Anyone for a fondant fancy? Let The Archers eat cake...

[PseudoBadger]

TA is in a purple patch at the moment, rewarding listeners for wading through the dross of the previous year few months. Welcome all!

Inl

I think it's unutterably sad that Helen has now realised Rob is a bad person, but she just can't fully accept the whole picture - yet.

I liked the bit about Rob snatching his phone back from Henry just as Hellin went to check it. Someone has been reading the Relationships board...

BasketzAtDawn Kathy Perks' love interest was DS Dave Barry who arrived in Ambridge from the School of Terrible Acting.

I sincerely hope that he did end up under someone's patio.

Jess implied that she knew Rob and Hellin had been up to something for quite a while.

I imagine that, having had a mad Valentine's Day idea, Jess drove up to see Rob, and stopped off in a layby on the Borchester by-pass or somewhere to fortify herself from a flask.

But princess simmering resentment and passive aggressive behaviour are Hellin's stock in trade. To such a degree that by the time the inevitable confrontation happens, all sympathy we would have had for her will have evaporated.

Perhaps Hellin will do some snooping (asking Brian, sneaking looks at Robs phone etc) confront Rob who will then twist it so Hellin thinks she is somewhat at fault. Won't be able to talk to her parents and to embarrassed to talk to Kirsty .

What bothers me is that if Jess and Rob have been continuing their relationship, how come there have not been any phone calls from Jess to Blossom Cottage?
Surely at some point she would have called Rob on the land line there -and got Hellqueen on the other end-

Perhaps they are in it together, to lure H into a threesome. < sinister> I reckon Rob knew she would go up on Valentines.

Cutted, I'm a dinosaur when it comes to phones, but isn't it likely that there isn't a landline phone at Blossom Hill? There's scope, I imagine, for scholarly research on the impact of the mobile phone on adulterous behaviour. Is it considered bad form to answer a spouse's/partner's mobile if s/he is not in the room? Even if it isn't, there must be much more scope for adulterers now - they can lie so easily about where they are when they answer a call or send a text, they can send texts rather than have to say compromising things out loud where they could be overheard, and so on and so forth.

It's possible not to have a landline but don't most houses still have them just for the broadband?

You're probably right about it being easier to cheat on a partner now that everyone has mobile phones.

I don't know if it's bad form but DH and i answer each other's phone and when i'm too lazy to get up then i ask the DC to read my messages to me.

Jess wasn't surprised by Helen's presence because clearly Rob has previous. There was a lot of 'oh no, here we go again' bitterness in her voice I thought - it didn't occur to me she was pissed, just upset ... tired and emotional but not necessarily 'as a newt'.

I've just spotted the following in yesterday's Sunday Times:

"The corporation is hoping she [Lizzie Yarnold] will make a cameo appearance on The Archers, her favourite radio show. .... relaxes by knitting and listening to the Radio 4 soap opera. Cast members sent her messages of good luck before her race.

Her father, Clive Yarnold, said, "Apparently Bradley Wiggins is appearing on The Archers and Lizzy is possibly going to be on as well, as a guest."

Sean O'Connor, the programme's editor, said "I don't know if a skeleton racer has ever visited Ambridge before, but the door is always open."

Interesting Eastpoint Because I read that she would be in the Archers almost immediately after her win.

Doesn't sound as if Mr O'Connor knew much about it until the papers told him....

With fibre optic broadband there is no need for a landline. If Rob had taken the cottage as a short term lit would be less likely he'd go for a landline.

if i want to call dp even if i know he's at home i'll call his mobile first, because it's likely to be at his side whereas the landline is fixed downstairs (also we first started going out at university and both only had mobile phones so it's sort of the default). if i don't get an answer then i'll call the landline.

though sometimes if his mobile phone is upstairs and he is downstairs he'll run upstairs but just miss the call, and then has to run downstairs again to answer the landline. so when he answers he is a very huffy and puffed out

given that they haven't been in a permanent home for a while i think it would be natural for the contact with jess to happen via mobile phone, especially as he's out and about on the farm during the day (plus all his work travel )

Rob will have cleaned up his phone and put on a password by the time Helen next has an opportunity to look at it.

I thought that, Errol!

Oldbeanbagz, from my brief forays onto the Relationships board here, I'd say your post shows you lead an utterly virtuous life. The great majority of OPs from women who've just discovered their partners are having an affair seem to start with some mention of accidentally (or otherwise) reading incriminating texts on the partner's phone or noticing that one number dominates the list of calls/texts on the bill. Once upon a time it would have been finding a letter or a mysterious hotel receipt in a pocket.

AllMimsyWereTheBorogroves that's probably because we run our own business and used to spend 24hrs a day with each other until the DC came along. I realise it's quite unusual.

I did however catch a errant employee out with his receipts (petrol from the wrong part of the coutry/extra person in the hotel room) and knew that another was lying to his wife about being on a diet (Little Chef all day breakfast on expenses )

though sometimes if his mobile phone is upstairs and he is downstairs he'll run upstairs but just miss the call, and then has to run downstairs again to answer the landline. so when he answers he is a very huffy and puffed out

In my house this makes my husband very ranty. Do I care?

It makes me laugh when I hear people on the train or the bus saying they're in one place when I can see and so can everyone else that they're in another. Usually it's a teenager who's covering up for not going straight home from school or an employee running a bit late getting into work - 'I should be there in about, oooh, two, three minutes' - I'm always waiting for another passenger to laugh loudly and yell 'And the rest!' into the mouthpiece.

I am itching to know what Tony is researching.

And loving Helen and Rob. I wonder if Rob has met his match in Helen - she is so used to being the one everyone panders to, how will he cope with her demanding ways. And loved how she was so engrossed in the tv. I mean only 5 nights ago it was 'I'm never too tired for you Rob' [vomits a little bit]

So surely Rob must be uber suspicious about what's going on with Helen?

Tony is researching cows isn't he? At least that's what he was talking to David about. I would have thought he might have brought it up in conversation with Pat before shipping them in?

Rob has to be suspicious of Helen, maybe tonight's episode will be a little more exciting?

"Fattening stock." About which I can find almost nothing on Google. Tony would no doubt be pleased to know he has my full support. I suspect Tom will be furious...