Archers thread #185: Some farming would be nice. 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.)

Over to you!

I like the memorial benches even on cliff tops. People who leave flowers should clear them away after a couple of days.

I like memorial benches. Firstly for a sit down in a long dog walk, and I like to read the plaques. They aren't mawkish or anything sentimental usually. There are loads along the cliff top and the prom where I live, it's lovely to sit and look at the sea. I wonder sometimes about the people who are named. Can't say I care for the plastic wrapped flowers, but some people have a vase with garden flowers in, nice.

People who leave flowers should clear them away after a couple of days

Or, at least, remove the wrapping so that they can decompose without leaving any awful plastic remains.

A nearby town currently has lots of brown rotting flowers wrapped in plastic left on the war memorials. The resulting mess/litter looks awful and is the exact opposite of a thoughtful/respectful tribute.

Yes I believe Lillian said it goes to charity if one doesn’t go

Surely that can't possibly work? Once it's all booked the estate can hardly demand it all back because Sipho's plane gets cancelled or something.

Won't Stella be forced to go on he family holiday from hell as partner to the world's first lesbian and honorary mother to the sainted Rosie? Or perhaps it will be the final catalyst to her breaking the whole thing off, whereupon Pip becomes the world's first bisexual.

Surely Peggy's ludicrous bequest won't be for the Brookfield Archers as well as the rest? Hence, no Pip or Rosie or Toby.

Wrong family. The Brookfield Archers are Jill's not Peggy's

For years not far from me there was a 'memorial', consisting of dead flowers and rotting teddy bears tied to a fence, to two children who died in a car accident. It looked horrific and a single bunch of flowers changed frequently would have been much better but nobody dared touch them.

Suddenly I'm all in favour, if it means loads of guaranteed Pip-free episodes.

I like memorial benches, though there seem to be fewer here in my bit of Australia. Lots of dedicated theatre seats though.

In a particular part of Mount Dandenong, full off huge eucalypts, there's a footpath with a bench dedicated to someone who got killed by a falling tree when walking there.

A bit like the swimming pool dedicated to Harold Holt, the Aussie PM who drowned off The Rip. Those familiar with London's Southbank and Hayward Gallery will recognise the brutalist architecture.

Where is Asking when you need the Ambridge encyclopedia?! I felt fairly confident that Christine B wasn't in the carehome itself, but in adjacent assisted living flats (like McArthy Stone), AND that her son was helping out with the bills. The service charges will still be high, but not nearly as bad as residential care.

R4 did run a series about elderly vulnerable people being tricked out of their wealth through signing Lasting Powers of Attorney over to a particular solicitor who seemed to get introduced by a care worker. I don't think it is a likely storyline here, but I thought I'd flag it.

Fuckit. I missed out the bit about the memorial bench that said the tree-hit chap loved trees.

I don’t know why people in other countries understand about removing the cellophane but we don’t! Or about removing dead flowers and rotting soft animals.

There is a blog about memorial benches up and down the country.

Memorial benches & the stories of the people they commemorate « A tribute to the people remembered by memorial benches

Well I think that's rather lovely. What a nice rabbit hole to go down.

So where do we think Peggy’s money’s going?
Johnny?
Kate?
Some massive project or building that will change the face of Ambridge? Maybe some kind of massive cash injection for The Bull (slightly less face-changing)?

I am hoping it’s Johnny. Mainly because I’ve now remembered the disgraceful way Helen and Tom behaved when Pat and Tony found out about him. They were convinced he was going to make a claim on the farm and behaved like the petulant, spoilt brats they are by trying to prevent Pat and Tony from meeting their own grandson. I remember Tom trying to pass off his awful behaviour as concern for his parents in much the same way he is now pretending he is only concerned Peggy was ripped off and doesn’t care about not being left a lot of money. He and his sister really are a couple of shameless, grasping articles.

I just think there isn’t any money!!

Christine is in an assisted living flat attached to The Laurels, not a care home with nursing. Peggy was in a room in the care home part of the premises.

Peter runs an orchestra, I think. And he is now sixty, so I hope that as well as topping up his mother's pension (as broadcast on 30th December 2018), he's putting money aside for his own end-of-life care, since he seems to have no other relations to pick up the slack for him.

Peggy paid for Christine's care after Hilda caused her broken hip, and a month or so for extra convalescence, but when Christine made clear for the umpteenth time her decision never to go near The Lodge and Hilda again because she felt unsafe there, she had also worked out that she could afford a flat of her own from her pension with a little top-up from Peter, and she told Peggy so. At that point Peggy, probably offended, stopped trying to own her sister-in-law and dictate her life. But the team that rewrote Neil's childhood don't care about details like that, do they.

But Madcats had it right....

Our village shop is approximately the size of a bouncy castle inside but still manages to stock organic chocolate stout, black garlic, tempeh, two types of tahini, those lovely Anna's swedish ginger thins, and a very decent wine selection!

I always think the Ambridge village shop is like the shop in Mr Benn…

They’re pretty desperate if they are picking young teens

did we need the PSA on online safety? I’m not sure I can bear a grooming sl

That episode was really slow but no horvilles

Peter is probably cantering towards retirement, if he hasn’t already. The BBC blurb has Christine as being born in 1931.

Bruisername
They’re pretty desperate if they are picking young teens

I wish the editorial team would give up the pretence that Tony was dropped from the team earlier this year. He stopped playing cricket after he was knelt on by Otto the bull, which was back in 2014, and hasn't been in the team since that year. He trained to be an umpire instead, and that is what he has been doing for the Ambridge cricket team.

Lowfield: Sunday 2nd August, 2015
Tony is feeling stronger, even to the point of thinking about umpiring again.

Lowfield: Sunday 23rd August, 2015
Tony is umpiring

Synopsis, Tuesday 21st May, 2024
Lynda and Tony will be umpiring and Jim scoring,

Synopsis, Thursday 26th September, 2024
Tony just hopes his umpiring is up to Division Four standards.