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Life in Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments" - Episode 14 Life Outside Ambridge Have a seat and let's chat.
Would much rather be sat there all day than sat in court, but hey-ho....
ReplyDeleteBut think of the hangover ! hopefully it will be better than you imagine. Will be thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteBon courage !!
ReplyDeleteI don’t know anything about Gary being in court today (perhaps the story is on the other blog which I don’t have time to log into very often) but whatever the reason, I hope it all goes well.
ReplyDeleteMeantime, many thanks for the lovely painting of The Bull, Gary, and for continuing to look after this blog so efficiently.
Was it the 5 banks or the train robbery or the diamond heist you are getting done for Gary!!! Never mind we will all do our best to visit you I'm sure.😉🤣🤣
Delete“The Bull” looks most inviting GG, sitting outside with a nice long cooling drink in the warm sunshine! Oops not for you this time - good luck with your Jury Service ⚖️
DeleteLanjan, I saw on the old blog that you hoped Fiona’s actress had plenty of other work so that we could be spared too much Fiona.
ReplyDeleteShe is played by Adjoa Andoh who appears in very many radio plays and serials as well as on TV, so I was quite surprised that she had time to pop into Ambridge. I imagine that like ‘Tony’ and ‘Leonard’ she has plenty of other work. I suppose most Archers actors need to have other roles to pursue because they are only paid per performance and are not on long term contracts (as far as I know)
Cheers Gary.
ReplyDeleteThe trip to Stratford was convincing. 99s all round, I used to love them, in proper ice cream.
Never mind Sloany women, now we too many Sloany men. Ruairi and Ben, Rex and Toby all sounding like public school and Chelsea.
Have these two so called school boys ever heard of climate change, or the youth movement Extinction Rebellion. Perhaps Pip should get her brother and his friend involved in the Young Farmers!
The S/Ws haven’t moved on when writing about teenagers, Not since Enid Blyton’s Famous Five last visited Ambridge in the nineteen fifties.
I liked the scene in Stratford, quite gentle with nice reminiscences. I think Fiona's concerned rather than pushy.
ReplyDeleteI still think that replacing Jim's keyboard was unnecessary if not unwise.
ReplyDeleteI don't think F and A should have replaced the keyboard.
ReplyDeletePerhaps contributed to the cost if Jim wished to replace it himself.
I feel that the spontaneous destruction of his keyboard has been less than cathartic for Jim, but rather has shocked him into the realisation that his emotions run far deeper than he ever believed.
I am not finding Fiona pushy, exasperated with a situation that she doesn't fully understand I think.
Adjoa Andoh has such a mellifluous voice which I enjoy, so perhaps I am biased.
I would like to know who the strong women are in Alastair’s life Maryellen.
ReplyDeleteYou can't mean Shula who can’t make up her mind whether she wants to go to Africa or become a vicar and who was less than helpful to Elizabeth when she needed her and who spends her life sighing or Fiona who keeps whinging on as she stands there twisting her well laundered white handkerchief in her hand .
Both Shula and Fiona are fuss pots who mean well but would get on most people’s nerves because they both keep on and on.
I think Jim and Alastair have been very polite to both of them .
Now they should leave him alone.
I agree Lanjan. Shula walking out on Alistair, then becoming an overbearing friend.
DeleteFiona flitting in and out and telling Alistair that he should have known, how?
I like Adjoa Andoh, she's had a varied career and it seems many actors like to appear in the iconic programmes. There were numerous guest appearances in Heartbeat.
Shula is here to stay though, Jim was quite excited that she might get back together with Alistair.
I'm in the Fiona camp, & liked the Stratford scenes. She's probably wrong about seeking professional help, he's a very private man who's been badly shaken up, but able in time to relegate the past, which he wants to do, with the comfort of knowing that his children(& housemate !) Know what happened.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about the keyboard gift, but it is quite a symbol. If he starts to use it at some point that would be a sign that he is truly living on the present, taking pleasure in what he enjoyed until very recently, with an instrument unsullied by the ancient abuser.
Oh, & Shula, who is a pain in all the ways mentioned, is, I think, anyway, being genuinely supportive at the moment of Alistair, & not interfering.
ReplyDeleteShula does sound supportive. I think that I have said before, she feels partially responsible, without knowing why.
DeleteI like Fiona. In one way she is concerned + caring, but in another, she seems to want feel involved too much, almost to the point of interfering.
ReplyDeleteI know, that when there is a family problem I just say how I am here to help and talk, so just let me know. I find it better (and very hard) to sometimes just not try to be involved. It is difficult, but respected + appreciated. I always know what is going on though - I have my ways + means. 😆
I did rather like the scene with Leonard & the boys ! He seems natural with that age group & they obviously found him easy to get on with & liked him
ReplyDeleteHe's quite a lonely guy - a widower, son in Singapore ( isn't it ?), clearly gets on very, very well with Jill who has this large family, with whom he likes to get involved. It's a rather happy SL, everything falling out positively, & NOT boring !
What surprises but it's an inevitability in most dramas & novels, he doesn't seem to have any friends, even briefly referred to, as a sociable man like him would have, his own, & mutual from his marriage.
DeleteThings do work out differently. Friends move away, die, and also what were common interests with people, can suddenly change.
DeleteMany persons, can suddenly find themselves on their own, for no particular reason at all. Sadly it happens.
Leonard has family, but they are not close by. He has Jill as a good friend + companion.
Regarding Leonard’s lack of friends.
DeleteHe may have been in the position of Carer for several years and therefore didn’t have the opportunity to go out much.
When that happens friends tend ,after a while ,to stop inviting the person round for an evening or out for a meal because they know what the answer will be..
Mr B isn’t the only friendless character -Oliver doesn’t have any either
DeleteJill needs to "retire" from Brookfield and move back to her own home, Glebe Cottage.
