transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:00] You're listening to Tuesday's episode of The Archers from BBC Radio 4.

Speaker 2:
[00:22] That's it. That's the last one. You can close the back up now.

Speaker 3:
[00:27] Dad?

Speaker 2:
[00:28] Oh, Helen. Come to see the Angus' off?

Speaker 4:
[00:31] Yeah, yeah. And to check you're OK.

Speaker 2:
[00:33] Me? Of course I am.

Speaker 4:
[00:35] You don't have to pretend, dad. I know how hard this is for you. I'm pleased you've decided to go along to the market with them.

Speaker 2:
[00:41] Yeah, well, I figured I ought to hand them over to their new owner myself. Tell them which ones can be a bit jumpy, the ones that need a bit of coaxing, the softies like Moira who enjoy good head rub.

Speaker 4:
[00:56] This is the right decision, you know.

Speaker 2:
[00:57] Yes, I know.

Speaker 4:
[00:59] If there had been a way to expand the dairy herd without getting rid of them, then of course they would have stayed.

Speaker 2:
[01:03] Helen, honestly...

Speaker 4:
[01:04] Just a shame that we don't have more pasture.

Speaker 2:
[01:07] It is what it is. No point raking over it.

Speaker 4:
[01:10] No, but at the same time...

Speaker 2:
[01:12] Now I need to pick up David. He's coming to the auction with me.

Speaker 4:
[01:15] Oh, is he?

Speaker 2:
[01:16] Yeah, see you later.

Speaker 4:
[01:17] Oh, yes, OK. I hope it goes well. Oh, dad.

Speaker 5:
[01:25] Hi, this is Kirsty. Leave a message.

Speaker 4:
[01:28] Hi, Kirsty. It's just me. I don't know if you got my text, but it would be really nice to catch up. I did it. I've finished with Dane.

Speaker 3:
[01:41] Of course, it's not as if Tony will be totally bereft.

Speaker 6:
[01:44] No.

Speaker 3:
[01:45] There are the Monty's and, you know, he oversees the Longhorns at the Rewilding too.

Speaker 6:
[01:50] All right, Cleo, in a minute.

Speaker 3:
[01:52] Those Angus's though, Stella. You know, they're the last part of Bridge Farm that is completely Tony's. I'd feel the same if Ruth and Pitt decided we have to get rid of the Herefords.

Speaker 6:
[02:03] Still, it's good of you to go to the market with him, David.

Speaker 3:
[02:06] Well, to be honest, I don't get to go very often. I'm looking forward to grabbing a meat and potato pie.

Speaker 6:
[02:13] Yes, Cleo, we're coming soon.

Speaker 3:
[02:15] I should let you take her for a walk. Are you not working today?

Speaker 6:
[02:19] No, I am. I'm meant to be writing a protection and infrastructure grant application, but Cleo was giving me sad eyes, and it's such a beautiful morning. After all the worry of the last couple of weeks, I figured no one's going to care if I'm away from my laptop for an hour or so.

Speaker 3:
[02:32] No, it's not been the easiest time.

Speaker 6:
[02:34] Honestly, David, I don't know who was more frightened, me or Pitt. I was a nervous wreck at the hospital.

Speaker 3:
[02:40] No, it's hard, especially when you're trying to be strong and supportive. You know, I remember when Ruth was having her chemotherapy. Once we were back home, I'd secretly take myself off to the workshop, shut the door so no one could hear me and have a good cry. But, hey, you haven't got to go through any of that. Pitt got the all clear.

Speaker 6:
[03:06] Thank God. I've been pestering all my siblings, reminding them to check their breasts regularly, sending them the info and what to look for.

Speaker 3:
[03:14] Yes, I'm sensible.

Speaker 6:
[03:16] Has Ruth decided if she's going to get tested for the Bracka gene?

Speaker 3:
[03:22] I think she's still mulling it over. This scare with Pitt, though, you know, it brings back all the old worries. I'm really not sure if it's better to know or not. At the end of the day, it's up to Ruth.

