Come and play Grand Theft Combine through the quiet Ambridge streets. And by the way, ROB IS STILL MARRIED.

[PseudoBadger]

Bolloxfest is imminent. Will this thread make it to the big day?

Oh I'm sorry but I am getting fed up with Carol already.

She has arrived in the village as a latter day Mary Poppins - all trite positivity and patronising pro active-ness.

Bleurgh. A ladle full of sugar indeed.

TrePoppins?

She seems more like a plot device than a real person.

I fervently wish for.Loxfest to be an unmitigated disaster

I don't see why Ed'n'Em are having childcare problems. On his side they could ask Clarrie and Eddie. On her side they could ask Susan and Neil, Chris and Alice or a whole tribe of Horrobins. Also, it's the summer holidays so there will be numerous teenagers keen to earn pocketmoney.

Bleurgh! Latest Radio Times alludes to Luzard and Rotaboy getting hot and bothered at Bolloxfest

I'll have to wash my ears out...(marking place)

Carol is Mary Plotdevice. Please let her become more rounded before renting glebe

I think Hayley may find herself dumped very soon and Roy will be at lower loxley with his suitcase. As with all affairs a relationship lends it credibility (as believed by the cheaters) but it will end badly. Jill will be highly disappointed with lizzie and mike with Roy. The whole village will be disgusted with them - even Brian. We will hear from a very smug Kate who may even return to bask in the humiliation of st Roy.

This will give Freddie all the ammunition he needs to slam doors and shout 'you're not my father'

Lizzie will have to pay Hayley off and with the dish she and vicky will buy a house in Birmingham for them and the gurls. They'll then end up gettibg married themselves.

Abbie will come back in 10 years time as a wild child (isn't that what happens if you grow up in a city?) and wreak havoc

i will be surprised if roy moves back home again

Davros no spoilers here please!

Loving your plot Snowman - of course coming from a broken home and growing up in the city is the worst possible outcome for any child.

I was very confused about the logistics of Eddie, Ed and the calving cow last night, though I did enjoy the father/son dynamic, particularly when Eddie called him "Edward".

So, Ed was working for Adam so Eddie was doing some daytime checks on Ed's herd as a favour. When ed was finished at Brookfield it was fairly late, as Joe and Clarrie had gone to bed. Ed said he had come to his parents' house to check on the calving cow- why did he not just phone Eddie or go straight to Grange Farm? Then after their supper of scotch eggs and cheese Ed fell asleep, so Eddie then sneaked out to check the cow- was this because Eddie was still on cow-checking duty, or was it to save Ed a trip to GF since he was so tired. Or did Eddie just get a premonition? Presumably he called Ed when he found the cow in distress? What would have jappened of the cow had been OK at midnight with nobody due for milkinh for several hours- what is the longest you can leave an about-to- calf cow without there being a risk that you'll arrive too late to help it get over any complications, I wonder. Obviously the answers to all these questions are VERY important!

Ed doesn't want to go back to Susan's. He's avoiding it.

was this because Eddie was still on cow-checking duty, or was it to save Ed a trip to GF since he was so tired. Presumably the second...

did Eddie just get a premonition Probably - he is after all an experienced cowman. And I guess if Ed had stayed asleep Eddie would have gone back to check again.

It was one of those episodes where I had to concentrate quite hard. (Though I don't see why Ed couldn't simply have texted Emma.)

Yes.... Clearly trouble brewing in the under-the-Carter-roof Grundy household. I doubt that Clarrie and Eddie could house them all (while Joe is living...) Even if they weren't themselves in a precarious position atm. And Emma wouldn't want to leave her parents' smart house. Surely they won't split up again?

I imagined that Ed would have texted Emma to say that he had stayed at Eddie's- just thought they would have avoided going into that level of detail about it on air. Didn't see it as a "I had no idea where you were!" argument waiting to happen.

I agree - but both Eddie at the end and the continuity person seemed to think there would be no communication... Continuity wasn't holding out much hope of domestic bliss in the immediate future.

Delurking to try and answer Jessie's question about calving cows... It is obviously nigh on impossible to be with the cows 24 hours a day, but a good stock person can spot early signs of calving often quite a long way off. She might take herself off to a corner, or appear restless. I guess maybe Eddie had spotted those signs earlier on, hence his check. Or if he hadn't seen signs earlier, but had seen them at the midnight check, he would have gone again. No signs at midnight would likely have meant she'd be ok till morning, which would probably be about 5am. And as it was a heifer, which means it was her first calf, the process is often drawn out, much like first babies. We try not to intervene too early, and will leave at least 90 minutes after the waters break to examine the cow.

I have been following these threads for a while, but don't usually find time to post!

We try not to intervene too early... If you're tending to labouring cows at night is it ok if I address you as dairyfarmer simpliciter?

So - dairyfarmer - we need you to post on this thread every day! The future of TA depends entirely on what we say here....

Dairyfarmerswife thank you so much for answering the question! Isn't Mumsnet amazing? Yy
Please keep posting. What are your views on robotic parlours? [Grin]

DairyFarmer - how would you cope if your farm was cut in half by a road?

.... esp if the road developers won't provide a bridge for the cows?

I assume the SW have done some research and there is a RL incidence (or more) of farms being chopped in half by new roads?

NZ not UK but you could easily superimpose david's DM sadface

Before it happens I'm going to predict that Wayne says either that Fallon should replace Jolene or that he should replace Plod...

Please let Wayne replace plod!

Fallon will be too busy trying to attract people to her tat and cake stall surely?

Have just arrived in Paris, staying hotel, moving into new pad tomorrow - exhausted from move, stressed about arrival of 228 boxes tomorrow, picked up iPad and tuned straight into tonight's episode - just had to post to say how utterly delighted I am to be straight up to date (so different from last time we lived here). Not a classic episode tonight, but enjoyed it more than any episode for a long time just knowing it's all there for me. DH thinks I'm bonkers getting so excited about Radio 4 (and even more bonkers for having to immediately post here). - so looking forward to Loxfest now in the certainty that I will be there"