ReplyDeleteObviously Carole T. has to move out and go to live with Anna T. for whatever reason.
Leonard will move in, a short while later. This could be a lovely + purely, platonic relationship, It is just 2 people who enjoy each others company, and nothing more.
Glebe Cottage has 2 bedrooms, after all.
Examples of two companions together-
Deletea) Jim + Jazzer
b) Roy + Kirsty
c) Johnny + Hannah -
now Tom has moved out.
d) Pip + Toby
e) Bert + Rex
People who get on well together + share a dwelling together, but nothing more.
Looks like with Peggy's financial incentive Eddie will all too keen to forgo his 'family' connection with Bridge Farm, Tom and Natasha.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised though that Eddie didn't know the amount involved, he was only in it for the money.
Delete...but it wouldn't be his. I wonder if he actually understands what the money has to be used for. The finances are for the costs of an ongoing and sustainable project, to preserve Ambridge in an eco- and enviromental way, for many decades.
DeleteLove Eddie though - just out to get what he wants.
Yes everyone keeps talking as though the money is a personal prize as a result of producing the idea itself 🤔 even Kirsty gave Eddie that impression imo!
DeleteTalking of Kirsty alarm bells went off for me when Phoebe said, “oh new job and new house “ (and new baby along the way too Kirsty to complicate life - I wonder....)
GG must be a true physic. A lovely picture of The Bull is shown.
ReplyDeleteNow I have just heard that Lillian is suggesting a revamp/makeover, to make The Bull a more exciting place.
Philip will need to tread carefully, in the middle of Kenton + Lillian.
I thought that Jolene is the co-owner, with L. not Kenton. Lilian cannot change things without Jolene's input and agreement. I predict fireworks ahead.
Really annoyed to hear Kenton keep saying 'My pub' and 'I'm the boss.' Since when?
DeleteHe has had no financial input into this very valuable business and building. More so he has been a drain on it with him 'forgetting' to keep the insurances going!
According to the blog written by Keri Davies a while back and found on the BBC TA website, Lilian owns 51% of shares, Sid left some of his 49% of shares to Jamie and the remainder are Jolene's.
Does that mean Lilian, is the major shareholder so can just do what she wants and dictates....
DeleteIs she personally paying for it all, or will it become part of the business, so Kenton + Jolene will be partially responsible for the costs? Thinking of how long it took for David to be repaid back (probably only then thanks to Peggy),
Lilian will have a long wait for even 1p. I hope Philip founds out who is footing the bill, as it could be "bye-bye" Beechwood Home.
Meant Jill, not Peggy. I still think there is a twist in the tale, in that Ed + Emma will move into their Beechwood Home, but Philip + Kirsty won't. This is the opposite to what is expected and another of my strange ideas. 😣
DeleteI'm glad Kenton put Lilian in her place about ageism. If not a shareholder, he told Jolene on the phone that he'd not let Lilian make any changes because she should be consulted.
ReplyDeleteLilian should be consulting both Jolene and Kenton about any changes she may be considering.
ReplyDeleteShe may be the major shareholder but they run the pub, it is their home and they are the face of the Bull.
Lilian is inconsiderate, rude and vulgar.
But mostly just unthinking and blundering in her actions.
I agree with you both,Basia and Mrs P.
ReplyDeleteLilian is no asset to Kenton.
She is coarse and vulgar and possibly drinks away a fair amount of the money she would have been paid in wages.
Mind you having said that I really think that Jolene is lowers the tone too.
I don’t know why they persist with this ridiculous storyline that she is “On Tour” with the Band.
Definitely agree, Lilian was well out of order, & poor Philip caught in the crossfire ! Still, It could happen that Jolene, on her return, might like the idea of refurbishment ? ( not to the extent of getting rid of Oliver)
DeleteWasn't convinced by Phoebe & Kirsty as giggling buddies, even if they are sharing accommodation for a while.
Quite an amusing episode, imo.
carolyn. I wasn’t convinced either. Phoebe dropped a hint that she has ideas for entering Peggy’s eco competition, but wouldn’t elaborate. She has spent three years doing PPE and is most likely get a first, which Jenny will shouting from the roof tops. In all the occasions she has been given lines she hasn’t impressed me with her brilliant intellect.
DeleteBy now she should know her results and be deciding what career path to take, instead she is moping about with Kirsty, who conversely is ecstatic about her new job.
Oxford has shorter terms than most universities if she is so intellectually astute I can’t imagine that she would not have been persuaded to undertake post graduate 👩🎓 work before leaving.
But then we are never told these things and there can only be two intellectuals in Ambridge!!
Some persons after university, just want to leave academia, and get a job using their expertise, learnt + studied, to date.
DeletePhoebe will find her own way in life, as she wants to. It is her life, after all.
I need to be very careful....
ReplyDeleteI am not happy with Phoebe + Philip, in Willow Farm.
Shula 'a godsend'? I do not think think so, she's only done what some of us have been saying, get help yourself, and then she was there checking up, come to mine, I'll be supportive etc.
ReplyDeleteThe crucial thing Alistair said tonight was: Dad was doing so well - and then he starts talking about help lines, again, and Jim bristles.
Exactly
DeleteAs Basia said,the crucial thing was that Jim was doing so well until Alastair and Fiona and now Shula interfered.
Shula has been dying to get involved and now she has .
The person at the other end of the help line said that the main thing was to listen to him .
Then why don’t they .?
Jim has spent approximately 70 years when nobody knew about it and he has managed to have a happy marriage,a successful job and raise two children.
Now three people won’t leave him to deal with things the way he wants to so that he can look forward to the final decade or decades of his life in the way he wants.
I do so agree. I was thinking earlier on that Jim has got through life with this awful memory and has put it behind him until that man appeared at his party. This was a huge setback for him but now he is looking ahead. Why is it that people want to interfere and tell him what to do. Everyone is different and as I have said before I prefer to deal with things myself whilst being around friends and family but like Jim I expect I don’t want counsellors who know nothing about me. It sometimes is almost more difficult for those close to us like Alistair and right for him to get advice. He did ask for it.
