🐠 Archers thread #135: An Everyday Story of Fishy Folk. Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

All views on The Archers welcome here! New blood welcomed. We don't all agree on all points and most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you would be delighted to be given a goldfish named after your ex, or other unusual views.

Spoilers: not on this thread, please. We don't wait for the omnibus to discuss the weeknight episodes, but we do try our best to avoid cross-contamination from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/4197199--The-Archers-spoilers-thread-6-Cant-wait-for-7-02pm-Join-us-here, where spoilers are positively welcomed!

For newer listeners, lurkers or those who just have no idea what we're talking about, @DadDadDad has created this useful thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3557323-For-Archers-fans-a-guide-to-acronyms-on-the-long-running-discussion-threads-and-any-other-meta-thread-questions-you-may-have - BOOP point for him! (See thread for explanation.)

Apologies for ignoring the various title suggestions on the last thread. However, here they are, plus a couple of other pithy observations, to kickstart the new thread. I think it's fair to say nobody is looking on this as a Golden Era! Goldfish Era, though ...

@Roysnewshirt: Everyone wants more! Chris wants more Amy; Jazzer wants more Tracey; Alice wants more time with Martha and Amy wants more space… Very true. And now we know Kirsty wants more farming expertise in the rewilding project, but not Pip (thank the lord) so does that mean approaching Adam? Currently under-employed.

@LillianGish: I tune in to hear birdsong and bleating in the English countryside not hammy acting and suggestive grunting.

@stilldumdedumming: Archers is good at the dynamics of family, farming, what it means to have your job, your home and your inheritance so closely aligned etc etc not this nonsense!

@DoctorTwo: Like fuck would Pheobe buy her parents a goldfish each. The Ambridge character transplant fairy has been working overtime this past few weeks, it's been absolutely fucking appalling bar a couple of exceptions.

Can't disagree with any of that. I want to hear more about the pigs and any other effects of Brexit. A topical insert about the war in Ukraine must surely be on the way.

Any happy listeners out there? Any disgruntled listeners with even more grumbles? Over to you!

Ridiculous script for three times mother,/ twice grandmother / aunt etc Pat tonight - like she'd never even heard of gestational diabetes!

Oh joy Tony's googled it and they're reassured.

This feels like a public health insert on cutting your sugar intake/ how diabetes can be controlled through diet.

I was getting quite annoyed with Alan telling Chris off as if Amy had absolutely no agency in terms of her decisions to go and see him and to sleep with him. It's not as if Chris lay in wait for her and lured her in, and no-one seriously believes he'd have had sex with her if she said no. But suddenly, if she gets hurt as a result of her own decisions, it's Chris's fault?

I think Alice is the Easter Bunny

I only know of one person who had it, but I knew it was not an unusual condition. I also thought it could be quite serious if not monitored, but times have changed.and pregnancies are treated differently nowadays

@Thighdentitycrisis

I think Alice is the Easter Bunny

I think Freddy, he's not been around for a while and it's the sort of thing his father would have done

Gnasher was a bit too unconcerned wasn't she? Although also v organised about it. Presumably the risks with it are greater with twins/risk to the twins.

I thought Frilly saw the bunny

Eww, Tony and his “special small bowl for puds” has given me an ick.

@Raera
I don’t think it can be Freddy, he was with Lily when the bum fondling took place

I see Alice is busy blaming the OW, while being sooo understanding about Chris.

Also, about Berrow - major decision has taken place that they'll review in three months, so the pressure on employees isn't lifted at all. Brine was pissed off about Justin getting a sweetener, and quite right. Either it's business decision or it isn't.

He’s a grown man who had been pursuing Amy, and not so long ago, Alice. It would be reasonable to expect him to be prepared. Same applies to Amy (apart from the pursuing Alice bit)

I think it's stretching it to say he was pursuing Amy and Amy was the one who turned up unexpectedly at his door.

Nice to hear more rewilding chat, although it was rather clunky sounding. Love Tony saying the environment is what needs spending money one.

Could it be Joy in the bunny costume? She's a charitable soul. Kenton and Toby are daft but don't strike me as the sort to put themselves out for others. Also if it's a non blood relative and a woman that helps the bum fondling situ. Argh why am I even thinking about this. I don't care!

