Miriam - March 25, 2021 at 7:42 PM A question, which I have no idea about - As Chris is self-employed, can he claim Paternity Leave payment? Not sure how this works. But then, will he let his regular clients down, so affecting his own farrier + Forge business? It is Alice who needs to step-up, for her and Martha's sakes, + their livelehoods together.
Miriam - March 25, 2021 at 7:50 PM In a strange way, I think Kate may well be the one, to be the person Alice needs. She is a sister, a mother, and had also seen + experienced life, in many varying ways. After caring for Peggy for a year now, she might just love a different project, without Hilda O. + son!
Miriam - March 25, 2021 at 8:06 PM PS Peggy might have let some things slip, so that Kate perhaps knows more, than she actually realises. Thinking too much again 😆😁
maryellen - March 25, 2021 at 8:07 PM Miriam, the answer is on the government website which you can find by googling paternity leave and. self employment. The answer is no, unless you pay yourself in a particular way.
maryellen - March 26, 2021 at 7:35 AM PS. It looks as if Chris is not taking time off work, judging by yesterday’s episode. I expect they need his income. I like Basia’s suggestion that Amy could reappear to help with babycare. With Lisa on the detox front and Amy on the baby front, plus Chris of course, Alice would be well supported.
Thanks for the info. about Paternity Leave. I wasn't sure that, even though paying NI contributions, Chris could claim something. I was just too lazy to look it up. I knew some-one would be able to tell me. 👍
Gary I imagine that you come across some very interesting pictures in your trawl through the internet to supply us with the inspired ones that you come up with.
I just couldn't resist it when I saw it! Can't even remember what I Googled in order to have found it - probably something like "baby pig funny alcohol" or such nonsense. It IS remarkable how specific the images that pop up can be....
For me there is only one suitable person - Jim. He will have to resign as the clerk, and then step up, to then be re-elected. To me, he is the best of a bad bunch, well so far that is. There could be a surprise candidate, but TBH, I just can't think of one.. I've scratched my head, thought + perused, but still cannot up with anyone. 💁♀️
Emma will still be a breath of fresh air in the council, as she + Jim have a bond together. All that will then be needed is to bring in another vocal + constructive youngster - Natasha?
After the TA Omnibus this morning, I almost, but not quite yet, agree with AN Other, who I am sure is Mrs. P. This is that Chris could become a single parent, caring for Martha alone. I hope not, but signs + signals are becoming relevant. I just wish Alice would to talk to her family, so this scenario could be prevented.
The SW's are doing a great job, keeping us really guessing.
This is with:- Chris/Alice/Martha etc. The Parish council dilemma. Where will Rex end up. Re-wilding - is this project viable and how has Peggy's £500,000 been used.
So many thoughts of mine, and no idea what will happen next.
I loved the previous Friday cliffanger, but now this is far more ongoing.
You could be totally right. I still think though, that Chris/Alice/Martha could become a family, regardless of things said and how they will sort things.
The only thing which is annoying to me in TA at the moment - is Phoebe! This might be a bit personal as to how her character is being portrayed. I find her irritating. Her presumption that she knows all, is for me, far too annoying esp. dictacting to Grand-dad Brian, what he needs to do! Now with Rex and his farm problems, he should also leave, to concentrate on his own livehood.
Question:- Are Phoebe + Rex claiming a salary from the re-wilding project? No idea - if not, then does Pheobe have an income - not sure.
Has Jim taken up permanent residence at the recording studio or does he live just round the corner? We seem to be hearing an awful lot of him, segueing from one minor episode to another.....
I think Jim is trying a bit too hard to please Jazzer and his girlfriend, Jade Why on earth would he want to buy her a birthday present? And even consider personalised pyjamas for one minute. Is Alistair going to buy her one too?
I listened to the first and last episode on Youtube. It's supposed to "a raunchy version of the Archers" according to Front Row: covid, brexit, pub reopening and a local garage thrown in.
Along with everyone else I imagine, I thought Jims need to buy a present for Jade, very odd indeed. However, knowing Jim, it's possible that he has an ulterior motive regarding Jazzer up his sleeve. We must wait !
Basia - I'm no longer as loyal to Front Row as I used to be, so I missed that item about Greenborne. Thanks for the heads up.
I can never get too much of Jim. He is always civil, courteous and helpful, now that is. He is calm in a crisis and listens. After his awful revelation, he has changed and understands others, in a differing way. He supports Jazzer, like a father, an Uncle or similar, and cares for him, along with his personal feelings. To me, he is only buying something for Jade, as it shows his support for Jazzer. This he feels he needs to do, to show love + support to another - which he didn't get, nor showed to his own children.
If Jazzer and Tracy get together again, seriously that is, presumably they will want to live together which would mean Jazzer joining the Horrobin household. Who will take over the occupancy of Jim’s annexe?
It’s all hypothetical of course, but I can’t see Tracy abandoning her children and old father to live with Jazzer in the annexe, so he’ll have to choose between her and Jim..... ( I don’t think Jazzer could move anyone into Jim’s annexe with him, without his landlord’s permission, and possible increase in rent.)
It could be possible for Jazzer and Tracy to have a committed relationship without living together. Many people do. I know of one couple together for over thirty years but still living separately.
Tracy + Jazzer - the trend of great Friends with Benefits is showing What is not to like like, with both having their own space + homes, yet share they lives in more ways than one. I can never see Jazzer getting married, in my mind, unless Hannah re-apoears, who was his true love.
Oh good grief! Talk about a drama Queen. And I’m not talking about Alice, it was Lynda who got on my nerves tonight. Who on earth does she think she is? Her arrogance is outstanding and I’m surprised anyone wants to take part in her plays with the way she treats people. She seems to be fully recovered from her injuries and back to the old overbearing Lynda. I’m only surprised she didn’t apply for Chairmanship of the Parish Council! 🙄
Lynda backed Robert for the Parish Council last time round (Oliver left a vacancy). She was otherwise occupied. Because of his schoolboy rivalry with Robert, Jim promoted Emma, overstepping the mark as Parish Clerk in the process.
I normally like Linda, but she was just awful. I just do not understand why both Ambridge + Darrington, can't do the same thing, at the same time. Why make it so competetive?
I would love Robert as the Chair, but this won't happen, for quite a while yet. The reason is, the actor who is a GP, is fully involved with Covid + the vaccinations.
This brings me onto another of my silly ideas. Why not a "Village in Bloom" competition in Borsetshire? This could surpass the Flower + Produce Show, and could be done as a socially distanced event. It would unite all the residents of Ambridge together, which seems to be so needed.
Don’t know about a village in bloom competition, but Ambridge definitely entered the best kept village competition many years ago. Can’t remember if they won or not!
Now we know - Philip + Gavin in court tomorrow. I feel cheated that Philip changed his plea to guilty, so avoiding a proper trial. Oh Well, that's Covid again. I accept this, but just find this a bit disappointing.
I wonder if we will actually hear the actors, for one last time, or just a precis of what happened afterwards, from Kirsty. Will she be happy, or will she need a shoulder to cry on, but whose? Also, will she have a home to return to, even home alone.
I wondered which century I was living in - the scene between Lynda and her Darrington opposite was reminiscent of the type of drawing room comedy favoured in amateur dramatics. Perhaps it was meant to be a spoof?
Poor Lynda. So much egg on her face she could bake an omelette. 🍳🍳 But at least she'd gained her composure by the time she talked to Kirsty. The question is, will 'Colin Whitstable' keep 'his' identity secret or will it 'accidentally' get leaked? The answer is, of course, a mystery.
If it was a spoof, it was, surely a spoof against Lynda herself. Agree with Maryellen, but the worst of amateur dramatics Maryellen. Lynda has become even more of a joke than is healthy for TA IMO.
I must admit it made me laugh, I like a bit of old fashioned arch humour once in a while. I almost, but not quite, felt sorry for Ben. I am so glad I’m not young anymore.
Oh I loved lynda’s comeuppance. Like KP it made me laugh. I’ve only just listened to it. In fact I woke up Mr PtbY with my laughing. I’m not very popular at the mo!!🤭
I also felt the discovery ofJill and Mr B using the caravan as a love nest struck a jarring note - unlike them to take over Ben’s territory without asking him first, I would have thought, as well as risking interruption. Rory rammed the message home in case it eluded us.
I have a horrible feeling that, having been subjected to months of awful stories about slave labour, the evil character Philip and his intimidated son, the effects on Kirsty and so many others, there is going to be a huge cop-out by the Editor and his Scriptwriters
We are not going to hear the court case, Philip admitting responsibility or anyone submitting evidence ~ it will all be heard in retrospect, via telephone calls or village conversations, as so often happens in TA
It will promote an outcry from many listeners who will feel cheated and many, many complaints. I just hope I am wrong. I want to hear the sentencing, in full, live!
In full and live, is most unlikely I would have thought Archerphile. I believe courts are back in 'live' action to some degree, but many cases are still being conducted by zoom or telephone. Unfortunately it's a sign of the (Covid) times.
