Life in Ambridge
Would Tony suggest Maisie & Fergus for the twins?
Life in Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
Following todays news
Life in Ambridge
Nothing to do with the current story-line but rather cute
AmbridgesMrsPJuly 1, 2022 at 12:07 PM
ReplyDeleteLanJan
Beth and Steph, chalk and cheese, both daughters of Mellors.
Ben was kissed by Steph leaving Beth heartbroken.
Toby and Rex currently silent but still in Ambridge as far as we know.
Rep for new owners of GG Ardil has in last few days made a connection with Kirsty, Linda being very unpleasant to him. He has a thick skin, so OK.
Currently all you need to know.
Echo Pierre l C absolutely !
ArcherphileJuly 2, 2022 at 7:25 AM
ReplyDeleteWas Russ’s drink spiked? Sounded like it to me. And there he goes again saying how lovely to see all these *young* people enjoying themselves.
Watch out Lily, maybe his eye is wandering for someone even younger than you!
Regarding trying to attract younger listeners with a thudding rave, does the BBC think it can pick up youngsters disappointed by the imminent closure of HolyOaks and Neighbours, the TV soaps. I don’t think so.
If teenagers listen to radio at all, rather than other platforms, it wouldn’t be Radio 4 it would be Radios 1, or 6
REPLYDELETE
maryellenJuly 2, 2022 at 2:53 PM
Well, well, Archerphile! I thought you were a confirmed ‘wait and see-er’ - but here you are, speculating with the rest of us! 🙂
I was pleased Lily gave Sol his marching orders, h clearly didn’t get the message last time, or was just chancing his arm again. What a little creep!
DELETE
Pierre les Corbeaux
Not so much speculating, Maryellen, as ‘remembering’ what Russ was like when he first met Lily!
DeleteI”d say misremembering!😊
DeleteLanjan.July 2, 2022 at 8:57 PM
ReplyDeleteWell it seems I haven't missed too much.
Thank you for keeping me posted.
The trouble with me is that I definitely dislike more of the characters than I like.
I think some of that is because of poor acting as well as dreadful script writing.
I must admit that I prefer the less well to do residents of Ambridge.
In my opinion characters such as Tracy (my favourite ) -used to be Hayley - Susan and Jazzer seem more natural than the dreadful Lilian ,prissy Elizabeth ,nauseating Justin or peas above sticks Lynda .
REPLYDELETE
carolynJuly 3, 2022 at 10:57 AM
Stasia, thanks for incisive summary ! Was considering catching up on this week's episodes, & you have saved me the irritation of it....
I wonder if the producers have a big problem with actors staying on board, especially the younger ones whose careers are blossoming ? We haven't heard from 'Emma' for ages( a shame) or 'Pip'(no great loss)
The Fairbrothers have faded away too. A pity - was a time when I thought Lily & Rex's friendship just might...
A fair number of us here & on Facebook are grumbling about the story lines containing younger characters, personally I have found them pretty pitiful. However I find myself wondering whether in the 50’s & 60’s the listeners grumbled about the antics & storylines regarding the younger characters, I know that Jennifer having an illegitimate child was considered shocking, and there was a fair amount of romantic to-ing & fro-ing from Tony & Shula.
ReplyDeleteI was reading some of my old diaries the other day & I was pretty self obsessed, melodramatic & rather pathetic, but I felt I was mature. I’m glad that is all behind me.
When is someone going to stand up to Lynda and put her in her place?. How long does her absurd official sulk have to continue? Who is she to turn down Oliver's offer on behalf of the committe without full consultation? She has always been self importantly imperious but now she is just bloody rude. If she were a man i would describe her behaviour as oafish.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if David installed CCTV ( the kind with audio) in his barn for hire. Hopefully he did, that would put an end to Steph's terrible lies. I hope she is found out and rapidly leaves Ambridge for good.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Linda’s arrogant behaviour towards Oliver in tonight’s episode was well out of order.As Susan was a witness to the way she vetoed Oliver’s offer to finance the Ambridge Summer Fete,I do hope that she will live up to her gossipy reputation and spread the word around the village and to the other organisers,who may take a dim view of Linda’s high handedness and insist on having their opinions heard too.
ReplyDeleteLynda is venting her disappointment at Oliver’s decision to sell GGs.
ReplyDeleteShe knows she can’t make unilateral decisions and will eventually back down. Without her organising abilities and drama Queen behaviour Ambridge would be a boring dot on the map of Borcestershire.
At 75yrs she has been given! Over the years, permission by the villagers to develop the facade of autocratic, self aggrandising bully. Believe me every village has one. Where arbitrary decisions are made usually to promote that individuals self importance. Unfortunately without a Lynda rattling others to become involved, I zilch would happen.
She does have a softer side and is a loyal friend, supporting Freddie and Kirsty and Oliver himself.
It’s that loyalty towards GGs ( where she nearly died) that caused her to question Oliver’s letting go of the hotel. She is unaware that he was subsidising it from his own finances. She’s only expressing her views in her own inimitable way, pompously, dismissively and bloody mindedly.
She will eventually come off her high horse. She is the one and only L Smell MBE.
Linda needs to remember why she was awarded the MBE. It was the Ambridge Village who nominated her for her commitments and service to the community. Anyway the fere commitee as a whole, still need to discuss it.
DeleteStasia, you are quite correct. However, at 75 years it about time she left her teenage behaviour. Her ridiculous attitude to both Oliver and Adil continues in the face of opinion ftom others including her husband. She continues to disregard facts and logic believing her own uninformed opinion is correct. Perhaps she might replace the funding she so arrogantly dismissed from her own pocket!
ReplyDeleteI hope that you are right about the CCTV Janice, I would hate Steph to get away with her lies.
ReplyDeleteI see Mona Hammond has died aged 91 - Ambridge knew her as Mabel, Alan’s mother-in-law and Amy’s grandmother, as I recall, a very sensible woman. I always hoped we’d hear from her again, and Amy would take after her, but it seems unlikely now.
ReplyDeleteI heard about Mona Hammond, didn’t twig she was Mabel, shame we won’t hear from her again, it would be nice for the SWs to give her a sign off.
ReplyDeleteAh ! Thank you Maryellen
ReplyDeleteYes I heard the news and recognised the name, but forgot her role in TA.
Any thoughts on what Will’s pottery offerings look like? I hope he isn’t publicly ridiculed as I suspect he would take that badly.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear Lynda softening towards Oliver, just needs Adil to provide a suitable celebrity for the fete &she might smile at him too.
