2 November 2021

An anxious wait to be interviewed

Anita and Tyler are waiting anxiously outside APD for their interviews;  Anita maintains, “It’s nothing – just a formality.   Listen, I don’t want to be here either – I already do the job.   We might as well smile and get it over with.”

"I wonder where Mathew is"

Tyler looks at his watch and wonders where Mathew is;  

"Reminding us that he's the boss"

“He’s probably keeping us on our toes, isn’t he?” she replies, “Reminding us that he’s the boss.”   Tyler is afraid that he is going to make a mess of things.

Mathew is approaching

Then they see Mathew coming across the road and he invites Tyler to come into the shop first;  

"Good luck!"

Anita wishes him good luck.

Again, Eileen heard something during the night

Eileen insists that she heard something during the night;  “I heard a truck or lorry around two or quarter past!”   

"Well, I didn't hear anything"

Sioned did not hear anything, but it is alleged that she is a heavy sleeper, and her mother urges her to check the stock.

"Take Huwi to the nursery!"

Sioned angrily refuses, and tells her mother, “Now take Huwi to nursery!”   Eileen needs to know that all the animals are there before she will go;  “He’ll miss his toast and orange juice – then he won’t be happy,” Sioned reminds her.

"I'm not going anywhere until I know"

Eileen refuses to go anywhere until she knows everything is fine;  “You’re fussing over nothing, but I’ll check,” says Sioned, 

Sioned goes out into the farmyard

as she puts on her coat, and Eileen demands that she be informed if anything is wrong.

Gaynor looks in the mirror

At Llwyncelyn, Gaynor comes downstairs and looks at herself in the mirror;  

"Are we expecting a flood?"

when Hywel sees her, he exclaims, “Goodness me – are we expecting a flood?” as she is wearing a wetsuit.

"I'm going wild swimming today"

“You know I’m going wild swimming today,” she answers, 

"I thought you changed when you got there"

but he was under the impression that people got there before getting changed.   “I had to make sure that it fits,” she tells him, and seems very excited.   “They say the thrill of getting into the cold water is incredible.”

"This is not like you, Gaynor"

He remarks that this is not like her, but she explains that is the point;  

"Getting out of this boring comfort zone"

“Doing something different – getting out of this boring comfort zone.”   He wants her to be careful, but she insists that she is going with an experienced group.

"I don't want you to die of pneumonia"

“I don’t want you to die of pneumonia,” he remarks, and then realises what he has said.   Gaynor assures him that they are allowed to say the word ‘die’, and it no longer scares her.

"I am scared of not living"

“But I am scared of not living – so no holding back, all right?” she adds, “Go for it!”   She is now going to get changed and hopes that all those endorphins are ready for her.

"Vital equipment for plastering?"

Mathew asks Tyler to name two pieces of vital equipment for plastering a wall;  Tyler appears to be almost as ignorant of DIY as he is about maths, and after some thought, 

"Tape measure and hammer?"

comes up with “Tape measure and hammer?”

"We've got a right one here!"

“OK, Tyler, you obviously don’t have experience of working in this environment,” concludes Mathew, “It’s not an easy job – you can’t just turn up, with a tape measure and a hammer and ‘blag it’.   We have a good name to protect at APD.   It’s not easy – long hours – are you sure you can cope with that?”

"I'm ready to learn"

Tyler replies that he is healthy, fit and young – and is ready to learn;  “I’ll be here on time every day.”   Mathew points out that it takes more than muscles – he needs to know his sums – 

"And how about maths?"

and asks about Tyler’s maths, as he will need to price jobs.   

How did he get a job as a teacher?

He rather inaccurately answers that it is not one his best subjects.

“Thank you for coming today – you didn’t need to be so nervous – I’ll be in touch,” says Mathew as he ends the interview.   

"Can you ask Anita to come in now, please?"

“Can you ask Anita to come in now, please.”

Sioned approaches . . .

Sioned marches across the farmyard 

. . . a gate with a good view of the cattle . . .

to a rather dilapidated gate with a view over the fields;  

. . . and counts them

she counts the nearby cows, then phones her mother.   

"Everything is fine, Mam"

“Guess what?   Everything is fine,” she says;  

"No – the signal's gone"

the mobile signal disappears and she is unable to say any more.   

She espies a trapped kite

She notices a kite stuck on a fence some distance away and goes to retrieve it.

In her attempts to free it . . .

As she untangles it from the fence, she bends down and when she tries to stand up, 

. . . she becomes entangled herself . . .

her hair is caught on the barbed wire.   

. . . and cannot get away

She attempts to free herself.

"Not much experience, but he's keen"

Anita asks Mathew how Tyler’s interview went;  “He doesn’t have much experience, but he’s keen,” is the reply, then Mathew looks at her CV.   

