- A treat after milking
- Emma’s toys are out of the pram
- Punctures, Chinese lanterns and other strange objects
- Lynda’s fallen for Joe
- A grand day out
- “It’s just one thing after another”
- Elizabeth does want to live, after all
A treat after milking
Eddie maybe a cheeky chappy at times, and doesn’t quite seem to realise how much of a drudge Saint Clarrie’s is (often because of himself and Joe), but he is a man who knows how to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
He’s absolutely made up that Clarrie has made him bacon – and even more overjoyed that she’s also made him tomatoes AND mushrooms.
He even doesn’t grumble about having to do the milking first thing, even though it’s his 60th birthday.
And – Eddie makes all the right noises over Clarrie giving him a new tie for his birthday.
[Eddie] “Felpersham races, a picnic and a hundred quid just for betting with … today just gets better and better”
What a mighty good man.
Emma’s toys are out of the pram
Emma doesn’t go with the rest on Eddie’s birthday treat.
Clarrie doesn’t seem too fussed, but is starting to feel a teeny bit of guilt over giving her the cold shoulder at times.
[Clarrie] “I think she’s still a bit fed up with me. I’ll send her some party food back with Edward”
Punctures, Chinese lanterns and other strange objects
David’s not having a good day.
His trailer has a puncture, and he’s found a foreign object in one of the hedges which one of the cows has had a nibble on.
[David] “Stupid Chinese lantern … people have no idea”
A very calm and understanding Ruth gets David to talk about what’s really annoying him (actually – I think he already did have real reason to complain).
The real reason David is so on edge is because he’s worried about Elizabeth not making the tight decision about whether to get her pace-maker thingy fitted.
[David] “I just don’t get all this hesitation … It’s a no brainer, surely … she’ll have this procedure and she’ll never have another episode like the one on Friday ever again … why is she hesitating?”
[Ruth] “It’s a big thing for her … to get her head round. She’ll have this strange object inside her body … something that’s not part of her that she has no control over”
David reckons Elizabeth should only think of how this device is going to help her – and he was downright dismissive of Ruth touching on the fact that she knows exactly how Elizabeth feels.
[David] “(I want her to) see sense and go ahead”
Lynda’s fallen for Joe
That’s not like our Lyndee!
Joe’s managed to wangle an invite round to Sunday lunch at the Snell’s for himself and Eddie (so that they can avoid Clarrie’s meagre offering of bread and cheese, because of lent).
I’m surprised at Lynda being so easy to persuade.
Wonder if we’ll get to eavesdrop on that dinner conversation … the mind boggles!
A grand day out
And it just get better and better for Eddie – his birthday is turning out to be the gift that just keeps giving!
[Eddie] “That whisky fruitcake was a proper treat, that’ll brighten up me lunch boxes for the rest of the week”
Lilian brought champagne. Joe got a new cap. Clarrie chooses horses by colour (black and gold stripes), but doesn’t really want to have too much of a flutter:
[Clarrie] “It’s a bit too exciting when you put you hard earned cash on the line”
Eddie started off the day excited to have £100 just to bet with, but after losing £60, and dumping Lenny as his “tipster”.
But Fat Paul’s advice isn’t any better. Despite all their talk of being experts, Fat Paul, Lenny and Eddie haven’t had a winner between them all day.
Until the last race.
Eddie had sent Clarrie to put his money on a horse, but she went and choose the wrong one.
After the one Eddie thought he’d bet on fell over (but it’s okay – the horse was just fine …), Mine’s a Pint romped it home 20-1, giving Eddie a grand winning of £200.
Nice.
Think he’ll spend any of that on Clarrie?
I wouldn’t bet on it.
“It’s just one thing after another”
Johne’s disease is confirmed at Brookfield.