I always marvel at how the fete is so quickly put together each year it always seems so last minute to me 🤔
DeleteI would love Will to sell some pottery, after the effort he's put in.
DeleteI think he will, Miriam. Perhaps someone (eg. the celebrity or the Gibbs?) with advanced tastes who Lynda respects, will buy some and she will look at it with new eyes!
DeleteHa! I have just heard of a report in todays newspapers stating that “Bungling Archers Scriptwriters Get it Wrong”!
ReplyDeleteApparently Tom told Helen he’d make Lynda’s veggie box extra special as it was for her 75th birthday. But it’s not Lynda who is to be 75, but Lilian!
Seems like the current SWs are not using the famous index card system set up years ago, listing everyone’s vital statistics.
I assumed that they would have been digitised. Maybe they have and no one is checking.
DeleteMight it be possible that the next issue to be examined byTA is chicken farming and the industrial practices engaged in by the food industry.
ReplyDeleteEmma has been there before Tracey, but Tracey spoke out of turn to her new supervisor last night and I heard a distinct coldness in the response given.
Lynda was 75 a few weeks ago - her character profile on the BBC’s TA website gives her date of birth. Perhaps that was the first veg box she’d ordered since the beginning of May so a belated opportunity for Tom?
ReplyDeleteI have taken to listening to TA on my mobile phone while doing something useful, life's too short to waste it on what the programme has become.
ReplyDeleteI agree, and have decided to have a break. I'm not a fan of whiny drivel.
ReplyDeleteIt’s the summer of romance,
ReplyDelete“I love you Ben Archer” says Beth.
I love you Ben Archer, barks Bess.
I love you Bro, squeaks Josh.
“Love in is the air”
With a broken wonky zip
Denise is feeling sexy
With her new diamanté dress
Love is in the Air
Alistair has popping out eyes
And hanging jaw.
Ie the summer of lurve a portend of fateful momentous consequences?
Have to agree strongly with Cheshire Cheese and Mistral.
ReplyDeleteI think Stasia may well be correct. If so, Yechch
I did like it that Vince was able to recognize Steph was lying and push her towards telling the truth, and that Beth and Ben are now reconciled. Hard to believe Steph is supposed to be nearly 30 rather than a spoilt teenager.
ReplyDeleteWhat was all that business with Alistair, Denise and the dress? I do so hope we are not in for another love triangle.
ReplyDeleteBut at least it gave Chelsea a chance to shine again. She is becoming the Ambridge fairy with her helpful solutions to people’s problems.
Good heavens, Archerphile - Chelsea as the Ambridge Fairy! That’s certainly given me food for thought. I might have to revise my previous opinion of her as as an annoyingly cocky youngster!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteChelsea is a wunderkind. She lurves her Mum, is best friends with Jim, advises on Haute couture, make up and can scalp hair.
DeleteNext year she’ll progress to quoting Ovid and Aristotle whilst creating hair styles..
Or perhaps if the scriptwriters have read their Ovid Chelsea will have to wave her wand for someone who used a dreadful dye that made her hair fall out ( failed my Latin but the stories were good!)
DeleteThat sounds like the Cambridge Latin Course that my son had. He liked the one about the poet who got chucked out of the barber's after customers complained about him reciting his rude verses!
DeleteFine by me as long as it's not Caesar Gallic Wars Bk III - I've had the aversion therapy.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know if it’s just me, becoming too old, critical and intolerant, or the current characters and storylines being served up by the current Editor and his SW minions…….
ReplyDeleteBut, for almost the first time ever, I just don’t want to listen to the Omnibus this morning.
Like Miriam, I habitually tune in on Sunday mornings, as well as most evenings, to get continuity of the story and catch little details I may have missed during the week.
But today, there is nothing I want to hear again.
It's not obvoius what the target audience for TA is these days, I can't see to whom it would appeal.
ReplyDeleteHasn't it replaced"Listen with Mother?"
Delete🤣
DeleteI've not been listening much recently, but did hear most of today's omnibus. It wasn't as bad as I was fearing. The situation with Vince, Steph and Beth is actually too close to home for me; Steph's character really isn't unrealistic. Surprisingly, I find myself liking Chelsea, outrageous though she is. It's also being heavily trailed that Alistair really likes Denise, and that all is not well with her marriage... watch this space. I shall probably start listening a little more, but if they're looking to attract younger listeners they're failing as I'm 74!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering, how did my friends on this blog come to the Archers?
ReplyDeleteFor me growing up Radio 4 was always on in the kitchen so was aware of the programme from day dot. My mother wasn’t an avid listener but followed loosely, as I hit my teens I listened to local radio for pop music. When I got to about 22/23 I returned to Radio 4 and pretty quickly became absorbed in the Archers & remained so ever since, I have enjoyed the story lines of involving an assortment of characters of varying ages. I suppose if pushed to say which characters I identified with I would say the Brookfield siblings as closest in age to myself & my 3 siblings, but I have relatives both older & younger, work colleagues of various ages so I can relate to & take an interest in any character if well written.
I am happy enough for younger characters to feature as long as we don’t lose the older characters completely & the rhythm of rural life is still portrayed.
I listened to both The Archers and Mrs Dale's diary when I was a girl because both were on the wireless .and my mother was a fan of both
ReplyDeleteI remember Anthony William Daniel (Tony ) being born.
I hadn't listened for a while and decided to listen to the omnibus this morning.
For a start ,Tracy would not have cheated at cricket.
How fortunate it was that the twins still look exactly alike and that one can bat and the other bowls.
Did the rest of the team know what she had done?
What rubbish
Incidentally do Jim and Leonard play in the team or have I got that wrong?
It didn't get any better.
To think I used to ask people not to contact me by 'phone just after 7 .
I don't like the. Idea of Tracy working in the chicken factory but I don't give two hoots about anyone else.
Oh yes we have to have a new "love interest"for Alastair
Sorry but I found it uninteresting and boring but I did give it a try again.
Before we had a TV when I was about 7 we listened to TA. I remember the fire when Grace was killed. With the advent of TV we didn’t listen as much but I remember going home for lunch while at primary school and hearing W orders’ Playtime and Desert Island discs but had to go back to school before TA. There was then a 30 year gap until one day I happened on it again and started following the fortunes! I had to get a book from the library to catch up on those lost years! I avidly listened until lockdown when it became difficult to craft a decent story with the lack of characters. Since then I have lost some interest as there has not been much in the way of good storylines. When we lived in Ledbury a neighbour had the habit of calling in for a chat but I had to gently ask her not to call between 2 and 2.15! Also Mike was forbidden to speak to me then. My little oasis! Nowadays I find myself reading or doing other things while it is on. I hope my interest will be rekindled and think I may just have got out of the habit of listening every day.
