Archers thread #152: The Dog Days of Summer in Ambridge! Rabid rants, tearoom dogfight, Bully Dog George gets it all on camera. Is Lone wolf Rob waiting in the woods? 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. Most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you'd love a son like George, 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/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.)

Starting this new thread a bit early, as we're near the end of the last thread and I'm out all day today. As last night's episode was a banger, I thought I'd better ensure discussion can continue seamlessly!

The original idea for a dog theme for this thread came from the death of poor Weaver. RIP. The Dog Days of summer are associated with storms and the silly season, so quite appropriate for The Archers at the moment! They may technically be over now, as it's all to do with the heliacal rising of the Dog Star, Sirius (no, me neither), but apparently the Anglo-Saxons considered they lasted into September (thank you, Wikipedia), so that will do for me.

So - what next for Helen, Henry and Jack? Surely even the Bridge Farm Archers will see that she needs professional help? After her outburst the other night they might finally grasp that Henry could do with some too. All very grim.

On the lighter side (perhaps), whither Pip and Stella?

Over to you!

There used to be French Marigolds (aka Indian Buttonholes) planted between the rows of veg and flowers-for-sale in French market gardens; maybe they still are. I've also seen them used as edging plants in cottage gardens in Oxfordshire. Their scent is bad for whitefly, and they also excrete something from their roots which is poison to nematodes. They are recommended as "companion planting" for potatoes and tomatoes.

Haha something like ‘I’m not sure about sex-eee, Toe-beee’

Agree. It was super cringe. I find Ruth annoying anyway but the way she was, yes, giggling along seemed flirtatious to be. Bleurgh.

It was nice to hear Toby back. He seems such an open character. He has been a bit shady sometimes in the past (the weird stuff about his female friend in Brighton (?) for whom he ditched the pantomime so Pip had to go on in his place) but in general he just seems a pretty open book who doesn’t have much of a filter. He’s enjoyable to listen to, even though he can be a right dafty sometimes.

Did someone else make mead? Or did I imagine that? Maybe Joe?

On the George discourse…well. I’m probably biased because I used to work in criminal justice. I’ve worked with many teenagers, and their victims, whose actions are not those of silly little boys, including abusers and worse. 18 is not a little boy. I do agree though that George isn’t evil like Ron - but he has a really nasty streak that needs to be quashed quickly before it widens and deepens.

Someone suggested earlier that if George alienates everyone, Emma could become his victim as the only person willing to be around him. I think that’s spot on - it feels like there’s fertile ground for a domestic abuse storyline, with an adult child abusing their parent. It would shed light on a type of domestic abuse that is often overlooked - but it makes for a pretty bleak storyline…

Ha, spot on rendering of how she said it.

I write down this sort of trivia in my notes app, and then never use it. I greatly admire this sort of knowledge, @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime, but I seem to have grown up without the green finger - I can only be trusted with impossible to kill houseplants like devil’s Ivy…

Didn't Toby shag Kate (or vice versa) in a drunken swimming pool frolic? I seem to recall purple dye was involved somewhere.

Was a bouncy castle involved or did I imagine that?

WHAT.

really?!

😐

Indeed. Was purple sheep marking dye, IIRC. 🐏

Toby and Kate put sheep-raddle in Brian's swimming pool and in a separate outburst of animal spirits burst Kenton's hired bouncy castle by shagging on it violently. (No, I didn't believe in that one either.)

I must have erased the gory details from my mind.

Oh god is Pip going to have a heart to heart with Ruth but talk around the issue and not name names, so Ruth is going to assume Pip is conflicted about Toby? Ugh

Well I really didn’t need pip trying to prove she’s not into Stella. Bleurgh

Gosh, Pip is such a user.

How long is Toby in Ambridge for? And what does he actually do these days? Don't really pay much attention to the Pip/Toby dynamic 😬

On Pip, clearly very conflicted about her sexuality.

Have you not heard yesterday’s and today’s episodes, @TheUsualChaos? They’re well worth listening to!

Not caught up tonight yet. I heard Ruth being a bit odd with Toby, think all of a sudden she sees him as marriage material for Pip 🫢

He works for his father's wine business and he's come to take Rosie on holiday to Cornwall.

So if you’ve bought nematodes to control your slug population, it’s maybe best not to plant French marigolds?

I seem to have grown up without the green finger My mother was very scathing about “green fingers” - she said it was knowledge and experience and should be recognised as such. Add in a hefty dose of conscientious work, and I agree with her.

Totally agree with your DM @MereDintofPandiculation. Gardening is a long, long learning curve. People who say they aren't green fingered are really just saying they aren't interested enough to learn what to do 😆

Just caught up on tonight. Nice try Pip, trying to convince yourself you aren't attracted to a woman after all.

Boop for Will for once, with his short speech that wouldn't be out of place in the Barbie movie. "What about the other things that being a man is all about?"

Seems about right.