(nasty – here’s more info http://www.johnes.org/history/index.html)
Seemingly, the cow confirmed to have it could have had it for a while without showing any signs, and is likely to have had it since a calf. They pick it up from contaminated dung, straw or water
[David] “So that’s her down the road I suppose”
As well as slaughtering that cow, they’ll also now have to collect a dung sample off of every other cow.
Bollocks!
This really isn’t a good year for that side of the Archer clan.
Elizabeth does want to live, after all
And wasn’t David overjoyed to hear it!
After talking to the doctors and nurses, Elizabeth has decided to go ahead to have the operation.
[Elizabeth] “The nurse said to think of it like having my own little guardian angel on my shoulder”
[David] “Or your own hidden jump leads …”
[Elizabeth] “I decided nothing could be worse than putting mum and the children through that again”
Hmmm. Bit suspicious that Elizabeth sees herself doing this for the sake of others rather than herself, but I suppose the end result is still the same.
- What Parade?
- Jolene went funny at the mention of Kenton
- Peter the financial adviser has a cold
- Cropping plans, Romanesco and Chard
- The lady was for turning
- What’s wrong with Tony, eh Eddie?
- “Here we still are”
What Parade?
Helen mentioned she was going to ‘The Parade’ with Henry.
What parade? Surely parades are such a commonplace event in Borchester that they become so commonplace?
I’ll wonder about that for weeks now. Was it Disney cartoons? A local festival? A Riding? Charity floats? Gay Pride?
We must be told.
Jolene went funny at the mention of Kenton
It’s a wee shame on her. Kenton really needs to explain himself. Jolene needs her mates right now.
Peter the financial adviser has a cold
Poor Peter (though we know not a lot about him – so I suppose sympathy can only go so far).
Jolene’s in seeing Peter about potentially selling The Bull.
[Peter] “That’s a shame … not a complete surprise after all you’ve been through over the last year”
Seemingly Sid and Jolene got The Bull valued a few years ago – when it was worth half a million. But Peter now guesses it’ll only be £450,000.
Which, after putting Jamie’s legacy aside – buying a new house – sorting the legals etc wouldn’t leave much change.
[Jolene] “It’s not exactly much for almost 40 years of Sid’s life”
Now there’s a thought.
Will the recession actually save The Bull? Will Jolene realise that it’s better to sit tight and wait for better times?
Mind you – that could be a very long wait indeed.
Cropping plans, Romanesco and Chard
Despite harassing Helen to stay away from Ambridge Organics, Tony then pops over later on to talk about cropping plans.
Come on Tony – either Helen’s working, or she isn’t.
(mind you – Romanesco is a grand idea. I had it a coupe, of times in a veg box I used to get. After having to look it up online first to work out what it was and what to do with it – I can highly recommend it steamed, then served with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of grated parmesan. Brilliant).
The lady was for turning
I no longer recognise Helen
Which is a tad unsettling as I always enjoyed a prolonged Helen whine.
I thought that she would surely return to form over Tony taking Henry to the pub (while she caught up on her sleep), but no. She was fine with it. All she said was:
[Helen] “Mind? No. I’m pleased you had a nice time. Just ask me first next time, eh”
Blimey!
Even Tony seems to have picked up Helen’s glow. Which paints an interesting image indeed.
What’s wrong with Tony, eh Eddie?
Chatting to Mike about his forthcoming birthday do at the racing, Eddie seemed quite perturbed that Tony would think that he was also invited.
What’s so wrong with Tony?
I’m not saying I’d want to spend a few hours in his company, but the poor chap doesn’t have much else outside of the farm, wife, kids and now grandkid.
“Here we still are”
[Eddie] “Here we still are … sat round a table in the bull … just like when we were young whippersnappers”
Now where you could see Eddie, Mike and Tony as sad old craters for having stuck to the same pub/village/life for all these years – but I reckon there’s something warmly satisfying about it.
- Susan’s front page news
- Lynda’s still going on, and on, and on …
- Ian Craig to do THE wedding?
