Life in Ambridge
The plot line we’ve all been waiting for?
Life in Ambridge
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Nothing to do with the current story-line but rather cute
maryellenJune 18, 2023 at 5:03 PM
ReplyDeleteI think Rob's seizure is probably unrelated to whatever he was about to tell Helen. As OWiaS suggests,, it could well be the indirect result of Lee "pushing" him. If that proves to be the case, it might teach Lee the valuable lesson that he can't go around hitting people whenever he feels like it. The man's a liability and I dread the day Helen is forced to admit this.
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MiriamJune 18, 2023 at 6:02 PM
...but did Lee actually hit him, or as both he + Tom said, just shoved him out the way?
I give up.
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maryellenJune 18, 2023 at 6:55 PM
Lee applied hand pressure to Rob and would have followed up with something more forceful on the push/shove/hit continuum if Tom hadn't stopped him.
AmbridgesMrsPJune 18, 2023 at 8:16 PM
ReplyDeleteAfter listening again at the end of the omnibus to Fridays episode I have a suspicion that Helen might be feeling ( very slightly) towards that condition that people develop when they are kidnapped ( I’m aware that it can happen in other situations where a person is a victim ).
Something syndrome I think .
Maryellen will probably know the proper name, which is on the tip of my tongue, but can’t be reached by my brain.
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JaniceJune 18, 2023 at 8:47 PM
Stockholm syndrome perhaps.
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OldWomanInAShoeJune 19, 2023 at 7:28 AM
Very interesting programme about this supposed syndrome: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000s7n1. The person first 'diagnosed' with it has a rather different take on what it was all about.
maryellenJune 19, 2023 at 7:30 AM
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, Mrs P. Helen’s current obsession with Rob seems to go way beyond her immediate concern with Henry and Jack’s safety. And when she accompanied him to hospital, I felt there was more than common humanity involved, and that she was being helplessly attracted to him again. Though not Stockholm syndrome, I think, because victims develop positive feelings towards their persecutors, even defending them,, and she hasn’t done that. But her closing comment last night about no one knowing what Rob would do next and she had to find out, suggests she wants to maintain contact.
I thought it was interesting that they said virtually the same thing about each other - Helen insisted she (and only she) understood Rob, and he said I know you, Helen (or words to that effect). I feel one’s right and one’s wrong,
Incidentally, the Guardian article I mentioned earlier said Rob would have returned earlier if Covid hadn’t upset long-term planning.
Thanks for your input ME.
DeleteI think your right.
Now you mention it, that too is what I heard - the hint of the old attraction !
Yes Janice, Stockholm Syndrome was what I was thinking of, but as ME says there does not seem to be any positive feelings towards Robs previous actions.
One other thing I noticed, and I’m sure it’s the first time it’s been said, was that at some point she says ‘ you raped me ‘ but in the sense that it was multiple times. Surely we have only ever heard of the one time.
Please correct me if I’m wrong about this.
I must confess tho’, I always felt that the actual rape that we were party to, was not the only time.
I listened for the first time in ages to The Archers omnibus edition yesterday and actually quite enjoyed it but I had a visitor just before the end of the programme so don't know what happened after Helen tried to persuade Rob not to take matters any further with regard to Lee.
ReplyDeletePlease will someone tell me what happened next .
Also is there a man in Kirsty's life?
Are Roy ,Joy and Johnie still around?
Thank you in anticipation .
I really can't go through all this again. My life seems to be teetering towards the 'up' at last after immeasurable years of angst and I shrink from any kind of involvement with anyone else's, however distant.
ReplyDeleteAs stated previously, I'll come back when it's sorted.
Sarnia, I completely agree.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more Sarnia. I stopped listening when this storyline last aired. I appreciate that some people like it but it's not for me, too depressing. Will keep an eye on the synopsis to decide what to listen to.
ReplyDeleteI stopped last time too. I was listening yesterday evening when my daughter came in the room and said why on earth are you listening to such stressful miserable stuff?
ReplyDeleteI know it happens all too frequently and it's shocking, but given the experiences of my own I've had to come to terms with and put behind me since last time, I haven't the resources to engage with it again.
ReplyDeletehello again everyone!
ReplyDeleteAt long last I have heard Fridays big episode. We have had no electricity’s in the house since Friday afternoon, therefore no wifi or way to listen. Tried an old LW radio but reception was so bad I gave up.
I thought Rob sounded different, more quavery, like an old man, but still knowing how to press Helen’s buttons.
I too thought there was still an attraction there, her concern for him when he had that seizure was more than one would expect for someone she has been at pains to insist was her sworn enemy.
Was it all an act, put on for the occasion (presumably not, according to the doctor)
Does he have a brain tumour or some thing similar and Helen will find herself nursing him until the end?
What will Pat and Tony’s reaction be when they hear she has seen him again. Not going to help family harmony I should think.
I am finding this whole storyline very unpleasant and just long for it to be brought to a conclusion.
I think I’d rather hear about the upcoming wedding and even the summer village fete for a bit of lightheartedness. I’d even put up with Joy’s antics than this gloom.
It appears that I am in the minority, in that I am enjoying this S/L.
ReplyDeletePerhaps enjoying is not quite the right word, but find it so intriguing that I want to listen intently, as to how it will all unfold.
There are still many unanswered questions (well in my mind), and I doubt that there will a resolution or a conclusion, in the short term.