DeleteWhen I got married in the early 70s we didn't have a TV and listened to the radio a lot, that's how we started with TA. Mr CC stopped listening about 4 years ago but I have doggedly persevered apart from a few breaks for various reasons.
ReplyDeleteI think my dad, a farmer, listened to the Archers from its beginning and I would sit there companionably with him in the evening while he drank his cup of tea. So I associate the Archers with happy memories of my dad. My earliest memory at about 5, or the one that made impact, was the fire when Grace died. There was a gap then when I was away living in Cardiff and just listening when home on holiday.
ReplyDeleteI have always liked it for its farming/countryside content and think it has drifted too far away from that. I did like this evening's episode though with Brad and the haymaking, but could have done without Pip.
The radios was always on at home when I was a child. Mum loved Mrs Dales Diary so I got hooked on that too. Then the BBC announced they were starting The Archers, an everyday story of countryfolk with advice for farmers and smallholders from the Min of Ag about how to get better crops and look after their animals.
ReplyDeleteAs we lived in the country Mum was expecting a rural Mrs Dale, and Dad was hoping for practical advice on chicken rearing and vegetable production. So they tuned into the first episode, which meant I listened too as we were having dinner. It quickly became obvious that Ambridge was much more like where we lived than Parkwood Hill in London where Dr Dale had his surgery, so Mum was very happy and I loved the family stories and hearing about Christine and her horse.
And I have carried on ever since!
ReplyDeleteAnd Hooray! Proper farming content at last with good descriptions of old fashioned hay making.
We used to join in every year in the fields opposite, a big village event.
Sadly they tend to grow, rape, clover of beans nowadays,, which only needs one driver and a variety of agricultural machines to manage, from sowing to harvesting.
I liked Brad. He sounded a sensible, polite lad and another credit to Tracy.
But was that a return of T❤️O❤️B❤️Y last night? Discussing Rosie with Pip and Ben? I didn’t recognise the voice and couldn’t make out who it was. I’m sure Maryellen will know😉
In my home we were avid listeners of Dick Barton Special Agent.
ReplyDeleteWhen The Archers replaced the above my father was outraged and refused to have TA on.
My father was a difficult man who was obsessed about anything to do with his brother.
We went to visit his brother who at that time was living in a wing of a grand rectory somewhere near Tewksbury. It was a Bank Holiday weekend and lo and behold we all had to be silent when The Archers came on the wireless.
On our return home we listened and became Archers fans for evermore.
When I left home at 16 I imagine I stopped listening for several years, but once married and at home with a baby, I did sometimes listen again but it was difficult because with his father a continuity announcer on the Home Service as it was then, my husband, estranged from his father, did not like the wireless being on.
I rejoined the rest of you somewhere around 1980 and have been an avid daily listener since.
Like others I am disenchanted with my beloved Archers, but continue as I feel that it has been a constant for so much of my life, that it has become a habit that I wish to continue for the rest of my life.
Archerphile,I think it was Toby who was making sausage and mash for Rosie, as the actor is included in the programme’s cast list in this week’s Radio Times.
ReplyDeleteYes, T❤️O❤️B❤️Y has found his voice again - hooray! But is it the same one? Like you,, Archerphile, I didn’t recognise it, but we knew he was still living at Rickyard Cottage, despite its discomforts and co-parenting on a daily basis, so it had to be him. Earlier talk of him moving out to somewhere roomier, but still within reach of Rosie seems to have been an abandoned storyline. Maybe it will be resurrected? Is Rex also about to be rediscovered - he’s been silent ever since he moved to his houseboat!!
DeleteMy story is similar in many ways to the above few posts. As a small boy i was greatly offended by the replacement of Dick Barton but many of 'our gang' started to follow TA with great amusement at the sometimes extreme efforts of sound radio to provide atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteSixth form, University and the Royal Navy caused a lengthy break but on returning to my now civilian married life my wife and I were happy to dip back into the nostalgia.
Things have changed greatly from "an everyday story of country folk" I miss the folk lore and nature chats of Gamekeeper Tom.
None of the new content compares but as a widower I continue to listen out of loyalty to my lovely wife.
Wonderful! Helicopter mum Pip being told by newbie nurse/ brother her child is Err......? Maybe.?....possibly?..... overweight? That should wipe the smile from her smug persona. Made me smile anyway. 😊 Crass brother and overwrought sister. Unintentional humour? What's not to love!
ReplyDeleteI think it was meant to be satirical - Pip had referred earlier to prickly mums at the school gates taking offence on behalf of their offspring!
DeleteSo George is being portrayed as a very unpleasant young man, I would have expected Emma to do a better job than that…..
ReplyDeleteJustin as PM ?
ReplyDeleteWell well well a return to a topical insert.
And a realistic bit of business with two younger members of the Ambridge community, instead of ‘daft stuff ‘
A topical insert - I was stunned Mrs P. Wasn’t it George who took money from or that was intended for the church if so his ways have not changed…..
DeleteI think George’s guilt was suggested but never confirmed, didn’t Eddie blame his brother, Alf?, and the storyline was left unresolved. I didn’t like Ed, Will or Emma much as young adults although I feel they have improved with age. George is a mix of those three, let’s hope he improves with age.
ReplyDeleteThat George has turned into a nasty little bully. He was really horrid to Brad last night and I’m surprised Oliver didn’t shut him up.
ReplyDeleteBut then George was always a handful as a child, suspected of many wrong-doings. I’m surprised his ‘trio’ of parents haven’t taught him better, as KP said.
Absolutely agree AP but Brad stood up to him very well at the end. Let's hope he has learned a lesson. If not I hope it won't be too long u til he meets an even bigger bully.
DeleteDidn't Willyum spoil George with expensive gifts when he came into that money, as he knew Ed and Emma couldn't afford such things?
ReplyDeleteYes, that was definitely Rhys Bevan playing Toby again, so not recognising his voice was another example of the noo-recognition phenomenon affecting characters we haven’t heard for a long time - like Pat who “sounded different” after more than a year’s absence from the cast. Will we recognise Jennifer when, or should that be IF. she returns from Hungary?
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, on at least three occasions Pip referred to Toby and me (or similar words), suggesting they are very much a parental item, if not a romantic one. 0r have they come to a new understanding, I wonder?
