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

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

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 also confide only in your budgie, 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/5457344-the-archers-spoilers-thread-11-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.)

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 Given how out of date a lot of the other character pages are, this seems odd, but there we are.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.

The mention of Clive was a flag.

We both got the impression that similar ideas would not have been held about any sons...
When my grandmother was old and frail, a number of people expressed their opinion that she should be at my parents'.
The people were women and did not do the same for their frail parents or PIL. One of them's brother (unmarried and still living at home) did the caring.
The not being married is not particularly relevant here because it is usually the DIL who is expected to do the caring.

There were reasons why my parents didn't do the caring (family tensions and the need for nursing care) and the house was not suitable for someone of limited mobility (steps everywhere, no downstairs bathroom, not wheelchair friendly etc).

My uncle lived on his own in his 90s in a bungalow that had been designed to be future-proof.

I can't remember, what initially prompted Anna's concern? Did Carol have a fall or something?

Ha! at Adam. He can't let "that" happen. "Not on my watch" indeed. Because you know what, Adam? It will not be on your watch, because you are not in charge (you insufferable pillock).

Insufferable is the perfect word to describe Adam.

pillock is also a pretty good word

I think even Ian is starting to see Adam for what he is. Perhaps he'll take Xander on holiday to meet his Irish relatives ... on both sides?

@Prestissimo I just struggle to understand why someone living alone in their 90’s wouldn’t welcome the installation of grab handles and other aids. The implications of even a relatively minor fall at this age can be catastrophic and the most robust 90 + year old has moments of frailty. Likewise the pendant, is it really such a terrible imposition to wear a small light item around your neck if it gives peace of mind to your daughter who has a full on career.

I do agree though that the idea that someone needs to move out for these adjustments to be made is nuts.

It is how his character has been twisted to fit the SWs' narrative requirements - all this talk of "power" and calling Brian a "dinosaur". He was never like that.

My father is 92 and lives alone in a house. He has a stairlift (which he doesn't use), a key safe and a bracelet fall alarm. No grab handles.

As those of us who have dealt with independent older relations keep saying, it's the attempted imposition of these things without a conversation. Carol, like my father, is in full possession of her faculties and resents the expectation that she should be grateful for help she feels she doesn't need at the moment.

And if Alan tells anyone about the almost-fall, Carol should report him to the Bishop.

I dont understand why Adam is bothering with flakey Alice, or relying on any of his family to back him. He is the one that Brian is taking advantage of and he is the one actually working on the farm, all the others are just holding their hands out for the cash they get without doing anything.
I know Adam is slimey but he is trying to save the farm while everyone else is sitting on thier bums.
Brian is horrible and he has raised selfish children, but none of them will back Adam up in the end.
I love Leonard he is so caring but be careful he dosnt turn into Joy.

Also, whats with the mental health theme and surely Ben should go on a course for that, he has only just become a nurse so he might see a lot of mental health patients but he is not a qualified mental health expert. Oh wait a minute he had a break down and got better really quickly, so he is an expert so is Joy.🙄

To me, Adam is a symbol of the lack of forward planning in TA. They had two opportunities for Adam to revert to the name Archer, and an opportunity to let his siblings flow suit the second time when Brian had the affair with Siobhán. It would have given Ambridge a third family of Archers (there could be a fourth one if Meriel ever comes to visit) and the programme title would make some sense.

Grump.

Yes, he doesn't have to be the peevish ninny he's being shown as just now. Poor Ian slinking off to the kitchen to cringe in private was well done.

I think the way Adam is being written and acted now is good. His behaviour is very typical of people who are fighting for something they really want, particularly the way he seizes eagerly on every tiny nugget of information that might support his agenda, and how he can't let the subject go. However, that does make him particularly irritating at the moment, and I'm amazed Ian isn't bored to death with the whole subject. When he talked to Alice he really came over as bullying, and in her shoes I think I'd have told him to sod off - though that's partly because he currently reminds me of my older brother, who always has been a bit of a bully (fortunately he's in Australia so I can generally ignore him when he's trying to bully me).

