18 May 2021

"Still working on the vows, Colin?"

Britt comes into the flat to find Colin scribbling at the table;  “Still working on the vows?   You’ve been at it for days – I’ve finished mine!” she says.   

"There's so much to say"

He replies that there is so much to say, and that she can imagine what that is;  “I’m gorgeous, talented . . . I won’t let you read what I’ve written, or we’ll both say the same thing.   Just say what your heart says, Col.”

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you"

He muses, “That you’re perfect, that I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”   

Britt regards them as very fortunate, when they think of the other couples around the place;  Dani and Garry, Iolo and Tyler, Jaclyn and Gerwyn.   He agrees that they have been pretty unlucky.

"It's about respect and trusting each other"

“It’s got nothing to do with luck,” she tells him, “It’s about respect and trusting each other – once those two things are gone, there’s no point carrying on, is there?”   

This is preying on Colin's mind

This has made Colin think, and he looks guilty.

Sara appears discouraged

Sara is engrossed in the laptop when Jason arrives at Bryntirion;  

"Why does everything have to cost a fortune?"

“Oh, Jase, why does everything have to cost a fortune?   Everyone does their interior design work on computers these days.”

He points out that she is looking at one, and she continues, “Yes, but it doesn’t have the right software –which costs hundreds!”   

"The Deri are hiring staff"

He says that if she is looking for work, the Deri are hiring staff, but the thought of her being barmaid is regarded as beneath her.   

He reminds her that she has done it before, 

In comes Kelly with some belongings

and at that moment Kelly comes in with a box of their belongings.   

"All right if we start moving our stuff in?"

“It’s all right if we start moving our stuff in, is it?” Jason asks, and Sara cannot believe that they are moving in today.   “You said that you didn’t mind,” he points out, 

"I would have appreciated a bit more notice"

but she would have appreciated a bit more notice.

"I had a couple of e-mails about the ready meals"

At Penrhewl, Eileen informs Jaclyn that she had a couple of e-mails  yesterday, asking about the ready meals;  “One asked if they were vegan and the other wanted to know if all the produce was organic.   It looks as if we are pleasing everybody.”

"Can you work a few more hours?"

She asks Jaclyn if she can work a few more hours, as they have so much to do, and Jaclyn would be pleased to do so.   

John arrives with some turnips

Then John Deri Fawr arrives again, this time with a bag of turnips;  “I’ve come to save the day with my ‘rwdan’, as the Gogs call them.”

"Meic Pierce would call you 'pen rwdan'!"

Eileen recalls, “That’s what Meic Pierce used to call them – you’d know if you’d done something wrong if you were a ‘pen rwdan’ [turnip head].”   

Jaclyn is pleased to see the turnips

Jaclyn is pleased to see them, and Eileen remarks that those at Penrhewl are rather insipid this year.

She tells John that they are working on their taster menu, and he says that it certainly smells lovely;  

"I'd better leave you alone, then . . ."

“You make a good team – I’d better leave you alone, then.   

". . . if you want anything, I'm only next door"

“And if you want anything, I only live next door.”

Jaclyn remarks that he is lovely man, and there are not many left;  

"He definitely wants to give you more than a turnip!"

“And he definitely wants to give you more than a turnip!”

Iolo has now got the hang of the console

At number 7, Iolo seems to have got hooked on a car racing game, as Garry is speaking on the phone, advising that there will be interviews for the post at the Deri.   

"Do you want me to put your name down, Sara?"

“Do you want me to put your name down or not, Sara?”

Iolo appears to be getting frustrated with playing the game on his own, 

"Be careful with that handset"

and is warned by Garry to be careful with the handset;  “Do you know how long it took me to persuade Aaron to lend you that?”   Iolo tells him to take it back, then.

“What you need is a bit of competition,” Garry diagnoses, “I haven’t played this properly before, but I’m sure I can work it out for myself.   

"Don't think I'll let you win!"

“I don’t need any luck – and don’t think I’ll let you win just because you’ve had cancer.”

The redesigned café/bookshop

In what used to be the café, now lined with shelves of books, Tesni is recording a make-up tutorial, reminding her viewers to check out the video from yesterday about blushers.   