I coukd witter on - but won't 🤣
You're not alone, Miriam. Seven years ago this was the most gripping and well-presented story I'd ever encountered on TA, and although not so engrossing this time round, I still find it more thought-provoking and attention-grabbing than any other storyline currently on offer. The topic is outside my experience, which makes it interesting to read 'real life' comments from other listeners.
Deletei do get irritated by bloggers (noone here!) who seem desperate to think the worst of Rob. I think it's worth remembering that the only move he has made this time round is to make a formal request through his solicitor for access to Jack. (I'm discounting Miles' phone call and visit.) Everything else so far has been instigated by Tom, Lee and Helen, or imagined by listeners
AmbridgeMrs P and maybe others!
ReplyDeleteI gave up listening to the Archers for more than 70 years. (Well it was on before I started school but probably not listening!) Maybe I read too many books so I have an active imagination or maybe when I was a form tutor and had dealings with one of my form but I try to shy away from things 'unpleasant' nowadays ! So I gave up the Archers and now it's back again!
However when Helen was in the witness box at her trial, Anna said,
'Did he rape you' and Helen replied 'Time and time again.'
That was when Pat broke down in the court room. Probably I could get a transcript out via another site but I do remember it clearly.
Well it looks as if my questions about the programme are going to be unanswered .
ReplyDeleteI had hoped that someone might have answered at least one of the few questions I had asked
I didn't realise that Rob had a seizure for example
I didn't know there was a wedding on the horizon either .
However I don't think in the great scheme of things that any of it really matters.
No sadly there is no romantic interest man in Kirsty's life at present, but I think it will take a long time for her to get over the debacle with Philip Moss. Maybe one day she and Roy will become more than friends.
DeleteRoy, Joy and Johnnie are still about, Johnnie more mentioned by others than actually heard.
As for what happened at the end of that programme Helen seemed to me more hysterical than in command of the situation as she had intended. She got up to leave and Rob called after her and then collapsed. Ambulance was called and Helen accompanied him to hospital and stayed with him until his brother Miles arrived. We are left to wonder if Rob has perhaps a bleed on the brain as a result of his fall when Lee pushed him, or if it will transpire he has some life threatening underlying condition that will then encourage Helen to not oppose him having access to Jack.
I can't believe the daftness of Tom, Lee, and Helen. They may be in their forties but seem to have less thinking power than a ten year old.
I much preferred the episode tonight with Harrison and Ben etc Al.
The wedding on the horizon is that of Tracey and Jazzer. A happy event to look forward to hearing.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deleteet al. Drat autocorrect.
DeleteLanJan - although Kirsty doesn’t have a man, a few months ago she had a week’s fling with the brother of Jakob (the vet) who was making a brief stay in Ambridge, a good looking and amused man but totally see centred. She did it because she wanted to enjoy sex without strings and no one, on or off air, blamed her.
DeleteSince people here don’t care for the Helen story, I’ll quieten down about it. I’m afraid the forthcoming wedding leaves me cold!
Thank you Spicycushion - Yes of course she had said that, and of course I had forgotten, or perhaps had absorbed it into my memory so that I imagined Helen admitting it for the first time.
ReplyDeleteI stand corrected and thank you for putting me right.
Janice,I completely agree with you about the complete ineptitude of Tom,Lee and Helen in the way they have managed to disregard the advice of the police and the legal steps in place to keep Rob at bay and by their actions may have tipped the scales in his favour regarding access to Jack.For once,I was with Pat when she heard about Helen’s meeting with Rob.
ReplyDeleteTom, Lee and Helen were all wrong to try to deal directly with Rob, but I think I can see where they're coming from. They are all feeling powerless in the face of relentless, drip, drip manipulation from Rob. Also, in Helen's case, she wants to believe she has moved on, that she is stronger and Rob no longer has power over her. That confidence is gradually being eroded by the fear and uncertainty of the current situation; going to see Rob would, in her mind at least, both resolve matters and prove that she is strong enough to stand up to him. Sadly, his ability to manipulate her still remains. (Yes, ME, Rob *may* be a reformed character. *But* he is also adept at putting on the charm and acting caring and/or weak and vulnerable as circumstances demand.)
ReplyDeleteI gather from out local women's refuge, that there is little recognition of the ongoing effects of arm's reach coercive control, even when a person has managed to leave their abuser. Joint childcare arrangements can be a minefield - not only is the child used as a pawn, but there is ample opportunity for altering handover arrangements at the last minute, 'forgetting' to send clothing back with the child, preventing contact with siblings, etc, etc. Not to mention claiming to Child Benefit that the children no longer live with their mother : (
It does indeed sound an absolute minefield. I sincerely hope Helen and the boys don’t have to go through all that.
DeleteIt strikes me that Helen has long been depicted as a victim, of one thing or another.
I think there were problems when she was a baby. Don’t remember much of her teenage years but there were the problems with Greg, his suicide, anorexia, Annette turning up in the village, her pregnancy, and of course Rob and the ensuing convolutions. Perhaps it’s something to do with Louisa’s voice i.e. she is very good at portraying worry and anxiety.
The TA team seem to have picked on her as the character who is going to suffer in one way or another and cause worry and distress to other member of her family.
I know this is an important story and needed to be revisited but quite frankly, I have got a bit fed up with Helen’s many travails over the years.
I am beginning to hope that, somehow or other, she goes off to the States with Lee and the boys, finds happiness and stays there!
