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Life in Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments' - Episode 8 Life Outside Ambridge Beach Chairs
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ReplyDeleteEv April 4, 2020 at 11:17 PM
Fair enough, Lanjan. Unlike Graham Seed who would have liked to stay on instead of falling off the roof! Hope “Betty” is enjoying life down under!
Archerphile April 5, 2020 at 8:34 AM
Of course the death of poor Betty left the way open for Mike to meet and marry garrulous Vicky (a bit like Joy in some ways) whom I couldn’t stand. She was very controlling and persuaded Mike to do all sorts of things he would not have done, left to his own devices. As has been said many times before, the birth of their Downs Syndrome baby Bethany could have provided a really interesting long term story about the child growing up in the village.
But the powers that be scotched that idea by moving them off to Birmingham.
(Sorry if ‘Downs’ is not the correct term these days, I’m not sure what it should be called)
Love the video!!
ReplyDeleteOh Gary! Your little video: if only!
ReplyDeleteLoved the alternative ending Gary, if only.
ReplyDeleteThe episode where Betty died was the first one I ever listened to.
Brilliant Gary!
ReplyDeleteOh Gary , I just so wish! He was my favourite character.
ReplyDeleteJolly spiffing video, what !
ReplyDelete(not that I miss him, sorry...)
Great fantasy ending for some Gary. However, like you carolyn I prefer the original one.
DeleteLove your ending Gary. Much better than the real one.
DeleteWell, I liked him too, Janice. A bit of eccentricity never did any harm!!😉😁
ReplyDeleteThe best thing I re-heard on the Omnibus this morning?
ReplyDeleteLynda’s contemptuous sniff has returned! She must be getting better. 😊
I still wonder, how Nigel fell of the roof. As Leonard pointed out, LL has parapets...
ReplyDeleteI so agree... Bethany, with Vicky + Mike, should have stayed in Ambridge.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to hear, how she grew up, went to school and joined in with Ambridge events.
TA - missed an opportunity to highlight "Down's Syndrome", and how a life can evolve.
As you all know, I am a "corrie" addict. In this, Alex (a down's syndrome person) plays a role in a normal life situation.
Bethany, could have done something similar, in Ambridge.
Perhaps, Mike, Vicky + Bethany, could return to Ambridge.
What I picked up on, this morning, on listening to the omnibus, is:-
ReplyDeleteHow Freddie is not coping.
I fear for him - and I hope he doesn't go "backwards".
He needs to see Jamilla and also move back to No#1 The Green, with Johnny + Hannah.
I'm losing interest, it was all so predictable: Josh being right though they have a shepherd, Robert and Lynda squabbling, Jennifer having too much to do, I couldn't wait till the end and think about what's around me.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed my pure escapism to Ambridge, where life is still normal.
DeleteI can so accept, all that is happening in Ambridge. This is where country folks can still go out, meet each other and talk, even if it causes angst in families. They are lucky that they can still meet up.
I quite enjoyed this episode : Josh getting a break, a chance to prove himself - why not ? He was careless about his own business, but he's a farm lad & he wasn't careless about the herd.
ReplyDeleteLynda back on acerbic form, Robert bumbling around, trying to help but misfiring - all very realistic. Felt very sorry for them both, it's a horrible situation. She'll repent, I imagine, of snapping at him, but she's suffering so much. Who wouldn't be in an ultra sensitive state, & on a very short fuse ?
Robert needs to step back and allow Linda, to decide her own decisions.
DeleteYes Miriam your right he does need to step back.
ReplyDeleteHe is behaving as though he doesn't know his wife at all, when in fact he knows her only too well.
In this time when Lynda is helpless in the hands of others with massive intervention, she of all people needs to be given the dignity of making some decisions for herself.
I am not at all surprised at her anger.
He knows and loves her for her forthright and self opinionated journey through life and he of all people should realise that Lynda needs an element of autonomy within the restrictions of her treatment.
As for the rest of the episode, well done Brian for recognising Josh for his husbandry.
Jenny and her Easter Bonnet.
The very last Easter Bonnet made by my mum hangs on my bedroom wall.
