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Life in Ambridge: Comments week of January 27, 2019
Life in Ambridge: Comments week of January 27, 2019
Montpelier, Vermont
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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.
Thank you Ruthy. It is good to see something of your country for a change
ReplyDelete✔️
DeleteOh Ruthy, you bring back lovely memories for me. Mr A and I visited Montpelier during our ‘New England in the Fall’ holiday a few years ago. A really lovely little town. Though I have to say one of the best things was our visit to Ben and Jerry’s ice cream factory - a real experience!
ReplyDeleteI have also been there, and stayed in a wonderful B/B. Spent three months in New England. Fantastic.
DeleteWill there be a show down between Roy and Lexie? How long before someone (Susan/Lynda?) discovers who the real father is!! Secrets don't remain secret for very long in Ambridge.
Quite honestly I couldn't care less. At least Roy didn't sound so cardboardy as he usually does when speaking.
Ruth has blabbed about the meeting, and Brian's determination to plead not guilty will have reached the ears of Kirsty by tomorrow.
Thank you Ruthy for keeping up with us, we did fill the other blog in no time.
ReplyDeleteIf Brian wants to have his day in court, let him, no one has to lie for him on oath.
I didn't like Helen being evasive, she told Emma so she might just as well tell Pat, she lives with her parents and they take part in the care of her children. The liberal Pat is becoming like Jennifer, a man with limited interests is no good for her daughter.
Roy was bound to find out about Lexi's pregnancy in the roundabout way, so better from Lynda than Susan in the shop. Lexi was aware of Susan's prying, so should have informed Roy, but this is drama.
Lovely picture - a New England Ambridge ?! It sounds a delightful town from what's been written. Is this where you met, Ruthy & PtbY ?
ReplyDeleteNo Carolyn , Ruthy and I met up in New Jersey, Montclair.
DeleteWouldn’t have minded here though....looks lovely.
Can understand both Helen's reticence & Pat's probing, given the past, but don't see why Pat made such of an issue out of Lee's ' lack of interests'. Is this one of the off putting aspects of village life, the need to know all about newcomers, any hobbies, what they have for breakfast & so on. He's a physio by profession, part time karate teacher. Isn't that enough for the time being ? Of course, what H. Is concealing ( think she did from Emma, too ??) Is that he has 2 daughters & is separated from his wife, there are custody conflicts.
ReplyDeleteI thought she mentioned his daughters when explaining the contents of their t ext messages. Pat was ultra nosey and probed too much having not taken the hint at the beginning of the conversation that Helen was reticent about Lee. Even a mum is not entitled to know everything about adult daughter’s life! At the same time maybe Helen is being a bit too cagey!
DeleteYou are spot on. Village life can be very intrusive, especially if that person is an incomer. Ambridge may very well reflect life in a small community. Where I live someone started a Facebook page and the gossip is out before anyone can say Susan. I am not a contributor.
DeleteI couldn't but help remember the jewellery-making classes.
DeleteQuite, a lie to cover her tracks is Helen's default position !
DeleteYou're right, Ev, she did mention the daughters, now I reflect, so that probably means both Pat & Emma know Lee is sperated or divorced.
How awful, Stasia - fb being the (21 way of disseminating gossip. Surprised Susan doesn't start up something like that....I know ! When Natasha sets up the veg box website, perhaps she'll be allowed a ' Chat Corner' as she does work for the farm. She could mask the idle/malicious gossip with kefir promotion.
✅speculation on an Ambridge fb page would be. What will Natasha say next? Fist prize, a rib of beef from her own website. Via Bridge farm.
DeleteI listened again at lunchtime as I as washing up and had a thought.....
ReplyDeleteHow did Lexi expect Roy to learn that she was pregnant?
Maryellen,you say that woman is not dreadful.
I think she is most definitely thoughtless and unkind.
Roy has lived in Ambridge for years .
Did she not realise that tongues would be clacking?
The only thing for it is for Adam to tell Susan the siruation..
It will have to come out sooner or later.
I agree with you Lanjan. Even if Lexi is thoughtless, Ian or Adam should have extended the courtesy to Roy as he has been a long time Ambridge residence. These three (Lexi, Ian and Adam) is being terribly uncivil. I don't believe that Lexi ever loved Roy. If she did, she would have gone to him to tell him the news.
DeleteGood point Ruthy. Didn't Lexi say a short while ago something like, that.she still loved Roy. I feel she should have had the courtesy, once she had told Ian + Adam she was pregnant, to go to Roy and explain all. I still have a gut feeling, that there will be problems with this preganancy, resulting in a premature C-section birth, in Bulgaria. This will lead to complications for both Adam + Ian.
DeleteMy imagination is just getting over-active again. 😭
I may have mentioned this before (apologies if so ) but because I think until the baby is born and whatever papers have to be signed, if for example Lexi were in the same position as Vicki it would be up to her whether or not she wanted to have the baby legally aborted.
DeleteWhat happens if Adam and Ian want one thing and she wants the other?
I don't know the ins and outs of this surrogacy business but what happens if there were multiple births?
Some time ago I telephoned Ladbrokes -a bit with tongue in cheek-to see if they would take a bet on whether Lilian and Justin would marry.
I had been told that you can bet on anything.
Well you can't .
They wouldn't give me the odds.
If they would on this story line I would say that the odds would be pretty high on Lexi actually having a baby that would be brought up in Ambridge
Lanjan Aah, hadn't thought about twins. Now that would be a twist to the tale.
DeleteSurely the three of them realised that they need to go public sooner or later or how would Ian and Adam explain the sudden appearance of their bundle of joy? That is even if Lexi could conceal the pregnancy. She doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to go back to Bulgaria. Agree Roy should have been told as a matter of courtesy.
Delete'I had been told you can bet on anything'
DeleteYou might enjoy John Finnemore's sketch about betting on the capital of Spain:
https://archive.org/details/JFSP56/0501.mp3
(I don't know if the good folk of Ambridge ever tune in to him - from time to time he does spoof episodes of The Archers.)
Good to see you're all still chatting away in here. At some stage I'll return properly but for now I'll just pop in from time to time.
Hello, OWIAS. Please join us soon.
DeleteJust heard ‘Brian’ taking part in ‘Just a Minute’ on Radio 4Extra. He didn’t do very well I’m afraid.
ReplyDeleteThink he needs to practice his oratory before the trial! 😄
I prefer - Would I Lie to You - to Just a Minute, but I admit I do enjoy both. I am also enjoying Trodd en Brott, (my sense of silly humour) and Up the Garden Path with Imelda Staunton. My bedside radio is tuned to R4ex, which I listen to if I have trouble sleeping.
