- Daniel likes Jill’s pavlova
- Neil’s arranged a quarter peal for Nigel
- Jim gives Joe a telling
- The drawer of doom?
- Shula grieves for Nigel
- A level time
- Pat spells it out to Kathy
Daniel likes Jill’s pavlova
But she’s run out of cream.
And barges into Joe as she rushes out of the Village Shop (or so he reckons):
[Joe] “I comes in for an ounce of baccy and I gets assaulted!”
And Jill manages to leave her purse behind – which she didn’t even notice until Jim brought it round to Shula’s for her.
Well, I think that whole side of the Archer clan gets excused for any bad behaviour at the moment.
Neil’s arranged a quarter peal for Nigel
And Freddie’s taking a dibber that Nigel made into one of his interviews for school.
Not forgotten, but life does indeed go on.
Jim gives Joe a telling
[Jim] “It’s come to my attention that you’ve been using the research I did… or more rightly, abusing it”
[Joe] “No, no - I don’t think so”
[Jim] “Do you deny that you’ve been calling door to door dressed in improbable white clothes, brandishing spray painted secateurs and posing as some sort of Druidic high priest”
[Joe] “Oh, I never said I was a high priest …”
[Jim] “ … and spouting some spurious mumbo jumbo ostensively designed to ensure the germination of mistletoe … Joe, I did that research for you ‘uberrima fides’, in upmost good faith, because I thought you were interested in the subject, not on how to make money out of it by duping local residents”
[Joe] “Well, it was only a bit of fun”
[Jim] “Well, I must insist that you stop immediately. If word gets about that this is based on research that I undertook, I’d be a laughing stock. I have a reputation to protect, you know.”
[Joe] “I didn’t mean no harm … and I’m sorry for any offence caused”
Well that was Joe told.
Though his offer to ‘do’ Jim’s apples trees wasn’t that eagerly taken up by Jim. He’s fine for Joe to try and grow him some mistletoe on his trees, but:
[Jim] “chanting will not be necessary”
The drawer of doom?
I might still be suffering from #sattc (Shock to Shake Ambridge to the Core), as I’m seeing something ominous in every wee thing in Ambridge.
Pat’s dodgy drawer sounds very worrying to me …
Shula grieves for Nigel
[Shula] “I miss him so much … but I don’t feel I have the right … to feel so low myself, not compared to Elizabeth and what she must be suffering”
Jill reassures Shula that she has every right to feel the way she does, especially considering Nigel and Shula were romantically linked before he got together with Elizabeth (well, it was more Nigel than Shula, but she was very fond of him even then).
He was also a good friend, and had comforted Shula on the morning of Mark’s funeral.
[Jill] “… and if things had worked out differently”
Now there’s a thought.
Life would have been very different for all concerned.
A level time
Kathy’s complaining that Jamie doesn’t seem to care about making his A Level choices (he just wants to leave school, play games and hope/assume something will turn up), whereas Daniel has Jim keen to coach him on his first steps into a life of academia.
I wonder if Daniel is as good as he’s made out to be? We haven’t really heard from him for a while.
And Jamie … well … anything that stops us having to suffer him and Kathy shouting at each other will be just fine with me.
Pat spells it out to Kathy
Well, pat did make herself clear to Kathy, but in a rather respectful way:
[Pat] “You k now you’re always welcome of course, but I wonder if, given the baby, we could start to agree one night each week for you to come to eat”
[Kathy] “I understand Pat … I’ve been a bit too dependent on you. Don’t worry. Message received.”
Ouch!
Pat was trying to explain to Kathy that they needed more family time, with Henry soon to be arriving home, and that she still did want to see Kathy.
But Kathy seemed to take it a tad more personal.
Well – what other way could she take it? She was basically being told that she wasn’t wanted in their household every night. Which would hurt. Even if Kathy should have spotted that herself.
And won’t Tony be delighted!
- Brian’s a helpful chap
- The League of Friends are indeed always nice
- Clarrie’s looking forward to washing a mug
- This Ambridge eavesdropping is brought to you by Skype …
- Mart plans are at the Council
- “Some economist from Felpersham”
- Joe’s made some mistletoe sales
- Clarrie lets slip to Jim
- Nigel was idiosyncratic at organising
Brian’s a helpful chap
It looks like Brian’s offer to help at Brookfield wasn’t just a one off – and seems to come with no strings.