Then they would have to find another character to pick on and have miserable storylines about Archerfile.
DeleteAll I want to know is:-
ReplyDeleteErin, (Adam's long lost half sister), is she actually who she claims to be? This leads onto, is Paddy still alive and so Adam will actually get to meet his true father?
Or was it all true...
Thank you very much Janice and Maryellen for getting me up to date .
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated.
Will listen next Sunday hopefully to the omnibus .
Forgot that Tracey and Jazzer were to be married..
The omnibus is always a really good listen as to its continuity. I recommend it.
DeleteIt can be downloaded, to listen at a suitable time to suit.
You might just enjoy it...
Kate being her insufferable self again, I thought Adam had been present when Stella had asked Kate not to light the fire, maybe I was wrong.
ReplyDeleteKate indeed being herself, me, me, me! And Adam being ridiculously indulgent of her wacky practices. £5 for a stick to set light to and waft around the house? Mad. Just mad.
ReplyDeleteSo glad Stella did her job correctly.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't understand is why Adam let her light the fire-pit, knowing the potential problem.
Mean Kate obviously..
DeleteI’m not sure that I believe Helen when she assured Pat she wouldn’t see Rob again, that it’s all finished now.
ReplyDeleteWe don’t know what the solicitors will say tomorrow but I can’t help thinking that sooner or later Rob will reel Helen in like a fish.
Agree entirely, except that Rob has got into her head already and is already slowly, reeling her in.
DeleteWhy is either side spending a fortune on solicitors when they keep doing their own thing. No doubt Rob will tell Lee that he will comply with Helen’s wishes only IF Lee steps out of her life…..
ReplyDeleteI have just looked up organising a Village Fete. 3 - 6 mths is ideal but it could take up to a year!
Someone please let Ambridge know they have the same late mad scramble every year 🤣
It's part of the fun of the Ambridgre Fete - esp who will open it.
DeleteI am so very. deeply irritated with Helen and Tom. Why indeed pay legal fees? I don't like the way Helen is turning against Lee, immediately believing Rob's version.
ReplyDeleteWhy is she so determined to self-sabotage? My patience is already exhausted.
Because she is still more under Rob's spell than she cares to believe.
ReplyDeleteExactly, and it is Lee who is suffering.
DeleteAnother example of her ‘me, me, me, and Jack’ attitude to the exclusion of Lee and his concerns or future.
That makes two ‘Triple Me’ women in Ambridge!
And Tracy makes three!
DeleteME. I admire Tracy, who in her own way is working hard, to provide for both her family and Dad, yet doesn't give into others.
DeleteShe is far from the 3 me's, as understands life and certainly does her best, in the current situation.
She is definitely not a self-centred "me, me" person, in fact is the total opposite.
Miriam - I agree Tracy works hard (and so do Helen and Kate) but the rest is a matter of opinion, not fact. The Tracy you see is not the self-centred Tracy I see. (Ask yourself when she did anything to help Susan and Neil out despite all they have done for her.). Obviously we each think our interpretation is correct but they are polar opposites and we’re unlikely to change each other’s minds.
DeleteMiles is the one who intrigues me more.
ReplyDeleteHe was mentioned in the previous Rob appearance, but I thought they detested each other.
If I recall correctly, Miles was running the farm along with his wife and family at that time, yet now he + Rob seem best buddies.
Does anyone know what happened to their father Bruce?
I ask this, as to who now owns the Titchenor family farm...
DeleteInteresting point. And who will inherit?
DeleteI loved the omnibus this morning, as I picked up on so much more, which missed in the nightly listenings.
ReplyDeleteThese are far too many to mention, apart from Helen talking to Kirsty about the Rob meet + hospital events - when she felt something again..
I listened to the omnibus yesterday and for the first time heard Henry speak since he was a little boy.
ReplyDeleteWhy do they bother?
Very few young " actors" can sound convincing (the little girl in "Outnumbered" who will be a young lady now is an exception ) and they all have the typical southern accent which Henry would not have in the midlands
Ben vanished for years.
I suggest Henry should as well..
Now, now Lanjan, don't be putting ideas into Rob's head .... ; )
Delete😂😂😂
DeleteI enjoyed hearing Henry speaking again and helping his Uncle + Grandad.
DeleteTo me, he is vocal again to relate to the current S/L. He said something like always being there for his Mum, which has made wonder if this will be relevant, in a future situation.
Outnumbered Lanjan - loved it especially when the children were really young. They did a great job of being allowed free reign it was the adult actors who had to be on their game to react! Hugh Dennis and his screen wife eventually became so in real life too!
DeleteAhhaa who has paid the bill? Miles? Rob? I really can’t believe that Helen did not insist on knowing who did this without her permission and as for Friday she claims she has Rob’s number now - I don’t think so Helen unlike the song I think for you “ the worst is yet to come” if Lee does not agree to leave your life he will go back on his so called word…….in all respects!
ReplyDeleteHelen's parents?
DeleteTom, with some of the modelling money.
ReplyDeleteKirsty, with some of Helen’s rent money?
DeleteKirsty paying it, doesn't seem realistic to me. She is a true friend but to give up her nest egg for her future seems wrong.
DeleteKirsty will move out of Willow Farm one day, so would she go back to Beechwood or buy/rent another property, where she will need her monies to finance it. Also, I don't think she gets a great income from the re-wilding project so this gives her a top up on her income.
