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Life in Ambridge

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  1. Have fun washing your hands along to "Barwick Green"!

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  2. Yay a brilliant change from “Happy Birthday” ! Poor old hands are nearly worn out. It is said there have been queues in the men’s loos at major football games due to hand washing apparently
    unprecedented 😱

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  3. I don't seek out scientific evidence. We just follow our instincts. I know someone who was in an induced coma last year and I was glad when he pulled through, I didn't ask what he remembered. I know that people read to him but didn't touch a lot, trying to behave as if he was awake.
    Scientific evidence is not doing much for us in the current crisis, we are advised to follow "the herd immunity". Someone said that we should have heeded science as to climate change and spent as much energy on trying to avert it but because it doesn't affect us on a day to day basis we pretend it's not happening. Perversely, this situation is contributing to cleaner air with fewer flights and less traffic. Will it make us stop and think or will we revert to taking things for granted?
    By we I mean the human race myself included.

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  4. What a clever idea to wash hands to Barwick Green Gary, as Lady R said, a welcome change to Happy Birthday or the first verse of the National Anthem!
    I have to admit I have washed mine so much recently that my fingernails and skin are really suffering and I’m having to use lashings if hand cream, which I never normally bother with.

    But back to Ambridge - and how much longer can the SWs go without inserting a reference to coronavirus? Especially with Lynda and Blake in hospital and the question of visitors etc.
    It is surely not beyond the skill of the Editor and his team of SWs to make an adjustment to an already recorded episode to bring Ambridge up to date in the crisis?

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  5. Brilliant Gary!
    I found the website the other day but didn't think to put Barwick Green in.
    If anyone else wants a bespoke handwashing poster, visit https://washyourlyrics.com/ and pick your song.
    (But Wombling Free doesn't work - 'Relph and his pet subo' anyone?)

    I'm sure Barchester General are very hot on handwashing. 'Though I don't suppose Lynda's too concerned about that at present : (

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    1. Perfect, Gary ! You're a genius at finding the theme of the moment !

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  6. I have a feeling that a heck of a lot of changes are going to have to be made with regards to storylines.
    I think that it will affect quite a lot of them.

    Will weddings be allowed to take place at Brookfield for example?
    Aren’t Natasha and Tom in Spain or have I made that up?

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    1. Susan and Neil are still in Lanzarote I think.
      As far as I’m concerned Susan and her gossiping tongue can stay out there as long as possible , in view of the current situation in Ambridge!
      But Neil can come home as soon as he can get a flight.

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  7. Thought someone had gone to Spain but couldn’t remember who.

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  8. Apropos Susan and Neil, I have just read that The Canaries (and the rest of Spain) has been placed into lockdown, with planes being turned around in mid air.
    So, if TA is to be topical there will have to be a whole new story written very quickly with Emma and Chris worrying about their parents, phone calls and emails zooming backwards and forwards.
    And probably Tracy, no doubt, keeping Susan up to date about the explosion, Lynda and Philip!

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    1. I believe it’s only planes going out to Spain that have been turned round in mid-air.

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  9. Mr Nuts prefers to sing “ring a ring of roses “ while washing his hands, 3x takes 24 seconds.

    Re the explosion; was the grill lit by a member of staff making toast? Looking at you Freddie!

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    1. Oh yes, the plague song! Very appropriate, Mr Nuts!

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    2. Or could it have been Tracey, who then rushed out after Emma and forgot?

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    3. As I recall, all the breakfast food was being prepared in:the dining room, and Emma was portering over stuff from the cafe. If Tracy or Freddie had wanted a bacon butty 🥪 then they would have gone to the dining room. I think the cook was using portable ovens.
      It is possible Lynda who is nosy went into the kitchen and interrupted the building labourer doing ??? with petroleum and boom.
      Pierre. I’m now convinced Blake was doing a dodgy substandard job and without supervision, hence the kitchen became a dangerous place.
      The question is, did Gavin give him the petroleum and then left him to get on with it? Or maybe Gavin simply phoned Blake and told him to get to GG pronto to deal with a problem.
      Perhaps:Gavin was in Wales pestering his ex Kellieee.
      Said with as many eeeeees as is possible to utter in one go, without taking a breath.

