Archers thread #176: In which Ian puts the I in PTA. Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

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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 - BOOP point for him! (See thread for explanation.)

Thanks to @DeanElderberry for the pithy phrase in the thread title and @CaptainMyCaptain for suggesting it should go in there. At least we've got the spooky disco out of the way for now. Plenty of wooden dialogue in the last few episodes that could go on the village bonfire next week. It's all been too dispiriting to discuss in greater depth. I'll just say that I don't hold out any great hopes that the production team will make a good job of reflecting concern in the farming community about the changes announced in the Budget to inheritance tax for farms. So often they get an expert to talk them through stuff like this but instead of ending up with a realistic storyline they pick out the bits they like the sound of and cobble them together in a totally unrealistic way. Maybe I'll be proved wrong this time. I hope so.

Over to you!

Also, Natasha moving into the house of the woman her husband jilted at the altar.

Lucky Kirsty. Money AND no Tom. Win Win.

and for Kirsty to throw the curtains in for good measure...

Natasha to offer either to buy the curtains or to keep them in exchange for some really rather nice curtains that will suit Kirsty better in her new gaff.

Preferably all before the best Christmas ever.

Why doesn’t lemon drizzle cake go with coffee?

Given Kristy’s previous form, throwing in the towel* seems more appropriate.

*properly folded, of course, with all her GG experience

Brilliant! Betrayed by both her SIL (and, by extension, her brother) and her alleged friend. She'd end up back at Bridge Farm, which at least would give Pat and Tony the impetus to build the PassivAggressivHaus.

Saw this on another thread. How to make the perfect coffee and walnut cake | Food | The Guardian

PassivAggressivHaus

Surely a thread title contender? ⭐️

Maybe combined with A Christmas Carol (in either sense)?

I'm concerned to hear there are any doubts about this.
We are having a tea party for 50 people in the village hall next week to celebrate my mother's 95th birthday and I am currently standing in the kitchen making lemon drizzle cake as one of the sweet options.
All is not lost, however, as we are also offering tea (and fizz) for any purists who don't want their lemon drizzle contaminated by coffee.

It wouldn't be a problem for me.

@Godesstobe imo it’s one of the finest cakes and you need have no concerns on that score

In the opening scene on Tuesday when Rex brings coffee with homemade flapjacks at the meeting in re beavers; Kirsty compares him to Jill whose signature bake is lemon drizzle. Which according to Kirsty “wouldn’t go with coffee”. I am glad of the consensus on this thread running much to the contrary.

I can see what she means - citrus to me would go with tea

but I am an outlier in society as I don’t like lemon drizzle cake!!

What a load of nonsense that was tonight.

good that Fallon has made a sensible decision - wasn’t she going to focus on the catering before?

font know why Ruth was being so weird about the kitchen tbh. When they have weddings etc at the barn do the external caterers bring a mobile kitchen?

Fallon was helping her out really so I don't know why she was so unhelpful.

Just when I thought I couldn't dislike Ruth more, she pulls a stunt like this one. "Oohh no, I cba to do that; oohh thank you for doing it for me; oohh no, I won't help you in any way".

Pah.

Ruth was quite obnoxious to Fallon. And what on earth is Justin's game with Brad? Brad must learn to stand up for himself.

Ruth was very unpleasant wasn’t she.

I cannot bear bumbling Brad and his inability to say no or stand up for himself. I’ve said previously that staying at home for uni, tied to his mother’s apron strings, was the worst thing he could have done.

Re Natasha, I agree with a PP that they are playing the long game with her personal finance issues. It’s an ongoing issue that continues to cause conflict in her marriage and I don’t think the writers have forgotten about it. Alice’s alcoholism storyline also evolved a long period of time and stretched back to her inappropriate behaviour at Nic’s funeral six years ago.

What was the point of all that nonsense between the idiotic Ruthless and newly-feeble Fallon? What did Ruth think Fallon was going to do? Cook in the Bull/at home and ferry large quantities of food, course by course and rapidly cooling, by car? And WTAF has it got to do with Jill? She may think it's "her" kitchen, but does nobody have the balls/ovaries to tell her to back off? Will she be placated by being allowed to make a lemon dribble cake for dessert? And does Ruth normally cook and Dayveed serve up? I'd love to read the reviews!

I look forward to Tom'n'Tash failing to get a mortgage because of her credit rating and expecting to be bailed out by the Bank of Bridge Farm.

Eastie77Returns
Alice’s alcoholism storyline also evolved a long period of time and stretched back to her inappropriate behaviour at Nic’s funeral six years ago.

Oh, much longer than that: she was getting totally ratarsed frequently both before she went to university and while she was there. Her first real encounter with Christopher was because she was so pissed in a Borchester club that he felt he had to escort her home for her own drunken safety.

Gonners
And WTAF has it got to do with Jill? She may think it's "her" kitchen, but does nobody have the balls/ovaries to tell her to back off?

I am quite sure Jill no longer thinks of the kitchen at Brookfield as hers, and has not for some time. The infallible Mr Davies has evidently forgotten that Jill resigned from having anything to do with the catering at Brookfield several years ago. She may still make cakes occasionally, but that is the extent of her involvement in the cooking there.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime - So Ruth was just being difficult, despite wanting the business? Ot haa she now gone bonkers too? I can confirm, from personal experience, that it is catching!

Ruth often is a bit objectionable towards anyone who isn’t Pip - but I suspect tonight was just the SW inventing some hurdles for Fallon to jump.

I am unsure why Ruth was being so obstructive, but she was definitely making difficulties for what seemed to me to be no good reason. For instance, what had anything she was doing on Monday have to do with Fallon using the kitchen on Tuesday? And what were "all these problems" she would have refused the booking for if she had foreseen them? Fallon had asked her for one thing, not dozens.