DeleteI don’t have a great deal of difficulty with sleeping but can sometimes find that I take time to drift off so have started to breathe in deeply through the nose then exhale in a big sigh through the mouth. Have learnt this deeper breathing through yoga and with me anyway it does work and sends me off! I just do it a few times then relax.
DeleteMiriam - I have radio 4 on when I go to bed. I actually enjoy Today in Parliament, Big Ben midnight chimes and sometimes the Book at Bedtime. If I switch the clock radio to 'automatic' it turns off after an hour and then turns on again when the alarm goes off in the morning. I do this because I have such bad tinnitus the 'ringing' is too annoying to get to sleep. If there is something to 'listen to' I don't notice the tinnitus so much.
DeleteVirgin Media are sending me a TIVO box (not asked for) so that I can record six programmes while watching a seventh, all at the same time. I doubt I watch six programmes over a week if you discount the News! 🙂
I've been trying that, on and off on occasion, for years Ev.
DeleteIt doesn't work for me.
Not surprised Mrs P as you obviously have a bigger problem. If I have ever lain awake for a long time I always found the best thing was to have a cup of tea and read to get the mind off all those niggly things which seem so serious at night but almost trivial in the light of day. I hope you do find solutions and best wishes for that.
DeleteUnder English law, would Brian be liable for the costs of any trial by jury if he were found guilty after having plead not guilty? Could he lose EVERYTHING?
ReplyDeleteWell that is interesting. (to me)
ReplyDeleteIan used the same expression that I did at 3.42 this afternoon
-ie clacking tongues.
Surely if Lexi has only just found out that she is pregnant she wouldn't be showing yet?
Why did the three of them not realise what would happen when it did become obvious that she was pregnant?
We don't know exactly what happened but Roy seems to have accepted their apology.
Did you notice that Lexi said"Goodbye Roy"?
I would rather she said goodbye to the whole of Ambridge.
Her daughters need her.
Say what you like about Lexi, she has a natural dignity that I very much admire. It’s particularly in evidence during doorstep encounters with abusive Ambridge males.
Delete👏👏👏
DeleteAh yes, LanJan, but you've reckoned without the forensic deductive skills of Mrs S Carter. I think there should be a sign up in the coffee aisle of the village shop to warn any female of child-bearing age not to switch to decaff when Susan is on duty. After all, what other explanation could there possibly be except the imminent arrival of little pattering feet?!
Delete(I got to 8+ months pregnant with one of my small shoe dwellers before most of the other school mums twigged. Admittedly I had a long winter coat and was always pushing a buggy so the bump was well hidden. But the friend I walked with didn't realise for ages, despite my sudden toffee-chewing habit. I hsten to add that I did not buy said toffees at a certain Ambridge store ...)
So good to see your back with us OWIAS
DeleteMissed you too
Delete✔😊
DeleteOk, so the three of them are going to do the honorable thing to ensure Roy is saved from further local calumny, but why on Earth didn't they tell him while he was there ? Why the need for a conference first ? Of course it's not what they wanted to happen, but, unsurprisingly, it has I hope that at least Ian gets in touch with him straightaway to say they will silence the rumours.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't Roy leave Lexi alone? He's worried that the village thinks that he may have treated a woman badly? What with his history of being a racist thug and the way he treated his wife, the words stable, horse, door & bolted spring to mind...
ReplyDeleteHe treated his wife badly, but when was he racist ? Don't remember that.
DeleteI can’t remember that either.
DeleteHe was a member of the gang that made Usha's life hell.
DeleteThe facts remain that a) he is not the father of the baby Lexi is expecting b) she dumped him, not the other way around.
DeleteAh, Gary, I can't have been listening then - didn't know. Do remember how awful Shula was when Usha & Alan got married.(religious prejudice, of course, not racial) Rather shocked to hear that about Roy, & surprised, but there you go.
DeleteAnd he should remember both of those things & try to keep at least a modicum of dignity! Repeatedly turning up at the house of a pregnant ex to shout at her is not really normal behaviour...
DeleteI think he was fully justified tonight.
DeleteI'm just in a bad mood & decided to take it out on Roy!!! 😉
DeleteI do remember the incident when Usha was racially abused and also that Roy was incredibly sorry and repentant afterwards. His father Mike gave him hell over it and Roy really turned a corner and emerged as a hard working young man. He make a huge mistake getting mixed up with Kate who led him a merry dance - and baby Phoebe to bring up whilst she went off travelling - to ‘find herself’
DeleteApart from the affair with Elizabeth (of which she was the prime instigator) he had been a good husband and father for many years.
I don’t think he deserves the approbrium piled on him or that he should be suffering from the fall-out of Lexi’s arrangement with Ian and Adam.
Roy's first appearance as an adult (or nearly adult) was as a racist. The point being made seemed to be that the apparently decent lad next door may be drawn into racism just as easily as the school-excluded skinhead. After that he was exemplary for many years, until the affair (fling?) with Elizabeth. He's something of a stooge, to be used for whatever plot the scriptwriters come up with. The actor is more impressive than the character, I think.
DeleteI’m not entirely sure Lexi should have rushed over to tell Roy about the pregnancy. They have split up and he may have felt she was rubbing his nose in it. I think a quiet word before heading back to Bulgaria would have been fine, if this had stayed private, and why would she think anyone would know at this stage.
DeleteI do remember Roy and his youthful nastiness GG, but that was beyond Phoebes lifetime.
DeleteRoy has been as Bootgums described him for several decades now.
Think your point GG unfair.
My main point was that Roy should stop acting like an aggressive, emotionally stunted, entitled arse!
DeleteHis ex girlfriend of a few months is having someone else's baby - big deal. Nothing to do with him. A baby that was planned meticulously by all the adults involved ; no shocks, no cheating, no scandal. God, she was living thousands of miles away for most of the time they were supposed to be going out with each other!
He seems to be labouring under the impression that they had a decades long tumultuous relationship worthy of Burton & Taylor! In reality it was practically a summer fling...
I think that’s a very convincing assessment, bootgums.
DeleteGG. Roy is only too well aware that his affair with Elizabeth had dire consequences and that the village folk rightly condemned him. Now they are condemning him again, he isn't able to defend himself, he is still bruised from his rejection as he sees it by Lexi. He should have perhaps stopped and thought, but I for one can understand why he did what he did, not an entirely natural reaction.
DeletePS should have said unnatural reaction
DeleteGaryG, I'm with you. I'm also with Racy Tracy when it comes to Roy.
DeleteRoy and Lexie are no more, so if he wants to clear his name he should tell people, "nothing to do with me mate, haven't had sex with her for months and months". "Abstinence ruled, OK, because Lexie said so".
