Archers thread #177: Will Bridge Farm get a PassiveAggressivHaus? 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 love to have a moribund camper van parked indefinitely outside your home, 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.)

Over to you!

Tom already knows that tony was thinking about downsizing and Helen having the farmhouse

Yes. I know that.

I thought Tom sounded quite resigned to the idea Helen would get the farmhouse so any drama there will just be him complaining to Natasha but she seems keen on the modern house

how small is the cottage they live in? The way Natasha described beechwood house made it sound like a mansion!

Oh poor Helen having to move out of the house that Kisty wont sell to her for a fiver. The damage must have happened whilst she lived there with her two boys, and felling so sorry for herself and Joy all sympathetic like.
Joy is so annoying too, nagging people to do stuff ( stupid Ian )
Oh and talking about sleeping in the same bed as Mucky Mick with his smelly feet.! Nothing to shout about pet. It made my skin crawl. I bet he is already married by the way it will end in tears on Christmas day , like when Eastenders was good back in the day.
I made kale soup in my soup maker and the soup maker broke and for some reason the smell of the kale was in my house for ages no matter how much airing and scented candles I used, So that put me off Kale. I did buy a new soup maker though. I love them.

IIRC Kathy lived there with Jamie, who spent part of the time at The Bull with his Dad and then eventually moved to ?Hereford where he works as a tree surgeon. It's probably not large - two bedrooms?* I remember the baby and toddler stage (hazily, through a fug of remembered sleep deprivation) as one where life was a constant battle to tidy up and put things away so we could at least walk across the room without treading on a 'plastic building block' or other hazard. Beechwood would soon fill up with tat too. (Ha! That wasn't intended, but I like it.)

*I am, of course, foolishly expecting the SWs to have kept April Cottage at the same size as it was during those years. As we have all pointed out over and over again, buildings in Ambridge move about and change size at the whim of the production team.

Right, it's a bit early, but I'm off to parkrun shortly, so here's the new thread. Feel free to fill this one up before migrating.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/5230145-archers-thread-178-ambridge-or-scambridge-discuss-the-archers-here

Going by The Book of The Archers Mark was an only son but not an only child: he fits the "has one sister" category.

On page 163 at the top of column one we can read the words "HEBDEN, JOANNA. With her ginger hair and brown eyes, Mark Hebden's sister dearly wanted to be a bridesmaid at his wedding to Shula Archer in September 1985."

The following entry, for MARK HEBDEN, starts its second paragraph with the words "Mark, and only son, had been brought up in Borchester."

Did she want to be a bridesmaid because of her ginger hair and brown eyes?

I hope they hurry up with the big Joy reveal as she’s just getting on my nerves now

Goodness knows; I think they got desperate for new ways to start entries, some of the time.

I don't really see any reason for them to have a "big Joy Reveal"; the vast majority of people have no Hidden Secrets in their pasts, and I bet that if there is a skeleton in her closet it will turn out to be the skeleton of a mouse.

Agreed, we're limbering up for the big Joy reveal.

We got married only fairly recently for tax, pension and inheritance purposes after having been together for almost 40 years. Registry office in Scotland, weren't interviewed, weren't asked anything. Slot was booked online, the registrar met us on the day, didn't do any of this.

Recently enough for congratulations to be in order, @IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle? Many, if so.

(What did you wear, though?)

Maybe the one sister is compulsory. Natasha is an only child.

It looks like the new thread has taken off, so I would recommend hopping over there now...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/5230145-archers-thread-178-ambridge-or-scambridge-discuss-the-archers-here

I know the new thread is up and running, but I have to ask @Trivium4all for a proper sausage and kale stew recipe!

Also to say that I got married in the US and was not interviewed about coercion - I was however presented with a brochure about it and domestic violence, but I can't remember whether it was when we registered (makes sense) or with the wedding certificate (seems a bit late).

From "Die echte deutsche Küche":
6 portions

1.5 kg green kale (curly kale) (if it's already been stripped off the ribs, you only need 1 kg)
salt
a bit of sugar
2 onions
2 Tbsp goose fat or pork drippings
250--500 mL broth (usually beef)
1 big potato (soft-cooking kind, not salad kind)
400g fresh pork belly
250g smoked streaky bacon
1 ring "Pinkel" (it's a kind of pork fat sausage, smoked, with groats; you can substitute any smoked sausage)
250g smoked Mettwurst (another kind of smoked sausage)
(Note that you could also use gammon or pork cheek instead of the sausages.)

1. Peel the kale leaves from the ribs. Boil vigorously for about 10 mins. in 2--3 L saltwater. Drain and blot off the water. Chop coarsely.
2. Peel and chop the onions. Heat the goose fat in a large heavy pot. Lightly braise the onions. Add the kale and some broth (so that the veg don't stick). Wash, peel, and grate the potato, and add it to the veg.
3. Put the fresh pork belly in the middle of the kale, cover it up, and stew for about 1 hour at a fairly low temperature. Then add the bacon, and stew for another hour. Then put the sausages on top, cover it again, and stew for another hour. Throughout, add more broth as needed. Season with salt and a bit of sugar before serving.
4. Serve with potatoes if you like, and mustard. Traditionally, accompanied by a beer and followed by a "Korn" (a grain spirit...vodka would do for a substitute)

It tastes amazing, possibly because it's got enough fat in it for a large cohort of cold agricultural workers!

I believe you can substitute the meat with Tom Archer Sausages, and the shop sells cavalo nero, but you might want to check. It won't be authentic.

The shop's cavolo nero is just last year's rotted cos lettuce.

Will they have the same actress for Brenda?

Lost me crystal ball at the launderette, but there is no actor for her in the cast list (as there isn't for Gavin last week) so she may or may not appear at all.

You'd need to explain that one. @Gonners

What reason would there be for Brenda to come back after Willow Farm is sold? Other than to wind up Natasha?

I'm aware that it hasn't been sold yet. She might buy it or the Beechwood House, I suppose.

She may have stuff at willow farm I suppose

Maybe Brenda and Adrian fancy having a second home. I hope they are a bit less dreary than their names. On the subject of names, the period when Alice fell out of popularity had a lot of Alisons.

I know there's a new thread.https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/5230145-archers-thread-178-ambridge-or-scambridge-discuss-the-archers-here
Apologies to any Brendas and Adrians on here. My name is equally dull.

FlyingFlapjack
Apologies to any Brendas and Adrians on here. My name is equally dull.

Better a dull name than one is in a well-known and mawkish poem, believe me. Once your little friends discover it, the only thing to do is move house, move school and change your name. Possibly divorcing your parents would also appeal.