Helping out this time with the strawing down (which I think has something to do with the cows being inside), he also volunteers to take over Bert’s silage duties.
Though still struggling into work, Bert’s back is too sore to let him be of much use.
So it's Brian to the rescue, again.
I'd almost be suspicious, if it was just Ruth that was the female offering at Brookfield.
Though I suppose there is Pip ... surely not!?!
The League of Friends are indeed always nice
Preferring to get going to Clarrie’s hospital appointment rather than have a cup of tea at home, Nic was quite right that the League of Friends are nice people.
They’re to be found volunteering in hospitals – information, cups of tea and often raising money for equipment.
Well done folks!
Clarrie’s looking forward to washing a mug
Concerned about her job:
[Clarrie] “Vicky’s already got her feet too far under the table for my liking … I don't want her getting no ideas about that job for the long term”
And getting increasingly frustrated about not being able to do the housework and cooking (though it has to be said that Joe managed not to poison anyone), Clarrie can’t wait to get her arm out of plaster.
She’s especially looking forward to washing up her coffee mug properly.
As much as I can understand the mug symbolising Clarrie being able to get her world back under control … there’s also a part of me that thinks Clarrie does actually sees being able to wash her own mug is a genuine treat.
[Clarrie] “There’s a mug there that’s going to be washed with an inch of its life”
Will that woman ever get a proper break? (excuse the pun)
This Ambridge eavesdropping is brought to you by Skype …
Is it just me, or is the Aldridge family being sponsored by Skype?
That was yet another mention because of Nollie’s birthday tomorrow.
Maybe the extra income is why Brian is happy to give his time for free to Brookfield.
Mart plans are at the Council
All seems to be going well with Borchester Land and Amside’s Mart plans.
Though Brian reckons Matt’s still pulling Lilian’s strings, she is “putting up a good fight” at the Board table.
The plans for the mart are finished, and are now in front of the Council’s planning department.
Surely that’s where the trouble really starts?!?
“Some economist from Felpersham”
Wowzer – those farmers sure know how to book a scintillating key note speaker for their conference!
Seemingly Adam’s going to translate (he studied Agricultural economics), and the economist’s topic, “Global Soft Commodity prospects”, Brian reckoned would be:
“food for thought”
(and he said that with, again, no pun intended)
Each to their own, I suppose.
Joe’s made some mistletoe sales
But Clarrie reckons:
[Clarrie] “anyone that’s lived here a while isn’t so keen … mainly the townies that’s taking it … Joe could be up to a lot worse”
True.
But does Clarrie realise that he’s been using one of her sheets?
Clarrie lets slip to Jim
Whoops!
Clarrie does seem to have a tendency of telling folks things they would probably be better off not knowing.
Though it seems to be entirely innocent on her part. Unlike when Susan tells her home truths …
Anyway, expect Jim to give Joe a telling any day now. His reaction to being told that he’d “inspired” Joe to go round the village, charging folks for his Druid services, didn’t sound entirely positive.
[Clarrie] “he’s a funny old stick”
Nigel was idiosyncratic at organising
David’s having a struggle trying to work out Nigel’s way of working.
He’s not sure what Nigel meant when he ticked something (as it would seem Nigel also used crosses for when he’d completed some tasks); Nigel had a bit of an eccentric filing system (Royal’s Rink hire was under I for Ice rink); and David is a tad concerned that all of this will mean he and Lewis will miss something important.
Lewis is a very calm chap to have around, but David seems to be edging onto panic (on top of his guilt, and sheer exhaustion).
That David can’t find a trace of the ice sculpture is his biggest problem at the moment (maybe the sculpture goes the same way as the ice? … sorry …).
Spotting that David is about to potentially self-combust, Lewis tries to suggest that David really doesn’t need to do all of this work.
After all, Elizabeth didn’t ask him to – and probably should start looking for a professional manager for Lower Loxley.
That the Lower Loxely trustees are meeting in 3 weeks sounds a bit ominous.
Maybe David should relax a bit now, in case Elizabeth will need him more in a few weeks time …
- Poor Kenton
- Joe in vestments?
- The simple pleasures
- Guilt’s not attractive on David
- Those early hurts are the deepest
Poor Kenton
[Kenton] “I wished she’d asked me … well, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to bother her now that it’s sorted … she knows that (David’s) the reliable one”
[Shula] “Well, he clearly didn’t want to do it which is why I offered … why, what did you want to say?”
