Archers thread #145: The glue that held the Aldridges together is gone. Will they fall apart? 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, and of course we are always delighted to welcome back former or occasional listeners/posters. We don't all agree on all points, although we do mostly try to be civil about it.

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/4636789-the-archers-spoilers-thread-7-cant-wait-for-702pm-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.)

Lillian and I both made the glue observation, so I thought that would be as good a way as any to kick off this new thread. We raced through the last one, for obvious reasons. This one may last until the funeral. Will Tamsin Greig find time to attend? I do hope so.

The poem Jennifer quoted in her journal is here: www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43775/rabbi-ben-ezra It's doubtful whether the last of Jennifer's life was the best, but she had plenty to contend with all the way through.

Over to you!

I have a feeling there's a long tradition of volunteering at the Olympics, which probably started decades ago when it was for amateurs and there was no massive sponsorship involved.

Yes, boop for Joy. I like her irrepressibility.

Oh, Neil Nunes (R4 continuity announcer), you've outed yourself as not paying enough attention to Ambridge character names...

Preamble ahead of this evening's episode mentioned Jakob but as pronounced "JAY-cob".
Tut tut.
😀

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g
I have a feeling there's a long tradition of volunteering at the Olympics, which probably started decades ago when it was for amateurs and there was no massive sponsorship involved.

The PBI had no choice about "volunteering" when it was in London in 2012: their leave was cancelled and they were told they were doing security for the Olympics. G4S had blown it comprehensively, but there was very little notice given to the military about them stepping in to sort out the snafu.

Yes.

Why is Freddie going to inherit, and not Lily?

Primogeniture.

Male primogeniture.

(Lily is the elder twin.)

Hilarious to have All New Jakob this week. But rather delightful to have Kate the Future Farmer on the horizon, she will be ever so keen but absolutely terrible.

not sure why Stella was so awkward and rude with the recently bereaved Kate though, she sounded like a sulky teenager not a farming professional dealing with her employer’s daughter.

Quite a lot of rudeness last night. I too wasn't sure about Stella - have we heard previous run-ins between her and Kate? Do we think that "going back to where you started" means Kate wants to be a farmer??? How? Where? Is she going to demand a job on Home Farm now??

Susan on the other hand was spectacularly rude to Joy wasn't she? I loved when Joy played slightly hard-to-get as a volunteer and particularly when she asked her to say please . And the 'killing her with kindness' approach. Also loved David putting Susan right.

I'm also delighted if Justin's too --self-important.- busy to appear in the shop any more as it means we won't have to listen to him.

My cousin volunteered at the 2012 Olympics (and then at the 2016 ones too in fact). We was a driver driving officials etc to places.
He blagged his way in to the closing ceremony for free by waving his access pass confidently (when his one shouldn't have got him entry).

So Kate forced the sale of Home Farm house to save Spiritual Home, and now she's had a revelation that she doesn't really want it after all? So Kate.

not sure why Stella was so awkward and rude with the recently bereaved Kate though, she sounded like a sulky teenager not a farming professional dealing with her employer’s daughter.

Because Ed was late, she's had next to no interaction with Kate, but has probably picked up vibes Kate is flaky so didn't trust her to do a good job, and she doesn't know where she stands because lines of communication are so rubbish?

not a farming professional dealing with her employer’s daughter.

why should the Farm Manager suck up to the employer's daughter? Why the heck should Stella have said anything other than "I'm waiting for Ed, he is being paid to do this". Kate isn't the lady of the manner, and Stella has zero idea if she's even competent.

Kate is the older of the two children of Brian and Jennifer. I don't think that gives her any rights over Jenny's children and Brian's child, but maybe there could be an entertaining fight . . .

I loved the way Joy made it very clear that she knew what Susan had done, and rubbed her nose in it, but then got on with doing the job. I trust her to work out what thingy (Lilian's bloke, name's gone awol) is up to and put him back in his box.

I love garibaldis. Haven’t had one for ages…

@DeanVolecapeAKAelderberry Mick

I didn’t say she should suck up to her but even when having a crap day at work if my boss’s daughter (who’d just lost her mum) was hanging around I’d at least ask how she was. And refrain from acting like a 13 year old who’s been told she has to share her bedroom. It’s not sucking up it’s professionalism.

That's Joy's bloke. Lilian's is Justin.

@CaptainMyCaptain Ah, yes of course. My brain hasn't got into gear yet!

I’ve never had a garibaldi. Worth the fuss…?

I’m pleased that Joy is in the shop. She’s definitely the most suited to this.

Stella is understandably cynical about any input from Kate whose dedication to helping on the farm will be the equivalent of Justin's to the village shop. She is a dilettante who dresses herself up as a passionate activist, - whether that be towards her children (twice - first with Phoebe then with Noli and Sipho), her New Ageism, her passion for South Africa or her business - in spite of forcing the sale of Home Farm. She flits from one obsession to another without sticking at anything and all the while forcing her latest cause on everyone else (I'm thinking of her veganism now) completely deaf to any opposition. Stella is in an impossible position - Brian was becoming as obstructive as he used to be with Adam and is now going to be awol for the foreseeable future and she now has Kate trying to stick her oar in on the basis that she and Alice once ate a bag of crisps under a tree up what is apparently not even a hill.

Garibaldis are evil squashed fly biscuits….run away

I’ve never had a garibaldi. Worth the fuss…?

I wouldn’t actually go so far as to say they are worth a fuss but they are one of those overlooked pleasures in life. Way better than NICE biscuits, custard creams, or pink wafers but not in the same bracket as a chocolate digestive.

It's so long since I had a Garibaldi that I had to look them up. Yep, thin and dry and pointless. Wikipedia (that mine of misinformation) says they are similar to Eccles cake, which (unless by "similar" they mean "absolutely nothing like") is a filthy slur on Eccles cake.

We never buy biscuits (too tempting to scoff the lot) but Garibaldis are one of my favourites.

I introduced DH to garibaldis recently. I still don't understand how he'd gotten to adulthood without ever hearing of them.

I love biscuits but they all seem so packed with weird ingredients and palm oil these days.

I love Joy so much!

I wonder if/ when it will become clear what Justin was up to in the shop? New supermarket development on green belt SATTC

Male primogeniture.(Lily is the elder twin.)

That would have been primageniture, wouldn't it? Primo is male by default.