1 January 2022 (2nd)

Gaynor has obviously lost something

Hywel returns to Llwyncelyn to find Gaynor frantically searching through drawers;  she informs him, “I’ve lost the password for the crypto account!” 

"I've been keeping it safe"

but he reassures her that he has it and has been keeping it safe in his wallet.   “Why didn’t you tell me?” she rages, 

"Why have you got it?"

“Why have you got it?”

"I was worried you'd waste your money"

He replies that he was worried that she would waste her money, but she insists that she is not going to waste it;  “I’m going to use the money towards Izzy’s scholarship.”

He was under the impression she was giving £10,000;  

"I've changed my mind – it's my money"

“Well, I’ve changed my mind – it’s my money,” she growls, and he says that she has made that perfectly clear.   

"This is the only thing I can do for her now"

Gaynor wails, “Sorry, but I wasn’t there for Izzy when she was alive – we all let her down – this is the only thing I can do for her now!”

"It's nothing to do with me"

“You can do what do you like with it – it’s nothing to do with me!” is Hywel’s terse answer.

Britt picks up some of the decorations

Surveying the scene of carnage which she has created out in the street, Britt is trying, unsuccessfully, to reinstate the display.   

Aaron is watching

Aaron is watching as Colin comes running over with a look of horror on his face;  

"What have you done, love?"

he asks, “Britt, what have you done, love?” 

She rather understatedly replies, “Something happened, Col.   I’m a little bit hurt, 

"Not as much as this Father Christmas, though"

“but not as much as this Father Christmas, though.   That’s what Christmas is, isn’t it?   A broken Father Christmas!   

"I can't remember one Christmas I've enjoyed"

“I can’t remember one Christmas I’ve enjoyed.”

Colin says that of course she can;  “When the children were young – and you and me – we’ve enjoyed it . . . sometimes.”   

She says she cannot remember it – she only remembers bad things;  “I went to see Aaron, but he didn’t want to talk to me, so . . .”   

Colin gives her a reassuring cwtch . . .

Colin realises that was when the orgy of destruction started, and tells her to come to him, and they hug, with Britt in tears.

. . . and Aaron is in tears

Aaron has been watching this, also in tears, 

They hurry back to the chip shop flat

as Colin urges her to come home with him.

The suite at the Court Colman Manor

Griffiths shows Anita to their hotel room, [the ‘Nos Da Suite’ at The Court Colman Manor, near Bridgend] and he says, “I hope you don’t mind I booked us one room.”   

"It's a bit late to be shy now"

She points out that it is rather late for her to be shy now, after they had such a good Christmas.   She particularly notices the flowers, 

There is confetti on the bed

and then is impressed to see that confetti has been sprinkled over the bed.

"I was hoping for rose petals"

“Is that what it is?” says Griffiths, “I was hoping for rose petals, but they didn’t have any – this is the same sort of thing.”

Megan will be staying at home tonight

Megan is in the bookshop;  Siôn asks how she is and whether she has any plans for tonight.   She will be staying at home, and he does not feel like going anywhere either;  

"Are you all right, Megan?"

“As long as I’ve got enough spare change for Calennig [which translates as ‘New Year’s gift’]

She looks very worried and would like to ask Siôn something;  

"How are you finding not seeing much of your sons?

“How are you finding not seeing much of Huw and Macs?”   He admits that it is difficult, especially at this time of year, 

"I'm used to it now"

but he is now used to it, and asks about her children.

"I don't know what Gareth Wyn is up to"

“Rhian keeps in touch, but I don’t know what Gareth Wyn is up to from one year to the next – I’m very worried about him,” Megan confesses.   Siôn suggests that sometimes it is better not to know how they’re doing, 

"If the were in trouble, they'd get in touch"

and is confident that if the boys were in trouble or needed anything, they would get in touch.   

"I hope that's true"

Megan hopes that this is true of her situation.

Hywel has been tidying up

Hywel has tidied up the paperwork strewn around by Gaynor, and she says that if he wants to discuss the money, she is quite willing, 

"Well, it's your money"

but he again insists that it is her money.

