Pondering The Archers: maurice holton

Sounds idyllic to me.

And cheers to Tony for introducing me to A.G Street.

Sounds good enough to read! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._G._Street

Tom makes his move

Tony wants to at least help Tom in the office, but Tom won’t hear of it.

Tom reckons he’s enjoying getting to grips with the farm finances, and he’s also absolute that Tony won’t overstrain himself.

Later on, Tom admits to Brenda that he’s actually enjoying the responsibility, but feels guilty that he wants to meddle.

Things like updating the software in the office.

While Tom doesn’t want his work on the brands to “go backward”, he also does want to offend Tony by making changes.

[Brenda] “He’ll understand if you have to make a few changes”

[Tom] “What if he thinks I’m putting him down … the last thing I want to do now is I don’t respect him, because I do, a hell of a lot”

Brenda thinks Tony will see that any changes Tom makes will be for the better of the farm, and that the world can’t stand still.

Hmmm.

Maybe so, Tony does seem to be in a very positive place these days.

But isn’t this all building up to Tom pushing Tony to one side so that he can lord and master it all?

Maybe.

Sure Pat and Helen will also have something to say about that …

Double Think in action

Brian and Annabelle are back seeing that PR chap Rufus.

Rufus seems to think all is well, and BL are “winning the argument”.

[Rufus] “These protests are like soap bubbles, biggest just before they burst”

Ahead of the planning meeting, Rufus suggests they have one last PR push.
(course he’d say that. must be a couple of grand in it for him!)

Rufus shows them a DVD that they had filmed for another farm in the same situation as BL.

It shows cows on grass when they’re “drying off” (when they’re allowed to stop lactating for a while before they calving).

Brian gets it straight away. The focus is on the cows that do get outside, rather than those indoors.

[Brian] “Some of replacement heifers could spend time in the open as well”

(a replacement heifer is basically a young one who isn’t ready to calf yet, but will be brought in to take over from an older one, ready for the … ahem … for retirement. I’m learning a lot today!).

So, BLs film will show that they are:

[Brian] “Providing a small patch of grazing near the indoor unit”

(note the “small”)

Which means they can pretend (my word) that they have “responded to concerns” (Brian’s words) without impacting on their business and profit.

[Annabelle] “Feels a little like window dressing to me”

[Rufus] “Well, you can be selling the most fantastic product in the world, but if you don’t care share if the shop window, people walk by”

Annabelle asks whether this is all too far from the truth:

[Rufus] “You can make false claims about something like this without the consequences coming back to bite you hard”

[Brian] “We’d simply be taking something BL is planning to do anyway”

[Rufus] “And pushing it to the forefront, so everyone can see it … One striking image conveys far more than any number of words!”

[Annabelle] “And it would reflect a genuine part of the operation?”

[Brian] “look at a few of the free range poultry boys, you’d think the birds were in paradise from the publicity, and the reality is often very different …. There’s a big difference between having access to outside and actually venturing out”

[Rufus] “Simply sums up the benefits you’re offering in a clear truthful way”

[Brian] “Brilliant. It could well take the sting out of a lot of criticism”

Annabelle caves, so off Rufus goes to make a few more thousand pounds.

I do agree Brian has a point about the free range chaps (always buy your chickens from your local butcher, where they can tell you everything about the farm they came from – my one even has pictures of them at “home!).

But, he and Rufus are talking rubbish that they’re presenting anything other than one very small slice of the truth.

Pat, Kirsty and Ruth (though ‘glass houses’, eh Ruth!) aren’t that daft to not spot their trick.

Is Brenda sane?

Even Tom is starting to doubt it.

She’s spending her afternoon off on the tractor while Tom works. She reckons it is the only way she’ll get to spend time with him.

(choosing to spend even one moment with Tom must surely suggested some sort of mental health issue …).

But, Brenda has brought quiche, salad, flapjacks and mango (!) for their picnic.

