3 December 2021

"Math, have you heard about Dylan?"

Looking from inside APD, we see Sioned run across the road to greet Mathew;  “I was just thinking about you,” she says, “Have you heard about Dylan?   

"They're dropping the drugs charges"

“They’re dropping the drugs charges – they don’t have enough evidence.”   

"You're not serious?"

He cannot believe it, and she goes on, “I thought you should know, after everything you’ve been through.”

He thanks her for the information, and has heard that she is staying at Cysgod y Glyn;  

"Jinx and Arwen just finished the milk"

“Yes – don’t ask – Mam, DJ,” she growls, “Jinx and Arwen just finished the milk on their Coco Pops, so . . .”   

"And you're useless without your coffee"

He interrupts to say that he knows that she is useless without her coffee in the morning.

“Eifion said you asked about the flat, but DJ is an old friend 

"I don't want to come between you"

“and I don’t want to come between you,” he apologises, but she replies that she is having a lot of fun with Jinx and Arwen – 

"It's like a pizza paradise"

it is like a pizza paradise.

"What sort of voluntary work have you been doing?"

Aaron is back, and Colin asks what sort of voluntary work he has being doing;  

"It didn't even exist when I was at school"

he would like to know more about this ‘Bacc’;  “It didn’t even exist when I was at school.”   

"There wasn't much GCSE work going on!"

Britt is quite convinced that there was not much GCSE work going on, from what she understands.   Aaron leaves for school without saying any more.

"Be grateful he's distracted by young love"

Britt believes that there is a girlfriend involved;  “Just be grateful he’s distracted by young love, rather than worrying about that swine Dylan!”   

"He's bound to find out, Britt"

Colin argues that she should have told Aaron, sooner rather than later, as he is bound to find out, but she insists, “He was so angry about Garry – I just want him to settle.   

"His mind will be on his new girlfriend"

“With a bit of luck, his mind will be on his new girlfriend.”

Colin enquires if she has seen this girl, or found out her name;  “Do you think he may be hiding something?   There was that time before when he said he had a girlfriend.”

"Did you tell your parents everything?"

Britt dismisses this suggestion, asking, “Did you tell your parents everything you did at the weekend?   Aaron has learned his lesson.”   Colin is not so sure about that.

"Not another delivery?"

At Maes-y-Deri, there is another knock at the door, and Brynmor hurries to answer it;  “Not another delivery?” groans Mark, “The whole point of that website was to get him to sell things – not to buy more!”   Kath tells him to leave it, as she just wants Brynmor to be happy, but Mark’s opinion is, “He’s bonkers!”

"Wait until you see this, Kath!"

“Wait until you see this, Kath – it arrived quickly!” he says, and Mark wonders if he has the crown jewels there.   

"He produces a gas mask"

Brynmor takes out of the box a gas mask, which he describes as a collector’s item.   

"There are a lot of memories in this box"

“There are a lot of memories in this box,” he enthuses, and Mark asks how old he was during the war.

“You don’t understand,” Brynmor tries to explain, “Collecting these things is thrilling!”   

"Sort things out, will you, Mam?"

Mark is now leaving for work, and tells his mother to sort things out.

"Look, Kath – shrapnel!"

Brynmor takes out another item from the box;  “Look, Kath – shrapnel!”   

Kath wonders if this will ever end

She tries, unsuccessfully, to look interested.

"I haven't made your sandwiches yet"

Eileen is washing up at Penrhewl when DJ comes in;  she apologises that his sandwiches are not ready yet, 

"Have you seen this planning application?"

and asks if he has seen what is on the laptop.   “The planning application Madam’s submitted, in my name, if you please – it’s been uploaded to the council’s website.   Look at it – I can see what Hywel meant.   

"Chalets, twenty of them!"

“Chalets, twenty of them, on two of our best fields – how does she think we can afford to build them?   

"What's she trying to do?"

“What is she trying to do?   Turn Penrhewl into a bygone Butlin’s?   I bet she’s only doing it because I’m letting you stay – 

DJ realises he is the cause of all this

“it’s pathetic!”

"The best time to go for a run was in the early morning"

Brynmor is now reading from a book which was in the box;  “The best time to go for a run was in the early morning – the Deri could learn a thing or two from these trench orders.”   

