Parade took a look back through the Western Advocate new arrivals archives to see what names were most popular.

While the name Amelia stuck out as a favourite for girls and the name Jackson (also spelled as Jaxon or Jaxson) for boys, there were very few names that were repeated by parents.

There was a mix of traditional names, such as Evelyn and Charles, and more modern names, like Billie for a girl and Brax for a boy.

While there were very few repeated first names, it was clear what the favourite middle names were.

Bathurst parents commonly picked James for little boys and Rose for their daughters.

Parade can’t say what 2017 will bring in the naming game just yet, but she is already starting to see some of last year’s favourites being chosen for new bubs.

WITH so much hot weather, Parade found no other alternative but to give her beloved dog a gift most humans don’t have: her own swimming pool.

We all remember those clam shells from our youth, either used as a sandpit or a small pool.

Parade purchased one of these clam shells earlier in the week and it is already her dog’s favourite toy.

She spent much of Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon splashing around, getting her face wet and sometimes just sitting down in the cool water.

If your pet doesn’t mind a bit of water, Parade would definitely suggest this as a way of keeping them cool as the temperature rises.

WORKING over the holiday period, Parade got used to being able to easily find a parking spot in the CBD.

As they say, though, all good things eventually come to an end.

Since Monday, Parade has found it increasingly difficult to get a good spot to park now that people have returned to work.

It looks like there is a lot of walking in Parade’s future.