I agree that I hope the court case is handled in a way that we can hear some of the proceedings and outcome. I suspect it will be told in a after the fact summary though. The scene with Lynda and other lady was so over the top and did sound as if an am dram company had done a village scene from the fifties. The teenagers were silly and as for Jill and Leonard having a love nest - please spare me.
I’d be perfectly happy for the whole affairs to be wound up in three of four sentences. The Mosses are going to get their just deserts, what ever they are. I. don’t need to hear it happening, only that it happened. The scriptwriters lost me when they introduced the daft storylines of Gavin’s ‘gambling’ and Kirsty pointlessly roaming the streets (it seems Kirsty doesn’t just attract disaster, she also attracts daft storylines, poor woman.) But I’m not a fan of courtroom drama, anyway, so I’m not likely to complain.
Graham Seed + Nigel Havers together in TA. How lovely + lucky that was. It is a far cry from TA in its current form. I still listen intensley, though and enjoy, in my way.
That Kirsty hasn’t got a job is noone’s fault but her own. She walked out of her last two jobs for no very good reason and has done nothing to find another. Instead, she’s got herself involved in another daft storyline which has come to a natural break. So with both her storylines ending, maybe it’s tome the scriptwriters gave this overemployed character a break.
Well Archerphile, you were right. But at least Philip showed his true colours and the judge wasn't hoodwinked. But 8 years doesn't seem very long. If I've understood the Modern Slavery Act properly, he should have got life (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/30/part/1/crossheading/penalties-and-sentencing/enacted if you want to look it up). I think Gavin would have got the same, and clearly the writers wanted him to be punished less. But still, only 8 years, and time off for good behaviour. He'll be free and moving to that cottage in Wales before you can say Dai the Builder.
What upset me tonight, was that although the Moss's got their sentences, the "Boys" are still being exploited. Who knows what their lives now are, but they are still "slavery" victims, with the same awful conditions. They haven't been found, so are still suffering.
Yes, sadly I was right and wish I hadn’t been. I should have liked to Have heard exactly what the judge had to say. But this is a technique used by TA often in the past. As for Roy and Kirsty - he sounded quite wistful at the end of the episode, describing Kirsty and I think there could well be a future for them together
I've always felt that Roy and Kirsty would be a good fit. Didn't he just sound wistful tonight.
Emma becoming suspicious about the nail bar this evening is our compensation for not getting the trial I suppose. There might be hope yet for the ' slaves'.
Well I guess 8yrs will become 4yrs if Phillip can manage to behave himself. In the meantime Kirsty and Roy will become closer I always thought and hoped they would become a couple long ago but even if I get my wish it will be strung out as part of a long term SL after all Kirsty cannot even apply for a divorce until the marriage is a year old....
As mentioned above, I think it’s time for the Kirsty character to be given a prolonged break, which happened before after a crisis in her life (possibly because the actor was pregnant?) I feel I’ve been overexposed to her, and there are other characters I would rather hear about now.
I agree but I would like to see Roy and Kirsty end up together. They obviously care very much for each other already as friends and I want them both to have a happy outcome for once.
Like many I have thought Roy and Kirsty could work well. Although I was sorry that Lexi left, I think she’d have been good for him. Good on Emma, both for being proactive about the nail bar and also making an effort with Alice.
Like many I have thought Roy and Kirsty could work well. Although I was sorry that Lexi left, I think she’d have been good for him. Good on Emma, both for being proactive about the nail bar and also making an effort with Alice.
This SL might be extended by Kirsty prolonging her sympathies with Gavin and visiting him in prison. I can imagine Philip misbehaving very badly in prison, continuing to believe that he has been wronged. And Kirsty remaining attached to the relationship with Philip through Gavin. She might walk away for a time, but she has form on hanging around in Ambridge whatever disaster falls her way. Like others I would be happy to see her go. She irritates me.
So many other stories are waiting in the wings. I imagine the cast and crew will be able to go back to a more normal recording schedule in the coming months, so I hope the SWs are going to return to some of those unfinished plots. Also that some of the isolating/isolated cast will be able to return to the studios.
I agree with you KPNuts that it was good of Emma to take Alice under her wing and also to look into the nail bar. So Gavin could be out in 2 1/2 yrs and Philip in 4 yrs if they behave well in prison. I hope that, by then, the 'boys' have been found and safely re-settled in proper jobs and accommodation.
A two bedroom house can have three rooms with beds in. We have an attic bedroom but cannot market it as a bedroom because it does not meet the regulatory height for a bedroom. That’s why Blossom Hill Cottage had more bedrooms than officially stated. I don’t remember any other examples.
Didn’t Brookfield sprout a bedroom when Jill moved in there and before Pip moved into Rickyard, or. did she sleep in the dining room, perhaps? That was when Ben was locked in his bedroom. And I seem to remember them putting Bert up too, after the flood. Oh goodness, my memory is in tatters!
If England can sprout a new county, I guess Brookfield can sprout a new bedroom - in the shape of the dining room converted for temporary use by Pip (nothing wrong with your memory there, Archerphile!)
My take on Friday's (in TA) events is - social awareness: two sentences handed down for use of slave labour and possibly another venue discovered. Then a Leila thrown in, a nod to diversity.
I don’t expect Roy’s online friend to last long now. I think his heart belongs to Kirsty, and has been for a very long time, whether he knows it or not!
Roy’s heart has already belonged to Kate, Hayley, Elizabeth and Lexi - and might have belonged to Tracy if she’d have had him. It does seem to be between owners just now,
I have always liked Joy. She has been silent for a long while. I would love to hear her thoughts, about Philip's + Kirsty, next door home, and how it will affect her. She loved them as next- door neighbours, so how will she react as to what happens next, with that property. As to her new neighbours, who could they be :- Brian + Jennifer. Helen, Henry plus Jack, along with Lee. Kirsty, yet again. Or more other silent characters, like The Gills, who bought Home Farm. Many thoughts..
...but that is a waste of a viable property, which is still, and could be, a wonderful family home, for some-one. This is still an unknown entity. The house is not the home of deaths etc, just possibily bought + financed, from crimes. This has not yet, to me, been revealed. Kirsty, as Philips wife, could well have an claim.
Didn't Philip tell Gavin, it was mortgaged to the hilt, and what has happened about the flat? This also seemed to be owned not rented. So many questions with no obvious answers.
I only listened to the TA omnibus today. My only comment is how, Roy + Kirsty were together, at the end of Friday's episode. There seemed a genuine warmth between them, but that's what close friends do. I cannot see a getting together between them, just yet. Kirsty has been hurt too often, in her relatationships. As such needs time + space, to sort her emotions and life, out, once again.
She is due a break now This after her Mystery's involvement (now postponed), plus now the result of the sentencing and so on. I just hope that she will appear again, to start a new life in Ambridge, in whatever way and with whom.
Jade reminded me of my grandmother. Given lovely toiletries one Christmas, her response was 'Is somebody trying to tell me I smell?'
Mind you, I have a theory that most of the toiletry gift packs you see each Christmas in Boots etc every year never actually get used. They just keep getting re-gifted or sent to the charity shops.
Did I hear Kirsty say she studied dairy management? Coincidentally, Bridge Farm has a dairy herd and runs a dairy operation.....
As for Jade, her visit achieved one good result - it taught Jim a valuable lesson in self awareness. Hopefully it has curbed his tendency to be pompous and condescending and we’ll get less of the Latin! For non-fans of Jazzer like me, it also had the welcome effect of temporarily silencing him!🙂
Yes, that was the first time I heard of Kirsty's qualifications. I'm not a great fan of any character but a conversation between Helen and Kirsty sounded real. Jazzer and Jade - ridiculous. Jazzer and Jim - out of this world.
I thought Jade was pretty miserable last night, eland positively snide about Jim, I am glad Jazzer defended him. Now to get Tracey on board. It sounded as though Darrowby’s mysteries were a bit shambolic with their king’s horse bolting , Susan has dodged a bullet there.
I'm glad that Jazzer has dumped that rude person Jade. He finally saw the light and now is dreaming of someone else - could it possibly be Tracey?! I like hearing both Jazzer and Jim and at least I know who is talking which is not the case with some of the younger cast members.
I have just had the pleasure of listening to Nigel and Lizzie reunited again in a radio adaptation of “The Wind in the Willows”. A really delightful afternoon’s drama also including Alan Bennet who did the adaptation and Richard Briars as Ratty. Highly recommended, on BBCSounds
I thought Jim was quite magnamious, in giving Jade a birthday present. He was supporting Jazzer, who, the more I think about their relationship, Jim regards him as a pseudo- grandson. Does Jim have any familial grandkids? Not sure.
Jade to me was just ungrateful, after a genuine intention + thought.
Now Linda has abandoned the Mystery's - will she now revive a previous May Day festival of hers, on the Village Green? This could be so much more light-hearted and fun, as it once was.
