Thread #106: Jim’s in a jam, Peggy’s made a pickle and Lexi is blooming - sounds like the entries are lining up for this year’s flower and produce show, but who will be on the organising committee?

[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.

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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 for the title of this thread.

Holding episode tonight, I thought - not much progress on any current storyline. I was a touch surprised Natasha wasn't offended by the postnup idea but I suspect she's biding her time.

I was listening to the 2.15 drama this afternoon, and one of the characters was played by the actor who plays Russ. I didn't realise at first, because he was playing a Neil Armstrong impersonator, and with an American accent, he sounded quite different. But then he dropped the accent, and spoke with his character's real accent, an English bloke from up north (don't remember where), but then, the accent was all over the place, and one minute he sounded like Russ, and the next, I thought he sounded like Harrison! About 4 different accents altogether.

Re tonight's episode, it's going to be awkward for Alistair, not being able to tell Fiona what's up with Jim. I wonder if Jazzer will be able to keep his anger under control, and his mouth shut in front of her.

Linda was very nice to Jim. I wonder if this becomes the start of a close friendship? Just a feeling I got.

No, I was talking about the sheep owned by the bloke I know.

Years ago we went to the Big Sheep in North Devon and various breeds of rams erre brought out haltered, and on leads. The organisers had sheep nuts in little tins for people to give to the rams. A man, part of the audience, dropped the tin he held and bent down to retrieve as it rolled towards a ram. Without hesitation the ram leapt forward and soundly nutted him on the head him to the ground. I would imagine by lowering his head and shoulders and approaching the ram, the man looked like a threat. It must have hurt but the man got up and rubbed his head, took it pretty well, as the handler hauled away on the lead.

Back to the plot, I too wonder if Jazzer will be able to contain himself. Also a bit concerned about Jim's regrets about his revelations, his self-reproach about lack of self-control.

Ed has been entering Peppa Pig for shows which would involve a lot of grooming so I suppose he would be used to being handled by members of the family. It is a bit of a stupid story line though.

What’s irritating about the PeppaPig/Poppy storyline is that It was Clarrie who was looking after Poppy, she didn’t think Poppy should be around when the man turned up, she saw him coming and then didn’t bring her in. I’ve just googled a video of a Texel ram (which I’ve tried unsuccessfully to link) and it doesn’t look like something you’d let your five-year-old granddaughter play with unsupervised - the Poppy and Peppa scene was definitely something which could only be played out on radio.

So Rex’s birthday treat was a picnic with Toby and Rosie? Lovely, but then what exactly was she pulling herself up on to start walking in the middle of a field (or anywhere else that would make a nice picnic spot?)

pushchair/buggy? The picnic hamper?

So was Rosie unsupervised in a field in the countryside? Because that's how it came across to me.

Yes it wasn't clear at all. Rosie pulled herself up on the buggy??

I thought that Keira was with Poppy and Peppa.

Not just unsupervised in a field, but poorly supervised in a field near to a body of water (Rex listed 'a fishing rod' as the first part of the treat).

Where was Rosie while the Fairbrethren were mucking about with a blindfold? And Rosie would be making a noise. Unless the ground was hard (maybe clay that's dried out) it seems unlikely in the extreme that she would take her first steps there. And I would have thought she wouldn't be able to walk to a particular person so early in her walking.

Will Mianed become Myselfaned when they move to the new estate?
If they move there.

Well she won't be Me n Ed when she visits in him in prison will she?

No it will be Meanjawjeeankeeuhva

Is Holly still around. Does she live with George?

Holly??? Do you mean Keira or Mia?

No,I mean Holly.
Holly is/was George's dog.

Oh I forgot about Holly I reckon the SWs have too. Interesting how many dogs are 'forgotten' on TA there must be a cereal cupboard for dogs too

She might be in the barn guarding what Ed's hidden.
Maybe Poppy could have a puppy to make up for Peppa Pig. If only it was Christmas. The SWs thought Holly was the perfect Christmas gift for George.

What possible right does Shula have to stick her nose into her ex-husband's business like that?

She has never liked Jim, and pretending that she did or that she cares about him one jot is just horrible hypocrisy.

Did I miss Alastair telling Shula what had happened to Jim? Because all the hints he was dropping afterwards would have made it easy enough to put 2 and 2 together.

Shula made it clear that she had a pretty good idea - basically that something bad had happened in Jim's childhood and it was related to Harold. Afterall she was there and with Jim when the keyboard got smashed. Alastair hasn't told her anything.
But Shula was the one nursing Jim when he first came to Ambridge, and she did keep badgering Alistair to talk to him. she could also be the one to notice how close Jazzer is to breaking point.

You can care about someone without liking them.

Shula hinted at her guess about Jim, and Alistair did not correct her. So he didn't actually tell her.

Jim is part of her previous life with Alistair, I can see why she might want to help. And I think she is doing so by talking to Alistair. And better than his fraught conversations with Fiona.

I bloody hate Shula. Why on earth has she been in almost every single episode in recent months? The existential crises, guilt, interfering and god-bothering, can she just piss off now? She must be rolling in it after all this airtime.