Archers thread #201: Tempting fête in Ambridge? Free entry to 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, and of course we are always delighted to welcome back former or occasional listeners/posters. We don't all agree on all points, although we do mostly try to be civil about it. Most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you'd love to administer Bert's mucus medicine, 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 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/5538836-the-archers-spoilers-thread-12-cant-wait-for-702pm-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.)

There's a fair amount of stuff going on at the moment but I don't feel inspired to say anything more about any of it for now. Over to you - I hope you all have more enthusiasm than I do!

This rather like one of my siblings who is full name to family and shortened to everyone else.

So Ed decided to spy on Brian for Martin. What a worm Ed is!

It's weird, isn't it? For me, sausage is what occasionally goes with my Full English on a Sunday morning.

Are they thinking of some BBQ connexion? It's the only context I could imagine sausage with salad.

I was perplexed too, so i asked chatgpt who says 'Plenty of people in their 90s eat salad. A simple salad alongside sausages isn't implausible in itself.' Im not convinced by this personally at least not in this country. Chatgpt then goes onto say 'Where it can ring false is if it doesn't fit the character rather than the age. Bert has always been portrayed as fairly old-fashioned in his tastes. If the writers had him enthusiastically tucking into gourmet sausages with rocket and balsamic dressing, many listeners would probably think, "That doesn't sound like Bert."' And then sensibly says The Archers has occasionally been criticised for is allowing modern sensibilities—whether about food, language, or social attitudes—to creep into characters who have been established for decades.

@echt , Not really. When I started my first job they said something like 'We can't call you that, we'll call you Eve instead' and I went along with it. Eventually I got used to it.

Which of the two I'd introduce myself as depends entirely on the context.

I think Martin Gibson would be just the kind of guy who calls people a version of their name they don't like, and that nobody else calls them. We all know the sort!

How long does a bloody dog DNA test take?!

(Though if the dog had actually been bloody might have been no need for the test I suppose…)

I got distracted from what I meant to say here which was that I was delighted to hear that Henry has been referring to the "fête worse than death", as suggested at the end of the previous thread as a possible title for this one 😆

no idea but the pet class at the fête has been mentioned more than once, and I wonder if we will meet another doberman on the day.

Agreed! Sweet potatoes have their place, but I'm not keen on them replacing ordinary mash. Sausages and salad is just wrong. Do they not even have a packet of frozen peas?

Well at least Neil and Jazzer called him out properly last night.

If the other doberman was Monty's identical twin would that render the DNA tests meaningless? (I know nothing of dog genetics)

@DeanElderberry , canine monozygotic twins are extremely rare.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g , I don't like mash but I'm probably basing my opinion on school dinners, and the mash we had at home was just boiled potatoes mashed. I'm not a fan of all-rounder potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are ok occasionally but not with sausages.
Salad and sausages doesn't sound a good combination.

Not directed at any particular MNer.
I've just had lunch and think I need to sack the chef.
I don't eat meat at all and as we know all vegetarians love butternut squash (or so the MN Food/recipes thread told me).

Well, due to not being able to motivate myself to sit in the car in this hot weather and drive to the supermarket, the butternut squash that's been in my veg rack since I read the assertion (probably over 2 years ago) has finally been cooked.
Yuk! I suspect that the leftovers will not be eaten.

Not directed at any particular MNer.
I asked chatGPT:

If you're referring to a dog suspected of sheep worrying or sheep savaging, the turnaround time for DNA testing depends on the laboratory and the urgency of the case.
Typical timeframes are:
Collection of samples: Usually done immediately by investigators. They may swab bite wounds on the sheep, collect saliva, blood, hair, or other biological evidence, and take a DNA sample from the suspected dog.
Laboratory analysis: Often a few days to a few weeks. A straightforward forensic DNA comparison might take 1–3 weeks under normal workloads.
Complex cases: If multiple dogs are involved, samples are degraded, or the lab has a backlog, it can take several weeks or even a few months.
In the UK, police or local authorities investigating livestock attacks may use specialist forensic laboratories to compare DNA from saliva left on the sheep with DNA from a suspected dog. DNA evidence is often considered alongside other evidence, such as:
Witness statements.
CCTV or GPS tracking.
Injuries to the dog.
Footprints or other forensic evidence.
Veterinary findings.
If you're asking about a specific investigation, the exact timing will depend on which forensic laboratory is handling the samples and how quickly the case is being processed.

No. Being vegetarian doesn't imply any preference for butternut squash.
A vegetarian is simply someone who doesn't eat meat (definitions vary slightly depending on whether they eat eggs and dairy). Within that group, people's tastes are just as varied as anyone else's. Some vegetarians love butternut squash because it's versatile and nutritious, while others dislike its sweetness, texture, or simply don't enjoy squash in general.
It's similar to asking whether all meat-eaters like mushrooms or broccoli—the dietary pattern doesn't determine preferences for specific foods.
So there's no evidence that vegetarians, as a group, all like butternut squash.

ChatGPT is AI and can make mistakes.

Someone should ask ChatGPT if quoting it at great length should be a banning offence on MN.

My observation was more directed at the SWs stringing things out than anything based on IRL dog DNA testing timescales. When have the SWs EVER paid any heed to real life timescales (looking at your unrealistically swift conception Henry…)?

Dramatic denouement at the fete is a likely motivator though, it’s true.

Martyn would probably be getting his own back about being spelled wrong nine times out of ten. I remember Lynda getting downright stroppy even by her standards when Susan insisted all the staff in the shop had to wear nylon tabards with their names on the front so people could call them by name, and Lynda's was marked "Linda"; Lynda asked who that was because she had never met her.

I was only looking at it because I am intrigued as to why anyone uses it for things that you could answer by just having a think.

I imagine it's a bit like relying on sensors when reversing the car instead of looking at where you are going.

You are under no obligation to read my posts when they are marked as 'Not directed at any particular MNer.'

It's not impossible that dogs from the same litter (identical twins/octuplets 🤣) would end up living in the same area. I suppose they'd come up as very similar possibly identical DNA interesting question.

I think sausages and salad are okay if it's with potato salad or the like, but a few lettuce leaves, no.

Sausages are nice with potato salad.

I was talking with my hair stylist this afternoon about the cost of professional scissors. She waved a pair at me and said they were £250. So Chelsea may be underestimating her loss, even if she only had half a dozen pairs (which I have for trimming my spaniel, but only £25 per pair, which seemed enough).

Thank goodness - Chelsea’s disaster isn’t (so far) as bad as I’d anticipated (on the other thread).

Just hope she doesn’t do anything rash, now …

Ha ha, good for Lynda!

That was a nice bit of strength of character from Chelsea this evening: It's down to me and nobody else. She is her mother's daughter!