Kirsty, with some of her redundacy pay? (She has a very inexpensive lifestyle.)
DeleteNatasha, with some of the modelling money.
DeletePeggy? Does Peggy even know, probably not. But she could afford it.
DeleteI am peeved by this story line, It just wouldn’t happen, solicitors have very strict guide lines about money laundering etc so would not take payment from a third party. Mind you Helen contacting Rob directly also beggars belief so sometimes you have to stretch credulity for drama I suppose.
DeleteThe elastic has been wearing a bit thin lately.
DeleteI think it is Tom also. He is feeling guilty and is making amends for his hair-brained scheme involving Lee along with its consequences.
DeleteMy initial thought was Rob. But, if so, is it because he really does want to make amends or is it to continue the game of cat and mouse?
DeleteI really think Lee is playing with fire meeting up with Rob again. Does the solicitor know about this arrangement? At the very least he needsanindependent witness with him. (Although Harrison's suggestion about being in sight of a CCTV camera was a step in the right direction.)
I think Rob has a fatal illness and wants to put things right before he goes. (Or perhaps he will pretend he has, to gain sympathy and access, and then stage a miraculous recovery.)
Or has Ursula left the farm to Gideon Myson Titchner?
Perhaps the ‘Lena Manzour’ in this week’s TA website cast list is an independent witness brought by Rob in case Lee flies off the handle again and this time there’s no Tom to restrain him?
DeleteOr maybe she is part of Justin’s pill-sweetening proposal for the planned electric car charging station? (I can’t get worked up about that. I do wonder, though, why Jim hasn’t researched alternative and better sites for it as part of his objection to the choice of Ambridge.....)
Delete"Off topic" but it is TA related. I have a wonderful pot of stock, so am doing a Pat in that it is ready for soup! To be put into freezer.
ReplyDelete💔 🕯️ Today we say goodbye to our dear friend Ev and thoughts will be so much with Katy and all family members. Ev’s presence is already much missed on both our blogs but her informed comments, empathy and artistic skills will ensure she will never be forgotten🙏🏼
ReplyDeleteI’m getting password wrong despite repeating correctly several times.
ReplyDeleteSame here Mrs P. I have just posted same message as you on the other blog.
ReplyDeleteStill coming up as incorrect, and it can't be anything I am doing wrong because my son has tried. I shall just sit here quietly for half an hour.
ReplyDeleteCorrect password is 2tQ5d2UNz
ReplyDeleteSon says use a capital N instead of small letter at the end. That works. Joining funeral now.
ReplyDeleteI too eventually checked on the second line for the password and saw that the N after the capital U was also a capital.
DeleteSo was able to view.
Pleased to have got there eventually.
My comments about the funeral are on our other blog.
ReplyDeleteI am now rewatching from the beginning as I only got there nearer the end.
ReplyDeleteThank you Janice and Mrs. P. I got there eventually. Ev sounds like a really lovely lady. I'm glad our paths crossed, even in such a small way.
ReplyDeleteA very sad today, with the final Goodbye to such a lovely person, who contributed so much here in this TA world, on both pages.
ReplyDeleteI was about to talk about the current Ambridge going ons, but these will now keep.
DeleteFriday night. Will Rob be heard again, or are the SW's just teasing all the ardent and dedicated, TA listeners..
ReplyDeleteAll will be revealed...
He is in the cast list
DeleteLee suffering from verbal diarrhoea giving Rob lots of useful info then deciding he has to go to America pronto, oh dear!
ReplyDeleteLee suffering from verbal diarrhoea giving Rob lots of useful info then deciding he has to go to America pronto, oh dear!
ReplyDeleteI'm fed up with all the will he, won't he, re Lee's trip to America - it seems to have been going on forever! Maybe this time the plot needs him out of the way, and it will actually happen!
ReplyDeleteMy ears pricked up at the word 'bruises'. If Lee had any sense, or the writers come to that, he would have recordrd the meeting.
ReplyDeleteI thought Harrison advised Lee to do just that. Record the conversation !
DeleteOr did I dream that ?
A very odd meeting. I really thought Rob was going to tell Lee he had a terminal illness.
DeleteHe did *sound* as though he wanted to make amends. *But* that bit at about 6 minutes in, 'The trauma I went through with Helen'. When Lee pointed out Helen went through a fair bit of trauma herself, his response was 'Let's not dig up ancient history.' So perhaps not quite as contrite as he'd like to appear - certainly no acknowledgement of the abuse and coercive control. Just what is the guy's game? Methinks he will not walk offquietly into the sunset.
Oh dear Lee. Lamb to the slaughter.
ReplyDeleteSo, prompted by Robs clever questioning he will go off to the States to see his daughters and while he is away…….
The wolf slips into to the fold……
Of course, it might have been no more than two blokes in very awkward circumstances, making a reasonable attempt at ordinary conversation.. I’m still giving Rob the benefit of the doubt until he actually does something amiss which he hasn’t yet. He again called his son Jack.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, if he’s picked on Lee as the weakest link, he’s dead right!
While agreeing with suggestions above, another option appeared to me. Having now the information from Lee regarding where his daughters live, Rob could return to the states and torment Lees daughters.
DeleteA bit far fetched ?
Wow that is a thought AP! Definitely something around Lee is in his cunning plan
DeleteSorry MRS P 😳
DeleteI agree with AP 100%
ReplyDeleteWhat a web Rob weaves. It was such a clever chat finding out about both Lee, his daughters plus Henry + Jack.