Basia, that was my first thought as Brian gave her the chocolates ' oh my God they are those alcoholic chops' but then he followed it up with the wine. I wasn't surprised at her hesitation which she then covered by reminding him she was breast feeding. But then shocked at her turn around. And of course I knew then that she wouldn't mention the wine to Chris. I'm sorry to say that my predictions regarding Alice are panning out.
Very pleased that Jazzer went back to Tracy to say what he wanted, even though he is so ham fisted about it. I think they will make a very interesting and entertaining couple.
So Alice - has she or has she not 🍷 maybe it has been hidden away or did she give in.... If running true to life Alice probably will give in if not already done so.she was doing well too but if the family had been told the situation would have been avoided. So glad Jazzer & Tracy giving it a go good combo for the SW going forward 🤗
Mrs P I fear you are right. I think she probably managed to stop after a glass or two, this time, but she will fall off the wagon again fairly soon and so the problems will escalate.....
It only takes one glass to start on the slippery slope. Hope not! Another reason for telling family and friends about her problem so that they don’t put temptation in her path. I m sure they would be supportive to her in the struggle that is inevitable for her. It’s tough enough being a parent without adding a serious issue like this. Good luck, Alice, you will need it!
Oh dear : ( Looks like Alice has managed to restrict herself to a little alcohol *this* time. So now she 'knows' that she can safely handle one or two drinks. Next time it will be three or four. The time after ....
Alternatively, Brian will bump into Chris and say he hopes he enjoyed the bottle. A mighty row will ensue.
Either way, it does not look good. Alice really needs to tell her family what's going on or these challenges will continue to occur.
(It occurs to me, she *might* not have had a drink. Perhaps she's keeping the bottle to prove to herself that she can resist the temptation. Still a risky move. The next time Martha is screaming the house down, that bottle will be rather too attractive.)
It occurs to me that it was her father that, indirectly, gave her permission to think it's all OK to have another drink. How so ? He told her the baby was clever ' like her mother ' So now she thinks that no harm has been done, the baby is fine, and even perceived as clever by her adored and adoring father. So ! ........ it's OK, I've got away with it, so I can continue.
PtbY - you've reminded me that I too thought that briefly while listening. Yup, that baby is sleeping at last because she is comfortable, she's got that drug that kept her comfortable in the womb. I am indeed marking your words PtbY.
Or......the scriptwriters could be deliberately winding us up to think Alice opened the bottle and drank the wine, when in reality she poured it down the drain and disposed of the bottle?
I said last night wait till Brian asks Chris if he enjoyed the bottle and it's only just possible that Alice when confronted will admit to have kept it to resist, BUT I'm in with PtbY that she shared it with Martha.
Basis - yes I'm in there with you and PtbY. No wonder that baby slept....... at last ive got my favourite tipple and this time, straight from the titty.
Daniel may not call Jim grandad but I thought they had a good relationship, as Alistair’s adopted son. Daniel and Alistair are very close but we haven’t heard Daniel for such a long time it’s difficult to remember.
I have a nasty feeling that Alice did weaken and drink some of that wine. She was so bouncy and happy when Chris got home that it was suspicious. If only the family had been told the truth then this would not have happened. I am pleased that Jazzer and Tracey have got together.
Perhaps Alice was happy + bouncy, in that was just the meet + greet, with her Hubbie. It does happen. Also, she could have been so happy, because she knew that, she resisted temptation. But then why did she not tell Chris?
Well the SW's have certainly got us guessing + debating. What I love is that, a simple gift from Brian, can cause these brilliant thoughts + ideas.
This is now - "The Mystery of the Missing Rioja". This could be a serial drama, in its own right. Which detective will solve it?
Joking apart, where is it? Love so many of the ideas:- 1) Alice drank it - but I don't think she would, well not yet. 2) Is it hidden away for another time, to enioy with some-one, such as Fallon, with whom she had picnics with wine, on the banks of the Am. 3) She poured it down the sink, but Chris will find the empty, in the re-cycle bin, who will have many doubts and then accuse her. Love this idea...👍👍 4) She gave it away - Perhaps to Emma - as a thank-you for the time-out, they spent together.
This brings me onto Emma, with her suspicions about the Nail Bar. I hope she was right, and she has stopped more exploited workers. I hope the result of her 'phone call, will be made known, to show a suspicion can perhaps help others. This was the problem with Philip + Gavin, in that suspicions weren't raised.
I wish Alice, Chris + Martha, together as a family, talk to Jennifer + Brian. This will help them all, surely.
The whole purpose of the family not knowing is that we keep watching out when Alice will fail. If they did know they'd be watching over her day and night!
That simple gift can also destroy lives Miriam. Alice has done so well in denying herself what she so desperately craves. I do hope that Chris discovers that Alice has had a drink and she explains where it came from. Then Chris persuades her that the rest of the family need to know so they can truly support her. I think it was Billy Connolly who said that just one drink would be enough to ruin all your efforts to keep off the booze.
It was a simple gift, that was meant in a very meaningful way, but the person making this gesture, does not know the situation + so does not know, what the result could be.
I agree, Brian is completely ignorant of the true situation and meant to be kind. He would, I hope, be very supportive of Alice if he knew. This is not a criticism but I read your post as being a tad flippant about the reality of alcoholism. You were treating it as the fiction that it is and being upbeat about it. Nothing wrong in that.
Ooh that’s a point Miriam I assumed open but I’m not sure either now. Maybe the bottle just being there even if not open as the intention was there and he will assume Alice purchased it - until Brian asks if he enjoyed it...
Miriam asked a week or so ago why I thought that Chris might become a single parent?
I think tonight's episode illustrates what I had anticipated might happen.
I have always seen Chris Carter as a character with a quiet strength. He has a hardworking honest approach to life and IMO is a credit to Neil and Susan. He has loved Alice, done his best to understand her problem and has stood by her and supported her recovery by using their savings to enable her treatment, and he has successfully managed his own anger. He has believed her when she has promised she will not drink.
But now he sees that she has betrayed his trust and he will not stand by and see his precious child damaged by her mother. If Alice cannot or will not be the responsible parent, then he will act to see that his child is no longer damaged.
Tonight's episode and the continuity announcement following suggests to me that i was correct in my prediction that Chris would become a single parent. A very sad situation.
Does that mean the courts wouldn’t ban Alice from contact with her baby - like Rob was banned from contact with Jack - and would the ban extend to Alice’s parents, as happened with the Titchener grandparents? (I think that’s how it worked, I’m hazy about family law!)
I don't know Maryellen. But I think that a judgement today would not enforce no contact with the mother. Rather responsible access possibly accompanied by a social worker.
But I have not thought that far ahead, only supposing that Chris would take matters into his own hands as he did tonight with the words suggesting that he would go and buy some formula.
If I were to imagine going forward I would expect both the Carter family and Brian and Jennifer would jointly be proactive in supporting Chris and the baby as well as ensuring Alice takes responsibility for her actions, seeks proper help and ensuring that she sticks at it. In other words appropriate and effective family support.
Alice might eventually succumb to such support, or go her own way.
Was the wine bottle empty or unopened ? Several of us thought that Alice had already imbibed at least some of that bottle yesterday. The evidence being her cooking a meal, being overly 'happy', and the baby sleeping well when previously being restive. So if we have interpreted tonight correctly then Alice had drunk more from the bottle today, and had been sleeping it off when Chris found her. My bet is that the bottle was empty !
Listening to the episode on Sounds I don’t get to hear what the continuity announcer said. But I wasn’t at all sure Alice had been drinking. She didn’t exactly sound drunk or slurred and I got the impression she had genuinely just woken up after a sleep. Did Chris jump to conclusions when he saw the bottle? Was it full or empty? Suppose I’ll have to listen again to find out.
I don’t think Chris understands the mechanics of alcoholism but then why would he? He comes from a family who I imagine like a glass of wine with meals as just a pleasure. Alice’s dependency is a mystery to him. His prior concern is to protect Martha but at the same time he has to realise that there is no instant cure for Alice. She has been immensely strong over the last few months but it hasn’t taken away her need for satisfying her addiction. I find this dependency hard to understand but in some people this is part of their character. I wonder where it all began for Alice? Maybe in her time at university. She needs lots of help from professionals and from family and friends. He shouldn’t have sent Kate away. Maybe she needed to see what was going on.
I assumed that the bottle had been opened otherwise why would Chris assume that Alice had been drinking? If there were no evidence of her ever having had a drink would there have been a full unopened bottle left around for Chris to find? Had she not had a drink she would have made sure she had not fallen asleep. However tired one is a young mother would not do that . Had she gone to bed? Was she lying drunk on the settee? No doubt we will learn more tomorrow. As I understand it if an alcoholic drinks a tiny drop of alcohol then that is it . He or she will not be able to stop . However seeing an unopened bottle would an alcoholic with a young baby have to open it? If that is the case then the baby should be removed from Alice immediately I think Mrs P is right.
Thank youMrs P. That does sound as if Chris was right then.
I used to get annoyed when the ÇA comments are left of the recording, especially if they are amusing but that sounds very like a spoiler to me. Perhaps they shouldn’t make any comments at all?
