Archers thread #198: Josh sent to Patagonia, Pip stays put. Wrong way round! Discuss The Archers here.

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Not feeling greatly enthused about what's going on in Ambridge at the moment, tbh. I'm annoyed at Brian's hypocrisy about Ruairi given the furore over George's attempt to frame Alice as the cause of the accident. I do hope we don't have a slow drip drip drip now as one after another the members of the Aldridge/Archer clan find out what really happened and endlessly agonise over what to do. Frankly I don't care. There! I've said it.

Pip's OK. Well, good, but what was the point of that story, I wonder?

I suspect I'm in a minority of one in rather enjoying hearing (a) from Bert Horobin and (b) about Fletcher. I surmise Bert is here to stay for a while because the BBC has (amazingly) updated his character page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/1wQP3mKR6yr9LVs05jddxcY/bert-horrobin (prominent actor photo warning). Given how out of date a lot of the other character pages are, this seems odd, but there we are.

That's all I can be bothered to say! Over to you.

I don't think this issue is going to get as far as a partner's meeting. As soon as they start talking to Ruairi about it, he will feel incredibly guilty and Reveal All, and they'll all be too busy dealing with that crisis.

Did Jennifer really leave everything she had control of to Brian without any consideration of the next generation? It seems out of character. She knew the man, she knew he was not as fond of her son as she was.

I agree - because this is what is at the root of Brian’s irrational behaviour. It’s the reason he didn’t move in with Miranda, it’s the reason he’s trying to keep Ruairi out of the way, it’s the reason Alice thinks he has dementia (she doesn’t really care about the inheritance thing she just doesn’t want him to be ill because he was so supportive over her alcoholism and she’s still reeling from losing her mum). When the truth is revealed about Ruairi’s attack on George, the attempt to shift the blame onto an innocent person and Brian’s role in the cover up, including submitting to blackmail from George Alice is going to properly lose it. Storing caravans or planting trees is going to be the least of Home Farm’s problems.

Well … The SWs seem keen for us to know there’ll be a partners’ meeting soon. Maybe Ruairi’s Revelation will be the highpoint of said gathering?

i love the aunt/uncle relationship, especially if there is regular contact. My DH was besotted with all his siblings' kids, even after we (eventually) had our own.

And i am the same with my sibling's offspring. i don't see them much (separate countries) but we are in constant contact.

Adam has no support among his (half)siblings. None. They are all doing him a dirty, tbh. Especially Daddy'sFavouriteOfAllOfThem (aka Alice). I hope he realises soon that he is flogging a dead horse and becomes a silent partner. Or an ex-partner, and takes his share out before it all comes crashing down.

I think Brine does have the start of dementia and it is being covered up by what (we know, and Lilian knows) is actually going on. It is going to come as a shock and Alice being right may send her right back to drinking.

Ruth has been distracted and no wonder. She needs therapy to come to terms with her feelings of responsibility.

Alice being right may send her right back to drinking.

The shock of the new?

Alice showing her true colours, yes. I've never liked her.
I've always liked Alice. From when she was born to this day. I ❤Alice and always will.

Ruth has been distracted and no wonder. She needs therapy to come to terms with her feelings of responsibility. Why? What is therapy?
I went to a counsellor and it was horrible. I felt I was sitting there with someone listening to my woes thinking 'I get paid £x for this'. She got my name wrong so I stopped the sessions.
Went to another one and it was all tissues and sympathy. Pile of shite.

@RuairiDonovan - you sound so much like a relative of mine! Only she’d never be on an Archers thread. 😄

If Ruth is feeling so responsible then surely she’d be frantically rushing to get the test ASAP in order to warn her kids if need be. Also for some reason no one is considering that any of the kids could get their own tests.

I only went to the counselling because it was available through the benefits package where I worked. I'm sure it helped some.
In my case, I was just working too much. The solution was fairly obvious.
It was the sort of company where a heart attack or nervous breakdown was not unusual.
I think if I just wanted to talk about it could have been quite helpful.