Goodbye Roy.
People can and do change all the time as they grow older. Roy certainly has from the sound of it (I don't remember the racist s/l). I agree Ian, Adam or Lexi should let Roy know they're going to put the village gossips straight and clear his name.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. People want to bring up the very unfortunate incident with Usha when Roy was a teenager. As I said earlier he was very repentant, apologised wholeheartedly to Usha, learnt his lesson and grew up into a much better person.
DeleteTo still label him as a ‘racist thug’ is, to me, very unfair.
To have the likes of Susan spreading gossip that he is the reason for Lexi’s pregnancy (which hasn’t even been confirmed in the village yet) after she left him heartbroken, is also very unfair and I don’t blame him for going to see Lexi to find out what was really happening.
Hopefully Adam, Ian and Lexi will be able to ‘clear Roy’s name’ concerning the pregnancy, even if it does mean that they themselves will, inevitably, become the subject of the gossips.
Roy only went round to the house in the evening because Ian had been too busy to see him earlier in the day at Grey Gables. If he had been able to discuss It with Ian he wouldn't have gone to the house in the evening. It was just chance that Lexi and not one of the men answered the door.
ReplyDeleteJanice and Archerphile I agree with both of your comments. What Roy did to Usha was absolutely wrong, but he was still very young and although that doesn’t excuse him, he was totally and unreservedly repentant.
DeleteI agree Janice that he was pretty wound up by the time he saw Lexi because he had not had a chance to talk to Ian earlier. He has probably has his fair share of gossip about him over the years and is probably sensitive to it post Elizabeth. He doesn’t want to carry this as well. I like him as a character (Usha incident aside, and don’t believe for a minute he continued to hold such views as an adult or I couldn’t say that).
There was racist graffiti on the pickers' caravans which Lexi wanted hushed up and Roy said it should be dealt with by the police because it can lead to further damage.
Delete✔️✔️
DeleteUsha helped Roy to track down Kate when she tried to take Phoebe out of the country, they have moved on and so have I. He was weak in allowing Lexi to go ahead with the IVF, they never discussed abstinence apart from Lexi's comments about his underwear and that he'd have to forget about this kind of thing for a time. Susan said she knew Lexi was pregnant, she talked to Roy and he said that Lexi has made her bed, so Susan thought he might not be the father but didn't share this information with the others. When Roy found out that he was being blamed for leaving Lexi with a child he naturally confronted her before divulging the 'triangular secret'.
ReplyDeleteRoy does seem to have now acquired a track record in harassing women in my eyes. Slightly disturbing, no?
ReplyDeleteHarassing women ??
DeleteOne incident as a teenager, many years ago and long regretteted.
And two incidences of going to see Lexi at her home to try and sort things out in a very complicated situation.
(He didn’t harass Elizabeth by the way, she was the instigator and a willing participant in their affair)
Hardly warrants ‘harassing’ Gary.
What about Brian for harassing women? Caroline, Betty, Mandy Beesborough, Siobahn? I’d say he was more deserving of the criticsm than Roy.
Don't care what age he was when he was a racist thug - he was certainly old enough to know that it was wrong. Find it interesting that he chose to join in the racial abuse of a woman and not a man.
ReplyDeleteJust asked a couple of female friends what they would do if an ex had turned up unannounced at their house and started berating them, especially in the light of them being very newly pregnant. "I would phone the police!" was the instantaneous response from both of them!
Maybe it's a generational thing....
He certainly was old enough to know it was wrong and it was totally unacceptable. I couldn’t possibly dispute that and wouldn’t. I merely agree with those who feel that he totally accepted he had done wrong and I believe he fully understood that and has never thought that way since. It doesn’t make what he did any less terrible, it just allows him to have an adult life without a life jail sentence. Perhaps some think he should.
DeleteSince only been listening for 2+ years, Roy's younger years are unknown to me. Seems to me he has a terrible track record with women. If he has martial affairs with married women that makes him immoral (as many other characters has been portrayed in TA.) The relationship with Lexi was never going to go down well. It did amount to a summer romance. Why are Ian and Adam skittish telling everyone Lexi is the surrogate? This I don't understand.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Ruthy because it's easy to lose a baby in the first 3 months, and some women would prefer, other than maybe discussing it with very close to family, to grieve without having to face questions from others
DeleteRacist thug/adulterer: he told the others where Usha lived, she was the only person of colour in Ambridge at the time. Last night when this man turned up there were two men and a woman pregnant with their child who were all apologetic instead of phoning the police.
ReplyDeleteIn Ambridge I have counted ten adulterers, a jail bird, poachers, drug dealers, a burglar/arsenist, fraudsters, rapists, what a company I keep.
Your jailbird count is a bit low, Basia! Susan, Cloive, Cloive's brother, Alf, Matt . . .
Delete....and may soon rise by one more!!
DeleteI do remember the racist incident and know that a 'very young man' came out of it looking bad. I've known people who do things in their youth that is later put to bed. Roy reinvented himself at that time but has been led astray, after many years, and has paid for it with the loss of his wife, Hayley, and child. He has, many times, redeemed himself (Old biblical phrase sorry I'm not really hugely religious just play the organ, badly, every so often) and, to my mind, has earned the right to be upset about Lexi and the baby's announcement. Not many men would have agreed to their much beloved being a surrogate in the first place.
ReplyDeleteRoy has so, I hope he won't take all this too personally at this point.
I do wonder if Lexi will give the child to Adam and Ian - or should I say Ian and Adam?
Once again I agree with you Janet. I don't enjoy the surrogacy s/l and still wish Lexi would disappear back to Bulgaria and not return. Ian and Adam would be upset of course but could then go on to foster/adopt.
DeleteOnce again I listened at lunchtime and this time I picked up something that Lexi said.
ReplyDelete"I never thought how it would be between us"
Isn't that the main point of the problem?
Basically it is a ridiculous storyline.
Did Lexi think that Roy would be delighted with her "altruism".?
Why do those who cannot see any wrong in Lexi ,think that she decided to become a surrogate mother.
I don't remember what happened between Roy and Usha but I do remember his female employer who was older than he ,seducing him at a Pop Concert.
I have always blamed the script writers or editor for his lapse because I reckon that the actress playing Hayley wanted to leave the cast and this was a way they thought that it could happen.
Unfortunately Roy's ID hasn't progressed very far into his EGO. The scriptwriters need to help him progress, so that with the help of the SuperEgo, he can become a more confident character. His history would indicate that his behaviour has led him into seeking out the psychological dangers of the "pleasure principle" Racism, Kate, Haley, Elizabeth, Lexie and children, he might have abondoned.