Is the haymaking behind schedule because George isn't pulling his weight? I guess Brad will suss it out!
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying The Archers at the moment. It was clever how Brad and George were introduced, as it showed their differences quickly and easily.
ReplyDeleteJim has a soft spot for Chelsea and now it seems Oliver is the same with Brad.
Ibet Ian + Adam will charm the WI with their pizzas. I hope we get to hear it.
I’ve enjoyed much of this weeks episodes too Miriam.
ReplyDeleteThey seem to have content rather than being vacuous, and there have been more characters in each.
I’m beginning to applaud the introduction of a younger content with some sense about them in contrast to the awful Beth n Steph business. And it’s taken my memory back to the Will/ Ed/Kate/ Alice days and the nonsense of breaking into an empty cottage. Others will remember which building it was, probably Maryellen or Spicey, and correct me on which of the early teenagers it was.
By the way…… where are you Spicycushion ? I do hope your health has NOT taken another dive.
Sorry, MrsP, I’m having difficulty retrieving the data from my memory bank! In fact, I’m having difficulty remembering what happened in The Archers two days ago - I blame the heat, though I suspect it’s the dreaded age factor!
Delete✔️😉 Maryellen
DeleteI listened to most of the Omnibus this morning whist doing some gardening -too hot after 10:30-
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of Brad.
I do not like George at all
Turned the radio off just before 11am because I wanted to watch cricket and wondered if there is an extra 1/4 hour because of the Friday edition.
I would be grateful if somebody will tell me what (if anything) happened.
Yes, the omnibus runs on until 11am now LanJan. If, like me you listen on LW, the cricket cuts in at 10.45 so you miss the last 15 minutes.
DeleteAs far as I remember from Friday, there was lots of squabbling between Chelsea and Brad about jobs and how Brad shouldn’t be supporting Oliver because he ‘sacked’ Tracy. Tracy got really cross with them because she’d had a hard day at the chicken factory.
It ended with Brad coming home early from his job with the hay making because Oliver had ‘let him go’ due to the big teleporter machine finishing the job early.
So now, Brad hates Oliver too!
Can’t remember much else, I was half asleep when listening!
That’s the thing Archphile TA doesn’t tax the brain and maybe it’s not meant to theses days.
DeleteThere seems to be a class bias in favour of loud mouth stereotypes and middle class useless parents creating obese toddlers.
Brad will be the first Horrorbin to go to university obtain a degree in mathematical engineering (well done him) and George will go to the Grundy university of life where he will learn the art of con merchant manipulating. It’s an inherited skill passed down from GGG and GF.
George is a nasty 🤢 piece of work and only what 17?
Maybe being half asleep is the best way to listen.
Stasia, you have said it for me!👍
DeleteIn all the many many decades that I’ve clung to The Archers, the only time I can say that it has taxed my brain was during the Helen / Rob story line, and then my concerns were more about the child Henry.
DeleteBut then I have no expectations of my brain being taxed by TA, for me it’s simply a habit that I’m content to indulge in.
Did we hear the first clue tonight that Shula might be leaving us for distant hills.
ReplyDeleteDoes retirement loom ?
My thoughts exactly Mrs P. I then looked up Judy Bennett who always sounds so young and was stunned to learn she will be 80yrs next birthday, and Charles as well - incredible where have the years gone…
DeleteMy goodness the younger / middle years Archers clan really have got to start stepping up.
Jill still baking and baby sitting in her 90’s not just great grandmother pleasure time but an actual necessity in taking her turn in order to free up Pip & Toby for work.
I wondered if Josh’s reference to Jill’s impaired mobility signalled a change there. I think the young-to-middle-aged Archers are all doing their best but there’s too much competition for air time from the non-retiring oldest generation as well as the likes of Jazzer and Jim! (I’ve just been updated by younger family members on current social media etiquette - should not end last sentence with a full stop because it looks abrupt and rude. Instead, use a kiss (x). I’m compromising with an exclamation mark!)
DeleteWell I'm glad you explained about the etiquette Maryellen. A builder who had been replacing the garage roof sent a text ending in a x. I was most astonished.
DeleteSo would I have been Janice - how hilarious 🙃
DeleteOld fashion values, sentence completed therefore a full stop. (So there younger generation put that in your pipe and smoke it!) That’ll fox ‘em.
Pip’s attitude to Jill really annoyed me last night.
ReplyDelete“What am I going to do” wailed Pip at the thought of Jill getting offended over being asked not to give Rosie treats and then refusing to look after her any more.
Jill in in her nineties for goodness sake, and apparently now has mobility problems. Just like the Queen! She shouldn't be expected to have supervision of a young child on her own and be answerable for supervising her diet! Rosie’s visits should be a treat for her and not a responsibility.
Ruth and David work more or less full time so can’t do much baby-sitting so Its about time Pip made proper arrangements for Rosie outside of the family.
Pip has been very lucky so far that family has usually stepped in with free childcare but its time she looked elsewhere, paid a baby sitter or made reciprocal arrangements with Rosie’s friends parents.
Her attitude was not of concern for Jill but only how it would affect herself.
I twigged it was Jill feeding Rosie up and was surprised at her irresponsibility. I suppose the unconscious self gratification of being associated with treats in the child’s mind was greater than any conscious concern for Rosie’s welfare and Pip and Toby’s wishes. A friend of mine was in a similar position to Pip, trying to keep chocolate at bay,, only to find her mother giving it to her little boy when she wasn’t around. It was a tricky situation. But what do I know - I’m not a granny, just the onlooker!
DeletePersonally not surprised it was Jill, since all of her life in Ambridge, cooking for and feeding both her family and the community has been her primary function. Why would she not continue into her very senior years.
DeleteI was a very strict and forward thinking mother where diet and treats were concerned. My children didn’t know what white bread was and only had sweets in the half an hour before teeth cleaning and bed. My daughter has taken this practice far beyond my strictures with her children and I would not have ever even thought about giving cakes or sweets to my grandchildren, on the quiet or otherwise.
Children of one sister always called my mother 'sweetiegran', which she took to be a reference to her adorable personality (as if!). Turned out it was because she always came bearing bags of sweets(:
ReplyDeleteAlmost by accident - was ironing & kept the radio on - I listened to that episode - & was particularly struck by how empathetic Alice was to Shula - a miraculous change from a bitter, vicious, needy, jealous alcoholic to a decent, intelligent woman, in a few short months ! Maybe I can't remember her before she couldn't cope with the deadlines & demands of work, & started drinking heavily.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, a far from convincing character development, surely.
