🌱 Archers thread #131: A time to plant, a time to reap. Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

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 also have a few millions lying around you're not sure how to invest, or other unusual things.

Spoilers: not on this thread, please. We don't wait for the omnibus to discuss the week night episodes, but we do try our best to avoid cross-contamination from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/4197199--The-Archers-spoilers-thread-6-Cant-wait-for-7-02pm-Join-us-here, 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 @Roysnewshirt and @Edmontine for title suggestions, and apologies to anyone I’ve missed or forgotten. In the end, inspired by Edmontine's idea and a brief discussion at the end of the last thread, I remembered that it's autumn now and the Ambridge farmers are presumably sowing barley, winter wheat, potatoes etc, so I found myself recollecting Ecclesiastes 3 (King James version) - my Church of Scotland upbringing has a lot to answer for. This led me back to one of my favourite numbers by The Byrds (written by Pete Seeger):

Roysnewshirt suggested Prayer cards, rehab, a glass of scotch, a bowl of chilli or even a dish of lasagne…we offer a range of solutions here to help you solve any Ambridge problem - large or small etc etc, which is as good a point as any to start this thread. Do we think Neil and Susan are solid again? Will Alice relapse? Will Shula confess all to the Bishop?

Reflecting on last night's offering, Edmontine said I’m musing on Baby steps … - but we need the culmination of Alice’s story this week. We have a new nurse in training, a possibly resigning midwife settling in Ambridge, Xander, Martha, Alice somewhere trying to find her feet sans grog, Shula trying to find her saintly feet sans Neil …B(ill)eth & Ben. Lots and lots of newness. Stir in Three’s blood and jam …

The blood and jam made me laugh. A lot. Just as well, as the storyline that line inspired is pants.

Over to you!

Could the plot to sell farm part of a bigger plan to slowly wipe the whole of Ambridge off the map? The farmhouse has disappeared into the ether since it was sold to the Gills, never to be mentioned again. Is the same thing about to happen to the farm itself? I think the reality is that Adam is missing Brian (his new boss is proving even more of a taskmaster and Adam can't just storm off in a huff) and Brian is missing Adam (he can't push Stella around in the way he could Adam) - it seems both are slowly destined to conclude that it's a case of better the devil you know. I agree with the pp who said the sale of home farm is likely to be a rehashing of the Great Move North - a story that concluded with the death of Heatherpet, so watch out Peggy.

It's also interesting that a declaration to sell Home Farm should have led to nothing more than a discussion about the relative merits about You and Yours and Any Answers. I think that tells us everything we need to know about how convincing this particular storyline is.

Maybe Brian could phone You & Yours or JD could ask in Property/DIY.

Interesting point, Lilian! It could be argued that this has happened many times before. Oddly, the villagers don't seem to notice.

Arkwright Hall - I think this overlooks a lake in the Country Park which surrounds Grey Gables. It must be a significant building given that it's now owned by the Landmark Trust* and therefore presumably rented out to holidaymakers but it hasn't been mentioned for years.

Vineyard in the centre of the village - this is from well before my time, but I believe the Tregorrans lived in a house which may have been called Manor Court and had a vineyard there. Nobody has mentioned this for decades.

Somewhere on the outskirts of the village - another Manor House. The old Squire Lawson-Hope and his family lived there for centuries. They were still the owners of most of the farms in the Ambridge area in the early 1950s. Since then there have been numerous changes of ownership of the estate(s).

The Cat and Fiddle, the village's other pub, closed and was converted into flats decades ago. Nobody ever mentions them.

Weren't there flats at Hollowtree, the erstwhile pig unit, too, which also seemed to get forgotten, until the SWs decided that Hollowtree was in fact still an agricultural unit and got the Dopeys to rent it out to Rex and Toby for the turkeys?

Many more, I'm sure.

*Years ago we spent a few holidays in Landmark Trust properties and I used to enjoy browsing through their handbook. Baffled by non-inclusion of Arkwright Hall, but if it had fallen into a sinkhole that explains it.

@ILoveShula

Maybe Brian could phone You & Yours or JD could ask in Property/DIY.

Money Box would be the best phone in for that. Mr W0nderD0g enjoys the Saturday lunchtime broadcast but is fortunately otherwise engaged at the time of the phone in.

Did you have a link to te discussion about the PM interview, @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g. When I heard it, I thought a few things and am curious as to what others thought.

Yes, here you go. First thread on this subject appears to have been zapped so contributions to this thread had to be carefully worded, as far as I can see. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4360549-Freddie-thread-zapped

Thanks @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

I don’t know if Money Box Live has ever done one on selling the family farm but I’d definitely listen if they did.

I can imagine Shula would enjoy You And Yours, @ILoveShula. Jenny would listen to Woman’s Hour and enjoy ringing up Lilian/Kate/Debbie and saying “well darling DID you know that apparently there’s something called ‘wifework’? How silly!”

