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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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!

MereDintofPandiculation
They’re doing a great job of describing the strange time after a death when all sorts of things come to the surface

I am more than ever glad that I am part of an atypical family, if the sort of batshit nastiness that some of the Aldridge brood are indulging in is usual.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime "we lost a grandchild in it at one point."

Well done!

I've generally quite liked Debbie in the past - she was always a bit pious (aren't they all?) but by the standards of Jenny's children she was relatively sane and the only one with a functioning brain. Also, I love Tamsin Greig. But her last couple of episodes have been badly written and even more badly over-acted, so I'd be happy to hear her eaten by a Hungarian wolf.

I think the SL suffers from the need for Tamsin Greig to get on with her next gig, so epic flounce from Debbie needed.

I love the way her initial apology to Brian turned into blaming him for her making the error in the first place. Classic non-apology. As for well-nigh saying he killed off Jenny; no wonder he showed her the door.

I'm puzzled, though. She told Adam about having implied that Brian had been responsible for Jennifer's death, and I can't think of a worse thing to accuse a bereaved husband of; what was it that she felt was so awful she wouldn't tell Adam and didn't want him to find out? I mean, what that she said was worse then the reason Brian told her to get out?

Brian was splendid tonight! Debbie was wailing more like a scorned ex-lover than a step-daughter. Sooner she goes back to Budapest the better.

I thought it was all quite plausible really.

It's the whole reason they sold this bit of land - Vince invested in them having a field of solar panels, then when Ben and Beth broke up, he insisted the loan be repaid, they sold this bit of land to pay him off rather than get a bank loan.

TG's f-f-faltering delivery is doing -m-my h-head in!

Well done, Brian, fior showing her the door.

But Jenny's personally annotated recipes! I like to think that Ian photographed all the best ones years ago and has them on a thumb drive.

I've been through my mum's books with her (the RC one is coming my way, as is the Good Housekeeping one) so when the time comes i will swoop in and the rest can go to charity shops or anyone else who wants them. We're doing a sort of Swedish Death Cleaning so there's no conflict or worry. it does get a bit much sometimes.

It's the whole reason they sold this bit of land - Vince invested in them having a field of solar panels, then when Ben and Beth broke up, he insisted the loan be repaid, they sold this bit of land to pay him off rather than get a bank loan.

Yes, David has complained in the past about how little they get per KW selling it to the grid. (makes a change from hearing about milk prices, i guess)

Debbie. Urgh. I haven't ever liked the character and her voice annoys me. (yes, I am putting on my hair shirt now)

Thought arising whilst making breakfast this fine morning:

we should probably link Justin's mysterious call to "Azil" to Justin's mysterious, never since referenced, lunch with Natasha!

I don't mean Natasha, do I?

Tell me the name of Berrow Lady?

Stella?

Stella?

yep, Stella.

I thought last night's episode was great because I love a bit of drama and I do think this kind of grief related family fall out is quite realistic.
There was a business associate of Justin's that was maybe called Asif, or similar? A racing horse owner...? I vaguely remember maybe him being involved in previous business 'dealings' maybe with Lillian involved too, when they were investing in Shukas business maybe?

Shula not Shuka!

There was a business associate of Justin's that was maybe called Asif, or similar? A racing horse owner...?

Didn’t Justin used to own a horse called Aziz? We haven’t heard him on horseback for sometime.

Why does my brain remember stuff like that?!?!

The horse person was Latiffe (sp) I think.

I think the SL suffers from the need for Tamsin Greig to get on with her next gig, so epic flounce from Debbie needed yes - on the one hand great to hear her again, on the other hand we know she won't be hanging around. To be fair, Debbie has been gone for so long it's not totally unrealistic that she hasn't moved on from the discord between Brian and Jenny as she remembers it. It must be very hard for her losing her mother who she hasn't seen properly for years, but no doubt imagined (as we all did) that she'd somehow be there for ever - a deep tap root in Ambridge from Debbie's point of view. Brian is not her father (though it did appear for many years that Debbie was somehow the favourite and she uses his name) and you could really feel that last night. I'm hoping this might make Brian finally start to realise how unreasonably he's behaved towards Adam.

Ah, no that's not what I was thinking of. That was v. recent. I think Vince's investment was in solar panels on the roof of the barn, not a field, which wouldn't have needed planning consent.

The storyline I am thinking of would date back to around 2015, when there were a lot of small solar farms being built in the countryside until the government stopped it by removing subsidies. Anyone's memory go back that far?

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry that most of the characters with Asian or ME names in the Archers are either silent or horses.

There's 2 non silent Asian names. That's quite good going for a small rural village I'd have thought?

Did Latif speak? I can't remember now. He was mentioned a lot when Anisha was the equine vet in Ambridge. Another speaking character of Asian heritage, albeit she wasn't in Ambridge for long.

Of course, Aziz the horse and Latif the business associate... Neither of whom sound likely suspects for the pub phone conversation!
I'd love it to be Hazel he was talking to, she's a baddy but I do enjoy listening to her being a thorough pain in the arse when she does appear.