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    4. Can't disagree with that a posteriori. Your priori assumptios were simply guesswork.

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    5. Phillip gave the job to Gavin who he knew to be competent to do it. The fact that Gavin then acted in his proven role of "the boil on the bum of the wotld" and failed to supervise another emplyee leaves the blame with Gavin not his father

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  10. Who knows, as to when+ how Covid-19, will be mentioned in the lovely village of Ambridge.
    I agree, that it does need, an acknowlegement in TA.
    My very simple thought is this:-
    there is so much, about this, in the news etc...that, I just want to listen to TA, as a,
    normal place, where I can escape to, on a daily basis.

    I am more worried about Oliver, plus Kirsty + Phil - in that order.

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    1. I am eagerly awaiting to hear from Gavin, telling his Father and Boss, known as Philip, about where he was.

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    2. I suspect they're already in lockdown. I tried to buy a train ticket to Felpersham today and was unable to do so : (

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  11. My only comment has to be, why was there petrol?
    Surely the job on Sunday, was to simply lift the floor up, to just expose the blocked pipe, ready for a repair on Monday.
    The SW's do love to create something different..and wind us up.

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    1. Perhaps he couldn't get hold of hand sanitiser ; )

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  12. Thank you Gary for the handwashing sing song idea. Much better than Happy Birthday. I do agree that the current virus needs to be mentioned but please only in passing and not dwelt on.
    I feel sorry for Oliver who is an elderly gent doing his best to run a business but now has all this to cope with. He seems fragile. Also Philip who left his son to do a job and now faces responsibility for the GG disaster.

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  13. Pierre 4.55pm
    You are absolutely right, my priori assumptions are not based on any personal experiences. As Kant says it is all synthetic and some knowledge is not real and independent in itself. I base my assumptions on experiences derived from listening to and recalling real experience of the Archers.
    ❓⁉️💡

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    1. I bow to your depth of experience. I have been somewhat concerned by the unfair attribution of character without evidencd put forward by several of our friends.
      We hear that in Ambridge Jenny ( dahrling) is stirring things in that manner. Thank heaven that "mouth almighty" Susan is away with the possibility of a delayed return

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  14. I still think that Oliver will now sell GG, when this awful event is finally sorted out.
    Enter Justin or perhaps another, who will turn it into:-
    a) an upmarket golf resort
    b) a classy retirement home
    c) top grade, flats/apartments
    d) or to just keep it as a wonderful country hotel, with Ian doing a fine dining, michelan starred, restaurant.



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  15. Wasn't it an upmarket golf resort when Jack Woolley was running it ?
    My memory is that Caroline turned it into more of an hotel.

    Others with better memories will correct me if I'm wrong.

    As for the petrol, did I hear correctly, that it was being used to remove adhesive from the floor ?

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  16. “ Will we ever be out of the mire and back to the days when early lambing was Ambridge‘a only problem” from today’s Daily Mail TV book.
    Nothing more to add as no spoilers from me🤗

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    1. In the village where I grew up, less than 3% of the population were likely to have lambing problems. The rest of us (being country folk) knew one end of a lamb from the other, but that was it.

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  17. Mrs P: 8.21

    I understood that Blake had been using petrol to dissolve the adhesive on the kitchen floor tiles. I assume he had to remove the tiles to get to the concrete floor underneath. It was the fumes from the petrol that were ignited by the pilot light on the grill because Lynda opened the door and the draught blew the light towards the fumes.
    At least, that’s what I think I heard.

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  18. Oh I see, thank you A P.
    I wondered why adhesive had been spilled on the floor or why adhesive was there at all.
    My experience of builders would lead me to think that they would break out the area of tiles, and the tiles would be matched and replaced at some point later.
    Since it was a rush job, I'm amazed that any builder would spend time doing it the way you describe.
    But there you go.......