(bottom of the fridge stuff, then).

Maurice, one again!

It really is Maurice bashing season.

Tom’s on about him again as he’s been asked to do extra shifts (by Tom).

[Tom] “Oh, you know Maurice. Borchestshire’s Mr Sunshine!”

Why is it Maurice baiting season?

Thursday, 29 March 2012

Family secrets no more 28.03.12

The Archers Wednesday 28th March 2012

Caribou Kirsty
Email from Rich
Alice and Amy on Chris
Belly busters need Tom’s bangers
Another pop at Maurice
Ambridge by Air
Alice and Amy on Carl

Caribou Kirsty

Is one of Kenton’s special Easter cocktails.

Though Amy doesn’t want one. She’d prefer a Cranberry spritzer, even though she’s on a night out with Alice. She has work tomorrow.

Delights of Ambridge’s Easter holidays will also include a “Harry and Jazzer Special Quiz” at The Bull, and a retro night at Jaxx.

[Kenton] “You know where the hottest night in town will be!”

Email from Rich

Delights Tony and Pat.

He tells them that he really enjoyed his visit, and would like to come back again. He even mentioned the pigs twice.

(high praise indeed!)

(I was then momentarily taken aback when Pat knew how to download a photo Rich had sent to them onto a memory stick, to then get printed out in town)

[Pat] “He looks so similar yet so different”

Tony and Pat discuss whether it is now time to tell the rest of the family, considering it looks like Rich is about to become part of their life.

[Tony] “Maybe it’s time to end all the secrecy”

[Pat] “It’s been so overwhelming, I never thought of Peggy or your sisters”

But they decide to ask Tom and Helen first, considering the problems they caused last time they weren’t consulted.

When they show Tom the email.

[Tom] “Good attitude to pigs”

When they tell him about them wanting to tell their close family:

[Tom] “Oh. Everybody … That’s fine by me”

So Pat will do a ring round tomorrow to ask everyone over.

After all the surprises Bridge Farm has had over the last year:

[Pat] “I wonder what Peggy, Jennifer and Lilian will make of this one?”

Huh. Haven’t they forgotten to ask Helen, or does Tom speak for both of them now?

Alice and Amy on Chris

[Amy] “Chris is so good to you”

[Alice] “I know. It’s a good job I deserve it!”

Belly busters need Tom’s bangers

So Tom delivered them in the evening to a Tom’s bangers bereft Jaxx.

Another pop at Maurice

What’s he done to deserve that recently?

Seems the sealer at Bridge Farm went, which has created more delays and problems.

[Tom] “You can imagine how Maurice has reacted!”

[Kenton] “With a smile on his lips and a song in his heart”

He’s not mentioned for years, then harassed twice in as many days!

Ambridge by Air

Word is spreading about Leonie and James’ plans to take photographs of Ambridge from the air.

[Kenton] “There was nearly a riot when Derek Fletcher found out … an outrageous invasion of privacy … even now, I suspect he’s arming his garden gnomes with rocket launchers”

And Tom reckons that if it’s a warm day, there may be real invasions of privacy if folks are sunbathing for an all over tan.

Alice and Amy on Carl

[Amy] “He’s nice”

[Alice] “French fries are nice Amy, I want to know how hot and fit!”

Poor Amy. She’s just started seeing this bloke, but Alice wants every detail.

Amy tells her he has great eyes. He’s masculine, but sensitive. Great sense of humour.

And they’ve had breakfast together …

[Alice] “There’s no point denying it. You’re glowing!”

And there’s more.

His family is really important to him (he checks his parents’ house every weekend while they’re over in Spain).

And he visits his gran in her nursing home.

[Amy] “I think he’s great”

Just me, or do we think Carl is far too good to be true?

