The Archers: Discussion #84. New Year and some of us are still listening even if we don't know why.

[DadDadDad]

New posters welcome - with your fresh views and burning questions.

Old posters welcome - with your jaded views and knowledgeable answers.

But new posters feel free to be jaded, and old posters feel free to ask questions!

How is the Pip storyline going to play out and do you care?

As usual, if you want to mention the advertised storylines for future episodes, there's a separate thread for that - no spoilers here, please.

Just imagine we're all sitting round a table at The Bull -->

BashStreetKid

I HAVE LOST A YEAR!

Where did 2017 go?

😳😳😳

If Pip feeds a baby in a backpack in Spring 2019 I am definitely taking credit!

The 6 month old was actually 9 months old, I have just realised. But she was very well behaved. Her brother two years later was far too heavy and had to put up with being bored in a pushchair while his sister ate calf nuts and climbed on hurdles it's no wonder farm kids have strong immune systems

Calf nuts?

Calf nuts are compressed cereals and probably other bits. Bit like cat biscuits, but usually cylindrical pellets. Rolled grains and cornflakes are okay, but I wouldn't bother trying pellets.

(Surely all farm children will have tried animal feed at some point, if there's livestock around? My sister and I certainly did.)

That's a better mental image....

I bet Toby would tuck into a bag of calf nuts thinking they're snacks

Calf nuts usually come in sacks rather than crisp-bag sized packaging.

But this is Toby - he'd probably think they were like those hipster sacks of peanuts you get in some burger joints

Anyone else got a bit of a soft spot for Toby?

Ok, I'll just get my coat ...

I wouldn't go so far as to say I have a soft spot for Toebee, Cara but I had thought he was being rehabilitated by the SW in recent months. He seemed to have matured a bit and was taking a responsible approach to his gin business.
While the pregnancy news seems to have negated that, I think in future months he will decide he does want to be an active dad to his offspring (Little Toe), and he and Pip will end up sharing the load (after lots of huffing and puffing from Pip about how she can do it all by herself).

Little Toe 😀

Wot Ruby says.

My love for Toby waxes and wanes - but if he stays it could be a really interesting long term story of conflicting parenting styles/interests following on from Roy/Kate, Will/Emma and possibly James/Leonie. Have to admit, despite the Pip factor, the SW team have made an effort to build in compelling stories for coming generations.

The hydraulic floor is to make milking easier as it can be adjusted to suit the specific height needs of the person milking . My 4 kids have all come out on the farm when feeding calfs and Iv done the wholeness baby in a sling or backpack whilst feeding calfs . Iv never milked with a baby in a back pack tho As that's really dangerous as the cows can kick out

There you all are...

My contributions have been non existent of late as I'm using this thread to catch up but it keeps disappearing from my active threads.

Hello anyway, I'm off to listen to the film but no doubt will be interrupted to the point of incomprehension.

LOL @ hipster sacks of peanuts

I caught up with the new series of 'Inside Number 9' last night and OldPip was in it. I actually found myself missing her. Never thought I’d catch myself saying that during the agonising days of her grand passion for Jooooooooooooood.

I wonder if dairyfarmerswife has just thrown some light on Ben (or whatever he's called) - he's been in the cereal cupboard for far too long - maybe he's actually found his way to the animal feed store and has been living on calf nuts?

Calf nuts . I am so easily pleased.

I don’t for a moment believe that Pip’s baby will be handed over to Ian and Adam. In another age perhaps, when it was unthinkable to be unmarried mother (though not to a gay couple which would have been equally unthinkable).I think Pip’s baby serves to illustrate how it easy it is for most people to get pregnant whether intentionally or not which is a painful stab to anyone trying unsuccessfully to conceive. Much more likely that Lexi will be the surrogate as a means of enabling her to stay in the country - though how old is she? It would be a logical follow up to the plot which has seen her return to a job at Grey Gables and palling up with Ian. Pip will have her baby which will be looked after by the Ambridge childcare fairy in the form of various members of her family so it never needs to inconvenience either her or the SWs.

Ambridge childcare fairy 😂 I do hope one of those turns up in my village in about 7 months time! On a personal note, Pip is about 6 months younger than me and a couple of weeks more pregnant than me so interesting to see how we compare. She doesn’t seem to have hyperemesis though, lucky bitch.

I do hope they don‘t end up with Alice as the drunk who nearly killed Matt. For one it‘s already been done (Helen - Tom - Mike tale from years ago), and (we all know how the script team like realistic stories) l think we need considerably more shenanigans before Alice admits she‘s got a problem.

Am l right in thinking none of us saw the Pip pregnancy coming till a few weeks ago? Maybe not, but it just feels quite sudden though with hindsight it now seems predictable.

Pip’s pregnancy feels very TV soap to me.

Yes, definitely soapy, LilianG. That‘s what l mean by predictable. I just don‘t recall us discussing it as an option here. But maybe it‘s just l am somewhat less absorbed in TA and MN.

I think it's awful that D&R want to ask Pip if she would consider having an abortion. If you want an abortion, you tend to do it before telling people that you're pregnant.

I thought that too Hating. Ruth made it sound as though she would talk to Pip so that Pip could be made aware of what her options were - as if she wouldn't have known by herself that such a thing as abortion could be available.