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g, MoneyBox is the right programme for it, you are right. I don't mind Money box. I find the programmes informative without having to listen. Quite a lot of R4 is like that.

I don't enjoy some of the plays and books. Any programme on music (e.g. Soul Music) makes me reach for the off switch.

I'm not sure about Fortunately. It's a bit like eavesdropping on an older sister chatting to her friend.

As someone whose poor exh had to sell some land as part of our divorce settlement I’m intrigued by this. Apparently Home Farm is 1922 acres, and assuming it is prime arable land will be worth around £10k/acre. Therefore Alice’s 1/13th share will be valued at a minimum of £1.4m. On top of that will be the farm machinery which will have a considerable value, so I foresee an expensive valuation of the whole business. And I now realise I’ve forgotten the cottages too. The best solution would be to give Chris the cottage and sell some land with the best road frontage (usually at a 50% premium), that way they might only have to sell 30 acres or so, definitely not the whole farm.

Why doesn't Brian get on the phone to ask Jeremy Clarkson who he used to use to run his sprawling acres? Presumably Charlie dealt with all the contractors.

I thought the whole point of hiring Stella as farm manager was that he could become very "hands off".

I've stayed in a few Landmark Trusts over the years (2-6 bedrooms). I think one gentleman is responsible for furnishing and equipping them.

Won’t Stella be just a wee bit pissed off to discover her new boss intends to sell the land she’s been hired to manage?

Couldn’t chris be given the cottage and some shares? Why would there be a need to sell (unless/until Alice wants cash to buy her own place).

If Chris had any integrity at all he would take his beady eyes right off Home Farm. He has contributed zero to its success and it’s clearly an Aldridge asset and nothing to do with him, whatever the legal situation regarding Alice’s share might be.

I suppose I should acknowledge that we do actually only have Brian’s interpretation of what Chris might/might not be after. He hasn’t actually said he wants a slice of Home Farm. Yet. If this divorce is going to be as amicable as possible Chris should accept the right to live in the cottage with Martha while she is growing up graciously, potentially with a view to getting half its value (Alice getting the other half) when it’s eventually sold.

Chris didn't want a divorce! and as far as we know a 'settlement' hasn't even crossed his mind. His first thought was that the Aldridges might want him to leave the cottage and he seemed to think this was not unreasonable.

There is no reason to suppose that Chris has the slightest idea of trying to have anything to do with Home Farm apart from living with Brian's grand-daughter in one of the Home Farm cottages. The only person who has had this idea at all is the paranoid Brian. Chris is not "after" anything at all as far as we have heard.

Moss very helpfully pleaded guilty I seem to remember But to get that far they'd have still had to have enough evidence for the CPS to be convinced it would stand up in court.

It's also interesting that a declaration to sell Home Farm should have led to nothing more than a discussion about the relative merits about You and Yours and Any Answers. I think that tells us everything we need to know about how convincing this particular storyline is. Someone made a similar comment about the biscuit conversation. We need another spreadsheet - major storyline - major topic of conversation on here. It might be interesting once we have a couple of years of data.

that way they might only have to sell 30 acres or so, definitely not the whole farm. I think what Brian was saying was if they had to do that, what remained wouldn't be viable as a farm.

What Brian needs to do, now he's had the idea, is talk to his lawyer to discuss the pros and cons of possible options outcomes, and then make an informed decision with the rest of the partners.

What he's probably going to do is piss everyone off, particularly Stella, which he will be surprised at, because after all, she was the one who pointed out the lack of succession, and in the end nothing will happen, apart from Stella going to a better job and Adam coming back.

If he talks to the same lawyer who set up the partnership thing for his property such that he no longer controlled it and could be made homeless because of a decision not made by him, he is a complete sucker.

in the end nothing will happen, apart from Stella going to a better job and Adam coming back my money is on this scenario. Adam will then be feeling more confident about his inheritance prospects with Ruari off the scene until entirely predictably Ruari returns to put a spanner in the works.

Meet Me At The Museum is available on catch up now. I can't recommend it highly enough. Perfect little jewel of a programme

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000tcnr

It's also interesting that a declaration to sell Home Farm should have led to nothing more than a discussion about the relative merits about You and Yours and Any Answers. I think that tells us everything we need to know about how convincing this particular storyline is.

Can I just say that one of the many many joys of this thread is that it swings from intense discussions re plots and characters to things like biscuits and YandY/phone-ins and then back again. The thread police seem to be working overtime at the moment…We usually get back on topic eventually…

Shades of HWMNBN …

This is excruciating.

And then not.

And then …

Poor boy. Surely he’ll run away?

?

?

Oh bloody hell. I was right.