Archers thread #183: The Scorekeeper's Apprentice. 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 share a hot tub with Mucky Mick, 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.)

Credit for the title goes to @TottersBlankly who suggested it and @BeatriceBatchelor who coined this lovely phrase. (It's led me to take a look at the Wikipedia page for The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I had not known before that the animation in Fantasia that goes with the Dukas symphonic tone poem is more or less unadulterated Goethe, and the story goes back to ancient times. You learn something every day.)

At the end of the last thread, there was an apocalyptic tone as we were all bemoaning the lack of continuity and farming storylines (especially lambing, which used to be a big theme at this time of year). Are there any reasons to be cheerful? (Not just Part 3 - another reference for the older listeners here. ) Over to you!

Omg am rubbish at voices and who is who but the drama of the hosepipe make me realised that Martin Gibson is also Maurice Skellen from Charles Paris so now I luff him a bit!

This method of 'decomposition' would appeal to Kirsty, Mia etc!

loop-biotech.com/living-cocoon/

Lord, that's the stuff of nightmares.
<shudder>

Martin Gibson is also Maurice Skellen from Charles Paris so now I luff him a bit!

Oh yes!

I sympathise with Clarrie as I wouldn't want to retire. Especially with a knitting subscription box.

@BeatriceBatchelor I sympathise with Clarrie as I wouldn't want to retire. Especially with a knitting subscription box.

It'll give her something to do on those long evenings when Eddie's in prison for nefarious drone-related activities.

Forgot to add this yesterday. The coffin story is from Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He did it once in 1964 and then re-made it in 1985 with a woman prisoner instead of a man. According to the reviewers on IMDB and others I've seen in the course of a few seconds googling reckon the first one is much better than the re-make. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0394041/?ref_=tt_dyk_cnn

So he is! I'd utterly failed to spot that. I do enjoy those.

Yes! Having said that, I'm several years younger than Clarrie and the idea of a job that involves standing for many hours and/or doing non-stop vigorous physical activity against the clock fills me with horror. (To be fair, it always would have done. All my jobs have been sedentary, except the Saturday job I had at school. My waistline is testimony to this.)

Oh poor Helen what an absolutely terrible time she is having. But it is good that they gave Clarrie such a good send off 🙄

I am retired. I don't knit. I have not found it difficult to fill up my time at all, but then I am World Class at lazing about, not massively sociable, and I only ever worked for the money, not self-fulfilment, so haven't missed the work at all.

I found Clarrie's self-pity extremely irritating. She's going to struggle to find paid work at her age, I get that, but as we have all said over and over again, find out what benefits you're entitled to! Look for some interesting classes or volunteering.

As for the work, what about advertising for cleaning work?

I'm in two minds about Clarrie's aversion to learning anything about IT. OTOH, I know there are people of my generation who've set their face against becoming computer literate, and as Clarrie is realising now there is a price to be paid for that. OTOH, even my Mum seems to be in a minority in her generation in not using social media, email or having a smartphone. Susan is perfectly competent with IT and I'm sure she could have taught Clarrie the basics, but it may be too late now. Clarrie has decided she can't do anything like that and she doesn't strike me as an open-minded flexible personality.

Poor Helen. No time to go to the cinema.

Did I read you were going for a run yesterday @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g or did I dream that?

Yes, although the Trades Description Act could be invoked. My husband is a very keen runner and I have been sucked into doing parkrun every week, although I've never managed to run 5km in one go. At the moment I am also going out midweek for a training run. Very much the sort of thing I feel better for having done. The doing of it is hell.

I found Clarrie's self-pity extremely irritating. She's going to struggle to find paid work at her age, I get that, but as we have all said over and over again, find out what benefits you're entitled to! Look for some interesting classes or volunteering.

i think that's a bit harsh, but Clarrie brought me to tears.
Disclaimer: i was made redundant at Christmas. I am highly qualified but I'm 61 so i don't even get acknowledgements of my applications.