    But I'm also still puzzling about the banging of metal that we heard so clearly and which Linda went to investigate.

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  19. Showbis gossip - I think we might be hearing a bit less from Josh over the next few months because his actor, Angus Imrie, has been cast to play Prince Edward in the next season of ‘The Crown’ on Netflix. Apparently he is 25 and this is a big coup for his acting career. So will Josh’s activities be scaled back, will he be committed to a convenient spell in prison or might they find a replacement actor to take his part?

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    1. I do hope he returns at least he can act and he sounds his age.

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  20. Pierre. 8.24
    ‘It is a truth universally Acknowledged’ that an Archer fan will attribute unfair comments to a particular character. Usually done on the basis of some flaw in their character.
    For example, Susan is often the butt of negative comments because she gossips. Archerphile 1.05, pm used that personality trait to suggest keeping her in Spain during the virus outbreak.
    Some of us don’t like Philip or his nasty man child Gavin, there I’m at it as well, and now I have reason to hold those disapproving views.
    Perhaps it’s what the S/Ws want us to do.
    I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing the back of Gavin, but want Philip to stay so Kirsty can get married, otherwise she’ll become the only Maid in the village.

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    1. My reason for not liking Susan is, as you say Stasia, because she is a terrible gossip. And because I have, in the past, suffered considerably at the tongue of a very Susan-like character who worked in a village where we lived Such characters can do enormous damage, even if they do have ‘hearts of gold’ and usually excuse themselves with such comments as ‘I thought they had the right to know’ or ‘I was only repeating what I heard’.

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    2. Stasis and AP. I am on your sides. 👍

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  21. Stasia, I am not on the side of the autocorrection.

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    1. Pierre. Neither am I. It it still makes me look like a twit.😾😺

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  22. I so enjoyed, well I think I did, listening to the TA omnibus this morning.
    It was all the episodes as a seamless one, which made so more sense + understanding.
    Like others I still have 2 questions:-
    Why was there still a pilot light, or similar, still alight?
    Why petrol, to remove adhesive on a flooring?

    This throws up another question:-
    What was the flooring on the GG floor, and was it suitable for a hotel kitchen?

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    1. Lilian talking to Linda, reduced me tears today. I had a very different listen today, and I put it down to the back-to-back episodes, the continuity of the S/L and characters reactions.

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  23. Thank goodness for that!

    And what shade of red (?) is Ben's car? I liked Freddie saying that they've got the best grandmother in Borchester.

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    1. Here, here ! Jill has developed a good relationship with the grandsons.

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  24. Three cheers for Lynda!!!
    A long recovery is ahead but she's made the first step.

    Interesting conversation between Robert and Lynda. We think we know someone but we only know a small fraction of their life. It's often only after a funeral, or a major crisis, that we learn just how well and widely loved a person is and are told aspects of their life that we never knew.

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  25. Linda speaks - how wonderful was that.
    But how?
    I thought that she was still in an induced coma + on a ventilator.
    But then, Linda always gets her own way + Long may that continue.

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  26. Phew ! A relief, eh. An absolute pain in the butt, Lynda, but a real 'character' that TA can't jettison - so few of them !
    Again, a good conversation between Robert & Lil. It'll be interesting when the two women talk again, & make up. Going back to what others have said, I agree that Lil might will give in & give the pub back its original name, to celebrate Lynda's survival, & encourage her recovery.

    As I understand it, an induced coma is just that - the doctors will bring a person out of it when/if they judge the patient is ready & stands a good chance of survival( don't know if they'll take her off the ventilator straightaway, though?)

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  27. How lovely that Lynda has woken up and spoken! So soon too. I'd imagined that scene, if it happened, was a long way off.
    Nice conversation between Robert and Lilian too.
    I was imagining Josh's car to be a neon lime!

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  28. Annieveggie - you and me ? On the same wavelength.

    I thought it would be weeks not seven days before Linda surfaced. Nevertheless pleased that she has.

    And the car IS Lime Green !
    I am positive about that.

