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.

There again, if Jim hadn't been such a bad tempered grump all these years then people might be cutting him some more slack

That's harsh. Jim doesn't suffer fools gladly and can be ridiculously competitive about some things but he is a serial, reliable volunteer, has often quietly supported people and I don't remember the lovelies of TA volunteering to take in Jazzer when he was homeless.

The recent behaviour is totally at odds with this and if Jill wasn't so prejudiced against him she would have noticed that.

Jim is not an angel, I dont think we need to pretend that he is. He is sometimes very rude, and that is not just a recent thing. His good points make us forget his flaws, the same is true of Lillian, and Lynda, the three of them have a kindness something which I am not sure can be said of Jill for example.

I had better tell my male neighbour not to ride his Arab!

It is completely out of character for Justin to ride an Arab. He is a substantial late middle aged country gentleman.

At last a bit of life from Pat. Thank god. Had she gone further in telling Tom some home truths, I'd have sat up in bars and applauded her.

What a grade A bonafide arse Tom is.

Sat up in bars? In BED. Good lord I haven't seen the inside of a bar for decades ...

Funnily enough I just came across an image of the 'real-life' Justin, Simon Williams, because I was thinking about that old BBC horsey drama, Flambards, from the seventies, and mistakenly thought he was in it.

He is VERY slim, but 6'3".

I know this makes no sense but I have always thought of Justin as small.

Jill was an utter bitch and didn’t actually regret it at all, she just didn’t like being told off. She’s got that “I’m old, I can be as rude as I like” attitude I’ve observed in my MIL from time to time. She hates it when anyone calls her out on it as well. They call it speaking the truth, it’s actually just nasty. Good for Leonard for putting her in her place.

Go Pat!

So is Justin too tall or too fat for an Arab? (Not being rude, just telling it like it is rather than the euphemisms ‘substantial gentleman’ we’ve had).

“Substantial” wasn’t meant to be a euphemism. It was just meant I convey physical stature and personality. I don’t think he would feel he was presenting himself as he wanted to be seen on a small, slight horse. I think the SW just picked Arab because they thought it sounded like a posh horse. Justin would ride a hunter.

Yes! Pat had me shouting at the radio, "Go on girl, let him have it with both barrels"

They're probably like me. I thought Arab meant something like thoroughbred. Had no idea it is also descriptive of size.

It’s not descriptive of size as such. They are small, very lightly built horses. They are very strong so could probably carry Justin, but if he looks how I imagine him, it would look very disproportionate. And in his eyes, probably undignified.

Average sized Arab being ridden by average sized 15 year old girl. You see my point!

Yep, and the SW probably also liked the idea of the Amir and Aziz names. Next week listen out for Shula praising Justin for ”gripping with his heels” as he gallops past.

Until I googled, (prompted by a previous post way back), my image of an Arab was a thoroughbred race horse, no idea they were small.

I have galloped once, accidently in my teens. You would have been impressed by my gripping of the mane. It was thrilling, horse's gait suddenly smooth, ground rushing past us, I thought "what?" then realised we were galloping . Are you supposed to grip with your knees and thighs?

Why on earth Jazzer didn't say Jim had a virus he couldn't shake off? Noone would believe that all those no-shows were due to diary clashes.

Oh I have no idea about correct riding technique but years ago Freddie’s ability to “grip with his heels” was praised by Shula and the BBC message boards exploded in fury at how little the SWs knew about matters equestrian.

I agree, he’s an eighty (ish) year old man, an illness would have been perfectly plausible and only a white lie given that Jim is struggling mentally at the moment. The diary clash thing was too obviously a lie and bound to get people’s backs up.

Tom needed to be slapped about when he whined that he didn't ask Johnny and Tony to use buckets for the water for the pigs. How the hell else did he think they were going to deal with it when the hose wasn't findable?

Tom needed to be slapped about when he whined that he didn'taskJohnny and Tony to use buckets for the water for the pigs. How the hell else did he think they were going to deal with it when the hose wasn't findable?
And how loudly would he have complained if the pigs' welfare had been compromised because they did nothing rather than using their brains and muscles?

BertrandRussell
*Justin ... is a substantial late middle aged country gentleman.8

He is not a country gentleman, or a gentleman at all. He is a hedge-fund manager and dubious businessman from the city who has a house in the country which he forced his girlfriend to sell to him, following that by leaving her at the altar just as much as Tom left Kirsty while weaseling his way into remaining in a relationship with her.

He is an oik with money.

About Tom:

What does what he said about his new app even mean?

“And I’d like to look over the most recent Bridge Fresh figures. Since the launch, turnover’s gone up almost ten per cent.”

But at the launch, turnover at Bridge Fresh was zero because until the launch it didn't exist and had no turnover of any sort. How do you have ten per cent of zero?

One of the things that annoyed me about the way Tom roped Johnny into doing the pigs, was how he refused to take no for an answer, and just talked over (again) Johnny objecting, as he legged it out of the door. I know Johnny doesn't feel it's his place to have a go at Tom, but he really should have been more assertive, and also agreed with Pat when she told Tom that Johnny agreed with her.

Now, they all need to stick together, and stop letting Tom get away with things.

I still can't believe that someone who supposedly knows about business, didn't source an alternative supplier, to see if it was viable, before deciding on getting rid of the pigs. Even I know you should do that! And now he's finding that suppliers for his requirements are thin on the ground. So stupid.