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Life in Ambridge

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  1. A tiny part of my poster for this weekend's Academic Archers Conference!

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    1. Love it ! ( though couldn't read all the script on the right side)

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  2. Good luck Gary at the weekend.
    Lanjan and Stasia please see my post at the end of the last blog re. where Brian's words at the naming ceremony came from.

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    1. Thanks Janice!

      And here IS your post from the end of the previous blog....
      JaniceFebruary 27, 2020 at 12:30 PM

      Brian's words were written by one of imho one of our greatest poets Kahlil Gibran. They came from the section about children in The Prophet...... " they come through you but not from you " etc , and this was from a man who never had children himself. I have heard his preceding poem on marriage read in Church at weddings " let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another, but make not a bond of love. Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup..." etc. The whole of his work is well worth reading.

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    2. Great wisdom & truth, Janice, an inspiration to read, so thanks for posting & to Gary for transferring here.

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    3. Many thanks, Janice - I didn’t know that, I’m ashamed to say, but look forward to finding out more.

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    4. Thanks Janice. I that's very beautiful. I've never read anything by that poet, but I'll definitely do a bit of research now. Would like to read more.

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  3. Carolyn, if you tap on the image it should come up much bigger, so you can read all the writing.
    Well, it does on my iPad anyway!

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    1. It did, AP, but too blurred !

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    2. Oh that’s a shame! If you’d like, I could let you see what is written there, but it would take a few moments to write it down first, but happy to have a go.

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    3. Nice offer, but don't bother, AP, I'll wipe the glasses & try a better light source !

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    4. Mine came up clear Carolyn I wonder why yours is coming up blurred ๐Ÿค”

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  4. I tried to post an update on Pecca, presumably at the same time Gary was closing the blog, so no show ! Good news - no evidence of riptured womb &/or internal egg burst, so likely to be a gastric infection, for which she was injected with both an antibiotic & an anti inflammatory. We will inject her at home until the course is completed - doesn't look too difficult to do, though if/ when she feels better,( fingers crossed), frisky & feather flapping, it might be more tricky ! Today, being poorly, she was exemplary !
    Many thanks for the good wishes posted since I last wrote.

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    1. So sorry, the above should be on the other blog !

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    2. Not really TA is a farming prog so news of pecca is very relevant here ๐Ÿค—
      Sending get well wishes ๐Ÿฆƒ X

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  5. Gary, I love your character card ร  la the Top Trumps game. Very clever!
    Now how about cards for the rest of the cast? I’m sure we could all join in with suitable attributes and disadvantages for our favourite/unfavourite characters! ๐ŸŽญ

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  6. Love the shaggability category. .would Lillian qualify๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚

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  7. Carolyn. (Apologies to Gary)
    The right hand side of Kate’s card reads:
    IQ. 110
    Lambing Skills. 73
    Business Acumen. 17
    Good in a Fight. 62
    Shaggability. 81
    Delusional. 100
    Criminal Intent. 11

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    1. Many thanks, AP !
      ๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿ˜ƒ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚

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  8. That is great Gary.
    I think you are almost spot on with Kate although I am not convinced she has an above average IQ.
    Also thanks for reproducing Janice’s post.
    Like Maryellen,I didn’t know it either.

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  9. Janice 12.36pm.
    Thank you for the reference to the works of Gibran, I have now spent some time checking out his poems. I had heard of him but was not overly familiar. I can understand why Kate would be interested in his poetry, and his not quite in this world brand of mysticism would suit her “half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it so that the other half may reach you”. Sand and foam 1926.
    Later in the sixties a number of individuals used his work to promote their own.
    Just like Kate. Perhaps.

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    1. Gibran, the bit you q,uoted, Stasia, the tone of it, makes me think of Rumi, (14 - (or maybe (13 ?)Sufi master, & poet who laughed at himself &, by implication, everyone else, writing so much about the ineffable, for which there are no words, no perfect language, yet the compulsion to express none the less

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  10. They'll get on very well if they continue to live apart, besides, Kate's just bought a new bed.
    They could start equine therapy.

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    1. I am surprised at Jakob missing Kate. When she was staying with him, he just criticised her, such as not cleaning the microwave after her porridge.
      Can they live together.

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    2. Opposites attract & all that. This happens to be an extreme example !

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    3. That's the point: they spend time but not live together, so have no boring chores, Kate was the first one to admit she wouldn't separate the laundry into compartments.