“Well I have got something I want to discuss with you,” she continues;  

"I'm going to meet some fellow councillors"

he had assumed that she would not want to go out tonight, so has arranged to meet some fellow councillors, 

Gaynor is disappointed

which she finds rather disappointing.

"Is that you, Col?"

Britt is now sleeping off her wild experience on the sofa in the chip shop flat;  she hears footsteps on the stairs and assumes that it is Colin.   

"Sorry for walking away earlier"

However, Aaron has returned, and when she sees him, she begins to cry again;  “Sorry for walking away earlier,” he tells her, and she apologises for shouting at him, but she sometimes loses control.

I've been wondering where I went wrong"

“It’s not your fault, love,” she concedes, “I’ve been wondering where I went wrong.”   He makes it quite clear that he was the one who painted the swastika on Iolo’s house, 

"You haven't done anything wrong, Mam"

and his mother has not done anything wrong.

She replies that she has, hundreds of times, and it gets her down sometimes.   Aaron maintains that she needs a break, suggesting that she should go away for a while, perhaps to Portugal to see Chester.   He would like to come with her, but cannot miss school; 

"You need a break, Mam"

however he is insistent that his mother should have a break.

She says that she would worry too much, not just about him, but also Colin;  “He gets stressed sometimes these days as well.”   Aaron then volunteers to come back.   “Colin is sorry, you know – he feels guilty,” she says.

Aaron appreciates that everyone does stupid things;  

"Me, you, Col, Garry, Dani – everyone"

“Me, you, Col, Garry, Dani – everyone!   I love you, Mam.”

"Have you seen Aaron?"

Sioned comes running into the chippy and asks Colin if he has seen Aaron;  “He won’t answer his phone, and we’ve got pizza deliveries to make.”   

"I don't want anyone to disturb Britt"

She wants to check up in the flat, but Colin tries to dissuade her;  “I don’t want anyone to disturb Britt – she’s feeling a bit fragile.”   Sioned assumes that was caused by what Aaron did, but Colin points out that it was not Aaron’s fault.

"Well, it wasn't anyone else's fault!"

“Well, it wasn’t anyone else’s fault!” she snarls.

Colin explains that there is a reason Aaron behaved like he did;  “I really hurt him and Britt when . . . 

"You know – that business with your Mam"

“you know – that business with your Mam.”

Sioned does not regard that as his fault, 

"Everybody makes mistakes"

adding that everybody makes mistakes.   He continues, “I just hope that everyone can forgive as well, because, well, life is short, isn’t it?   

"Some lives shorter than others"

“Some lives shorter than others.”   This seems to have hit home with Sioned.

"The biggest cocktail on the menu . . ."

A waiter arrives with a fancy cocktail for Anita;  “The biggest cocktail on the menu,” Griffiths announces, 

". . . for the most beautiful woman in the place"

“For the most beautiful woman in the place!”   He is sticking to the whisky, and continues the compliments, “I didn’t realise you were so pretty – I’m used to seeing you in jeans and a big blouse – and tonight, well . . .”

"Do you mean I normally look frumpy?"

Anita wants to know whether he is insinuating that she normally looks frumpy, and then reveals that she is only pulling his leg, which comes as a relief to him.  

"I wouldn't want to insult you"

 “I wouldn’t want to insult you.”

"I haven't been in such a swanky place"

She does not think she has been in such a swanky place since the days she used to clean for a living, 

"You should live in a place like this"

and he maintains that a woman like her should have a place like this to live in.   

"I think you're trying just a bit too hard"

She advises him, “Ieuan, I think you’re trying just a little bit too hard – you sound as if you’ve read a book on taking women out on dates.   

"You haven't?   Get away!"

“You haven’t?   Get away!   What’s the book called?”