DeleteMy earlier comment about Alistair being hopeless without a strong woman around was confirmed this evening by the man himself. Who better to believe?
ReplyDeleteSorry once again Maryellen but your interpretation of the word “strong woman” and mine (if you are referring to Shula ) are entirely different unless you mean by “strong” a person who is unable to keep her nose out of things that do not concern her .
DeleteI do think however that Alastair is weak and has been bullied by his sister and his former wife into being made to do something he doesn’t want to do ie confront his father about the situation again.
I know I said that I wouldn’t mention it again but now I know that the person on the help line virtually said what I did -that they must listen and do what he wants which in his case is nothing more .
LanJan - I know that, coming from The North as you do, you value plain speaking, so can I say that although I respect you infinitely more than I respect Alistair, on this occasion I believe his account of the help he has received from Shula more than I believe yours. Shula was instrumental in getting Jim to voice
Deletehis anguish, which everyone except Jim feels is a good thing - and showed the strength to face rejection and humiliation at his hands in doing so. She has also been instrumental in getting Alistair to seek professional help for himself on how to handle the situation.
I won’t go back over Alistair’s gambling habit and Shula’s supportive role in his recovery. I sometimes wonder what his first wife was like,who also left him - for his friend, I think. Anyway, I’m tired of the anti-Shula theme so I’ll just say I agree with Jim’s latest assessment of her and leave it.
You have said it all,Maryellen
DeleteEveryone(by which you mean Alastair ,Shula and Fiona ) except Jim feels it is a good idea but Jim is the one who should decide not anyone else.
Had he requested help I would not have made any comments on the situation.
When I said ‘everyone’, fellow bloggers were entirely included in that statement.
DeleteShula left Alistair, so he moved in with Jim, to be blamed by Fiona for not knowing and for Shula to rescue him. Both these women are haranguing Alistair to help Jim who does not want help. When one knows, only one knows, when two know, eleven do. Shula almost knows and so does Jazzer who is also pressing for action, so four people are already putting pressure on Jim.
ReplyDeleteI really can't fault Shula in all this, her support of Alistair is evident & has been effective. I reckon she's learnt a thing or two after her ineffectual attempts to help her sister. Getting Alistair to contact a helpline was a sound idea, we probably all agree on that. It was sensible to suggest he phone from her house, as he can't do it at Jim's & when he's at work, he's, well, working !
ReplyDeleteI don't see Alistair as weak in this instance, it's a complex & painful situation, most people would feel somewhat lost lithout some advice. Jim slaps down any idea of getting professional help, understandable for a number of reasons, but naturally his son & daughter want him to come to terms with the past & feel better in himself.
I'm glad Adam & Iain had a good time, & quite see why, puffed out after dancing they wanted to get away from their silly & rather shrill companions. Couldn't really hear much from Chris, Alice & Phoebe - Rex, as well ? - but no loss, I suspect, & am certainly not tempted to listen again...
ReplyDeleteI am very confused!
ReplyDeleteDoes Shula now know what happened to Jim all those years ago?
If not, how did she know which helpline to find the number for?
Did she stay in the room (or eavesdrop) when Alistair was talking on the helpline - if so, she’ll know exactly what Jim’s problem was.
Have I missed an episode when she was told about the abuse?
I just can’t get my head around this, the continuity seems all wrong.
I was asking myself exactly the same questions.
DeleteShe said she had guessed from several different things that had been said.
ReplyDeleteShe did, saying to Alistair a couple of days ago that it was something from the past. He didn't deny that but disclosed no particulars.Not Sherlock, really, if someone beats a hasty & dramatic retreat from their own party, then later smashes up the keyboard which featured, in front of your eyes ! From there, easy to access helpline lines related to trauma.
DeleteI wonder if it has clicked with Lynda ?
After what Jim said to Shula about it being ‘something from the past’, I wouldn’t have guessed it was abuse.
DeleteMy first thoughts would have been bullying at school, an unwelcome revelation about his (Jim’s) parents, a hidden criminal activity known only to MiW or a teenage romantic indiscretion.
My last thought would have been sexual abuse, but then I suppose I’m not very clued up about such things. Perhaps Shula reads the newspapers and listens to the news more than I do!
Surely Lexi’s baby must be due soon.
ReplyDeleteShe seems to have had the longest pregnancy in history.
Definitely change the subject Lanjan.
Delete✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️Stasia
DeleteThe 'transfer' of the embryo was on Jan 8th so a couple of months yet!
Delete“I’m glad I bumped into you” says Shula, again and again. For heavens sake she didn’t want the man and now she is always there just “bumping” into him.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest of the episode! I’ve already forgotten.
Miriam. I was certainly told off.
I agree Alastair is now “the greatest thing since sliced bread” in Shula 👀 🙄
DeleteIt would be nice if the expected influx of painted lady butterflies got a mention on TA but I think it’s unlikely because no one in Ambridge shows any interest in Nature (unless you can eat it, or kill it for sport). True, Eddie reeled off some flower names the other evening, including yellow rattle - he’s obviously unaware that because it suppresses grasses it can reduce. hay yields by 50%, so is only good for garden or landscaping use. This means his proposed bid for Peggy’s money based on the rejuvenation of hayfields is doomed to failure from the start.
ReplyDeletePS. I forgot the bird-watching stuff. The wildlife conservation talk doesn’t convince me Kirsty & Co have an innate knowledge of the countryside.
DeleteMrA and I will be taking part in the Painted Lady Count. He was a founder member of the Amateur Entomologists Society (joined as a teenager) and we get their magazines every month. The last time there was a mass influx of these lovely little creatures was 2008 and we counted literally hundreds in our garden, an incredible sight. Hope everyone can join in.