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  29. Mrs P - I am also convinced that Ben’s car is fluorescent lime green and I think it’s a 2CV.
    I’d love one if those - any colour would do!

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  30. No AP, it's an old mini.
    I know, because that's the car my daughters had.

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  31. Hurrah Lindy is back with her lovely lovely Robert 💕 now it’s 🤞🏼for her not to contract THE virus whilst in hospital 🤔
    I wonder what Ruth and Daveeed think about that birthday gift - maybe the motor is pink 🤣 no doubt all will be revealed before long.

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  32. Re Ben’s car. Didn’t take long for Freddie to revert to twat status.

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  33. Another triumph for Borchester Hospitals Trust - I can add Lynda Snell (blown up) to Tony Archer (gored), Rob Titchener (stabbed) and Matt Crawford (run over) on my list. Well done, medics!

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    1. Wonder if we’ll hear how they cope with in influx of the C- virus patients ....and which over 70 yr old Ambridge resident will be sacrificed for topicality?
      ☠️

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    2. I guess it should be Linda - over 70yrs and suffered a great trauma.
      Maybe last nights rallying was the calm before the storm - although I do hope not Linda is a real if at times annoying character and joy of joys has a voice that is instantly recognisable🤗

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  34. I just assumed Ben’s car is shocking pink.
    I also assumed it was painted and not sprayed
    Surely young girls are not that bothered about the colour of a car they are given a lift in are they?
    If Ben thinks it is” cool” then it is “cool”
    How did Leonard get involved?
    Don’t remember anything about either him or Jill being told about it.
    I remember Maryellen saying that if we haven’t heard it then it hasn’t happened.
    (Apologies Maryellen if I got that wrong).

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    1. So long as it's not the same mustard yellow as the car we saw for sale a couple of years ago.
      Our car had been written off after a low speed shunt. The tiny dent in the bonnet needed repair but would have cost more than the car was worth. Money was tight and the car was the cheapest available. But ... there are limits. So we got a boring white one instead.

      MrsP, it's certainly not an old Mini. Old Minis are *cool*. My racing green one was called Sterling Moss. Sadly, he had to go once we were faced with fitting two car seats in the back. (Most people upgrade to get a newer car. We upgraded to fit the car seats in. We are now gradually downgrading when the car dies - the next one will need to be a C5!)

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    2. LanJan - I was quoting Keri Davies, but I think le was only talking about major events otherwise no one in Ambridge would ever pay their Council Tax!

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  35. Lanjan you have expressed my thoughts exactly. If Freddie thinks (from his vast experience with girls) that they would consider the colour of a car to that extent, he is aiming for a partner who is his equal as a moron.

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    1. A moron he certainly is, but he’s an heroic one. I think in real life that might be a contra;diction.
      I pictured the car to be a sparkling purple with little daisies dotted here and there, hippy style. They did say it was old.
      🚙

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  36. Lanjan, Ben's 18th is a family birthday, so we just see the result of grandparents' involvement.
    We know that Leonard 'helped' Ben pass his test, what exactly did he do parking uphill?

    Lynda's recovery may have been on speed as a feelgood factor? Now as some say they can introduce the 'crown19'.
    Her inability to speak gave Robert centre stage to present his range of acting skills.

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    1. I agree Basia I really like Robert he gets things done without great drama (a foil to his Lindy)

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  37. There is a car, often parked at our local Sainsburys, I greatly covert and long to own.
    It is a beautifully restored Citroen 2CV, professionally sprayed in shocking pink with large flowers painted, stencilled or stuck on it (not sure how they’d done it but it is very tasteful) and it has very shiny chrome fittings.
    That really would cause eyes to turn in Ambridge and even more so in Borchester!
    So much more stylish than my 21 year old silver Nissan Micra ( that’s the old shape, not even the newer one!)

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  38. Oh Archerphile I am envious that your still driving a 21 year old Micra.
    I had to finally give mine up four years ago now, and it was 22 years old when I did.

    I always wanted a 2CV, don't suppose I ever will now.
    I've never had a mini either.