Yes, it sounds like a spoiler. I can't avoid the comment before but I always switch off at the signature tune, just a habit, even if I go on to Front Row. I do read the tag lines but they can be misleading.
Until now Alice has managed to stay strong for Martha's sake. If Chris and Martha move out, as I suspect he will decide needs to happen, she will have no incentive to keep off the drink.I suspect a rapid downhill spiral : (
Of course, if they do move out, Chris will need to explain why, at least to their families. Perhaps then the Aldridge and Carter families will work together to keep Alice on the strait and narrow. She'll need all the help she can get.
To be honest, I'm surprised the midwife or health visitor has not been more in evidence. I would have thought, given Alice's history, that they would have been keeping a close eye on her and the baby. Yes, OK, things are all a bit odd due to this virus thingy, but home visits must surely still be allowed if a baby is potentially at risk.
Two and half hours in bed and still no sleep, I have been ruminating over what and how Chris will manage once he has left with Martha. I've reached the conclusion that Kate and Emma between them will be the heroines of the hour managing the baby with support initially from Susan and Neil and once the blue air has dissipated, Jennifer and Brian. But of course Chris has to come to grips first with owning up to Emma that she was correct all those months ago, and gaining her trust and support, and nosey Kate will present herself as second in command to Emma. But once on board I suspect that Kate will be an absolute trouper. Hopefully the two families will follow with their support, once the shock and horror has died down.
I will leave it to less harsh and much kinder Ev and OwiaS to find a solution as to what can be done with Alice herself. I also agree that the SW have failed to bring in the professionals who undoubtedly would have been keeping a very close eye on the situation. ( not to mention social services who would have been apprised of an infant in possible danger )
The only answer for Alice is that she never touches a drop of alcohol again. Mike was a heavy smoker but gave it up in his fifties on medical advice. He always said if he had one cigarette he would revert. Addiction is so hard to understand if we haven’t experienced it ourselves. Alice is not bad, she has an illness as real as cancer. Chris is in a very difficult position as he has to protect their daughter. I think the time has come to tell the family and have that support they both badly need.
It is not going to be easy. Chris, as with Will in the past, cannot work and care for a baby. Both Kate and Emma work so it is going to be virtually impossible for them to help during the day, which is when Chris will need help. Kate because she is self employed might manage to arrange some of her appointments for the evening in order to free up some time during the day. Susan works as well. So I think it is going to be down to Jennifer. The baby needs one regular carer (as well as her dad) rather than being handed around among several, which must be confusing for a child. I wonder, also, if Jennifer would be strong enough to withstand the manipulations of her alcoholic daughter.
Some very sensible comments and opinions already written. I can only add that I find this S/L extremely sad and do not enjoy it at all. Thankfully I have never had to deal with an alcoholic so have no personal experience. I agree with Janice that Jennifer is the one family member with time to spend with Martha but no doubt her care will be shared with others.
Like you Janice, I also wonder if Jennifer at her age would be able to look after Martha. It wouldn't be fair on the child either. I think that maybe Emma might be "employed" by Alice's parents to look after the little girl. I also think that maybe something will happen to Alice and she will be written out so that eventually Chris can meet someone else.
One thing we can guarantee is more angst, with Chris and Alice joining the small band of characters (Kirsty, Jim and Jazzer) who dominate our airwaves.
Janice - I read that a baby/young child can take any number of changing adults in its life, but needs just one to be a constant presence, not necessarily a relative or obvious mother figure. In Martha J’s case, I suppose that would be Chris. I found Alice”s repeated ‘She needs me!’ quite saddening because Martha doesn’t, it’s Alice who needs to think that.
*** FROM PREVIOUS BLOG ***
ReplyDeleteMiriam - March 25, 2021 at 7:42 PM
A question, which I have no idea about -
As Chris is self-employed, can he claim Paternity Leave payment? Not sure how this works.
But then, will he let his regular clients down, so affecting his own farrier + Forge business?
It is Alice who needs to step-up, for her and Martha's sakes, + their livelehoods together.
Miriam - March 25, 2021 at 7:50 PM
In a strange way, I think Kate may well be the one, to be the person Alice needs.
She is a sister, a mother, and had also seen + experienced life, in many varying ways. After caring for Peggy for a year now, she might just love a different project, without Hilda O. + son!
Miriam - March 25, 2021 at 8:06 PM
PS Peggy might have let some things slip, so that Kate perhaps knows more, than she actually realises. Thinking too much again 😆😁
maryellen - March 25, 2021 at 8:07 PM
Miriam, the answer is on the government website which you can find by googling paternity leave and. self employment. The answer is no, unless you pay yourself in a particular way.
maryellen - March 26, 2021 at 7:35 AM
PS. It looks as if Chris is not taking time off work, judging by yesterday’s episode. I expect they need his income. I like Basia’s suggestion that Amy could reappear to help with babycare. With Lisa on the detox front and Amy on the baby front, plus Chris of course, Alice would be well supported.
My goodness Gary - how do you find them.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, absolute brilliance.
😂 Love it!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant again GG..
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. about Paternity Leave. I wasn't sure that, even though paying NI contributions, Chris could claim something.
ReplyDeleteI was just too lazy to look it up.
I knew some-one would be able to tell me. 👍
Gary I imagine that you come across some very interesting pictures in your trawl through the internet to supply us with the inspired ones that you come up with.
ReplyDeleteI certainly do CC!
DeleteThat’s one very happy piglet!
ReplyDeleteMe exactly in Lockdown..😂🤣🤣
Deletethought not a piglet these days 😘
DeleteWhat a sweet little piglet.
ReplyDeleteDo the pig and bottle represent Rex and T❤️O❤️B❤️Y?
ReplyDeleteI just couldn't resist it when I saw it! Can't even remember what I Googled in order to have found it - probably something like "baby pig funny alcohol" or such nonsense. It IS remarkable how specific the images that pop up can be....
DeleteBefore Emma decides whether to stand for Chairman of the Parish Council, perhaps she should consider this quote which I read in today’s Sunday Times:
ReplyDelete“Parish Councils are clubs for people who want everything to remain as it was in 1858”
Form personal experience, I can just about agree with that.
That’s the reason for electing Emma! A real breath of fresh air!
DeleteExactly! We need someone like her on our Parish Council too!
DeleteFor me there is only one suitable person - Jim.
DeleteHe will have to resign as the clerk, and then step up, to then be re-elected.
To me, he is the best of a bad bunch, well so far that is.
There could be a surprise candidate, but TBH, I just can't think of one..
I've scratched my head, thought + perused, but still cannot up with anyone. 💁♀️
Emma will still be a breath of fresh air in the council, as she + Jim have a bond together.
DeleteAll that will then be needed is to bring in another vocal + constructive
youngster - Natasha?
Jim, Emma + Natasha could really change things... and Rex's 🐖🐖 might fly!
DeleteI think Jim probably fits with Archerphile’s quotation! He’s most use in his role as Parish Clerk.
DeleteJust my thoughts only.
DeleteMy vote goes to one of the Button girls : )
DeleteAfter the TA Omnibus this morning, I almost, but not quite yet, agree with AN Other, who I am sure is Mrs. P.
ReplyDeleteThis is that Chris could become a single parent, caring for Martha alone.
I hope not, but signs + signals are becoming relevant.
I just wish Alice would to talk to her family, so this scenario could be prevented.
The SW's are doing a great job, keeping us really guessing.
This is with:- Chris/Alice/Martha etc.
The Parish council dilemma.
Where will Rex end up.
Re-wilding - is this project viable and how has Peggy's £500,000 been used.
So many thoughts of mine, and no idea what will happen next.
I loved the previous Friday cliffanger, but now this is far more ongoing.
Yes is was me Miriam, and I still think it's possible that Chris will be the significant parent, or possible lone parent of Martha.
ReplyDeleteYou could be totally right.
ReplyDeleteI still think though, that Chris/Alice/Martha could become a family, regardless of things said and how they will sort things.
I wouldn’t mind hearing Chris singing Martha to sleep again, I thought his voice sounded as if it might rival Jazzer’s.
ReplyDeleteNot a chance, but you liked Kate's lullaby to Xander, in Afrikaans I think, perhaps when she visits.
DeleteSo I did! Fingers crossed for a reprise!
DeleteThe only thing which is annoying to me in TA at the moment - is Phoebe!
ReplyDeleteThis might be a bit personal
as to how her character is being portrayed. I find her irritating. Her presumption that she knows all, is for me, far too annoying esp. dictacting to Grand-dad Brian, what he needs to do!
Now with Rex and his farm problems, he should also leave, to concentrate on his own livehood.
Question:- Are Phoebe + Rex claiming a salary from the re-wilding project?
No idea - if not, then does Pheobe have an income - not sure.
You forget that Phoebe has a degree from Oxford which means she knows everything about absolutely everything! 😉
DeletePhoebe is just about the only person capable of putting Brian Aldridge in his place - and I enjoyed hearing her do it.