Alice will reach her One Year sober, sometime in August. I think she has done so well in this time.
DeleteWell that's the point ! It is not convincing that a character, presented in the way Alice has been presented, can make such a speedy recovery.
DeleteShula agonising over her faith is extremely depressing. So she feels she should be a Cof E Pioneer
ReplyDelete“Creating New Firsts” and doing good works. Stressing on how to reconcile her theology with actual ministry of vicarhood has already been explored in TA. When I head the word pioneer I thought she talking about young adults undertaking a new job, or make a radical change to improve life. Not a, near retirement adult still exploring ‘ I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up’.
Is Shula ready to prepare the way, be a leading light in the field of do gooding I don’t think she’s ready to be moved by the Holy Spirit to gather a congregation into making Creative firsts.
My advice to her is, stick to horses and maintenance of the graveyard.
For heaven's sake Lynda, GROW UP!
ReplyDeleteAgree with AP about the silliness of Jill doing baby sitting duties. Presumably stuffing the child with sugary food has been going on for a while - how come it hasn't been noticed before ? ( telltale sticky fingers & chocolate round the mouth). Apart from that, it's potentially dangerous to leave small children alone with someone who has mobility problems. Rosie's 3 now, isn't she ? At an age when the wanderlust is strong, whatever is on TV.
ReplyDeleteNot all parents have grannies nearby, & willing, to take over child care. Pip should enroll her in a pre school nursery, & work out the taking & collecting between herself & Toby - thousands do it ! Anyway, they'll soon have to do just that when Rosie starts proper school.
It's the Helen scenario all over again.
The extra weight that Rosie seems to be carrying was realised because she is about to start preschool.
DeleteClarry gave Pip some of Poppys preschool uniform and when Rosie tried the clothes on the buttons could not be done up.
This led Pip to question why and was reinforced by Ben saying that Rosie was overweight, at which she, Pip, was offended, but soon realised that Ben was speaking the truth.
As for showing signs of sticky fingers or chocolate around her mouth, Jill would not be Jill if she didn’t make sure that the child was clean and free from sticky fingers before she left her presence.
I stand corrected ! Teach me to make sweeping statements when I've missed so much, not having listened regularly for many months....
DeleteGood to hear that pre school plans are under way.
It remains odd that Jill is asked/required to be involved with child care as such at all. Having fun time with Rosie is a different matter, really.
To be fair to Jill, I am sure that if Pip had noticed Rosie’s weight gain herself instead of having to have it pointed out by Ben, and then spoken to Jill about Rosie’s diet earlier, Jill would have been only too happy to reduce the treats, or substitute more suitable things.
DeleteSaying that Jill gained self-gratification from giving Rosie treats which was greater than her concern for Rosie’s welfare is totally unfair. And anti-grandma-ist! And has made Jill feel very guilty when she ans been trying to help give Pip free child care.
As said before, had Pip made proper arrangements for Pips care this would not have happened!
There is no way to spin this situation that doesn't leave Jill at fault. "No eating between meals" ruled when I was young (sweets restricted to afterwards if you'd cleared your plate, and exceptions made for ice creams etc when on holiday). It's difficult to believe Jill didn't know this. At the very least, she should have been aware , and abided by what Pip and Toby wanted for their daughter. Nor do I think it's unfair to say that by indulging a child, the indulgers (grandparents or whoever) may to some extent be indulging themselves. I thought Pip handled the conversation with Jill very well.
DeleteHopefully, Jill has now got over her Fairbrother-thing' enough to accept Toby as her adored great-grand-daughter's father!
Agreed, that sums up this SL neatly. It's a common thing with grandparents to indulge children a little, when they certainly didn't they were parents. The only problem here was that Jill evidently overdid it enough to show that Rosie was getting fat !( though the Thought Police would ban the word these days)
DeleteThanks to Ben, it was spotted &, as you say, Pip handled it well, no harm done.
Correction 'certainly didn't AS PARENTS'.
DeleteI only caught the second half of tonight’s episode but it did explain how the situation had arisen.
ReplyDeleteMy father was known to my children & their cousins as Grandpa Chocolate as he always arrived with a large box of Leonida’s chocolates (he lived in Brussels until the last few years of his life) since he only visited 2-3 times a year and the parents made sure they got their share it wasn’t considered a problem.
I agree Lynda needs to start acting her age not her shoe size.
Adil arranging the meeting in Felpersham and inviting people by invite, is a clever ploy. It implies that it is by invite only, yet Oliver says it is open to any-one.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion they should hold a local meeting in the Village Hall as well.
Adil will soon charm Lillian and I hope she learns some of his secrets.
As is obviosly, I don't trust Adil and the silent buyer one iota.
Pierre’s right - Lynda is as immature as Chelsea (“Oliver is The Enemy”) and her mother, with her portrayal of Arbil as the enemy of Ambridge. It’s the same with her other arch enemy, Evangeline whose surname and location I’ve forgotten and don’t have the will and energy to look up. It’s a one-sided rivalry. I remember how Lynda swanked past Evangeline’s door in Eddie’s white limo but it was unclear whether Evangeline was genuinely impressed or only in Lynda’s mind. I’ve thought for some time that Lynda’s gone a bit dotty! Mostly I just sigh and wonder for the umpteenth time why I still listen x
ReplyDeleteI’ve never really taken to Lynda.
DeleteI didn’t like her when she first came to Ambridge and I have only ever tolerated her since.
I did of course have some sympathy when she was injured in the explosion and hoped that her dreadful experience might soften her personality, but that does not seemed to have changed in the long run.
She is still a petulant and manipulative bully of a woman in my opinion.
Hear, hear Mrs P.! 👏👏👏
DeleteThanks Mrs P for an excellent summation of Lynda's character. I am tired of hearing her spinning the closure of GG as a personal affront to her. She was only an employee and had no right to be consulted in the owner's decisions. The unfortunate thing is that the SLs always just let her off the hook after these displays of bad behaviour. It is about time that someone took her to task properly and slapped her down with a vengeance.
DeleteI have always hoped for that slap down from Dear Robert.
DeleteOccasionally he gets close, but I think that deep down he is scared of her !
On further thought ……… so are the scriptwriters.
DeleteI wonder if the SW's will give a cliffhanger tonight - in that the safe birth of the twins is not known until Sunday?
ReplyDeleteDon't you feel that the cliff hangerish nonsense between Oliver and Brad never being allowed to finish a conversation is enough? The SL ploy of people interupting anothers speech with their own diatribe has been used to distraction. Tracey's "opening gob before engaging brain" at the beginning of the week is a classic example. It has, of course, allowed a week of unneccesary boring breast beating!