I agree with Miriam and Mrs P that Robert needs to step back. He's bumbling into her treatment in a really clueless way. It is totally understandable that she would react the way she did and maybe that will knock a bit of sensitivity into him.
ReplyDeleteAdam really does seem miserable. When does Ian return I wonder? Josh has done a good thing and helped the sheep.
Brian was also a bit insensitive towards Jennifer who was tiring after looking after Zander.
The problem facing Robert is that roles have been reversed. He is usually the helpless one with his Lindy in control, now he is trying to be in control and is failing. As Lynda said her body might be in crap condition but her brain is still working. Poor old Robert desperate to make things better and only making them worse.
ReplyDeleteI’m surprised the hospital psychology dept hasn’t been to assess Lynda to provide support for her life changing physical circumstances.
Goodness, Robert Snell IS getting a heavily smacked wrist The only stupid thing he did was to ask Lee to take over her physio, obviously out of order, & if he hadn't been so befuddled by stress, he'd have thought twice. Lee was in a very awkward position, but was as tactful as could be.
ReplyDeleteThe nearest & dearest always cop it, that's pretty general, because there's a good chance they will take it. Note that Lynda didn't moan to hospital staff about how excruciating the exercises were. She really can't afford to do that in her dependent situation, so Robert gets it all, & is just trying to come up with some better way of helping her.
That's really not a criticism of Lynda, her behaviour is completely understandable, & easy to identify with,( if not exactly justifiable - poor, loyal, loving old Robert!)
What makes it even worse for Lynda is that, yes, indeed, she is a control freak ( the only other Ambridge character who comes close to her on that is probably Peggy ! ) So, from being in an induced coma, to being physically helpless & at the 'mercy' of the experts, it is above average appalling for her. Not forgetting the pain taking its toll on nerves & temper.
Great minds carolyn. Very eloquently put. Sending in Lee was a bit like that song, “send in the clowns” with him singing 🎤 “don’t worry I’ve seen it all”.
DeleteBrian is priceless, anything to avoid helping Jenny look after Zander. Do t blame him, would do the same myself.
ReplyDeleteFeedback on R4 last night. Discussion about the issue of modern slavery in the Archers and the Philip/ Kirsty relationship. Dint catch the names of those participating. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteListened this morning, thanks to your recommendation, Stasia. Odd that some of them seemed to think it was actually feasible to insert references about this world crisis without wiping out all the pre recorded episodes, which depend on people moving around, visiting hospital etc. !
DeleteA casual remark, inserted here & there would have been totally unconvincing.
Also, they didn't see it coming for Philip, when some of us did.
DeleteHow lovely we can all, still discuss Life in Ambridge, as it still going on, as normal.
ReplyDeleteLong may it Last.
I hope Easter will still happen in Ambridge, on the correct days
DeleteI am looking forward to the Easter Bonnet event etc. as normal.
More to it today. I hope Roy will reflect on how he was received.
ReplyDeleteIt was like this with Ed and Emma before, she put her heart on her sleeve and he held back but with time he'll relent, more drama to come.
As for those three airheads, how can they fall into Justin's trap again? Only Pip can see it but renting out to others like themselves, it's uncharted territory, how can they make profit?
My heart goes out to poor Blake. I know I should not get worked up listening but I am incensed at that tyrannical, bullying coward, Gavin. I hope he gets his just desserts. In spades. I ‘ll have to go for my daily walk to calm down.
ReplyDeleteOld Fogey, I'm actually taking a break from listening at the moment and just picking up what's going on by reading on here & a wee bit of Twitter. Sounds like I've made the correct decision!
DeleteI was startled by how brutal Roy was with Blake, certainly not carrying out Lynda’s wishes as she would have wanted.
DeleteRoy doesn’t understand Blake’s lack of comprehension and his reaction was understandable when Blake lashed out at him. I was disappointed that Roy didn’t stay long enough to smell a rat but hope that he will in the next few days.
DeleteCan't a nurse notice how agitated Blake is? Or accidentally overhear a conversation with the viprous builders?
DeleteOr perhaps Kirsty will discover the petrol Gavin has forgotten he put in their garage ...
