Archers thread #147: Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder how old Ambridge is. Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Many thanks to @PseudoBadger for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

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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.)

Title comes from this poem, with which I drive my family to distraction at this time of year.

Spring is sprung, the grass is riz
I wonder where the birdies is.
The bird is on the wing.
But that’s absurd, the wing is on the bird.
Or so I’ve heard.

Ogden Nash

Apologies to @TeenDivided for ignoring her good ideas for the thread title. Here they are to kickstart our ruminations:
'window on the world of cheesemaking'
'how long until the intercom is fatal'
'will Brian settle in new pastures'
'Springing towards Easter with Widowers, Windows, and wails'

Over to you!

My God - is Stimpson on drugs? This is - you’re not allowed - are you? How is it sustainable to have soap offspring commenting negatively on the past soapy exploits of their soap parents? Saying the soap of 20 years ago has ruined their lives.

This is very shocking.

Ruairi first.

Now George.

It’ll be Henry next - mark my words.

Then the world will end.

"Ruairi first ... Now George ... It’ll be Henry next - mark my words."

Henwy and GiddyJack, communicating via the medium of mime.

Wow- Elizabeth was so rude to Neil and Oliver. Dreadful woman. Why on earth do they let her to speak to them like that?

My thoughts exactly.

I’m glad George spoke up about the weirdness of his domestic situation and I’m not surprised he has been teased about it. I liked the fact he pointed out it isn’t normal. Most people do not have a sibling who is also their first cousin.

He has a mean streak but I have some sympathy for him. The first few years of his life were chaotic and the Grundy’s lives are characterised by one struggle or drama after another. I think Oliver is right and with the right guidance he could make something of himself.

I was so happy to hear Oliver agreeing with me about George' potential. I've no doubt he's been earmarked for the next generation underhanded Grundy exploits but underneath the grotty teenage incel layer he isn't without talent.

Oooh many of my favourite authors were being discussed and I wasn't here. Love Josephine Tey, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, DSL, also love Georgette Heyer's crime books. I've been wading through a lot of classic but not famous golden age crime and whilst enjoyable it really shows just how great the great ones are.

Angela Thirkell's high rising and wild strawberries are next on my list.

Elizabeth is just awful.

I did rather like the horror in Neil's voice when Elizabeth mentioned the former name of the primary school. Snobby but realistic, in my experience. Several of our local schools have been re-named as part of an attempt to 'turn them around'.

Asking's lovely story about her grandchild and dog getting lost in a wildflower meadow came to mind earlier when I looked at the Shirley Hughes account on Twitter, which just tweets out pictures and text from her beautiful books.

suzyscat
I was so happy to hear Oliver agreeing with me about George' potential. I've no doubt he's been earmarked for the next generation underhanded Grundy exploits but underneath the grotty teenage incel layer he isn't without talent.

Until last night, what talent had he ever displayed apart from one for telling implausible lies?

Last night he seemed able to talk coherently about bio-security for pigs.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g, I don't think the child was lost: she knew exactly where she was. It was just that we had lost her.

I do like that picture, and the sentiment of the poem!

Anyone else getting confused by all the young male actors who seem to have been drafted in recently? They all sound the same! There is only one Ruth and Lilian thought.

same - it takes me ages to work out who is who

@Brefugee glad that you agree, it is so confusing at times.

Henwy and GiddyJack, communicating via the medium of mime.

😆

I always have trouble knowing whether it’s Oliver or Jim

I struggle distinguishing between Alistair and Jakob when they're together.

It used to be easy when Jakob was Scandinavian. Since his accent transplant, I can only tell them apart because Alistair is the one who sounds terminally depressed.

But surely Jakob had always been brought up in London and had no Swedish accent? I'm sure I remember being vaguely disappointed that he sounded like every other Ambridge male over the age of forty when he arrived.

In fact when Alistair met him on 1st April 2019 almost the first thing he said to him was, "Forgive me, Jakob, but you don't sound very Swedish," to which Jakob replied, "No. My family moved to London from Stockholm when I was five."

I don’t recall Jakob ever sounding Swedish. Or in fact any different to how he sounds now.

I thought he had a slightly more clipped accent.

Beautiful. I love Shirley Hughes books.

I thought Elizabeth behaved out of character with Oliver and Neil, I would have expected her to be flustered and try to hide her frustration (then unleash her annoyance on Freddie "you must manage your volunteers properly to avoid this happening again").

It was nice to hear George's reflections, but I winced a bit when he spoke about Emma... I know he's a teenager, but still, would he really be that critical and scathing about the woman who raised him? I don't recall there ever being any affection in his relationship with Emma...
Having said all that, he is a teenager and they think they know everything and the world is set against them, so perhaps it's bang on!

Why d’you say the woman who raised him, @Poppins2016. Emma is George’s actual biological mother - did you mean something else?

Not sure I’d agree that Elizabeth would have been flustered about the volunteer cock-up - she’s been running LL for so long now.

I assume I wasn’t the only person who guessed, when Jim confidently predicted the tour group would be gentle elderly people, that it would turn out to be a rowdy school?

I didn’t like the way George spoke about his mother at all. He’s an arrogant little shit but it’s all bravado. He needs a talking to.