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.

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, 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!

I had to go dairy (and soy, but that’s disgusting and tastes of fish) free when I was breastfeeding. Despite variations (cream mainly, when on a low carb diet) I keep going back to oat milk for coffee and often have an oat latte whilst if only milk is available I’d have to go for a cappuccino or flat white.

Aha I also had to go dairy and soy (and egg and gluten free) whilst breastfeeding too too. 20 odd years ago I was vegan and would have so impressed with the options available today.

Adam and Ian are a farmer and a chef though - they love Helen and Bridge Farm’s dairy produce. I don’t believe for a moment either of them are choosing a UPF alternative.

I am getting so pissed off with 70 year old Clarrie (71 next week) banging on about the need to get a well paid job.

She must have done enough years of paid employment to get a state pension. I could believe Eddie hasn't, as he's probably done a lot of cash in hand stuff.

Presumably she's claiming her state pension- there's no reason not to- but it's not enough to live on.

The Grundy finances are a bit of a mystery

How does Clarrie get around? How would she get to the school if she gets the dinner lady job?

I suspect that there is a meatpacker job up for grabs at Casey Meats!

I'd happily walk 40 minutes/couple of miles to get somewhere, but I have well maintained towpaths and less impressive pavements and street lighting.

I suppose that she wouldn't really be doing too much mileage, so she could easily have a 20 year old runabout that scrapes through an MOT each year. Rochelle presumably travelled everywhere in Rex's taxi or a broomstick.

Grange Farm must be an absolute money pit.

It would have been good to hear Clarrie having a quiet cackle over Casey Meats’ employment choices! 😂

But as to Grange Farm - the Grundys only pay rent - all the house and farm maintenance costs must be Oliver’s concern.

You seem to be the only voice… an example of “Joy Division” perhaps ..possible inclusion in a future thread title @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g ?? Although I reallly hope theres no more Joy for a long long time ( a Joyless Archers!)

@IdaPrentice I thought she was going to take her 'bairns' and do a runner to France with them.

That would rely on them all having passports! 😆

No I quite like it too, but not to the exclusion of all else.

We don’t want a joyless Archers - just Much Less Joy?

(I fear this may still be relevant by the start of the next thread. And am being won over to the theory that Jackie Lye must have something on the producers. Or even on the entire BBC - because this is getting ridiculous now. 🤔)

That's going quite a bit back but BBC Sounds has a fair number of back episodes available and most of them will have a wee synopsis - or if you have enough time (and a huge dose of patience!) you could listen to them there.

Flying to the US later - anyone know if I can listen to the Archers from there? I seem to remember there has been a change with BBC Sounds internationally?
Strangely given the recent dire storylines/scripts I’d like to keep listening though maybe this will be the enforced break I need to break the habit of 35 years, a form of rehab if you will…

You can still use BBC sounds from the US. Just make sure you’ve got it installed before you leave.

Thank you - yes, I already have it.
So the habit continues…
It’s like a co-dependency I think where I know it’s bad for me and I spend large parts of each episode snorting and rolling my eyes, but come 7pm I still find myself turning the dial…

I’m totally the same! Also, you can use the iPhone podcast app, too. If that’s relevant.

I totally agree with @Bruisername and @IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle - they all adopt the same strange reverential yet wooden tone when talking about the war heroes. I’m sure Dodgy was a great man but the way Elizabeth was talking about him was just bizarre. They really need someone to be totally bored by it all and to roll their eyes and question why the entire village is in wartime overdrive. David would have been a good candidate for tutting but even he and Elizabeth had a meaningful tete a tete about it all.

It's on Spotify one day late

OverArmourer
(about mothers apologising for their sons)
Helen for Jack (was it Jack?) when he broke the window at the rectory or church

As far as I remember the only person who has broken a window in church or Vicarage (the modern bungalow the vicar lives in is called "The Vicarage") was Alan, falling off a ladder he had no business being up without safety precautions in the first place. He broke Jack Woolley's memorial window for the non-armed-forces people in Ambridge during WWII – which damn well ought at least to be mentioned by someone today! has it been mended yet? – and for some thoroughly idiotic reason Peggy felt it ought to be replaced with a window to commemorate Tom and Natasha's twins, something no church in the country would consider for a split nanosecond.

Thanks, I remembered! He (allegedly) graffitied the church door but I can’t remember now whether Helen apologised for it, so my point is a little bit random.

Even today they couldn’t give us a joy free episode!! All the characters involved yet she still had to be included

and well done to everyone for predicting today would be Peggy’s end

Bloody Joy again, she added nothing. For a second I thought she'd be hanging around with Lillian and Tony all day like some kind of ghoul.
And who wants to be in a village hall watching a slideshow just after their mother's died! Presumably it's on PowerPoint so they could have watched it at a later date.

The one who graffitied the church door, and admitted that he had, was Henry. Helen found the can of spray-paint (which he cannot have bought legally at under sixteen) and made him go and apologise to Alan himself. She was a lot less forgiving than Alan about it all.

I thought we were going to have an episode without Bloody Joy. But no, more faux-cosy, nosy attitude, and she should absolutely have bogged off when Lilian answered the 'phone to The Laurels. Mannerless nerk, as Ronnie Barker would say. At least Peggy is dead (finally). Let's hope Hilda has snuffed it too.