Speaker 6:
[03:35] Although it affects Pitt too.

Speaker 3:
[03:37] You're right, but it's got to be Ruth's decision. Oh, here comes Tony.

Speaker 6:
[03:43] Yeah, me too, me too. Otherwise, Cleo's going to drag now.

Speaker 3:
[03:46] Oh, listen, while I'm thinking about it, are you and Pep coming to Elizabeth's birthday bash at the bull on Friday? My little sister, 59 today.

Speaker 6:
[03:55] I think so, yeah.

Speaker 3:
[03:57] Great, I'm just checking numbers to tell Kenton. Enjoy your walk.

Speaker 6:
[04:01] Oh, enjoy your pie.

Speaker 5:
[04:06] So where were you when you told him?

Speaker 4:
[04:07] In the bar at Grey Gables. I mean, I tried to persuade him to go somewhere more private.

Speaker 5:
[04:12] You wasn't expecting it then?

Speaker 4:
[04:13] Not at all. He seemed really shocked. Then he started getting upset.

Speaker 5:
[04:17] Oh, no.

Speaker 4:
[04:18] Tried to convince me to change my mind. I think he could tell I wasn't going to, though.

Speaker 5:
[04:23] And how do you feel about it now?

Speaker 4:
[04:25] Relieved it's done. Just the fact he was surprised, Kirstie, that he thought everything was fine, kind of proves we weren't on the same wavelength. Now we're both free to move on.

Speaker 5:
[04:35] Well, well done.

Speaker 4:
[04:37] Thanks. So is Eric still in Düsseldorf? You said you've been trying to get hold of him.

Speaker 5:
[04:42] Oh, yeah.

Speaker 4:
[04:43] So have you spoken to him?

Speaker 5:
[04:45] No, I haven't been able to yet.

Speaker 4:
[04:47] You sound worried.

Speaker 5:
[04:49] About Eric? No, he's always hopeless at returning calls. What I need to talk to him about, though, it's not something you can really leave in a message.

Speaker 4:
[05:00] Why? What do you need to talk to him about? Kirsty, are you there?

Speaker 5:
[05:06] I'm here. I'm just scared of speaking too soon. My period's not come, Helen. I'm a week late.

Speaker 6:
[05:19] Morning, Adam.

Speaker 7:
[05:21] Stella, hi.

Speaker 6:
[05:22] Beautiful day, isn't it?

Speaker 7:
[05:25] Yeah, I suppose it is.

Speaker 6:
[05:27] I love this time of year. Blossom on the trees, blackthorn in the hedgerows. You can really feel the land beginning to wake back up.

Speaker 7:
[05:34] That's true. Hello, Cleo. It's nice to see you too.

Speaker 6:
[05:38] We've just been for a walk round by Leaders Wood. I see the spring barley in Topfield is starting to burst through.

Speaker 7:
[05:43] Yeah, I was up there spreading fertilizer yesterday afternoon.

Speaker 6:
[05:47] How's it going? Everything all right at Home Farm? Oh, dear. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.

Speaker 7:
[05:52] I don't know why I ever decided to come back, Stella. You'd think I would have learnt my lesson from when I left the last time.

Speaker 6:
[06:00] Let me guess. You're having problems with brine?

Speaker 3:
[06:05] Here you go, Tony. Hope there's enough milk.

Speaker 2:
[06:09] Oh, thanks, David. I see you got your pie.

Speaker 3:
[06:12] Oh, yeah. I'm just waiting for it to cool down. I bumped into Old Man Gittins. I've not seen him for years.

Speaker 2:
[06:21] What's he selling?

Speaker 3:
[06:23] Three finished Charolais. Nice looking beast, too.

Speaker 2:
[06:26] Oh, he's always known how to breed them. Got a natural eye, that man.

Speaker 3:
[06:30] Not like yours, though, eh? I'm serious. Tagging your dispersal sale on to Primestock Day has created a real social occasion. There's a lot of interest in your Anguishes. I reckon they're the best animals here.