In my mind Rob acheived a lot:-
a) Making Lee feel the loss of his daughters, so is bringing his flights forward. "Whilst the cats away, the mice will play" as Helen will be on her own.
b) He now knows about the gymnastics where these happen.
c) Lee felt relaxed with Rob and greatful to him, which is what Rob intended.
In conclusion, I don't trust Rob and he is scheming, be it in a very calculated way..
I disagree with c) Lee feeling relaxed and grateful to Rob, as Rob intended. It was Lee who abruptly, though civilly, terminated the encounter, when presumably the strain of making conversation was getting too much for him. As for what Rob intended, we can’t get inside his head so at this stage how can we know for sure what he intends? He said he wanted to apologise in person which is reasonable and since the conversational ball was in his court, asking questions about his son and politely enquiring about Lee’s parental status too, seems a natural topic to pursue. I think listeners are jumping the gun!
DeleteI think Rob definitely has an agenda - finding out one way or another is what will keep us listening 👏🏻
DeleteIf he had really changed, he would have said to Lee, 'I treated Helen abysmally. I know I can't alter the past, and I'm not surprised Helen won't let me near the boys. But please tell her I honestly am so sorry for all I put her through.' (Yes, he could also say this lying through his teeth of course.) Instead, he spoke of the trauma Helen had put him through and dismissed the precipitating events as 'ancient history'.)
DeleteMiles suggested that he was a broken man, or something along those lines. He probably really has been badly affected by his physical injuries, and by the recent loss of his mother. But despite his (apparent) fraility, he still has shown no repentance or even acknowledgement of the gaslighting and sexual abuse he inflicted on Helen. So sorry Maryellen, I continue not to trust him ...
On listening to Rob + Lee again (3rd time!), I am more convinced than ever, that Rob had "researched" Lee. As such he knew exactly what to talk and ask about.
DeleteAll this could easily be found on social media, IF Lee posts a lot. Perhaps a private detective was employed. Either way, Rob knew exactly how play Lee.
OWiaS - maybe Rob felt this was an apology to be made to Helen rather than Lee. Come to think of it, this may have been what he needed to say to he as she was about to leave prior to his seizure. Not being psychic, I’m only suggesting this as a possibility, but it’s an undeniable one - and a lot less melodramatic than the terminal illness suggestion!
DeleteWhat I’d like to know about are Rob’s plans now CPS aren’t pressing charges and he is free to stay here. Back to North Dakota and whatever job and relationships he has/had there? Family farm? New job in UK?
You go ahead and speculate on Robs future ME.
DeleteFor the time being, I shall remain sceptical.
When Rob fled to America seven years ago it wasn’t just because of the failed attempted kidnap of Jack.Justin had just discovered how Rob’s actions had endangered Ambridge Village in the flood that killed Bert Fry’s wife.At the time,Justin kept the matter under wraps to protect Berrow’s reputation but If he is made aware of Rob’s return to the UK and his current demands re Jack, perhaps he might change his mind, threatenRob with exposure and sending him scuttling back to the States.
ReplyDeleteGood point and good memory Portia.
DeleteI had completely forgotten that fact.
Just a niggle - yes, without the flood Freda wouldn’t have died of pneumonia in Felpersham Hospital when she did, but it was entirely her own fault for ignoring warnings not to drive through the flood water and getting trapped in her car.
DeleteI must be having an ME is not amused week - the Guardian’s A Month in Ambridge humorous column hopes Rob has not reformed “obviously ...because Evil Rob is so much fun”. I find that distinctly unfunny and unfeeling - some readers may have suffered at the hands of real life Robs. (I won’t be changing my paper, though!)
Green velvet suit?
ReplyDeleteNot sure about that but it was lovely to hear mother and son having a heart to heart.
Are we to expect Brad and Mia to become a couple?
And will George do his best to scupper a friendship between them?
Mia knows George well, as they shared a home together with Will and Nic.
DeleteMia is very capable of putting him in his place...
Mia and Brad will never be a couple, just a bond between them.
To add, I haven't forgotten about Mia and Brad and their Hunt Ball antics together. I do doubt thought that, Mia will do that influence over Brad again, but then perhaps she might!
DeleteI’ve taken a shine to young Henry!
ReplyDeleteMe too...and the young actor is doing well, so far.
DeleteI think so too!
DeleteHe certainly had an expressive delivery.
DeleteThat was cruel of Jim and not the slightest bit funny. How could he possibly think Jazzer would appreciate a joke about him not being born in his beloved Scotland?
ReplyDeleteJim’s behaviour is getting increasingly bizarre. As I said at the time of his Brookfield protest, I think The Laurels beckons!
DeleteWhether there is a hint as to a future problem starting with Jim (hopefully not), I would just hate Jim to stagnate in The Laurels.
DeleteWhen Jim needs future care, then The Bungalow now has the extension where Jazzer and Webster 🕷 once resided. This would be ideal for a live-in carer.
Delete…….and a collective sigh across the nation as we listen to Jazzer singing, he has a lovely voice
ReplyDeleteMore Henry, please! He’s a breath of fresh air.
ReplyDeleteHenry had great understanding, as to taking Jack out to play so away from Helen + Lee's conversation.
DeleteHenry has certainly grown up in a great way. Well Done to Helen, Pat + Tony, plus Uncle Tom, as to his early years.
