4 March 2020 (2nd)

A distant view of Penrhewl . . .

After a glimpse of the fields surrounding Penrhewl, 

. . . where Sioned is nursing a hangover

we find Sioned, drinking a glass of water, and feeling the effects of the drinking last night;  Eifion comes in from the freezing farmyard, and she asks him if he has to make so much noise.

"You should have been lambing last night, not drinking"

“You should have been lambing last night, not drinking,” he reprimands her, but she says she does not feel right.   “I’m not surprised – Penrhewl needs you, Sioned!”   She is quite aware of that, 

"You've got to pull your finger out, Sioned!"

and is told to pull her finger out, rather than sitting there, feeling sorry for herself.

"I'm finding today a bit difficult, OK?"

“Sorry, Eifion, but I’m finding today a bit too difficult, OK?” she replies, but he says once the funeral is over . . .

She lists the funerals she did not want to attend

She insists that she does not want to go to the funeral;  “Like I didn’t want to go to Ed’s funeral, Angela’s, Courtney’s, Auntie Marian’s, Dad’s – the last thing I want to do is to go to Jim’s funeral!”

"I don't want to go either, but it's something we have to do"

Her mother has just come into the room and agrees, “I don’t want to go either, but it’s something we have to do!”   Eifion goes to have a shower, 

"I'll make some coffee"

and Sioned will make coffee;  she asks Eileen if she should wear black today, but is told that Eileen wants to celebrate Jim’s life, and celebrate the time they had together.   

"I've got a lot to be grateful for"

“I’ve got a lot to be grateful for – you, Huwi.”

"How can you be so fine, Mam?"

Sioned wonders how her mother can be so fine, and she explains that she is not fine, but fancies some toast.

Jim's obituary in the Western Post 

At Maes-y-Deri, Kath is looking at the obituaries in the Western Post, particularly that of Jim, as Mark brings her a cup of tea;  

"Bad news in the horoscope, is it?"

“Don’t tell me it’s bad news in the horoscopes again today,” he comments, “You know it’s nonsense, don’t you?”   

"It's Jim's funeral today– he was a lovely bloke"

She points out that it is Jim’s funeral today;  “He was a lovely bloke – salt of the earth,” 

"He was – and I thought a lot of him!"

and Mark looks rather askance at her;  “Yes he was – I thought a lot of him!” she goes on

"The third different bloke in four nights!"

Mark asks if she has seen Casanova today, and she gasps, “He was have with someone else last night – it’s the third different bloke in four nights.   Finding a new partner is one thing, but this is ridiculous!”

The latest 'date' is having problems leaving

At that moment the latest ‘date’ comes downstairs, and is having trouble getting out of the front door;  

"You've got to jiggle the handle a bit"

Mark informs him, “You have to jiggle the handle a bit first,” and the stranger quickly leaves.

Tyler is running late for his shift

Kath judges that standards are slipping there, and then asks Tyler if he wants a cup of tea, but he is already late for work at the Deri.   

"You were the one who wanted a lodger, Mam!"

When he has gone, Mark points out to his mother that she was the one who wanted a lodger.    She stresses that she wanted one lodger;  “Not a lodger, and every Tom, Dick and Harry he swipes on that app!”

Cassie has served Llinos with a coffee

Cassie has just served Llinos with a cup of coffee when she is surprised to see Garry returning to the Deri.   

"I wasn't expecting you back until the weekend"

“I wasn’t expecting you back until the weekend,” she says, but he gruffly announces that he came back early.   “Are you on your own?” Cassie enquires, “How was Newcastle?” as he gets himself a stiff drink.

"What's he doing here?"

Tyler arrives, and is disturbed to see that Garry is there;  “What’s he doing here?”  Garry demands, and he replies that he has a shift.   Garry does not agree with this, and reminds him that he was sacked.

"Well, I 'unsacked' him – I had no choice"

Cassie intervenes to report that she ‘unsacked’ him, as she had no choice;  “You left me without staff, after promising to organise everything.”   

"Well, keep him out of my way!"

Garry wants Tyler kept well out of his way.

Asked when Dani and Seren will be returning, he simply says that he is going to unpack, 

"Well, there are clearly no problems there!"

and as Tyler takes up his place behind the bar, he remarks, “Well, there are clearly no problems there!”   Cassie tells him to remind her never to go to Newcastle for a holiday.