"We were going to sell things, not buy things"

Kath appears totally disinterested and reminds him, “We agreed, didn’t we, that we were going to sell things on this website, not buy things?”   

"Bidding online is not quite the same"

He argues that are bidding for things online is not quite the same as being in a real auction, where you are bidding against lots of others in the same room.   “And you get a bargain at the same time – with a flask of tea and ham sandwiches.”

"I haven't done that for a long time"

Kath does not know about that because she has not done it for a long time, and she certainly did not have a flask of tea.   

"I'm sure I saw something in the paper"

He goes to find the newspaper, as he remembers seeing something in it;  

"House clearance in Carmarthen, this afternoon"

“Here it is – auction, house clearance in Carmarthen this afternoon – what do you say?   We’ve got ham in the fridge.”

Kath is by no means enthusiastic, 

"We could have something stronger"

but he suggests they could have something stronger, like the boys in the trenches, 

"Brynmor – you're impossible!"

and she describes him as impossible.

"The beef is in the slow cooker"

Siôn comes into the bookshop, where Tesni is working, to inform her, “The beef is in the slow cooker – it will be ready by seven.   I’ll do the vegetables after closing here, and you can make the mashed potato.”

"I can't do it tonight, Siôn"

Tesni looks disappointed and maintains that she cannot do it tonight;  

"It's from the organic butcher in Llanarthur"

he protests that he has bought the meat especially from the organic butcher in Llanarthur.   She tries to think of a convincing excuse

"I've got a shift in the Deri . . ."

but finally admits, “I’ve got a shift in the Deri – I’ve been working there part-time – please don’t be angry.   

". . . but it won't affect my shifts here"

“Don’t worry, it won’t affect my shifts here.”

"When will you get a chance to read my book"

Siôn’s main concern is if she is working in the Deri, when she will get a chance to read his book.   

"Actually, I've finished it already"

Then she admits that she has actually finished it already and he eagerly awaits her verdict, 

"Be honest, Tesni"

encouraging her to be honest.

"It's . . . ambitious, challenging . . ."

She hesitantly begins, “The novel is . . . ambitious – challenging,” then tells the truth, 

". . . Siôn, it was awful  . . .so boring!"

“Siôn, it was awful!   Really awful – so boring!”   

"I admire you for your honesty"

He is very deflated, although commenting that he admires her for her honesty.   

"Do you want a sandwich?"

“Right, I’m going to get a sandwich – do you want something?” she asks, but he will keep some room for the beef.

She says how sorry she is, and he suggests that if she is going to work in the Deri, there is no point in her working at the bookshop as well.   “It’s only part time at the Deri,” she reminds him, but he is sure that he will be all right on his own.   

"Of course, it will save me some money"

Working behind the bar may suit her better, and of course it will save him some money.

She does not like this attitude

She seems to take offence at this comment and marches out of the shop, leaving Siôn disappointed.   

"The perks of sleeping with the boss!"

As she crosses the road, Rhys remarks, “Got time off?   The perks of sleeping with the boss!”   

"I think I just talked myself out of a job"

She thinks she has just talked herself out of a job.

"Come on, shift!"

Aaron comes out of the alley and pushes past them;  as he continues along the street, he says, “Sorry, gold digger!”   

"You haven't got any manners!"

Tesni complains that he has no manners, 

"Careful – you're sounding just like Siôn!"

and Rhys accuses her of sounding like Siôn.   

Aaron kicks a can along the road

Aaron kicks a can along the road.

Hywel has his picture on the Western Post 

Hywel looks with satisfaction at the front page of the Western Post, featuring the clean-up operation which he organised;  Cassie praises him for getting it done so quickly.   

"Getting your photo in the paper – result, Hywel!"

Eifion, sitting nearby, adds, “And getting your photo in the paper – result, Hywel!”

"Community leaders need to make a stand"

“At dark times, community leaders need to make a stand,” Hywel preaches, and Eifion wonders if he still has the bucket in the picture, into which he can throw up.

"I had an uncle like you, with a cynical streak!"

Cassie tells him to shut up;  “I had an uncle like you, with a cynical streak – no-one liked him either, for some reason!”   

