The Archers

I predict that Henry will throw his weight around (but not in a good way) at Karate, Sensei (teacher) will sort him out and a smitten Helen will start learning Japanese.

Has anyone else seen the Ambridge Observer now it has returned from its summer break? I love their 'How Old is Your Heart' health quiz.

ambridgeobserver.blogspot.com/

Phew! I have a friend who occasionally refers to Archers porn.

Just listened to tonight's episode -I think today's script writer has a sense of humour.

Peggy, commenting on the slowness of the traffic, indicates that it is caused by ?Derek Fletcher on his bike - I had a vision of a middle-aged gentleman in cycling shorts.

She then went on to say that she had seen his garden and his raspberries were very large and his sweetcorn very firm - phew!!

Go, Kenton!!

I agree merlotgran, it's a great story line, though many disagree with us.
I like the slow burn, it reflects what happens in RL. It's such a shock that it takes a while for the individuals then the wider family to make sense of what's going on. It's also better to take time, rather than simply reacting. I do hope Kenton finds out from Freddie that Russ offered to keep quiet about his drug dealing in college, providing Freddie kept quiet about the relationship between Lily and Russ. Creep!

Listening to Lizzie unburdening herself to Kenton made me hope he'll seek out Russ and give him a few home truths and then maybe he'll find out he's wrong about Freddy making just the one mistake.

This is a great storyline. Good to have another villain.

I wonder if they will go to Manchester together. The script writers may want to continue this drama but I would enjoy a blow up during which it becomes clear that russ is a serial offender. the current Mrs Russ may well be a former student, now too old and too wise to put up with his nonsense.

Imliked the scene with Lily and Elizabeth when Lily got Russ’s phone call. I agree, Iam64, that it showed that Lily is in love with the idea of being in love, and her voice showed her uncertainty when she realised it might actually happen. Yes, I think that when she goes to Manchester and realises her life will be very different from the other freshers, living in halls, making friends, staying up late putting the world to rights, when she has to go home to a fussy older man with his own special bread and, presumably, his own set-in-his-ways habits, the gilt will soon wear off the relationship.

Maybe Lily will dump Russ and Elizabeth will grab him for herself?

Yes,*merlotgran*! I find Jill & Peggy equally annoying, so get them mixed up!

Thinking ahead... Russ seems to be displaying weird traits already but what if he and Lily move to Manchester and Lily comes to her senses and realises what a doddering old fart he seems next to her uni mates. And she dumps him. Will he turn into another manipulative stalker like Rob? Can we cope with yet another deranged man in the central role?

Do you mean Peggy's step daughter, Hazel, Daddima?

I suppose she's on the back burner now there are no storylines to include her.

I'm loving all the argy-bargy. Just like real village life and at last somebody (Tom) has noticed that Henry is a seven year old boy and not still kindergarten.

Off topic, but what happened with evil Hazel, Jill’s wicked step-daughter?

Elizabeth isn't at the top of her game. what a double whammy, one child arrested for drug dealing, lose your licence, then find your beloved daughter is in a ridiculous relationship with a married man, twice her age.
It's so easy to say you'd show him the door - I know I'd want to, but read the estrangement threads on gransnet and think carefully before acting in haste. You'd have years to regret at leisure. Lizzie will have picked up the uncertainty in Lily's voice when she realised it's actually happening, he's left his wife.... (do I really want this.... I'm a ditzy girl who was in love the romance of it all, not I'm seeing an unsophisticated rather working class side of him, shocked at the size of our home, terrified he'd brought the wrong colour wine, do I really want this....)

I think Elizabeth's thinking of the mistakes she made herself in the past and trying to play it cool in the hope it will all fizzle out. Which no doubt it will after a few tense hysterical episodes, with the odd pregnancy thrown in. But hey, it's only entertainment. Am off to France for a week so hope I can follow it whilst away. Sad eh?

Ridiculous storyline. Surely Elizabeth would put her foot down and show him the door. Or is she too in debt to Russ for Freddie's reference?

Just what I was thinking, a helter skelter of daftness, whatever next. As his parents live near surely someone already knows them.
Lily, on Sunday, suddenly, for the first time, really sounded as if she hadn't truly believed he'd join her in Manchester and wasn't even sure she wanted him to!

A basic teaching post requires half a term's notice, longer for a head and deputy because of finding a replacement, even if it is only for a temporary/ acting post.
The school, college certainly wouldn't give him a reference if the reasons for his sudden departure were made clear.
Is Elizabeth always this stupid with her children?
This story line is becoming sillier by the day, as the original poster said about Rob and Helen.

I do hope she does Laziegirl. She must be spitting feathers.

He hasn't even mentioned handing in his notice yet has he? Bit late as new term starts methinks. He'd never get another job anyway if the reasons for him leaving were known as it must be a disciplinary offence. His wife may spill the beans.....

Has Russ resigned? My teaching friends/relations are expected to give a terms notice, you can't just break up for the summer and not return. If he does that, how likely is it he can be employed in a teaching post, though I suppose he could go via agency but with no references.

I'm waiting for Mrs Russ to storm into the college and to the stately home to tell it like it is. Will she have children he forgot to mention or will she be pregnant.

What a creep, sight of the Stately Home and in he slithers.

I hope Russ isn't going to look for another teaching post. I don't think it would go down very well with a new employer that he had an affair with one of his students!

I wondered whether he had children. It doesn't seem to have been mentioned.