Pondering The Archers: andrew eagleton

Let Brian eat cake!

As there’s no biscuits.

Andrew is a “silly man”

According to Jennifer.

Andrew Eagleton is on the BL board. Seems he’s panicking about all of the bad publicity about the Super Dairy, and wants to table a resolution for it to be withdrawn as a project.

[Jennifer] “Oh the silly man. He’s just panicking unnecessarily, surely”

Brian reckons not. Andrew has also got Martin Gibson concerned.

But there’s more.

[Brian] “Even some of our loyal customers are fed up of driving past the protestors, and are thinking of going somewhere else”

Brian’s panicking, so calls Debbie.

[Debbie] “I won’t let that happen … Leave it with me dad”

[Brian] “If we’re going to save this project, we need to do some sharp thinking”

(I still find it odd that Debbie calls Brian dad, by the way)

The bees need sugar syrup

Oh I do (genuinely) love Jill and her bees.

She was checking their food stocks today, and reckoned.

[Jill] “A couple of the hives do feel a bit light”

So she left them some sugar syrup on the brood box.

Ah.

Lucky bees.

(though I have no idea what a brood box is)

Bert’s sorting Susan’s garden

Doe the promise auction Susan won.

Though Ruth’s not so sure that it’s a good idea:

[Ruth] “Susan’s quite proud of her garden, Isn’t she?”

[Jill] “Yes, I hope she doesn’t take his suggestions the wrong way!”

But turns out it wasn’t Susan offended by Bert telling her what to do. It was the other way round.

[Ruth] “He came back most disgruntled, instead of helping her to design and create a fantastic garden for Ambridge View, he was up to his elbows in weeds and a bit of old pram at number 6 The Green”

Crafty.

That’s one way of getting Bert, Gary and Tracey’s garden sorted without Neil having to do it.

Jim accosts Christine (again)

[Jill on Christine] “Between you and me Ruth, she’s a bit worried at the moment … well, it’s Jim. He was a bit effusive in complimenting her last week … that her perfume smelt alluring”

[Ruth] “Alluring, you’re joking! Does that mean there’s a December romance in the offing?”

And they both have a good laugh at Christine and Jim’s expense … which wasn’t very nice of them.

Later on:

[Jennifer] “Oh, here comes Jim!”

[Christine] “Oh dear …”

[Jim] “Christine, just the woman I need. I have something quite important to ask you … it’s about a phone call of some consequence I need to make this afternoon, and I need you to be present, if you don’t mind … it’d make a chap very happy”

So Christine, very uncomfortably, agrees.

Later on:

[Jim] “As it was such a nice afternoon, I thought it’d be nice to do this out of doors … are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin”

So, he calls someone to pay them a compliment.

[Jim, on the phone] “It was a very rewarding retail experience … of course I am, perfectly serious … unexpectedly knowledgeable on the subject of ties”

It sounded like the person on the other end of the phone hung up, but Jim just reckoned it was a bad connection due to them being in the garden.

Christine is perplexed.

[Christine] “I’m sorry Jim, you called me over to listen to a phone call to a tie shop?”

[Jim] “Gentleman’s outfitter, if you please”

Jim then records the compliment he has just given, and asks Christine to sign his book as a witness.

As she does so, she notices her name, and his compliment about her perfume, on the opposite page.

Ah. The penny drops. And Christine now gladly accepts lemonade from Jim.

Later on:

[Christine] “You’ll never guess what Jim had me doing this afternoon …”

[Jill] “That sounds intriguing!”

[Christine] “Not in the way you or me were thinking!”

Christine’s relieved, and quite tickled about Jim’s antics.

[Christine] “The poor boy in the tie shop this afternoon clearly thought he was bonkers”

Ach well. There’s nothing like a good old British farce to help us into Spring.

Alice is going to get an Easter egg

Jennifer is going to buy her one to cheer her up while she’s studying so hard.

Oh, and she also mentions she might get one for Ruairi.

Wee mite that he is.

Brian and cricket

I didn’t think that Brian was that interested in Ambridge Cricket club. But Jennifer seems to think the start of the season will help him relax.

