out of character or getting tearful or moody. But even if she is not yet in her fifties, it could be an early change.
ReplyDeleteI know she has had a lot to cope with in recent months, especially worries about both her children but does anyone else think this could be a contributing factor to her distraction, sleepless nights, inability to concentrate and forgetfulness?
Listening to last nights episode I thought Elizabeth was lying, I hope she did at least contact the authority she was due to attend rather than just not turn up, if she did the latter I imagine her appeal would be turned down out of hand, at least if she cancelled ( on whatever pretext) she can still work towards re-instating her alcohol license.
ReplyDeleteI wondered if Elizabeth’s symptoms are associated with menopause, she is the right age, and anxiety, fuzzy head, insomnia (assisted by sweats) are all part of the picture for some women, add a large dose of stress from behaviour of off-spring ( drug dealing, prison, inappropriate relationships) and being a single mother and I’m not surprised she’s struggling.
I agree she has some unattractive traits, but in many ways I relate to her, and I think she is well, and consistently, played/ written
KPnuts I agree with you that I also and always, relate to Lizzie. It is perhaps that I loved her with Nigel.
ReplyDeleteMenopause - hadn't thought of that - but it makes a lot of sense.
This combined with Freddie, Lily/Russ and the anniversary of Nigels untimely death, it is enough to tip her over the edge.
I just hope she gets help soon.
carolyn. I don't thing many of the blogs are against Ben, it's the actor's voice, especially when in cahoots with Ruairi. They simply sound (as someone said) too butch for the age they are playing.
ReplyDeleteI think it positive that Ben has a hobby, and he does help his dear one gran with the cooking. Which means he isn't doing drugs, or mugging old men or women. The frequent blowing might be irratating, it sounds like the old police whistle Dixon of Dock Green used when requiring assistance.
Oh dear, I meant the Brookfield family, Stasia, not us ! Sorry it wasn't clear ( reading again, I see it wasn't)
DeleteElizabeth's cluster of symptoms could cover a number of diagnosis from, depression, PTSD, menopause and even early onset dementia. The script writers will let us know in due course. Anyone of these might be a response to her beloved Freddie going to prison and her dependable daughter shacking up with a grandiose scrounger. All coming on top of the loss of Nigel and when he went she had to Cope.
ReplyDeleteThen there is the problem of her heart. I'm just trying to present an empathetic voice, despite her personality traits. Enough said.
Thank-you for so eloquently saying exactly my thoughts.
DeleteSadly I just haven't been able to say these in the way you have just done.
Well Done. 👏👍✔✔
I think you're right, & can't imagine anyone not presenting with stress signals, given what E. is going through. It's just her character traits, amplified through stress, that make it hard to empathise !
DeleteLuckily, a clinician would be professional enough not to let that influence them, & wouldn't know her, as we do. She certainly needs some in depth attention, I wonder if she'll get it ?
I just don't think that Elizabeth is getting the support she needs.
ReplyDeleteIt must be patently obvious to Shula that things are not right and she should be talking to her brothers about what can be done.
I think Elizabeth is heading for a Breakdown and then Lily will have to return.
Whilst I don 't think a"pull yourself together Woman" approach is right ,neither do I think a "tread too carefully " one is the right one either.
I thought that Lily got it about right- being sympathetic but making her mother have a Shower and get dressed ,eat properly and start to take a proper interest in LL .
Come back Lily ,please.
I thought that Jolene was in charge of paying back their loan, to David.
ReplyDeleteSuddenly Kenton has bought LP's, and 70/80's DJ type equipment - how has he managed this.
David needs his money back, to be able to feed and sustain
the Brookfield animals.
Does Kemton understand his siblings and their problems?
He is so self-centered, but did correct, re Russ.
Elizabeth did not want Shula to go in with her when seeing the Doctor.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I blame her but did she tell the Dr the truth ?
I wonder how long she was in the Dr's Surgery.
I am surprised that she was immediately given sleeping pills.
They are surely not the answer.
That was so not what I wanted to hear! I really thought the new editor would put that storyline to bed 😕.
ReplyDeleteI wished the same. It now seems Lexi is to remain. 👎
DeleteStrawberry fields NOT forever.
ReplyDeleteLexi - we knew already.
Brian - no opinion.
I couldn't bare to hear the whining from Alice and to think daddy didn't give in to her.
ReplyDeleteAlice is a whining monstrosity. I would love to be in a meeting when someone acted like she did this evening! Are we supposed to believe that she has a job in which she makes actual real decisions?
ReplyDelete