DeleteThis was written, slightly tongue in cheek, not 100% serious.
DeleteNo criticism intended Miriam.. Your suggestion does indeed foiiow the usual practice.
DeleteLet's call them Dan and Doris.
ReplyDeleteIn case anyone is interested, I came across this translation of Natasha's 'phone chat.
ReplyDelete"Hiya, no, no, I'm OK, I'm in the hospital now. Everything's ready for tomrrow. Just a minute (To Tom - it's my Mum etc) No, no, Toms gone to get me a cuppa. So how are you Mum? I must go Mum, Tom's come back - he's giving me the "evil eye".
Love You Mum. Bye."
I agree with your comments entirely about the interruptions when characters are trying to make a point.I was really cross when poor old Oliver was trying to apologise to Brad when he lost out on the haymaking earnings and seemed to be about to suggest an alternative,but wasn’t allowed to say his piece.especially once Tracy interrupted and gave him a mouthful.I just hope that,if Brad hands over Oliver’s birthday card to her that she accepts it with good grace.
ReplyDeleteWell I’m in shock - a normal happy delivery! Or the calm before the storm with a surprise to come unless being 2 girls was the surprise…..? The rest of the episode a bit wishy washy I thought.
ReplyDeleteI reckon that the problems are going to be with Natasha's mother.
DeleteI’m on the same page as you CC !
DeleteAnd have we been given a spelling for those two names !
For one heady moment, I thought it would be triplets, two girls followed by a boy! I feel quite disappointed.
DeleteI entirely sympathise with Ardil about pampered pets.
You were not alone Maryellen, very briefly as the midwife said ‘Oh ! ‘ I thought the same as you.
DeleteAfter such happy and straightforward births, there will be two Granny's winding each other up and I wonder if post natal depression, will feature?
DeleteThe SWs ploy of not letting characters end their sentences, thus promoting misunderstandings was used to distraction during the Helen/Rob story. So many times Kirsty or Helen were interrupted in their conversations that the sad story and Helens’s fate carried on for far longer than necessary.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for Ardil, goodness only knows why he continues to board with Lynda.
ReplyDeleteNot only is she abominably rude to him but now he has to put up with Lilian’s stupid dog and her stupid attitude to controlling it.
He must be fairly well off so why not book into a decent hotel in Borchester?
Since Lynda insists that her chagrin is to do with the lamented demise of GG she should be more guarded in her every every possible attempt at talking down to Ardil. She might also consider that when the revitalsed GG comes back into business Ardil will have a very large influence into whoever gets employment.
Delete.Having seen first hand how rude Lynda can be to a paying guest,I wouldn’t expect Ardil to consider employing her at the revamped hotel.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that Lynda retired from GG after her accident, or maybe during lockdown, she is 75 so possibly feels that the B&B is enough of commitment.
ReplyDeleteI think Lynda rather enjoys displaying high dudgeon…..she has certainly had enough practice!
DeleteI wonder if Adil is paying for his accomodation himself or is the mystery buyer paying these costs?
ReplyDeleteEither way, he will be staying in Ambridge for the near future, so perhaps Ambridge Hall is the best value and all that is available to him cost wise.
I recall he told Roy that he had arranged a special rate for bed, breakfast and evening meal for a long term stay.
He will be cutting of his nose to spite his face, if he leaves, as where else could he go if he wants to stay in Ambridge?
Perhaps the Ambridge fairy could conjure up an extra house on the green for ‘ call me Ardil ‘
ReplyDeleteand Tracey could be his skivvy/housekeeper!
DeleteMy thoughts on Natasha arranging for her Mam to come and stay immediately and Tom’s response:
ReplyDeleteI think Natasha should have talked over the change of plan with Tom first, rather than presenting the new plan as a fait accomplis. I appreciate that she is somewhat uncharacteristically nervous about arriving home with two babies to look after, but Tom was obviously looking forward to taking his new family home and settling in without someone else in the house.
As he said it is a very small cottage and Mam will be very present, helpful yes, but getting in the way of the new family bonding and having time together alone. And it sounds as though she will be quite a strong and vocal presence.
Tom is also worried that Pat might feel a bit pushed out and he wants his own Mum to feel wanted and enjoy helping with the babies too.
It surprises me that the perfectly organised and competent Natasha is so nervous about looking after these babies and needing her Mam so desperately. I know babies are different to business but surely she has read up on the subject, done her due diligence and has a ‘business plan’ for thé next few weeks!
I had to have my mother-in-law stying for 2 weeks when I had my second baby. She insisted on coming to ‘look after’ my 2year old daughter whilst I ‘concentrated on the new baby’. It was disastrous. She was always in the way , insisting on sitting between us on the sofa when I was feeding the new one, never giving us time alone as a family and caused a huge rift between me & my daughter and her & her little brother that exists to this day.
So I do sympathise with Tom!
I agree with what you say AP but remember, this "hasty" decision was taken very soon after Natasha had experienced the trauma of a caesarian section and in a somewhat hormonal state. As a mere male I can only imagine that.
DeleteI’m not at all sure that a C Section birth should have been traumatic for Natasha. She has known for some time that she was going to have this form of birth.
DeleteI didn’t know, but had always suspected that this might be the case for me so I was prepared and coped as anyone else would with abdominal surgery.
And because it was not a V birth not all the normal hormonal changes happen as quickly.
At least now C-section mothers get to meet the baby on the spot. I didn’t get to meet my first daughter for well over fifteen hours, due to my reaction to heavy anaesthesia. Natasha was there throughout, and in my opinion lucky her.
With my second I was awake before being out of theatre and the bond with my second was very much instant. In many ways although I am closer to my first I have always felt that we never did bond.
My mother was hands on from the first but I never felt overwhelmed by her and because of my incapacity during that child’s first year, my husband was highly relieved that my mother was prepared to co parent with him.
Whereas my MIL was hardly interested when my two were babies.
I agree that Natasha’s mother might well overwhelm Tom, but I suspect that Pat might well be the same. After all she never even knew about her first sons baby.
But then what do we know, only the script writers will make that decision
I have to admit that I was quite relieved whenI realised my Mum was going to be on a cruise when my younger daughter arrived so we could have some time at home adjusting to being a family of four without having to play host. I am not very good at accepting help at home & my Mum was not prone to offering it.