"I didn't get on with the boss"

“I’ve just noticed that you weren’t in your last job long.”   She remarks that she did not get on with the boss,  

"What if you didn't get on with this boss?"

so he enquires, “What if you didn’t get on with this boss?   We need reliable people at APD.”

Anita highly praises herself

She stresses that she is reliable, and when asked to describe herself, she says, “I’m a hard worker, organised, good in a team and I’m always ready to share my experience with people who are less experienced.”

Then Mathew mentions the subject of age

Mathew remarks that some people would find it awkward to work for people who are a lot younger than them.   

"You can't discriminate on the basis of age"

Anita points her finger at him;  “Come on – we know you can’t discriminate based on age,” but he stresses that he asked if she had a problem, which she denies.   She readily accepts that he is the boss.

"You tried to develop the laundry without asking me"

“But you tried to develop the laundry service without asking me,” he reminds her, and she answers that he was not there.   He suggests that she should have waited until he was back at work, but she went ahead with it anyway.   “Do you really think that’s appropriate?”   

She did not like that

She appears to be offended.

Sioned is still struggling

Out in the field, Sioned is still struggling with the barbed wire, takes her phone from her pocket but drops it on the ground.   

She kicks the phone into position . . .

She manages to hook it with her foot into an accessible position, but then discovers there is still no signal, 

. . . but has to shout for assistance

so resorts to shouting for help.

Help is at hand in the shape of DJ

Fortunately within a few seconds she hears a familiar voice, as DJ comes to her assistance, finding the situation rather comical.   

"I've cut hundreds of sheep from fences"

“I’ll go and get some scissors,” he says, but she will not allow that.   “I’ve cut hundreds of sheep from fences,” he argues.

"Sheep don't pay a fortune for their hair!"

“Sheep don’t pay a fortune for their hair!” she snarls, 

"I'll be very careful, Sioned"

and he will deal with the matter, assuring her that he will be very careful.

"All I want is what's best for the company"

At APD, Anita’s interview seems to be deteriorating;  “As I said, all I want is what’s best for the company,” she insists, 

"That's why I'm stopping the laundry"

and Mathew tells her that is why he is stopping the laundry service.

"There's a lot of demand for it"

She angrily points out that there is a lot of demand for it, but again he reminds her that APD is a building company.   “If you’re not happy with that, find a job in a laundrette!   I’m paying you to do the accounts, not come up with ideas.”   

"After the mess Izzy made!"

This sets Anita off on one of her rants;  “Excuse me – I did those accounts for free!   And it’s lucky I did, after the mess Izzy made!”   

This is the final straw

This does not go down well with Mathew, 

Too late, she realises what she has said

and she realises that she has managed to destroy her chances.

Even after she has apologised, he considers that the interview is over;  

"Leave the fleece on the way out, please"

“I’ve heard enough, thanks – if you can leave the fleece on the desk on the way out please.”   

"Are you sacking me?"

She asks if he is sacking her

"What do you think?"

and he replies, “What do you think?”   

Off she goes

She takes off the fleece and flounces out of the shop, leaving Mathew feeling very upset.

"How did you get into this mess?"

As he works on Sioned’s hair, DJ asks how she got herself into this mess;  “It’s Huwi-John’s kite you,” she explains, 

"Relax – I won't hurt you"

and he urges her to relax, as he will not hurt her.

"Considering you've got 'sausage fingers'!"

She confesses that he is very gentle, considering that he has ‘sausage fingers’ and at length she is freed, 

She has not lost much of her hair

only having left a very small amount of hair on the barbed wire.   “I must look in a hell of a state!” she says, they look into each other’s eyes 

That was rather predictable

and the inevitable kiss ensues.

"I've missed you so much"

“I’ve missed you so much,” DJ tells her, 

"I shouldn't have been so nasty"

and she admits that she should not have been so nasty – she said some awful things, but he agrees that he deserved it.

“I’d better go – Mam will be wondering where I am,” she says, 

She heads back to the farm

and hurries off across the field.

"How did it go, Gaynor?"

Gaynor returns from her expedition and Hywel is eager to know how it went;  

She is effusive in her praises

“It was fantastic – being in that cold water, I just felt my senses were on fire!”   He had been worried that she would not enjoy it at all, 

"They're a great group of girls"

but she goes on, “They’re a great group of girls – all ages – a real inspiration!”

“It sounds as if you can’t wait to go back next time,” he comments, 

"I might come with you next time"

“I might come with you.”   

"No, you wouldn't enjoy it, Hywel"

She tries to dissuade him, pointing out that he would not enjoy it – and he does not have a wetsuit.   He should not waste his money buying one.

"You've clearly benefited from it"

“You’ve clearly benefited from it – perhaps we could do it together!” he suggests, and then she reveals the truth, that she is not going again.

