Discuss The Archers #107: Beware of the Dragon! Peggy's in her den awaiting bids - who gets the hoard and who gets flamed?

[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 @MrsGrindah for inspiration for the title of this thread. I was hoping to find a way to combine it with @C8H10N4O2's inspired suggestion of '"The Assumption of the Ambridge Angel' and @chemenger's comment 'I hope she gets kicked in the head by a horse and wakes up an atheist', but it all got a bit too lengthy.

Odds on Joe shuffling off this mortal coil before this thread ends? We've been marking/anticipating his passing for a while now.

Yup, good call re Freddy and The Stables (sounds like a 1950s band!).

Last year, when we had the simultaneous big storylines of the Aldridges leaving Home Farm and Shula and Alistair separating, I was convinced that it was a last hurrah for Charles Collingwood and Judy Bennett before a well-deserved real-life retirement, but I was obviously very wrong!

With a plague on both the houses of our star crossed lovers and a flood at number 1 the green, one can only reason that the Ambridge gods are displeased somehow. I'm just waiting on news of an infestation. Hints of the dangers to elder sufferers have been subtle as a brick.

Ahem!

Can I be the first to erm ... ship () Oliver and Tracey?

Me, on the 7th Aug.

And of course Shula can manage time or absence for whatever study or training she might need. She has an entire village full of relatives and Archer-dependent associates who would give their eye teeth to step in and help out at the stables. Although inevitably the SWs will put us all through several hand wringing crises before things fall into place.

And besides - the health spa is (or should be) only a small part of GG. Tracy’s job, particularly when she supplants Lynda, will probably develop more into PR and broadening the client base.

Oh Quater I didn't see that (or I might have forgotten it) Sorry.

Also the Health Spa is run by Kirsty . Towels are generally supplied to the rooms by the chambermaids.

Very funny, not about TA but the 'cookie' people must despair about me. (I remove every one I get) they have now accompanied this thread with one for "risk of groundwater pollution"

it was irritating that Will didn't know stuff about chickenpox he could have googled. I don't get the impression that Will is a great internet user. My cousin, a country man with an accent very similar to Will's, doesn't even have internet.

Gosh yes wouldn't it be marvellous if Shula was shipped off to to a seminary for a bit, or the C of E equivalent DH has been researching silent orders of nuns. Ever hopeful.

For whoever asked about a numnah - google says it's a pad, often of sheepskin, placed under the saddle. I love the way people's hobbies reveal a whole new terminology. "Cow's tails" anyone? Or "donkey's dick"?

Has Ed & Emma’s ship really sailed? How will Chris & Alice sticking their oar into Kate’s love life end? Can Shula walk on water? Are we all too busy shipping Oliver & Tracy to care? Come and discuss whatever floats your boat in The Archers.

Yes Quater that's good, a marine theme I hope it doesn't sink

Shula doesn't have to become a vicar - she could become a Lay Preacher and help Alan cover all the churches in the Parish. Perhaps the CofE will suggest that to her? All the church-goers talk about how good Alan's sermons can be. There is potential for tension between the two of one proves much more popular than the other. One of them could find themselves preaching to almost no one.

Shula doesn't have to become a vicar - she could become a Lay Preacher and help Alan cover all the churches in the Parish

Probably just my mind but that made me cackle.

Of course this won’t go smoothly. Shula will need something to agonise over, accompanied by much hand wringing and sighing to Alistair. How he only divorced her and didn’t strangle her I’ll never know.

Oh and by the way..thought I’d better remind you all that Adam and Ian’s “bebeh “ is due anytime soon so that’ll be a barrel of laughs too no doubt.

( Mrs Grindah Looks To The Future)

It was Shula who divorced Alistair, not the other way around. But now he thinks the divorce was absolutely the right thing, she seems to be hovering around him, like an annoying wasp, even more than when they were married.

I wish he'd tell her to buzz off, and let him get on with his life, that was sooo boring to her.