Roy was brusque with Blake from the moment he entered the , made no initial allowance for Blake’s invalid state, didn’t explain himself at the outset - it was the same tone of voice in which he said “they'll get over it” when leaving his wife and children.
DeleteFair point well made maryellen!
DeleteEsscee, the entire business proposal is at the top of the previous "Life in Ambridge" blog....😋
ReplyDeleteI'm worried about Roy !
ReplyDeletePhillip will 'manage' him, but Gavin might take action.
Just thinking about Robert and his clumsy attempts to help Lynda.
ReplyDeleteWhat he really needs to do is sit down and talk through with her what *she* wants.
However, I wonder if they're both avoiding doing exactly that? Lynda has already told Freddie how she feels, and said Robert must never know. Perhaps Robert has already realised it for himself and is now trying everything he can think of to keep away from such aa painful conversation.
Lynda clearly does need some form of counselling. I don't know at what stage this normally starts but surely she ought to have some sort of input by now?
I reckon she will survive. It'll be a long, hard slog and she'll never return to full physical strength. But she *will* pull through, she'll find a new normal and will come out stronger. But first she's got months of pain and a slough of despond to endure. I'm sure the script-writers have taken advice from individuals and groups who have been through similar life-changing traumas. Hopefully, he recovery will be an encouragement for others whose initial reaction to their injuries is to wish they'd never survived.
Unless, of course, Covid 19 gets to her first.
Numbskulls Esscee? The perfect description!
ReplyDeleteGoodness! I almost could see the revolting and despicable Gavin twirling his moustaches last night!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to the actor for making him sound so evil and threatening. Not the normal Archers actor requirement, at least not since Tim or Jack’s father.
Dum, Dee and Dumer existing in a little virtual cuckoo land, discussing rubbish fed to them from Justin via his new dog’s body. Dee and Dumer would appear to have swallowed it hook, line and sinker.
ReplyDeleteSo that is what a degree from Oxford does, educated to manipulate and speak with forked tongue.
Phoebe will be the next MP for Borchester South
Well done Ed. You are right, what you have will never be enough. Emma needs the education Phoebe supposedly obtained. But as Emma said, if you are Grundy or a Horribin forget any enhancement of your social status.
Gavin is a nasty sh.t bag and dangerous. Roy will be due a visit from the ‘Nice’ uncle Phil.
Then nasty Gavin will have Roy duffed up.
Nice and nasty 🤢 a combination that works well in the criminal world.
And the most used adjectives of POTUS.
DeleteStasia,
DeleteI obviously haven't been paying attention - when did Justin get transformed into a dog? : )
I wonder what breed he is - something slick and expensive, probably. Certainly not a Heinz 57. and what does Ruby make of having canine competition for Lillian's affections?
He's a wolf
DeleteRoy is going to suffer some nasty conseqences from that visit. I didn't recognize Roy during that visit as he sounded so brusque as if he was there under sufferance. Maybe I've forgotten his past attitude and generally think of him as a nice bloke.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Ed has made the right decision. Now it's up to Emma to convince him she's changed her grabby attitude and appreciates him for what he is. Whether she has actually changed is another matter. She still certainly has that chip on her shoulder.
OWiAS. Ha, ha. Should have added Dum, but Autumnleaves is correct he is a wolf. Grab, grab, but never do the dirty work yourself. Just like Philip, although he (Philip)will never be in Justin’s league, anyone who decorates their house in Christmas lights nearly sending the National Grid into meltdown lacks sophistication. They are essentially similar and not nice. That is Philip and Justin.
ReplyDelete' anyone who decorates their house in Christmas lights nearly sending the National Grid into meltdown lacks sophistication.'
DeleteOooh, cutting! : )
Anneveggie.3.35pm.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to spend 5minutes in Ed’s company I’d be yawning 🥱 with boredom, never mind be married to him. I suppose in rejecting Emma’s ‘let’s get back together’ he has, realised that she needs a bit more excitement in her life! And with her in tow all he does is run around like a headless sheep.
Maybe Ed has finally grown a pair ( please excuse the expression ).
DeleteAnd there is still the goods bought by Will, on behalf of Ed, so Emma can still have them, whenever.
DeleteAlso, does Emma still have credit card bills (as suggested by Natasha), which she used to buy said goods?