DeleteProper Archers tonight, tensions on the Parish Council and a chat with Jazzer and Tracey who I sincerely hope & expect to reunite at some point.
ReplyDelete✔️✔️ KPn
DeleteHas Jim taken up permanent residence at the recording studio or does he live just round the corner? We seem to be hearing an awful lot of him, segueing from one minor episode to another.....
ReplyDeleteI think Jim is trying a bit too hard to please Jazzer and his girlfriend, Jade
ReplyDeleteWhy on earth would he want to buy her a birthday present? And even consider personalised pyjamas for one minute.
Is Alistair going to buy her one too?
Jim learned a lot last night: laughing gas cans, beefing and so did I.
ReplyDeleteGreenborne - a new radio soap to be heard on community radio stations on Sunday and later on their website of the same name.
I listened to the first and last episode on Youtube. It's supposed to "a raunchy version of the Archers" according to Front Row: covid, brexit, pub reopening and a local garage thrown in.
DeleteI agree with you Archerphile about Jim trying too hard. Jade was so rude to him he could hardly be expected to get her a card never mind a present.
ReplyDeleteAlong with everyone else I imagine, I thought Jims need to buy a present for Jade, very odd indeed.
ReplyDeleteHowever, knowing Jim, it's possible that he has an ulterior motive regarding Jazzer up his sleeve.
We must wait !
Basia - I'm no longer as loyal to Front Row as I used to be, so I missed that item about Greenborne. Thanks for the heads up.
MrsP - nor am I. It used to be a must after the Archers but no longer, though I listened to the lot yesterday.
DeleteMy loyalty used to be about 98% Basia, but is now about 50.
DeleteIs it Age that changes ones taste, or intolerance of much of the new ?
Both I think.
DeleteI can never get too much of Jim. He is always civil, courteous and helpful, now that is. He is calm in a crisis and listens.
ReplyDeleteAfter his awful revelation, he has changed and understands others, in a differing way.
He supports Jazzer, like a father, an Uncle or similar, and cares for him, along with his personal feelings.
To me, he is only buying something for Jade, as it shows his support for Jazzer.
This he feels he needs to do, to show love + support to another - which he didn't get, nor showed to his own children.
If Jazzer and Tracy get together again, seriously that is, presumably they will want to live together which would mean Jazzer joining the Horrobin household. Who will take over the occupancy of Jim’s annexe?
ReplyDeleteThe annexe is being built for Jazzer + 🕷 (sorry can't name it) so whoever he decides to move in, to share his new space, then that's his choice.
DeleteIt’s all hypothetical of course, but I can’t see Tracy abandoning her children and old father to live with Jazzer in the annexe, so he’ll have to choose between her and Jim..... ( I don’t think Jazzer could move anyone into Jim’s annexe with him, without his landlord’s permission, and possible increase in rent.)
DeleteThe spider is called Webster
DeleteIt could be possible for Jazzer and Tracy to have a committed relationship without living together. Many people do.
ReplyDeleteI know of one couple together for over thirty years but still living separately.
How I would love to hear less about The Mysteries, and more about the cricket team with Tracy as the captain.
ReplyDeleteTracy + Jazzer - the trend of
ReplyDeletegreat Friends with Benefits is showing
What is not to like like, with both having their own space + homes, yet share they lives in more ways than one.
I can never see Jazzer getting married, in my mind, unless Hannah re-apoears, who was his true love.
Oh good grief!
ReplyDeleteTalk about a drama Queen. And I’m not talking about Alice, it was Lynda who got on my nerves tonight.
Who on earth does she think she is? Her arrogance is outstanding and I’m surprised anyone wants to take part in her plays with the way she treats people.
She seems to be fully recovered from her injuries and back to the old overbearing Lynda.
I’m only surprised she didn’t apply for Chairmanship of the Parish Council! 🙄
With you all the way Archerphile- she is appalling !
DeleteArcherphile, when I read - Lynda on the warpath - I thought of the Parish Council, little did I know, but beware, it may still happen.
DeleteLynda backed Robert for the Parish Council last time round (Oliver left a vacancy). She was otherwise occupied. Because of his schoolboy rivalry with Robert, Jim promoted Emma, overstepping the mark as Parish Clerk in the process.
DeleteAh, yes, I had forgotten that. Well both Emma and Lynda have lost their chance until May.
DeleteLet’s see what happens then.
Thanks Maryellen, I recall there were some leaflets disposed off accidentally/on purpose.
DeleteI normally like Linda, but she was just awful.
ReplyDeleteI just do not understand why both Ambridge + Darrington, can't do the same thing, at the same time. Why make it so competetive?
I would love Robert as the Chair, but this won't happen, for quite a while yet. The reason is, the actor who is a GP, is fully involved with Covid + the vaccinations.
The GP actor actually retired from doctoring last year. Said he would have more time to devote to Robert, but of course, COVID intervened.
DeleteThis brings me onto another of my silly ideas.
ReplyDeleteWhy not a "Village in Bloom" competition in Borsetshire?
This could surpass the Flower + Produce Show, and could be done as a socially distanced event.
It would unite all the residents of Ambridge together, which seems to be so needed.
...but then, has it been done before?
DeleteDon’t know about a village in bloom competition, but Ambridge definitely entered the best kept village competition many years ago. Can’t remember if they won or not!
DeleteApple trees suggested by Tom and Natasha, it was to win the rewilding project.
DeleteOne of the Soundalikes said this evening "This is rubbish"
ReplyDeleteI can only agree with him.
Likewise, I give up.
DeleteI almost turned my wireless off.
DeleteDreadful bloody stuff.
Now we know - Philip + Gavin in court tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI feel cheated that Philip changed his plea to guilty, so avoiding a proper trial.
Oh Well, that's Covid again.
I accept this, but just find this a bit disappointing.
I wonder if we will actually hear the actors, for one last time, or just a precis of what happened afterwards, from Kirsty.
Will she be happy, or will she need a shoulder to cry on, but whose?
Also, will she have a home to return to, even home alone.
I wondered which century I was living in - the scene between Lynda and her Darrington opposite was reminiscent of the type of drawing room comedy favoured in amateur dramatics. Perhaps it was meant to be a spoof?
ReplyDeleteI wasn't impressed, in any way at all.
DeleteIt was just silly, ridiculous and pointless.
...and I am a massive TA fan, what's happening??
Poor Lynda. So much egg on her face she could bake an omelette.
ReplyDelete🍳🍳
But at least she'd gained her composure by the time she talked to Kirsty.
The question is, will 'Colin Whitstable' keep 'his' identity secret or will it 'accidentally' get leaked?
The answer is, of course, a mystery.
If it was a spoof, it was, surely a spoof against Lynda herself.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Maryellen, but the worst of amateur dramatics Maryellen.
Lynda has become even more of a joke than is healthy for TA IMO.
I must admit it made me laugh, I like a bit of old fashioned arch humour once in a while.
ReplyDeleteI almost, but not quite, felt sorry for Ben. I am so glad I’m not young anymore.
Oh I loved lynda’s comeuppance. Like KP it made me laugh. I’ve only just listened to it. In fact I woke up Mr PtbY with my laughing. I’m not very popular at the mo!!🤭
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or did 'Colin' sound suspiciously like Hazel Wooley?
ReplyDeleteI also felt the discovery ofJill and Mr B using the caravan as a love nest struck a jarring note - unlike them to take over Ben’s territory without asking him first, I would have thought, as well as risking interruption. Rory rammed the message home in case it eluded us.
ReplyDeleteI have a horrible feeling that, having been subjected to months of awful stories about slave labour, the evil character Philip and his intimidated son, the effects on Kirsty and so many others, there is going to be a huge cop-out by the Editor and his Scriptwriters
ReplyDeleteWe are not going to hear the court case, Philip admitting responsibility or anyone submitting evidence ~ it will all be heard in retrospect, via telephone calls or village conversations, as so often happens in TA
It will promote an outcry from many listeners who will feel cheated and many, many complaints.
I just hope I am wrong. I want to hear the sentencing, in full, live!
I agree Archerfile, after the long build up of that story I hope that we don't have a damp squib of an ending.
DeleteIn full and live, is most unlikely I would have thought Archerphile.
ReplyDeleteI believe courts are back in 'live' action to some degree, but many cases are still being conducted by zoom or telephone.
Unfortunately it's a sign of the (Covid) times.
But like you, I hope !
I agree that I hope the court case is handled in a way that we can hear some of the proceedings and outcome. I suspect it will be told in a after the fact summary though.
ReplyDeleteThe scene with Lynda and other lady was so over the top and did sound as if an am dram company had done a village scene from the fifties.
The teenagers were silly and as for Jill and Leonard having a love nest - please spare me.
I’d be perfectly happy for the whole affairs to be wound up in three of four sentences. The Mosses are going to get their just deserts, what ever they are. I. don’t need to hear it happening, only that it happened. The scriptwriters lost me when they introduced the daft storylines of Gavin’s ‘gambling’ and Kirsty pointlessly roaming the streets (it seems Kirsty doesn’t just attract disaster, she also attracts daft storylines, poor woman.) But I’m not a fan of courtroom drama, anyway, so I’m not likely to complain.