"I'm not happy Tyler is bringing men back to the house"

At Maes-y-Deri, Kath has been thinking;  “I’m not happy that Tyler is bringing men back to the house – 

"The guy this morning was older than you, Mark!"

“that guy this morning was older than you, Mark!   What if we told him that we’re going to charge more rent, if people stay over?”

"That's a good idea, Mam"

He regards that as a good idea, 

"He'll get the message then"

and his mother decides that is what they will do, as he will get the message then.   

"Will you have a word with him?"

“Will you have a word with him, Mark?” she says, 

"He's your lodger, Mam!"

but he maintains that Tyler is her lodger, and that she is responsible for the code of conduct.   “I’ll remember that, next time you want a favour,” she warns him.

There is time for a cup of tea

At Penrhewl, they are having a cup of tea, and Eifion remarks that it is quiet without Jim;  

"I'm half expecting him to walk in and give me a mouthful"

“I’m half expecting him to walk in and give me a mouthful, ranting about things he doesn’t understand.   

"We understood each other well, deep down"

“We always argued about things – but we understood each other well, deep down.”

Eileen recalls that she argued with him a lot recently, but Eifion comments, “If you don’t bicker, you don’t care.”   

"We did our share of bickering, especially when Angela was around"

She replies that they did their share of bickering, especially when Angela was around.

"Courtney's there to keep an eye on him now"

Sioned reminds her mother that at least Courtney is there to keep an eye on them, and Eileen is glad that Jim has company.

Eifion smiles when he reminisces about the time Jim could not stop eating ice cream;  “You had to put a padlock on the freezer!”   

"When he did the 'Full Monty' on our wedding night!"

Eileen mentions the time he did the ‘Full Monty’ on their wedding night, and says that he looked in such a state.

Sioned points out that Eifion had some fun swimming as well, and he groans that Jim did not have any patience;  

"He would shout at me at the swimming pool!"

“He would shout at me, and splash water over me.”   Eileen says that he wanted to take Huwi swimming, 

"He'll never get the chance to take Huwi swimming"

but will never get the chance now – in any case, he probably would not have been able to, with his condition getting worse.

"It's a blessing that he didn't have to suffer"

Sioned maintains that it is a blessing that he did not have to suffer, and then there is a knock at the door;  

The undertakers arrive

the undertakers have arrived, 

Sioned grasps her mother's hand

and Sioned grasps her mother’s hand.

"I want to celebrate his life today"

The three of them prepare to leave the house, and Eileen says she wants to celebrate his life today;  “Celebrate the fact that we got to know him and love him.”   

As they leave, she looks at . . .

As she goes out of the door, she looks at the photograph 

. . . the photo of them out in the garden

of her, Jim and Huwi in the garden.

Gwyneth looks at her ill-gotten gains . . .

At number nine, Gwyneth opens a kitchen container and looks at a large wad of £20 notes 

. . . and the dwindling number of tablets in stock

and a few small packets of tablets, which she hurriedly puts away when she hears the front door opening.   

"Garry came home early"

She thought that Cassie was at work all morning, but it is explained that Garry came home early.

“Don’t think I’m being nosy, but what’s all that money?” Cassie enquires, 

"That's from the Reiki sessions"

and Gwyneth replies that it is the proceeds from her Reiki sessions.   

"Listen, if you're doing something illegal . . ."

“Listen, if you’re doing something illegal, I have a right to know,” Cassie continues, but is assured nothing is illegal is going on.

"Come off it – I'm not a fool!"

“Come off it – I’m not a fool – you can’t make thousands from Reiki sessions!” exclaims Cassie, “Unless you offer your customers more than Reiki – extras!”   

"Yes, that's it – extras!"

Gwyneth answers that she does indeed do that, and that is where the money came from.

That funeral certainly did not last long

They soon returns from the funeral, and Sioned is glad things went so well;  

"Those lambs won't wait for anyone"

Eifion declares, “Right, I’d better get back to it – those lambs won’t wait for anyone!”

Eileen looks in the fridge 

"Have we got any champagne?   We are celebrating!"

and asks, “Have we got any champagne here?”   Sioned points out that it is mid-afternoon, but her mother insists that they are celebrating.   Sioned advises her to go and have a lie down, and Eileen decides, 

"I'm going to see the solicitor"

“If we don’t have any champagne, I’m going to see the solicitor.   We have to be practical at times like these – are you coming?”   

