We're on a road through Ambridge, come on inside. Archers chat here

[PseudoBadger]

Have you had your free venison burger?

Wonder if Rob opened a Fathers' Day card this morning...

That reminds me Zero - what happened with Henry calling Rob daddy ? He seems to have gone back to saying Rob now.

Perhaps Helen takes more notice of her parents than she likes to pretend! (More likely a failure of SW continuity...)

I'm keeping the faith with some of the storylines, though they do look worse written down - I'm sure the SWs don't actually believe that late middle aged women have nothing to think about but kitchens and knitting!

Rob's got a lot of plates in the air and they could all come down the right way up for him.

1. Curious that no one in the family has enquired who bought the ready meal business. It could have been Rob.
2. He's taking all sorts of liberties at work and riling Charlie yet doesn't seem concerned and even seems pleased that the publicity is bad so he's not particularly worried about losing his job/tied cottage.
3. He's intent on being hands-on at Bridge Farm if he can be and making it non-organic.
4. He's smarming round Peggy.

In short, he sees himself as replacing Tom, becoming an Archer by marriage and copping for controlling Helen's and maybe Tom's inheritance from Peggy and from Tony/Pat.

He hasn't got wind of Rich though yet, has he?

Hmmm, it would have been the sort of thing Helen might have shared at the start of their relationship - along with Greg's suicide and her anorexia. (Rob boasted to Pat that they had no secrets...)

But it's entirely possible that despite this probability the SWs might use Rich's existence as a big "revelation" later on. Would be unrealistic...

Interesting, unitarian! It's not a tied cottage, though. I think he and Jess rented Honeysuckle Cottage from Usha.

Ah, I must have missed the bit about renting the cottage. All the more reason to move in with Peggy and save rent!

Helen was so opposed to the idea of Rich as part of the family that it might be one of the things she's just blanked out on the basis that mentioning him at all would make him 'real' to her.

If Helen has told Rob about Rich then he would know that there's no need to work on her opinion and he isn't in a position yet to influence Pat and Tone.

Zero We're talking retired women here! Let 'em have a rest fgs! What 's wrong with kitchens and knitting anyway? (i admit that like Lil's my knitting would've gone grey too!).

But as I've said before this the 'Everyday Story of Country Folk' Domestic life is just as important as anything else IMO

Blossom Hill Cottage! I knew that didn't sound right. Adam and Ian live at Honeysuckle Cottage.

ppeat Nah - I take issue with that; Lillian is self employed in an apparently full time job and Jenny can't be retired because either a) she had nothing to retire from or b) the more successful Home Farm becomes the busier Jenny ought to be...) (depending on your view of her contribution to the running of HF.)

I agree with you that there's nothing wrong with covering domestic life but - well, for one thing the "real" Lillian would have had the sense to play to her strengths: maybe scout out a first pony for the infant (or at least a suitable prospective mare...) or find a craftsman to fashion a unique piece of furniture. It's a bit demeaning for the SWs to pretend she would tie herself in woolly knots promising something she can't personally deliver.

(This is a post-Sunday evening )

So - basically the "natives" in the storybooks of old just never noticed they were being taken over and enslaved? How is it that TA has taught me more than undergraduate History??

Loved the continuity announcer's reference to Stepford Wives

I used to turn off immediately the music started at the end but now I wait to see what the continuity announcer has to say.

On Your Farm ths morning was from a large scale indoor dairy in Wales, just like Berrow Farm - sounded a bit grim for the cows.

I cannot describe what I think about Rob - he obviously wants Helen at home as he forgot the cheese - how soon will he find a replacement for her in the dairy. Who will he employ in the shop as he will be the one organising it?

Urgh - I was really cross with Tony today. No self-awareness whatsoever. He was absolutely vile to Tom. Why on earth would he call his dad to wish him a happy father's day?

I know EA stories are long burn but I wish someone who'd previously thought Rob was wonderful would start to see through him. Like Peggy tartly mentioning he's still married which would be much more plausible for her rather than dithering over the self-checkouts

Rob was so creepy this evening - and poor old Cheesey can't see it at all. Given the mysterious ways the Ambridge Job Fairy works, presumably the job at the shop (with "management responsibility" will go to someone we already know, but I can't think of anyone who's available apart from Jazzer and D***l. Unless Rob is thinking of telling Charlie to stuff his job and taking over the shop himself?

My theory with Charlie is that someone in the agricultural community - poss Harper Adams College staff - has been complaining to the Beeb that thectechnology isn't as up to date as it should be, and they've agreed to give it a token mention at Cereals.

Nah - the new shop 'manager' will be a new character. Female, meek, young and who just so happens to be Rob's next conquest???

Or - someone Rob 'knows and trusts' from old.

Before she knows it, Helen will be home all day being mummy and probably carer/driver for Peggy whilst Rob 'runs' the shop and 'helps' the new girl in the stock room.

Surely, surely the shop belongs to the farm and is not Helen's personal fiefdom? In RL they couldn't possibly let a total stranger (even if engaged to one of them) take over recruitment.

And the way he manipulated things. Told P&T that he and Heken would be doing it together, but then let Helen know that he would do everything....

I don't know what they're planning - but I doubt that any Archer will see a penny of profit from the shop once Rob is in charge of the person supposedly in charge of managing it.

Lovely Sunday lunch with pat and tony gritting their teeth. Helen believes all is now hunky-dory but does Rob?

Skimmed the last few posts as I've not heard Sunday evenings episode yet, looks good though.

Please remind me who Rich is? I must have been busy at the time obsessing over my kitchen and knitting

Rich is John's son, so a possible spare heir. Pat was keen to meet him a while ago but it was during one of my spells of not listening regularly. I do remember that Tom and Helen had conniption fits.

I just found that episode unbelievable. Surely Helen wouldn't just hand the recruitment over to Rob like that? And Rob was so incredibly rude to Tony during lunch.......And as for the "she has other responsibilities".....

Aah but Hell is in luuurve and is soo pleased to have a REAL dad for Henry that she's lost any sense she had . Interesting that Knob has not bought the pig business. IMO Maurice should do it.

Fallon was sounding dissatisfied with her lot maybe she'll go for Hell's shop?

Rob seemed taken aback that Tony was continuing pigs, or thinking of. Is he afraid that pigs might eventually lure Tom home or is he narked that his scheme has backfired to make the pig enterprise non-organic and therefore finished.

However, he thinks he's pretty much home and dry with the engagement so he's openly contemptuous of their farming methods, treating Helen as the 'little woman' in front of her mother and effectively taking control of the retail outlet of the business.

It would be plausible for P&T to talk about their wills in the near future, wouldn't it?

Has nobody actually asked Rob or Helen how they can be engaged when Rob's still married?

And where is Jess? There was the visit, the phone calls- then nothing.