🌱 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!

So there are going to be 97 million pavlovas made by every single person in the village? Because David isn’t going to remember to pass on the reason for the pavlova bribe to Ruth, is he?

Great hilarity will ensue …

And if Josh so much as glances at Beth from now on, I’ll deck him myself.

And if Josh so much as glances at Beth from now on, I’ll deck him myself
I'm hopeful there won't be another sibling love triangle - surely they won't rehash the Emma-Will-Ed thing?

I hope honk Beth is too sensible and straightforward to get herself into a mess like Emma.

Yet another brothers after the same girl story seems a bit much after Ed/Wil, Rex/Toby

As a child I envied my friend who had an older sister and older brother, but I don't envy Ben in that respect.

What game is that creep Justin playing?

Is this the first we knew of his prior connection with Stella?

All this skulduggery - it’s not on.

Really did not enjoy this evening. If this is the way TA is going I’ll be out of the door with R4 soon …

Surely Ben knew his grandmother well enough to know that she wouldn't be jealous of cake made by Beth?

And cake jeopardy - I was on the edge of my seat

Was today also Sunday in Ambridge?

If so I'm mildly pleased that Justin appears to be lying to Lighthouse Lil about what he's up to. That lunch sounded very cosy. I don't think Lighthouse would be very pleased to find out he sneaked away at the weekend to have a completely pointless lunch with a much younger woman.

I’d love to know how Justin and Stella get around the county that enables them to freely down wine at lunchtime. Taxi? Hardly likely.

Anyway I thought having just clearly got her into that job, it was making himself look stupid by implying that he knew a farm sale was likely. Like, why would you do that to someone you rate??!

Ben was pathetic but Josh is being a cake c*nt and deserves feeding to his own chickens. I’d like to hear him fall head over heels and confess all to Beth to try and nick her off Ben, only to be roundly told to eff off and alienated from the family. He’s always thought he’s better than Ben just as Pip thinks she’s better than both of them.

I think Justin only found out about the possible sale when Lillian let it slip. He probably had no idea when he got Stella the job.

The slapstick with the cake was excruciating. Two grown men physically fighting over a cake! Ruth and David must be awful parents to produce such toxic competitive relationships between their offspring.

I didn’t hear slapstick - it was alarmingly cruel and disturbing. Josh, out of pure, unadulterated envy, manipulated his younger brother into feeling fearful about two overwhelmingly important relationships, and Ben … Lord knows what hampered his brain yesterday.

But, as I said, if this is the sort of man Josh is developing into I’m not sure I’ll want to be listening over the next few years. He needs preemptive locking up.

I agree about Josh. His behaviour is also unkind to his gran. Josh called Ben Jill’s favourite grandchild so there is jealousy there.

Is this the first we knew of his prior connection with Stella? It's yet another example of Justin's lack of a proper hinterland being used to introduce a random plot twist. It's one of my absolute bugbears and I've wittered on about it on more than one occasion so I won't repeat myself here except to say that I simply don't believe in him because his character flip flops around according to the requirements of the plot. Any plot he is involved in will require a certain suspension of disbelief. Tedious.

@EdmontinaDonsAutumnalHues

I didn’t hear slapstick - it was alarmingly cruel and disturbing. Josh, out of pure, unadulterated envy, manipulated his younger brother into feeling fearful about two overwhelmingly important relationships, and Ben … Lord knows what hampered his brain yesterday.

But, as I said, if this is the sort of man Josh is developing into I’m not sure I’ll want to be listening over the next few years. He needs preemptive locking up.

I agree with you but I think it was supposed to be slapstick. But then I think Punch and Judy is alarmingly and cruel and disturbing and that is definitely meant to be slapstick.

Josh is a very nasty piece of work.

Yes I agree re Justin. Early on when he appeared in Ambridge he was a aid to have had ‘family from Borcestershire’ and that’s never been followed up. I wondered at first if Stella was going to turn out to be related. Or even a past conquest!

Yes he’d only just heard about the idea of Brian selling Hone Farm but he wasn’t at all apologetic to Stella. Is she going to be able to keep stüm around Brian about it? I presume so, because what’s the point of telling us that she has a secret connection with Justin then it being revealed almost immediately.

But what is Justin up to, exactly? If it was just that he tipped an esteemed former employee off about a good job and thought it better people didn’t know, he wouldn’t be having expensive lunches with her in secret.
Hmm.

@EdmontinaDonsAutumnalHues

All this skulduggery - it’s not on.

Really did not enjoy this evening. If this is the way TA is going I’ll be out of the door with R4 soon …

and I will be close behind you. I have got to the stage now when I don't mind missing an episode as I know nothing interesting will have happened.

I assumed Justin wanted a mole at Home Farm so he would always be one step ahead in Borchester Land contract negotiations.

Now … I imagine in his mind’s eye he’s already sold off, at huge profit, whatever he’s planning to build on Home Farm land after he’s bought it at a knockdown price.

I agree Justin had only just found out, but he didn’t convey that to Stella: “I’m so sorry I’ve only just heard the farm’s in danger or I wouldn’t have suggested you work there.” It was more “mwuhahaha I made you throw your lot in with Home Farm and now it’s going to be sold.” If a friend/work acquaintance dropped that on me I’d have walked out! So I guess the question is what’s Stella’s game here? Spy back?

Nigella says it’s Cinnamon Day in Sweden today. If only we had Chelsea Bun Day here. I suppose we have Hot Cross Bun Day on Good Friday but that’s not exactly the same…

Sorry - Cinnamon Bun Day

I got the strong impression too that Stella and Justin were former lovers as well as being linked through work.

If Beth were at all sensible she would run away fast from those two immature brothers.

Or is it just that someone like Justin will flirt with anything in a skirt? There definitely seemed to be a power balance in the relationship, didn’t there? Interesting.

*However, there seemed to be…

I dunno, Roy. I was shocked to see that Josh is 24 years old!!! And Ben is only 19. I thought they were closer in age, but last night makes it clear that Josh’s ribbing of Ben is becoming nasty bullying. I can understand Ben getting in a muddle about how his gran would feel v girlfriend (although not so far as to actively sabotage her handiwork, that’s stupid) since he’s so young. Josh ought to be moving out and stop creeping over his baby brother’s girlfriend.

Any idea how old Beth is?

Ben seems to be very attractive to women - the doctor, Evie, now Beth.

I imagine Josh and Pip have quite sour, superior expressions a lot of the time.

Interesting that only Ben has his own working dog.