DeleteArcherphile - how wonderful! Being as far South as you are, I expect you got the first waves of the incoming migration. Hope it happens again. We so rarely see a butterfly of any description that I think a count would be probably be unrewarding.
DeleteI am just wondering what qualifications Kirsty actually has.
DeleteI can’t remember what she did before she started stacking towels unless it was working for the recently vanished-thankfully-Helen.
They must be paying her a pittance in this new job because I can’t believe she gets a vast salary from Great Gables and she said it was less than that.
Eddy did mention Yellow Rattle. Isn't that the one that poisons horses ?
DeleteAgree with comments re true countryside attributes.
Rarely a mention in TA now.
No it isn't poisonous Mrs P.
DeleteI think you're thinking of ragwort Mrs P.
DeleteYellow rattle has glycosides in it, but an animal would have to eat a lot of it to have any ill effects. Generally they will avoid plants that are not good for them. You see wonderful meadows full of buttercups simply because cattle avoid eating them. Also even ragwort (which is lethal to horses when it is dried in hay) they will generally avoid (but I do play safe and pull up any I find in the fields). Problems occur when there isn't enough grass and animals are hungry and start feeding on things they would not normally eat.
DeleteP.s. dried buttercups in hay are fine, unlike ragwort.
DeleteThank you Janice for your expertise. What I like about this blog is that contributers know their stuff!
DeleteThank you for the correction.
DeleteLanJan, Didn't Kirsty use to work for Ambridge organics in the shop when they had it.
ReplyDeleteSo she did! 👏🏻
DeleteOops,I've learnt something today Janice. When I did have rattle on my last holding I did heavily lime the fields which apparently is a deterrent. I still remove foxgloves as a matter of course, just in case, haven't seen ragwort here yet.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately ragwort has been springing up here. A local horse rescue charity Shires Holt were short of grazing for a while and so I let them use a couple of my fields until they sorted themselves out. My brother's cattle usually graze them but he didn't mind and I like horses. We had a beautiful old Clydesdale here for a while. So I thought I had better be extra careful and uprooted every bit of ragwort I could find. Someone told me to wear gloves as the sap can apparently be an irritant. It is a shame because it is a pretty plant. I know you have ash trees Cowgirl and was sorry the ash dieback has reached you. What I found interesting was that these rescue horses, often badly nourished, made straight for the ash trees and browsed on them, and I noticed a couple were eating what seemed to be an earth/grass mixture from the top of the hedge. I could only think they were lacking something and got them a mineral block. Sorry, I do waffle on sometimes!
DeleteP.s. I wonder if ragwort could be brought in as a topic in the Archers.
DeleteLanjan. Isn’t Adam’s baby, carried by Lexie, due at the end of Sept sometime?
ReplyDeleteDo we I wonder, have reciprocal medical arrangements or will Adam have to pay for the delivery 🚚?
I think I’m on the right blog. Hint, hint. 🤔
Contributions above are all in response to Eddy Grundy and his mention of the diversity of his land.
ReplyDeleteI think Kirsy's debut in Ambridge was when she and Tom trashed Brian's genetically modified crop of something (wheat, corn, maize?)
ReplyDeleteThey were pals then became a couple. Kirsty worked in the Health food shop, supposedly run by Helen, who was always rearranging the goods on the shelves.
I think Kirsty knows more about wildlife than she does about running a health spa! It needed a real leap of the imagination to accept she would be given that job.
She did do the birdwatching stuff with Patrick (?) and there was something to do with the wetlands/bio thingy that Bridge Farm has which was supposed to be eco-friendly. I'm sure Kirsty was involved there too.
Reed beds??
DeleteI can't recall, but my two little grey cells, think it was something along these lines.
I still have a thought or perhaps just a niggle, that Philip, Kirsty + the Beechwood House, will not happen.
DeleteI had forgotten about Patrick - who Kirsty will probably meet again in her new job.
Will her heart/head be changed...
Patrick was one of the famous silent characters wasn't he ?
DeleteAnd still is...
DeleteJim said it, he wants people to care, not a new keyboard which he hasn't taken out of its packaging.
ReplyDeleteFor once he and Shula were on the same lengthway, and I know from experience that it helps when someone focuses their thoughts/prayers on a person.
The same can't be said about Clarrie and William, she should have taken it slowly.
As for scheming Eddie and Tom with Natasha, we knew it'd go that way.
I am finding TA slightly boring at the moment. I feel that this is only due, to the limited cast available at this time. This is also showing in the limited story-lines for these characters.
ReplyDeleteI did love Bev. sorting things out with Will and Poppy. She is also grieving about Nic, her daughter. She needs Poppy, Jake + Mia, her grandchildren, in her life in whatever way possible. Her tears, were good tears.
Another thought.
ReplyDeleteEdward Kelsey (Joe Grundy) passed away, sadly on April 24th.
He should be (in my thoughts only) written out, before Ed + Emma move to their new and unsuitable, house.
This could make a difference to the entire family, their lives and living abodes.
Perhaps this is why I am finding TA a bit tedious at the moment, as I am waiting for some major Ambridge events to occur.
I’m not finding TA at all boring, though I wish we could hear a bit more variety of characters and stories - rather than spending so long on just a couple of stories at a time.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is due to the restriction on the number of actors who can appear in each episode.
But it is weeks since we heard what is going on at Lower Loxley, or even Brookfield.
The attention has been so intense on Jim’s problem, also William and Ed, that I long to hear from someone else for a change.
Will we ever hear from Helen again, or Pip, David and Ruth or dear old Neil?
I have almost forgotten what they sound like!
Archerphile - think of one of your pigs grunting quietly away to itself and it will bring back the sound of Neil Carter ruminating!
DeleteThat’s not very kind, Maryellen!