I don't understand why stopping the caravans is so urgent. If it's unused land, caravans seems as good a use as any and it's not as if you can't bring it back into use as farmland quite easily. Or am I missing something?

Why does having one cracked bell stop them having bellringing practice? They can still practise on the others. Also, I do hope Neil has pointed out to Alan that there are grants available for restoring bells.
https://cccbr.org.uk/bell-restoration-grants/
https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/hub/107880/story

I think Xander Macy-Craig would be renamed "Archer" over Ian's cold, dead body - or, more likely, over Adam's. I'd drink to that!

I think the Home Farm inheritance is easily the most gripping plot at the moment and is absolutely what The Archers should be about. Aside from Debbie - who we know will not be coming back unless they recast her and even then seems extremely settled in Hungary - noone has done more than Adam for Home Farm. Brian quite simply could not have got this far without him - the farm's soil would have probably washed away by now if it hadn't been for Adam's intervention and insistence. He was quite right when he pointed out to Alice last night that she didn't have to work with Brian. In fact, what has she ever done for Home Farm apart from advise on some big tech when she was working for Price Bowman? The same with Kate - who actually forced the sale of the farmhouse avoid having to make the slightest concession to her yurt business (could any business be more portable?) Ruairi has barely lifted a finger and doesn't have any of the knowledge or experience required. Yet they are all happy to to take a share out of the business. Without Adam there would not be a business. He stepped in when Stella walked out/was sacked. For some reason Brian is unable to see any of this, he has some unfathomable dislike and lack of respect for Adam - he would rather any of his other kids take over, but Adam is the only one capable of doing so. Adam should walk away - move somewhere where Ian can fulfil his ambition of winning a Michelin star, but he won't do that because he becomes more invested with every day he spends working the land. Of course he doesn't want to make money storing caravans! That's not farming - though it's likely something Ruairi could turn his hand to. No expertise required.

I'm completely baffled by the caravans. https://www.cla.org.uk/news/in-focus-caravan-storage-on-agricultural-land-a-diversification-guide/ This answers some questions, but where are all these caravans coming from? Is it really common for people to buy a caravan they would need to tow without having a suitable place to park it when not in use? And then to have to drive miles to retrieve it when they fancy a night or two away with the caravan? Maybe I've been living under a rock. Here in London I often see camper vans but very rarely any touring caravans. I thought they'd gone out of fashion.

Agreeing with @Nos4r2 and @LillianGish in their defence of Adam. Plus Brian is trampling all over Jenny's memory by consistently treating her son in the way he does.

There are loads of caravan storage places around where I live. Touring caravans have not gone out of fashion but not everyone has a drive let alone one big enought to store it. We have a Long Wheel Base camper van and no space to store it off road but fortunately my daughter has room for it. A caravan storage business would need to provide security though as they often get stolen.

If I were Brian, I would march into Rodways and ask them to recruit me a farm manager and team (like the Charlie and Kaleb set-up that Jeremy Clarkson has(had)), before heading off to somewhere warmer and sunnier.

I was thumbing through an old Vanessa Whitburn Archers book a couple of days ago, which tackled the arrival of Brian in Ambridge. Does Home Farm still have a fishing lake, shoot and cross country course?

I decided to test Alice's theory about eating pickled gherkins out of the jar.

Verdict - okay if you like that sort of thing, but better chopped (with other stuff) over home-made burgers. And not a substitute for dinner.

So the SWs are saying Brad has made no friends and formed no relationship at university? He hasn’t widened his social circle at all??

Ok then …

Is there nobody that Ben won't advise?

Did I miss the episode where Adam and Ian found out about what Ruiridh did? What day was that one??

Ben isn't even a Registered Mental Nurse.