Now her true feelings are revealed

“The water was so cold and slimy – and I scratched my foot on a rock!” she moans, “I said I enjoyed it because I didn’t want you to laugh at me.”   

"I wouldn't laugh – well, not much"

He replies that he would not do that – well, not much.

"It was torture!"

“I made such a big deal of going, buying all the gear – but, no, it was torture!   There I was, bobbing around in the water, pretending to enjoy myself – and I thought, ‘What am I doing?’”

"You're a woman of the Med"

Hywel considers that she is a woman of the Med, not Wales’ cold lakes.   “But you see all these pictures on Instagram – and they’re enjoying it,’ she wails, “But not everyone likes the same thing – at least I’ve tried – 

"I'll have to find something else to do"

“I’ll have to to find something else to do.   Paddle boarding is very popular.”

He recommends that she waits until next summer, then she comes up with the idea of climbing or skiing.   

"I feel tired just listening to you"

He feels tired just listening to her, and then there is a knock at the door.   “That will be my parcel,” she says, as she rushes to the door, and he wonders what it will be – 

"Crampons or a jet pack?"

crampons or a jet pack.

Now Jason feels guilty

In the Deri, Jason is upset to hear what happened at the interview, and now he feels bad, as he brought Anita into the company in the first place.   

"We shall manage, Jason"

Mathew says that they will manage, but Jason argues that although she is hard work, there was no need to sack her.

“There was – for Izzy!” Mathew exclaims, “She said that Izzy made a mess of the accounts – 

"No-one talk about Izzy like that!"

“and no-one talks about Izzy like that!   She went too far this time – it wasn’t your fault.”

"Who will be doing the accounts now?"

Jason raises the subject of who will be doing the accounts now:  “You and me?”   Mathew wonders how difficult it can be;  all they have to do is be organised.   

"We're an organised pair, aren't we?"

“Oh yes, we’re good at that!   We’re an organised pair, aren’t we?” Jason smiles, “And what about Tyler?   Are you sacking him as well?”

"I haven't decided about Tyler"

Mathew has not made a decision on Tyler yet, but from what he understands, maths is not his strong point.   Nevertheless, he is confident that everything will be all right.   

Jason does not share his optimism

Jason is not so sure, as he drinks his pint.

DJ is back at the farm

DJ returns to the farmhouse;  “I can contact Eileen to let her know you’re safe,” he tells Sioned, “You disappeared quickly, like a little Mo Farah.”   

"I wanted to wash my hair"

Her excuse is that she wanted to wash her hair.

"I heard what you said to Mathew"

“I heard what you said the other day, when you were talking to Matthew in the flat,” he continues, 

"That was just rubbish"

and she describes what she said as rubbish.  

"You said you still love me"

“You said you still love me,” he reminds her, and she is feeling uncomfortable, so says she is going for a shower.   “Sioned, what do you want?” he asks.

"Can you get Huwi-John's kite?"

“Can you go and get Huwi-John’s kite for me, please?” she answers, but he assures her that this conversation is not over and leaves the farmhouse.   

She is planning what to do

She walks out into the hallway and is deep in thought.

"Another handbag"

Gaynor unwraps her parcel, revealing another handbag;  she announces, “This is not just a handbag, Hywel – 

"No, Hywel, The Handbag!"

“it’s The Handbag.”   He comments that he would not be a lot of use on the summit of Snowdon, 

"It's for tea in the Ritz"

and she replies, “It’s for having tea in the Ritz or cocktails in the Savoy.”

There is also a mini version for Esther

She has also bought a small version for Esther, her first real one.   He is sure that they will look a picture together, and Gaynor calls the bags ‘gorgeous’.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

“You think I’m crazy for gushing over handbags, don’t you?” she demands, but he says it is just nice to see a smile on her face again.

"You obviously get a bigger thrill than wild swimming"

“You obviously get a bigger thrill from those than that wild swimming!”   

"Not  word to Esther, mind"

She warns him not say a word to Esther;  it will be waiting on her bed as a surprise when she gets home.

It just looks like a bag to him . . .

Hywel takes a closer look at this handbag, 

. . . but then he sees the price

then notices the accompanying receipt;  

Yes, he does think she is crazy

he is astounded to see that the two handbags cost £4,000.

Eileen calls to Sioned . . . 

Eileen comes in through the door of Penrhewl and calls for Sioned, “DJ said your hair got stuck!” but there is no reply.   

. . . but finds a note on the table

Then she sees a note, propped up on a jar of Piccalilli.   

"Are you all right, Eileen?"

DJ also comes in, having retrieved the kite, 

"Dear Mam, I need a break – sorry"

and is informed by Eileen, “Dear Mam, I need a break – sorry.”   He says that does not make sense, and he does not know anything about it.

"Where is she?"

“She can’t just disappear like that without warning, and it doesn’t say a word about when she will come back.   Where is she?”