"Woo the Woman you Want to Win"

He rather self-consciously replies, “Woo the Woman you Want to Win – I feel like a fool now!”   Anita really appreciates the effort to which he has gone, then he says that he has booked a guy to come and serenade her, 

"Should I tell the serenade guy to go home?"

and wonders if he ought to tell him to go home.   Anita is incredulous, but then he reveals that this time he is joking.

"I've left messages for him"

Sioned returns to Cysgod y Glyn, where the already shortstaffed pizza business is in full swing, having not managed to find Aaron, but she has left messages telling him to come back as soon as possible.   

"No, we won't be seeing Kelly"

She is expecting that Kelly will join them, but Jinx is very doubtful about that.

Then Sioned has to leave as well

Then Sioned’s phone sounds;  it is someone who is in the Deri now, and wants to see her immediately.   “Sorry, it’s really important,” she tells Jinx as she rushes out again, leaving him alone;  another customer calls.

Megan, at home, looks at a photo . . .

Megan despondently walks through her house, 

. . . at least twenty years old

looking at a photograph of herself and Reg [who died in February 2003] with Gareth Wyn.

"I can't imagine what you're going through"

Sioned has gone to meet Mathew in the Deri;  “I’m glad you phoned – I can’t imagine what you’re going through, Math,” she says, “You don’t deserve it at all – unlike me!”

"What happened with DJ was not your fault"

He reminds her that what happened with DJ was not her fault;  

"But it's my fault I won't forgive him"

“But it’s my fault that I won’t forgive him,” she points out, “I saw Colin earlier – he said that life is too short.”   Mathew urges her to do something about it, then.

“But what happened between me and DJ was not my fault,” she protests,” So it’s not my place to do something about it!”

It's obvious that he's in love with you"

Mathew comments that DJ has already tried, and it is completely obvious to everybody that he is in love with her;  “Izzy and I were exactly the same.”   

"I understand what you're trying to say"

She understands what he is trying to say, and he hopes that she does;  “Otherwise you’re going to be lonely, Sioned.”   

"Even I've got somewhere to be"

As he gets up from his chair, he adds, “Even I’ve got somewhere to be on New Year’s Eve,” 

Sioned is left alone in the corner

and he leaves the Deri.

Note that table, made from old bellows

As they sit in the lounge of the hotel, Anita is pleased to be doing something different on New Year’s Eve;  “Siôn would just want to stay in and read poetry.”

"Siôn White – the wild man of Cwmderi!"

Ieuan remarks, “Siôn White – the wild man of Cwmderi!”   Anita recalls the time Siôn got very excited because he told her the story of Guto Nyth Bran. [apparently an extremely talented 18th century Welsh Athlete]   Ieuan thinks that he must have also read ‘Woo the Woman you Want to Win’.

"I'm trying to forget about them tonight"

Anita’s phone sounds;  “Oh, it’s Kelly  – probably wants to wish me Happy New Year.   I’ve come out to forget about Kelly and Jason and Ifan tonight.”   

"Are you ashamed of me?"

He is surprised that she does not want anyone to know who she is out with, and wonders if she is ashamed of him;  “Is that why you didn’t want me to come to Bryntirion?   

"I know I'm not the catch of the century"

“I know I’m not the catch of the century, but I really enjoy being with you.”

"It's our little secret"

Anita feels likewise, and wants them to enjoy themselves and have fun;  “There’s no need to tell everyone about it, and be formal.   It’s our little secret – you and me!”   

"It adds some kind of frisson to the liaison"

He suggests that it adds some kind of frisson to the liaison.

Mathew walks through the woods . . . 

Mathew walks through the woods with some cans of Carling in his hand;  

. . . to where Izzy died

on reaching the spot where Izzy died, he is angered to see that a wreath is already there, 

There is a message from her mother

bearing the message, ‘Still love you, Izzy.  Mam xx’.

He drops the cans . . .

He drops the cans to the ground, picks up the wreath, 

. . . picks up, then throws down the wreath . . .

and, after looking at it, throws away the card, and flings the wreath to the ground with an anguished cry.   

. . . and sinks to the ground

He slumps down by the tree.