DeleteTo Neil or pigs in general, Ev ?! But it is funny... That said, Do find Neil a hugely likeable character & it's a pity we've not heard a snort or sigh from him for so long
DeleteI agree Archerfile, it would be nice to have more variety rather than spending weeks at a time on on a couple of storylines.
DeleteEv - but true, though not as witty as the blogger who said it was because he’dspent So long in their company, he’d picked up the lingo!
DeleteDidn't Clarrie handle that fraught scene well ? The grieving Bev, & her own thick, stubborn, paranoid son. Thank goodness she took action. I rather hope we hear more from Bev, & she doesn't just fade into a never heard child minder in the background.
ReplyDeleteAlso, ✓✓ to the Shula/Jim scene. There may well be divided opinions but I found it both effective & affecting. They are doing so much better as kind of friends than they ever did as father & daughter in law ! There's a mutual respect & a growing understanding of each other now.
PS only crit. Why the poncy Earl Grey tea 😚
Because Jim isn’t (or likes to think he isn’t) one of the common herd?
DeleteThere's nothing wrong with Earl Grey, though I prefer Darjeeling, when people say Indian or China, I find that poncy.
DeleteI love Earl Grey and always add one bag to two bags of Yorkshire in my teapot. Makes a lovely subtle flavour, add a little milk, no sugar.
DeleteI was pleased to hear Jim uses it too and don’t think it was at all ‘poncy’
Lapsing Souchong (sp) - now that’s what I’d call poncy....and undrinkable. Bet Lynda drinks it!
Gosh, wish I'd never made that crack ! After all, it just comes down to personal taste.
DeleteI think Carolyn is correct - It was meant to sound pncy.It surprised me that Jim didn’t offer a choice, suggesting it was the only tea in the house. One shouldn’t stereotype of course, but I didn’t have Jazzer down as an Earl Grey drinking man. (Our air waves have been Jazzer-free for a week now - hooray!)
DeleteAgree with Maryellen Jazzer most unlikely to drink E.G.
DeleteAnd can imagine Jim not drinking orange builders tea.
Shula ? Not sure !
William doesn't trust Bev, she's there for a purpose ie conflict regrettably.
ReplyDeleteWhat a patronising and deceitful person is Tom Archer, “ I told you, you just need to know how to handle them” like they are a strange bunch of ill disciplined 🐵 monkeys. Eddie may be scheming, but he does have a lot of local rural knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI felt sad for Bev, estranged from her grandchild because of Will’s paranoia. Well done Clarrie the fixer.
How lovely it would be if Eddie were to win the prize.
DeleteNo way sadly.
I think it will be divided so that nobody will make any money out of the venture at all which is as Peggy intends I would think.
Are all the entrants actually altruistic or are some in it for themselves?
I noticed that Tom didn’t admit to Natasha that it was Eddie who changed his mind not them.
Weak ,pathetic Tom.
Yes, why didn’t Tom tell the truth that Eddie had been the one to withdraw from their project? Quite infantile to preen and claim the credit! Dishonesty not a good thing in a marriage!
DeleteSo.... Tom = infantile ; dishonest; weak and pathetic; patronising; deceitful.
DeleteYes folks it sums him up, and gives good reasons for his poor performance in life.
I don’t think anyone is meant to ‘make money’ out of Peggy’s competition.
DeleteSurely the prize money is supposed to finance the setting up/running of whatever the winning scheme entails.
Though no doubt some entrants (naming no names!) seem to think its a quick-fire way to get rich quick!
I trust Bev even if William doesn’t.
ReplyDeleteHe,Clarrie and Bev should sit down and have a proper chat about things.
When Nic first died didn’t Susan come up with an idea for collecting her from school ?
Does Clarrie always do that now?
It would seem that night time is the problem.
I would think that in most cases Clarrie could handle that but perhaps Susan could draw up an emergency list as an incaser.
I also trust Bev. I just wish she had been more open + honest with Will, rather than threatening to take Poppy away.
DeleteBoth their lives would now be easier + more content, both apart and together.
Does Bev have a husband/partner?
I ask this, as Bev could have a "sleep over" with Poppy.
DeleteAlso how often does Will have to do night work?
As often as Martin Whatisname says he has to.
DeleteClarrie sounded incredibly nervous, but she did well.
What I don't understand is that when Brian was in charge of the shoot, Will was in control, with Brian's backup + help.
DeleteWhy is Martin Whatisname, so dictatorial - does he actually understand how it should be managed..
Martin Gibson - who gave such angst to Kathy at the Golf Club.
DeleteHe just doesn't seem to understand his skilled + qualified staff.
Perhaps Brian could return as a Consultant, to the shoot.
Didn’t Will have a deputy he could call on in emergencies whom he sacked?
ReplyDeleteYes he did, because the chap dared to suggest he take on more responsibility after Nic’s death so Will could spend more time with his family!
DeleteWill needs to accept that he needs some help with the shoot, even a part-timer would make a difference. Thing is, would the awful Martin Gibson agree to hiring somebody now, after Will sacked.....oh, wish I could remember the chap’s name!!
Totally concur with comments comments about Tom (didn't they agree to have an 'open & honest relationship ? Huh!) I suppose it was meant to be funny, & I can see it was a temptation to show off his prowess in handling the locals, but it just makes us think of him as a lying, deceitful toad.
ReplyDeleteOn another tack, I thought Bev was a widow, with no current partner. Surely she was justified in being worried, & in warning Will about Poppy some months ago, after she saw the state her other grand daughter was in, but Will is too dim & paranoid to see that. It takes the poor woman to sob, & Clarrie to negotiate the whole tense meeting for him to begin to understand the other side.
Not sure that he did understand. He just made appropriate noises in order to placate his mother.
DeleteThe ice-cream van has just appeared - why do whenever I hear it, I think about Nigel + Mr. Snowy, along with Lizzie.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how the LL alcohol licence application is doing, which is a fundamental part of this business for weddings, events, conferances and The Orangery.
