Archers thread #187: Send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for Peggy. 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 Harrison to hasten 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.)

Thanks to John Donne for the title inspiration. The funeral of the century beckons. How much of it do we think we will hear? Kate confirmed tonight that Shula, Debbie, Noli and Sipho are all coming. If we hear one peep from any of them I'll be amazed. Bets on Hazel turning up?

Over to you!

I think a happily ever after no issues ever wouldn't be representative, as in more adopters encounter some difficulties than don't.
A some settling in issues, plus some emotional issues in teens (but not masses of violence) could be interesting.
Both mine struggled in second half of teens.

Sorry I meant that Jack would be the instigator but Helen would blame Kirsty’s kid and say rude things about adoption and they’d fall out

I will be v pissed off if they decide to do a Kirsty-yearning-for-baybees SL. She was in two minds about the one pregnancy we know of, and not excessively affected by the miscarriage until people wouldn’t stop badgering the poor woman about ‘grieving’ in a way acceptable to them.
She is not and never has been desperate to be a mother. Just plain desperate’s another story. I mean, shagging TomTit after being left at the altar? (shagging TomTit at all, tbf)

yeah- a happy not to be a mother would be a great story, especialy if she went round voicing that

I think a happily ever after no issues ever wouldn't be representative

It would be of my experience. Like I said, I'd like that reflected in the storyline rather than another PSA.

Sky UK commentator snippily noting real dictators have better parades like the one he saw in North Korea

Wrong thread, or was he talking about Peggy's funeral?

Ha! Yes wrong thread.

Thought I'd deleted

I wonder if North Korea has ever entered the minds of David, or Tom, or Jolene …

well said @RegimentalSturgeon 👏 👏 👏

David, yes, think him and Ruth would have discussed it on an ongoing basis as I see them both very switched onto current affairs (radio 4 and six music all day).

Jolene, yes, I think her and Kenton would have probably had fiery chats about her views on how gross it all was v him being one of those ‘yeah it’s bad but what are you going to do’ types. But as above aware and informed

Tom - never crosses his mind as he’s genuinely just such a small minded idiot. One of those men who if it’s not in their immediate eye line they don’t have any awareness of it. Pre-kids Natasha was super switched on to global politics but now doesn’t have the headspace for it when she also has to put up with Tom all day on top of the twins. In a few years, once the baby years are over, she’ll be back on form.

I think Kirsty would enjoy having a child but I could see her adopting an older child and I think that would be interesting (especially if it led to tension with Helen - Kirsty pretty much always backs down to Helen and she wouldn’t if her child was involved£

now Fallon - if they ever make her desperate for a baby it would be unforgivable

To be fair I have never discussed North Korea with DH, DD, my friends or colleagues. Or given it a second thought myself.

nice save, tho!

ETA: i have spoken a lot about North Korea with my friends & family. But i am a) very interested in politics and b) have a lot of Korean friends (used to work for a Korean company)

A couple of things occur to me - first the appearance of Hazel at the funeral. Peggy herself was taken aback by Jick's will and the fact that everything went to Hazel which makes it even more unlikely that she would have done the same thing to her own family. Secondly why would Phoebe move back to Ambridge just because she is pregnant? She and Brodie have jobs and a home in Scotland - there's no obvious reason why she, a grown woman, would come back. If Peggy had left her The Lodge to move into (or similar) then perhaps, but there's no obvious job or home for her in Ambridge, her grandmother (who was the real maternal role model) is dead and her father who she lived with in Ambridge is now in Bulgaria. It would feel extremely shoe-horned. Finally I second @TottersBlanklyIntoThePhysicGarden's comments about the complete absence of Kate's other children. Not even a mention - as if they didn't exist at all. I know this is the usual position for Kate, but since she'd mentioned they were coming I thought their presence might have been acknowledged in some way.

in Phoebe moving back - I agree. It would make no sense as she has a good job up there and seems settled.

however I worry the sw are going to cause an issue between her and Brodie and she does the Aldridge special of running back to mummy. It would be very very stupid so I hope it doesn’t happen.

the only way I see it is that she and Brodie get offered amazing jobs nearby and move back because of that

i fear that Kirsty offering they can stay with her was a foreshadowing though

We really need the laughing emoji back

Re Phoebe moving back, I wondered whether Justin's "this was all YOUR hard work, Phoebe" when at the rewilding with her and Kirsty was a bit of a hint that his daft idea to rewild Borchester Land would have her doing the PR/Marketing.

FWIW, my recollection was that Phoebe left the scheme high and dry, though I concede that she might have hung a few fairy lights and helped to dog the latrines.

I expect that the SW's have "done" adoption already with the Foundling SL. Fostering/hosting city teens and getting them involved in rewilding would work. An example of a charity doing this here: https://www.monbiot.com/2013/10/07/rewild-the-child/

"dig", not "dog"

I couldn’t bear a character becoming a foster parent before they would use it to parachute in SL with fly by night characters. At least an adoption SL would introduce a permanent character

🤣

That's funny I always get dig when I mean dog

@Bruisername it wasn’t awful when Caroline and Oliver were fostering. And might have proved an interesting long term story with foster children returning to visit as they matured.

But the SWs dropped it all (possibly when Caroline decided to buy GG, which took all their joint resources of money and energy).

I was sitting quietly and heard what sounded like a silage convoy going past, huge rumbly vehicles. After a bit I thought it seemed very big - there are usually four massive things, not more than a dozen - so I went over to the window. One little grey Fergie, two little grey Fergie. three little grey Fergie . . .

Forty one little grey Fergie. Not counting the ones that had already gone past. Also a little brown machine, probably either a very rusty lgF or an lgF some rugged individualist decided to paint.

Some with roll bars, some with home-made cabs, one pulling a motor car, one pulling a gypsy-style caravan, one pulling a trailer full of kayaks, one sitting proudly in the flat bed of a truck, one, amazingly, driven a woman.

PS, I was tempted to go out to the gate and yell "I know about you lot, you killed John Archer", but decided against.

PPS, they really do make a hell of a racket.

PPPS this is them

www.farminglife.com/business/fergy-and-the-lake-tractor-run-5176686

Have they ever had a Tractor Run in Ambridge or Borchester and if not why not?