Archers thread #173: The Fall of the House of Grundy? 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 wish we were hearing more of Pip, 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.)

I chose the thread title to echo one I used three years ago, which is here if anyone fancies a trip down Memory Lane: www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4320618--Archers-thread-130-The-Fall-of-the-House-of-Aldridge-Discuss-The-Archers-here. That was the thread where I caused all sorts of confusion at the start by not starting it before the old thread filled up, but others stepped in, fortunately.

At that point I see Ruairi was heading off to London to start his degree, which he has now finished, with none of us any the wiser about what he studied or where. Perhaps this will finally be mentioned now he's graduating.

And now, over to you!

I think Azra has had the house at Beechwood for some months now. I can only assume that Khalil moved in time for the new school term, but hasn't been heard yet. Maybe Zainab is old enough to have been left alone in the old house to oversee the tail end of the move.

But why would they not have been introduced at the flower and produce or the fete when she was selling books? Seems weird the way sw have decided to delay their introduction despite their mum living there for months

Jill making her own birthday cake seems a bad sad, but she likes to be useful.

She also likes a decent cake and the rest of the Brookfield residents are hopeless bakers (although Kenton might be persuaded to use his new-found pastry skills, if it could be made into a competition or some accolade for him). I'm the only real baker in our family now; my Mum is good but her health isn't great. So when my birthday comes around, I either get a shop-bought cake (there's a particular supermarket one which some members of the family prefer to homemade; I find it too sweet), or make my own. It doesn't bother me. I'd rather have a cake I like!

Many years ago I had a hornet's nest in my front garden wall. I had to go out the 'back way' as I was too scared to walk past it. The council removed it for me and they said they were really savage things. No idea if the Asian ones are worse, nor have I any wish to find out.

Are these the famed Murder Hornets of the 2020 Apocalypse Bingo?

they're not actually bigger but they are more vicious apparently

See attached

Because they are teenagers and would rather eat their own hair than attend either?

Thread filling up!!

sure - but I would have expected their mum to drag them to some of it

Also- can anyone explain why David thinks they signal the end of his livelihood?

<makes note>

Erm, no. AFAIk he doesn't have a lot of crops that depend on insect pollination! Bad news for Jill's bees though - they're done for if they can't clear out the asian hornets.

Wow. Why do you listen to a show about a community when you clearly have no sense of community?

She’s well over 35!

Ummm - for the same reason I watch Lost but have never been marooned on a desert island after a place crash?!

yes I was bemused by this as well - are the Brookfield lot having honey parties in the barn which has replaced all other farming income?!

Because you can’t think of anything worse happening to you but want to imagine what it’s like? OK, fair enough, I can see that might be why @JoelenesParrot listens. Just seemed like an extraordinarily misanthropic post though.

No. Because it's drama and it's entertaining (or in the case of the Archers, not!). Same reason as people watch Neighbours but don't live in Australia or have a dog called Bouncer. Same reason they watched The Fall but weren't serial killers. Etc etc.

There's no need to be so unpleasant to a poster whose stance you don't agree with. You were way OTT towards @JoelenesParrot

Wow, you lot have been very talkative since last night! The near-universal disdain for Zainab and the frankly horrifying arrival of the Asian hornet have clearly got you all going.

Someone on X/Twitter pointed out to Keri Davies that he missed a trick not having Zainab driving a Vespa.

New thread imminent ...

New thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/5176923-archers-thread-174-god-its-lame-but-it-still-limps-on-discuss-the-archers-here

Someone on X/Twitter pointed out to Keri Davies that he missed a trick not having Zainab driving a Vespa

…..or indeed an Ape, to make the meet-cute even cuter…

The Piaggio Ape is a three-wheeled commercial vehicle based on the Vespa scooter and has been in production since 1948. The Italian word ape translates to "bee". The Ape is available in multiple body configurations and can be adapted to various professional needs.

Some of those Piaggio Apes (Api?) are absolutely beautiful. They don't seem to make the 3-wheeler scooter version any more, or I might be tempted ...

Every visitor at my childhood farmhouse home. Though to be fair, not strangers- they would knock and wait. People who knew us would knick and come in. If the door was locked, in summer, people who knew us would come into the garden to see if we were there. (This did occasionally run the risk of finding my father sunbathing with not a thread on.)

Houses in town don't work like that, I found out.