Archers thread #169: Denise rocks the boat in more than one way! Will Chris find a message in a cider bottle? 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 have liked to have Harrison's behbe, 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/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.)

Thanks to @LikeTalkingToLassie and @BrightYellowDaffodil for title inspiration. Is this the end for Denise and John? It does seem odd to introduce John now if he's going to disappear. He has a lovely voice.

Over to you!

I would like to go foraging but with someone who really knows about all the plants and mushrooms, dont want to come back with a death cap Death cap is one of the Amanitas, several of which are seriously poisonous and a few of which are edible and good. We were lucky enough to be invited to a meal and fungus forage by a restaurant owner in S Europe, found a good variety, including lots of chanterelles. But we overheard in the kitchen “No, mother, we don’t serve Amanita to guests”

You weren’t one of Neil’s early flames, were you?

😂

Brought back happy memories of the wildflower competition we used to have every summer in my prep school.

I'm not sure that Alice's McJob at the stables really constitutes full-time work. She seems to come and go pretty much as and when she pleases, if she pleases. Her replacement/not-replacement (whose name escapes me) appears to be putting in a lot more hours and it's interesting that even Lil admitted she was doing a good, thorough job.

I don’t think that Lilian was comparing her to Alice though

Carlotta, was she called?

Yes.

I love this! I have a vision of him presenting his now DW with a bouquet of fragrant whirlygig pootles or whatever and her thinking he's insane because they're clearly daisies 😆

I'm rather hoping we're heading for a mass mushroom poisoning when they forage things that are deadly! That'll liven things up...

A Lotti/Charlotte, a Carlotta, a Cara - ffs SWs, other names are available, and even silents and near silents benefit from being distinctively identifiable.

Many people are allergic to pineapple mayweed. I think it was being "planted" for a purpose.

I find Neil's voice so soothing and enjoyed yesterday's episode.

I could have done without Susan and Tracey going on about Denise and John. I find it difficult to believe that a married couple who have no ties to the village would be the subject of gossip just because they were sitting on a bench deep in conversation. I know Joy is meant to be a bit of busy body but considering they could have been talking about absolutely anything, why would she feel the need to pass that info on to Susan!

The foraged dinner is making me think of the horse whisperer author

Just waiting for Neil and Susan to inadvertently forage magic mushrooms.
With hilarious results.

The only thing that comes to my mind re mushroom mishaps is the lady in Australia who was accused of murdering her guests with foraged mushrooms when they came to lunch. It was all very Agatha Christie. Her soon to be ex husband was meant to attend the lunch but dropped out at the last minute. The speculation on MN was that he was the intended victim or he set her up in order to get their kids and joint assets.

theweek.com/articles/479906/nicholas-evans-accidental-poisoner

100% going to happen.

She's still on trial for this. And a few other counts of attempted poisoning of the ex husband.

I loved the way Neil unenthusiastically remembered Susan's parsnip soup, echoed by her response at the end of the episode to the idea of him making her a foraged meal. It's no Carter chilli con carne.

I'm rather hoping it's magic mushrooms they stumble upon - the idea of Susan tripping is rather amusing. "Watch out for that giraffe Neil, it's on a skateboard!"

Speaking of Susan, I suspect she wouldn't accept any help from Brian or the other Aldridges if they offered it (and they may well have done). She'd want to make it clear that the Carters can do quite well without them, even if she is cutting off her nose to spite her own face.

She mentioned yesterday that Kate was minding Martha. So there is some Aldridge involvement at least, which I previously doubted.

I don't think she would turn Brian's money down on principle (yes, she's proud, but she could justify it to herself as Alice's family doing the right thing since Alice had failed to - not saying this is right, but I could see Susan thinking it), but I do wonder whether she would consider family care to be superior to paid childcare. She strikes me as the sort of person who would think that any amount of being passed from pillar to post within the family would be better than farming your child out to a nursery as though you couldn't be bothered to raise her yourself.

We’ve done mushrooms (so to speak) haven’t we? Fast Freddie and Noli and something to do with Elizabeth and her dicky ticker. Someone remind me….

A kidney failure sl would be quite something. Emma having to donate one to her mum and Chelsea to hers. Jazzer being on the list for ages and Neil

I suspect if social care had been involved she wouldn't come out of rehab and have her child straight back

The bar for intervention is set pretty high, and I can’t see SS batting an eyelid.