ReplyDeleteAll I hope is, Justice is served to both Father + Son for their modern slavery.
ReplyDeleteI bet one gets off lightly - but 7.00pm tonight, will tell all.
I loved the TA episode, in the Helen trial, hearing the jury debating her fate.
Graham Seed + Nigel Havers together in TA.
DeleteHow lovely + lucky that was. It is a far cry from TA in its current form.
I still listen intensley, though and enjoy, in my way.
I feel for Kirsty.
ReplyDeleteNo husband, no job, no income, no home she can call her own, what will she do now?
And, it seems, no future as Mrs Tucker either.
DeleteOld Woman,I hope you are wrong and I think you may be.
DeleteMy bet is that Kirsty and Roy will get together when the southern school ma'am dumps Roy .
Roy’s new “friendship” conveniently slotted into their conversation to put us off the scent?
DeleteThat Kirsty hasn’t got a job is noone’s fault but her own. She walked out of her last two jobs for no very good reason and has done nothing to find another. Instead, she’s got herself involved in another daft storyline which has come to a natural break. So with both her storylines ending, maybe it’s tome the scriptwriters gave this overemployed character a break.
DeleteWell Archerphile, you were right. But at least Philip showed his true colours and the judge wasn't hoodwinked.
ReplyDeleteBut 8 years doesn't seem very long.
If I've understood the Modern Slavery Act properly, he should have got life
(https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/30/part/1/crossheading/penalties-and-sentencing/enacted if you want to look it up).
I think Gavin would have got the same, and clearly the writers wanted him to be punished less. But still, only 8 years, and time off for good behaviour. He'll be free and moving to that cottage in Wales before you can say Dai the Builder.
What upset me tonight, was that although the Moss's got their sentences, the "Boys" are still being exploited. Who knows what their lives now are, but they are still "slavery" victims, with the same awful conditions. They haven't been found, so are still suffering.
ReplyDeleteStill hoping they'll be found.
DeleteAnd at least Emma spotted the girls in the nail bar, so their life might be about to improve.
Yes, sadly I was right and wish I hadn’t been. I should have liked to
ReplyDeleteHave heard exactly what the judge had to say.
But this is a technique used by TA often in the past.
As for Roy and Kirsty - he sounded quite wistful at the end of the episode, describing Kirsty and I think there could well be a future for them together
I've always felt that Roy and Kirsty would be a good fit.
ReplyDeleteDidn't he just sound wistful tonight.
Emma becoming suspicious about the nail bar this evening is our compensation for not getting the trial I suppose.
There might be hope yet for the ' slaves'.
Well I guess 8yrs will become 4yrs if Phillip can manage to behave himself. In the meantime Kirsty and Roy will become closer I always thought and hoped they would become a couple long ago but even if I get my wish it will be strung out as part of a long term SL after all Kirsty cannot even apply for a divorce until the marriage is a year old....
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned above, I think it’s time for the Kirsty character to be given a prolonged break, which happened before after a crisis in her life (possibly because the actor was pregnant?) I feel I’ve been overexposed to her, and there are other characters I would rather hear about now.
ReplyDeleteVery much agree maryellen.
DeleteI agree but I would like to see Roy and Kirsty end up together. They obviously care very much for each other already as friends and I want them both to have a happy outcome for once.
DeleteLike many I have thought Roy and Kirsty could work well. Although I was sorry that Lexi left, I think she’d have been good for him.
ReplyDeleteGood on Emma, both for being proactive about the nail bar and also making an effort with Alice.
Like many I have thought Roy and Kirsty could work well. Although I was sorry that Lexi left, I think she’d have been good for him.
ReplyDeleteGood on Emma, both for being proactive about the nail bar and also making an effort with Alice.
This SL might be extended by Kirsty prolonging her sympathies with Gavin and visiting him in prison.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine Philip misbehaving very badly in prison, continuing to believe that he has been wronged.
And Kirsty remaining attached to the relationship with Philip through Gavin.
She might walk away for a time, but she has form on hanging around in Ambridge whatever disaster falls her way.
Like others I would be happy to see her go. She irritates me.
So many other stories are waiting in the wings.
ReplyDeleteI imagine the cast and crew will be able to go back to a more normal recording schedule in the coming months, so I hope the SWs are going to return to some of those unfinished plots. Also that some of the isolating/isolated cast will be able to return to the studios.
Please tell more, about these stories and unfinished TA plots.
DeleteI would love to hear if your thoughts, are similar to mine. ☺
Can you remind me of the name of the person, who lives next door to, what was Philips/Kirsty Beechwood Home?
DeleteJoy definitely, Horville possibly!
DeleteThanks..for reminding me of Joy.
DeleteI still think that she has a secret story, to yet be known + revealed.
I agree with you KPNuts that it was good of Emma to take Alice under her wing and also to look into the nail bar.
ReplyDeleteSo Gavin could be out in 2 1/2 yrs and Philip in 4 yrs if they behave well in prison. I hope that, by then, the 'boys' have been found and safely re-settled in proper jobs and accommodation.
One story I'd like to hear about is how George is coping with his upcoming GCSEs
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the duplication, not sure how that happened!
ReplyDeleteI was amazed to hear that George is now 16! I wonder when he will be given a voice ?
ReplyDeleteClearly time flies in Ambridge just as it does outside of Ambridge.
DeleteI was astonished too, 16 ?
At least they don’t vary peoples ages the way they change the number of bedrooms or completely change characters to suit the story!
ReplyDeleteHear hear!
DeleteAbsolutely
DeleteA two bedroom house can have three rooms with beds in. We have an attic bedroom but cannot market it as a bedroom because it does not meet the regulatory height for a bedroom. That’s why Blossom Hill Cottage had more bedrooms than officially stated. I don’t remember any other examples.
DeleteDidn’t Brookfield sprout a bedroom when Jill moved in there and before Pip moved into Rickyard, or. did she sleep in the dining room, perhaps? That was when Ben was locked in his bedroom. And I seem to remember them putting Bert up too, after the flood.
DeleteOh goodness, my memory is in tatters!
If England can sprout a new county, I guess Brookfield can sprout a new bedroom - in the shape of the dining room converted for temporary use by Pip (nothing wrong with your memory there, Archerphile!)
DeleteBen wasn't really locked in his bedroom. He was in the cupboard under the stairs, waiting for his letter from Hogwarts.
DeleteMy take on Friday's (in TA) events is - social awareness: two sentences handed down for use of slave labour and possibly another venue discovered. Then a Leila thrown in, a nod to diversity.
ReplyDeleteI don’t expect Roy’s online friend to last long now. I think his heart belongs to Kirsty, and has been for a very long time, whether he knows it or not!
DeleteRoy’s heart has already belonged to Kate, Hayley, Elizabeth and Lexi - and might have belonged to Tracy if she’d have had him. It does seem to be between owners just now,
DeleteI have always liked Joy.
ReplyDeleteShe has been silent for a long while.
I would love to hear her thoughts, about Philip's + Kirsty, next door home, and how it will affect her. She loved them as next- door neighbours, so how will she react as to what happens next, with that property.
As to her new neighbours, who could they be :-
Brian + Jennifer.
Helen, Henry plus Jack, along with Lee.
Kirsty, yet again.
Or more other silent characters, like The Gills, who bought Home Farm.
Many thoughts..
Yes Miriam, Joy stopped talking for five minutes and the shock killed her ;
DeletePerhaos Philips house will be demolished and a garden put in its place - like Rose West’s house in Gloucester.
Delete...but that is a waste of a viable property, which is still, and could be, a wonderful family home, for some-one.
DeleteThis is still an unknown entity.
The house is not the home of deaths etc, just possibily bought + financed, from crimes.
This has not yet, to me, been revealed.
Kirsty, as Philips wife, could well have an claim.
Didn't Philip tell Gavin, it was mortgaged to the hilt, and what has happened about the flat? This also seemed to be owned not rented.
DeleteSo many questions with no obvious answers.
I wasn’t serious Miriam!
DeleteI misunderstood.
DeleteApologies.
I only listened to the TA omnibus today.
ReplyDeleteMy only comment is how, Roy + Kirsty were together, at the end of Friday's episode.
There seemed a genuine warmth between them, but that's what close friends do.
I cannot see a getting together between them, just yet.
Kirsty has been hurt too often, in her relatationships. As such needs time + space, to sort her emotions and life, out, once again.
All I hope, she stays in Ambridge.
DeleteShe is due a break now This after her Mystery's involvement (now postponed), plus now the result of the sentencing and so on.
DeleteI just hope that she will appear again, to start a new life in Ambridge, in whatever way and with whom.
Good luck Jazzer.
ReplyDeleteAnd
Well done Helen.
Double ditto.
DeleteAnd well done Jim
Did Tracey deliberately suggest toiletries to Jim realising Jade might be offended?
