Archers thread #189: Brian reaps what he sows, in spite of himself. Discuss The Archers here.

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Over to you!

Stella has a witness to the awful awful things Brian said to her. The manager, who as manager is allowed to make decisions. He would be on VERY shaky ground if he insisted on paying out her leave. He was going to sack her on the spot, remember.

ETA: yes Brian's apology was gracious. And having used the language he did when he saw her and Ruth, i would expect it to be so. He was also expecting similar from Stella in reply, i think. She is right to have said "no more of your bullshit and moods" and her telling Adam what happened is likely to have him now tell Brian that Stella is a closed chapter.

Which then leads on to the deliciousness to come of Adam having an absolute tantrum when Alice takes over from Stella (having said that: can she drive the no till drill etc? Does she even know how to check the crop for moisture content and all the actual farming stuff Stella does? Does Adam?

Adam certainly does. He's been farming for decades. Alice is an engineer by training who used to sell techy stuff to farmers, IIRC, so she could probably work it out. I assume you pick up a bit of agricultural knowledge if you grow up on a farm. I picked up a few things about my parents' jobs just from hearing them mention things in the evenings, not that that would have qualified me to walk straight in and teach a Reception class or run a chain of bookshops, admittedly.

yes but to be put in as manager? not sure that would wash in any other than a family firm. With no other employees

Brian should put Kate in charge. That'd larn 'em!

In the mind of a scriptwriter (not just on the Archers) that makes you entirely well qualified to do either or both jobs!

The drill manufacturer will have a team of bods training up underskilled farmers, so that wouldn't be an issue.

Isn't Alice an aeronautical engineer by training - at least, to degree level. She could perhaps engineer something to harvest remotely, maybe using the drone? It's radio, after all ... they can do any old nonsense.

A lot of people seem to think they are qualified to walk into a class and teach merely by virtue of having been to school themselves.

I know! It must be incredibly irritating. Tough job, and not one I think I'd have been very good at. There have never been enough teachers in TA. I can only think of Kathy, who left the profession after a few years, Jennifer (briefly before she had Adam), Iftakar (and he was only in TA briefly) - anybody else?

Alice has an MEng, IIRC.
I grew up on a farm but although I'd know some things, they'd be random tasks not running the entire business. What i know would be what happened decades ago.

A lot of people seem to think they are qualified to walk into a class and teach merely by virtue of having been to school themselves.
True. My idea of what I'd teach my pupils is probably rose tinted and out-of-date.

I was pressured to go into teaching ('You get all those holidays', 'It's a good job for a woman', 'Fits in with childcare', 'Well what else could you do?') but despite not having an idea of what to do, I didn't. (Was a bit like the grads in Oxbridge graduates who can’t get a job | Mumsnet but without the good degree from a prestigious university.)
It took a few years to find something I enjoy, but it worked out OK. No regrets.

The other teacher was Ifty.

I forgot CallMeRuss. Deputy Head at Lily's school.
Apologies for repeating that Ifty was a teacher. Missed it.

How could I have forgotten Russ! Of course.

I have lots (20+) of cousins, and out of all of us and spouses, and their children, there has been three headteachers (one retired, the other two moved into other jobs in the field), two teachers (one has left), and two teaching assistants (one retired, one went to do something else).
None of my parents' generation were teachers, and many of my graduate relatives went into engineering, social work, medicine and health-related professions.

So in that way, maybe TA isn't unrepresentative.

Sometimes the memory will try to protect us.

I still don’t like the way they made out the Russ/Lily relationship was perfectly reasonable

I liked CMR because he was so ridiculously up his own arse.

Yes, you're probably right. There are fewer of us, but the only one in my generation who went into schoolteaching is the wife of one of my cousins.

Quite a few of us went into agriculture or agriculture-related occupations, but not as many as in TA.

Realistically, Brookfield over the decades would have been looking to acquire more land with at least two of the children wanting to farm.
Pip would have been encouraged to 'get ahead' (i.e. get a degree and a nice job for a farmer's wife), and to marry a rich (male) farmer.

Perhaps she could have a new Career in Formula One? Surely Ambridge isn't that far from Motorsport Valley?

Does she even know how to check the crop for moisture content and all the actual farming stuff Stella does?

I know that, and I only grew up kn a farm,never worked on one. I'd have thought most kids growing up on an arable farm would be aware.

I would be crap at using the machinery, but Alice worked as an engineer and has a degree in it, and has worked with various bits of kit. She's also been running the stables, so should have snow awareness of tax and payroll and do on. She won't know everything, but she'll have less of a learning curve thsn many would.

But Adam's nose will be very out of joint. Though I think he and Alice could work well together, once they stop sniping at each other over Brian's favouritism.

Meant to ask - how much restoration does a font usually need? Usually it's solid stone with a concave bit st the top.

Never forgotten ♡

I am astounded and disgusted at the whole notion of turning the church over to the service of mammon. If the font is medieval, or even early modern, the 'restoration' could cost a lot.

According to the BBC Ambridge Locations page, St Stephen's was established in 1281 ... though from the picture it looks as though it might have been rebuilt later, very possibly with Lego.

but Alice worked as an engineer and has a degree in it, and has worked with various bits of kit. She's also been running the stables, so should have snow awareness of tax and payroll and do on.

I don't believe for one minute Alice has a clue about this. Tax and payroll will be done by a payroll company.