*The Archers No.95* *Welcome to the 'real' world Ben and Ruarhi, the bad boys of on roading and welcome to the cereal cupboard little Rosie *!

[ppeatfruit]

Thanks to witchmountain for the last thread and to dadx3 for Godfathering them! Also to any other posters whose ideas I have borrowed for the title.

I'm going to have a go at Jack Munroe'a 4 ingredient fruit cake this weekend. I'll let you know. How it goes!

I buy our Christmas puddings.
This year I'm probably not making a Christmas cake either.

But I like the returning themes year after year, it make me feel safe and (is this the word?) hygge.

I don't like it when bad things happen to nice characters, (especially those I was named after)

The only thing I can add is that Lee's comment about his ex being difficult about contact made me think of Fathers4Justice - and wouldn't Rob be a member? Oh dear. Weren't there some dark hints from the editor some time ago that Rob hadn't gone for good. Will Lee start telling Helen of the friend from F4J whose mad wife stabbed him?

That sounds good, Bert. This one, I assume - cookingonabootstrap.com/2018/11/19/four-ingredient-christmas-cake-16p/

I've usually got some marmalade in and will probably have some mincemeat left over after Christmas, so maybe late January for that one.

I don't think the new Editor has spoken yet, or if he has I've missed it. Probably still getting his feet under the desk. I hope he has a long, quiet spell of character-driven storylines planned, with the biggest excitement a case of suspected cheating in the Flower and Produce show.

(No, I don't think I'll get it either.)

The question is, does Lee know about Helen's trial?

If he does, he is cool with it? If not, what will happen when he does (and of course it will be when not if)?

ppeatfruit - Thankyou

I think he must do D3. Hasn't Helen explained why Henry is so needy to him?

hi all, can i join the thread? ive been listening for a year sand TA literally destresses me daily. I have a horrific job and deal with misery and hate every day, TA is my little escape.

I'm not a fan of hannah at all! i have a little crush on jonny and really think Lillian is fantastic

i meant Linda

Hello 1more, welcome. I like Lillian a lot even though I know I shouldn't. I worry that it's because I recognise some of her traits in myself

1moreRep - of course, anyone can join in, always good to have new contributions. Lots of friendly people here, and you'll get plenty of agreement on Hannah.

Lynda's a bit marmite, but I think she's got a good heart, and helps to keep things interesting in Ambridge.

I was actually waiting during the Lee and Helen conversation for him to say that he had heard/read about her trial, because my impression was that he was local to Borsetshire, even if he doesn’t know Ambridge. It was all over the local press. Or did I miss a back story where he had moved there from somewhere else in the last year or so?

Fink I think that Philip has said he found his divorce hard but it was all concluded amicably in the end, this was when Shula and Alistair were both confiding in him. Kirsty met his son, who is grown up with a child of his own, not sure how old the son is supposed to have been when he got divorced.

Or maybe just grown up and married, perhaps Philip not a grandfather yet.

i think levi will help Elizabeth and be the new manager

i also think freddie will hang himself in prison

jonny and hannah will get night and tom will fall out

jazz needs a girlfriend

That sounds good, Bert.

It does! Are you going to add the 5th ingredient? Also, did you ever cook those meatballs and, if so, were they any good?

witch, not Bert, but I would definitely add the marmalade, given that Jack says it's better and I really like marmalade.

Hello, 1morerep! I hope you're wrong about Freddie. I don't see how Elizabeth would ever get over it. I like Freddie, although I disapprove very strongly of what he's done. I want him to come back to LL and spend the next few months doing something menial like cleaning out the rare breeds sties/stables/whatever and getting himself back together. Then he can become the Nigel of the new genderation. You never heard his dad, Nigel, and that's a shame. He was very genial, kind, warm, quite funny, not clever at all but very aware he wasn't and really open to taking advice from other people (but not gullible), made a really good team with Elizabeth. Loved his kids, got on really well with everybody. I still haven't forgiven the old Editor for killing him off, actually.

Oh god, generation! Not genderation, whatever that might be.

i hope i'm wrong but suicide in prison is so topical at the moment.

Russ will end up trying to fleece lilly and have the painting off

i really want Emma to get an affordable home

pippa was being unfair to josh the other week and i can see her cocking up as she is expecting everyone to run around after her

I don't think they would kill Freddie, then Elizabeth would have lost a husband and son. I think it's possible he may make an attempt but somehow be saved by Johnny, establishing his hero/nice guy credentials forever.

ah johnny 🥰

I quite like both Christmas pudding and Christmas cake, but am in a minority in my household, so swerve them as I would otherwise be eating them until Easter. So I make indulgent puddings like pannacotta for Christmas and last year bought a glorious bûche de Nöel from an expensive patisserie. This year I might buy tiny eclairs. We have the big extended family Christmas lunch in advance of the day itself, Christmas is the nuke only, so I can do schmancy, cheffy stuff for a very small number of people. Have never cooked a turkey, feel certain I would finish up with something both raw and dry.

Sighs with pleasure. Right, time to go and make rather more pedestrian meatballs while listening to Friday's episode. Fingers crossed for a good one!

Me too with the marmalade, bittermints.

@Cromer - it's only legal to take pedestrians home to make into meatballs if you didn't run them over yourselves. If you found them dying on the roadside it's a mercy you're doing really.