DeleteHaving said that, after maturity, as we get older it becomes difficult to change our behaviour or beliefs about ourselves or the world we live in. We become fixed in our compulsions. Hence, In the never, never land of Ambridge many of the residents are stuck, like we can be in reality. For many of us change is frightening so we remain with what we belief to right, even if the outcome is dangerous to our mental wellbeing.
But it is great fun to analyse people who only exist on the radio.
I agree Lanjan about the affair between Elizabeth and Roy. At the time it seemed unbelievable that Roy would cheat on his beloved Hayley, much less that it would be with his employer - as you say, an ‘older woman’.
DeleteI found it very difficult to credit such a storyline at the time and also think it may have been devised as a way for Hayley to leave the programme.
Sadly it left Roy’s reputation in tatters around the village, (though I don’t remember Elizabeth suffering much) and his life has been very dull and loveless since - until Lexi appeared on the scene.
It’s the scriptwriters who are to blame! 😉
'It’s the scriptwriters who are to blame! 😉'
DeletePerhaps Brian should try that line in court.
I don't know, can't anyone in Ambridge take responsibility for their own actions without blaming it all on some super-natural or 'script writer'? 😉😉
Good to see you back ,Old Woman.
DeleteI bet the actors never question the script in case they get the push.
Didn't "Grace" do that and paid the ultimate price?
I also heard that another actor didn't see eye to eye with the editor so he had to go too.
I don't think Roy was berating Lexi about being pregnant, as inferred here in a few comments. What he was upset about was the fact that his neighbours of very many years believed that he had 'done the dirty' on Lexi and abandoned her.
ReplyDeleteBy chance I was re-reading synopses to find out if Brian had told his family about the 70s incident and it was in February 2018 that Lexi had the first 'transfer.' So this storyline has been going on much longer than I thought. (Doesn't time fly when you're having 'fun?')
I know that between each transfer, and before the first, time has to be allowed for firstly the surrogate's body to get back to normal then a couple of months of drugs to get in sync with the donor's cycle so Lexi and Roy have not just had a summer fling but a long lasting relationship, albeit only an intimate one when they first met.
Having been a Navy wife I can honestly say that being apart for months doesn't change the relationship at all. I had a husband, whether he was in Portsmouth with me or New York, Australia or the Mediterranean with the Navy for months on end!
I agree with you Spicycushion that it's the fact that he is the object of common gossip in Ambridge that is upsetting Roy, and not Lexi's pregnancy, which he was half expecting anyway. And I'm not a bit surprised that he would be angry with the 'Surrogacy Three' at letting it happen without his prior knowledge. The poor chap has been used very ill over the whole storyline, being expected by stand by while the woman he has fallen in love with becomes a surrogate for two other men.
DeleteAny racist action by Roy is way back in his past, and, as he was swayed at the time by a very dodgy crowd he was hanging around with in his youth, is hardly likely to be a deeply ingrained part of his character. Everyone is entitled to leave the past behind them as they mature. Who hasn't done something stupid in their teens that they regret? Let's give Roy a break - I shall.
Suz - glad to see you are on ‘Team Roy’ like me. I know I’ve been going on about him a lot today but I really do feel some of the criticism levelled at him has been unfair.
DeleteI hope he can find real happiness, somehow, somewhere, with someone different in the future.
👍👍
DeleteI have always liked Roy, even when he was ' done' for the racist stuff with Usha, I believed that as Betty's son, he was a good un under the bad lot that he seemed to be turning into.
DeleteI feel that the recent posts criticising him are unfair.
He was led astray by Elizabeth, courtesy of the SW team, possibly for the reasons suggested by others, Hayley wanting to leave the cast.
He did not go round to ' berate' Lexi. He went to try to get the situation explained and was entitled to be angry given the gossip concerning him, perpetrated by Susan Carter, but which might not have been invented by her if the trio of Lexi Adam and Ian, had thought through the consequences of Lexi moving in with them.
And if Adam or Ian had opened the door, he would perhaps, have berated them instead.
Mrs P, Archerphile and Suz ✅✅
DeleteRuthy. Thank you for the lovely snowy photo of Montpelier, Vermont.
ReplyDeleteI just have to ask - is it just a coincidence that you chose this, in the week the Monteliarde cows arrived at Bridge Farm? (Similar names).
Back to TA. I am getting bored with Lexi + the surrogacy S/L.The sooner she is on a flight back to Bulgaria, the better.
The next major S/Ls are obviously Brian and court, Lizzie + her problems.
ReplyDeleteI would so like to hear a catchup, - re Christine and The Laurels, Oliver and Grey Gables, Grange Farm with Eddie, Clarrie + Joe, not forgetting Rex + Toby in Bert's bungalow, lilian + Justin.
By that I mean the lives of many other Ambridge residents.
PS I hope hoping Lilian is taking good care of Jenny's patio pots, in this cold weather.
I thought the conversation between Alistair and Joe was very touching this evening. I wonder if Alistair is going to change his mind about his new situation which will mean less hands on veterinary work?
ReplyDeleteI also thought Joe sounded very old and quavery. I hope this is not signalling his imminent demise with consequences for Eddie & Clarrie continuing to live at Grange Farm.
Is Bartleby still with us? The only Grundy horse mentioned in the past couple of years has been Gem. I also thought Joe was sounding extra-quavery and quaintly rustic. I doubt he will see another Christmas!
DeleteI hope Jolene will be able to break through to Elizabeth. It's certainly worth a try.
ReplyDeleteShe was also the obvious answer to the problem too.
DeleteAgree with both the above. She could pierce that carapace of denial, so E. would hardly know what was happening & proved her ability at the difficult Brookfield Christmas do. The reasons she gave Kenton were sound, as well.
DeleteJust wish I could care more about Elizabeth's fate - find her such an unappealing character. (Clearly, my compassionate impulses are not entirely unconditional !)
Are we witnessing the demise of the big estates in Ambridge? First Home Farm, now Lower Loxley, will it be Grey Gables next?
ReplyDelete“The only thing more boring than Roy Tucker is talking about Roy Tucker” - Tracy Horrobin.
ReplyDelete😃✅
DeleteI agree with you about Elizabeth,Carolyn..
ReplyDeleteBeing the youngest of the family and having had health issues I felt she was always cosseted.
Initially Nigel had his eye on Shula and when that didn't work out he turned to Elizabeth.
To be fair I think they were very happy.
One thing that I would like explaining is.......
What exactly is Lower Loxley?
Is it just a place which holds "events".?
How many people visit the Orangery daily?
How does that pay?
Ambridge is a small village .Where do all these people come from in order to eat and drink at Bridge Farm café and LL?
