Wednesday 4 April 2012

The Parish Community Council to bed BL 03.04.12

The Archers Tuesday 3rd April 2012
  • Tony’s kitted up and raring to go
  • Ronnie likes strong women
  • Lily is now obsessed
  • A very Special Parish Council meeting
  • Tilly Button is in hand
  • Jim resorts to Derek Fletcher


Tony’s kitted up and raring to go

But no-one will let him do anything.

[Tony] “I wanted to clean the stew pan but Helen did it”

And Pat won’t let him help with the trays.

Tony is also worried about Tom running himself ragged.

But there’s nothing he can do about that. Not while everyone is telling him to sit down and relax until he’s completely ready to return to work.

(quite right too!)

[Tony] “But I’m starting to feel much more myself”

[Pat] “You have to appreciate love, that’s why Tom’s being cautious, and why Helen won’t even let you do the pans”


Ronnie likes strong women

Ronnie is the chap from which Chris is buying the Farrier business.

Neil and Susan were talking about how proud they are of Chris, then started talking about how Ronnie met his wife.

Seems Ronnie met her at a Summer Fayre, where he was impressed by her prowess on the test your strength machine. After he’d seen her technique, he married her a mere 3 months later.

Wow. That’s a man who knows what he wants.



Lily is now obsessed

With bell ringing.

She’s still going to practice, and will even get to ring the bells on St George’s day.



A very Special Parish Council meeting

[Jim] “Village hall tea, that mysterious compound of coal dust and floor sweepings”

Actually, Oliver points out that he brought Darjeeling with him.

When they’re settled, they get down to the business of discussing the Fields in Trust.

Seems there’s a scheme which uses the Jubilee and the Olympics to help safeguard recreational areas of land – it’s called the QE II Field program. Once a community secures that status for the land, it can’t be built in, and they can access grants to create or improve facilities. The ownership of the land stays with the current owner, but they will have a legally binding contract, and a deed of dedication “to protect in perpetuity”.

So – the village green?

Nope, already protected.

The cricket pitch?

Nope, already protected.

The playground?

Nope, also already protected (as a memorial).

Then Jill comes up trumps.

She suggests the land between the shop and the river, which children have always played on. Including David, Kenton and Neil.

[Neil] “Mind, before they put the fence up, you had to stop the ball rolling down the land”

But there’s a big BUT.

That land belongs to Borchester Land.

Most seem to see that as not being a problem – it’d be a good spot to have Bonfire night on (to stop Hilary Noakes moaning, if nothing else):

[Jim] “Anything to spare a repetition of the Burned village green debacle!”

But Jill is horrified that they’ll have to ask Brian to gift the land.

[Jill] “Oh no …!”

Jill still hasn’t forgiven Brian for his rather obvious (and cynical) attempt to buy good PR for BL during the start of the Super Dairy debate.

[Oliver] “But sometimes a parish council has to accept realpolitik”

[Jim] “So why not try and get something good out of them before the chance goes forever?”

Blimey, Jim has changed his tune.

It sounded like Jill as a very lone voice in the debate.



Tilly Button is in hand

On the topic of the James/Leonie fly over:

[Jim] “How splendid, our very own festival of noise!”

But it’s not all bad news. Seems Tilly has been “spoken to, very firmly” by Brown Owl. So no naughtiness from the Brownies, then.

Oliver tells how Jolene has been making her regulars practising waving for the flyover (out in the car park), in the shape of a bull. But as they’re practising at night, they’re only waving at the night sky at the moment.

[Jim] “Goodness me, were you expecting to be beamed up?”

[Lynda] “It would be a shame if the whole flight was taken over by commercial concerns …”

(does Lynda not recall that she and Robert run a B&B, so surely her deep desired to be photographed is of as much commercial concern as The Bull?)


Jim resorts to Derek Fletcher

Though Jim was going great guns with his Lent promise (to make as many genuine compliments to as many people as possible), he’s now feeling the strain. He’s running out of people to compliment.

[Jim] “And since his socks were the least offense thing about him, I had to say how nice they were”

[Jill, giggling again. Which she seems to be doing a lot at the moment. Which is nice] “You made his afternoon!”

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