ReplyDeleteBefore I had my girls my Mum had grumbled to me that my brother & s-i-l only seemed to invite her to spend time at theirs if they wanted to then go out in the evening & Mum to babysit, which my Mum resented. Consequently I was very wary of asking her to assist with childcare in any form (and she never offered) and she then complained that she didn’t feel that close to them. Oh well.
I don’t think Mums are always the best folk to have around with a new baby and fear that Natasha’s mum will cause problems. Tom obviously thinks so too and agree Natasha should have consulted him before it was a done deal but if her mum is the pushy type she may not have had the choice herself! Also with her doubts about looking after the babies she may have welcomed the support of her mum regardless of any potential difficulties. For my part, I said a gentle but firm no when my mum offered to come down to help. She did live a distance away, my Dad would be hopeless without her and I just wanted to get on with this daunting task myself. I also had my two stepdaughters aged 8 and 10 to look after. I feel it is the best thing to just get stuck in and get used to looking after the bundle yourself which I did. When we went up to Crewe with Katy aged 2 months my mum interfered so much that I lost confidence in many aspects and Mike threatened to take us back home early! Maybe if your mum is very capable and not prone to criticism of your ability it would work but I have a feeling not so with Natasha’s mum!!
ReplyDeleteI was very grateful for the help that we had with the children from my in-laws and have been happy to help the girls when needed. We live a long way from all of them so can't do as much as we would like and spend a lot of time driving up and down the country.
ReplyDeleteMy mum came to stay after the babies were born and was very helpful. Number 2 Baby in a Shoe was born at 11am and then wouldn't sleep go to sleep that night. My darling mother spent the whole night lying on the spare bed holding Small Baby so I could get some sleep.
ReplyDeleteMind you, Mum tended only to stay for a week. After that we were both ready for her to go home!
Sorry to be pernickety but this discussion seems to be veering towards the other blog!
ReplyDeleteYesterday evening's episode could have been a total nightmare - squalling babies (alternating with squalling sibs - but was redeemed for me by hearing Russ and Freddie on the same amicable wavelength and the closing lullaby, beautifully sung. Please, scriptwriters, can we now leave the new Archer family to settle down off air x
ReplyDeleteI liked Brad and Chelsea in The Orangey, in spite of Chelsea objecting to training him, and I can see sibling rivalry getting stronger.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Freddie could be a good influence for Brad. so he starts to believe in himself,in a better way?
............."seen cutting her hedge!" TA are getting very close to double entendre aren't they!! 😉
ReplyDeleteI don't understand???
DeleteOr.. ‘trimming her bush’ as TA suggested on Facebook! 😳
DeleteOh, I see! Was it the scriptwriters or the FB listeners being smutty?
DeleteSurely the scriptwriters ?
DeleteThe FB listeners wouldn't dream of being smutty, would they 😉
There's an expression in NZ about 'mowing another man's lawn'. I think it may be connected.
ReplyDeleteWell, Chelsea and Brad might be at each other’s throats but Chris and Brian seem to have buried the hatchet!
ReplyDeleteYes, albeit with some slight hesitation from both, it was a very civilised encounter. And good to hear.
DeleteSounds like George is following in the footsteps of his Great uncle Clive, theft (not proven but suspected) & now arson, although again this is my interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI suspect your interpretation is correct KP.
DeleteDo we have to have another wrong’un from that family.
Could we not drop the stereotype as seems to be happening with Brad.
Yes indeed! George is a noxious little twerp and full of his own importance. Let's hope he gets taken down quickly.
DeleteI’ve never liked Tom much, but tonight I did feel rather sorry for him.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit surprised that Ian and Adam don't seem to have heard of pitted olives.
ReplyDeleteIan apparently for some reason didn't want the pitted ones. Must be a chef thing.
DeleteI was confused last night when George addressed Nana and Susan replied. It took a second or
ReplyDeletetwo to remember that, Susan is just that.
DeleteSorry, hit Publish in error.
Me too, Miriam! I also have to stop and remind myself that although I think of George as the same generation as Chelsea and Brad on the Horrobin family tree, they are actually the same generation as Emma and Chris, and George is a generation below them.....
DeletePS. Family historians are used to generations being out of sync in the days when women had numerous children over a period of 20 years or more, but that’s less usual now of course. Susan is 12 years older than Tracy and had her children in the mid-1980s, when she was in her early 20s, whereas Tracy was older when Chelsea and Brad were born in the early 2000s.....so it works out!
DeletePoor Natasha! I would have been packing my mum's bags by now if she had bossed me around like that.
ReplyDeleteCan someone get in touch with her dad and suggest that a minor emergency happens back home?
And if I were Tom, I would have packed her bags for her and put them on the doorstep!
DeleteThen changed the locks! Obviously his little talk with her had no effect.
The Grundys have always been depicted as 'wrong uns' but lovable rogues and the Horrobins generally as bad characters. The combination of the two families resulting in George is a total horror. Let's hope he finds out before too long that he is not so clever as he thinks he is and retribution teaches him a lesson.
ReplyDeleteA retribution justice and wise
DeleteTo punish him for telling lies?? HB.
Unfortunately he now knows his Nans little blackmail activities.
Well, that’s odd! I have just tried to post on Outside Ambridge and it said sign in but just went straight to the top of the page again. I was going to write in response your kind enquiry, KPnuts. All well, thank you, apart from having covid (mildly) at present! Will reply properly on the right blog when I manage to!
DeleteHilary, your comment did post, the blog obviously playing silly buggers. I’m sorry people are having problems, unfortunately I’m not able to advise as my own IT skills are not massive.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Eddy being caught by Chris re his book, but I till think Chris& Alice might lick back up at some point.
SC: I think they mean 'sign in with your Google account'. Try going back to your ident page, click on your initial and then on your Google account.
ReplyDeleteIt worked for me.
I wonder if we’ll get a topical insert about the England v Germany final of the Euros on Sunday, and maybe a mention of Alessi Russo”s legendary semi-final goal, which she back-heeled through the keeper’s legs into the corner of the net. One of football’s great moments, said the sports writers. It’s always surprised me no one in Ambridge plays or watches football - though I seem to remember a reference once to someone there supporting Aston Villa (men’s team), or did I imagine it?
ReplyDeleteI didn't think I liked female football, but I did catch the final quarter of the sem-final, and realised hiw biased I was. It seems far less aggresive yet so skilful.
DeleteI do remember The Bull showing football matches on a big screen TV Kenton bought espescially for some tournament or other. Or was that for rugby?