Speaker 2:
[06:44] Well, let's see what price they get. I was casting an eye on those limousines that Frank's lad is selling.

Speaker 3:
[06:51] Huh?

Speaker 2:
[06:51] Big sort. Although, I'd say one of them has gone over. Too much fat around the tail head.

Speaker 3:
[06:57] You reckon?

Speaker 2:
[06:58] Yeah, she's looking a bit spongy.

Speaker 3:
[07:00] Well, if that's your opinion, that'll do for me. You know there's still time to change your mind.

Speaker 2:
[07:06] Eh?

Speaker 3:
[07:07] Selling the herd, you know? We could put them back on the trailer, take them back to the farm.

Speaker 2:
[07:11] Imagine Helen's face if we did.

Speaker 3:
[07:14] I can go to the auctioneer now.

Speaker 2:
[07:16] No, no, no. Seriously, David. It is the right decision. These handsome animals here, they were something, a way of keeping my hand in.

Speaker 3:
[07:26] What's wrong with that?

Speaker 2:
[07:28] Nothing, but you know how it is. Every part of the farm's got to earn its keep, and the dairy's where the money is. No point being sentimental.

Speaker 1:
[07:36] Oh, I know.

Speaker 2:
[07:37] And besides, when Pat and I started the business, we did it so that one day we could pass it on to Tom and Helen. I can't stand in their way now, can I?

Speaker 1:
[07:46] True.

Speaker 2:
[07:47] Oh, oh, hello, Moira. Yes, after a head scratch, are you? There you go.

Speaker 3:
[07:55] Well, I'm glad that's the way you feel about it.

Speaker 2:
[07:57] Yeah.

Speaker 3:
[07:59] Come on, almost time. You better find a seat in the ring.

Speaker 7:
[08:06] It doesn't matter what I say to him. I could show him any number of articles. Oh, I know. Although why I'd even need to. All you have to do is look at the last few years. It's either been record rainfall or drought. Wheat prices are still way down on what they were. Costs keep going up.

Speaker 6:
[08:23] And I said all those things to Brian when I was manager.

Speaker 7:
[08:26] It's as though he thinks the world's going to flip back to how it used to be. And we'll be able to carry on like we've always done.

Speaker 6:
[08:33] You don't have to tell me.

Speaker 7:
[08:34] I'm sorry, Stella, I don't mean to vent. No, no. Just struggling to see where my future is at Home Farm.

Speaker 6:
[08:41] I was in exactly the same position as you are, Adam. It's not as if you can even say Brian's a bad farmer because he's obviously not. He's had a wealth of experience. He's run a highly successful business for 50 years.

Speaker 7:
[08:52] That's the problem though, isn't it? He's convinced only he knows best. And if you dare to suggest there might be a different way of doing things, well, you're an idiot.

Speaker 6:
[09:00] To be perfectly frank, that's the reason why I quit. Him reneging on the BL contract, now that was just the last straw. There was the way he treated me over not telling him about Justin's plans, accusing me of stabbing him in the back.

Speaker 7:
[09:11] I know, I know.

Speaker 6:
[09:12] And before that, there was that debacle over buying the no-till drill.

Speaker 7:
[09:16] Don't remind me.

Speaker 6:
[09:17] I've worked with a lot of domineering men, but no one quite like Brian. It was the high-handedness, his unwillingness to respect my professional judgment.

Speaker 7:
[09:26] Yeah.

Speaker 6:
[09:27] And in the end, I realized I couldn't achieve what I wanted to achieve working at Home Farm.

Speaker 7:
[09:32] No.

Speaker 6:
[09:34] I'm sorry, Adam. Now you've got the poisoned chalice.

Speaker 7:
[09:37] No, it's not your fault.

Speaker 6:
[09:38] No, but I genuinely hoped having a family member as manager might steady the ship.