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  11. Wasn't Roy's absence mentioned by a couple of people the other day ? Hey presto, here he is again, lonely & miserable ! ๐Ÿ˜˜ Kirsty & Philip to the rescue, making him their Special Friend. Oh dear, does this mean K. & R. are going to look into each other's eyes, & realize what deep down they've always known ? ( No, I do NOT read Mills & Boon, but perhaps the SWs have...) Result being that, having once been dumped at the alrar, kirsty will experience the reverse, with the added spice of running off with the best man. No, no, they can't do that ๐Ÿ˜€ ( can they....?)

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  12. Many thanks to Janice for allowing us to know about Khalil Gibran.
    I am familiar with some of the work but not a great deal.
    I did recognise the words spoken by Brian but could not get to my copy to find more.
    As Stasia says much was made in the past of these works but they are still used in many ceremonies such as weddings and funerals, where today we have the freedom to look and choose beyond the more familier Christian texts.

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  13. Tonight’s episode. Lovely for Roy. Carolyn....like your scenario for Kirsty and Roy. Have always wanted them to get together.
    Kate and Jakob ๐Ÿคข๐Ÿคฎ

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    1. At least K & J have each admitted their own faults but I predict more fireworks to come!
      Is Kate still going to stay with Peggy now? After all she has her new bed, and was is Jakob saying he now wants a baby ๐Ÿ™„

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  14. Don’t care two hoots about Kate and Jakob.
    However Kirsty and Roy - that’s another thing.
    I have been telling her all along.
    “Phillip isn’t for you.
    Let Joy have him.”

    PS I do know of someone who had a big ,big wedding but went off with the Best Man within a year

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  15. Carolyn 8.03 pm I like your suggestion for Kirsty and Roy. Maybe it'll happen. Most certainly prefer that scenario to Oliver and Tracy getting together.

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  16. ๐Ÿ˜✔️GG
    merci Janice ๐Ÿ‘

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  17. I was delighted to hear Roy again last night, he’s not been on much lately. I really felt for him as he told Kirsty about his loneliness. So it was lovely of her and Philip to include him in their secret wedding plans.
    But I should like him to find a new, permanent companion/possible partner. Lexi is obviously off the scene; Tracy too tied up with her precious Roman (at least, she thinks so!); Hannah? No way; so who does that leave in the village at the moment?
    I used to think it would be Kirsty one day, but am now convinced she is committed to Philip, unless, of course, Lanjan proves me wrong and he turns out to be a charlatan!

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  18. “I choose you”. Bad choice Jacob. Kate is definitely not the cure.

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  19. carolyn. 8.14pm.
    Rumi 12th century Muslim, more religious in his poems, less airy fairy in content than Gabran who was also influenced by Sufi mysticism.
    Given Gary’s assessment of Kate’s IQ (low end of the scale) I think she would have found her poem in Patience Strong’s literary style.

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  20. Stasia, I disagree about Kate and Jakob, they laughed and sounded quite human. As long as they don't set up home together, with their combined skills and expertise they may go a long way.

    Going back to Carolyn's scenario, there's a precedent. Jazzer used to be enamored of Fallon and she chose him as her best man.

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    1. Oh yes so she did! I always thought they would get together at some point and then Harrison appeared.

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  21. I still want Kirsty + Tom, to finally get together, Natasha + Phil. can return to Wales together, or not.
    I can but dream + see flying ๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ– ๐Ÿ–

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  22. The editor will be on Feedback next week to discuss Jim's storyline and how it was handled.

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    1. Thanks for the info Basia - that will be an interesting listen.

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  23. I am still not convinced about Kirsty + Philip and their secret wedding, but I am not sure why.
    What I would love to hear, is a true and proper Ambridge wedding, in St. Stephens with Jakob playing the organ, and then the reception, in the Brookfield Barn.
    But I have no idea, as to whom, the happy couple will be.


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    1. ..forgot to mention, the bells will also be ringing, as the bride + groom emerge from the church.

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  24. There's still tomorrow for either Tracy or Kate to propose, but unlikely it seems.
    I'm disappointed with the cliff-hanger.

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  25. Will Lilian's next scripted line be " Git art my pub!"
    Sorry Keri not so good tonight imho.
    Please can we have less Lilian, more Tracey!

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  26. I used to like Linda, but I am now not sure.
    She was just spiteful tonight, putting one over on Lilian, with Mungo.