Neither of them is
I think lower LL is based on Hanley Hall in Worcs, none of these places are cheap, even having a cup of tea in a NT property is expensive.
Deleteto continue...........is exactly cheap.
ReplyDeleteThese ancestral piles can be a nightmare. One solution for E would be to sell up and live in a modest house living off the income from the profit. However, I would think she can’t do that as it is presumably left in trust for Freddie. She is in no fit state to oversee it all as she has done in the past. I wonder why Shula with all this time on her hands can’t step in. Way back she worked at Rodway’s and also with the stables must have extensive office experience. Jolene’s down to earth common sense will be very welcome as it seems the siblings are just pussyfooting around the problem instead of getting a grip. Kenton can be of huge help in getting the booze licence back. E has to be told she must face up, get professional help and delegate tasks to others. I think Jolene could be instrumental here.
DeleteNow that is strange.
DeleteI immediately added my second comment when I realised I hadn't finished the first and Stasia snuck in to finish it for me .
Correction. I should have said Hqnbury Hall, we have many villages called Hanely this, that and the other.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth can sell LL be developed for desperately needed affordable housing.
ReplyDeleteI wish, Ruthy ! Possibly in a different sort of drama, this would happen - a drama that explored social needs versus social privilege. Unfortunately, this is TA & though the Archer family is allowed to suffer trials & tribulations, they mustn't be done out of all property ( the Aldridge's have lost the house, but not the farm). LL wasn't an Archer property but was left to Archer daughter & Archer grandson, so....
Delete(spot the rogue apostrophe)
DeleteI don"t think Elizabeth can sell LL, as it is trust for Freddie, as per Nigel's will. The trustees should be involved, somehow, as they surely must see the accounts etc. to my simple thoughts. I have no idea, perhaps some-one else can enlighten me, how such a trust works. And who are these trustee's? - a bank, lawyers or a mixture?
ReplyDeleteCould be anyone I think Miriam .
DeletePerhaps Brian Aldridge was appointed as a Trustee.
If so perhaps he would suggest that LL should be split up into Apartments.
Elizabeth would keep one and he and Jennifer would of course want another.
I say that because I have just finished Nevil Shute's book "Trustee from the Toolroom" where Keith is made a Trustee in case anything happens to his sister who has a young daughter.
DeleteOne of my favourite books Lanjan - as are most of Nevil Shutes books. Still have my original copies with their 1960s covers. My top favourites were No Highway and Requiem for a Wren. (Oops, sorry, wrong blog)
DeleteI don’t think Shula has a lot of free time on her hands to help Elizabeth run LL as she still owns and runs the Stables, with horses in livery and riding lessons. I think she has some staff but she’s the hands on owner-manager. The only free time she has newly available is her leisure time which she no longer spends with Alastair. Of course she could offer her support as a sister, but not unlimited working hours, unless she chooses to organise a manager for the Stables whilst she is at Lower Loxley.
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea about selling up, though. Those sort of places are increasingly turned into luxury flats. Perhaps Freddie would want to do that when he gets his hands on the place. Is that when he’s 21?
ReplyDeleteIf LL is sold off and converted into "Executive Apartments" ,Brian and Jennifer will not need to move out of the village.
DeleteFrom what happened this evening with the idiot Ben unable to control his dog and Alastair saving the life of the cow and the reputation of Johnnie ,I think somehow Alastair is going to continue to be a"hands on" vet.
I hope so.
Johnnie is too kind for his own good.
He should have told Ben where to go in no uncertain terms.
Tiger will return with doubled wealth and confess that he has really been in love with Shula all along. They will jet off into the sunset (with matching suitcases) leaving the Stables to Alistair as part of the divorce settlement.
DeleteAlistair will remain as The Only Vet in the Village. Lillian will get off her high horse, eventually, and take over at the Stables. When Freddie returns home he will begin his dream job as stable lad. At some stage, Anisha will realise she really, really misses Ambridge and will return with her tail between her legs to help out Lillian. Alistair will accept her back as a very junior partner, with penalty clauses for pulling out in the next 10 years and no expensive new equipment to be bought for at least five.
Rex may or may not stop moping over Pip and reignite things with Anisha.
Brian and Jenny will discover a hitherto unknown pad in perfect condition at the edge of the village and buy it for a song. (Jenny may first spend a few years with Lillian whilst Brian stays at Her Majesty's Pleasure. This will give the Collingwoods time to enjoy Judy's retirement for a bit before Charles returns to the fold. Sorry, I'm not prepared to let him go completely, I like his flashes of dry wit.)
That still leaves Lexigate and Lower Flopping, I'll give those some thought.
So good to have you back in the fold. I’ve missed your story lines.
DeleteYes, yes, OWIAS. Except the return of Anisha, I think. But Matt – bring him on!
DeleteGreat,Old Woman.
DeleteGet onto the BBC straight away.
I am pleased that Brian will still be around .Like Bootgums ,not too keen on the return of Anisha but I will accept that if you can do something about Lexi returning to Bulgaria.
So funny, Old Woman. Good to have you back, and I agree about Brian’s dry wit.😉
DeleteShula is off to learn mahjong, which I believe is quite tricky, but who will she play with? I can't see Bert + Joe giving up their cribbage at The Bull to join in.
ReplyDeleteAt least there is no bridge club in Ambridge, well not yet.
I played mah-jongg a few times in my youth. We played in a ruminative 'Well, I think I might ...' kind of way, then several years later I saw/heard it being played in an upper room of a Chinese restaurant, and it was extremely rapid!
DeleteI think, Miriam, on the whole, I second your relief that there isn't a bridge club. Lynda might like to start one.
A lot of appreciation for Alistair over the last couple of days, naturally.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Philip was about to tell Kirsty the other night and if it's worth hearing.
Basia - with my Mills & Boon outlook, I thought it was “Will you marry me?”!
ReplyDeleteI thought that too (though I'm not quite convinced you have a Mills & Boon outlook, Maryellen!).
DeleteBut maybe the scriptwriters are just teasing us, and Philip thinks Kirsty should produce a desktop-published 'Guide to Ambridge birds'.
I think unfortunately you may be right Maryellen although I would much prefer it if Bootgums were.
DeletePerhaps he was about to say
""I am getting on a bit Kirsty and I am looking for someone a bit younger than I am so that she can look after me in my old age.
Don't worry though ,I wouldn't expect you to give up your job because to be honest with you Kirsty things at this time of year in the building trade are not too good so a bit of extra cash each month would come in handy."
My mom is an expert mah-jongg player where it is played for hours and very often starting after dinner and into the early hours of the morning! Now in her 80's she is in a senior citizen group. So much fun, but very competitive.