[Kenton] “Well, just what fun he was”
It’s not nice being Kenton sometimes.
The black sheep of the family, to the point where he believes that he no-one else will trust him to say the right thing at his best friend’s funeral.
It’s a shame that neither Shula nor David thought of Kenton. Elizabeth is hardly best placed to think of anything …
Joe in vestments?
*shudder*
Still, at least Joe is providing some light relief to the Archer clan.
Kenton and Shula are guffawing away at the fact that Jim hasn’t as yet spotted that Joe’s more interested in a few extra £ than ancient history.
And, at the idea of Joe trying to make more money by becoming a Druid priest:
[Kenton] “ …a priest in white vestments climbs an oak tree and cuts down the mistletoe with a golden sycle”
[Shula] “Sounds quite beautiful”
[Kenton] “Well, not when the priest is Joe Grundy”
While Shula is tempted to get Joe in to do his new found magic on her trees, Kenton's more in the mood for a sing song.
Quite bizarrely, Shula joins in:
“Hey down (Ho down) Derry derry down
Among the leaves so green-o”
Odd, as that was quite a prominent song in the last run of Lark Rise to Candleford.
Maybe Kenton and Shula watch it (Shula, I can imagine, but Kenton? Is he that ,lonely?)
And even more bizarre yet, Helen walks in as Shula and Kenton are singing, making them both behave like naughty school children caught misbehaving.
Still, any laughs right now must be welcomed.
The simple pleasures
At first a bit perturbed to find Shula and Kenton singing in a house of mourning.
[Helen] “They seemed in an …odd … mood”
Helen soon settles down to both comfort Elizabeth, and also make much of her wee boy Henry.
Not that Helen went overboard, or Elizabeth was not welcoming a happy diversion.
All Helen wants to do it to be able to care for Henry, but that’s difficult when he’s still in hospital.
She just wants to be able to give him a bath.
[Elizabeth] “Nigel said it was lucky we had twins as we both had one to bath”
It’s the simple moments that stay with us.
Guilt’s not attractive on David
I’ll admit I reckon David’s quite right to feel a bit of guilt (why else where they both up on the roof?), but he’s going to drive himself insane if he keep being so down on himself.
Despite putting his entire life on hold to run Lowe Loxley with Lewis (including a big society wedding which sounds a bit tricky – likely more of that to follow), David can’t give himself a break for not wanting to speak at Nigel’s funeral.
Would anybody actually expect him to?
Those early hurts are the deepest
[Jill] “You know I was brought up by my mother’s cousin …”
[Elizabeth] “Yes, aunt Daphne, because your father died when you were a baby”
[Jill] “Yes, and then my mother .. she struggled to keep out little family together, but it was too much for her”
“I’ve never talked about how I felt .. .what it did to me .. .it went too deep”
Jill’s talking to Elizabeth about her own experiences of death as a young child.
Her father died when she was a baby. Her mother when she was but knee high. And her Aunt, in trying to protect her from the pain of her mother’s death, decided to keep Jill away from the funeral.
[Jill] “I know what it’s like to not say goodbye … it made me think people could disappear without any explanation .. people you loved, people you thought loved you … you couldn’t trust them ..
“I used to be a very wary person Elizabeth, I didn’t want to be hurt again …but then I met your father, and he showed me I was wrong. He ;loved me, and I know he’d never leave ,me.
“He taught me to love again, so I could start to forgive my mother .. .for abandoning me, for leaving me without a word and never coming back …”
[Elizabeth] “But she couldn’t, you must have known that, she was dead”
[Jill] “I was seven, Elizabeth”
[Elizabeth] “Oh mum, I wish you’d told me before.”
[Jill] “But I had to tell you how important it is – give Lilt and Freddie that chance. Let them say goodbye to their father, please …”
All of which was a bit of a teary moment for me.
Jill was crying at her own pain, and at the thought of her grandchildren having to feel the same.,
Elizabeth was crying as her mum crying.
But, as sad as it all was, at least Kenton managed to both help Elizabeth out, while also being able to find his proper place at Nigel’s funeral.
Lily and Freddie are now going to the funeral. Which means Elizabeth doesn’t want to speak (in case she breaks down).
Which means Kenton will have his chance to pay homage to his mate, properly.
Good.
