💀 Archers thread #132: The Grim Reaper joined the cast; The Bard of Ambridge breathed his last. 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 think Shula will make an excellent vicar, or other unusual things.

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/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 many of you for title suggestions. @JanglyBeads said that this thread had to be a Bert tribute so needed a rhyming title. From an excellent field, I chose the suggestion from @BorsetshireBanality (who also has a cracking username).

Check out the last thread for the other suggestions and various poetic offerings inspired by Bert Fry's passing. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/4349822--Archers-thread-131-A-time-to-plant-a-time-to-reap-Discuss-The-Archers-here

So, who'll get the bungalow? Rex, Stella, Pip? If Rex has to move, will he doss down beside his pigs at Lower Loxley? Or will Rex be a resident at Her Majesty's pleasure, having bumped off Trevor for being the world's most boring man? Now Freddie's on the case, are Russ's days at LL numbered? Will we ever hear Jill again, or was Bert just the first of many older cast members to be dedded?

Over to you!

My mum definitely would @WhoppingBigBackside

When we moved to Yorkshire from Scotland, I was amazed to find what we knew as rolls (morning rolls), a staple of every shop selling bread, were unknown. The grocer suggested bridge rolls as a substitute and the baker pointed to the oven bottom cakes. As the vowel sounds in oven bottom cakes were also a revelation, the whole exchange has remained burned in my memory for over 50 years.

Like this. What are the traditional baked goods associated with the West Midlands?

Not west midlands but not far - shrewsbury cake and fidget pie

I'm very partial to the oat in most forms (but not oat milk).

I get very nice parkin from Ocado.

As we're on MN, I should mention SoupDragon's glorious flapjack recipe, which requires oats, butter, condensed milk and golden syrup. I can't make it too often as it's like crack. I bet Pat makes the kind of flapjacks which are very worthy and 'healthy', but take a lot of chewing and sweeping up all the loose bits that fall off because there isn't enough butter in there to hold them together.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

As we're on MN, I should mention SoupDragon's glorious flapjack recipe, which requires oats, butter, condensed milk and golden syrup. I can't make it too often as it's like crack. I bet Pat makes the kind of flapjacks which are very worthy and 'healthy', but take a lot of chewing and sweeping up all the loose bits that fall off because there isn't enough butter in there to hold them together.

Pat's flapjacks wouldn't be any good for throwing at people then. they would fall apart before they hit the target.

So I can assume that I shouldn't rush to listen to the last two episodes?

It was ok tonight. A bit different, but if I said why, it might be a spoiler for you. Somebody sounded a bit different to usual, sort of less stressed

Tell us on the Spoiler thread!

(Otherwise I’ll spend all night trying to unravel the … erm … mystery.)

Hah! Yes, Adam sounded like Pigling Bland as he extolled the virtues of vegetable gardening. It was actually a relatively good episode. Harrison has proved why he really should stick to good old-fashioned policing and leave fighting organised crime and catching slavemasters to the special squads set up for that very purpose. Amazing he kept his job after a quick chat with the inspector- wouldn’t an internal investigation normally have been launched?

And then there’s Natasha….She’s really hit the spot this week and I’ve enjoyed getting cross with her! She’s absolutely right that the old orchard is a good spot for her business and that Fallon has no rights over it; but she seemed to really savour the thought of the disruption she is about to cause…

@EdmontinaTiresofNameFlipping, Roysnewshirt has summed it up for you

Okay, that narrows down the guessing. (Is the flat over the Village Shop about to become more crowded? Until they throw Pat and Tony into a pig pen.)

But I want to know your source, WhoppingBigBackside - that’s the most interesting thing! (Or is it something everyone knows, except me?)

I hope the response is "No is a complete sentence , Natasha"

In any case Gnasher's business sounds as implausible as the re-wilding project.

@WhoppingBigBackside

It was ok tonight. A bit different, but if I said why, it might be a spoiler for you. Somebody sounded a bit different to usual, sort of less stressed

It isn't a spoiler if the episode has been broadcast.

Adam seemed to go through an almost Tiggeresque conversion. Maybe he's happiest when decisions are out of his control.

Not sure if there was a source. I listened to it.

Not a spoiler for anyone who listened but I wanted to make it sound intriguing.

Ah, I see.

It was worth a listen

It was nice to hear both Kirsty and Harrison admit that they are idiots. The Police Officer who gave Harrison his bollocking clearly doesn't drink from the waters of the Am, as she sounded sane and bright.

Adam is a changed man. I wonder if he will be able to pay his share of the mortgage with what he earns from picking veg at Bridge Farm.

Well, I’ve said before that Adam is clearly rushing towards a SAHD role. Perhaps that’s why the SWs refused to provide the pair with any organised childcare - because we were always going to arrive at this conclusion?

Dunno about their mortgage. Despite increasingly desperate plot lines intended to convince me that the Home Farm clan are practically destitute, my abiding impression is that they all have more than enough money to do exactly as they choose with their lives.

Oh dear. Have I overstepped? I thought it’s not a spoiler to discuss what happened after the programme has been aired, even if others haven’t listened.

Phew. Cross-posting

@CaptainMyCaptain

Surely porridge made with water generates its own oat milk?

You would think so but it tastes different made with oat milk. More creamy.

Isn’t that because it now has double milk?

@LillianGish

Spikelets? Is that even a thing - my spellcheck clearly thinks so.

Spikelet is a little spike. As in a flower like Astilbe whose flower spike is made up of smaller spikes. Usually if a word sounds dubious, you’ll find it in Botany somewhere.