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  27. And her husband saw through her ruse !

    Well said Robert.

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  28. It is just another character change .
    Lynda was never a spiteful person.
    She would not have done that to Lilian.
    The worst you could say about her is that she is a snob and perhaps a bit self opinionated.
    Lilian is a different kettle of fish though.
    She will certainly try to get back at Lynda.
    As for £20 for a compliment.
    How ridiculous is that?
    Glad it isn’t me
    Cost me a fortune!



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  29. I'm not sure I understand why it was Lynda's job to inform Lilian that Mungo was visiting and not James'? Has this happened in the past and it has become Lynda or Lilian's job to inform each other and not Mungo's father? Maybe I've missed that as Lilian's reaction was so incensed.

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  30. A) The 'feud' between Lilian is becoming tedious.
    B) Lynda would not have deliberately kept Lilian in the dark out of spite. Like Lanjan says another character change to facilitate a plot.
    C)It is most certainly Mungo's parents' job to inform Lilian they were visiting for the day and needed a babysitter. Of course Lynda would have expected them to be in contact with Lilian and assumed she couldn't look after Mungo for whatever reason.
    D)She wouldn't have mentioned it to Lilian, I suspect, because of the state of their current relationship.

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  31. I wouldn’t let a child of mine anywhere near Lilian. He’d be plonked in a chair at the B@Ambridge being fed on crisps and nasty scraps, being cackled over by a frightening woman smelling of gin. Then he will have to see the vet and join the fat club.
    Instead of verbally attacking Lynda perhaps a polite call to her son would have been more appropriate.

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  32. After last night I dislike Lilian even more (if that’s possible!) and dislike Lynda much less.

    As others have said, why should Lynda have informed Lilian about Mungo’s visit?
    It would be obvious for Lynda to assume that James and Leonie would have told both sets of grandparents of their intended visit and preferred Lynda and Robert to look after Mungo for the day, than Lilian who is so involved with the pub at present.

    I thought Lilian sounded like a fishwife shouting at Lynda in that coarse accusatory voice and am glad Robert chucked her out. But I should have hoped he wouldn’t have thought Lynda had deliberately kept quiet about the visit. He should know that she wouldn’t use their grandson to get back at her present arch-enemy.

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  33. Lynda did say to Lilian that she had told James she might be busy with the pub, it was for him to decide what to to with the child. Had I been Lynda I'd have organised the visit in such a way, so that Lilian could go to the noisy soft toy place. I think they both deserve each other.
    I'm interested to find out if the real bull will function properly after the treatment.

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    1. Basia. Lillian in the soft play place, Dahling you must be joking.

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    2. And could you just imagine Justin going along too? ๐Ÿ˜ฑ๐Ÿ˜‚

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  34. I wonder if Robert Snell is experiencing a twinge of guilt after apparently failing to notice that Mungo’s other biological grandparent didn’t figure anywhere in the day’s event! That might explain why he was so uncharacteristically sharp with Lynda - usually he is mild and admiring towards her.

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    1. Yes, perhaps it wasn't just a case of 'badly done, Emma, badly done' ( quoted several times here in other contexts) ! Lynda was so taken aback by his unaccustomed rebuke, chances are she'll change....

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    2. I think Lynda was the victim of Robert’s projected guilt. What happened to his first wife, btw?

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    3. I believe she is still alive, but another character the SW's can't be a***d to refer to in order to keep any back story realistic......It would hardly take up much of a script insert to do this imo.

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    4. She lives in Spain/Majorca, there was a mention years ago when Robert told Leonie that he'd pay if she wanted to visit her mother. For all I care they can send Mungo to her.

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    5. Yes, instead of introducing a new character (Joy) at random, they could have introduced us to Oliver and/or Robert’s first wives, I don’t mind which.....

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    6. Robert correctly defended his wife against the cackling harridan. He then correctly took Lynda to task over her atrocious behaviour. I do not see why we should immediately suspect that this is because of some imagined dealings with his first wife.
      Why do we need to know more of her she is and has been a mere sideline and I, for one, do not give a fishes tit about her.
      As for sending someone away - yes please. Cackling Lil and Pseudo intellectual Snob Lynda together or separately to anywhere.

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    7. I wasn’t suggeing that Robert giving Lynda a ticking off for not informing/including Lilian (when he hadn't either) was anything to do with his first wife. She was a separate train of thought, which obviously I should have put in a separate para. to avoid misunderstanding. However, I am quite interested in how she now fits into her daughters’ and grandson’s lives - and scriptwriters willing)I do think bringing in Oliver’s ex could result in a positive outcome for him.