- Brian’s off to Paris
- Kenton’s being a twerp
- Eddie’s a Bonnie Tyler fan
- Ruined packet of crisps
- Poor Jolene
Susan’s front page news
Susan is on the front page of The Echo – as she was near Camilla when the picture was taken.
Seemingly Clarrie isn’t happy about it. She can’t be seen.
To be exact, she can’t be seen because Susan is waving her Union Jack flag over Clarrie’s face.
Ah Clarrie. Will your light ever be let out from that bushel?
Lynda’s still going on, and on, and on …
Now Lynda reckons that Camilla gave a hoot that her bicycle chain had come off, while she was alone, in the dark, on a country lane. She’s seemingly not saying:
[Jennifer] “How affected by her plight (Camilla) was”
[Jolene] “I’m not so sure about that Jennifer. She just gave her a wave”
Quite right Jolene.
In fact, Camilla saw that Lynda was in distress, and just drove on.
Hardly the beginnings of a deep and meaningful relationship.
Ian Craig to do THE wedding?
(and I will admit that I had to go and do a bit of research to get the notion out of my mind that they were talking about Andrew and Fergie … my how time has marched on without me noticing)
Probably not. I’d have thought they’d chose their chef based on more than just some decent shortbread.
However, I wouldn’t put it by Camilla to soon launch a new range of Duchy …
Brian’s off to Paris
With Matt and Lilian.
That wasn’t Brian’s plan. It did sound like he was up to something, after all the effort he want to in persuading Jennifer that it’d be pointless her tagging alone.
My money was on him asking Ruth to accompany him but, let’s face it, I don’t think Brian would actually have been that fussy.
Anyhoo – he’s got no chance to dally with Lilian and Matt also on the trip. In fact, he can’t even relax in his room without Lilian stalking him (though to be fair, he did say he’d be down to dinner).
[Brian] “How to matt and Lilian manage to stick their beaks into everything?”
Just to keep annoying you, Brian …
Kenton’s being a twerp
After his chat with Kirsty yesterday, Kenton seems to have decided that the best way for him to deal with Jolene is to avoid and ignore.
He refuses a coffee.
Then cancels their night out at a gig, by telephone, during which he hung up very abruptly, before Jolene could say goodbye.
That’s simply spot on Kenton. Good job indeed. You have feelings for Jolene, you think that’s wrong, so – of course – the best thing to do is to be an arse to Jolene, and make her feel like crap.
That’s just what she needs – and is certainly what Matt wants …
Nice one Kenton. You’re a true friend indeed (!)
Eddie’s a Bonnie Tyler fan
Who’d have thunk it?
Nic’s decided that she and Will need to sort something out for Eddie’s impending 60th birthday, rather than assuming Clarrie will sort it.
[Nic] “Why does it always have to be up to her. Why can’t we do something … be nice if we could do the organising for a change”
Will agrees with Nic, and later comes up with the idea that Eddie would love a night at the races.
They even reckon that they could give Eddie money to gamble with, rather than giving him presents. Which Will is glad about, as he was running out of ideas:
[Will] “I can’t get him another Bonnie Tyler CD”
I’m off to ponder this new information that Eddie is a Bonnie Tyler fan …
Ruined packet of crisps
That Jake and Mia can’t be trusted with a prawn cocktail packet of crisps.
They ended up ruining them by spilling them all over the floor as they fought over them.
But all’s well. There was another box of them our back.
Phew!
Poor Jolene
She’s not a daft one, is our Jolene.
Kenton suddenly blowing cold is all too obvious to Jolene – and she’s annoyed with herself for being so upset that Kenton’s cancelled their night out at the gig.
Trying to tell herself that it doesn’t matter, Nic catches her muttering away to herself.
[Nic] “I won't tell anyone, except myself”
(nice touch Nic).
So maybe Jolene also liked Kenton – maybe she didn’t, and is just gutted that a friend can treat her so badly.
Either way – Kenton, you are a twerp!