Archers thread #154: Cider with Fat Rosie, Meadow Rise to Candleford or The Darling Horrobins of September? Get your rural saga fix – 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 be euphoric about getting a job in an abattoir, 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 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4888492-the-archers-spoilers-thread-8-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.)

Thanks for the thread title suggestions. @HumanWetWipe came up with Cider with Fat Rosie and @BeardieWeirdie thought up Meadow Rise to Candleford. I wish I could have put in the Line of Duty mashups from the end of the last thread. Another time.

Heading for a ferry shortly, so nothing more from me for now. Over to you!

Yes something bad is going to happen re will but maybe more George-related?
At least G showed concern last night.

And Will knows G situation is bad.

Eddie buying two rounds at the Bull at a time when he's about to become liable for a much higher proportion of the rent and utilities in a house that they quite patently couldn't afford to run IRL, even on whatever peppercorn rent Oliver charges. They've already done a SL when the Grundys were nearly evicted until Oliver came to the rescue (not to mention the much older SL when they actually lost the farm). Saint Oliver clearly won't let them down now, but it's so unrealistic. Could we at least have some acknowledgement of the fact that, even if they pay zero rent, they're paying electricity, council tax and all the rest on a large house (minimum 6-7 bedrooms), now without Will's contribution? I'm not sure if Clarrie works FT (in a paid role, she's clearly run off her feet picking up after feckless Grundy men) - Susan has enough time to run the shop alongside the Bridge Farm work and I would assume the two of them are on the same hours - Eddie definitely doesn't. They're both over state pension age so probably get that. They possibly get some rent from Ed and Emma. And all the rest of the burden falls on Oliver, a man with apparently bottomless pockets.

It's all concern over Will's mental health and no concern over how they're going to manage financially, never mind how Will is going to run a three-person household on one small income. Delivery driving for Bridge Farm surely can't be a FT wage. Even without a mortgage or rent, there'll be a lot of outgoings for him.

Apparently they can afford to run two households when in reality they should have been struggling to keep the one going.

Dear lord the Larkrise stuff is just so unbelievable. Talk about shoe-horning something in, it's so silly.
I think Jim was right to get cross with Josh.
I also think Jim and Kiki will save the day.

As far as I’m aware, Clarrie has worked full time at the Bridge Farm dairy for yonks, @Fink.

Not sure if Eddie currently has two jobs, or one.

It’s hard to say whether Will would have built up any savings during the time he was a full time gamekeeper and also receiving rent for his house on The Green. Other than normal family costs he doesn’t seem to have any expensive habits or holidays.

I agree the whole Grange Farm thing is ridiculous nonsense - but I’m grateful for it, nevertheless. I wasn’t ready, previously, for Grundys to lose their connection to Grange Farm. But Joe is gone, now …

I wonder who’d live there if they all found alternative accommodation? Wouldn’t be at all surprised if the SWs closed it off from the Ambridge story, like Home Farm …

IIRC, Eddie's only regular, salaried income is working down the mart. Even that might be on a zero hours contract. Apart from that he's got various side hussles like building work, chauffeur, the turkeys

... but I don't think he's got another regular job, unless I've forgotten one.

Mmm … I have the impression his garden landscaping / patio building work was real work that paid a decent income - at its best. Obviously it was self employed work and I daresay he didn’t do much in the way of savings / insurance / pension, etc. I absolutely cannot recall what he said about how lockdowns affected his business. Vaguely recall there was some downturn recently. Did he give it up? He’s quite old for that sort of backbreaking work.

If they’re pushing will to a nervous breakdown imminently isn’t that a bit unrealistic?

im hoping they are pushing him into a new relationship (with Hannah?) and this is all about how he’s finally ready to move on

on the income side - a very good point - without the rental income does will really make enough?

Oh, I hadn’t considered Will and Hannah @Bruisername but wouldn’t George be thrilled.