So many loose threads (unlike my knitting!).
Is Lilian still involved in Peggy's Scheme, so having a say, how the £250,000 is utilised?
ReplyDeleteNo idea.
or was it £500,000?
DeleteSurely some-one, should be overseeing, how the monies are being utilised, with the "Re-Wilding" scheme to make sure, it is being used, as intended.
GG is re-opening next week.
ReplyDeleteHow lucky, to get the repairs done so quickly (and not by Philip and his gang).
Also the insurers must have been quick, to sort the claim out, unless Oliver has paid for it all, himself.
Will this leave him "out of pocket" when the insurance claim is not paid, due to the cause + negligence. This would been Philip could be responsible for the costs.
Whatever...
I forsee problems for both Philip + Oliver, and:-
Grey Gables, will be put up "For Sale".
Enter Justin, yet again??
...or Vince?
DeleteStasia 5.01 pm I don't think that Emma is any more exciting than Ed. They both seem about the same on excitement levels IMHO.
ReplyDeleteAt least Kiera's got a bit of sparkle ; )
DeleteAt least on her Unicorn head and tusk 🎂 cake🧝♀️
DeleteLast night mainly passed me by - Ed getting on with life, Emma the same, but very unhappily, interspersed with Gav & Philip muttering evilly in the background. I shall be glad to see those last two trounced SOON.
ReplyDeleteI think Emma needs, somehow, to prove that she has changed, dig deep to rediscover her priorities, so Ed can be convinced a reconciliation would endure.
I agree with Carolyn about Emma needing to prove her change in attitude.
ReplyDeleteEd is right in his thinking at the moment.
Gary and Stasia think there is too much baggage between Ed and Emma for any relationship to succeed, but I feel that if they can overcome this separation and be honest about revaluing what they have between them, they could build a new life together. A life with a better understanding of what they can realistically achieve together in the future, on the foundations of what they have achieved in the past.
Emma is prepared to work hard and graft at something she dislikes such as the chicken factory. Ed is not without imagination, has created new initiatives such as the shearing work and is prepared to do more.
He is also able to admit his mistakes, and learns from them.
I hope they make it.
Perhaps Tracey will help - unlike her posher sister, she's never been ashamed of being a Horrobin. She grabs the opportunities she's given, rather than constantly yearning to move up the social ladder.
DeleteIf emma can be proud of her family and proud of what she does, with or without a dream house of their very own, there might be some hope for them.
Neil is easy-going enough to tolerate a social-climbing wife. Ed is not!
There is a difference; Neil has been steadily successful whereas Ed, despite skills & ability to work hard, has been spectacularly unsuccessful.
DeleteMrsP and OWiAS - You've said so much better than I could exactly what I think about Ed and Emma and the possibility of them reconciling.
DeleteSome of the new houses were to be affordable and in most cases this means the local authority can buy them ( or a deal is done) for social housing. ( what was wrong with 'council tenant' ? My parents were proud to be called such ) before ' Emma's dream home' was brought to the fore were Ed and Emma not on the council housing list. Did they ever come off that list ?
ReplyDeleteSurely that is the way forward for them. Emma's mum and dad were council tenants for a long time before they bought number one the green and later built Susan's dream home.
Mrs P On another webpage someone (who must spend ALL her time analysing the broadcasts) said that during the planning stage the number of houses to be built was reduced to 18 from the original number (can't remember what that was) and so Justin 'had' to reduce the affordable housing to just one house to make his development financially successful.
ReplyDeleteSadly Emma still carries the chip on her shoulder as shown in Tuesday's episode. She immediately started whinging about Josh working at Home Farm when she has no connection there at all. It is nothing to do with her who works there!
No I think Ed is better off without her.
She does have a connection there, Spicy, because Ed worked for Adam regularly, not full time, until he was sacked over the chemical waste episode.
DeleteYes but she's not with Ed anymore. Okay he'll be paying maintenance for Keira I suppose but he'll be getting money elsewhere.
DeleteSocial housing (often housing association rather than council these days) is extremely hard to come by these days and Ed and Emma wouldn’t be high up the priority list.
ReplyDeleteI think they could still get back together in time. Sensible to iron out the concerns first.
