🐠 Archers thread #135: An Everyday Story of Fishy Folk. 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 would be delighted to be given a goldfish named after your ex, 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/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.)

Apologies for ignoring the various title suggestions on the last thread. However, here they are, plus a couple of other pithy observations, to kickstart the new thread. I think it's fair to say nobody is looking on this as a Golden Era! Goldfish Era, though ...

@Roysnewshirt: Everyone wants more! Chris wants more Amy; Jazzer wants more Tracey; Alice wants more time with Martha and Amy wants more space… Very true. And now we know Kirsty wants more farming expertise in the rewilding project, but not Pip (thank the lord) so does that mean approaching Adam? Currently under-employed.

@LillianGish: I tune in to hear birdsong and bleating in the English countryside not hammy acting and suggestive grunting.

@stilldumdedumming: Archers is good at the dynamics of family, farming, what it means to have your job, your home and your inheritance so closely aligned etc etc not this nonsense!

@DoctorTwo: Like fuck would Pheobe buy her parents a goldfish each. The Ambridge character transplant fairy has been working overtime this past few weeks, it's been absolutely fucking appalling bar a couple of exceptions.

Can't disagree with any of that. I want to hear more about the pigs and any other effects of Brexit. A topical insert about the war in Ukraine must surely be on the way.

Any happy listeners out there? Any disgruntled listeners with even more grumbles? Over to you!

Delighted that Chris has immediately broken the promise to put Amy at front and centre of all his decisions. His response sounded to me very much like the classic "I don't want to commit to you but if there's any sex going I'm definitely not going to say no".

People in their 60s were in their 20s in their 70s and 80s. That's mine and my friend's parents generation, the one every kid thought was innocent and dull but later discovered they knew more about smoking pot, free love and punk than all their know it all Camden Town 6th former off spring put together.

I think you might be a similar age to me Bramble, and picturing 60 year olds from your child hood, in the same way I still think the 70s was 30 years ago and 20 year old cars are attractively angular and don't look like bubbles.

I really hope that's just Amy off then. That was an embarrassing listen. I wonder if Alan will come wading in again.

Ha ok I apologise and take it back.

Maybe I am privy to too many sad dating experiences of people in their 60s and 70s. I do know others who have a different attitude e.g. FWBs and had a wilder time in the 60s and 70s, but many people in that era did marry straight out of school/college and never dated and seem to find the post-marriage dating world a total mystery and very casual.

Mostly I just feel absolutely agog that ANYONE who grew up in the era of internet dating could think post-one shag is the time to say they love someone ESPECIALLY when that person is in the middle of a messy divorce with a child involved and half the village already at war over it.

@WhoppingBigBackside

The 'fallen in love with you' is like a bucket of cold water or in this case, a bucket of tepid porridge

Really glad the Amy-as-porridge thing is catching on. Every time I hear her voice I just picture a bubbling pot of it.

I'm a water not milk porridge person, and make it by pouring boiling water on oats and leaving it for 5 mins

Amy is a bowl of milky stewed porridge that's gone tepid. Akin to a pile of oatcake vomit

Although porridge massively let herself down again when it because apparent she'd definitely left Alice alone reeling all night and not given Fallon or anybody else a heads up.
Not quite so good for one after all.

* My recipe is probably not a traditional one. They're just steel cut oats, none of that instant s*te

I'd no idea you can make porridge like that. My dad's a firm one-cup-of-oats-one-cup-of-water-boil-it-to-death guy.

I just can't believe Porridge has been snivelling around the village cringing about her terrible behaviour sleeping with Alice's ex, and then promptly tries to get into a full blown relationship with him. If sleeping with him is bad, is going out with him fine then? Is that NOT going to drive Alice back to drink (not that it's her responsibility)?

Amy is a millennial. The SWs mostly aren't. I fear the fourth wall is smashed to rubble for me whenever we have scenes involving this storyline.

I am a Scot but I'm not that keen on porridge. I like oats but rarely eat them in the form of porridge. When I do, I make it to my mother's recipe, which is rolled oats, cold water and salt, cooked till it thickens, served with cold milk.

My husband, who isn't Scottish, makes porridge that resembles some sort of DIY filler for cracks in the wall. Rolled oats and milk cooked together until so thick you could stand a spoon up in it. Awful.

Amy is like either of those. Very, very dull and bland.

@BowerOfBramble

I'd no idea you can make porridge like that. My dad's a firm one-cup-of-oats-one-cup-of-water-boil-it-to-death guy.

Yes, It tastes oaty, as you can imagine. Under half a mug of oats, boiling water. Very filling, bland but I like my food simple.

You can add things like dried fruit if you like, or use oatmeal instead of oats

Other stuff you can eat without cooking include couscous and bulghur wheat.

You need to add boiling water to the couscous and bulghur, then leave for 5 mins or about 20 mins respectively

yes love a bit of bulghur - am now waiting for WhoppingBigBackside's Whopping Big Book of Food You Can Cook By Pouring Water On It.

I'm very lazy and eat a lot of lettuce. Rinse under tap, shake,

, eat it

For a bit of variation, you can eat different salad leaves.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g, LTB obvs

@BowerOfBramble, and then promptly tries to get into a full blown relationship with him

dreadful. She is definitely duller than porridge

I've had 40+ years to get used to his weird habits.

Glad you don't pour boiling water over lettuce!

Hahahaa how have I not heard that song before? Love Finnemore. Wish there was an album.

Wonder what they'll do with Kursedy now she's not going to

Who in Ambridge do you reckon has a ?

I’m a Scot and I hate porridge, no matter what it is made of and no matter how it is made. I can’t swallow it, it’s the only food that makes my gag as soon as I put it in my mouth. I eat muesli with yogurt (I don’t like milk either). I like anything made with oats except slimy grey porridge (I await the chorus of “you’d like my porridge. My porridge isn’t slimy and grey” - I’ve heard it all before. All porridge is slimy and grey)

Kursedy was going to Plovdiv in Bulgaria not Hungary.

I've had the 'Try it, you'll like it' too, and no I didn't. I got the gag reflex.There are a few things that I can't handle the mouthfeel of them, and milky cooked oatmeal is one of them, as is chocolate cake and a vanilla cake.

I knew Hungary was wrong but wanted to sneak in a link. Thanks for the correction

On the subject of things that don't need cooking, I made some of the TA product placement item aka Instant Whip and although it was OK, it would have been better with whole milk

And here's the image

I'm sure I'm supposed to be doing something...

@EBearhug

Does anyone in real life say 'I think I'm falling in love with you.'?

I thought it was, "do you think we should be exclusive?" these days.

I think nowadays it's "will you be my girlfriend?" (going off my DS & mates...)