You have summed it up exactly! It doesn't feel knitted together at all. And I agree entirely with this comment: I miss storylines or just general chat about farming and agricultural matters on TA It seems ironic that when all the talk is about how fascinating Larkrise to Candleford is in terms of its detailed focus on rural life, TA itself seems to have completely given up on farming. It's as if the constant mentions of LTC stand in place of any agricultural details and rural references in TA. I must confess I have just downloaded a copy for my Kindle (only 99p - so at that length probably the best value word for word as anything!) to see what all the fuss is about. It's so long that perhaps I can give up on TA altogether and get my rural fix from a nightly readalong.

Does Will have a mortgage? These things are always glossed over in Ambridge. Surely he didn’t have enough to buy the property outright? In which case it would be astonishing that he evicted tenants - who would be covering the mortgage - to live with George who won’t be contributing anything. Will can’t be earning much more than the minimum wage for his BF delivery job (fine while he was living with Ma and Pa Grundy) so how is he going to keep afloat?

Didn’t he briefly flirt with Stella when she first arrived in Ambridge? Something about the dog and also didn’t Meer take a liking to her. That must have been before the SWs decided she should be the OLITV!

Will or Pip? What a choice!! Actually no contest- Will wins hands down…

Will bought the house outright with an inheritance from an aunt. It was a big story at the time because the aunt left everything to Will and nothing to Ed (the will had been made before Ed was born as far as I recall).

Oooh, I better Emma was seething!

Does Will have a mortgage? These things are always glossed over in Ambridge. Surely he didn’t have enough to buy the property outright?

Wasn't he given the money by Caroline? No, he doesn't have a mortgage, I don't think.

Gosh- who was the rich aunt? Presumably she was on Clarrie’s side? I knew Will had had an inheritance but the SL was way before my time. It must have been a lot of money. I can see why the aunt chose to skip a generation and give it to Will rather than his parents.

Interesting Will didn’t choose to share the money with his brother but Ed got Emma so fair’s fair I suppose…

I absolutely loved Lark Rise to Candleford when I read it as a teen mad about social history, and I won’t be listening to the Archerfication of it for fear that my happy memories of a very good book will be spoiled (I didn’t watch the syrupy TV adaptation for the same reason).

Will keeping the entire inheritance still hurts my heart …

Each brother has dealt the other a blow it would be impossible to forgive in any lifetime.

I think I’m in a minority but I was always team Will! I hated nics ridiculous death (not the sepsis but the death scene and stupid car accident)

Yes @TottersBlanklyIntoBimboCore I agree... those are mutual wounds which can't be healed.

Yes - it seemed doubly unfair to Ed because not only did Will get the inheritance, but at the same time he was living rent free in a house that went with his job as a gamekeeper.

I suspect they will all lose their interest in reading next week, as suddenty as they gained it in the first place.

It was quite noticeable that, despite starting an English Literature course, Emma doesn't feel the need to talk about the books she is reading for that purpose - yet, for the moment at least, everyone seems to have an irresistible compulsion to bang on about Lark Rise.

Chelsea wanting to host a book club/open mike reading session is ridiculous

Aunt Hilda was on Eddie's side. He visited her once, a long time before she died, when Will and Ed were both primary aged children. Will was in his mid-20s when she died. Hilda made her will sometime in 1983 - 1984, after Will's birth and before Ed's (they are a year and a half apart).

PuppyPerson
I think Jim was right to get cross with Josh.

I think Jim would have been a lot righter to get cross with David, who was the one who asked him to do something that was not wanted in the first place.

EmmasBirthdayEarrings
Does Will have a mortgage? These things are always glossed over in Ambridge.

This one wasn't.
Lowfield, 11th February, 2008
He's going to plan treats for everyone and then maybe take out a mortgage somewhere and rent it out - No.1 The Green would be a great choice! He is going to see it first thing!

So yes, he did have a mortgage. At a later point he mentioned that the rent he got for the house would cover the mortgage. It has probably been paid off; it is fifteen years since he got it.

Caroline was Will's godmother. But Ed definitely inherited some money from her. Nothing like enough to buy a house, it was in the region of £1000.

Caroline left £1000 to Ed, and £1000 to Will.