ReplyDeleteThat occurred to me too CC, but if she did, it worked !
DeleteYes.... I forgot Jims imput didn't I ?
He did well too.
Thank you Archerphile.
Would Tracy play such a mean trick on Jim?
DeleteTracy suggested chocolates and "smellies" - it was a hamper, but Jade drew her own conclusions.
DeleteJade reminded me of my grandmother. Given lovely toiletries one Christmas, her response was 'Is somebody trying to tell me I smell?'
DeleteMind you, I have a theory that most of the toiletry gift packs you see each Christmas in Boots etc every year never actually get used. They just keep getting re-gifted or sent to the charity shops.
Did I hear Kirsty say she studied dairy management? Coincidentally, Bridge Farm has a dairy herd and runs a dairy operation.....
ReplyDeleteAs for Jade, her visit achieved one good result - it taught Jim a valuable lesson in self awareness. Hopefully it has curbed his tendency to be pompous and condescending and we’ll get less of the Latin! For non-fans of Jazzer like me, it also had the welcome effect of temporarily silencing him!🙂
Yes, that was the first time I heard of Kirsty's qualifications.
DeleteI'm not a great fan of any character but a conversation between Helen and Kirsty sounded real.
Jazzer and Jade - ridiculous.
Jazzer and Jim - out of this world.
Quite right Maryellen,
DeleteQ.E.D.
I thought Jade was pretty miserable last night, eland positively snide about Jim, I am glad Jazzer defended him. Now to get Tracey on board.
ReplyDeleteIt sounded as though Darrowby’s mysteries were a bit shambolic with their king’s horse bolting , Susan has dodged a bullet there.
I'm glad that Jazzer has dumped that rude person Jade. He finally saw the light and now is dreaming of someone else - could it possibly be Tracey?!
ReplyDeleteI like hearing both Jazzer and Jim and at least I know who is talking which is not the case with some of the younger cast members.
I have just had the pleasure of listening to Nigel and Lizzie reunited again in a radio adaptation of “The Wind in the Willows”. A really delightful afternoon’s drama also including Alan Bennet who did the adaptation and Richard Briars as Ratty. Highly recommended, on BBCSounds
ReplyDeleteI have heard snippets of this. Now must listen fully.
DeleteI thought Jim was quite magnamious, in giving Jade a birthday present.
ReplyDeleteHe was supporting Jazzer, who, the more I think about their relationship, Jim regards him as a pseudo- grandson.
Does Jim have any familial grandkids? Not sure.
Jade to me was just ungrateful, after a genuine intention + thought.
..magmanious obviously meant.
DeleteNow Linda has abandoned the Mystery's - will she now revive a previous May Day festival of hers, on the Village Green?
ReplyDeleteThis could be so much more light-hearted and fun, as it once was.
She's opened that BOTTLE !
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought there'd be alcohol in the chocolates, wait till Brian asks Chris if he liked the Rioja.
ReplyDeleteJazzer and Tracy were on top form, I'm glad she got the hamper.
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear Tracey and Jazzer getting together.
ReplyDeleteWorried about Alice not mentioning the wine to Chris.....
Basia, that was my first thought as Brian gave her the chocolates ' oh my God they are those alcoholic chops' but then he followed it up with the wine. I wasn't surprised at her hesitation which she then covered by reminding him she was breast feeding.
ReplyDeleteBut then shocked at her turn around. And of course I knew then that she wouldn't mention the wine to Chris.
I'm sorry to say that my predictions regarding Alice are panning out.
Very pleased that Jazzer went back to Tracy to say what he wanted, even though he is so ham fisted about it.
I think they will make a very interesting and entertaining couple.
So Alice - has she or has she not 🍷 maybe it has been hidden away or did she give in....
ReplyDeleteIf running true to life Alice probably will give in if not already done so.she was doing well too but if the family had been told the situation would have been avoided.
So glad Jazzer & Tracy giving it a go good combo for the SW going forward 🤗
Oh dear oh dear! What a shame.
ReplyDeleteLady R, I do think she opened the wine, which then gave her the confidence to cook a meal and to be cheerful and charming for Chris on his return..
ReplyDeleteMrs P I fear you are right. I think she probably managed to stop after a glass or two, this time, but she will fall off the wagon again fairly soon and so the problems will escalate.....
ReplyDeleteIt only takes one glass to start on the slippery slope. Hope not! Another reason for telling family and friends about her problem so that they don’t put temptation in her path. I m sure they would be supportive to her in the struggle that is inevitable for her. It’s tough enough being a parent without adding a serious issue like this. Good luck, Alice, you will need it!
ReplyDeleteEh up!!! Baby is in a drunken slumber after feeding from intoxicated Alice. You mark my words!!!!🤭
ReplyDeleteOh dear : (
ReplyDeleteLooks like Alice has managed to restrict herself to a little alcohol *this* time.
So now she 'knows' that she can safely handle one or two drinks.
Next time it will be three or four.
The time after ....
Alternatively, Brian will bump into Chris and say he hopes he enjoyed the bottle. A mighty row will ensue.
Either way, it does not look good. Alice really needs to tell her family what's going on or these challenges will continue to occur.
(It occurs to me, she *might* not have had a drink. Perhaps she's keeping the bottle to prove to herself that she can resist the temptation. Still a risky move. The next time Martha is screaming the house down, that bottle will be rather too attractive.)
It occurs to me that it was her father that, indirectly, gave her permission to think it's all OK to have another drink.
ReplyDeleteHow so ?
He told her the baby was clever ' like her mother '
So now she thinks that no harm has been done, the baby is fine, and even perceived as clever by her adored and adoring father.
So ! ........ it's OK, I've got away with it, so I can continue.
PtbY - you've reminded me that I too thought that briefly while listening.
Yup, that baby is sleeping at last because she is comfortable, she's got that drug that kept her comfortable in the womb.
I am indeed marking your words PtbY.
Or......the scriptwriters could be deliberately winding us up to think Alice opened the bottle and drank the wine, when in reality she poured it down the drain and disposed of the bottle?
ReplyDeleteOr perhaps not.
DeleteMrsP (7.53) - I chuckled at the thought of Alice tucking into those "alcoholic chops"....🤣
ReplyDeleteI said last night wait till Brian asks Chris if he enjoyed the bottle and it's only just possible that Alice when confronted will admit to have kept it to resist, BUT I'm in with PtbY that she shared it with Martha.
ReplyDeleteBasis - yes I'm in there with you and PtbY.
DeleteNo wonder that baby slept....... at last ive got my favourite tipple and this time, straight from the titty.
Miriam, Daniel is one of Jim’s grandsons - probably his only grandchild.
ReplyDeleteShe sounded very guilty when talking to Chris. I think she drank it! The sooner the wider family are told the better!
ReplyDeleteSoz, isn’t Daniel Mark Hebden’s son, not Alistair’s?
ReplyDeleteHe is. Alistair adopted him and so far both he and Shula are Hebden Lloyd, I can't recall Dan addressing Jim as grandad.
DeleteDaniel may not call Jim grandad but I thought they had a good relationship, as Alistair’s adopted son. Daniel and Alistair are very close but we haven’t heard Daniel for such a long time it’s difficult to remember.
DeleteI have a nasty feeling that Alice did weaken and drink some of that wine. She was so bouncy and happy when Chris got home that it was suspicious. If only the family had been told the truth then this would not have happened.
ReplyDeleteI am pleased that Jazzer and Tracey have got together.
Perhaps Alice was happy + bouncy, in that was just the meet + greet, with her Hubbie. It does happen.
DeleteAlso, she could have been so happy, because she knew that, she resisted temptation. But then why did she not tell Chris?
Well the SW's have certainly got us guessing + debating.
ReplyDeleteWhat I love is that, a simple gift from Brian, can cause these brilliant thoughts + ideas.
This is now - "The Mystery of the Missing Rioja". This could be a serial drama, in its own right. Which detective will solve it?
Joking apart, where is it?
Love so many of the ideas:-
1) Alice drank it - but I don't think she would, well not yet.
2) Is it hidden away for another time, to enioy with some-one, such as Fallon, with whom she had picnics with wine, on the banks of the Am.
3) She poured it down the sink, but Chris will find the empty, in the re-cycle bin, who will have many doubts and then accuse her.
Love this idea...👍👍
4) She gave it away - Perhaps to Emma - as a thank-you for the time-out, they spent together.
This brings me onto Emma, with her suspicions about the Nail Bar. I hope she was right, and she has stopped more exploited workers. I hope the result of her 'phone call, will be made known, to show a suspicion can perhaps help others.
This was the problem with Philip + Gavin, in that suspicions weren't raised.
I wish Alice, Chris + Martha, together as a family, talk to Jennifer + Brian. This will help them all, surely.
The whole purpose of the family not knowing is that we keep watching out when Alice will fail. If they did know they'd be watching over her day and night!
