The Archers #96: Is that a rat I smell or the whiff of Snell? In Chaucer’s famous Tale of Two Torsos, Brian’s ‘still got it’ and Poldark is searching for scything opportunities in Susan’s kitchen.

[NotdeadyetBOING]

Welcome..... I'd concocted a longer title with all sorts of references to bitch stitching and pasta bakes, but was thwarted by the pesky character limit

A new thread and a great title! Thank you, Notdeadyet.

I lean more towards Team Lily than away, with the big reservation being her behaviour with Russ. The way she has stepped up to the plate to help at LL has made me rate her much more that I did previously. It was quite impressive that she just quietly changed her plans for a return to Manchester at short notice last night when she could see that Elizabeth obviously wasn't coping.

When Elizabeth asked Lily to buy Freddie's present for her, I wonder what her plans were for buying Lily's?

Now someone's going to tell me that back in the day Lily was a gunslinging terror at Ambridge Junior School Lily was very much in the LL cereal cupboard communicating entirely through the medium of mime throughout her childhood.R4 your analysis is spot on. She's a perfectionist, with all the troubles that it brings on herself and other people. It's easy being a perfectionist at school (brains+hard work= A Grades) but the transition to (messy, not so ordered) adult life can be difficult. And not just for Lily, but for all the perfectionists I know.

It's great that Lily has "stepped up to the plate" but someone more adult would realise that they couldn't Fix Things on their own and draft in more help eg Jill who is organising Best Christmas Eva For The Whole Family™ whilst not noticing the disaster that is going on at LL. Have you spotted that this is really irking me.

I was thinking that about Lily's present too Miscible and then googled what visitors are allowed to bring in as presents for prisoners....must remember I have a life to lead

Lizzie will instruct Glen, who has known Lily for less than a week, to buy something from one of the stallholders ... and then be furious when he gets it wrong

Whilst I was doing the ironing I was having a think (because I'm way too invested in this and ....well...ironing). I think the quick house sale is a plot device to keep Brine and JD in Ambridge. They'll need to find somewhere quick so smaller and not perfect. That means they'll have to jump at any house going. So which houses are vacant in Ambridge at the moment? Is anyone in Glebe Cottage? Or, has anyone got 1 The Green? That would be quite the fall of the House of Aldridge if Brine's former employee becomes his landlord.

Is Lizzie going to end up in hospital with pneumonia?

I also think we are going to be set for some new characters and the "Gills" are actually buyers set to clash with the Aldridge's/Archer clan

Did I hear that the new LL manager is called Glen?

Of course, I'm sure you've all noticed that an anagram of GERALDINE is A DIRE GLEN.

"An Events Manager in a mess will be sent to Bonnie Charlie's last known destination (1/4/4)"

DDD, that’s quite interesting about the anagram. Somebody is toying with us.

That reminds me DH sent me a link to something ‘very funny’ on ML. I’ve no idea what it is. Sometimes things one of us finds funny doesn’t amuse the other. I read the email, replied and totally forgot the linkie.

Painting, #1 the green is rented out to Johnny, Tom and that lovely Hannah. Glebe is rented out to carol (I think). I do get mixed up over the cottages of Ambridge. Please, someone with a better memory than me, where is Dr Locke residing? And Usha’s cottage (Honeysuckle? I think) must have been out again after custardgate but to whom?

I suppose they could just have Brine and JD taking one of the ‘executive flats up near the bypass’ or wherever. It doesn’t even have to be the one Rob was in briefly.

I was only half-listening and thought at first Elizabeth was suggesting Lily choose a present from her for herself. I don’t know if that’s worse than getting nothing and I’m sure AIBU would be split on it. It’s what my own parents did for the last decade or so of their lives. I didn’t mind and accepted their reasons but it would leave some aghast.

Blossom Hill Cottage was Peggy's a long time ago, then Usha bought it and lived there, with Richard Locke for a time and then when she moved in with Alan it was rented out, notably to Rob (and then Helen and Henry as well) and most recently to Anisha, with Rex as a frequent visitor.

Honeysuckle belonged to Walter Gabriel, I think, then to his son, the wonderful Nelson (still my favourite ever TA character), then to Tim and Siobhan Hathaway and now to Adam and Ian.

Woodbine (which means the same as Honeysuckle, I believe) is a different one, and belonged at one point to Christine. Fallon and Harrison are there now.

Glebe is indeed rented to the implausibly silent Carol.

As for where Doc Locke resides, is that the Grundys' old place, Keeper's Cottage? Next door to silent Kathy in April Cottage.

Yes, Keepers is where Doc Locke is. Thanks for jogging my memory. I’d actually forgotten Adam and Ian existed so now I know where they live too! I wonder what happened to Blossom Hill after Anisha left. Could that be vacant?

Yes, good point. Probably a bit small for the Aldridges, not to mention the associations with custardgate.

Is the flat above the shop still empty? Was that Helen's at one time?

Didn't we have a scene months ago where Usha was talking about preparing the cottage for new tenants, who have never since been mentioned?

Good choice Bittermints
I think it’s quite a leap from - I’ll be home tomorrow/ in a few days/ definitely by the end of the week to ‘actually I might as well stay until term starts again in January now.’

Who is Continuity today, is it Luke Tudenham? He obviously listens very closely to TA.

I didn’t know that about woodbine, Bittermints. Always makes me think of Bert, the old man in Adrian Mole.

Well Natasha’s diet is unexpected. I quite enjoyed Hannah railing against pop tarts tonight!

Natasha's diet thing feels out of character.

I was hoping Lee was going to offer to go to France....

The scene a couple of days ago between Jenny Darling and Lillian really annoyed me. They were talking about the buyers and speculating who the Gill might be. Lillian was incredulous that she hadn’t heard of them and said she’d ask around.How ridiculous that they would automatically know the buyer

I wonder if it will turn out to be a friend of Martin Gibson or someone equally unacceptable...