The Archers: 12 new heifers for Ed and Mike … Vicky’s the business … Hayley annoys Kate
- “Are these them?”
- Come get your veal
- “you seem a bit stressed out”
- Kate’s got a touch of frost
- If I had a photograph of …
“Are these them?”
Ah Vicky. You not only have a supreme command of the English language, you also are quite good at asking the bloomin’ obvious …
Yes. Those cow shaped things Mike and Ed were putting in the fields were indeed cows.
Come get your veal
Vicky’s disappearance for the last wee while has also caused her to forget she was trying to sell veal.
It took Ed to remind her that her calves are “almost up to weight”, and will be ready by the end of the month.
So off Vicky trots to harangue some unaware buyers.
At first getting no firm orders, Mike tried to bolster Vicky up by looking on the bright side
“At least you have no firm ‘nos”
Nice try, but a pie maker in Felpersham seeming gave a resounding no.
Not to be put off so easily, Vicky even called a buyer at home.
I’m very surprised that they didn’t just slam the phone down. The cheek of the woman! I’d imagine someone at that company will be handed their cards quite soon (it’s hard enough to even get an email address out of some businesses these days).
So am flabbergast that they seemingly sounded interested, and have invited her to meet with them on Friday.
“so, I think we're in business!”
Hmm. We heard that last time Vicky was trying to sell veal, when she only managed to get a fairly non-committal response from Ian.
Has she completely gone off the idea of pies?
Maybe Brenda was (finally) nice enough to tell her that Tom’s research showed there was no market for them.
“you seem a bit stressed out”
Poor wee Phoebe.
She’s picked up on Hayley’s constant anger towards Kate (hard not to, really). Phoebe even checks that Hayley is okay with her going to Home Farm .
That’ll take a lot of therapy later in life to sort out. She calls both ‘mum’ to their face, but Hayley’s mum to others, and Kate is Kate.
That’s got to confuse somewhere deep down … Sounds like Phoebe is trying to please everyone all of the time.
Phoebe is also quite adept at dropping adults in it.
This time, she tells Hayley about Kate being upset over Nolly’s email.
Which then leads to …
Kate’s got a touch of frost
Kate’s in a general hump with Hayley for the recent dressing down she got over Phoebe missing a day of school (and the subsequent letter from the school).
Despite Hayley trying to make general conversation, Kate was only giving grunts.
Ooh, catty!
Now, I’m not sure whether Hayley meant to offend Kate, or whether she was still just making conversation, but she brought up Nolly. That Nolly had said she was lonely and missing Kate.
Boy oh boy – was Kate’s response pure white anger!
Later speaking to Jennifer:
“you think it's all in my head … that I'm just being paranoid”
Well, the jury’s out on that one for me. I think Hayley has it in her to wind up Kate, but I also think Kate’s touchy for a very good reason.
She seems desperate to be in constant contact with Nolly (even potentially being late to collect Phoebe, while she check to see if Nolly is online).
So, going back to the last few days, are we assume that not all is well with Kate and her family in Jo’Burg?
If I had a photograph of …
…moo!
(sorry – sing that line above to the tune of Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) by A Flock of Seagulls – then it’ll make sense. But it still won’t be that funny …)
Ed’s taking pictures of his new cows so that he can keep a check on their progress.
How cute!
Remember he also gives his cows names rather than numbers.
And that’s where all of our milk should come from. Farms where the farmers see their cows as live animals, deserving of a bit of respect and care.
Good on you Ed. What a long, long way you’ve come since your youthful days …
The Archers: Adam, Ian, Kate, Phoebe and Ruari off to the fun of the fair ... Kathy's got plenty offers of help ... trouble at home for Kate?
- Ambridge's cricket season is finally over
- That was far from brutal
- Adam sounded like a 1970s children's TV presenter
- Vicky's back!
- Was the genuine friendship from Lynda?
- Kate's still going on about grandparents
- But doesn’t give a toss about Nolly?!?
Ambridge's cricket season is finally over
Phew!
A fair while after the rest of the cricket world has finished the season, Ambridge finally find themselves well and truly in the middle of the league table.