ReplyDeleteThat simple gift can also destroy lives Miriam. Alice has done so well in denying herself what she so desperately craves. I do hope that Chris discovers that Alice has had a drink and she explains where it came from. Then Chris persuades her that the rest of the family need to know so they can truly support her. I think it was Billy Connolly who said that just one drink would be enough to ruin all your efforts to keep off the booze.
ReplyDeleteIt was a simple gift, that was meant in a very meaningful way, but the person making this gesture, does not know the situation + so does not know, what the result could be.
DeleteI agree, Brian is completely ignorant of the true situation and meant to be kind. He would, I hope, be very supportive of Alice if he knew.
DeleteThis is not a criticism but I read your post as being a tad flippant about the reality of alcoholism. You were treating it as the fiction that it is and being upbeat about it. Nothing wrong in that.
I love that Tracy + Jazzer, are getting close together again.
ReplyDeleteWill this detract Tracy from her Ambridge Cricket Captain duties..
Oh God......I hope so!!
DeleteShe couldn't even cover up her tracks, well, at least Martha didn't have to share in the feast.
ReplyDeleteWas the wine bottle open, or still full?
ReplyDeleteNeed to listen again.
Ooh that’s a point Miriam I assumed open but I’m not sure either now. Maybe the bottle just being there even if not open as the intention was there and he will assume Alice purchased it - until Brian asks if he enjoyed it...
ReplyDeleteMiriam asked a week or so ago why I thought that Chris might become a single parent?
ReplyDeleteI think tonight's episode illustrates what I had anticipated might happen.
I have always seen Chris Carter as a character with a quiet strength.
He has a hardworking honest approach to life and IMO is a credit to Neil and Susan.
He has loved Alice, done his best to understand her problem and has stood by her and supported her recovery by using their savings to enable her treatment, and he has successfully managed his own anger.
He has believed her when she has promised she will not drink.
But now he sees that she has betrayed his trust and he will not stand by and see his precious child damaged by her mother.
If Alice cannot or will not be the responsible parent, then he will act to see that his child is no longer damaged.
Tonight's episode and the continuity announcement following suggests to me that i was correct in my prediction that Chris would become a single parent.
A very sad situation.
Does that mean the courts wouldn’t ban Alice from contact with her baby - like Rob was banned from contact with Jack - and would the ban extend to Alice’s parents, as happened with the Titchener grandparents? (I think that’s how it worked, I’m hazy about family law!)
DeleteI don't know Maryellen.
DeleteBut I think that a judgement today would not enforce no contact with the mother.
Rather responsible access possibly accompanied by a social worker.
But I have not thought that far ahead, only supposing that Chris would take matters into his own hands as he did tonight with the words suggesting that he would go and buy some formula.
If I were to imagine going forward I would expect both the Carter family and Brian and Jennifer would jointly be proactive in supporting Chris and the baby as well as ensuring Alice takes responsibility for her actions, seeks proper help and ensuring that she sticks at it.
In other words appropriate and effective family support.
Alice might eventually succumb to such support, or go her own way.
But then I'm not a S writer.
Should be courts would ban
DeleteWas the wine bottle empty or unopened ?
ReplyDeleteSeveral of us thought that Alice had already imbibed at least some of that bottle yesterday. The evidence being her cooking a meal, being overly 'happy', and the baby sleeping well when previously being restive.
So if we have interpreted tonight correctly then Alice had drunk more from the bottle today, and had been sleeping it off when Chris found her.
My bet is that the bottle was empty !
Listening to the episode on Sounds I don’t get to hear what the continuity announcer said.
ReplyDeleteBut I wasn’t at all sure Alice had been drinking. She didn’t exactly sound drunk or slurred and I got the impression she had genuinely just woken up after a sleep.
Did Chris jump to conclusions when he saw the bottle?
Was it full or empty?
Suppose I’ll have to listen again to find out.
I don’t think Chris understands the mechanics of alcoholism but then why would he? He comes from a family who I imagine like a glass of wine with meals as just a pleasure. Alice’s dependency is a mystery to him. His prior concern is to protect Martha but at the same time he has to realise that there is no instant cure for Alice. She has been immensely strong over the last few months but it hasn’t taken away her need for satisfying her addiction. I find this dependency hard to understand but in some people this is part of their character. I wonder where it all began for Alice? Maybe in her time at university. She needs lots of help from professionals and from family and friends. He shouldn’t have sent Kate away. Maybe she needed to see what was going on.
ReplyDeleteI assumed that the bottle had been opened otherwise why would Chris assume that Alice had been drinking?
ReplyDeleteIf there were no evidence of her ever having had a drink would there have been a full unopened bottle left around for Chris to find?
Had she not had a drink she would have made sure she had not fallen asleep.
However tired one is a young mother would not do that .
Had she gone to bed?
Was she lying drunk on the settee?
No doubt we will learn more tomorrow.
As I understand it if an alcoholic drinks a tiny drop of alcohol then that is it .
He or she will not be able to stop .
However seeing an unopened bottle would an alcoholic with a young baby have to open it?
If that is the case then the baby should be removed from Alice immediately
I think Mrs P is right.
Archerphile- the comment was something like.......
ReplyDeleteTomorrow Alice has to face the harsh truth.
Thank youMrs P. That does sound as if Chris was right then.
DeleteI used to get annoyed when the ÇA comments are left of the recording, especially if they are amusing but that sounds very like a spoiler to me. Perhaps they shouldn’t make any comments at all?
Yes, it sounds like a spoiler. I can't avoid the comment before but I always switch off at the signature tune, just a habit, even if I go on to Front Row. I do read the tag lines but they can be misleading.
DeleteUntil now Alice has managed to stay strong for Martha's sake.
ReplyDeleteIf Chris and Martha move out, as I suspect he will decide needs to happen, she will have no incentive to keep off the drink.I suspect a rapid downhill spiral : (
Of course, if they do move out, Chris will need to explain why, at least to their families. Perhaps then the Aldridge and Carter families will work together to keep Alice on the strait and narrow. She'll need all the help she can get.
To be honest, I'm surprised the midwife or health visitor has not been more in evidence. I would have thought, given Alice's history, that they would have been keeping a close eye on her and the baby. Yes, OK, things are all a bit odd due to this virus thingy, but home visits must surely still be allowed if a baby is potentially at risk.
Two and half hours in bed and still no sleep, I have been ruminating over what and how Chris will manage once he has left with Martha.
ReplyDeleteI've reached the conclusion that Kate and Emma between them will be the heroines of the hour managing the baby with support initially from Susan and Neil and once the blue air has dissipated, Jennifer and Brian.
But of course Chris has to come to grips first with owning up to Emma that she was correct all those months ago, and gaining her trust and support, and nosey Kate will present herself as second in command to Emma.
But once on board I suspect that Kate will be an absolute trouper.
Hopefully the two families will follow with their support, once the shock and horror has died down.
I will leave it to less harsh and much kinder Ev and OwiaS to find a solution as to what can be done with Alice herself.
I also agree that the SW have failed to bring in the professionals who undoubtedly would have been keeping a very close eye on the situation.
( not to mention social services who would have been apprised of an infant in possible danger )
The only answer for Alice is that she never touches a drop of alcohol again. Mike was a heavy smoker but gave it up in his fifties on medical advice. He always said if he had one cigarette he would revert. Addiction is so hard to understand if we haven’t experienced it ourselves. Alice is not bad, she has an illness as real as cancer. Chris is in a very difficult position as he has to protect their daughter. I think the time has come to tell the family and have that support they both badly need.
ReplyDeleteIt is not going to be easy. Chris, as with Will in the past, cannot work and care for a baby. Both Kate and Emma work so it is going to be virtually impossible for them to help during the day, which is when Chris will need help. Kate because she is self employed might manage to arrange some of her appointments for the evening in order to free up some time during the day. Susan works as well. So I think it is going to be down to Jennifer. The baby needs one regular carer (as well as her dad) rather than being handed around among several, which must be confusing for a child.
ReplyDeleteI wonder, also, if Jennifer would be strong enough to withstand the manipulations of her alcoholic daughter.
Some very sensible comments and opinions already written. I can only add that I find this S/L extremely sad and do not enjoy it at all. Thankfully I have never had to deal with an alcoholic so have no personal experience.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Janice that Jennifer is the one family member with time to spend with Martha but no doubt her care will be shared with others.
Like you Janice, I also wonder if Jennifer at her age would be able to look after Martha.
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't be fair on the child either.
I think that maybe Emma might be "employed" by Alice's parents to look after the little girl.
I also think that maybe something will happen to Alice and she will be written out so that eventually Chris can meet someone else.
One thing we can guarantee is more angst, with Chris and Alice joining the small band of characters (Kirsty, Jim and Jazzer) who dominate our airwaves.
ReplyDeleteJanice - I read that a baby/young child can take any number of changing adults in its life, but needs just one to be a constant presence, not necessarily a relative or obvious mother figure. In Martha J’s case, I suppose that would be Chris. I found Alice”s repeated ‘She needs me!’ quite saddening because Martha doesn’t, it’s Alice who needs to think that.
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ReplyDelete