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.

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 like to hear more from Wesley the ashtray collector, 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 @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!

are they that wealthy?

Asset rich, cash poor.

As its a silver wedding anniversary celebration, maybe they are retired and so know lots of retirees who can turn up at short notice (no-one like my mum though, whose weekday commitments- U3A etc - are pretty extensive.

I love Fallon, she’s a complete self starter who unusually is having a patch where (having nearly drowned and then witnessed her relationship collapsing and suffered the physical side of a miscarriage) she’s not sure of herself. If she weren’t so old I’d say she’d be excellent at marrying Freddie and running lower Loxley. In real life I suspect they’d be booting out whoever runs the Orangery and getting F in there asap.

It’s only 25 years - I wouldn’t expect them to be retired

fallon seems to have had a bit of a rewrite tbh but she’s a good baker - do we have evidence she’s an amazing chef?

conducting work meetings by phone/Zoom/Teams or even occasionally (brace yourselves) face to face

I think companies should be a lot more discerning about which sort of meetings they hold in cafés. I once sat at the table next to a job interview during which I was cringing with second-hand embarrassment at how badly it was going, and crossing my legs to avoid getting up to go to the loo in case it distracted the poor interviewee any further.

Having said that, there's probably a market for people who'd like a decent slab of (non-vegan) cake and a chance to earwig on other people's work while they do their own. My brother's work have just shut down his office and told everyone to WFH. He hates it and has been touring various friends' and families' houses for a daily workspace.

What nonsense, 1999 wasn't 25 years ago! Oh, hang on...

Silver wedding anniversary not wedding. Apologies I was too busy shouting at the radio to hear it properly. But it's still a ludicrous SL.

It’s only 25 years - I wouldn’t expect them to be retired

My parents' 25th coincided with my dad's 50th birthday and our 21st, 18th, and 16th (all the same year, not month). So we had a big party to celebrate the whole family. I'd say Danielle and Calvin are likely in their mid-50s. Danielle does sound like a 40-50 year old's name. I would have put Calvin a bit younger, but maybe he's from somewhere where it's more popular.

We were at university with a Danielle who will now be in her mid 60s. I see that Calvin Klein was born in 1942, admittedly on the other side of the Atlantic.

Entirely possible it was a second marriage. I know quite a few people whose second marriages have lasted a lot longer than their first.

I think companies should be a lot more discerning about which sort of meetings they hold in cafés.

Yes. We once went to the cafe attached to a museum. It was very crowded indeed. A man at the next table was having his annual appraisal. Totally inappropriate. Apart from anything else, what if you know everybody else is having their appraisal in a local cafe but your manager says 'Actually, Chris, let's have your appraisal in my office ...'

Fair enough. I think of Danielle as a sort of mid 1970s- mid 1990s baby name in England, after it became popular in the US (I don't know when Danielle Steel became very popular in the UK, but that might have something to do with it).

The only men I know called Calvin are named for Calvin Klein rather than Jean Calvin, so I assumed it wouldn't have been a popular name until he became well-known. Maybe it's been popular all along, but my Catholic family shielded me from hearing it!

I suppose neither name probably hit the peaks of popularity without a gradual rise. So Danielle & Calvin could be any age from 45 up! I'd say more likely than not they're not yet at retirement age though.

TA must be boring if the discussion is on the age of Danielle and Calvin nobody.🤣.
Is the Farm still a B and B?
How many Guest does Lynda have in a week?
I wonder if Justin went to Uni seeing he was so snobby about Brads Uni.
Why cant Brad just grow a pair and say no to people.

Justin claimed to have been at Cambridge when he was buttering up Jennifer on one occasion. "I had you down as a Newnham girl" he smarmed when asserting he assumed she'd been to the same university as him. (Brian corrected him; I'm not sure Jennifer intended to.)

Cooking for 50 with less than two days notice is a big ask.

Why did they have to murder a cat? (and a mouse). We know rural existence is full of death, but surely they give us stories without it? Less than 15 minutes a day. Some fun and cheer please, not animal suffering.

Particularly when there are so many potential deserving humans.

damn straight

Ugh why was Helen being so rude to Kirsty about the house? If she's dithered for ages and is now not buying it, surely she should be grovelling to her supposed best friend rather than being so offhand about it? (I know, it's because she's horrible).

And wtf is this nonsense about Mick and his van, as if he'd have got away living in it outside his posh country guest house place of work, and as if anyone would be so thick as to invite him to park it on their driveway (and as for Helen and Tony enabling it and effing up Kirsty's lawn in the process. Come on).

How much of the farm does Jill own?

I presume Kirsty's estate agent will take one quick glance and point out loudly in Joy's and Mick's hearing that it will be quite impossible to sell a house with an occupied caravan parked in front of the next-door-neighbour. And ask whether Joy has planning permission.

I just think of Calvin and Hobbes which is infesting my facebook feed at the moment

I was cross about the cat - not so much about the mouse. But just because the microchip isn't there, that doesn't mean it isn't (wasn't) Hilda. Our Spanish cat (ex-feral kitten, rescued before the bastard council poisoned all the feral colonies) was chipped on her first visit to the vet. A couple of days later I swept under the bed and out came a gleaming chip! I shoved it in an envelope and next time she went to the vet (a Proper Cat Person) he checked it with the chip reader, praised her for her being a clever girl, and put it back while she was under anaesthetic being spayed.

I’m furious for Kirsty that the perma-entitled Hellin has dithered for weeks (months?) then done the dirty on her; that moronic Mick has ruined her lawn AND that they think it’s just fine for his old heap of junk to be parked next door to her house while she’s trying to sell.

I meant when she and David die!!

I thought that was a ridiculous episode and the sw clearly live in a different reality

Another stupid episode.