"Today I'm talking about lip gloss"

“Today I’m going to be talking about lip gloss.”

This comes to an abrupt end as Siôn can be heard coming downstairs, shouting that he has found the books he was looking for;  

"I knew they were up there"

“I knew they were up there – a full collection of the Berdd y Tywysogion series.”  [The Prince’s Poem]

If he had to choose, he would go for number seven, as Dafydd Benfras’ work is brilliant, but of course Tesni does not know what he is talking about.   

"A perk of working in a bookshop"

“You’re welcome to have a look, if you like – a perk of working in a bookshop!” he tells her, 

"It has been very quiet today"

and she remarks that it has been very quiet in the shop today.

"It's early days yet"

He replies that it is early days yet, and she advises that the only person who phoned was under the impression they were an off-licence, and wanted a case of Chardonnay.   Siôn regrets that some people are so uncultured.   

"Are you sure you need me?"

“Are you sure that you need me?” she asks, and he assures her she does not need to worry about her job.

"Living in a creative bubble"

“I will be upstairs mainly, living in a creative bubble, as we authors do – and I need someone to look after this place.”

"What do you expect – balloons and bunting?"

In the flat upstairs, Jason is sealing up another box of belongings, and asks Kelly what does she expect;  “Balloons and bunting?   Champagne and a banner, saying, ‘Welcome to Bryntirion, Kelly’?”

"I'm not asking you to choose between me and Ifan"

She appreciates that it is awkward;  “I don’t want you to think I’m asking you to choose between me and Ifan, because I’m not.”   

"Well, that's what it feels like"

He says that is in fact how she made him feel, but that she argues she would never do that;  “I just want us to have a home,” she groans, 

"It won't be easy, living at Bryntirion"

and he knows it will not be easy living at Bryntirion.

“But it does mean you can spend more time with Ifan,” Kelly points out, 

"I promise I'll make more of an effort with Sara"

“And I promise I’ll make more of an effort with Sara – 

"If I can scream into my pillow sometimes"

“if I can scream into my pillow sometimes in the box room.   And a bit of peace and quiet to write.”

"How's the writing going, Kelly?"

He asks how the writing is going, and she replies that it is good to have a bit of focus in her life at the moment;  he takes this as a dig at him, and she says that she is starving.   “OK, you take the boxes and I’ll get some chips – 

"And fish and mushy peas!

“and fish, and mushy peas!   I just want to take a couple of minutes to say goodbye to this place . . . and put a curse on Siôn White!” she alleges.   

"Behave yourself, Kelly . . ."

Jason tells her to behave herself, 

". . . and don't forget the chips!"

and not to forget the chips.

Iolo is beating Garry

Iolo is looking much happier as he appears to be beating Garry at the car racing game;  this time Garry throws down the handset in his anger, 

"I cab't believe people waste their time on this rubbish!"

and snarls, “I can’t believe people waste their lives on this rubbish!”

Iolo has to go to the shop for a few things, 

"I can't carry everything on my own"

and will not be able to carry everything on his own;  Garry realises that is expected to come as well, 

"I'm not holing you hand, mind!"

but warns that he is not holding Iolo’s hand.   “You won’t be able to, anyway – you’ll have too many bags to carry,” is Iolo’s reply.

"It's nice to have an excuse to dress up"

“It’s nice to have an excuse to dress up,” comments Britt, as Colin irons his purple shirt;  

"I hope I can still fit into my suit"

he hopes that he can still fit into his suit, which he has not worn for ages, but she says that she would marry him in his yoga trousers.

She has not seen Aaron for a while and suspects that he is up to something;  

Colin is having trouble with the ironing board . . .

“I heard him on the phone talking to someone about tomorrow,” says Colin, as she struggles ineffectively with the ironing board.

. . . and, try as he might, he cannot fold it

“He’s so excited – making things official is important to him – thank you, Colin, for everything you’ve done for us,” says Britt, “We’ve got a man that we can depend on for once – and you can iron!”   However, the ironing board seems to have Colin defeated.