- Pondering The Archers: One whole year
- Does Bridge Farm do sick pay?
- “Babies can bring a family together, if you’re lucky
- “She’s still so grateful …”
- “He was such a nice man”
- Dioecious
- Tony’s a man obsessed
- Not the bloomin’ yard tractor!
- Who does Henry look like?
- Shula reveals herself to Jim!
- Jim jumps off to the Druids
Pondering The Archers: One whole year
I wrote a blog about the episode of The Archers which went out on the 6th of January, 2010.
One year on – I’ve now posted my ponderings on each and every recording of The Archers, from Jan 6th 2010 to Jan 6th 2011.
I often tell folks that I started the blog to save my partner from having to hear me prattle on about the events in Ambridge. Which I think that was the reason, but I also think that this has been a lot of effort, when I could have just phoned one of my friends (who are Ambridge eavesdroppers). Or, I could have just tweeted about it. Gone onto Facebook. Or the BBC’s message board.
(No – scratch that last one. Even now, I still think the folks on those message boards are a bit too angry)
Maybe it’s been more about The Archers than it has been about me.
Maybe the reason I started blogging is the same reason why millions of us tune in to hear the secret recordings of Ambridge.
It’s probably the same reason why I can’t explain why I like The Archers so much.
Why I spend time after each episode blogging (often with a glass of cider – hence the spelling mistakes …).
Why I want to go to The Bull for a G&T with Lillian, and out on the proper Raz with Jazzer.
Why I wanted to take a contract out on Jude.
Why I fumed at Kenton and Kathy for continually shouting.
Why I was delighted with Alice and Chris for marrying (hurrah to Susan Vs Jennifer!)
Why I adore Ian so much, and loathe Tom ...
....
Why I had to sit quietly for a while as Jill realised Phil had died …
.....
Why I actually bellowed as Nigel screamed in terror as he fell off Lower Loxley’s roof …
(and I could go on and on).
Why?
I think, therefore I Ambridge*
Cheers for reading!
Does Bridge Farm do sick pay?
Clarrie’s over for a cup of tea and a chatter with Pat.
We haven’t heard from Clarrie since before Christmas, but her hand is a lot better (though not totally mended), and she sounds keen to get back to work.
I wonder if that is out of concern for Pat’s workloads, or whether it’s because Bridge Farm doesn’t do sick pay?
“Babies can bring a family together, if you’re lucky”
[Pat] “Turned out for the best … where’s Tony’s concerned, certainly … you know he had his doubts … but now he could be happier. And he’s completed besotted by the baby … he and Helen are getting on so well”
[Clarrie] “Babies can bring a family together, if you’re lucky”
Oh dear. Sounds like there’s disquiet in the Grundy household.
It seems Clarrie’s hardly seen anything of Emma in the last wee while.
Despite Clarrie being one hand down. And despite Emma being pregnant with Ed’s child.
Clarrie may be a nice lady, but I really wouldn’t annoy her again if I was Emma. She can be quite protective of her grandkids, as well as her sons, I reckon.
“She’s still so grateful …”
Did anyone else hear anything odd in Pat saying about Helen:
[Pat] “She’s still so grateful he’s here and safe and healthy”
Note the word ‘still’.
Does that mean, anytime now, Helen will get over the sheer relief of Henry being okay, and revert back to Hellin?
I hope not. I’ve spent the last few days telling everyone ‘I told you Helen wasn’t that bad’.
Don’t let me down now!
“He was such a nice man”
Well said Clarrie.
Pat’s feeling as much guilt as Helen does – over feeling so happy when there’s also a huge sadness in Ambridge.
I don’t think that can be helped.
Still, at least Eddie’s in Clarrie’s good books for taking the time to chat to Freddie especially, as Clarrie said, when so many people avoid the kids as they don’t know how to handle the situation.
A friendship formed as rats. Lovely.
Dioecious
You just know that when Joe Grundy starts using big words, Jim’s been involved in one way or another.
Joe’s out with (a very reluctant) Eddie, trying to fell ‘grow your own mistletoe’ kits.
Eddie doesn’t buy it. He can’t think of why anyone would want to grow their own. And if they did – it’d then cut into his own mistletoe supply business.
[Joe] “Oh, it’ll take years before that happens, I’ll be long gone”
[Eddie] “Oh thanks, ruin my business from beyond the grave, why don’t you!”
Joe then went onto explain the snazzy part of this scam.