Ah yes, Miriam - I’d forgotten the big screen option. I agree with you about the impressive level of skill on display at the Euros. Two other good things: no amateur dramatics on the pitch and an overwhelmingly pleasant atmosphere in the stands. I think it really merits a topical insert, ditto the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
DeleteThe women's game is far more watchable for the good thingd you mention. The skill levels are in no measure inferior to the 'men's' game.
DeleteI have been imagining The Orangery wrong. For some reason I thought it was a sit down place with waiter/waitress service, not ordering at a counter.
ReplyDeleteI say this as to the discussion of serving Lower Loxley wine there and a top chef leaving Grey Gables(?) to take over the kitchen. This was the one Ian and a cook-off with.
It sounds more like a standard cafe and not how I envisaged it.
I suspect the scriptwriters have never really defined the Orangery. I think maybe it works as National Trust style tea room when LL is open to visitors & provides more formal meals when LL is hosting conferences, weddings etc.
ReplyDeleteI was slightly amused at how impressed Freddie was by Brad’s ability to perform relatively straightforward mental arithmetic, mind you Freddie always struggled with maths, and it was nice to hear him boosting Brad.
I'm pretty sure Roy is an Aston Villa fan. And there was a story line about the 1998 World Cup in France. I think Eddie had tickets and was taking a younger member of his family ( can't remember who). They were hoping to see England but it was actually a match featuring Jamaica. As it turned out, the youngster wasn't at all disappointed. I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm making it all up! (As a season-ticket for Arsenal Women, I fully endorse others' comments about women's football!)
ReplyDeleteThat’s jogged my memory, Ex-Londoner - when Kirsty was anxiously awaiting news of the outcome of her husband’s trial, Roy tried to reduce the tension by talking football. It didn’t work. I’m not sure Roy would support women’s football, though. He’s pretty trad. Let’s hope tonight’s Euros final convinces him, if he needs convincing!
DeleteNatasha and Tom might be glad to get rid of Caitlin for a while, but how is she going to get on with Pat and Tony?
ReplyDeleteI expect there will be war over the soup cauldron with Caitlin insisting Pats’s got it all wrong and should be making good Welsh Cawl!
After listening to the omnibus, I am getting more convinced that there is a back story relating to the rave. This has something to do with Russ and Chelsea, as I spotted just a few thongs beingvsaid. These were meaningless on their own, but added together might mean something, or there again, nothing.
ReplyDeleteIt is probably just my imagination in ovedrive.
I didn't fully read back, hence the typos. not being corrected.
DeleteI’m not sure if Russ actually gets paid any salaryfor his work at the gallery, in addition to free board and lodging at Lower Loxley.
ReplyDeleteBut just how is he going to be able to rent a flat, or whatever, in Felpersham, let alone pay for food and ever increasing bills. Or is Lily still supposed to work at the kitchen place as well as be a full time University student?
I was under the impression he does get a salary and I would think Lily can get a student loan or similar. They both must have savings, as as you have rightly said, they have been living rent free for about 3 years now.
DeleteDon't forget all the Egyptian cotton bedding, top of the range coffee makers, etc, etc, that he'll be needing. Ithink the old stuff may have been left at the last flat. If not, it will be old and used by now. Only the best for Russ when he's busy casing his muse as his girlfriend studies.
DeleteI am not sure how Peggy’s idea will be received, I thought it rather self aggrandising and inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteI agree KP, I thought the whole thing was over the top, but Peggy has always had a soft spot for Tom.
DeleteMe too. Why are these babies more special than her other grandchildren and great-grandchildren who haven't had a stainglass window to celebrate their births? Perhaps a stainglass window for Wren would be more appropriate.
ReplyDeleteWell done Peggy. A seminal lesson in how to set your family against each other and foster jealousy and resentment!
ReplyDeleteBut she has had a track record for doing this - remember how Tony was left out of her will for some years. She may be old but surely life has taught her some lessons!
Another ruse to keep herself as the centre of attention as always.
DeleteI share the hopes of Mrs P re swan song too.
I rather felt ( hoped ? ) it might be her swan song !
ReplyDeleteI don’t know about you but I am a bit tired of all this cooing over the twins! I’m not keen on the names especially Nova which sounds like the brand of a new kettle or toaster! I think the other one is Serin which is better! I agree that Peggy is over the top wanting a stained glass window for them and it will cause resentment with the other branch of the family.
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking of the Vauxhall Nova, which apparently didn't sell well in countries where 'No va' means 'won't go'!
DeleteAs for the baby, I'm sure she's super : )
It has surprised me that these names appeared out of nowhere.
DeleteI would have expected some reaction from the Ambridge community to these ‘strange modern names ‘ since the last baby names ( Helen’s boys) were very traditional, and then Wren and Zandor were at least pronounceable.
Since Natasha is most eloquent at putting her point across I would have expected at the very least a discussion between her and Tom.
OWiaS - HoHo!
DeleteIf you spell it like that Ev, people not conversant with heavenly details might assume that the child is named after a nerve gas! :)
ReplyDeleteI knew I’d heard it somewhere!!
DeleteInterestingly (or not), Nova and Seren are both unisex names, though more commonly used for girls. Maybe the twins’ middle names will be more conventional and can be swapped to if desired - or they might acquire nicknames which supplant their given ones.
ReplyDeleteI think there are different spellings in Welsh for Seren whether for a boy or girl.
DeleteAnd I imagine that Tom & Natasha had long conversations about names , we just didn’t get to hear them. Too busy eavesdropping on Chelsea and Brad!
Twinkle, twinkle little stars!,
ReplyDeleteWhat tiny little sparks you are,
You cannot yet see the way ahead,
And when you do,
Gt G Ma Peggy should be dead.
Twinkle, twinkle little stars,
Fluffy little bundles that you are
Will you wonder in years to come
What you had done wrong
To be immortalised in glass
As on your way to school you do pass.
Twinkle twinkle ……..
There will be trouble ahead,
Other Great Grand children, will be asking where is my stained glass?
It’s a bonkers idea.
Absolutely, Stasia, very witty & true !
DeleteI do wonder if the family should have Peggy 'certifed' in one way or another ( gently, not so she'd notice, tell her it's a routine check up)
It's unbelievable that any of the family take these delusions of enduring fame seriously.
Suppose those twins turn out to be serial murderers or something - what would the poor vicar do about the window then ? 😳
If TA has planned a topical insert for the Lionesses' Wembley victory, my hunch is that it will happen tonight when the character most likely to refer to it is scheduled to appear!
ReplyDelete