I'm sat in hospital with preeclampsia st the moment and have just read through this entire thread. I love everything about this show, it really is the best thing on tv these days. I did think the Dr Turner on the bed was a bit far fetched though, and Shelagh sat out with the baby watching the carousel IN THE SNOW! Dishy vicar is a treat for the eyes in his vest and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, look at how he mucked in in the Christmas episode and there have been other episodes where he has been lugging boxes and doing manual stuff.
I like the idea of showing Vi going through the menopause, although did wonder in the beginning if she was going to be pregnant. My great aunt had surprise twins (pregnancy not discovered until she was 8 months gone!) and she thought it was the menopause, about this era. Shocking but not that unusual. Although they did do a surprise birth storyline two christmases ago with an older mother so possibly wouldn't do it again.
The pill storyline was heartbreaking, I didn't think the dad came across badly, he was clearly a good husband who loved his wife and daughters, I felt so sorry for him because he hadn't got a clue what was going on and was left with those three girls.
The carousel was a bit far fetched but it's a tv programme. It really didn't bother me in the grand scheme of things and I was glad to see Patsy back, hadn't realised I'd missed her so much! Agree it's a shame Miranda hart doesn't make a few cameo apppearances every once in a while, the show made her the star she is now and it's like she's turned her back on it. And I do miss the seargant when he isn't around.