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!

@BrightYellowDaffodil
Tracy somehow, in my mind, looks like Linda from Gimme Gimme Gimme…

Crikey, there's an image to be conjured up!!

It's fascinating how we all imagine 'our' characters so differently.
"The best pictures are on the radio", as someone wise once said.

Tracey, facially, for me, is the spit of (athlete) Paula Radcliffe.
Tall, very slim.
Has a small gold hoop helix ear piercing.

Absolutely, she seems to swerve between one thing and another.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime,
Thanks for Marvin ferret update. You inspired me to read up on miniature ferrets. Interesting!

I thought Rooth said ‘hedgerow pudding’ which, to the best of my knowledge, is like a summer pudding but made with autumnal fruits - eg blackberries, damsons, plums etc. (currently on a train so can’t go back to listen again)

Yep. She said "hedgerow puddin"

So that’s a summer pudding but with autumnal fruits. Why in august?

Because the blackberries have been ready to eat for weeks here (SE)

Pudd'n according to Ruth.

Our blackberries here in a cornwall are unseasonably late due to the wet, grim July/august. Usually the brambles are heavy with dark fruit by now. But they're all still red.

Ours started at the end of July - East Midlands.

Our blackberries have been out in force for a few weeks now (East London/West Essex).

I made my first blackberry crumble in the first week of August, and we’d had a few ripe blackberries for a while before that!

I tasted my first ripe blackberry at the end of July - alarmingly early!

But I haven't harvested any yet as I still have some in the freezer from last year.

We don't do puddings very often when the kids are away.

Also Derbyshire/South Yorkshire.

Hedgerow Pudding (thehappyfoodie.co.uk)
Summer (Hedgerow) Pudding (nigelbarden.com)

Was anyone listening to TKC today? I'm sure they talked about eating badgers.
don't worry, it was probably bhajas

We had apple and blackberry crumble recently. Not normally something I do until well into September. Would say the blackberries have been starting to ripen about a month early this year. Really hope not a bad sign for wildlife 😕

I’ve lurked on this thread for years, it’s brilliant.

I’m only up to listening on 21st August but feel desperately compelled to comment.

Hellin grinds my gears, but my God do I feel so very sorry for her lately. The way she went off on Henry was completely understandable (To me, anyway) I have a teenage DD and could see myself doing the same, rightly or wrongly. She felt so betrayed by Henry and she lost it. She also realised what potential grave danger Henry could have been in, and how he inadvertently put Jack in danger too. Yes - She should have been more open with Henry, but she was trying to protect him.

The Tearoom! 😮How on EARTH can Susan and Emma defend that monstrous George? If he was my son…… 😡

I want to jump in to the radio and smack Emma. As I say, only up to 21st August but disgusted at Emma’s attitude about it all. Her son is a misogynistic monster and she stands by and either brushes it under the carpet or defends him. Is it a wonder why he is the way he is? Neil has him sussed, I hope the rest of the clan open their eyes soon.

Surprisingly generous of Helen to offer George his job back. But I have a feeling he will turn it down as he won't want to feel like Helen has that kind of power over him. Don’t you mean “Unsurprisingly stupid”? DH yelled at the radio. And he’s not a TA listener.

Natasha can be surprisingly warm and kind.

I’m losing track of the oldies:
Jenny is silent and dead
Jill is silent and alive
Peggy is silent and alive
Robert is silent and alive
Is that right?

Pip shouldn’t have another child. Her only conversation about Rosie is about which relative she can dump her on next.

She doesn’t just dump her with relatives. She was happy to ship Rosie out on a sleepover at her old school friends house (Lottie?) soon after meeting her again for the first time in years. I don’t know that a child Rosie’s age would be happy to spend the night at a strangers house at the drop of a hat but maybe she’s used to being passed from pillar to post.

I'm completely confused about how makes the hiring and firing decisions on Bridge Farm? IIRC Tony employed George without consulting anyone, then Tom sacked him without consulting anyone, now Helen has rehired him without consulting anyone. How do they ever know who is supposed to be turning up for work on any given day?

The Edge of Madness | Fiction | The Guardian
Lark Rise to Candleford - Wikipedia

I've read neither, and probably won't.

Listening to the minibus, I think Emmur is going to do some studying, probably 'Wimmin's studies'.
I also predict that she will be subjected to violence or abuse from her son.

@MiniHector I think it's called Gender Studies these days :/

I remember Women's Studies at my old uni in the 1980s, so I had a Google, and indeed its name has changed

On the subject of Emmur, not many women and girls in Ambridge have names ending in a.

Pip doesn't count because she isn't known as Philippur
Natashur
Mere
Pat again doesn't count
Shuler
Ushur
Keirur
Marthyr
Hanner

How could I have forgotten Lyndur???!

Sabrinur Thwaite

@faffadoodledo , of course. I must have been living under a rock.
I can remember seeing it as a course title back in the 1980s and wondering 'What on earth is that?'

Badgers recipe

Good point @MiniHector, although set them against:

Jill
Peggy
Chris(/tine)
Alice
Kate
Debbie
Kirsty
Betty 😞
Clarrie
Susan
Tracey
Joy
Beth?
and a few others who I can't remember!