Forced to play without Adam (due to a bad shoulder, which Ian was going to help him with later on), they scrape a win, but it’s not been a glorious year.
Maybe it’s because they play for too many months in the year …
That was far from brutal
"Let's be brutal about this .. I know you're not my sister's biggest fan"
Bless Adam. His idea of being brutal was far from it.
I would have imagined that being brutally honest about how Ian feels about Kate would need a fair few explicatives .
Adam sounded like a 1970s children's TV presenter
Maybe Adam has mellowed out into this truly all-round nice chap we see before us.
Interesting.
Or maybe it was just being around the kids.
Do I sense the sound of tiny wee feet pattering around Honeysuckle Cottage? Both Ian and Adam would be great parents.
Vicky's back!
While many are feeling decidedly depressed about the return of Vicky, I’m quite happy really.
"oh, those pears are lovely!"
A 'oo-er missus' moment in the first few seconds, followed up by an above the belt assault on Kathy.
Of course, where Vicky's concerned, for 'assault' read 'trying to be friendly while asking completely inappropriate questions also aimed at getting maximum information for further gossip'.
Waffling on about stress, and whether Jamie had "recovered", Vicky felt the need to pry and push Kathy when she was obviously not in the mood.
Put it this way - just as you know when someone says 'I'm not racist, but ...' will followed up by something racist,
"I hope you don't mind me asking"
is only ever going to be asked of someone who just doesn't want to be asked that.
Still. Vicky has never been one to work off the vibes another person is sending her. Ram raid, get the gossip, sod their feelings.
Welcome back Vicky!
Was the genuine friendship from Lynda?
I'm a bit confused about Lynda's behaviour.
I've always seen Lynda as well meaning, but with a tendency to be a bit 'full-on'.
However, Lynda seemed to be revelling in gossiping with Vicky about Jamie/Kathy.
[Lynda] "Robert thinks Jamie's quite a disturbed young man"
[Vicky] "Kathy doesn't seem very keen to talk about it"
[Vicky] "she's not alone ... we're all here for her"
[Lynda] "of course, that's what are friends for!"
Lynda later goes round to Kathy’s under the rouse of giving her some Russet apples she and Robert had picked from their garden and couldn’t store.
Despite Kathy's best attempts to get Lynda to go away, Lynda was determined to administer help, whether Kathy was willing or not.
(though, to be fair, trying to get rid of Lynda by saying it was going to rain, so she had to get the washing in, wasn't likely to work. What's a bit of rain to Lynda when there's a 'friend' to save!)
Kathy eventually told Lynda that she and Jamie needed to work this out themselves, but I was left feeling that one of my favourite Ambridge residents (after Nigel, Lilian and Helen) isn't quite the lady I thought she was.
Is Lynda really concerned about Kathy, or is she just trying to get more gossip? To be in the eye of the storm? Does she aspire to be Vicky?
What really made me suspicious was Lynda claiming that Robert had a
"revealing heart to heart"
with Jamie.
Not's not how I heard it. There was a barrage of questions from Robert, answered with a few grunts from Jamie.
Why the bullshit, Lynda?
Kate's still going on about grandparents
Never one to see sense or let it lie, Kate's still moaning about Jennifer and how:
"she obviously feels there's more important things to do"
Shush Kate. Just shush.
But doesn’t give a toss about Nolly?!?
That's not fair of me.
For once, Kate actually sounded like a grown-up woman. Even though she was far from saying what a 'normal' grown-up woman would say.
On checking her emails, with Phoebe, Kate gets an email from Nolly. Nolly got special praise at her school for a clay sculpture she made, but also writes saying that she's lonely and is missing Kate.
"she's just winding me up"
It was hard to tell if Kate was trying to convince herself or Phoebe, but, either way, she was trying to claim that Nolly was just fine. Which she isn't.
So, do we think there's more to Kate's homelife than she's letting on?
Was everyone in South Africa happy to be supportive over Kate's return to Ambridge for College?
Is her marriage is happy as she makes out?
You know what they say - 'Out of the mouths of Babes'.
I'm starting a new prayer routine to try and make sure that whatever the problem is, South Africa does take Kate back. And keeps her.