"I don't think I shall come"

Sioned does not want to accompany her.

"How long has this been going on?"

Cassie wants another word with Gwyneth;  “How long has this been going on?”   She is informed that it has been a couple of years, and Cassie goes on, “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.   

"Are you always 'safe'?"

“I’m not judging you, but I have to ask – are you always ‘safe’?   You don’t use this place?”

"I'm not proud of it – it just pays the bills"

Gwyneth stresses, “I wouldn’t want this to be around Gwern – I’m not proud of it, and I don’t do it all the time – it just pays the bills.”   

"Your secret's safe with me"  — yeah, right!

Cassie assures her that the secret is safe with her, and that she will see Gwyneth tonight.

Gwyneth looks again at the tablets . . .

Gwyneth goes back to her plastic container, 

. . . which are sadly depleted

and counts the tablets that are left.

"Another bloke planned for tonight, or what?"

In the Deri, Mark asks Tyler, “Have you got another bloke planned for tonight, or what?”   

"It's only a matter of time"

His reply is that it is only a matter of time before he arranges something.   “Well, as long as you’re enjoying yourself – and you’re ‘safe’,” Mark continues, 

"You might meet someone you want to see more than once"

“One day, you might meet someone you want to see more than once!”

Tyler does not consider that 2020 is a good year for lovers, and asks whether Mark has heard about Kelly and Jason;  “They were an item, but something happened.   I don’t think things are very good between Garry and Dani, either.”

"I'd say that Dani's had enough"

What we can see, although Tyler cannot, is that Garry is coming down the stairs and listening, as Tyler goes on, “He’s come back from Newcastle without Dani – I’d say that Dani’s had enough.”

"A word – now!"

With a face like thunder, Garry demands, “A word – now!”  

"I'm only letting you work because we're short-staffed"

At the bottom of the stairs, he makes it clear, “I’m only letting you work here because we’re short staffed – but I’m not happy about it, because I’ll have to find someone to replace you in a few weeks – 

"When you go to jail!"

“when you go to jail!”

"That's not going to happen"

Tyler is confident that will not happen, but Garry replies, 

"A teacher sleeping with a school pupil – I wouldn't be so sure!"

“A teacher sleeping with a school pupil – I wouldn’t be so sure!”

"I though you were Mam"

Sioned hears someone coming into Penrhewl, but it is not her mother, as expected, but rather Eifion;  

"She went to the solicitor"

“She went to the solicitor – she’s not right, you know,” Sioned tells him.   Eifion thought that she looked all right, 

"She's gone to get the will"

and Sioned explains that she has gone to get the will.   

This attracts Eifion's attention

Now Eifion takes more interest, and Sioned makes it clear that she is not expecting anything;  Eifion thinks it would be nice to have something, 

"Well, I have been farming the place – I deserve something"

as he has been farming the place and thinks he deserves something for the hard work he has done.   

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Sioned is not surprised that is his attitude.

Gwyneth is engrossed in business . . .

In the Deri, Gwyneth is concentrating on her phone 

. . . ordering more stock

as she sends the message, “Running low.   Need more stuff.”   

"Hot date tonight!"

Now it is five o’clock, and Tyler is finishing his shift;  Cassie remarks that he is in a hurry, and he says that he has a hot date.

"Why isn't Gwyneth hassling me?"

Cassie appears very preoccupied, and Garry remarks to her that it is strange that Gwyneth is not hassling him;  

"She hasn't mentioned money"

“She hasn’t mentioned money, despite looking after Gwern while I was away – it’s not like her.”

"She's busy with the Reiki"

Cassie suggests she might not be worried about money, because she is busy with the Reiki;  

"A couple of pennies from some hippies!"

“A couple of pennies from some hippies won’t keep Gwern in sherbet pips!” he exclaims, 

"She's doing some house-cleaning in Llanelli"

but Cassie says she may be making some money on the sly, and invents the unlikely scenario of cleaning houses near Llanelli, and not wanting the Reiki customers to know.   
“It doesn’t go with the image, so it’s hush-hush,” she says, 

Garry does not like the look of this message

and Garry’s phone sounds;  whatever he sees there does not please him.

"Here we go again"

The front door opens at Maes-y-Deri, and both Mark and his mother look up.   Tyler asks Kath for a favour;  

"Can you pick up Greta from Y Felin?"

