Archers thread #155: Cold Comfort Farms! The rural sagas continue. Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

FILL THE OLD THREAD UP FIRST! https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4902507-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?page=10

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 like to hear more scenes in the 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 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.)

Lots of lively discussion about Brad's university aspirations and the Open Day on the last thread. Do you want him to end up at Felpersham or do you want him to spread his wings and go further afield? Where will Mia go?

Will this thread see the end of Rob, or do we have many weeks more before his long overdue demise?

What's going on at Grey Gables? Are they running into financial trouble? Will we hear from Roy, who I had forgotten was working there until he was mentioned the other day? Who are the mysterious 'Owners'? Will the locum GP turn out to be Adil's sister, as we have been surmising since she first spoke? Why's she been conjured up?

Talking of the GP, I'm hoping against hope we're not in for bad news about Jim's mole.

Praying that we're going to get a long and much-needed break from hearing P*p. Not praying that we hear Rob being christened. Who would be his sponsor, as someone commented on the last thread? Harrison? Surely that would be a conflict of interest. Can't see who else would do it locally.

I wonder how Ben is getting on now he's back on his nursing degree? Will we ever hear anything about Lily's course, or how Freddie's getting on at the abattoir?

So many questions! Over to you for some answers and boundless speculation.

I do find that while H has made some questionable decisions there is quite the loud calling her out on this. It does feel a blind to the fact that she has pretty serious MH problems and suffered a pretty traumatic time with Knob.

I mean I have made a handful of good decisions in my life - it's pretty rare for me. I left an abusive man and terminated the pregnancy; I got my career going before I had children; I jumped ship from a job I loved because I could see they were going to shut us down; and 7 years ago I bought a car off ebay for £500 and it has been completely brilliant. I am 50
And that's about it!

It does feel like people putting Helen down (while she is insufferably dull) move through the world like they are making good and uncomplicated decisions all the time!

I agree with you, @stilldumdedumming , but I don't find Helen dull at all. She's a complex character and well acted.
There are posters on here who seem to dislike every single character.

I find nothing likeable about Helen, but she's an interesting character.

Glad to see that I'm not the only fan of bangernomics.

New thread! https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4927142-archers-thread-156-fireworks-in-ambridge-helen-gave-lee-a-rocket-but-grey-gables-is-a-damp-squib-is-the-writing-on-the-church-walldiscuss-the-archers-here

How did she kill her pony?

AskingQuestionsAllTheTime · Today 12:48

Well, she did. It's simply what happened. Yes, she didn't mean to, but I doubt that made the laminitis any less painful for the poor animal.

And naturally she blamed Tony for it.

She shut him in the grain store to keep warm on a cold winter's night and he gorged himself and needed emergency surgery. He lived a few more months although he didn't fully recover and was no longer able to be ridden. Then he gorged himself again by getting into a field of fresh grass and that time had to be put down. I still haven't established whether the second incident was Helen's fault. It was laminitis.

Thanks

Just a random thought. The Horrobins/Grundys. Why are they always so skint when they all have multiple adults working in each household?

@LouOrange, you're a few threads behind! Join us on the current thread - https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4954311-archers-thread-158-te-rum-you-numpty-numpty-tom-empty-tearoom-follows-christmas-coming-farmers-stand-up-will-it-make-us-lol-no-discuss-the-archers-here.

The short answer to your question, though, is probably - minimum wage jobs, zero hours contracts, no job security, self-employed and not very good at costing jobs, cost of living crisis, never heard of benefits.