I wonder what the police will have on the father son pair - I hope it’s enough to move this story towards its conclusion.
Shula, a bottle of wine on Maundy Thursday evening? Shouldn’t you be praying in the garden of Gethsemene, or at least at St Stephens?
Very much with you on first 2 Paras, Seasider.
DeleteIs Maundy Thursday supposed to because time of abstinence & prayer, then? Please excuse my ignorance on this..
Delete 'because', it's 'be a....'
DeleteYes it is a time of prayer Carolyn. The Maundy Thursday Watch is one of my favourite times in the church year even though for a Christian it commemorates something very sad, the time the disciples were supposed to be keeping watch but falling asleep while Christ prayed, and his subsequent arrest.
DeleteChurches are closed this year, but normally after an evening service people take it in turns to Watch in small groups,often only 2 or 3, beside a side altar covered in candles and spring flowers. It is a very peaceful meditational time. It tends to stop at midnight nowadays but when I was young it continued right through the night.
It probably sounds very strange to people of different beliefs or none, but I think that even if you are an atheist simply being in that altered state of consciousness (which it is possible to flow into in the silence and total quiet and candlelight ) can be very uplifting. It is probably easier for me as I was brought up on the legends of Arthur Pendragon and of course the journey to being a knight involved a long night watch before an altar.
I shall pick some daffodils and light some candles and sit quietly here.
Think it’s a reference to the Last Supper followed by the agony in the garden and the arrest of Jesus. Maybe for the devout a time of abstinence and prayer. I always think of Maundy Thursday in terms of the Queen distributing Maundy money, one coin for each of her years. Those pouches must be getting heavy by now!
ReplyDeleteOf course she won’t be able to do it this year and wonder what will be done?
ReplyDeleteKirsty reassuring Philip that everything will be alright!
ReplyDeleteNo it won’t.
I’m sure it will.
No it won’t.
Yes it will. When these poor vulnerable men are eventually rescued from the threatening, frightening and intimidating father and son. I though Philip’s final comment to Kirsty sou;did a touch menacing.
Lost my internet connection last night due to trying to get hitched to face time.
ReplyDeleteWasted exercise that.
My point being I wish I had been able to read the post from Janice.
I would have liked to have joined her in spirit in the nightwatch.
That's companionable of you Mrs P. I shall probably just do a couple of hours from 9 to 11 p.m. this evening. I wonder if Shula will be also, or maybe the s/ws don't know about such things.
DeleteMrs P, good news as the Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday night watch is tonight. Beautifully explained by Janice. I usually go to Southwark Cathedral where you can hear noise and bustle outside but there’s peace and candlelight within.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that Shula would at least attend a service this evening - before the vigil there is usually a service to commemorate the last supper of Christ before he died (which was a Passover meal) when he first suggested meeting in future, in memory of him to share bread and wine.
At the Thursday evening service a priest washes people’s feet, in memory of Christ washing the disciples’s feet. Then at the end the altar is stripped bare. As Shula is a potential ordinand I doubt she would miss this in favour of a bottle of wine at home, but maybe she’s the first in Ambridge to hear about self isolation so she’s having her own last supper/Passover meal solo.
Passover in the Jewish tradition started yesterday until the 16th April.
ReplyDeleteI suspect no one in Ambridge ever heard of any other religions other than the Anglian tradition.
I know that Usha is of the Hindu faith but she has become a silent and never spoken about. Unlike Kathy who is evidently superwoman at the moment.
And I have been unable to buy any Matzo this year and our Seder supper was just for me and my husband as no other family members could come. Although I am not a strict observer, nor even a kosher cook these days, I have always acknowledged Passover as it was the one family occasion my parents always insisted on keeping and I still have my little Haggadah I had as a child and look through to reminded me of the story of the flight from Egypt.
DeleteSome very interesting and thoughtful posts, yet again today.
ReplyDeleteI only want one thing:- this is that Philip + Gav are found out and Kirsty moves out, before TA goes into "Lockdown".
Perhaps Justin (my least liked character), will spot something at Berrow Farm, now that Phil + his "gang", are working there.