    If I was monied I would have a Triumph Stag.

    I suppose that at some point the colour of Bens new/old car will be revealed.

    I too pondered whether Linda waking might be the calm before the storm.
    She may have emerged from the coma, but much could still go wrong with extensive burns.

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    1. Mrs P. My dream car, was also a Triumph Stag - but I ended up with an old red Renault 5.

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  39. I have come to the conclusion that Lynda’s return to consciousness was as a result of having to listen to Robert wailing about his ‘Lindy’ in between him droning on reading aloud Moby Dick. So Robert’s first wife was called BOBO I wonder was she responsible for naming the two girls?
    So Lynda’s personality deficiencies are rooted deeply in her relationship with her mother!
    A few more visits from Lilian and she’ll be as right as rain. 🤞 I hope she remembers what she saw in the kitchen before she was blasted away.

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  40. I am surprised that Linda is still in Borsetshire General.
    With full thickness burns, surely she would have by now, been transferred to a specialist burns unit, elsewhere.
    But not to listen to Lilian + Robert talking to her, would be missed.

    PS My colour choice for Ben's car is - fluorescant Lime Green. Harrison, plus his colleagues, will love it.

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  41. Here's a thought but not a spoiler.

    It has been rumoured in the press that Carole Boyd was thought to have been wanting to have more time at home due to her husband having had a stroke. Would this now be the apposite time to change the actor?
    As I said no 'real' news this is the case. It could be just gossip about 'fake news.' ?

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    1. The deep burns affected her vocal chords?

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    2. She could well return very much later, with a new face + voice.
      I hope not.
      She hopefully will return, when it suits her + her husband's situation.
      But who knows, and who could replace the wonderful Carole Boyd??
      My thoughts are:-
      Joanna Lumley or Linda Moyle.
      If the brilliant Carole is replaced, then the signifacant sniff, will have to be learnt, and replicated..

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    3. Meant - Sarah Moyle.
      I was too focused on the name of Linda.

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  42. Well done, Lilian ! Of course she had a mirror in her handbag, but she knew it was far too soon for Lynda to see her horrific injuries.

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  43. Lynda knew she had no need for a mirror, Lilian's white lie told her, difficult that.
    As for Oliver and Philip, of course they feel the burden, life has a lot of grey areas.

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  44. Spicycushion ,I thought that Lynda didn’t sound quite as plummy this evening.
    If it was not Carole Boyd then the new actress would be a very good replacement.

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    1. Smoke inhalation and facial burns maybe LJ but I know what you mean.

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  45. Doped up and stiff she’s going to sound a bit off.
    Good call by Lillian, although I am sure Lynda knew she was lying.
    Much breast beating and angst from Oliver & Philip, but at the end of day, as Alistair said, it was Blake who decided to use petrol. Philip may be liable technically, but morally it’s Blake.

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    1. Absolutely, but, in true soap fashion, it's essential to spin out the agony & both Oliver & Philip are bound to feel responsible. It fits their characters, too, to be fair - both honourable people.

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  46. For one ghastly second I thought that Oliver was going to throw himself over the weir. He's so hard on himself, as is Philip.
    Poor Lynda, she knew very well that Lilian did have a mirror but that she was sparing her a terrible shock.

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  47. Long may we have the current Lilian amongst us, kind and understanding.
    How are all the soaps ie TA and tv ones (which I don’t watch now) going to deal with the C.Virus if the pubs/bars are forcibly shut going forward as they are all filmed/ recorded 6 weeks in advance apart from slot in remarks which radio can and have done before as they are supposed to reflect life and this is huge and would definitely affect residents and businesses and the farming community.
    Peggy, Jill and more will need to self isolate for starters....

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  48. LanJan have just checked this weeks cast list and neither the character Lynda or Carol Boyd actress listed at all so....another of the cast for her few words maybe.

    GG how are you 🤔 🤞🏼

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  49. Note that when Alistair told Philip about a gathering in aid of the injured he said it would be 'at the pub'. Philip was understandably dubious, in his place I'd give it a miss.

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