"I've got to pop out for a minute, Britt"

“I’m a very lucky woman,” she adds, and Colin suddenly decides that he has to pop out for a minute, but will not be long.

"You could at least carry one bag"

As they come out of the shop, Garry moans, “You could at least carry one bag – you have to start somewhere!”   

"It's a pity you didn't train as a nurse"

Iolo thinks that it is a pity he did not train as a nurse, but Garry replies it is never too late.

"I'm pleased to see you looking better"

Kelly is coming along the road, with their fish and chips;  “I’m pleased to see you looking better today,” she says, adding, to Garry, “I wasn’t talking to you, because you, Gazza, always look fabulous!”   

"What are you after, then?"

He immediately knows she is after something, and she explains, “A little birdie told me you’re looking for a barmaid – I’m looking for a job.”

He will put her name on the list and will be in touch;  

"I will be free until I start at the Deri"

she confidently tells Iolo, “Anything you want, just give me a call – I will be free as a bird until I start at the Deri.”

"Kelly and Sara both want the same job"

“I wouldn’t like to be Jason,” Garry comments, “Neither Kelly nor Sara are going to be happy when they find out they both want the same job.”

"What's the trouble, Colin?"

At Penrhewl, Colin arrives in an anxious state, 

"I'm not sure I can marry Britt!"

and tells Eileen, “I’m not sure if I can do it – marry Britt!”

The end of the bookshop's first day

Siôn closes the bookshop and asks Tesni if she is busy tonight;  

"Bath and an early night for me"

she predicts that it will be a bath and an early night.   “I this is short notice but I’ve only just received confirmation,” he goes on, “I’ve got a place on a cynghanedd [harmony?] course tonight on Zoom – you don’t know who is running it – 

"You said how much you love Rhys' work"

“Eurig Salisbury and Rhys Iorwerth – can you believe it?   You said in your interview how much you love Rhys’ work.”

Tesni tries to look enthusiastic

Tesni tries to look enthusiastic and is invited to Y Felin by seven o’clock;  she is rather apprehensive at the prospect.

"I want to organise more time off"

Jaclyn visits Garry at number 7;  “I just want to organise more time off,” she tells him, “I want to give 100% to the project I’m working on with Eileen.”

"What about the Deri?"

“And what about the Deri?” he demands.   She points out that Anita is there;  “And she’s doing a fantastic job, 

"I wonder if I needs you both"

“which makes me wonder whether I need you both,” he informs her, “And as she is working the hardest . . .”

"Anita is preparing my recipés"

Jaclyn reminds him, “Anita is preparing my recipés after detailed instruction on everything.”   He invites her to come over tomorrow to talk about it, and is sure they can sort something out.   

She seems eager to leave

She cannot wait to leave the house.

"It's just nerves, Colin"

Eileen brings Colin a cup of tea and tells him this is just nerves, but he disagrees;  “I don’t know if I can marry her, knowing I’ve been unfaithful – 

"I think I should confess everything"

“I think I should confess everything – the whole lot!”

"It was only one kiss, Colin"

Eileen points out that it was only one kiss, 

"Mark thinks I'm stupid to consider it"

and he says, “Mark thinks I’m stupid to even consider it.”   

"You haven't told Mark?"

She is horrified to learn that he has been talking to Mark, as she did not want him, or anyone else, to know.

"You love Britt!"

“Look, I thought we’d both agreed that it was a stupid mistake – a drunken kiss when we were both at a low ebb.   You love Britt!” 

"Yes, more than the whole world!"

and he agrees that he does, more than the whole world.   “There we are, then – you don’t want to hurt her unnecessarily, do you?”

"It's hard to say no to your new boss"

Siôn is anxious that Tesni will not arrive in time, and Anita suspects she has got other things to do;  “It’s hard to say no to your new boss, isn’t it?”   He reminds her of what she said when she came to the house – that she is passionate about poetry.

Here she comes, complete with a bottle

At that moment she arrives, bringing a bottle with her;  

"Are you ready for this course?"

Anita wonders if she is ready for this course, and Tesni tries to look confident.   Siôn has prepared some nibbles, 

"I hope this will bring some inspiration"

and Tesni hopes that the wine will bring some inspiration.   