She also mentioned that Jamie had asked Adam to help coach the youth team, but seems he’s too busy. Adam is going to ask a friend (in Yorkshire of all places, Christine was very surprised to hear … how odd of her).

The village shop aggressively sells to kids

Even Jill is in on the act.

She wants to get the Easter eggs out on display specifically before the school bus gets back in.

[Jill] “A suggestion from Lynda, she’s a great believer in pester power … not that that’d come to a surprise to anyone who knows her”

Brookfield back on an even keel in 3 years

So reckons the consultant.

Saturday, 7 January 2012

The BL Board votes 05/12/12

The Archers Thursday 5th January 2012

Brian’s back on track
Bert asks Tracey to come home
Why does Gary have bunkbeds?
Andrew Eagleton has a problem

Brian’s back on track

In his own, humble (!) opinion.

He has managed to get three arable farmers to agree to be suppliers for their Super Dairy, which means he has a “viable plan B” to put to the BL Board – who are voting today on whether to go ahead.

Even if the BL Board do vote it through, Debbie still hasn’t managed to get Adam onside.

[Debbie] “I just had a chat with Adam … I don’t know what his problem is …”

In Debbie’s opinion, Adam has got everything he wants – Home Farm to be kept the way it is, steering clear of the Super Dairy. She thinks he’s now just being petulant.

[Brian] “He simply can’t accept that this is the way farming is going”

Bert asks Tracey to come home

Tracey was telling Bert that she’s thinking of moving back (to wherever she came from). Not to get back with Den:

[Tracey] “Reckon he’s as glad to see the back of me as I am of him”

But to her own place. She can’t cope with the long school run anymore, but can’t afford somewhere in Ambridge.

[Bert] “Susan said … well, I was wondering actually … how would it be if you moved back in here?”

Tracey initially says an outright no, They just wouldn’t all fit in.

[Tracey] "So this was Neil’s idea? Bet it was ..."

Bert explains Neil’s plans for creating another bedroom. Tracey could have her old bedroom back (the one she used to share with Susan).

[Bert] “Have it all to yourself now!”

And the kids would have his old room. He reckons he’s not getting much sleep anyway, in his big bed alone.

And a massive bonus would be that they kids would have a garden to play in. They didn’t have that before.

[Tracey] “How would you feel about having them here? You know what Brad’s like, he can’t sit still for 5 minutes and he doesn’t have a volume control … and Chelsea’s is not much better… but you were young then, you could cope with the racket, you want some peace and quiet now”

But Bert reckons he’ll have peace in the grave … and he can have his own TV in his room, and always just go out.

[Bert] “I’d love for you to come home Tracey, really I would”

Tracey sounds nearly convinced, but she wants to sleep on it.

Why does Gary have bunkbeds?

He really is odd.

Andrew Eagleton has a problem

[Brian] “Me, essentially, he thinks I’ve lost all credibility”

He scoffs his way through Debbie’s presentation, and questions them on the lack of control they’ve now got by having to use external suppliers. Who are they/ Can they be depended on? Surely they’ll ditch the Super Dairy if a better offer comes long.

Brian reckons he’s “rubbed shoulders” with two of them at NFU meetings.

[Andrew] “So you don’t actually know them?”

Erm, no. he doesn’t.

And what about the fact that Brian couldn’t convince Adam to work with them? How can the BL Board know he’ll manage the other suppliers properly?

[Debbie] “Units like this offer a very good deal to the farmers involved .. .a guaranteed purchaser .. .Adam has no experience in these things, I do”

As they have a comfort break (the meeting sounded like the House of Commons to me – lots of baritone murmurings. Thankfully none of the fake guffawing), Brian is not happy with Andrew.

[Brian] “I could happily punch his lights out!”

[Debbie] “He’s alienating the rest of the Board by banging on like that, so keep calm and let me do the talking”

Which he does. Debbie closes her presentation by saying that she’d be project managing the Diary (still from Hungry). I had thought she might be returning …

Anyway, it goes to the vote. And they turn off the secret microphones …