Fallons views are next to impossible to keep up with. I don't think she's be ready to calm down if the shoe were on the other foot.

Could it be Joy in the bunny costume? She's a charitable soul

Possibly but I assume Russ is at least average height for a man and probably slim build. I don't see Joy as being that shape.

Oh what a pity - Alice didn't explode at Fallon.

Who is Glenda? And what has happened to Berrow?

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a ONS, but I can safely say that not one resulted in my being welcomed into the bosom of his family or having it discussed at banshee level in the parish church.

I feel suffocated just listening to Pat going on at Natasha. She’s a grown woman running (inexplicably) a successful business - I’m sure she’s well able to manage skipping a spoonful of sugar with her undrinkable coffee and can turn down a second serving of (what was it?) cinnamon spiced vegetable stew.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a ONS, but I can safely say that not one resulted in my being welcomed into the bosom of his family or having it discussed at banshee level in the parish church.

😂😂 Brilliant, @BeardieWeirdie! And agree about Pat.

You’re right, @KimikosNightmare, I was stretching! It was more that it was made clear to us that he was interested in Amy.

[quote Thighdentitycrisis]@Raera
I don’t think it can be Freddy, he was with Lily when the bum fondling took place[/quote]
I love the "I don't think... " there.

I also don’t really understand the outcome re Berrow. I could listen again, but could anyone enlighten me?

@SparklingLime they’ve agreed to just keep going for another 3 months and see if things improve I think. Essentially it’s been a crap time for pork farmers so as lots of producers have gone bust this could now be a good time for those who haven’t. They were busy trying to bribe Justin because he’s having a tantrum when the vote went against him - hence all the guff about him being chair again etc.

The gestational diabetes bit irritated me. Firstly, it’s usually diagnosed by a glucose tolerance test, for which Natasha would have had to fast and so would have known there was a possibility of GDM before she went. Sounds to me like she had some sugar in her wee at her ?20wk anomaly scan and the diagnosis has been leapt to from there. Secondly a diabetic diet isn’t just ‘no more puddings’ ffs. She should have seen a dietician and be properly carb counting. I remember a GP friend of mine who had GDM was really depressed at how little she could eat to keep her blood sugar low enough - she found that even two slices of wholemeal toast for breakfast was too much. Poor girl was starving!

I’m hoping Natasha will be under the proper GDM team from now on and maybe the SWs could at least google it for some accurate information. It’s poorly-understood enough without all this rubbish. I hope we’re not gearing up for some traumatic delivery story - hopefully they’ll book her in for a planned section what with potentially big diabetic babies and twins, but I fear they can’t resist the drama…

(I’m aware perfectly normal deliveries can and do take place of twins and from mothers with GDM but see threads passim about soapification…)

Thanks, @Prestissimo. I had missed the three months bit. God, Justin is vile.

Agree about shoddy research (googling!) on GDM. If they can’t manage to get the basics right then they should keep away from specifics in heath stories.

I thought Batasha's comments about puddings was lighthearted, but a comment about managing carbohydrate intake would have made more sense

Let Moany have his puddings, I say

I fear the the GDM issue has only been introduced so we can have some ever so hilarious stuff about Tony sneaking off to eat pudding, and Natasha will have a miracle cure before the birth.

When I was pregnant with my younger child, a million years ago, I was sent for a glucose tolerance test as a precaution, because my first child was quite big (9lbs 2ozs! - Caesarean, though, as she was also breech - phew). I never had sugar in the urine at any stage in either pregnancy, but the GTT indicated my glucose levels were a touch high, and my consultant explained that he took an exceptionally cautious line on this (fine with me, I am the most risk averse person on the planet) so from that point on I had extra check ups and I had to do a pinprick test every day to check my glucose levels and keep a record. There was some guidance on diet. It never progressed to fullblown GD, fortunately, and nobody ever bothered about it again after the birth. I believe GD does usually resolve once the woman isn't pregnant.

I expect things have moved on a bit since then. I agree it's odd there was no mention of a GTT, but maybe Natasha had already had one and this was an appointment to discuss test results.

@KimikosNightmare

Tony could go and eat cup cakes with Joy