I wish some sort of continuity could happen, be it just a sentence from Kenton, David or Shula.
Perhaps this is why I am not enjoying TA as much, due to the gaps in storylines for so long.
Also how is Freddie (has he a job), what are Lily + Russ up to, along with Brian + Jennifer in Willow Cottage (with just one oven).
To add - Berrow Farm with Neil + Hannah, a potential S/L which has just fizzled out. To me it looked so promising, as to a possible change of management, and the consequences for Susan as to her social standing and incoming finances.
DeleteAm I thinking too hard? I expect I am.
No Miriam I don't think you are.
DeleteWe all feel the same about this loss of continuity.
And I don't imagine we are the only set of Archers listeners complaining of the same aspect of the programme
I feel the same Miriam
DeleteToads have a redeeming feature in their beautiful eyes. I wonder if Tom does. There must be some reason Natasha fell for him.
ReplyDeleteShe must have been wearing blinkers, or just following Trevs instructions, who I still believe will appear.
DeleteNot sure when or how.
And Kirsty. And Brenda.
DeleteWilliam gave Ed his last warning, but did he listen?
ReplyDeleteI now know why I am not enjoying TA as much as I did, but I still listen though.
ReplyDeleteIt is Shula, who is not a character I particularly like, but seems to have been in nearly every epidode recently.
Tonight she thinks ordination is her path.
As an atheist or agnostic (not sure which) I would have preferred to hear, how the cricket match against Waterly Cross went.
I really did not enjoy much of tonight’s episode either!
ReplyDeleteWhy has TA gone all religious lately?
All that rather sanctimonious stuff from Shula about God telling her what to do and Jesus healing everybody?
I really don’t want to offend any believers, but this is not what I want to hear in my daily serial.
I feel very much that I am being preached at, that Shula has become all holier than thou and is about to embark on ministering to we listeners.
If it continues thus much longer I shall have to switch off!
Give me the Grundys baling the hay any day, that part, at least was enjoyable.
My feelings precisely Archerphile. I felt like shouting at the radio whilst being subjected to Shula,s claptrap.
DeleteShula’s road will be a long one and she will be in her 70’s I would think by the time she is ordained - if indeed she gets there! Then that will cut out Alan as she is bound to get Ambridge amongst her Parishes 🙄
ReplyDeleteNext up will be Joe’s death and Ed’s stash will be disovered which will put the new house in jeopardy and of course (as we heard tonight from Will) Bev will then start on Poppy’s case for a more secure home life for her daughters child.
I do agree with the comments regarding so many Ambridge residents not being around or even mentioned and we are now talking previously very active main characters .
If the BBC do not get the over 65’s licence fee money I fear we will not have a programme to get irritated by for much longer - let anyone else try to knock it though 😡 😂 I would like it to complete its 70yrs (2021) at the very least.
I think the answer to Miriam’s question about dropped characters and storylines is simple,but one which the programme makers are strangely reluctant to do.and that is send all the oldest generation to The Laurels or the Great Recording Studioin the Sky.Then there will be no need to invent (often silly) storylines for them and bring in extra characters to feed those stories. So then there will be air space fr the characters and storylines Miriam mentions.
ReplyDeleteWell how unctuous and holier than thou was Shula’s dialogue with the, I’m here to listen and guide you on the right path, Allen. All the pseudo religious cliches were there in her reiteration of her belief and expressions of faith.
ReplyDeleteAs an atheist all I could scream at the radio was “god help us one and all”.
As Mr O’Connor claimed in the Guardian, whilst he was editor of TA he wanted this long-standing “soap opera” to present more complex story lines hence we got the Helen/Rob marriage etc. Will we have three years of Shula droning on in a biblical mode set against the wrongdoings of the Grundys.
I’d rather listen to the Grundys making hay and arguing than the self righteous nonsense coming from the future priest.
I know what you mean, Stasia. I feel exactly the same way about football and cricket, and will go to endless lengths to avoid them.
DeleteI liked Ed mocking Eddie that by doing nothing he's hoping to win a prize, the Grundy way.
ReplyDeleteShula mentioned that Freddie was out last week and yesterday Alan said Usha was waiting for the courgettes - from the village shop on a Sunday, not the freshest produce.
Oh dear, I had a background fear that her success in supporting Alistair & Jim would make her think again about ordination....I grant ghe's sincere but she didn't half come out with some cringe worthy statements. Not so much the faith aspects, but a) the assumption that God has been waiting for her, personally, to 'see the light' & accept her destiny, b) that being effective in helping 2 people very recently qualifies her for pastoral duties. There's scant evidence in her history that she's particularly selfless & understanding ( sure, she stood by A. over the gambling, but many a wife has done similar, I imagine, without it pointing to a religious career path )
ReplyDeleteHow I dislike Will, what a bone headed, selfish, unpleasant man he is ! So the only reason he's bothered about Ed serving a prison sentence is that Bev might then take steps to gain custody of Poppy ? 😎
ReplyDelete👍
DeleteIf Shula as a priest had badgered me and almost stalked me as she has done with Jim and Alistair I would soon say "On yer bike!" And I do go to local church some Sundays!
ReplyDeleteShe seems to be quite certain she will be accepted for the Ministry despite her known two lapses from CofE teachings i.e. affair with Richard Locke and her divorce from Alistair.
One of my brothers-in-law has led a blameless life, is kind, considerate and on the whole a thoroughly *Good* man yet he was turned down as his faith was deemed 'not strong enough.' He has never wavered as Shula has.
Apart from all that she needs to get some sort of theological training/degree. Apparently it takes about 8 years to become a vicar!
Agree with last sentence Spicy I pointed out the same - I think yesterday that Shula would be the best part of 70yrs old by her Ordination!
DeleteI hope she has to go away to some Spiritual Retreat for the eight years so that we don’t have to hear any more from her.
