Is that a ferret in your (Gr)undies or are you just pleased to see me? Discuss The Archers vermin (so many possibilities!) here.

[PseudoBadger]

I'm not sure that ferrets cannot through a thumb sized hole - rats can, and mice can fit through a pen sized hole. But I know the SWs will have researched such a statement carefully

I reckon he'll just tell Helen that it came back negative and then agree to pay Jess directly so then even work won't know. Quite what will happen if Jess speaks to Helen about it though ...

Yeah BYOS I thought he was supposed to be a stud muffin. I'm mightily disappointed!

Sorry - whaaat??? Dr Locke was the swab merchant? Now I'm confused.

That was excruciating, heart in mouth stuff.

Rob will definitely lie to Helen about the DNA result.

I'm unhappy about a new bull at Bridge Farm - I'll never be able to relax.

Is the editor obsessed with ruined meals? What happened in his childhood that has led us to this point? And Jim would never have popped back to the Stables for his wallet when his DS and DDIL were supposed to be enjoying a little alone-time. Poor Shula is already over invested in the return of Doc Locke. Oceans of tears coming.

Shula was born in 1958 and Drock in 1963 according to the Beeb website (in fact, the actors are older than this).

He was definitely a stud-muffin 20 years ago when they got together and William Gaminara is still pretty tasty now as far as an old gimmer like me is concerned

He just doesn't sound like one now though. I've seen his pic and thought he looked very handsome and expected a suave voice.

I really hope they don't go down the affair for Shula road , it would be very dull. I would like it though if she did evaluate her life, stick in a manager for the yard and head off overseas on VSO , as suggested upthread.

Gaminara is the Dr??? Although I am sure Alistair has many good qualities.

I am not keen on Knob lying about this. How can H not be a tiny bit suspicious after Jess told her that she had slept with him? Also the money will be quite tight I'd have thought. It will of course out, but when and how?

So he is supposed to be twenty years younger than my dad but sounds like my grandad. Yeah that works

He makes me thinks of the actor Jack Shepherd who's 74.

Agreed, stillearnin. Helen checked up on Knob with Brian about Knob's whereabouts on Valentines, she knew he'd lied to her and 9 months later, Jess shows up. Even if she doesn't want to believe it, how can she not be suspicious? Silly cow.

I reckon he'll just tell Helen that it came back negative and then agree to pay Jess directly so then even work won't know. Quite what will happen if Jess speaks to Helen about it though ...

Can he do that with the maintenance service involved? (I have no knowledge of the details of how child maintenance works.)

When was Rob was going on about when will the results come, and who can read them, I was worrying that I'll be away when the results come, but we're probably going to have a couple of weeks where he's telling her the results have been delayed before he can't put it off any more, and he just lies to her. (Also, there is the internet and catch up and so on, so I'm not actually going to miss anything.)

The way maintenance works now is they prefer you to come to a private arrangement, if you don't they charge both parties (but more for the one paying) to administer it.

Love your scheduling worries though Ebearhug - that's the kind of commitment I like to see

A good few threads ago we talked about misdirection. The setting up of a plotline which leads us to expect a certain outcome and then a different outcome is suddenly sprung on us.
I wonder if we're being fed one now so we expect Shula to leave Alistair when in fact it's A who is about to leave. He seems to be pretty indifferent to Shula right now and has been largely absent for a while, hopping off to various 'conferences'.

icmoi I think Kathy is the assistant manager of the whole of GG, not just the health club i.e. she hss Roy's old job. She filled in managing the health club when she walked out of the golf club job, but it was not the right level for her and she took a job at a travelodgey place in Felpersham or somewhere. However within a week of accepting that job Oliver persuaded Caroline that managing GG herself was too much and to recruit an AM. Lynda almost went for it but Robert very sweetly suggested she focus on village life. Caroline offered it to Cathy, who hummed and hawed and eventually resigned from the new place. So the irony for Roy was that he missed out on getting his old job back by a very short time. All seemed a bit of a palaver just for them to go and make Cathy silent.

We'll probably have some amusing storyline coming up about Joe in the swimming pool or something.

What's Jamie doing? Wasn't he being an apprentice tree surgeon or something?

Enochroot I got the feeling that it could be the other way around. We hear Alistair not really caring for the relationship and assume that he will be the one who wants to leave but it will be Shula who makes the decision to end it all and move on and surprises A when she announces it.

selsigfach I think Helen is suspicious but isn't quite ready to deal with that feeling yet so she's locked it away on her head where it niggles every now and again at her.

Well Alistair having an affair was signposted again last night. Why was he driving away from the Cottage when he'd agreed to have dinner with Shula, admittedly reluctantly. Of course it could be gambling again.

Oh and on the misdirection - they don't think we've all been suspecting Alistair of having an affair for months, so they are misdirecting us by thinking Shula is going to have a fling with an old flame. So last night they covered up Alastair's suspicious behaviour with the phone call. And of course his lack of interest is why Shula didn't tell him about Richard (as taking time to specially tell him would actually make it sound more suspicious than it was).

Of course the REAL problem between ShulAl is she wasn't burning the chilli. Anyone notice that Dr Locke had been dealing with knob administering the DNA test?

It was a Souffle! Admittedly not what I would have choosen to cook if my DH had been as vague about when he'd be there as Alastair.

mummytime, Alistair said he's had an emergency call. He could have been up to something, but in his job it's not improbable. Come to think of it, it must have happened hundreds of times, surely Shula would have learnt by now that making soufflés is just asking for trouble?

He was very evasive about even trying to be home on time, and surely most vets don't work every evening. Is it a particularly busy time for vets at present, like lambing would be I suppose?

Yes I know mummytime A salmon and dill one, asking for trouble of course, Icimoi though there is a recipe for twice cooked souffles in one of Saint Delia's books.

Has no one remembered the euphemism that us dirty minded MNers picked up when Susan and Neil were referring to chilli?

The symbolism of chilli versus collapsed souffle is all a bit obvious isn't it?

I would have thought that farm vets have to be on call at any time. Cows don't necessarily spring difficult births or twisted guts during working hours.