Archers thread #203: It's Affair Cop! 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 would love to attend Pip's wedding with Natasha and the starry twins, 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-12-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.)

Starting the new thread a bit early as I'm not sure I'll have much internet access for the next few days. Fill up the old one first. And then - over to you!

(Credit for the thread title goes to @TripleSulko.)

Alan really should have got onto the bishop’s palace immediately. This sort of thing must come up all the time and there will be a specific procedure in place to deal with allegations like this. Anna may be bereaved but I don’t believe any barrister would have reacted in the way she did- esp during the ceremony itself. It all got a bit EastEnders and was particularly ridiculous given they were arguing over £6k. Not £60k or £6m….

Is this meant to show people being unreasonable with grief? I suppose I can believe that Anna might lose the plot to behaving so madly, but it's hard to reconcile that with the same person who coolly took on an attempted murder...I was also wondering about Oliver.

Paul at the vet practice ticks me off. He's such a stereotype of a gay metrosexual; what is he doing at a rural practice that probably deals mostly in large animals, when he doesn't even drive (maybe he does, now)? And why is the practice 75% men? Even the equine vet is a man...not that I haven't met equine vets that are men, but I know far more female equine vets than male...I know they had one, but she left, and I do like Jakob. But the practice doesn't feel like a typical rural practice anymore.

There's so much potential in the storyline about the vet fees, not just about pet owners and farmers being hard hit, but also your typical horse owner that doesn't keep her horse at the posh-ish Stables, but liveried at a farm that has a couple of stables as a side-gig, or in a rented field, and who is now faced with charges for a fairly routine thing that have completely spiralled, and is in a proper panic about it...

I just had a bill for 800€ for a hoof abscess and its consequences. A hoof abscess. (For non-horsey people, that looks dramatic, but is basically what you are desperately hoping the diagnosis will be if the horse comes in on 3 legs. Quite common, and almost always fairly easy to resolve. Took one vet visit.) Last time (in Scotland), it was maybe £150 all in...actually, from a practice that like Alistair had sold out to a big concern.

Over 10 years ago, I had an experience with one of my cats who, of course on Sunday evening, got hit by a car. The urban small-animal practices had all outsourced their emergency OOH care to one of those corporate chain outfits, so I had no choice...They wanted (in 2015) £140 pre-paid on a credit card just to look at the animal, and then charged a total of £700 (SEVEN HUNDRED!) to X-ray the cat, bandage his tail, give him some painkillers, and tell me I needed to go to his regular vet for an amputation. He was in there for under an hour. By contrast, the independent vet charged £400 for the amputation and meds, which I thought was more than fair, and since my other cat was in the same week for an emergency splenectomy requiring a transfusion and a biggish surgery team (£1600 all in, which I also thought was fair), that week was a bit of a shock to the system! (Spleen cat unfortunately turned out to have cancer and only lived another 2 months, but no-tail cat lived another 10 years.)

@Trivium4all This is why I don’t mind the vet price hike SL in principle. Your excellent post alone could provide the SWs with several strands to the story which would resonate with listeners up and down the land. Helen shouting about her poor cows would be just the tip of a large iceberg if they handled it properly. But instead we get endless updates on Amber’s cracked nipples and that bloody dog field…I suppose at least the Maliks and J*y have been out of the spotlight this week- I should be grateful…

(Sorry for so many posts today- quiet morning this end as I recover from surgery…)

JoelenesParrot, get well soon!

I read all posts but this thread moves too quickly for me to post unless I am particularly pissed off. I really couldn’t give a flying fck for Carol or her daughter and find the very obvious issue about the money more irritating than I can voice. Surely this could have been sorted out with far less drama, despite the grief bit. I am sick of these characters who appear who aren’t part of the ‘Ambridge family’ - for want of a better description.

Bin the lot of them, as well as Kiera who is as dull as ditchwater. I hope Lily gets pregnant and Fallon’s nose is put out of joint. I haven’t liked her since she allowed herself to be walked over by Natasha and Tom - I could rant more but this would become pages long. I have a long love/hate relationship with The Archers and the scriptwriters in place now are total rubbish most of the time.
I don’t dislike Alan despite his pious attitude but Jesus, he is stupid

Tell us what you really think, @HarlotOTara!

(Also, don't be a stranger. We could do with more input on those lines, in my view.)

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, @JoelenesParrot.

It wasn't the amount, it's that Alan let it happen.

I can believe that otherwise rational people might behave like that. It's that Anna wasn't there at the end and she's lashing out. Perhaps not barristers, and it does seem a bit like what the rougher Corrie/EE residents would do.

Keira will probably improve unless they have her check some tickboxes, but we don't know her yet and I don't care about her.

The vets at the practice I go to are mainly women but there was a female vet in Ambridge before.

I am sick of these characters who appear who aren’t part of the ‘Ambridge family’ - for want of a better description. Same here.

But instead we get endless updates on Amber’s cracked nipples and that bloody dog field… I agree.

I suppose at least the Maliks and Jy have been out of the spotlight this week- I should be grateful…* Did you have to say that? We've probably got three solid weeks of Maliks and J&M coming up now. Followed by the same of dog fields and post-partum ailments no doubt. The Gordo-Gruntlet will need a name at some point. He's over a fortnight old already.

@JoelenesParrot , get well soon. 🍇

Keep ranting @HarlotOTara . Your opinion is valued.

RL experience of equine matters appreciated, @Trivium4all . Thanks.

Can I give a different perspective? But do ignore if you think it a derail...

