Bethany likes her baths: Thurs 28.02.13 #thearchers

The Archers Thursday 28th February 2013

• Bethany’s a water baby
• Lilian and Paul has (another) grand day
• Pip’s still a dirty stop out
• Mike and Vicky are already having nights out
• David learns about Pliny

Bethany’s a water baby

Seems Bethany loves her bath.

Even to the point where Vicky thought she was smiling:

[Vicky] “Was that a smile or was it wind?”

[Mike] “You always ask that. My face doesn’t light up momentarily when I want to burp!”

(fair point, if Bethany wasn’t a baby …)

Mike even reckons he’ll take Bethany swimming in a few weeks if she keeps this up. Though it’ll be the splashing about sort of swimming, rather than having to do lengths.

Mike thinking of taking Bethany to swimming

[Mike] "We may have a future swimming champion in the making."


Lilian and Paul has (another) grand day

This is very bizarre – but Lilian found nothing (nothing!) to buy at the Antique’s Fair her and Paul were visiting.

[Lilian] “Everything was just a bit cottagey, a bit William Morris.”

Paul seemed quite desperate to buy something. He must be keen for Lilian to see the flat as her home as well. And for them to start physically building a life together.

Then, they find a painting of Dovedale, which they both adore.

So there it was.

Their first purchase.

[Paul] “I can’t remember the last time I felt so happy.”

[Lilian] “Nor me.”

Pip’s still a dirty stop out

David and Ruth still haven’t heard from Pip.

[David] “Pip knows very well that you worry about her. She’s doing it on purpose … she’s the one who wants to treat her like an adult, while she carries on behaving like a spoilt kid.”

[Ruth] “She’s so flipping stubborn … that’s why I don’t want you getting all aerated about it.”

[David] “You’re thinking all this is a replay of Jude, when she started staying over with him.”

[Ruth] “She’s distancing herself  from us, isn’t she?”

[David] “Sulking maybe, or trying to force home her point.”

[Ruth] “David if we don’t do something she’ll grow away from us …”

And as she’s older, Ruth reckons it’d then be hard to then make things right between them.

So, Ruth wants to tread lightly. But David reckons that’d have no impact:

[David] “She needs boundaries … Pip needs to understand that being an adult brings responsibilities … living with us means she has responsibilities to use and the farm … the sooner she accepts it, the better it will be for all of us.”

Well, if she’s not pulling her weight, why not make her start paying rent? Or, even better, tell her to get her own place?


Mike and Vicky are already having nights out

(just kidding – they deserve it)

Mike’s managed to persuade Vicky to have Brenda and Tom babysit while he takes her out to The Bull for a meal.

Though Vicky was slightly nervous, Tom and Brenda lives 2 minutes away from The Bull. And Brenda sent her a picture of Bethany all settled and snug.


David learns about Pliny

As Ruth and David walked home, David mentioned that while he was at the bar, Jim and Joe had been telling him that now was the time to get to his: “cutting, mowing, disbudding and castrating”. That’s because:

[David] “The moon replenishes bodies when it’s waxes, and the opposite when it’s waning.”

Joe reckons farmers use to do their work by the moon without having to know it.

[Ruth] “The things you learn down the bull.”

[David] “Haven’t I extolled the benefits of going to the pub!”