The Archers Thread September 2015 - The One Where Helen Kicks Rob In The Balls?

[PseudoBadger]

Wishful thinking. I think she's in it for the long haul

Would you say Jazzer has recovered?

I worry about him. Still living on irregular manual labour (entirely at the mercy of some landowner's whim) with no proper home and no experience (far as we can tell) of any stable relationship ever. No sick pay, no pension ... All his non brain damaged friends have managed to cobble together some sort of sustainable life.

(It's about time the SWs stopped exploiting him for comedy and gave him a future.)

Yes, scary, me too. "She's good with cows, that girl".

And I think the JE bit was for compare and contrast. But I still believe the village hall is only the start of JE buying up chunks of Ambridge. Starting with the shop which will, of course, pit Knob against Charlie again...

Anyone notice that Dave's a bit down atm?

Gruach Jazzer's got a room with Jim and they seem to get on,he's being taught about culture 'n' stuff. Done rather well for a W.C. northerner, he likes the open air jobs he has. We can't all have degrees and talk posh can we?

Was Jim's home unaffected by the Flood? I'm losing track of who's where.

Sure Ppeat but poor man has no security at all - and he's beginning to groan at all the heavy, all-weathers labour.

What's to become of him?

Shall we collect a pension for him ?

Jim's still living at the Stables.

He did say something about his own house recently but I can't remember what.

He and Bert have been getting together to moan about the kindness of friends and relatives. It's not impossible that they might pair up - leaving Jazzer in a pig pen.

Oh yes, I forgot. I wonder if Jazzer is back at his mums'?

If Bert's installing raised beds, tending giant marrows, barrowing thither and yon, and apparently transforming Carol's garden into the Borsetshire equivalent of Wisley, he surely won't have any trouble with a few stairs. The sort of gardening he seems able to do is very physical (I couldn't manage in a week a half of what he achieves in a couple of hours).

I don't get why Jill didn't take Carol up on her offer to move in and share Glebe, since Jill is so transparently entranced by her - all that girlish giggling, flirting and general pashing.

Still on the HP vs Jill debate - I just can't see them promoting a character who's only ever been heard very occasionally, to the detriment of Jill, a major cast member (although there might be some entertainment in seeing who can produce the most outlandish intonations). This HP move will be very short-lived, if it ever happens

I'm another one getting very sick of hearing how wonderful Pip is.

It's as if the SWs are reading this thread and are determined to convince we poor, silly listeners that Pip is THE FUTURE of TA. Single handed, she will defeat Justin Elliott, sort out the many, many dodgy relationships between members of her family, manage Berrow Farm and Brookfield, oh, and expose Rob for the fiend that he is.

I'm coming over all faint at the very thought.

Oh I'm quite liking the new improved Peep I like the way she's playing the Fairbrother boys.

I really enjoyed last night's episode. Spot of farming, bit of men who've known each other for ages talking to each other like normal people. Nice.

I'm still wondering about the economics of Brookfield. They previously managed fine with David and Ruth running it and presumably the hope and expectation is that Ruth will soon be doing that again. Yet when a third person comes along, presumably wanting a decent wage, and asks for a job, they give it to her without hesitation, without considering whether the workload actually requires it, and without checking out whether what the farm makes actually justifies paying out that wage - especially what with milk prices and all. And then when said third person asks for free accommodation in a house which they would otherwise let out at several hundred pounds a week, they let her have it without hesitation.

It's the weirdest management model I've ever seen, for sure.

Jeeves they have had the conversation about whether the farm could accommodate/ sustain all or any of the children. Think they came to the conclusion that being able to pass it on as a viable business (and way of life) was the main reason to continue.

And I guess they will (if the SWs remember) do some complicated calculation where free accomodation is balanced against whatever Pip is paid.

TBH I can't imagine a farming family where if one of the children wanted to stay on living there and help on the farm, they would be turned out. Can you DFW? Mostly the problem comes when none of the children want to stay.

I see all that, but that would normally be in a planned way. In this case, for instance, if Pip had taken the Brazil job it might be many years before she came back to the farm, it might well be the case that she did so at a time when David and Ruth decided they wanted to wind down anyway, she would have had to give notice, and they would have had time to rejig their finances.

But, as it stands, we're in a situation where the farm is in effect paying enough to give two people a decent living but is suffering from falling income (and must also incurred pretty hefty debts over the move-that-wasn't). No matter how much they would want their daughter to come into the business, the fact remains that if the farm is making enough to sustain two farmers' salaries it won't magically increase to sustain three.

TBH I would think that she wouldn't be getting a salary at the moment, they probably haven't even thought of it. She's come home and she's got somewhere to live and all the pie she can eat. Presumably they'll bung her £20 for petrol or for the pub until they sort it out. They'll have to think all this through now, but I imagine that they can find a small salary, especially if they offset her board against the wage. She's unlikely to bring a minimum wage complaint against her own parents! Also, her working there means she will find ways to maximise the farm's profitability so it can "afford" her, as she has been doing already.

Just caught up after a weekend of debauchery culture and relaxation in France

Has anyone asked this question...

How many bedrooms has Rickyard got?

What exactly did David say about his overdraft after doing that bank transfer? He's not going to end up up shit creek because of Ken'on is he? And why why why would they transfer the money to Kenton? Shouldn't it go to The Bull? This isn't going to end well. And I'm reeeeeally getting pissed off with Kenton, he's just pathetic.

Pip still gets on my nerves, although I do identify her voice, her delivery is weird. The farm management doesn't make sense, didn't they have Bert or someone working for them full time at some stage.

It's ok, Peep will find her millions in stubble turnips and ewe hogs. That's sorting her wages.

Sounded like a farm cash flow problem coming up if David is close to the OD limit though. Espesh with the price of milk being what it is.

I know we hate rob but he does have a point about Henry needing a bedtime routine on school nights IMO

Although he missed a trick not going as Helen didn't fight his corner (as I'm sure he thought she would)

I can't quite out why he didn't want to go though- I am sure Rob wasn't really thinking about Henry.

I didn't have a chance to come on yesterday, but anyone else notice how rude Pip was to Ed - she neither said please (come and help me) or thank you to him. She treated him like he was her slave to be at her beck and call.

Well, well! Blessed are the cheesemakers! What's his game? Does he want to make non-veggie cheese? To what end? H wasn't impressed. Has she gone off him? But all that being pale and drinking mint tea instead of good French wine suggests she's up the stick, no?

Somewhat.

And I say again, she will not want to be.