The future at Brookfield looks Rosie, and will Home Farm be home no more? Discuss The Archers here.

[PseudoBadger]

And there’s some rubbish about an ex-stripper policeman?

Unbelievable's the word alright. I'm still
ignoring it because it's not even possible.

Even Robin Fairbrother would have asked after Rex's results weren't possible his and Toby's were on the same day.

I think Lizzie has realised how little communication there has been between herself and Lily, and her first priority is to get Lily talking to her again.

Thanks, Pear and R4 - I was struggling to believe Lizzie could remain so calm, and agree about the slightly weird detachment from what is going on in Lily's life. I would hope at 18, my children would have some (even if only a little!) respect for my perspective and that actually having a parent express genuine concern at the motives of someone like Russ might give them a moment's pause.

We'll just have to wait and see how this unravels...

I would hope at 18, my children would have some (even if only a little!) respect for my perspective and that actually having a parent express genuine concern at the motives of someone like Russ might give them a moment's pause.

In your dreams! They need someone (anyone!) who isn't their parent to advise. Usually, their best mate's parent is much cooler / better informed / down wiv da kids than their own parent.
In Lizzie's shoes, I think I would get an aunt to talk to her and also show her show her some teacher-ethics website. I.E I would show her that it wasn't me being a killjoy, that everyone thinks that pupil/teacher relationships are wrong.

I aim to use "she is the marianna trench of annoyingness" very soon.

Didn’t Lizzie miss an opportunity to make it up with Lily by taking her out to celebrate her results?

She offered to take her out before the Russ affair came out, and at that point, Lily said no.

I.think Lizzie is treating Lly the way she is because of how Lily was last week, barely saying a civil word, and Lizzie doesn't want to go back to that.

Also, she will probably be remembering her own relationship with Robin, which will be fresh in her mind, as he was just back in the village. So she'll also be wanting to keep Lily talking to her so she does know what's going on (even though we know she doesn't know all of it.) And with the Robin history, she might feel hypocritical if she has a go at Lily about it.

Though I suspect keeping the lines of communication open wouldn't have gone as far as inviting Russ round for supper, if Lily had given her a choice.

I also think Tom wanted to show Natasha his sausage, but I think he doesn't stand a chance in he'll. Until the scriptwriters put in a personality change for her. I'm looking forward to hearing her feedback on the farm, though.

I suspect misplaced apostrophes will indeed feature in hell. As will crap autocorrect. I keep having to remove the apostrophes it's added.

Where is the Henwee being horrible storyline going?

A shift in Helen's settled world? Cheese-making gone awry, as is home life? Or simply a signal that the writers are aware of the exhaustion that entertaining little ones brings after six weeks. Nice to see though that Tom rallied round to support her.

I’m still annoyed at the unrealistic way Ian cut the order of her cheese. Why not give her fair warning?

They seem to be linking the cheese decline to quality of milk so maybe Helen will insist on going back to in-house production and Tom will have the opportunity to ask Natasha what to do.

I felt for Jennifer. No one wants Mandy beesborough poking around your bedroom.

Tbf, my son had just finished at a 6th form/he college. I have been 3 times, once to enroll, once for parents evening in 1st term and once when they sent him an invoice by accident. I have also dropped him at the door twice when he got up Late. It is 25 miles away and sub-regional and so they don’t expect parents to keep going in.

If they are doing well, at or above predictions and attending you just seem to get letters and online updates. The letters say that we don’t need to see you unless you want to see us.

He had just finished and off to uni.

Where is the Henwee being horrible storyline going?

My immediate reaction was that this would be the reintroduction of Rob in some way (possibly via his vile family). I can't see that particular skeleton being left to rest.

Isn’t he having a sleepover at Tom’s ? That will go horridly wrong.

I think Henwee is going through a 'seven ages of man' thing. He's seven years old. His Mother may still be necessary but she is no longer sufficient; he needs other, vital input to his life (GPs are too old, Jack is too young).

I would hope at 18, my children would [listen a little bit]

Yes you'd think wouldn't you? Actually the policy of not overreacting and letting it burn out and being there for the inevitable fall out has as good a success rate as any. At least you maintain the lines of communication which is essential.
I assumed Lizzie was drawing on her own experience when she was talking about watching and letting it burn out over the summer.

She seems to find running LL very demanding and time-consuming so she neglects the twins a lot of the time, but then remembers them and goes overboard trying to do 'quality time' like they were still infants.

Probably because running a business of that type and size is very demanding and time-consuming and she is doing it single handed. I don't think she neglects the twins - she has the same problems any other working parent has but not father to share them with.

I can think of plenty of "Freddy"s who have had parents at home full time who expressed the same shock and horror at their child's drug taking/selling.

Point taken, caffeine, but I'm not talking about burning lines of communication ("get out of my house - you're no daughter of mine!") but of offering some facts and a point of view that might be unwelcome, and might even be rejected but over time might plant seeds of doubt.

And when it does go wrong, you are there not to say "I told you so", but again to continue that dialogue and offer advice. After all, if Lily discovers Russ is no good, is Lizzie going to say "I'm really surprised, you seemed so sure, and I assumed it would work out with a man twice your age..."

DDD - I have teenagers and my approach would be your approach. I’m also a bit surprised that she was so clueless about what was going on - I would have thought her own experiences would have got her antennae twitching. But this is Elizabeth we are talking about - she’s always been self-absorbed. She also needs Lily on side to give her a hand. She’s trying to be a friend not a parent (interesting chat with 15-year-old ds last night who came back from a sleepover at a friend’s - mum away, older brother in charge - who told him ‘I do love her, but she’s not a proper mum’).

Whew, just caught up with a massive TA podcast backlog so I can join you here again.

I reckon Lizzie assumes far too much that Lily is the 'sensible one'. We've surely known this isn't the case since the episode in which she was gushing about an art show she'd been to with Russ: 'it was postmodernist'.

We had parents' evenings at least once a year at my DCs' 6th form colleges.

D3

You can ask questions which might plant a seed but honestly this age in lurve is pretty much impossible to tell anything and you risk communication being cut off. Its like walking a tightrope trying to find the right balance.

Mine are all 20s now but looking back to them and their peers, the most successful strategies in this situation (and its not uncommon) were stay friendly, be there to catch them, ask the odd question. Most of the time these relationships do fizzle out fairly quickly and fighting them just adds fuel. Elizabeth's strategy of staying close and letting it run its course is usually a successful one.

I don't think Elizabeth is self absorbed I think she is overwhelmed - she is trying to save a business and her families source of income, save Freddy and now Lily. She is constantly also trying to do what would have made Nigel happy.

Nor do I think its weird that she didn't clock what was going on - most parents in these situations say the same thing or that they thought something was up but completely missed the magnitude.

Nor do I think its weird that she didn't clock what was going on

Particularly as lily was being deliberately deceptive, and Lizzie thought she had clocked what was going on.

Also, Lily is still being deceptive. Elizabeth thinks Russ is either long separated or divorced.

We had parents' evenings at least once a year at my DCs' 6th form colleges. There may be a difference between a sixth form college and a further education college (where there are a lot of BTecs and vocational stuff). The range of A-levels available to Frilly sounds as if they're at a sixth form college.