ReplyDeleteI found it all very uncomfortable listening
Exactly my feelings, Lanjan.
DeleteCompletely agree - most uncomfortable listening.
DeleteOn top of everything else she laughingly dismissed the whole idea to Alan as if it'd had been one of her passing fancies and then she comes back referring to the past few weeks which Alan reiterated to make it all sound too close for comfort.
DeleteSarnia. I agree about ⚾️⚽️ And would most certainly avoid Shula, even if she was on her knees weeding the gravestones as atonement for her sins. But then there are some people who enjoy being full of angst and self pitying, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, it’s all about ME.
ReplyDeleteTo repeat myself.
ReplyDeleteI would love some characters to just to have a laugh, a "virtual" chuckle or even sound as if they were smiling + happy.
I refer to Shula, Will, Clarrie, Tony and Alistair, along with some others.
At least the Aldridge night out was a fun event. Even Peggy has a sort of sense of humour, though very subtle.
Sorry to hear about your brother in law Sarnia, I don't think much to their selection, my cousin is a prime example of their system failure. She has been dismissed twice, the last time being the fault of "that evil woman" her boss !! need I say more.
ReplyDeleteIt was my understanding that you couldn't serve in your own parish, so may be we will lose Shula.
I think you must mean Spicycushion. My last remaining brother-in-law is pushing ninety.
DeleteApologgies Sarnia and Spicey cushion
DeleteI would much rather listen to Shula being positive read the negative comments about her.
ReplyDeleteShula is positive with The Stables, her life, her beliefs and her continuing friendship + relationship with Alistair.
DeleteHowever, to me, she is just boring.
Each to their own...
At last, Jill + Leonard "chuckle" together. This is what life should be like.
ReplyDeleteI rest my case.
1st impression of tonight - Jill : mountains out of molehills; Pat : justifiably annoyed !
ReplyDeleteMine is Tom.
Deletea)He still has the pigs on his own
b)the Bridge Fresh App. is only just up + live
c) He + Natasha are preparing their pitch for the Ambridge Village Orchard
d) The Cuba honeymoon must be soon
Poor Tony, Pat + Johnny are my initial thoughts.
I don't understand Tom's pig/sausage business, of course it's difficult to find a supplier that will fulfill all his needs. Helen bought new cows to improve the quality of her cheese, so why not do the same and what about the weaners?
ReplyDeleteWell we know what will happen now.
ReplyDeleteJill will moan about Jim’s behaviour to Shula and Shula will go round the houses trying not to tell her what happened to Jim and then Jill will tell Leonard and he being a bright lad will put two and two together.
He will only make four but that will be enough.
I would rather that happen than for Jazzer to let the cat out of the bag.
On the other hand that is still a possibility
They won’t let go will they?
All I want is the Jim storyline to diminish. Jim doesn't want to take things further, and this should be reslected by all.
Deletemeant.. respected by all.
DeleteIt's not just amatter of respecting his wishes. Nightmares are a sign of PTSD, & that's serious. Jim is doing his best to get well, even making some headway, but he can't control what goes on in his head when asleep.
ReplyDeleteI hope that at least A. Persuades h to see the GP.
Yay well done Pat - at last! (Tom 😡) As for “normal “ Jill she would have been full of concern for Jim knowing how conscientious he always is and that he has not been so since his upset at his own birthday party, but the script requires her to be otherwise I thought it was to be this way so that Jazzer would blow up and let the truth of the matter out in anger. I am so pleased he did not and that lovely Leonard saved the day.
ReplyDeleteI liked the scenes with The Prof & Jazzer an unlikely combination but one can tell there is mutual respect in their friendship 🤗
I too, though Jill was behaving very un-Jill like last night. She is not normally so intolerant and critical of other people (apart, as I am sure Maryellen will
ReplyDeletepoint out, of Toby in the early days). Leonard was doing his best to restrain her which shows a very nice side to his character, I thought.
And I also found Jazzer’s sympathy and care for Jim very touching. How strange that two people, so different in age, background and personality, get on so well together and obviously care deeply about each other.
I like that
Yes, Archerphile, Jill was indeed intolerant of T❤️O❤️B❤️Y, not to mention the whole Fairbrother family with the possible exception of Rex when she remembers he exists. It’s an example of what I mentioned earlier about storylines and incidents having to be dredged up for characters who are dramatically past it but, for unknown reasons, the scriptwriters keep hanging on. Just think of all the characters we could be hearing fromif we didn’t have Mr ‘Keep the Platitudes Coming’ Berry to bore us (and Jill too, I begin to suspect). As for Jim and Jazzer - an outstanding example of fiction being stranger than truth.
DeleteOh dear Maryellen! You really don’t like Leonard Berry do you? And never miss a chance to run him down or suspect his motives or just make negative remarks about him - and Jill too, for that matter.
DeleteYour antipathy to Jill I can understand better; she was decidedly nasty to the precious Toby and the whole Fairbrother clan at first and even I, à long term Jill fan, didn’t like or approve of that.
But why Leonard? Whatever has he ever done to upset you? Or is it just that you like to put a contrary view to those of other Archers bloggers?
And, as for the SWs keeping characters hanging on, Jill is the matriarch of the original Archer clan, the inheritor of Doris Archer’s role. Of course she should continue in the story as long as the actress is able and willing to continue. Her participation is much less than it used to be but she cannot be killed off early, to provide a gap for another new person or story.
DeleteHaving said that, I very much dislike the current story that has been dredged up, as you put it, for Peggy, just because June Spencer apparently asked the SWs for something special to celebrate her 100th birthday!
But, in general, where would Ambridge be without its older, long established residents to provide the backbone of village life?
