We started the week in bed with Lilian and Justin.  Justin just asumed that Lilian was going to move in with him.  There’ll be plenty of excitement, Justin assured Lilian.  Sometimes we’ll watch Call the Midwife, and sometimes a re-run of Antiques Roadshow.  You just won’t know, Lilian. Oh you must be delighted to have taken him from that ghastly woman, said Jenny, as if she was a terrier with a tennis ball. The cows at Brookfield are not very happy, more of that anon.  In the meantime they all sat around the table…the family I mean, not the cows… […]

We started the week with Keira.  Mystifyingly being played by Henry.  Windy windy windy!  Could they not afford two voice recordings? Over at the tea room,  Emma was grappling with the menu for the mud party all by herself.  No mean feat considering she only learnt to cook pop tarts a fortnight ago.  Now she’s whittling on about cornucopia and horns of plenty for the party. The rest of us were hoping for plenty of horn from the party, but more of that anon.   So the obvious choice to help her with her culianry arrangements was Jimmus.  I’m not a […]

This week was sponsored by mobile phones!  Ambridge has caught on and the whole week was binging and bonging away like billy-oh.  I’m not sure it was just the mobiles that were bonging, to be honest. There was such strange behaviour going on I was beginning to think Titchynob had leaked LSD into the water supply as a final gesture.  Hooty Jill and Carol Toboggan suddenly decided, based on a casual remark about Ben watching films, that they should start making lists. Lists of films they liked.  They didn’t seem to feel the need to share them with Ben, just […]

Jennifer is planning a party akin to a Babylonian orgy.  We’re going to show Miranda Elliott, said Jennifer.  Aha said Brian cleverly.  I’ve worked it out.  This is all about Miranda isn’t it?  We’re going to keep the party local and lovely, said Jennifer.  So lucky old Miranda can look forward to one of Tom’s sausages atop an upcycled scone washed down with a glass of Grundy cider wrung out of Joe’s truss.   The replies to the Home Farm invitations are coming in thick and fast.  Thick and fast – oh, Chris Carter and Alice. Miranda’s struggling with Ambridge’s 24 […]

Is Pip actually trying to drive Toby away?  If she isn’t, she’s doing a really good impression of someone who’s completely romantically tone deaf.  Let’s give the septic tank a good scrub out, then we’ll light some scented candles and I’ll read Caitlin Moran’s latest column out to you while we sign up for a joint tax account.  Where are you going, Tobeeee? Anyone remember Norman Collier?  Hi Pip, it’s me, Toby.  I’m going up to Brighton.  I’ve got to see a xxxxx and give it a xxxxx and when I get home you could give me a xxxxx and […]

The big happy news of the week is that Rob has been binned.  I was very ready to join in the general celebrations but I didn’t feel I could do so wholeheartedly partly because…well….once again I seem to have missed a meeting.   Did I nod off and miss the bit where Lilian told Justin the whole story? Or Stephan did?  How did he know everything in such detail?  Where was the shock horror reaction from Justin?  I mean that wasn’t important, really, was it.  Not the final denouement to a two year storyline that would result in the most hated […]

Tracey said that Susan looked like a fifties filmstar on her photos.  Boris Karloff in Voodoo Island, maybe. Jill decided to do a bit of sitting room parkour and decided to scale the bookshelves like a sort of geriatric spiderwoman.  Inevitably she fell off and bust her ankle.  Toby took this as an opportunity to grapple her into a wrestling hold and get her put in a home, stopping off at A&E first and running around the hospital with her in a wheelchair, cornering on two wheels cackling while Jill screamed with fury and tried to smack him with her […]

The jolly Aldridges went to what sounded like the most boring New Year’s eve party in the world at Gay Grables.  Tommy Croaked It Junior and his Palm Court Orchestra tinkled genteelly in the background while Lilian huffed about having worn her best knickers, the ones with the velcro, just in case Justin did turn up after all.  Jennifer gritted her twinset and had a go at enjoying herself and got cross with her husband.  Brian, panicked at the thought that Justin not getting his oats with his sister in law might jeopardise his land grab, threw money at the […]

The Ambridge show was all in rhyme The writers had a fit Lynda had a stressful time Convinced it would be…rubbish. Over at Bridge Farm, on Christmas Day Henry got an orrange, a little spinny fing, and an appointment with a child development specialist. At Rickyard, Toby had bought a reduced to clear chicken and burned the potatoes.  It made Pip all nostalgic for her mother’s cooking. At the Stables, Shula and Alastair were still love’s middle aged dream. Shula bought Alastair a box set of Gardeners World: Hilarious Bloopers and he bought her a ball gag. At Brookers, Ruth […]

Justin consulted Brian on the Berrow Farm plans. I do wish he would clear his throat properly. Suck a lozenge, man. This is lovely coffee, Brine, you’re so clever. And Jenni, here’s some roses for you, you’re so clever and so beautiful. I love you, Brian and Jennifer. I think he’s after a threesome. Brine helpfully told Jennidarling all about the plans for Berrow Farm, then reminded here about them again when he told she had to forget them. “Who are you?” said Jennidarling. Then she had a whiff of cooking sherry and posted it all on the Ambridge website. […]