"What's you problem, Eifion?"

Hywel does not understand Eifion’s problem;  “I thought you would support Kelly’s article, being gay.”   Eifion points out that he is ‘bi’ and he does support the article, but is surprised by Hywel – so keen to get his picture in the paper, with his past.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to suggest,” Hywel protests, and is reminded that it is the ‘MeToo’ age.

"If I had your dodgy history . . ."

“If I had your dodgy history, I’d keep my head right down, not draw attention to myself,” Eifion advises, 

This appears to make Hywel think

which seems to hit a nerve with Hywel.

Aaron is sitting in the alley

Aaron is sitting idly on his rucksack in the alley when his phone sounds 

Something is supposedly 'worth checking out'

with a message directing him to something which is allegedly ‘worth checking out’.   

"I know things aren't easy for you"

Rhys approaches and asks him if he is all right;  “I know things aren’t easy for you, especially at the moment – if you ever want to talk . . .”

"I don't want to talk to you"

Aaron does not appear willing to talk with him;  “You’d be surprised,” Rhys goes on, “We’ve got a lot in common – I was tricked by Dylan, too – 

"I'm sure the rest of the charges will stick"

“but don’t worry, I’m sure the rest of the charges will stick.”

"What are you on about?"

Aaron of course does not know anything about this, so Rhys explains, “They’ve dropped the drug charges against Dylan – I thought you knew.”   Aaron maintains that he is fine, gets up and walks off.

"I've got you worried now, haven't I?"

Meanwhile in the chip shop flat, Colin says, “I’ve got you worried now, haven’t I?”   

"I hope he's not involved in something dodgy"

Britt wonders if he is involved in something dodgy again;  Colin does not know the answer to that, but is just worried that Aaron is not being honest with them.

"Not drugs again?"

“What is it, then?   Not drugs again!” demands Britt, and at that moment, Aaron rushes in, furious that they knew that Dylan had got away with it 

"You didn't tell me anything!"

and did not even tell him, after everything he has gone through.

"Why can't you be honest with me for once?"

“Why can’t you just be honest with me for once?” he shouts at his mother, 

Then his rage is turned on Colin

then turns to Colin, “And you – you always let me down – every time!”   He goes to his room and slams the door.

"I told you so, Britt"

“I told you,” says Colin, and Britt urges him not to be like that.

Mark is in his manager uniform

Mark is smartening himself up for his high-powered job at the Deri when his mother and Brynmor return, informing him that they went for ride in the car and thought he would be at the Deri.   

Brynmor has yet another box

Brynmor is carrying yet another box, with a lampshade on top.   “We went to Carmarthen,” she says, 

"It was like Aladdin's cave!"

and Brynmor explains there was an auction which was like Aladdin’s cave.

Mark assumes that the lampshade belongs to Aladdin’s lamp, 

"Wait till you see the 'piece de resistance'!"

and is told, “Wait until you see the ‘piece de resistance’!” and he goes back out to the car.

"Mam – are you insane?"

“Mam, are you insane – taking Brynmor to an auction?” Mark snarls, and his mother tells him they had agreed not to buy anything, but there were so many bargains there.   Mark protests that they do not have the space;  

"We didn't buy much, Mark"

Kath points out that they did not buy much.

"Your mother has a good eye for paintings"

Then Brynmor returns with an enormous painting, commenting, “Your mother has a good eye for paintings.”   

Mark is speechless

Mark is absolutely flabbergasted, 

"I like it, Mark"

but she insists that she likes it.   He walks out of the house without a further word.

Hywel is very quiet

At Llwyncelyn, Hywel is sitting silently at the table.   

"You've been staring at that coffee for half an hour"

Gaynor wonders if he is all right;  “You’ve been staring at that coffee in a trance for half an hour.”   

"It's what Eifion said earlier"

He replies that he has just been thinking about something Eifion said earlier.   She asks how long he has been taking notice of anything Eifion says.

"I've had unconventional relationships" 

“It’s fair to say I’ve had unconventional relationships, isn’t it?” he muses, and she assumes he is referring to Stacey.   “She was a schoolgirl,” he goes on, 

"You were in love – and you got married"

but she reminds him that he was in love and got married.   Besides that, times have changed.

