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!

Oh, @AskingQuestionsAllTheTime … As if the week were not bad enough already. Surely it’s too soon for the SWs to dispense with random Grundy limbs, all for the sake of an awareness campaign??

Mine absolutely adore theirs.

I hate that every time I hear a chainsaw I wait for the limb to go.

My neighbour gouged a chunk out of his leg, standing in a drystone wall with a chainsaw 🙄. Cue rush to A&E. another time he chopped off the top of his finger using one of those table saws to chop the wood. another rush to A&E. every time I hear Ed and Emma and the sound of the chainsaw I await the scream………

Yep, going to happen! (rubs hands in delighted anticipation) I think they’re just teasing us, there are too many SLs at the moment. Their time will come.

Going back to Vince and Elizabeth, I actually think vye-karious is acceptable, but NEVER vinegar-ette! Surely she’d know better. Anyway, potato salad should have mayonnaise on it, and lots of chives.

I can’t believe Denise has put it off so long, as someone above said it’s the lies and deceit that make it worse. Also, how come Paul could apparently hear through a closed door? They’ve had endless discussions in the surgery, it’s amazing that it’s the first time he’s overheard something. Anyway, he’s egotistical and irritating - naturally, he’s managing to make this all about himself, so no sympathy from me. They can stop paying hotel bills now.

Wouldn't it be the most frightful shame if Paul showed his disapproval by leaving Ambridge, never coming back or even having any contact whatsoever with anyone there ever again? The youth could periodically ask each other "Have you heard from Paul?" but the reply would always be "No" until the happy day when someone said "Who?" and he was never mentioned again.

I have been known to make potato salad with vinaigrette and lots of fresh herbs. It makes a nice change from the mayonnaise version and is particularly good with new potatoes. Served very slightly warm (not hot).

I do wish they'd get a move on with the Tragic Tree Disaster. A very big tree could presumably take out more than one person. At the moment I think I'd choose Ed'n'Em'n'George, Harrison, Denise, Natasha and Pip.

Something VERY heavy with widely spreading branches would be best - either that or they could be queuing up for something under an extremely tall specimen and it could land along the line.

I have been thinking about this.

So how come you’ve forgotten Helen?

And Shula

I don't think I've ever been to Worcestershire, except passing through on the train from Birmingham airport to Cardiff. It really is one of the loveliest train journeys! I used to travel part of that line regularly. On a steam train. (That’s how old I am)

I like Shula, and Helen has been so quiet lately that I'm feeling unusually tolerant towards her.

I like Shula a lot more in her current manifestation.

I like her in her current manifestation and I like her in my memories of the 1970s and 80s when she and Caroline happily shagged their way round Borsetshire and the world, and am prepared to cut middle period Shula some slack.

DH is a tree surgeon. It’s pretty difficult to cut off a limb if wearing appropriate safety gear; it’s full of some pretty incredible engineering which jams the gears of the saw when penetrated, before the chain makes it through to the limb.

So, my prediction is a falling branch causing an injury, or I suppose someone not wearing the proper gear. Perhaps a job is finished but then someone nips back up quickly and doesn’t bother getting geared up..?

Or climbing a rope which you’ve anchored into a dead tree limb..

It’s perilous but definitely more so when you factor in a couple of Grundys.

They might harm someone else rather than themselves. A felled tree injures a passerby or falls on a car. I don’t know how likely that is.

Paul’s tantrum and Denise’s wailing…urgggh.

I feel your DH needs to come on for a Q&A

Maybe your DH should contact the SWs and advise them on the best and most entertaining way to wipe out Ed'n'Em - though all your suggestions sound excellent.

They can stop paying hotel bills now

I don’t think that’s possible yet. Do you remember that seduction scene when Denise refused to go further than a snog on the sofa because she objected to Jim’s slippers being within her eyes line. I felt so sorry for A as it underlined how he has fallen for someone who is actually not a very nice person.

Re the potatoes and vinaigrette, in my head, V made a separate green salad (which needed the vinaigrette) and then served the potatoes tossed in olive oil only with plenty of salt and pepper. Otherwise they would have just been having a piece of salmon with potatoes dowsed in vinaigrette which wouldn’t do at all. Of course, he may have gone down the Nicoise route but eggs and anchovies weren’t mentioned so that’s a bit of a reach.

A potato salad with a grainy mustard vinaigrette is the best. But not with salmon

given how Vince offered to make it on such scant information I assume it is a common dish in the household

I thought it was odd that Liz didn’t sit in the sun because she didn’t have suncream on. Is that usual? I would have thought it’s more usual to sit in the sun for a short while to warm up and get your vit d or just sit in the shade the whole time or go and get the suncream if you want to sit in the sun. Putting sun cream on in the morning just in case seems a bit odd in this country

Advice is suncream on every day most of the year because UV can be high even if it’s cloudy

I put sunscreen on every morning as routine. If it's raining I'll use spf15 but today it was 50. I'm a pale skinned red head.

Fellow pale skin redhead here. spf50 daily. I burn at the merest glimmer of sun so avoid like the plague. Have to take high dose vitamin D3 supplements instead.

Doesn't suncream wear off? I would have thought it would be pretty useless if put on first thing in the morning. Surely the protection would be gone by the time it got sunny?

I'll admit I don't really know. I'm dark skinned and only wear suncream in very hot weather (yes, I know this is not what is advised). My facial moisturiser has some SPF in it.