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry but I don’t even know hiw mah- jong is played.
ReplyDeleteHow’s the weather with you Ruthy?
Thank you for asking! The weather is not very nice! Rain last night, then freezing cold. Today a short blizzard, windy and expecting zero deg F overnight. White knuckles drive home tonight. Just thankful got home safely.
DeleteBrrr! Ruthy. Hope the temperature rises soon. We have frost this morning but no snow as yet here in the south.
DeleteI have a mah jong set we bought in Hong Kong all those years ago but we never learned to play. It consists of trying to build a wall but is so complex we gave up on it! In HK you would hear the rattle of tiles when walking through the streets at night. It was taken very seriously and I believe involved gambling.
Ev, I too have a mahjong set & that I have never learnt to play! (I went through a very long period of collecting Chinoiserie) One of these years I will sit down with it & investigate properly...
ReplyDeleteWhen you do, give me a few tips please!
DeleteThanks for your witty take, OW - fun to wake up to ! I hooted at Lower Flopping, though couldn't help linking that to poor old Roy, who's in danger of permanent LF, unless he manages to land an available, cheerful & willing woman soon.....
ReplyDeleteLanjan, don't think Johnny is too kind for his own good - everyone shouts at Ben, the lad needs a break ! And he was shaken, genuinely apologetic.
Got me pondering the polarized treatment doled out to Ambridge young down the generations : over indulged = Pip, Kate, Elizabeth, Freddie, Helen. Tough love, sometimes harsh = Ben, Josh, Tony.
Can't agree about Ben,sorry Carolyn.
ReplyDeleteThis is a boy who creates havoc with his silly cousin and instead of being reprimanded about it ,is rewarded by being given a dog which he is having difficulty in controlling.
Why did he not realise that one does not take a yapping dog anywhere near cattle ?
Johnnie took responsibility when it was Ben's fault.
I suppose ,to be fair ,he didn't realise that he has grown up on a farm since he has spent the past few years in his bedroom.
Give me Josh any day of the week.
I agree Lanjan. Josh is always getting slagged off but I think he’s turned into an amazing entrepreneur. Much better doing what he’s doing than amounting up enormous debts studying farming somewhere.
DeleteCertainly agree about Josh, but sticking to my take on Ben who needs some slack. Yes, he was wrong, should have known better, growing up on a farm, but he's only 16 & was all excited about this teenage party. Johnny got his number, that, aside from the would be cynical V.Day theme, it was all about getting girls to attend. Johnny was kind in shouldering the main part of the blame but also fair as he knew his focus should have been on the cattle not on responding to Ben.
DeleteInteresting how Jolene used Kenton to instigate conversation with Elizabeth. I thought Elizabeth was polite, but restrained, biting her tongue, "I know why you're here" but wanting to tell Jolene to mind her own business. Interesting, we can project our anger at family, especially siblings, but exercise more control with others.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth has lost control of her children and let go of her management of the business, the only thing she is now controlling are her emotions. She can certainly bottle up a lot of anger.
Yes, Jolene did quite well, at least eliciting E's dark feeling during the darkest time of night. A start. The cheerful naturalness was too obvious, as if she hadn't come over on a mission, she'd have waved 'bye, 'bye' when E. brushed her off with dismissive noises. It wasn't plausible that she asked what Kenton said, as she knew about the incident & it is most unlikely that her husband wouldn't have relayed the whole story. Still, what other approach ? She could have talked about the problems, the licence, Freddie, Lily fairly naturally without directly addressing E.'s state of mind. That might have emerged as the disasters we're explored
Delete'were'
DeleteJolene was another one who "meant well" -a bit like her husband but she made it too obvious what she was trying to do and Elizabeth was having none of it.
DeleteI don't blame her really.
I once attended a Course which had me thinking.
The Lecturer said that it is better to wait a while if you think somebody may need help.
Yes ,they may ,but you might not be the best person to give it.
I was and am undecided.
He said that if somebody is desperate for your advice he or she will ask for it.
The doctor she saw should have asked her to come for a follow up visit .
If he did then he will surely notice that Elizabeth is not acting normally.
If he didn't then they should get a better Locum.
Quite a few people have referred to the locum as "he". However, she was a woman.
DeleteYes, a mistake made by several posters.
DeleteJust testing to see how much notice is taken about silent characters.
DeleteYou are of course right.I probably started the mistake.
I remember now that the locum was a female.
However whether the locum was a man or woman there should have been some follow up.
Not sure about 'if somebody is desperate for your advice he or she will ask for it'. Counselling isn't usually regarded as being about giving advice, more about listening. I was once in a queue for group therapy for quite a long time, and I got the impression that I had to show that I really needed it by asking for it. It was only because I was beginning to emerge from depression that I felt able to assert my position in the queue. At my lowest I wouldn't have felt able to pursue it.
DeletePhilip encouraged Kirsty to retrain, so whatever his proposal was about, I expect him to have offered her financial assistance.
ReplyDeleteOther than folding towels, which she complains about, and doing exercise regimes with members of the Spa. What qualifications does Kirsty have, academically? She is unhappy in her job, but retraining full time requires money, and would she really want to be financially beholden to builder Phil?
DeleteI don't think Phil as any finances to help Kirsty out.
DeleteMy own thought is that his own business, is not quite what it seems. He was too quick to finish his work on Brookfield's new milking parlour, as a new job had come in.
I hope David + Ruth don't suffer as a consequence of this, as their finances also seem a bit "iffy".
A quick extra.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I like Jolene, I don't think she is the right person to help Lizzie. She is a bit too softly softly, and wouldn't she be better using her time, to sort Kenton out as to repaying David.
Elizabeth needs a stronger person, who knows her well, as a family member, or someone equally as close.
This person understands and empathises with all that has happened, and how it now is affecting Elizabeth.
I have two suitable candidates:-
1) Shula
2) Oliver.
Any other candidates?
For me her Mum Jill is the obvious choice. The others should tell Jill how bad things have got instead of hiding it from her. A mother can, and I believe has the right to, say and insist on things that others can't.
DeleteThe family haven't done well in spotting she's in a bad way, let alone in helping her.
ReplyDelete1) Alan Franks
ReplyDelete2) Usha
3) Richard Locke
I also wonder whether Peggy would be valuable as with all her faults she has the wisdom of age and she refused to be drawn into gossip about Lexi so not an interfering old woman!
Ev Although I agree that any one of your three candidates might be able to help Elizabeth but if Peggy were to be involved that would put Jill's nose out of joint .
ReplyDeleteI think it is up to Elizabeth now to decide who can give her the help she needs.