“I know that, but she wasn’t the only one,” Hywel groans, and Gaynor suspects Eifion must have mentioned Nia.   He explains, “Nia was not black and white – things were more complicated – 

"Listen, just forget about it"

“listen, just forget about it.   He was trying to get under my skin.”   Gaynor tells him to ignore Eifion.

Whose face is that, reflected in the mirror?

We now see that Rhys has been sitting on the stairs, 

"None other than Rhys

listening to this conversation.

Mark is at the Deri, moaning to Cassie and Tesni, “Taking Brynmor to an auction?   It’s like taking a gambler to a casino!”   

Tesni has qualified for a badge

Tesni is rather proud of her new badge, and Mark is confident that she will make a difference to the place.   

"To get bowls for the peanuts"

“I’m going to the kitchen now, to get bowls for the peanuts.”

"Talking rubbish to customers"

Cassie is doubtful that he will be in the job for long;  “There’s more to running a bar than looking pretty and talking rubbish to the customers.   Those glasses over there don’t make their own way to the washer,” she goes on, but tells Tesni she is only joking.   

"We like to have a bit of fun in here, unlike in Y Winllan"

“We like to have a bit of fun here, unlike in Y Winllan!”

"Eileen is after someone's blood!"

DJ is chatting to Mathew;  “It’s nice to get away from Penrhewl – Eileen is after someone’s blood!”   

"Sioned's"

Mathew correctly guesses that it is Sioned’s;  “It’s so awkward living there.”

“Before you go any further, there’s no room in the flat – I said the same thing to Sioned – there’s no room at the inn, sorry,” Mathew emphasises.   

DJ says he has just been caught in a difficult situation and is right in the middle;  “Eileen’s determined to keep me at Penrhewl, and it drives Sioned mad!”   

"You have brought this all on yourself"

Mathew points out the obvious fact that DJ has brought all this on himself.

“Leaving Sioned on her wedding day was a terrible thing to do – and you deceived everyone else, especially me.   I like you, DJ – you’re a good friend – 

"If anyone has been caught in the middle, it's me"

“but if anyone has been caught in the middle of this, it’s me.”   

DJ is left alone

He decides that it is time he left, as he has had a busy day.

Colin is dozing

It is about half past seven in the chip shop flat and Colin is asleep in the armchair;  

Aaron goes to the fridge

Aaron comes in and helps himself to a biscuit, then opens the fridge.   

A link is being sent to him . . .

His phone buzzes, and a message reads, ‘Sending you the link over now, if you’re sure.’

. . . and he seems very keen to get it

He replies, ‘10,000%’, looks across at Colin sleeping and goes back to his room.

"It's a shame, isn't it?"

At Maes-y-Deri, Brynmor comments that it is a shame;  Kath agrees that they have tried, 

"We haven't got a wall big enough"

but they do not have a big enough wall to display the painting, which she loves.

“It’s like some sort of paradise, isn’t it?” she says, and Brynmor is sorry to disappoint her, 

"It didn't look so big in the saleroom"

remarking that it did not look so big in the saleroom.   

"The whole of the Gwendraeth Valley"

“Imagine waking up every morning and looking down over that – it’s like looking down over the whole of the Gwendraeth Valley,” she goes on.

"You can almost hear the birds tweeting"

“Yes, it’s so relaxing – you can almost hear the birds tweeting and the stream flowing,” he adds.   Kath brings them down to earth, that they are in Maes-y-Deri, not a paradise.

"Perhaps Mark has a point"

“Perhaps Mark has a point – we should get rid of more of this stuff,” she concludes.

"There's only one answer, Kath"

Brynmor says there is only one answer, 

"Yes, I know – a skip!"

and she presumes that he means a skip, but he has other ideas.   

"No – create our own personal paradise"

“No, Kath – the answer is to create our own personal paradise.   What if we had a garage, a shed or two, a workshop – and a view like that out of every window?”

"What do you mean?"

Kath does not follow what he is getting at, 

"Move from Maes-y-Deri to our own personal paradise . . ."

so he explains, “Move, Kath – move house.   Move from Maes-y-Deri to our own personal paradise – 

". . . that's the answer to everything!"

“that’s the answer to everything!”