Saturday 11 February 2012

Joe drives a hard bargain 09.02.12

The Archers Thursday 9th February 2012

  • Lemon cake works wonders for Joe
  • Pat made The Echo
  • Alistair puts business before Topper
  • Why isn’t Joe Grundy a millionaire?
  • Ed on a badger course in June
  • Eddie isn’t donating a water feature (by the way)
  • The theme for Britain in Bloom


Lemon cake works wonders for Joe

Joe reckons he has a chill on his chest, so has been stopping in.

But Jim tempts Joe over to his house with lemon cake. And Joe also gets his request for a drop of booze to liven up his tea … Jim must be after something!


Pat made The Echo

With a seemingly great picture of herself and Shelly Brazil at the Ambridge Organics launch.

Pat having good press contacts will come in handy when Pat tackles the Super Dairy through the front pages.


Alistair puts business before Topper

Shula tells Alistair that she wants to buy Topper.

She’d buy him through the business, and use him for teaching and the like.

[Shula] “It wouldn’t be a waste of money .. I’m worried for Freddie”

But Alistair reckons they can’t afford it.

[Shula] “It’s not as is we’re really badly off, we’re lucky compared to some”

[Alistair] “I don’t mean to be brutal, but at the end of the day it has to be a business decision. It just doesn’t make sense”

Oh dear.

Business Vs emotional attachment.

My money is on Shula winning this one.


Why isn’t Joe Grundy a millionaire?

With his talents at haggling, one would have thought he’d have made a fortune years ago.

Jim’s new plan for trying to work out fair allocation of the cider made from the community orchard apples is to start off with trying to find out what percentage the Grundys want.

So he asks Joe if they’ll take 10%.

Joe nearly chokes on his tea.

[Joe] “That cider is part of our livelihood, that is!”

[Jim] “What would you say to 20%?”

[Joe] “I’d tell you, pull your head down from them clouds … 20%, you don’t live in the real world … There wouldn’t be on orchard without us Grundys … I’m sorry prof, I don’t mind telling you, you’re hard my feelings …ancient knowledge that is … would have thought a man such as yourself would appreciate that”

[Jim] “Alright, let’s be generous then, how about 40?”

[Joe] “For a whole family heritage?”
Which is a fair point.

They wouldn’t have the cider without the Grundys having nurtured Grange Farm’s orchard when they worked it. And it is the Grundys know how that will make the cider. Plus Joe has been the community orchard’s consultant …

…so, 90%, according to Joe Grundy, would be fair.

After back and forth, they settle on 80%. Joe reckons the bumper harvest they have had will mean 20% is still more than enough cider for everyone else.

Hmmm.

Mike, for one, isn’t going to be very happy.

Also quite surprised that Jim wasn’t a better negotiator. Maybe his strengths are indeed purely academic.

[Jim, later on] “Really, why do these things have to be so complicated? I thought we’d just muck in and all get a bit of scrumpy”

[Christine] “You haven’t lived here long enough yet, where the Grundys are concerned, nothing’s that straightforward!”


Ed on a badger course in June

Which Alistair reckons Ed is really excited about.

Ed – badger saviour.

Who’d have thunk it!


Eddie isn’t donating a water feature (by the way)

Folks seem to be getting excited about Eddie’s Promise Auction offer.

BUT.

What I heard him say was that he’d install it. Not that he’d pay for the whole thing.

Oh dear. Someone’s going to be disappointed.


The theme for Britain in Bloom

Has to be chosen by the Britain in Bloom committee.

Ideas for far include the Olympic and the Diamond Jubilee.

Not very imaginative, but I suppose they’re at least topical.

[Lynda] “Having said that, it does rather depend on us finding a sponsor”
Jim tells her about Brian trying to offer him BL sponsorship.

[Jim] “It’s obvious that they’re trying to portray themselves as a caring sharing philanthropic company”

While they do need the money, BL is being too obvious, and the Super Dairy is too hot a topic, for them to consider.

[Lynda] “I think we’ll have to say no. This is something we want the whole village behind”

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