“Do you think you could pick up Greta from Y Felin?” and she assumes that he has a date.

"We're worried how this is affecting Greta"

She begins, “The thing is, we’re starting to worry about the effect your social life is having on your relationship with Greta, 

Mark is noncommittal

aren’t we, Mark?”  but Tyler assures them that Greta is fine.   

"If there's more than one person using that room . . ."

So Kath continues, “If there’s more than one person using that room, well, perhaps we should charge you more rent.”

Tyler seems to have no money problems . . .

“Right, if that’s what is worrying you,” he says, pulling out his wallet 

. . . and puts down £50, followed by another £20

and placing £50 on the table, “That should cover everyone for this week, and here’s another twenty, in case I get lucky tonight!”   He leaves the house and Mark comments that it went well.

“Thanks for your support – sitting there, saying nothing!” his mother growls at him, and he says that at least it is a bit more cash for them.   

"You're not getting a penny – he's my lodger, remember?"

She emphasises that he is not getting a penny;  “He’s my lodger, remember?”

They discuss dipping chocolate biscuits in their tea

Eifion and Sioned are sitting in front of the fire, dipping biscuits into their tea, and Sioned maintains that the caramel ones are the best.   

Eileen has been doing some shopping

Eileen returns with bags of shopping, 

"What did the solicitor say?"

and Eifion cannot resist asking what the solicitor said.   Eileen tells them that there is no rush, and wants to put the food away first, pointing out that there is another bag in the car.

Gwyneth is pleased to see that more is on the way

Gwyneth receives an answer to her text, informing that there will be another delivery before long;  

"I told him you're cleaning houses on the sly"

she quickly hides the phone when Cassie comes over to tell her that Garry thinks she is making some money on the sly, and has been informed that it is cleaning houses in Llanelli.

“He doesn’t suspect anything, and I keep a secret like the bank,” Cassie assures her, 

Gwyneth expects to be 'rolling in it'

and she texts back that business is booming.

Garry takes out his frustration on the till

Garry is having problems with the till, and hits it with his fist;  

"You're going to break that, Garry!"

“What are you doing?   You’re going to break it – what’s the matter?” Cassie demands.   

"Nothing's the matter"

He snarls  that nothing is the matter, but she continues to badger him;  “You’ve had a long face since you got back – I know you’ve had a row with Dani – 

"She hasn't left you?"

“you might as well tell me.   She hasn’t left you?”

"Things were going fine – until she brought up the baby subject"

He reports that they were having a good time, and things were going fine, until Dani brought up the business about having another baby again.    “It turned into a big argument – we both said some silly things – and I came home.”   Cassie demands to know what he said, and at first he says he cannot remember;  

"If she wants another baby, she can find herself another husband"

“It was something like – if she wants another baby, she should find another husband.”

"I need time to think, so don't contact me"

Cassie predicts that she will come to her senses and be back in a day or two, but then he shows her the text he received, and she puts on her glasses to read it.   “I’m staying in Newcastle for a few weeks – I need time to think, so don’t contact me.”  

"What should I do, Cassie?"

Garry wants advice on what he should do, 

"Well, you can't be bullied into it"

and Cassie maintains that if he does not want another child, he cannot be bullied into it;  “And if you can’t agree on way forward, well . . .”   Then she walks to the other end of the bar.

Eileen starts reading the will

At Penrhewl, Eileen is looking at the will;  “His share of the house, the land and the property is to remain in my possession.  The three-part dresser in the front room is to be left to Diane Ashurst, in memory of Jim, APD.”  

"Oh, I liked that dresser"

Sioned remarks that she liked that dresser, and Eileen discovers, “Dai is to receive Tad-cu’s watch – I wanted that for Huwi!”

"Is there anything for Sioned?"

Eifion enquires if there is anything for Sioned, and it is found there is not, 

"Or for Eifion?"

then Sioned wonders if anything is for Eifion, and again there is nothing.

As they are about to drink a toast, “To Jim,” Eileen discovers something else;  

"Two fields left to Kathleen Pearl Jones!"

“The field below the house, and the small field are left to Kathleen Pearl Jones, Maes-y-Deri.”

"What on earth is that supposed to mean?"

Both Eifion and Sioned find this bequest quite ridiculous, as Eileen  continues to read, “In memory of all the good times!   What on earth is that supposed to mean?”