Sorry, will hide the middle bit in an edit, in case anyone wants to see my moaning.
I really REALLY wanted Pat to tell Brian to tell Martyn to STFU up moaning until he has spent weeks cleaning shit off the floors.

I'm sorry, @Brefugee. I really hope things take a turn for the better for you soon. I was insensitive there. However, I can't imagine you resemble Clarrie in many other ways!

no it's ok, it wasn't a dig at you. thank you

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g I know there are people of my generation who've set their face against becoming computer literate, and as Clarrie is realising now there is a price to be paid for that.

Very few, I would think, though I'm prepared to believe that Clarrie (who is a couple of years younger than me) is one of them. It would be much more usual in our parents' generation. I find computers much simpler to operate than bloody smart phones, which are the bane of my life! 😖

My mum bless her before she got cancer was trying to find work having been self employed much of her life. She was demoralised to be passed over for consideration at the local shop, the new co-op that opened and even charity shops who already had their networks of volunteers. She wasn't ready to retire and again until she got ill she was as active physically and mentally as most people 20 years younger. Ageism is a dreadful thing.

(sorry for derail)
It is awful, the thing for me is i get the higher amount of unemployment money for 2 years. By which time i will have just turned 64. But i can't claim my pension until I'm 67. So i go on the very basic amount of unemployment money.

ETA: all made worse, of course, in that when i entered the world of work immediately i left school (at 18) in 1982 - my expected retirement age was 60. I feel hard done to here (well not really, i am lucky that i am fit and able, but i think you all may know what i mean)

I am lucky, i have given myself a year to find a comparable job, failing that i will go for anything, but probably have to go into teaching english part-time too. Urgh.

If after the year i can't find anything comparable to what i have been doing for years, i will definitely be posting on linked in (possibly also naming and shaming) all the companies i have applied to, many via LinkedIn, who trumpet about their diversity, whereas in fact they are pouplated at mid-senior level by white men, and at no level by anyone over 50. Right now i can't do that. But i will :)

It is indeed rubbish, I’m sorry to hear it, @Brefugee.

That was absolutely classic Helen last night.
H: Lucky Tom and Natasha, I'd LOVE to go to the cinema, I can’t remember when I last went!
Pat: Let’s go together, I’ll sort it all out
H: Oh I couldn’t possibly, I'm far too busy

🤷‍♀️ 🤦‍♀️ 🙄

I get it @Brefugee I need the structure of work and the limited social interaction (we're mainly wfh) it offers.

I'm lazy with lots of interests but no hobbies. I know lots of people relish early retirement but I hope to keep going (30 hrs per week). Just need to try to manage the increasing levels of stress work is bringing.

All the best with finding something that suits you.

i was shouting at Helen, what does she do all the time? mope around about how much time she doesn't have. Meanwhile Clarrie does all the cooking, all the housework, the kitchen garden, knits the ferrets, makes costumes for plays, work(ed), etc etc

Helen? i wonder how she has the brass neck to show her actual face.

Helen is a single mother to two fatherless children. She runs her own business or one that she part owns. She has a full-time job. She doesn't hire a cleaner etc. She's good at delegating.

Clarrie could delegate some of the tasks, or decline some of the tasks she's given.

knits the ferrets

Well, those ferrets don't knit themselves, you know!

Helen lives surrounded by built-in baby sitters. Doesn't she live at Bridge Farm now? I wonder how much of the cleaning/cooking she's doing. What i mean, with Helen, is - where are the scenes where they take her dinner to the office, because she's catching up with paperwork? where she's telling her boys not to put stuff in the laundry if it is still clean-ish? Or telling them how to use the washing machine?

I know we have limited time, but it would be fairly easy for the SW (who don't apparently do anything at all 😂) to show (not tell) how she is really busy.

Clarrie does need to learn to delegate, i agree. But. We all know that the things would not get done if she did that.

Did they not even take her out for a meal, the tight fisted sods? I know Clarrie said she didn't want a fuss but c'mom!