I enjoyed that this evening including being locked in a room after rumptytumpty - guessed - pretty easy wasn’t it ? - that they had been too late at the registry office, but who will let the cat out of the bag after Brad, Jim or Susan ?
DeleteWell, I may be an old romantic, but I loved that episode.
ReplyDeleteJim upped his game with the speech, there was an almost inevitable glitch in proceedings, an amusing twist at the end and, as my prediction, Brad and Mia could get together if only George would leave them alone.
I had hoped that it would be a wedding with no hitches, but just loved the twist...
DeleteI wonder if Jazzer + Tracy will ever make it official.
They might just be the same as two in my family, engaged for over 17 years, and apart from an official joining, are very much a "married" couple.
I have a sinking feeling they are destined never to get married,, all their future attempts will fail for one reason or another and dramatically it will become a running gag like Eddie’s scams and Lynda’s sniff, supplying comic relief when the editor deems things are getting too tough for us.
DeleteIt’s a long way to drive to Scotland in a vintage car. Also old cars significant less safe, to the best thought out gift in my mind.
ReplyDeleteI imagine the Riley has been kept in rather better nick than Tracey's car, regardless of age.
DeleteI was just wondering about the small matter of insurance. Perhaps Jim has added them both as named drivers and they'll transfer the ownership and insurance officially when they get home. Or perhaps Borsetshire is exempt from such formalities.
That was so sweet!
ReplyDeleteI do not know how youngsters today negotiate the painful business of - getting it on - if that is still an up to date expression to describe becoming an ‘ item ‘ ( Item is probably out of date too for all I know. )
ReplyDeleteBut however they do so, I would like to think that the master class presented by Brad and Mia this evening is or might be the norm.
I echo Janice…. Utterly sweet !
It's nearly 13 years since I retired from working in sexual health but, even then, the word sweet didn't come into any description of how youngsters got together.
DeleteForgive me CC for my sentimentality !
DeleteThank you for your reality check.
I will return to my usual scepticism.
To be fair MrsP I only saw the youngsters who came into contact with our services.
DeleteI thoroughly enjoyed the Omnibus today. A good mixture of drama, sentimentality, humour, good (and bad) deeds and plot progression.
ReplyDeleteThe only sour note for me was Helen’s increasing paranoia, involving poor Henry. But then alleviated by Henry’s goof sense, maturity and understanding. He has grown into a likeable lad.
Agree on all points!
DeleteOne thing confused me though - did Tracy say Jazzer's cast was being removed on Friday (the day after The Wedding), or did I mishear this?
As said on the other page, there have been too many posts from me in a row again.
DeleteTo repeat - back in a few days or perhaps more.
Take Care All..
Miriam - please keep posting - nobody else seems very keen these days! Two days since the last comment on here.
ReplyDeleteI lost patience with Tom last night. He messed Fallon around about the meeting she requested and also previously when the open day which was cancelled, mainly due to his absence. He has made several unwise business decisions over the years. He is too impulsive and does things without thinking through possible consequences He doesn’t seem likely to agree to the lease she wanted and will probably pinch her ideas without including her.
I could go on and on about Tom. But the worst thing is he still has the whiney voice he brought back from Canada with him - I just wish he’d stayed there!! 😤
My thoughts;- (all posted elsewhere)
ReplyDeletea) Iain + Fallon join forces, get a unit at the EV charging station - a new enterprise serving the Pzza Van and The Tea Room delicious offerings.
b) The difference between the traditional, Lynda and Joy alongside the new Eddie + Co. ideas, as to the Ambridge Fete, is both amusing and entertaining.
c) Helen needs to tell about Rob stilll being around to others, particularly Susan + Clarrie who are in front on the dairy viewing window every day. Helen will need to know if he suddenly pops up in Ambridge.
Archerphile - You did ask, but now probably wished you hadn't 😆🤣
Not at all Miriam. I think we may be the only two still listening! 😉
Delete...plus enjoying (but perhaps not always) + discussing events, be these in very many different ways!
DeleteTom, I can take and leave him both at the same time.
DeleteI do think "pillow talk" with Natasha, does influence him to some extent. He runs his own sausage enterprise, but at times I feel he can't or just doesn't focus on the Bridge Farm business as a whole, in the same way.
If Fallon leaves the Tea Room, what will become of the property - no ental income would be the immediate problem. Next would be how to use the premises again, in a profitable way for Bridge Farm.
I wonder if George will appeal to Martin Harris and talk him round. Also I wonder if there is a possibility that George is telling the truth about the pork sausage..
ReplyDeleteI think that lying comes pretty easily to George and this is another example.
DeleteIf Harrison went part time he would then have the freedom to build up the experience needed for the wildlife officer's position, and being Ambridge I expect a vacancy will turn up again soon.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Harrison is a bit young to be burning out but I understand wanting to change his work/life balance.
ReplyDeleteWomen often have the excuse of children to back off from their careers if that’s what they want, men less so. Of course if a woman wants to go full throttle on her career & have children it still isn’t assumed that her partner will pick up the slack. Of course these days you need two incomes if you want to own a house… I feel really sorry fo todays young adults.
It’s all very well for Fallon to encourage Harrison to go part time but what will that do to his salary, pension etc. If her plans are turned down by Tom and Co at Bridge Farm she may be bringing in less money too. They need to assess their financial positions very carefully.
