Thread #105: Curtains for Emma, Hilda - Joe? Red carpet for June Spencer on her 100th birthday, we hope! Discuss the rich tapestry of Ambridge life here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads and @DadDadDad for being our resident statistician and keeping the ball rolling when Pseudo stepped back a bit.

All views on The Archers welcome here! New blood welcomed. We don't all agree on all points and most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you'd like to be Susan's best friend or other unusual views.

Spoilers: not on this thread, please. We don't wait for the omnibus to discuss the weeknight episodes, but we do try our best to avoid cross-contamination from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3439443-keep-it-to-yourself-the-archers-spoilers-thread-4, where spoilers are positively welcomed!

For newer listeners, lurkers or those who just have no idea what we're talking about, DadDadDad has created this useful thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3557323-For-Archers-fans-a-guide-to-acronyms-on-the-long-running-discussion-threads-and-any-other-meta-thread-questions-you-may-have BOOP point for him! (See thread for explanation.)

Thanks to LillianGish and BuckingFrolics for ideas for this thread title. I went with the less Rabelaisian of LG's ideas!

On 14th June it will be the 100th birthday of June Spencer, who has played Peggy Woolley since 1951. I hope the BBC has a lot of special tributes lined up to celebrate this remarkable achievement.

Lilian do you think she's planning to shame Tom into geting a bigger flat?

I was thinking Gnasher was having delusions of grandeur with the bartender. Susan couldn't wait to get in to have a nose, could she?!

I did like the idea of fruit trees all around the village though. I've always thought when councils plant trees in public spaces, they should include fruit trees. I remember, as a child, I used to go with my nan to her local park, to collect crab apples from the trees there. They lined the grassed area, so there was loads. Combined with the blackberries we also picked, over on the common, she made enough jam for 3 families (plus more, I'm sure) to last until the next harvest.

Most people nowadays, wouldn't know what to do with crabapples, but eating apples, cherries, plums and pears, and maybe even peaches or apricots, and nut trees, would be great.

motoko I think they are going to be juicing apples, which will go into Natasha's juice for free.

Ah yes, of course! Not something for the good of the community, like Bristol is doing, with putting in raised beds and growing fruit and veg. Or Incredible Edible Todmorden.

Councils seem to offer grants of a very few thousand at most for community orchard projects. And it’s not as if Tom and Natasha would need to pay anyone for tools, planting or day to day maintenance. So I’m very puzzled as to why they propose to spend half a million pounds on this.

🔮Philip is going to persuade Kirsty to go to the Wildlife Trust interview. She’ll get the job. And (re)bond with Patrick ...

I think Gnasher’s idea is to spend a bit on fruit trees and pocket the rest (or use it for ever more lavish parties and extravagances like the Elton John of Ambridge). And that should be Uncle Bryn of course in my previous post, but the spell check wants to change it to Bryan.

Most people nowadays, wouldn't know what to do with crabapples, but eating apples, cherries, plums and pears, and maybe even peaches or apricots, and nut trees, would be great. "Friends" group of our local park were convinced they had a fig tree. I had to cut the fruit open for them to believe me that it was a walnut.

🔮Philip is going to persuade Kirsty to go to the Wildlife Trust interview. She’ll get the job. And (re)bond with Patrick ... Poor Philip. He has his faults but he's fundamentally a good guy. Doesn't deserve that.

Yeah but Philip doesn't deserve to be with someone who is not wholeheartedly into him. I hope the crystal ball is right.

But they’re so dull together.

Through all the years I can remember Brian and Jenny have given the impression (infidelities and terror over wayward offspring notwithstanding) that all the vicissitudes of day to day family life are an (entertaining) adjunct to their, erm, personal relationship as a couple.

Lynda and Robert clearly adore each other. Every conversation they have is just an alternative way of saying so.

No one could say Clarrie has had an easy life but Eddie still sounds astonished and grateful that they’re still together.

Even David and Ruth give the impression that they actually fancy each other and find joy in each other’s company.

But Kirsty and Philip? There’s just nothing. No spark or excitement. And he falls asleep ...

They wouldn't just be fruit trees though, they would be natashas fruit trees.

Clarrie and Jenny's relationships are horrifiying to me.

I had the feeling on Friday that I was listening to the Queen's speech...

Half a million on fruit trees? Bog standard apples, pears and cherry trees are about £5 each. Ambridge can't be that big.

And Ambridge already has a community orchard....

But with juice processing gear? Maybe cider making?

True

Peggy should give all the money to the Grundys to expand their clearly community focused enterprise!

DId anyone else notice Kirsty said "that's why I like you" about some habit of Philip's
Surely it should be love at this stage?

Do we know why Philip hasn’t got a house? Surely it’s quite unusual for a 40/50 year old couple to move into a house share?

Hasn't he sold his house and is moving in with Kirsty until the new place is ready?

I don't agree that Gnasher is "bonkers". Woodland and orchard villages do exist and in some countries get significant environmental subsidy. Its unsurprising that she would suggest fruit trees - its what she knows. Plus its just an idea at this stage.

Tom on the other hand is a spineless unimaginative wazzock. He almost seems to want to disrupt a potential relationship between Gnasher and his family by not giving her context, presenting joint or even his ideas as hers, and generally being utterly incompetent at presenting ideas. How did he ever sell his sausages to a supermarket chain when he can't even pitch to his own family.

I still want to know how they justify a "charitable trust" focused on a subset of family.

DId anyone else notice Kirsty said "that's why I like you" about some habit of Philip's. Surely it should be love at this stage?

Yes I did and thought the same as you - it was a bit odd sounding.

Yes, his buyers wanted to complete before his new house was ready. That's why he's put most of his stuff into storage. Moving into Roy's is just a temporary thing.

What got me, was why Kirsty decided not to go to the interview, but from posts on here, it seems she has history with someone there? Until that post, I wondered if she was suffering from low self esteem. It's odd that she applied for the job in the first place though, if she doesn't want to work there.

Oh yes, and I didn't notice that she said "like", not "love", but I agree, it should be "love" by now.

It's odd that she applied for the job in the first place though, if she doesn't want to work there.
I find it odd that she wants to live in an off-plan new-build on an estate that has taken a chunk of land out of organic production.