Simmer down, Archerphille! It’s an arithmeticsl fact that that the more air time given to the Ambridge elderlies , the less there is available for the characters and storylines that listeners here say they want to hear more of. I find it difficult to believe the TA production team are so sentimental and that they can’t tell elderly actors it’s time to go, when they able to ‘lose’ others.
DeleteAs for the Leonard Berry character, everything I’ve said about him is true, my fault is to bring it to the attention of people who get fed up with it,just like I get fed up with posters who never lose an opportunity to have a pop at Shula or Tom or Natasha or whoever.
Sorry, Maryellen, Its just too hot today to ‘simmer down’! ☀️
DeleteYou and I have different opinions on lots of Archer related topics.
I dislike your attitude to Leonard.
You dislike mine to Natasha.
You like younger characters and new stories
I like the older generation and more familiar ground
Let’s just leave it at that.
I haven’t got the energy for an on-line debate, having spent this exhaustingly hot day trying to occupy two small, over-energetic boys!! 🤯 🥵
You started the discussion, Archerphile, so it’s your prerogative to finish it!
DeleteMuch as I admire the line, ' fiction stranger than truth', with regret, have to differ from Archerphile & Maryellen in some aspects :
ReplyDeleteJill is a very conventional woman & it is entirely in character that she would get uppity, & bore on about Jim's unreliability ( note that even patient Leonard became a tad irritated with her), but she's got form in not seeing beyond the surface - she never really grasped Elizabeth's situation, even when it was eventually spelt out to her.
As for Jazzer & Jim - opposites attract ? Of course, Jim is often exasperated, but Jazzer's spontaneity & exuberance & warmth are such a contrast to his own buttoned up persona, that he finds it refreshing ( it also helps that he can hear what the man is saying much better than I can, which isn't saying much, I suppose!)
Jazzer and Jim may not be as opposite as some of us would like to think. If we eliminate accent and educational achievement, I think they have some aspects of their personalities in common.
DeleteYou are spot on about Jill, a very conventional woman who is occasionally allowed to be out of character. I don’t t perceive her to be a sensitive individual.
Lanjan. Your version of Chinese whispers with arithmetical calculations did make me 😆.
ReplyDeleteLeonard could move the equations on, and before you can say Ambridge the figure might reach 200+ which = the population size. Does it not.
I am happy 😊 to be corrected.
I agree with Lanjan and Lady R - Jill's reactions were so contrived, for Jazzer to get close to the edge and blurt out the truth about Jim. He's already been tested with Lilian, Jill and to some extent Alice. It's a device to keep us guessing if the truth will out and by whom.
ReplyDeleteWhat so many interesting comments, I am enjoyimg reading + catching up with (whilst trying to keep cool).
ReplyDeleteI love that, no matter how many views are so different, each can post these, in a civil manner and in an non argumentive way. How lucky we are.
What I still find fascinating, is how The Archers, with events, characters + general Life in Ambridge, can be "heard" + interpreted, in so many ways.
😀😀
👏🏻 ✔️ 🤗
DeleteI am feeling slightly cheated as to The Archers tonight.
ReplyDeleteIt was slipped into a conversation that Lizzie and Lower Loxley, have had the alcohol licence re-instated.
I would so like to have heard more about this and how it has been achieved.
At least it is business as usual for Lizzie, Lily + Russ.
PS What are Lily + Russ up to?
DeleteStasia how about Leonard telling Jill that he wonders if perhaps Jim ,at his party had recognised someone who had damaged him in the past .?
ReplyDeleteI told you he was a bright lad.
Jill confronts Shula who admits that that is what happened.
Leonard then tells Jill that the same thing happened to him.
He goes to see Jim who at first is annoyed that Leonard has found out but after they have spoken together Jim realises that he has found the one person to whom he can confide.
No Counsellor needed.
Well done Leonard.
But he has told 31/2 people(Shula guessed), & they did empathize, as far as anyone can who hasn't been through such a childhood trauma. It won't stop the nightmares ! I gather therapy doesn't often either, though, if the person is open it may make PTSD more manageable.
DeleteAh yes but if Leonard has already been through it then surely it would be more helpful for Jim to talk to him than to someone who hasn’t?
ReplyDeleteDepends if Leonard has healed, & has some brilliant ideas, but I really doubt, neat though it would be, if L. has had anything like that. Groups of like sufferers do sometimes make a difference, but Jim is not a group sort of person, is he ? He would have no patience with it, & he's a very private man.
DeleteLeonard being the sensible person he is would say that the past is the past and nothing can change what happened therefore Jim should try to put it out of his mind and concentrate on the future.
DeleteI think Jim already understands that, Lanjan, & is trying to live in the present when conscious, but he can't stop the nightmares.
DeleteHe was getting over the experience until Alastair,Shula and Fiona kept on about it and it was only then he started to have the nightmares.
DeleteI think they would have happened anyway. The geni was out of the bottle. Total mental upheaval. It helped a bit when he told them the truth, he started to go out, apologized to some people, but is still pretty unwell.
DeleteYuk. Have always been against 1yr old parties - it's just an excuse for mum's ( usually just them) to have a natter. Babies aren't interested in each other then, unless one snatches another's toy & an almighty almiing starts up. However, there didn't appear to be any babies at Rosie's do.
ReplyDeleteToo much noise from the grown ups at this one. Phoebe being annoying - now there really is a character change - Rex being wet, Toby showing off, Elizabeth being silly .Why does she think Shula would make a wonderful vicar ? She just said that, because she feels good, so it's inane chatter & smiles all round. End of sour rant !
Had a good day before those 13 mins of nonsense kicked off.
Almighty wailing
DeleteWhy a character change for Phoebe, Carolyn? She’s been annoying on various occasions in the past, and has always been totally focussed on what she has in hand - which can be Good Thing as welll as a Bad Thing. Think of her as one of Ambridge’s more rounded characters.
DeleteI do agree with you about the party for Rosie ,Carolyn.
ReplyDeleteRidiculous idea.