It could come from an unlikely source like Emma for example.
That young woman may be outspoken in some ways but she talks a lot off sense.
I would like that.
Maybe they could meet by chance and Emma being basically a very kind hearted person will say something to Elizabeth which will open the flood gates.
Yes agree about Jill. I had thought of her but maybe she is too close.
DeleteUsha is a good idea. She's supposed to be Ruth's friend in particular, but has been quite close to Elizabeth at times. Then Alan would be aware, and may have useful contacts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind welcome back, I'll try not to go AWOL again.
ReplyDeleteHas Anisha ever met Natasha? Two sparky women with big plans and not afraid to speak their minds. Could be some interesting scenes between them : )
And if Anisha comes back the gossips can switch their speculation to whether she'll get back with Rex and we can all have a break from Lexigate.
The only person Elizabeth hasn’t pushed away in recent months is Lily. It’s a lot for Lily to deal with but perhaps she is the only person Elizabeth can be honest with as she lives there, or did. When Lily is there she can’t hide from her. Or perhaps Elizabeth will just muddle through, keeping her head down in the way we are led to believe that Freddie is doing.
ReplyDeleteOh Emma! Becoming like mother, like daughter, I fear. Her insensitive interrogation of Jennifer was beyond the pale and asking Kirsty what she thought about pregnancy was grossly insensitive.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised Jennifer didn’t tell her to mind her own b.......y business in no uncertain tones and slam the door in her face.
However, I was glad to hear Alistair discussing his duties with his new boss (could have sworn it was Philip speaking at first!). I do hope he is allowed to stay working in Ambridge with all his old clients, it seems such a waste of his expertise to have him sitting behind a desk in Felpersham.
Thought both Jennifer & Emma were rude to each other : J. for being so dismissive about the parish council website & keeping her on the doorstep, & Emma for giving her unsolicited opinions about surrogacy - so not her business ! Well constructed scene though, with Kirsty taking the conciliatory middle ground, & at least we had a suitable spokeswoman in Emma for the view of many women, unable to imagine parting from a baby they'd given birth to. Sadly, that's how some surrogacies came unstuck. Maybe it is undertaken more thoughtfully these days. Uncalled for to say all that to J., but Emma is not one to hold her tongue. I think she was right to tell her about the horrid gossip - forewarned & all that.
ReplyDeleteWhich brings me to Ian - poor man ! So he had to put up with bitchiness all day at work. Of course they had to let the truth be known to stop the malice directed at Roy, but Adam & Ian are in for a rough time, until the locals find something else to have loud prejudices about.
Good scene between Brian & Ian, too. Brian seemed to be psyching himself up for the court hearing simultaneously with giving Ian the benefit of his ''wisdom' !
I also liked the scene with Brian and Ian with IMHO Brian talking a lot of sense about the real world.
DeletePleased that Alistair took the bull by the horns and told the new boss what he really wanted and I hope he succeeds.
Emma was aggressive and rude to Jennifer and insensitive to Kirsty.
I had to agree with Brian tonight. That child of Ian and Adam will need to stand up for itself and not be namby pamby.
ReplyDeleteSadly last night the reported gossip regarding the prospective baby seemed to be about two men raising a child and not about a) two middle aged men with no experience of childcare except once or twice baby-sitting Henry raising a new born baby and b) 'ordering' a baby as one would a new three piece suite or designer kitchen. These are the two reasons for disliking this storyline that I have seen most often on various websites (here, facebook, and Mustardland) However Emma did mention the fact that people were saying that there is the view that there is a hint of exploitation of an impoverished immigrant worker. Jennifer may want to rethink her outraged indignant reply!
ReplyDeleteLexi said at the beginning that she wanted to help her 'friends.'. I wouldn't think that Adam and Ian and Roy mixed in the same social circles so Lexi wouldn't have had the chance to meet them much. She only knew Adam as an employer and Ian for just a couple of months. It's all so silly (sigh!)
Nearly all new parents have little experience of childcare. You couldn't restrict parenthood to people who'd done lots of babysitting, au pairing, etc.
DeleteI agree bootgums but I just feel that most new parents have experienced having relatives and friends who have had pregnancies and new babies and so would know what to expect.
DeleteIan showed his absolute ignorance of children last night didn't he? I had to laugh when he said something along on the lines that only a minority of children are cruel! Ha! He ought to have worked with children for the last forty years like what I have done ! (joke!)
I cannot agree it was right for Emma to tell Jennifer about the gossip. That was no better than spreading gossip herself, just like her Mum does, with the excuse that it’s done ‘with the best of intentions’. She may well have her own opinion about giving up a baby (I know I couldn’t have done it either) but it was not her place to argue about this with Jennifer on the doorstep.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t help thinking that Emma had only gone to see Jennifer about the village website as an excuse to bring up the subject of the surrogacy and see what further information she could glean.
After all, as she said herself, she could have put the agenda on the website herself.
But thumbs up to Kirsty for stepping in and defending Jennifer, perhaps this will be th start of a thaw between them.
One last thought - wonder if we shall hear it’s been snowing in Ambridge tonight? Hope those Montbeliards are used to cold, wet and snowy weather !
Emma has her own opinion on the surrogacy and wasn’t just repeating the gossip to Jenny. Most of us on the blog have an opinion too but it would be unkind and unnecessary for us to berate Jenny about it. The whole thing was arranged between Lexi , Ian and Adam with no input from Jenny. She was delighted by the news as in spite of the snobbish side of her she is a devoted mother and grandmother but the decision to have a child this way was nothing to do with her. Emma showed a very spiteful side of her character I’m afraid.
DeleteRe last evening's conversation between Jennifer and Emma....
ReplyDeleteJennifer had already had an earlier confrontation with Brian so was not in the best of moods to start with.
Emma can be very cack handed in her approach but I don't think she is spiteful.
I can understand what she meant when she says that a woman who has carried a baby for nine months would find it difficult to give up the baby.
I can also understand that she would think that whatever Jennifer said about the fact that it was not in fact Lexi's child that Emma and indeed many people would think that it was.
It is obvious that Emma and others would think that there must be money involved somewhere because as Spicycushion says Lexi and Ian and Adam were not close friends.
I agree with Carolyn that she thought Jennifer should know what people were saying.
It is not normal,natural or likely to come to another Country,get a good position in a Country Hotel(presumably a better one than Kirsty holds) ,start a relationship with one of the locals and then give it all up to work in a chicken factory to carry a child for somebody else.
I still think that it is a very silly story line.
Yes, yes.
