The Archers - It's not about the money, money, money, think about Jill's honey, honey, honey, Justin wants to farm by satnav, forget about the prize tag.

[PseudoBadger]

Will The Dopeys have buggered off by the end of this thread?
Will Tom finally reach home, after weeks of trekking through the tundra?

I agree Selks. If the SW are thinking that hanging out with Carol makes Jill sound like she is forgetting her not insignificant troubles and become giggly and light- hearted then they are wrong. It just makes her sound stupid.

I also can't believe that she wouldn't be cooking up one last great family meal at Brookfield. But then everything to do with that place is complete bollocks.

I got a hint last might that maybe Lizzie is beginning to suffer from an empty nest and that would be a cue for Jill to move there instead. Especially if she does have an illness/ critical health event that precludes her from making a stressful move.

Good point - is it significant that she wanted to have Christmas at LL?

Great thread title Mink!

It's staggeringly inconsiderate for Lizzie to insist on Christmas at Brookfield on the basis that she will only "help" her 80 year old mother with the cooking. As any fule kno, when you're co-ordinating the whole meal, having a few sprouts peeled doesn't really make it that much easier. Surely if she wants Xmas at Brookfield, it should be on terms that Jill has a rest for once and everyone else cooks.

Jill's indigestion is clearly meant to signal fundamental illness in Jill (whether or not that's a distraction technique re someone else is a valid question as well, of course). I'd want to know what she really means by "indigestion" (heartburn-like pain? actual gastroesophageal reflux? epigastric pain? nausea? vomiting? vasovagal symptoms?) but depending on the specifics, it could be heart/blood pressure issues, some variety of stomach ulcer, oesophageal or stomach cancer, liver cancer...

I'd bet on heart problems that will interfere with Christmas dinner...

My money is on Jill collapsing with a fatal heart attack on the Brookfield Christmas dinner table

Ohlittle and gipsy i've just caught up and I knew that line of Lynda's would get a reaction on here !!!

They should do 'bring a dish' at Brookfield Xmas lunch. Of course.

kirite have you googled or are you a doctor?

In defence of lizzie (words I never thought I'd write) I think you blinker yourself to your parents aging an assume they can still do the things they always did. Mum making Xmas dinner is like a cosy blanket. I know I am guilty of it and have to remind myself not to slip into child of the house mode when home!!

I'm sure if someone (carol) pointed it out they would realise

That's true BYOS; Dsis and I maybe expect too much of DM but she's doing lunch this year.

I think to some extent this is what Carol is (or ought to be) for. Without her we would almost never get to see the oldest generation of Ambridge women interacting with anyone other than their children. Carol's prescence adds an extra dimension.

Dying of a broken heart is a beautifully old-fashioned, literary thing to do...

And possibly Heather is the dress-rehearsal?

Dying of a broken heart with your face in a bowl of sprouts isn't quite so literary.

Given how long she has been around it would be a shame to kill her off hen she is in an unhappy place

Remind me again, why would Christmas Dinner at Brookfield be Jill's burden? Ruth should be in charge, with help from David and the DC, with siblings being asked to do sundry bring-a-dish. They can put Jill in charge of some 'important' task like making brandy butter.

You don't think that lonesome Carol will be invited to join the happy throng, do you?
What does Christine do for Christmas? Or does no-one care.

BYOS

I honestly think Jill will die at Brookfield. She will never leave her beloved family home and more importantly her beloved husband's farm, grave, church window, church organ, and all the rest.

But...they deaded Betty following a heart attack when she only went for a lie down on the bed and I'm not sure if they can do that again. Maybe they'll just have her sit down in Phil's chair...

That indigestion should have made me think of heart problems. My husband had what he thought was heartburn for about ten years. When it started getting worse he had various investigations for reflux and then wham! he had a heart attack. It was angina all along, but so mild that even with a family history of heart problems he didn't realise. (He's fine now - thank God for the NHS, angioplasty and stents.)

Plenty of other possible causes, though. Jill should go for a check up but we know from the business with her eyesight that she takes a head in the sand approach to possible problems.

I think Tony will perk up and be moved from ITU, everyone will breathe huge sigh of relief, then, Jill will keel over with a cardiac arrest, get resuscitated and end up in the ITU.

Juxtapositions, innit?

D'you know I still miss Betty.

But yes, it's true - Jill must die at Brookfield ... (Can you tell how cheerful my morning has been?)

Poor Dead Beddy

Jill would rather die than tel David she doesn't want to go. And she'd rather die than leave Ambridge and the family. So clearly death is the best outcome for all.

It's alright Zero at least you didn't bold must . That would have sounded very sinister...

I wonder if we're being distracted by looking at Jill and her broken heart, allowing SO'C to plan for Lizzy's dicky heart to suddenly get much dickier? Perhaps she'll keel over into the sprouts, eliciting the world's biggest "ooooh" from Jill and a counterpoint "ooooh noooo!" from Rooth.

JE will move into Brookfield and turn it into Brookfork, having discovered oil underneath Lakey Hill.

When were JD and Brine going to Prague? if they were flying yesterday then they would have been lucky to get away (depends on which airport of course).

Ah but it's not actually true Iwantacamper !!!!!!

I expect they would have flown from Birmingham airport.

Whaddya mean it's not true ppeat?
Don't be rediculus.

icimoi
I'm always very happy to see a Molesworth reference.
I reread them recently, happy happy joy joy.

I've had to give it a seasonal feel
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/2258213-Twas-two-weeks-before-Christmas-And-all-through-the-thread-A-group-of-sad-listeners-Thinks-The-Archers-is-dead