Speaker 7:
[09:43] Clearly, you still don't know our family that well. There's no one Brian respects less. Anyway, I'm sure you've got things you need to be doing.

Speaker 6:
[09:53] Yeah, I can't put off work any longer. Say goodbye, Cleo. It's time to go home.

Speaker 7:
[09:57] Thank you, though, Stella. It helps to talk to someone else who's been there.

Speaker 6:
[10:02] No worries. It's not an easy position you're in. I just wish I could be more help.

Speaker 4:
[10:10] Sorry we had to stop chatting earlier. Tom came into the office wanting to talk about cropping plans for the polytunnels.

Speaker 5:
[10:15] Oh, don't worry.

Speaker 6:
[10:16] Go on, sit down.

Speaker 4:
[10:16] I'll put the kettle on.

Speaker 6:
[10:17] Thanks.

Speaker 4:
[10:18] Tell me everything.

Speaker 5:
[10:20] Don't get too excited. It has only been seven days.

Speaker 4:
[10:24] I know, but have you ever been that late before? I mean, you're normally pretty regular, aren't you?

Speaker 5:
[10:28] Yeah, but I'm going to be 45 in a couple of weeks. I'm just saying, it could be perimenopause.

Speaker 4:
[10:34] Yeah, or that you're pregnant. I mean, I'm assuming it happened while you and Eric were in Liverpool.

Speaker 5:
[10:40] Yeah.

Speaker 4:
[10:41] So do the dates fit?

Speaker 5:
[10:43] My last period ended about a week before. It still doesn't guarantee anything.

Speaker 4:
[10:48] So what happened? You didn't use anything, Kirsty?

Speaker 5:
[10:53] We thought the chances were pretty slim.

Speaker 4:
[10:55] What? You didn't.

Speaker 5:
[10:56] We weren't just not being careful. We just decided not to worry too much about it. Eric knows how much I'd love to have children. We've talked about the miscarriage and how the pain of losing the baby's never gone away.

Speaker 4:
[11:09] Yeah, I know. So what are you saying? This was deliberate?

Speaker 5:
[11:14] Eric's in a similar place. He's always imagined being a father one day, but he's never been in a position where it could happen. We kind of decided, since we're both middle-aged now, we might as well leave it to fate. Well, don't look like that.

Speaker 4:
[11:30] No, I'm not. I'm just gonna stand. I had no idea.

Speaker 5:
[11:33] Like I say, we weren't necessarily expecting it to actually happen. I still haven't led by a test.

Speaker 4:
[11:40] But what if you are cursed to? That would be so wonderful.

Speaker 5:
[11:43] I know.

Speaker 1:
[11:44] Oh my goodness.

Speaker 2:
[11:46] Pat, are you in? Oh, hello, you two.

Speaker 4:
[11:51] Dad.

Speaker 5:
[11:51] Tony.

Speaker 2:
[11:52] Is your mum about?

Speaker 4:
[11:54] No, I think she's popped out.

Speaker 2:
[11:55] Oh, right. Well, guess how much the Angus is fetched? 42,000 minus auction commission and VAT, of course.

Speaker 4:
[12:07] Wow, that much.

Speaker 2:
[12:08] I'd hope they might fetch something close to that, but I never dared imagine they'd make us well over 30 grand.

Speaker 4:
[12:13] Oh, that's amazing, Dad.

Speaker 5:
[12:15] Yeah, well done.

Speaker 4:
[12:16] So, that's some comfort, then.

Speaker 2:
[12:18] Yeah, I suppose so, but I am going to miss them, of course, but David's asked me to be on the livestock committee for this year's Borchester show, so that ought to keep me busy.

Speaker 4:
[12:29] Oh, good.

Speaker 2:
[12:32] I haven't walked in on something, have I?

Speaker 5:
[12:35] No, no, no.

Speaker 2:
[12:36] I didn't mean to interrupt.

Speaker 4:
[12:37] No, we weren't discussing anything important. Were we, Kirsty?

Speaker 5:
[12:41] No, nothing important at all.