Loxfest is over. Locket-gate is upon us. Discuss Mowgli, Rob's new secret and of course the new road here with other Archers fans.

[PseudoBadger]

New thread for hopefully an exciting Sunday episode. Poor Hayley.

Very sensible advice from Vicky to Lynda in the face of Leonie's daftness.

It absolutely HAS to have an exclamation mark, doesn't it?

Oh my god! Leonie is hysterical! Poor James, I really wish I'd thought of getting DH to do all the night feeds...

Can somebody tell me? What was the alst line there? Nothing more important than What exactly, said Vicki. and nobody else within asking distance.

Putting Beth first, I think.

I missed the last line too!

Felt just a teeny bit sorry for James! But he kind if deserves to end up with someone even more demanding than him lets face it!

Bit annoyed at the sling wearing being part of their pfb stereotype though

I'm at Leonie stating that James is doing all the night feeds. In reality she'd be either feeding like mad to establish her supply or pumping during the night to keep her supply up; either way she'd be awake during the night and not getting 8 hours kip at day 12.

Thinking more about the discussion of Vicki's concerns for Beth's educational future, and I was thinking in a different situation Vickoi would be the ultimate pushy and competitive mother. But hearing Leonie has put all that in some perspective. .

But I wonder if all this anticipation of Beth's needs when she's only just one is a sign of V's worrying tendencies and need for company from like-minded others. It is isolating having a child with developmental problems, especially in groups of PFBs, though if she does back to work FT she'll not have much time to go to groups etc. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out.

What do you think is going on up Lakey Hill? Natural erosion or deliberate damage?

I was thinking sinkhole - indicating unstable ground which scuppers plan b.

I predict hayley and the girls go to Brum with Vickoi and Mike when THE AFFAIR comes to light leaving Elizabeth and DirtyRoy a clear field. But even then I don't think it will last.

Phoebe wouldn't be going anywhere without Roy....

That would be an unpleasant battle.

I think Vicky is just as afraid of herself finding school hard as she is for Bethany. I don't blame her, the thought of possibly being the only mum with a child with complex SN at a small village school would be scary. Would she be fit in with the other mums or would they ignore as she's different? The school gates are more cliquey than the playground.

What was happening at Lakey hill? I missed some of it.

Vickoi also much older than many other mothers of school entrants, and she seems to have an anxious disposition anyway.

What age is Phoebe? When she's 16, can't she live with whoever she wants?

I did predict weeks they'd all go to Brum and leave Roy when the shit and the fan collide . I can't see the 'bonkfest' lasting. Apart form anything else Freddie and Lily will be 'anti' esp if Rotaboy keeps up his heavy handed talk.

yes i thought whatever was going on on lakey hill would be pertinent to the buggering road

good call on the sinkhole though - there's been quite a few in the news recently too

Oooh - I'd forgotten how old Phoebe is now. So yes, I guess she could choose to depart with Hayley and Abbie. That would be terrible for Roy, after he fought so hard to keep her.

Was it a sinkhole? (I'm not sure phoning someone during TA should even be legal. ) They do seem the most frightening things.

Maybe it is an old druid burial site which fallon will upcycle

But didn't I predict at the beginning of the last thread that Fallon might find herself upcycling the residents of a burial chamber?

That could be next in the list of careers for her when the SWs tire of tweedom.

Actually, there ought to be an undertaker in Ambridge. Surely they do good business at the Elms? Ah, but of course - a sideways move for Maurice. Or Maurice and Jazzer, when he's not delivering milk or "shearing sheep bare chested".

I hope Feebs doesn't relocate. She has just done her GCSE and got good results. I hope the SW aren't going to relocate her part-way through sixth form and thus wreck her academic career. Or is it the fate of clever Ambridge girls to never reach their potential.

Talking of clever Ambridge girls what's happened to Peep? Is she ever coming back from Yorkshire. Can't she come back now to help cover for Ruth's absence.

you do know that the leonie pfb ness is probably a pisstake of people who use parenting sites? they've probably been reading AIBU

I'm very surprised her milk supply is such that she has been getting 8 hours a night and expressing enough

But hey, poor old men, horrible witches they have to put up with

Back to hayley, i thought it would take a long time for her to twig on the affair as it is just so unlikely!

Yes byos I found the pfb pisstake a bit off tbh. A bit like "silly" Jenny and her kitchen

And don't forget the silly feminist protesters bothering poor little Roy

And poor fallon needing a man to tell her how to run her very female stereotype business

But they must have special schools in Borsetshire?

But how near to Ambridge are would they be? She'd probably have to be bussed to Borchester or Felpersham.

That happens only too frequently, but it could happen also in Birmingham, where the traffic would be much worse. Yes, they could move near to a special school, but there's no guarantee that Bethany would get a place; and what if she has to move to a different school at 11?

What amuses me is the perception that Brum is the promised land when it comes to SEN provision. There are an awful lot of parents in that area who would not agree.

I don't think that there's any need to be offended as woman or a mother by Leonie's ultra pfb antics- she has always been portrayed as a cariacature who acts unlike any other human being, so this is just a continuation of that. It would be different if a hitherto reasonable character had gone all PFB. I loved Lilian's air hostess comment. Hopefully Robert will pop up soon to remind Leonie that she doesn't have carte-blanche to be rude.

She and James were excruciating but both actors had the comic timing spot on.

Oh, and as an atheist I like the expression "guide-parents".

BYOS Yes no way would her milk supply be enough to pump on the evening and provide several night feeds. I had trouble early on and used to ff and pump at night feeds to keep milk supply up.
Loved how Leonie put down Lil and Lynda's suggestions. I like both those names - where did Lawrence come from? Any significance?