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  35. How long before they mention the virus which is headline news everywhere?
    No one's mentioned hand washing so far.

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    1. Do they ever wash their hands in Ambridge? Most of them seem to up to their eyeballs in some sort of muck. Except of course Justin.
      I’d be worried about what Jolene was spreading, didn’t he have some virus last week?
      Perhaps picked up on her ‘singing’ travels?๐Ÿฆ ๐Ÿงผ

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    2. Oh, Justin's up to his eyeballs in all sorts of dodginess..

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  36. I do hope that an "insert" as to the normal Ambridge life, might be slotted in. This is to mention, just two two things, the awful floods and the "virus".
    It is so topical, at this moment in time, and deserves a quick, and passing, mention.
    This is, just to keep me believing, that Ambridge is a proper and real village.๐Ÿ˜š

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    1. I do hope, that Susan has a good supply of soap, hand-wash + hand-gel, in stock in the village shop. ๐Ÿ˜‚

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  37. Are you encouraging panic buying,Miriam?

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    1. I am just keeping up with the latest + current news/advice. I was simply relating this, as to how it might affect Ambridge and its residents.
      What is wrong with that?
      It was meant to be tongue-in-cheek..

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  38. Well blow me, Robert said exactly what I had suggested, that Lilian might have taken Mungo to the soft play centre, oh no dahling!
    I think Johnny should talk to Oliver, man to man, he should understand and stop the rumours.

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  39. Kirsty surprised me tonight, as to her thoughts + comments.
    I had hoped, that she would be be much more supportive of Freddie.
    It seems, not so. Her judgement, just seems to be based on gossip and not fact.
    This is not the Kirsty, I used to respect + admire.
    This is another TA twist, to suit the S/L.

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  40. I think this evening both Lillian and Lynda realised that they had behaved badly, hopefully a level of civility can be restored.
    I actually felt quite sorry for Lillian reflecting on James’s behaviour and her part in it. I have always found him a seriously unpleasant human being.

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  41. Johnny needs to step up and confess to Oliver exactly what went on and why with the supposed drug dealing which Lynda thought she saw. It's so unfair that Freddie could lose his job over this mistake and Johnny needs to put this right.
    How petty of Lilian not to answer Robert's greeting. She behaved badly again.

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    1. Absolutely agree on both points.
      I cannot agree that Lilian (as said in a previous post) showed some remorse or recognition of her appalling behaviour when she met Robert. He was polite and willing to forget about it but she was up for a fight as soon as she saw him.
      With her awful screeching and stupid laugh she has been turned into a rich 'Peggy Mitchell.'
      Come to think of it there is a definite similarity in the nasal guffawing between the two actors!

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    2. So different to her dear mother, Peggy, when she was landlady of THE BULL.
      I don’t remember Peggy screeching and putting on that awful nudge, nudge, wink,wink voice or raucous laugh when she was in charge!
      Much more refined, and dignified, even when dealing with her alcoholic first husband, Jack Archer, who drank most of the profits.
      And to think that both Lilian and Jennifer were brought up in THE BULL. And how differently they have matured!

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    3. I think the problem with Lilian is not so much the part as the actor who is clearly milking it for all she’s worth.Maybe the producer should have a quiet word!

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    4. Oh yes! I agree too, Maryellen. A bit of direction is sorely needed.

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  42. Presumably, after that sympathetic yet straight talking conversation with Kirsty, Johnny will confess to Oliver. It is not in his nature to risk getting a friend into serious trouble, & it might even help him to confess his encroaching baldness to an older man !

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  43. Am with KPnuts ( 8.53pm last night), on feeling some sympathy for Lilian. She realized she wasn't the best of mothers, &, though James is a self centred, pretty repellent character( Leonie surely no better), he's not in the habit of communicating much with her about Mungo or anything else.
    It's all a storm in a teacup really, along with the fuss about renaming The Bull. I think most of us have had more than enough air space on all of it & it sounded as if Jolene feels exactly the same !

    Don't understand the objections to either Lil's character or how she is performed, as she's consistent, no surprises or unconvincing changes to suit a story. I gather from what others have said some time ago, that she wasn't so OTT in her youth, but a rackety life & booze coarsens people....

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