In Ruth's case, it's not her fault if she has the gene. She got what she was given.
Talking through with someone who'd not be dismissive might be very helpful, especially if they could explain what to do and expect next.
If her DC wanted to, they could be tested for it, I suppose.

David does try but he's not the most emotionally-literate, is he?

I’m not buying Ruth’s ‘it would be my fault’ schtick. She’s an irritating pain in the arse but essentially she’s a no-nonsense, pragmatic farmer! The acting doesn’t help, but it was wholly unconvincing and ruined what was otherwise a good episode last night.

Genetic counsellor is a specific job - that’s who Ruth needs to see. It’s a specialism and those who do it really understand the science and the different choices to be made/ramifications thereof. I met one through work once, she was fantastic, and since then my friends had cause to see one and again - very useful. As you say @RuairiDonovan it’s not just someone saying there there, it’s someone with the “soft skills” but who also understands and can talk through the facts.

I got this on a thread about 10 pages long where I was the first reply.
[21 thanks, agrees and hearts].Not my PB but still worth a boast.

I'm quite a no nonsense person.

I went out in the car on Friday. Parking is permit holders only here. Street parking and I'm often needing to drive round the block a few times to park near the house. Not ideal as I tend to only take the car if I'm off to do a big shop.
Managed to get a space two doors up.

Monday I noticed a note, anonymous, asking me to move my car because they had regular deliveries. [Don't we all chuck, Royal Mail, Evri, Deliveroo,Ocado...]
Ignored it.
(What it really meant was 'Inconvenience yourself so my visitors don't moan about not being to park outside').
I thought 'Fuck that, CF'. CF Jr has used menacing tones towards me in the past ('Move your car, or I'll move it for you')

There was a space right outside my house just now, so I have moved it.
I am such a people pleaser.

Anyway, if they ask again, I'll tell them to ask the council parking office if they can have a visitors only space outside their NDN's house. CFers.

I'm looking forward to the parking wars on The Green, Chelsea's Hairsbox, the Riley, Brad's car, Helen's car, Henry's car...

@RuairiDonovan , "Chelsey's Hairsbox"! 😂You win the thread!

Thanks for the new thread.

TpmNTashs money woes are rising up again. Wonder where that storyline is going.

Tracy and Susan's dad is awful.

Happiness for Kirsty would be so welcome. Please scriptwriters leave her alone.

Happiness for Kirsty would be so welcome. Please scriptwriters leave her alone.
I'd quite like a few minor worries as long as the result is a happy and healthy mother and baby. More Erik would be great.

When he briefly appeared in Ambridge, I found it hard to believe that Awful Erik was the brother of Lovely (if a bit socially awkward) Jakob. But I'd rather be Kate than Kirsty!

TomTash’s money woes are rising up again. Wonder where that storyline is going.

Does The Cathedral School have a pre-prep?

(Natasha did not like the suggestion that she might want / need second-hand uniform. And Ian is already Queen Bee at the local state school. And winning Tom round - aka dragging him kicking and screaming - to her pov is what she lives for.)

I really wish Tracy's dad would go silent again.

Oh me too. I'd much rather hear about Natasha's spending habits and the tension it's causing in her marriage. She's a fab character.

And I wish Adam would man up and walk away from Home Farm. And the Head of Food go silent - especially when eating.

Me too. He’s well acted but we gleaned enough about his character over the years from throwaway comments. I didn’t need to hear exactly how unpleasant he is thank you very much.

Remind me why Erik was awful. I cant remember that.

I can't put my finger on it, perhaps it was just the contrast with his brother? But he made me shudder.

i think Eric is lovely. I hope Kirsty gets some happiness.

I am very much enjoying hearing Tracy & Susan's dad. He is cantankerous. It highlights how little there is for people to do at his age, and how hard it is on (some members of) a family when they have a caring role.

The Tom & Natasha money storyline is going to be interesting if they keep it as a relatively slow burn with a huge explosion at the end.

I think Erik sounds too good to be true saying all the right things, but then I'm a cynic😏