🦈 Archers thread #137: See left - have they jumped it? Discuss The Caseys - sorry, 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 think Steph Casey is a wonderful addition to the programme, or similar odd 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.)

Too dispirited to add much else. Have we reached a new low?

I suppose the Archer twins will be born before we need a new thread. 👶👶
Any thoughts on names? Patrick and Antonia were suggested before - inspired! Peggy has to be a strong contender.

Over to you!

For example, English-speaking hippies were calling their children Leaf and River in the 1960s, so to call a child one of those names would not be “modern”. But it would be “non-traditional” compared to names in use for centuries such as Elizabeth, Henry and Edward. On the other hand, “modern” to me would be something like “Jaxxon”, “Archie” (as a birth cert name) or Madison for a girl (in the U.K., it’s been around a while in the US).

There are four Serens in our little village school and I know two other toddler Serens. It’s probably the Gwynedd equivalent of Olivia in North London but I’m not a fan. Better than Enfys (rainbow, pronounced EN Vis) which is a ridiculous name.

I'm sure you're right, but it must have been very rare. I never met anyone with an out there name, but I lived in a succession of very staid, monocultural suburbs in the 1960s and 1970s.

I do remember a lot of laughing and eye-rolling when it was reported that David Bowie and his wife had called their son Zowie, but we now know (I think) that the name on his birth certificate was Duncan Jones, which is the one he uses now. Frank Zappa was the real pioneer here. His children were named Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and Diva Muffin. Words cannot express how mortified I would have been to have the middle name Muffin, but then my parents are about as far removed from Frank Zappa as it's possible to be, in spite of being only a few years older than he was.

If Natasha were to ask what MN thought of Nova she would no doubt be told it was "chavvy".

Long time lurker here….. I know they are just excited new parents who naturally think everything their babies do is amazing (of course, we all do!) but as someone who really struggled with breastfeeding initially, to the point where it was quite traumatic, I found Natasha’s comments about how their girls are just so clever being able to feed so easily (unlike those other babies who struggle to latch) almost unbearably smug! 😡 I didn’t realise my babies just weren’t bright enough 🤦‍♀️

I thought it was lovely to have a bit of breastfeeding positivity on the radio. I was told all through my first pregnancy how hard and awful breastfeeding was. Incidentally I found it incredibly easy but definitely had conversations with other women who said that all they’d heard was how much it hurt that they didn’t want to try once baby arrived. I wonder if they would have attempted it if there were more messages out there that for many women and babies, breastfeeding can straightforward.

Where were you then? The message I got was exactly the opposite- everyone can do it! It's easy.

Anyway that's a subject for debate here. I fast forwarded all of Gnasher, Sausage Boy, Pinky and Perky and will do so for the foreseeable future. I'm struggling to think of anything I've got less interest in

Anyway that's not a subject for debate on here

All I can say is that Rishi Sunak has a dog called Nova

(just googled - quite a cute one: mobile.twitter.com/rishisunak/status/1410340258965766154)

Found Tom and Natasha utterly loathsome yesterday.

It was Lilian who was annoying me yesterday. I would be absolutely furious if I were in a hotel or B&B and found another guest's dog on my bed. If it was my dog who had done that, I'd be totally mortified. But not Lilian.

Living in Wales. I don’t mean from midwives (obviously they’re pro but I didn’t need convincing, I intended to breastfeed) but colleagues, family members, neighbours.

It was very true to character tho'. Lilian is such a selfish, unpleasant person.

True to character. Tom is going to be unbearable, Gnasher a little less so. I am not looking forward to it at all.

And also sorry that it made you feel shit. I managed to breastfeed but it's made out to be all important when it's still a drop in the ocean of the whole bringing up a human endeavour. Anecdotal I know, but my own ds and many other extended fed babies I know have terrible allergies. My son genuinely has suffered and still does at 21. That I'm not sure of the benefits (except it's free!)

Your link doesn't work for me do here's another link to Nova.

news.sky.com/story/chancellor-rishi-sunak-introduces-his-new-dog-nova-12346034

I do find the ceaseless, indulgent gushing over Ruby from Lilian and the loathsome Justin quite impossible to listen to.

It was a bit of a shock to hear how frail Jill/Patricia Greene sounded. Not her normal self at all. She is 91, though, I suppose.

Natasha and Tom are going to be absolutely insufferable parents. God help any teacher who ever has the temerity to suggest one of the girls is less than perfect.

I can't remember if we know what breed Ruby is. I'm assuming a very small dog with an irritating yap.

re 'Modern' v non-traditional.

Would a name like Ivy now be modern or old fashioned or classic?

In my view there is a modern trend for old fashioned names. I don't think Ivy can be classic as it is neither Biblical nor royal (which seems to be my instinctive definition that no doubt everyone will disagree with).

On another topic, having listened this morning I can't believe Rosie is nearly 4 and hasn't been given a bike of any sort yet!

I can't believe Rosie is nearly 4 and hasn't been given a bike of any sort yet!
I thought that. My grandchildren had balance bikes when they were toddlers.

It's a shame that nobody from the Editorial/writing team hasn't thought to join Mumsnet to check on the basic child development stuff like balance bikes for toddlers/pre-schoolers.

DD's remained reasonably pristine as she much preferred to scoot about on a microscooter from the age of about 2 1/2. Presumably Rosie just gets driven everywhere. With an Aunt owning stables, you would have thought that she would have been sat on a pony as soon as she could sit upright, too.

Rosie probably spends more time with Great Granny Jill than anyone else - she probably knows how to makes scones and fairy cakes from basic proportions, turn the telly over to ITV3 and find Leonard’s spectacles for him. If Jill were a WORDLE fan she could teach her the alphabet so she could help with guessing the letters, but of course Jill is the wrong generation for phonics and she’s been told off for saying ‘aitch’ for h and not ‘hrr’

She’s too young to play with Jack and too old to play with Xander and Martha; her Mum and grandparents are too busy on the farm to bother much.

Rosie is too young to play with ….

They're possibly teeing up a struggling with feeding storyline?

In a rural area, I don't think that's odd.

The road leading to the house I grew up in is a private, unmetaled road. The farm courtyard has a smoother surface, but that's a working farm courtyard. Other than that there is a large garden and then surrounded by fields. None of these surfaces would be easy for a 4 year old to cycle on. I didn't have a bike until around Primary 5 or so.

You can ride a balance bike on any surface because the child's feet are always on the ground. My youngest grandson used to ride his through the woods. Great Granny Jill might have had trouble keeping up with it.