Capra made the film as a warning against the ravages of capitalism. George, the main character, lives his life dutifully, always doing the right thing. But it makes him angry - everyone else seems to have more fun and a better life than him. When the (second rate) angel shows him what life would be like had he not been around, we see that Mr. Prichard the capitalist has won, and what a society looks like when run solely for profit.

Of course it is peppered with christian ideals - like second change, poverty is wrong etc. Philosophy too - treat people as an end in themselves rather than a means to an end, not too much of anything and not too little, etc

I used to dislike the film too until DD had to study it for a film class. It is now towards the top of my list.

*second chance.

Just to add to the vet horror stories. I took our shepherd to the vet as he was slightly off. They took him away for to examine him, came back with a list of things they did and a bill for £700.00. I nearly passed out!

Part of my shock was the amount of money, but much more shocking was the fact that they did it all without asking permission. Basically, they went on a spending spree using our money! When I pushed back against it they were very manipulative - framing it as a "we just want the best for your dog" etc.

DH and I were musing that if the NHS goes into the hands of the US private insurance people, that is what we will all be faced with.

Awww…thank you all so much for your kindness! This thread is lovely…we have our ups and downs but really we are just like fammlee!

nah. I understand the film. It is poop. As is TA right now

So many interesting posts today - the vet anecdotes are far better than the actual plot. This story could really have legs if some of your experiences were incorporated. We don't have pets (only someone else's cat that spends much of its time in our house!) but I can well imagine that owners are caught between a rock and a hard place if a beloved pet needs hundreds of pounds worth of treatment. What happens if you just can't afford it? How does pet insurance work in these situation? Another great aspect to this story is the fact that Alistair is no longer in control of the situation even though he is the face of the practice. Sorry to hear about your surgery @JoelenesParrot Best wishes for a speedy recovery - it does actually feel as if I know regulars on this thread, we've all been here for such a long time.

I’m trying to have a bit of sympathy for Anna given my Dad died this year and I’d have been annoyed if he had made a large payment days before and not told me. It would be nothing to do with the money and all to do with the fact I am his executor and he would have known it would be left to me to sort out.

Assuming Anna is the executor I do feel Carol has been harsh to not mention it. She would have had no problem ignoring Anna if she suggested it was a bad idea so why not just say ‘I’ve made a few donations’.

My poor Dad knew how ill he was and given it was all so sudden he was desperate to explain to me where everything was kept and how hard he’d tried to leave things organised. 💔

Who is living in Blossom Cottage since Aneesha moved out. Do we know? That’s the one Usha owns?

Get well soon @JoelenesParrot… I would say enjoy catching up on TA whilst you recuperate but…!

I'm still not clear whether the transfer was an accident or deliberate. Was it a mistyping of £60 to repay Alan for Anna's flowers or had he mentioned £6,000 for the bell repair? Also, it's all very well Usha being wise after the event, but why didn't she have a chat with Alan beforehand about the dangers of helping parishioners with their bank accounts? Either way I don't understand why Alan hasn't explained any of this. I think the situation itself is entirely possible, but it has been handled in a completely unbelievable way.

Who is living in Blossom Cottage since Aneesha moved out. Do we know? That’s the one Usha owns?

I believe Brian is living in Blossom Cottage.

@JoelenesParrot Just like family, it's lovely as long as we're not arguing.
@PatChaunceysFruitCake ,sorry for your loss. Carol might have made a mistake by missing the decimal point, in which case there would have been no donation if the flowers were £60.
@LillianGish , Brian Aldridge.

Thank you @Every1ElseInKnowsley. It’s not been a great year for me.

re the flowers, that is what I initially thought but the SWs seem at pains to point out there are a few days between the flower money and the £6k. The first sensible thing anyone has said about it is Usha advising Alan to tell the Bishop. I’d have been on the phone to my de facto line manager the second Anna left after accusing me.

Blossom Hill Cottage was where Brian first met Jennifer, while Peggy was living there, or so he told someone a year or two ago.

See, I think you are definitely right that this was recently mentioned but Brian and Jennifer moved to Willow Cottage when they left Home Farm didn’t they?? I don’t remember him moving again. Aneesha joined the cast after they left Home Farm and definitely lived in Blossom cottage. I remember people commenting about it as she was the first to live there after Nob and Helen.

Brian moved from Willow Cottage to Blossom Cottage after Jenny died.

@PatChaunceysFruitCake , Some transactions can take days.

Take each day as it comes. We're here if you need company and there's Bereavement Forum | Mumsnet. When I went through a tough time, MN was a big help.

Aneesha the equine vet did live in BHC, and Brian went there from Willow Cottage. No idea who is in Willow Cottage now.

Maybe the owners have come back from Brussels now we are no longer in the EU!

A friend of mine was paying their farm vet account - £400. She accidentally paid them £40,000. Maxed out their overdraft, and it took three weeks for the vets (now part of a much larger practice) to pay them back. As small farmers it caused no end of problems, and the vet’s account department were not at all concerned.

OMG that sounds like a nightmare!

To those who asked about insurance: I worked out once that the price of pet/leisure horse insurance is only worth it up to two or three animals, given the odds of stuff happening. The main protection you gain is against a massive bill all at once. Many multi-animal owners I know instead put money aside into a savings account specifically earmarked for large vet bills, or keep a credit card with a decent limit aside for that purpose only. It works differently for farms/professional outfits, of course. With horses, there's the aditional problem that if you compete, your insurance premiums are determined by what you do. My pony's insurance became sky-high once he reached a decent level in his sport, so uninsured he was. When I moved to the continent, it became impossible to insure any of my animals, because you can't start a new policy here for "veterans". Where "veteran" is an age at which many horses are still at the peak of their athletic ability. So with two senior horses, I'm quite glad that I'm better paid than I was in the UK, let's just say.