Mistletoe is a Dioecious plant, which means (I have just found out), a plant which has separate male and female plants.
Which means it’s incredibly hard to grow.
(For some reason, Eddie finds the discussion about the male and female reproductive organs disgusting. Not prudish, are we Eddie?)
But, Eddie thinks that if no-one really has a chance of growing their own, he and Joe will have even less chance of selling them in the first place.
So, Joe reckons they admit it’s a “gamble” to prospective buyers, cut the price accordingly (to £5)
[Joe] “If there’s one thing that people like is as bargain, almost as much as a gamble … don’t you think are plenty of gullible idiots in grange spinney, as I do!”
But alas, dear Joe – he was wrong.
While blaming Eddie for not selling hard enough:
[Joe] “Folks could tell you got no faith in the product”
Joe also accepts that folks were put off by the fact that these kits were not a very exciting opportunity.
I blame Jim entirely. It was Jim that helped Joe check the internet for mistletoe information, so him that put Dioecious in Joe’s head in the first place.
And if it hadn’t been in Joe’s head, he wouldn’t have mentioned it to Eddie.
Which would have avoided them basically trying to sell something which they were also admitting probably would work.
And really – would it have mattered if they’d sold all those “gullible idiots” a dud product? Or are Joe and Eddie now taking Customer Relationship Management seriously …
Tony’s a man obsessed
We all think would happen when Tony first saw Helen’s baby – and right enough, the wee blighter has melted Tony.
But it does sound like Tony is now taking it too far:
[Tony] “I am a bit obsessed .. he is the most beautiful baby in the world”
Of course, he loves his first grandson, but his over-exuberance is also in-part due to guilt.
[Tony] “Pat, I’m sorry. What I put you through when Helen was pregnant”
[Pat] “You were entitled to you own opinion”
[Tony]
“I can’t think why made such a fuss about it now …
“When we were driving here on Sunday when I thought I might lose her and the baby, when I thought her dying memoires of me might be the arguments, and the coldness and my stupid stupid pride …
“what did it matter whether I was right or not?
“ How could I let things get so bad between me and my own daughter. I loved her. That was all that mattered”
[Pat] “The look on your face when you saw Henry … that was enough for her”
So, it would seem all’s well that ends well, with that side of the Archer clan.
Oh, wait a minute.
Was that a mention of a tractor …
Not the bloomin’ yard tractor!
I was about to throw something at my radio when Tony mentioned that the yard tractor was broken again … but it’s okay:
[Tony] “Oh, bother the yard tractor. Let it rust!”
Phew!
Who does Henry look like?
[Tony to Clarrie] “You think he looks like anyone?”
[Pat] “The right answer to that is - yes Tony, he’s got your nose “
I wonder.
Will we have the modern day equivalent of the search for Adam’s father – by folks trying to work out who he looked like?
That’ll be a job and a half. Surely it could be at least a few hundred local men?
We might just have to wait until Henry turns 18.
Shula reveals herself to Jim!
Well, not quite. But sort of:
[Jim] “Shula’s been a revelation to me … so strong for everyone else … I can see why Alistair married her now”
[Clarrie] “She is being brave … perhaps you don’t this, but she used to go out with Nigel”
[Jim] “Did She? Good heavens. All the more credit to her. They are quite a remarkable family”
As much as Jim can be a pompous irritant, he also often comes out with the most generous of statements.
Jim jumps off to the Druids
Back off to Jim and his “net” after his first failed attempt at selling Mistletoe kits, Joe’s at first perplexed to be getting a lecture about Druids
Seemingly, Mistletoe was important to Druids.
The Romans had problems when confronted with the magic and mystery of Druids.
[Jim] “It was said the chief Druid could fly”
[Joe] “They the ones that dresses up in white and dances round Stonehenge, is it?”
[Jim] “Oh Joe, there’s so much more to them than that. They have much to teach us”
[Joe] “Like how to fly?”
(*snort!*)
Just as Joe was about to lose the will to live, he’s perked up by Jim’s mention that Druid’s has rituals to make mistletoe grow, because it was sacred to them.
So we can now expect Joe to be outside in the freezing cold, dressed in one of Clarrie’s old frocks, chanting to his mistletoe kits.
Ah well. At least it get’s him out the house.
*which I am happy to admit is the quote from an Archers Addict mug, still available to purchase from them online.