ReplyDeleteesp. with the increased mortgage rates, which will hit two family members of mine hard soon, as their deals come to be renewed (both in November).
DeleteNo doubt though, the Ambridge Fairy and her magic 🪄 isn't far away, so all be well.
I am in favour of a thought read else-where - it was the wrapper from a vegetarian sausage roll.🤣
ReplyDeleteWas that Mr S's little egret on the river Hamble which turned out to be a white plastic carrier bag caught on a navigation post?
DeleteHearing about Harrison + the Red Kite last night, made me realise just how much I miss the Jim + Robert competative sightings.
ReplyDeleteNot forgetting their times in The Hide together...😪
Good on you Neil for dividing a business decision from a home/relative situation! Not the soft touch Neil of the old days. George is indeed a piece of work - however will there be a twist and Hannah did plant an empty wrapper in order to ensure George was sacked and out of her hair as a stop start worker…if so I wouldn’t blame her he gets my hackles up most of the time too!
ReplyDeleteI just found it far too coincidental that Hannah, just happened to appear in the workers rest area as George was taking his lunch break, then immediatly spotting the wrapper!
DeleteCoincidences do happen, but that seemed a bit too much of one...
Possible definitely.
I couldn’t disagree more with your suggestion about Hannah, Lady R! Hannah is straight as a die. I’ve always liked and admired her honesty and straightforwardness. I’m glad she’s getting Neil’s sympathy and support, since she’s borne the brunt of George’s bad. behaviour, and they now have a good working relationship. Neil could simply have waited out the week or so till Jazzer returns to work and George leaves. That would have saved him grief at home, but he chose to follow the correct managerial procedure, following the biosecurity breach. (Not that Jazzer is squeaky clean when it comes to taking advantage of his employer, but at least he’s not a habitual liar!)
ReplyDeleteI hope that more is heard from and about Hannah, as she has been around for a while now.
DeleteAll I know is that Jazzer was smitten with her at one time, and she lives in Wills rental property of No.1 The Green, sharing with Johnny.
It is a true silent place..
As already said maryellen I am right behind Hannah and Neil, George would try a Saint’s patience!
DeleteI’m in total agreement there, Lady R , also that there’s a faint chance George might not be lying about the wrapper, but the suggestion that Hannah could have planted it is (IMO) simply not on.. He deserves sacking for that alone!
DeleteI find it difficult to differentiate between the voices of Hannah and Stella is it ?
ReplyDeleteI’m not always good with names as my years progress and so the similarities of the voices is challenging.
Like others I’m not sure on this occasion that George is lying.
But that does not mean that I’m sorry that Neil has sacked him. IMO the sack was warranted for his attitude and back chat alone.
Agree with your post 100% Mrs P
DeleteI'm waiting for Martin Gibson to hear about it and reinstate his protegy. Probably promote him too and make him Hannah's boss ...
DeleteSo, my prediction of something terminal for Rob may not be so melodramatic after all. I'm afraid I shan't be first in the queue to bring him grapes.
ReplyDeleteBut full marks to Helen for standing firm and not getting talked into going down to the hospital again. (I hope the doctor listens more carefully to her patients than she did to Helen - she really wasn't waiting to hear Helen's objections. Surely, 'We're very much divorced' is at least a slight hint that cooperation might not be forthcoming.)
Ah but !
ReplyDeleteIs it perhaps possible that any neurological damage might be due to the fall when pushed by Lee ?
Should Rob succumb might Miles step in to haunt the rest of Helen’s life in lieu of Rob ?
The TA team planning department might well consider that further misery around the Helen/ Rob saga has the potential to bring further listeners to the 7pm Soap.
So what now? Rob with a brain tumour maybe and the worst diagnosis or just insistent to involve Helen. If Rob is to be written out he will probably leave Jack well provided for if….etc etc
ReplyDeleteLooks like George was sausage roll guilty, I am glad it was not Hannah setting him up. I still want to slap him 🫣
I have seen comments elsewhere that the Doctor wasn’t real and that she was part of a trap to get Helen down to Hampshire!
ReplyDeleteNonsense, in my opinion. I think it has been too well signposted that Rob has a brain problem, probably since Miles said he was a ‘changed man’ since he came back from the states.
What I did find unrealistic was the Dr trying to pressurise Helen to come and support Rob at his appointment. OK, his brother was not available, but would a Dr really phone and virtually insist a non-relative travel so far to sit in on the appointment. And be so reluctant to take no for an answer?
At the very least she was remarkably deaf to Helen’s insistence that she was no longer involved with Rob and didn’t want anything to do with him.
Were the comments from the same listeners who thought Jess had been coerced by Rob into contacting Helen and setting up a meeting with her, at which he was listening behind the curtain? Or maybe on CCTV in an adjacent room? (Rhetorical question!).
ReplyDeleteEven though it is a rhetorical question, I have no idea! But there is a coterie of posters who see everything in the worst possible light and like to dramatise every episode to the full!
DeleteSo many conspiracy theories about Rob having a problem.
ReplyDeleteNot my idea but - a hereditary problem which could affect Jack?
Also a consultant calling herself Dr.? A consultant is not usually known as such, but revert to their normal title, such as Mr. Mrs. etc.
My two little grey cells are getting so very mixed up!
I thought that surgical consultants were known as Mr., Mrs etc and non surgical ones as Dr.
DeleteThanks CC.
