Archers thread #161: Kenton seems to be getting better, but the storylines aren’t. Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

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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 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.)

Well, here we are. I was strongly tempted to go for the dog's dinner, dog/human bullies etc suggestions for the title, but Mere asked if we could not have anything graphic in the thread title, so I've held back. In a couple of weeks when this thead is nearing its end the attack may all be a distant memory, anyway.

Goodness knows what's in store for us now. Kenton seems likely to have PTSD, not surprisingly. Surely we must soon find out why HARRY talks so. Unconvincingly. Alice! Hello. CHRIS. CHRIS. etc, and also whether he is (as many of us suspect) addicted to opiates and/or up to no good. Too much to hope why nobody in Ambridge horsey circles had ever heard of him until recent weeks.

Over to you!

He's Sergeant Burns

I'm surprised Harrison hasn't been suspended on full pay? Or is it not serious enough? I agree this is a dual purpose storyline: Alice sees the benefits of Chris; Harrison and Fallon are well-placed to take over the bull. The only storyline I'm less sure of is the the reminders about their decision to have no children.

Alice turns to heroin instead. Gets Chris hooked too. Martha is adopted by Harrison and Fallon.

Completely ridiculous. So is probably likely to be a storyline at some point they way things are going lately

Alice did a very good imitation of someone to whom that was news when Harry said it, but I'm not sure merely being told that he got arrested for being drunk and disorderly as a one-off would have been such an absolute reason to end the relationship, on its own. Also she was outraged and horrified by Harry having betrayed her all along, whatever it was Harrison revealed to her, and I don't think "he got drunk once" would necessarily have been enough for so strong a reaction.

I'm not sure either that telling someone's girlfriend that he'd been arrested for D&D would be as bad a disciplinary offence as taking data out of police records and blabbing about it would be. Anyone here in the police force who knows about this? Harrison's boss was certainly very put out by it indeed.

On 6th October, 2020, Alice was expecting to have a baby "in six months' time"; on that day the midwife said that Alice was "bang on twelve weeks". She went on drinking until 18th November, 2020, when she tried (and failed) to go cold turkey, and finally went for a fortnight's detox on 25th November. She would then have been nineteen weeks pregnant.

Rather more than two months, in fact. She was drinking excessively until more than half-way through her actual pregnancy, though a week less than half of a notional one.

She had Martha on 9th March, 2021, which would be at (counts on fingers) 34 weeks?

Gosh! We are a week away from Martha's 3rd birthday. She'll be off to school next year.

I still find it very odd that Lillian or Shula and Oliver hadn't heard of "famous one-time eventer" getting banned for drinking. Am I weird in that I tend to google just about anybody I work with (happily married, but I feel confident that I would google a date as well)?

FWIW I still ponder the significance of the bridal/bridle bag that Aunty Lillian bought Alice.

I just assumed it was something like this:

https://www.discount-equestrian.co.uk/rider/riding-accessories/equestrian-luggage/bridle-bags.html

or any one of these

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ftsa&q=bridle+bag&iax=images&ia=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fjontyequestrian.co.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F03%2FLM-Bridle-Bag-Black-LR_01.jpg

Yes! For how much longer?

Just coming on to share some pictures of the Montbeliards I saw at the Salon d’Agriculture in Paris today. I literally squealed when I saw them. It was a very pleasant way to spend a rainy Saturday- all kinds of cows and bulls, sheep and rams (though sadly I couldn’t see any Texels) also pigs and piglets. It made me long for more agricultural storylines.

I was at a visitor centre in N Portugal one February (so DH and I had the place to ourselves), and round the edge of this huge room they had life-sized models of every Portuguese variety of cow, sheep, pig, goat etc. Nothing to do with TA. I was just reminded of it - it was such fun.

Yes I like it when its more about farming and the scenes when they are outside and you can hear the the cows mewing and sheep bleeting in the background makes me feel Im there in the field with Ruth or David.( not Pip😝).
There used to be a Fishing radio programme early Sat morning called Dirty Tackle. Me and DH used to lie in bed listerning to it especially when they used to go to the beach and interview Anglers who,d fish off the beach early in the morning. It was really atmospheric and it always made me what to take up fishing. So relaxing.

Want.

... you can hear the the cows mewing...
Cows moo.

Three cheers for brian

alice is an idiot

alastair is also an idiot but at least he’s dropped the affair idea

It's a pity that Brian told Harry even more about what had happened; there was no need for Harry to be given any facts he didn't already have.

oh, I thought the montbeliards were black?

I listened v acrefully to the convo between Alice and Harry this morning, and she did not confirm she had heard anything from Harrison, she said she would not tell him how she knew. Then when he asked if Harrison had told her he'd been arrested, she said 'you were arrested?' in tones of genuine surprise. So if they'd only waited and held their collective nerve, there need have been no repercussions.

ah, carefully not acrefully !

newtlover
oh, I thought the montbeliards were black?

Isn't that the Aberdeen Anguses?

oh maybe, I thought they would be brown like highland cows

clearly a cattle novice

Having gone and looked them up, I think most of them are black, but some websites add "or red", which I take to be chestnut. So those would be like Highland Cattle in colour, though nothing like as hairy.

oh, I thought the montbeliards were black?
I do hope my photos weren’t the equivalent of seeing a picture of a cast member 😳 It’s definitely the Anguses which are black.

Brian ❤️

Alice is a complete plum to have rung Harry to get him to “testify” for Harrison though, she clearly learnt nothing from her fucking colossal error the other day!

I have never heard that fishing programme, @Alwaysdieting … <Suspicious>

When was it on and how did I come to miss it in its entirety?

And there’s not a chance I’m googling that title …

I've not listened to that episode yet but 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️. She was monumentally stupid to run after Harrison's boss like that despite being called back and clearly asked not to - was SO thick it was to the point that it was pushing my suspension of disbelief; to go on and ask Harry to testify after (snd presumably because) Fallon told her off and that she wanted some space irks me for being so far removed from what any sort of rational person would do - and Alice is, for her faults, usually intelligent and rational.

#TottersBlanklyIntoBimboCore. Why suspicious?
DirtyTackle was a radio 5 fishing programme in 1999 presented by Nick Fisher who commited suicide in 2020 his was also on tv with Screaming Reels and on River cottage a lot too. It would be a bit childish for me to make a name like that up and for no reason.
Also thanks #Shambridge.