Delete👍
DeleteI found it strange the Emma said she is sticking up for Lexi in the chicken farm. So 2 thoughts came to mind. Is Lexi still working IN the chicken farm? I would say not too much longer since she should be going back to Bulgaria. Shouldn't be too good health wise. Second thought - had NOOOO idea Emma was friends with Lexi - can't remember the two of them ever having a get together or talking on air.
ReplyDeleteGood point Ruthy. I can’t remember them being particularly friendly but perhaps they met up at the chicken factory in their break and chatted over a cup of tea?
DeleteI think Emma referred to knowing Lexi from the chicken factory when she was talking to Jennifer, or rather shouting at her.
DeleteLexi actually mentioned, this week, that she had just finished a shift at the chicken farm.
DeleteEmma also does shifts there but usually in the evenings.
The two shifts could easily overlap and they may have been physically close together on the conveyor belt, or might have met in the changing rooms, or Lexi leaving the factory as Emma arrived.
It is not impossible for individuals living in the same village to acknowledge each other whether friends or not.
I do not think that Emma is naturally a spiteful person. It has been clear over her adult life that she is aware of her mother's spiteful tongue and has on occasion pulled Susan up on something she has said.
Joe Grundy commented whilst Alistair was treating Gem, that Shula would meet the cost, and Alistair agreed. When did that happen, did Gem belong to Shula originally? I know that he (A) has given his time and treated Joe's donkey in the past, after being manipulated by hard luck stories.
ReplyDeleteI think
I suppose new vets will, if they agree to his request, monitor his time and expect lots of paperwork indicating where, when, how and length of intervention spent on each animal. Cosy chit chats maybe a thing of the past.
Was Gem the beast that was adopted by Joe to keep an unhappy Bartleby company, as one of those that were abandoned in the village – on Ambridge Hall land, perhaps?
DeleteYes, Bootgums, that’s how I remember it.
DeleteYes I have understood that too. In addition I'm pretty sure that Shula agreed to fund any future vet costs for Gem. Probably induced to do so by Joes slick tongue.
DeletePoor Joe with Gem + Bartleby -
ReplyDeleteAlistair always gave him cheap rates, if at all.
If a new vet takes over, then that will become an extra expense for Grange Farm, when they lose Ed/Emmas rent contribution.
I think the bloke whose Practice Alastair is hoping to join is another Geordie.
ReplyDeleteI thought at first he was Welsh.
Yes, definitely a north-easterner. Perhaps he can reminisce with Ruth if he ever leaves his office and heads for Ambridge.
DeleteDon't worry Miraiam,Alastair will continue as a practicing vet.
ReplyDeleteSomething will happen which will make his new Partners realise that he should not be put out to grass yet.
Oh dear, I got a picture of Alistair between Bartleby and Gem, patiently grazing.
Delete😁
DeleteI remember that Gem was one of the horses which Lynda found at Ambridge Hall. Shula, I thought, took her to The Stables. Gem was introduced to Bartleby, when Alistair thought he was depressed and needed a companion
ReplyDeleteNot sure, though
I don't recall Shula saying she was liable for the costs of vet bills. Did I sleep through that episode, or is just my memory?
I don’t remember the bit about the vets bill but it is possible it was agreed, or maybe just another bit of revisionism.
DeleteSorry, but I cannot understand anything that Joe says.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Kirsty loves Philip - don't move in with him.
And yeah Helen - you go, tell Kirsty how you feel about Leeeeeee.
No I don't think Kirsty loves Philip either Ruthy.
DeleteI get the impression that she can't see much of a future in carrying on the wY she is and is trying to kid herself that she does love him.
If she does ,what is holding her back?
Past experience, Lanjan ? Not encouraging.
DeleteRuthy if you think Joe's accent is bad, have you ever heard a true "geordie" one, or a true broad scottish accent (Jazzer's is quite mild in comparison). I lived in "digs" in Scotland for a short while and had no idea what my landlady was saying. I just hoped that I said Yes or No, at the right time.
DeleteThere was/is a comedy programme called 'Dead Ringers', consisting mostly of impressions of famous people, e.g. politicians. Joe featured on that from time to time, with his voice dropping into an unintelligible rumble with a lot of 'aarrrs' in it. So you're not alone, Ruthy.
DeleteYou should have laced up your own boots Joe, Emma can't feel for you.
ReplyDeleteAgain we saw the gentle side of Emma this evening.
ReplyDeleteWise words from Joe. I wonder if Brian will reconsider his decision to plead not guilty.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Zoetrope. I wouldn't have guessed that Joe would be the one to make Brian see sense, but he just might! Mentioning the Grundys' forced exit to Meadow Rise struck a chord. Relatively speaking, Brian hasn't got much to complain about.
ReplyDeleteAgree, wise words from Joe indeed. Brian may just have been listening.
DeleteMaybe joe needs to pay a visit to LL to have a chat with Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea !! But would she let him in, let alone listen ?
DeleteThanks to a very long power cut yesterday evening (thanks to heavy snow bringing the lines down) I was unable to listen to TA so will have to catch up and comment later today! ❄️❄️❄️
ReplyDeleteKirsty is against Beechwood and the hunt, so by moving in with Philip she'd be going against two of her principles. At 37 she's not 'too old'. She's already involved with the environmental agency, there was a meadow trashed by the Grundys which she kept quiet about. She and Brian could yet become more involved with the Millenium Wood.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree that by moving in with Phillip she is going against her principles. The fact that they have different beliefs doesn't mean in my view that they are incompatible It is surely about acknowledging and .respecting other peoples view. Love crosses all barriers and it is up to the individuals to make it work. Life is all about respect and compromise.
Delete✓✓ they seem very compatible together, & understanding of each other. Why wouldn't Kirsty hesitate about moving in with Philip ? Like Helen, her last go at a serious relationship foundered.( note that Helen didn't seem to see the parallel or grasp her friend's problem at all, but somehow let the chat move on speedily to her & Lee.....& was quite shirty when K. urged her to be less cautious - a certain inconsistency ?!)
DeleteDithering Joe comparing Jennifer with a knife in her hand to Helen Archer, sick kind of humour.
ReplyDelete❤ Joe Grundy : "global gonad style" 😂
ReplyDeleteJoe Grundy, tenant farmer Sunday, bankrupt Monday.
DeleteHe can certainly spot a 'gonadotropin' when he sees one, takes one to know one.👺👹
Does Joe contribute part of his pension to the Grange Farm funds, or does he live "rent free", as an elderly relative, being cared for + loved, by his son + wife (Eddie + Clarrie)?
ReplyDeleteI wonder due to the soon departure of Ed + Emma, to their new, but small, Beechwood house, if it is significant.
No idea.
I wonder what Joe does with his "Attendance Allowance" which I assume he also receives.
Delete