DeleteGoogle agrees with you, Cheshire Cheese!
DeleteI liked how Helen & Kirsty’s squashed some of the speculation on FB, hats off to the SWs for that
ReplyDelete.... but we still don’t know what Rob needed to tell Helen before the seizure stopped him. I said at the time I thought it wasn’t about whatever medical problem caused the seizure, and that’s turned out to be the case since he didn’t know then that he had a medical problem, much less that it was a brain tumour. Fingers crossed the.’second opinion’ comes up with something less deadly.
ReplyDeleteSo I was spot on with my brain tumour diagnosis, I’m just glad that a friend of mine no longer listens as this is the way she lost her son of 42 a few years back. I don’t think this will be a wrong diagnosis as Rob’s death will conclude the storyline for the actor but involve him more deeply for the next few months because he will now be in close contact with Jack and therefore Helen and all the family discord this scenario may well bring…..if Rob is to be granted over the 3 months it could be the Christmas SL 😣
ReplyDeleteI just want to see him GONE ….. forever !
DeleteSo do I MrsP.
DeleteI bet Helen nurses him !
ReplyDeleteTotal storyline , I think, is absolute rubbish anyway!
No mention of Bruce as to being next of kin.
She should have told the doctor that he is a man who raped her, controlled her, she stabbed him and went on trial so 'Thank you and goodbye.'
To show that she cared for him at the end was rubbish. If a man had raped me, voiced such hysterical rubbish that he was not going to enter her life then care for him at the end. Well I just don't believe it. And now we have 3 more months of Helen nd Rob. Once again I'll be switching off!
This is a storyline that I couldn't listen to the first time round and I don't listen to the episode involving it now. However, I can't agree with you about Helen possibly still caring for Rob. I had a close friend in a similar situation many years ago. The man riuned her life psychologically, emotionally and financially and that of their daughter. They have been divorced for decades and he never sees her or had anything to do with the daughter, but she still feels sorry for him and speaks of him with a wistful fondness.
DeleteIt wouldn't surprise me if she did. I think the point is that in such cases the brainwashing is so complete that however fervent her denials the woman is still in love with him, still his creature and in a case like this will still put his needs before her own.
ReplyDeleteI think Sarnia has put the case exactly right, and agree she will probably be seeing him through to his end.
DeleteBut at what cost? I can't imagine Lee sticking around, listening to Helen saying one thing and doing another. She was already taking Rob's version of the meeting as the true one, dismissing Lee. I think he might go and settle in America, hope he does. Poor Henry will suffer, he might remember both the abuse and rejection from his step-father, who will probably only want to see Jack. Can Pat cope with Helen's dithering??
DeleteIt is frankly getting on my nerves.
That's why I'm not listening! My own personal soap opera is sufficient annoyance at present, thank you. Will my son be able to accompany me to the funeral? Can I afford to go to the funeral? What kind of reception will I get?
Delete(How dare you show your face at your brother's funeral after what your sister told me you did,!)
Trouble is, I don't know when the next episode is due!
No. Helen has no love for him at all. She is just seeing another human having problems who is after all, someone she did love once but long divorced, along with the father of one of her children.
DeleteShe just feels obligated, in some strange way..
I agree with Spicy, as to - where is Bruce? There has been no mention of him, either alive or dead.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts about Rob keep constantly changing, and am still trying to work out what these actually are.
ReplyDeleteMy latest is that, Rob knew he had a problem before he left the USA, but not the severity nor prognosis. This is why didn't he reveal it, which might have meant an early opportunity to see Jack.
Now it seems possible he will see him, or then perhaps not.
My latest thought as said elsewhere is..Rob having seizures but still driving? This is reportable to the DVLA and so licence is cancelled.
ReplyDeleteIt's not him, but thee danger to other innocent drivers.
Good point,Miriam.I wondered about that too,especially after listening again to Friday’s episode during which Rob was getting panicked about the whereabouts of his parking ticket.He is certainly not fit to drive,which he, of course will not admit.
ReplyDeleteWith some luck he might well drive himself off the road and hopefully not involve any other road users.
Delete...but an earlier end to hearing the wonderful portayal of Rob by Timothy Watson..
DeleteAs much as Rob gets under my skin, I so appreciate the brilliant acting between him + Helen. The actors don't need constant meet ups, but as they are just so good together, I wouldn't mind an occaisional exchange of words.
I don't want any melodrama, suicide attempts or even any caring etc. but just something simple.
Sorry - Too many "points of view" posted again, but do try to limit these to one a day!
ReplyDeleteIt's 🤐 for a while..
I thought it was interesting the way Miles’s actor managed to imitate the same little vocal tics that Rob has. It almost sounded like Rob himself speaking and was an excellent portrayal of a brother. It gave me that same fearful tingle up the spine.
ReplyDeleteThey're certainly cut from the same cloth : (
DeleteAgreed, it almost sounded like Rob himself.
DeleteBut we did get a mention of Bruce, the father.
Helen could have pointed out to Miles that he and his father might well meet Jack when he, Jack, reaches the age of eighteen when he will be free to seek out his relatives.
I can understand why Helen thought it was Rob saying ‘Helen?’ when Miles phoned the Farm Shop and she cut him off. To my ears, Rob’s voice has a silkier tone and that’s partly why I like listening to it and have been looking forward to his return.
ReplyDeleteNew thread opened
ReplyDelete