DeleteI am still bemused, how Grey Gables has been repaired/rebuilt and is open for business again.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that the insurers, have settled the claim, so have financed this, as there was negligence involved.
As I have posted previously - has Oliver financed this himself - and will be his downfall???
I do think it's a shame that Ambridge seems to have lost itself even so far as the Anglian Tradition, in respect of it being an English village.
ReplyDeleteTo have put Shula at home alone with a bottle of wine, not even a modest glass, and not a word from Alan Franks this evening, really is a lost story.
In the past much of Ambridge revolved around St Stevens as much as the Bull.
This year there has not even been a mention of Easter on the horizon.
Easter yes, but the festive not the religious aspect, on Sunday I suppose.
Delete..but aren't the episodes a bit out of sync, now that there are only 5 a week and not 6, as pkanned + recorded.
DeleteThey are, Lynda is to leave the hospital on Thursday which is when?
DeleteI'd still expect Easter Sunday to be this Sunday though.
Next Thursday, I think.
DeletePardon my ignorance ,Archerphile but are the Matzo which you mentioned ,anything like the box of Rakusen Matzo which I buy from Sainsbury’s?
ReplyDeleteLove them.
I buy Matzo crackers (also from Sburys), which I eat in the summer months for lunches. Not only are they lovely + crisp, but also fat- and salt- free.
DeleteExactly LanJan, but he ones most
DeleteJewish people buy for Passover are much larger than the cream cracker size ones you are probably thinking of. They are about 6 or 7 inches by 4 or 5 inches. This large size is quite difficult to spread with anything because they tend to break up, but they are delicious and much nicer than the water biscuits they resemble, probably because they are made with eggs.
Usually, around Passover you can get two types, ordinary in blue Rakusen boxes and kosher for Passover in red Rakusen boxes. You would have no difficulty finding these in London but not out here in the sticks! And by the way my family’s Yiddish pronunciation was always‘Motza’ or Motzas and not the Anglised ‘Mat-zoes’
Similarly, ‘by-guls’ and not ‘bay-gels’.
Here endeth the
Yiddish lesson!
Really up beat tonight - Tracy is such good value, 'Fake it till you make it !', boosting up Oliver, Freddie, Emma, & perhaps even US in lockdown...
ReplyDeleteI have had small square biscuits in orange boxes ,Archerphile but the ones I have at the moment are in a large dark blue box and the biscuits are much larger-will measure them tomorrow .-
ReplyDeleteI think I will have some at lunchtime with cream cheese..
Much nicer than cream crackers.
Sounds to me like you have the ‘proper’ ones Lanjan!
DeleteCouldn't post me a few, could you?
Please!
Agree,Carolyn.
ReplyDeleteI wonder whose idea it was to make Tracy into such a great character?
I love “Fake it until you make it”
Is Tracy Horrobin as worldly wise as she makes out? I think not. A woman who believes in ghosts? She and the late Joe Grundy have a lot in common.
ReplyDeleteAs some said Oliver wondered if it might the end of the road for him.
ReplyDeletemaryellen.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who is a C of E vicar and she ( to my astonishment) believes in ghosts. Perhaps Tracy belongs to an elite group.
‘Fake till you make it’ sounds like a mantra for politicians.
I can imagine Tracy shouting ‘up the workers’ if on a demo.
Believing in the existence of the supernatural doesn't inevitably mean a person is gullible, ignorant & superstitious, only that they might be assumed to be so by some materialists.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely did in La Horobin’s case - no other word than gullible when the hotel guest conned her and, shall we say, highly imaginative, when it came to the ‘bloody head’ glimpsed through the window.
DeleteRobert needs one of those old fashioned Victorian nurses in starchy uniform to issue the following instruction.
ReplyDeletePull your self together 👨🏻 Are you a man or a 🐁 mouse?
Get a grip, I’m getting sick listening to your wimpy whinging.
Lindy has made a very ‘SPEEDY recovery.
Robert has turned into a very morbid character.
Matron Hattie Jacques😁😁
DeleteAnd with the daffodil
ReplyDeleteYou made me choke on my coffee! Naughty! 😂😂😂
DeletePierre, I must be a bit dim. What is the significance of the 🌼 daffodil?
Delete