Shula is already a Lay Reader which is the C of E version of a Lay Preacher - so can preach sermons. She could have also trained as a Pastoral Assistant to do the more hands on caring stuff. But she will probably be going to become a Locally Ordained Minister - if she gets through discernment (and I've known perfectly nice people struggle at this point - and I believe several people have had to go through it more than once).

Freddie taking over at the stables would be an excellent move for him long term and one which I have been saying (not on here) was an obvious solution to a number of problems for a while.

BUT he has no qualifications and little experience, Joanne can keep running things but expecting a complete handover to happen quickly is unrealistic. It would be an ideal plan for Shula's retirement though, especially as she may want to cut back on the physical aspects.

It doesn't solve the issue of how long it would take Shula to train or the sacrifices she would be expected to make.

Incidentally I can't think of any Archer who would be keen to help at the stables other than Freddie.

Not many Archers are horsey, in fact in the whole of Ambridge there is very little interest in horses which is slightly surprising given the demographic.

Shula and Christine obviously are serious about horses and have qualifications/experience.

Chris Carter works with horses as a farrier but that doesn't mean he knows much about their day to day management and I don't believe he rides.

Justin, Lillian and Oliver all ride regularly but use Shula's livery services.

Alice has/has a pony, spearmint, although he has been forgotten recently. She last rode I think with Debbie when she was visiting. Debbie said something about missing riding.

Helen rode a couple of times during the Rob years. She referred to not having ridden since she was a child but quite enjoyed it. She hasn't ridden since.

Joe Grundy has two ponies, Bartleby and Gem, he drives them and keeps them on a budget at Grundy Field. Eddie and Ed help him with them so presumably have some knowledge.

Many farmers view horses as an expensive nuisance that use good pasture and earn no money. So I can't really imagine anyone other than Freddie taking over the running of the stables as they are.

Maybe Debbie will come back and run it. Or Phoebe might take it on.

Phoebe knows nothing about horses! If she took over (and it was at all realistic) it would quickly go bankrupt as everyone moved their Livery horses out.

In Ambridge people interested in horses: Lilian, Justin, Shula, Jakob (I assume), Freddie, Debbie, Alice, Helen (was a horsemad teen), maybe Joe, Oliver (again kind of...), oh and Christine. I can't think of anyone else.
Really Freddie should be encourage to go on an Equine Management course - ideally degree level.

I think Phoebe will get together with Rex and will be Phoebe Fairbrother and i was looking for a suitable career for an Oriel PPE graduate. Stables fits the bill IMO.

Phoebe should leave the village and live with her aunt Brenda in London before carving out a fabulous career for herself.

Stables fits the bill IMO.

Brilliant!

YY to Shula needing something to agonise about! And about her joining a silent order of nuns. That would be marvellous! [Although do the C of E have those? Not sure.]

That's a splendid idea about Freddy running the stables too. Although I was looking forward to the sws exploring the potential controversy that comes with a hunting vicar as in this news story. It would appear that tending to one's flock (spiritually speaking) is not compatible with following the pack.

Lexiloo I had forgotten all about Spearmint!

A hunting vicar is a Trollope staple character.

Such a shame Brenda left. I listened to the Tom and Bren getting engaged episode so many times. I thought the world of Tom back then. The real Tom Archer...
Only Nigel's murder hurt me more. I could shout from the rooftops about that one.
All in the name of drama.

linseedill I think the scriptwriters have forgotten about spearmint too!

He used to be a regular, I am sure the horses used to be a more regular feature with the hunt and the team chase as well as the stables.

I seem to remember Alice being on a team for the team chase with Nigel...... can't remember who else was on the team though, probably Shula, could it have been Caroline?

The hunt should really be occupying more of Shula's time. A traditional fox hunt in the shires could well be out twice a week Sept-March and there is all the prep, the maintenance of the kennels, breeding, puppy walking, hound shows, fund raising, building hunt jumps, sweet talking landowners, fittening the horses for the new season (her own, the hunting liveries and the hirelings that she had when Helen and Rob went hunting)