Him visiting his gran is pushing it …

The Snells’ garden furniture is out 26.03.12

The Archers Monday 26th March 2012

“You always look so sinister in a face shield”
Brian’s not for turning
Maurice isn’t happy
Tony and Pat look happy
The Snells are back!
The first green burial went well
Ambridge fly over
Clarrie on flowering plants

“You always look so sinister in a face shield”

So says Jennifer to Brian.

We’ll take her word for it.

Brian’s not for turning

Debbie isn’t amused with Brian.

[Brian] “She thinks it’s my fault Annabelle isn’t turning cartwheels over her pig idea … I’m with Labelle, changing tact now will make BL, and me, look hopelessly indeed. So I’m staking everything on pushing through the original dairy plan … though the slimmer the chances seem”

The BL Board meeting to make a decision about the Super Dairy is this Thursday.

[Brian] “Not a prospect to gladden the heart …”

[Jennifer] “So it’s all in the lap of the gods?”

[Brian] “No it isn’t, I’m not just going to sit back and do nothing!”

Brian is going to do some “serious lobbying” between now and Thursday.

He has no other choice but to try and persuade more of the other board ,members to be on his side.

[Brian] “I’ve nailed my colours to the mast for this project. If the damn thing goes own, I’m not sure my position as chairman remains tenable”

Wonder if Brian is going to truly throw all of his toys out of the pram and resign if he doesn’t get his way?

(actually, I can’t really claim to care that much., The BL sessions are always a bit dull … though the prospect of the Super Dairy going ahead in Ambridge is a tad more interesting)

Maurice isn’t happy

But he’s still working overtime for Tom.

Needs must.

Tony and Pat look happy

In fact, they’re all aglow since Rich’s visit yesterday.

[Pat] “It was a wonderful thing for you and Helen to do”

When Brian pops by to see if they want him to pick them up anything from the Farm Supplies shop:

(he’s getting a long list, including ram crayons – Pat just wants twist ties)

[Brian] “I haven’t seen your mother so happy in ages!”

And Tom told him that Tony was also chirpy this morning.

Tom puts it down to the sun shining.

Wonder how long before they start telling everyone else about Rich.

The Snells are back!

Great.

I do miss them when they go a bit quiet.

They’re setting up their breakfast outside.

[Lynda] “It would be criminal not to have breakfast en plein air when the sun is out”

And as Robert said – it’s a marvellous feeling to get ones garden furniture out again.

[Lynda] “Everything is starting up again, after all the dark and grey”

Indeed.

The first green burial went well

Lynda tells us.

Her and Robert also seemed quite dewy eyed about their own plots in the site … wistfully morbid.

Ambridge fly over

Quite literally. Not roadworks.

Seems James’ friend Christina has his own helicopter (as you do), and is happy to fly James and Leonie over Ambridge to get some photographs.

That starts Lynda and Robert trying to work out what could be happening that would be worthy of an arial shot.

Not the Lower Loxley fair. Nor the boules at The Bull. Or the Easter Egg hunt.

[Lynda] “Not visually compelling … (then she has it!) … the Brownies Easter bonnet parade!”

[Robert] “That will come as quite a surprise to Brown Owl”

[Lynda] “Rather a lot of things are a surprise to jenny Throphall!”

But the might have to ask the parents’ permission first. And it might be more trouble than it’s worth with kids like Jinny Button involved.

[Robert] “She’d set fire to the village hall to get on camera!”

But Lynda has another cunning plan.

Cricket.

Which Robert will have to stage.

At which point Robert starts pointing Lynda away from specifics:

[Robert] “Perhaps Leonie and James will be better to use broader brushstrokes …”

Like the building, the backbones and such, of the village.

Lynda concurs.

Especially if it means she can get a picture of her beloved Ambridge Hall.

Clarrie on flowering plants

Jennifer had successfully bidded for Clarrie’s advice on flowering plants at the promise auction.

[Brian] “Are you holding her to that?”

[Jennifer] “It would be very disrespectful if I didn’t”

Actually, Jennifer is quite looking forward to a “fresh” pair of eyes on her garden.