"You sound like Dafydd ap Gwilym"

“You sound like Dafydd ap Gwilym,” he tells her, and Anita makes herself scarce upstairs.

Jason appears to be treating this with some levity

As they unpack at Bryntirion, Jason suggests, “If you enjoy writing so much, why don’t you do it as a career?   

"You enjoyed the journalistic side of things"

“You enjoyed the journalistic side of things, didn’t you?”   Kelly replies that she enjoys writing with no pressure, and it would be nice to do something exciting on the investigative side.

Sara adopts her usual sour expression

Meanwhile, Sara is looking disapproving, as Kelly continues that jobs are like gold dust;  “But don’t worry, Jase, I won’t depend on you for money – there’s a job going in the Deri!”

"You're not going for that?"

“You’re not going for that?” demands Sara, “Garry as good as gave it to me already!”   

"Garry said he would contact me"

Kelly advises that she saw him and he said he would contact her;  “He won’t give it to you!” Sara sneers, “I’m more experienced – I ran Tapas!”

"And I ran the café!"

Kelly points out that she ran the café;  “And that went bust!” is Sara’s acid comment.   Then she goes on, “Are you leaving those cushions there?   They’re worse than Diane’s!”   Not to be outdone, Kelly remembers that she has a throw somewhere, 

"I'm an interior designer – what will my customers say?"

but Sara superciliously remarks, “I’m an interior designer – I can’t look at ugly things – what will my customers say if they see them?”   

“You don’t have any customers – that’s why you’re going for a barmaid’s job!” growls Kelly.

"Why do you have to argue about cushions"

 Jason demands why they have to argue about cushions, 

"I won't need the job for long"

and Sara imagines that she will not need the job for long, and then Kelly can have it afterwards.   

"I'm going for a walk!"

She decides to go out for a walk, 

"Take your time"

and Kelly mutters, “Take your time.”

"Remember, Kelly, count up to ten"

Jason advises her to count to ten, 

"I'm up to 532 already!"

but she replies, “I’m up to 532 already!” and when he suggests some wine, she adds, 

"Just the bottle and a straw!"

“Yes – just the bottle and a straw, please!”

Garry is back at number 7

Garry is back at number 7, where Iolo has been trying to sleep, but is in a lot more pain now.   He asks Garry to pass his tablets, 

"You've already had your quota for today"

and is told, “You’ve already had your quota for today.”   Iolo is sure that another couple will do no harm.

“That’s how people get addicted,” Garry insists, 

"The pain is part of your recovery"

“You need to face the pain – you’ve had major surgery – the pain is part of your recovery.”   Iolo realises he is being told to ‘man up’ and is offered some leftover curry from the Deri;  “As long as you promise not to pull that face – 

"It's enough to put someone off his curry!"

“ooh, I’ve got cancer!   It’s enough to put someone off his curry!”

It seems to have been a successful evening

At the end of the Zoom tutorial, Siôn and Tesni wave goodbye to their instructors and have enjoyed it;  “Rhys praised your work,” says Siôn, 

"That was beginner's luck"

which Tesni puts down to beginner’s luck, but he is sure that it comes naturally.

"Siôn thinks I'm the next Kate Roberts"

Anita comes downstairs in her dressing gown and is told by Tesni, “Siôn thinks I’m the next Kate Roberts,” but when she starts praising Siôn’s work, 

"Stop, or he'll keep going on and on about it"

Anita tells her to stop, or he will keep on and on about it.

"Well, I enjoyed the evening"

Tesni says with apparent sincerity that she enjoyed the evening 

"See you in the morning, Tesni"

and will see him tomorrow

Colin is in a state of anguish

In the middle of the night, Britt finds Colin sitting at the table, deep in thought;  

"Can't you sleep, Col?"

“Can’t you sleep, Col?” she asks, and he says he is changing the vows a little bit;  he will be back to bed in a minute.

"Everything will be perfect – I'll make sure of that!"

“Don’t worry about tomorrow – everything will be perfect, I’ll make sure that!” she rather chillingly assures him.   

Colin looks fearful

He does not look so confident.