Colin comes into the chip shop flat and tells Britt that she looks better;  

"I've decided to go and see Chester in Portugal"

“I’ve decided to go and see Chester in Portugal,” she informs him, “On my own, if that’s OK.”   

"You do what you feel is best"

He says that she should do what she feels is best, and of course will miss her.   “You won’t be on your own, because Aaron is coming home,” she goes on.

"What if he's still angry with me?"

Colin looks concerned, asking, “What if he’s still angry with me?   I don’t know how to talk to him any more.”   

"He knows it's not our fault, Col"

Britt assures him that Aaron knows what happened is not their fault, and at that moment Aaron arrives, carrying a pizza.

"It was meant to be a dinosaur, but . . ."

“The shape is a bit odd – it was meant to be a dinosaur, but . . .” he says, 

"Are you doing all the cooking from now on?"

and his mother is sure that it will taste perfect, nevertheless.   Colin assumes that Aaron will be doing all the cooking from now on.   

"If you like pizzas – Dad"

“Especially if you like pizzas – Dad – come on, then, before it gets cold,” says Aaron, 

This is good news to Colin

and Colin looks very relieved.

Gaynor comes upon Mathew

Mathew is still lying on the ground, drinking from a can, when Gaynor comes into view.   “Didn’t you like my wreath?’ she asks, “What’s wrong?   You want to be with her and feel closer to her here?”

"I thought I would, but no"

“I thought I would, but no – I miss her so much,” he groans, and invites Gaynor to help herself to a can.

She takes one of the cans

“She was smitten with you,” Gaynor tells him, 

"Not as much as I was with her"

and he replies that he felt the same about her.   “Mathew, I know you think I didn’t so enough for her when she was here – 

"I'm trying my best now, you know"

“but I’m trying my best now, you know.   What else can I do?”

"And do you feel as if you're 'moving on'?"

He asks if it makes her feel as it she is ‘moving on’, and she shakes her head;  

"But at least I'm doing something"

“But at least I’m doing something, aren’t I?”

“All the talk today and tonight about ‘moving on’ and ‘a new start’,” he continues, and she says that it is just another day.   

"No easier than the last one"

“And no easier than the last one,” Mathew sighs

"DJ – are you there?"

Sioned arrives back at the farmhouse and calls for DJ, but there is no reply;  

She thinks for a moment . . .

she looks around the room and finds a notepad, 

. . . tries to write a note . . .

on which she writes, ‘Dear DJ,” then crosses it out.   

. . . but then hurries out again

She flings down the pad and leaves the house.

"Are you so bored with my company?"

Anita leads Ieuan to their hotel room;  “Why have you come up here?   Are you so bored with my company?   Or do you want to leave?   It’s only five o’clock – we haven’t eaten yet!”

"We can always go back down for food later"

“We can always go back down for food later,” Anita replies;  

"I don't want to miss the fireworks"

he does not want to miss the fireworks, as they are supposed to be really something.   

Anita is hoping for some 'fireworks', too . . .

She sits on the bed and continues, “I’m hoping the fireworks in here will be worth seeing as well!”   

. . . something which Ieuan seems to relish

He starts loosening his collar already.

As the midnight hour approaches, some of the villagers are gathering outside the Deri;  there are Siôn and Tesni, 

Gaynor does not think she will stay

Mathew and Gaynor, who does not know whether she will stay for a drink.   Mathew suggests they can have something better than a can of cheap lager.   She thinks that she will go home.   

Cassie stars the countdown to the New Year

As Cassie starts counting down, 

Sioned catches sight of . . .

Sioned, standing alone, 

. . . DJ coming towards her

sees DJ approaching.

Hywel obviously prefers Jaclyn's company

As the count progresses, Hywel and Jaclyn are in the Deri;  

Iolo is alone at number 7

Tyler wishes Iolo ‘Happy New Year’ in a text;  

Jinx is completely exhausted

Jinx is exhausted and asleep on the sofa at Cysgod y Glyn;  

Kelly and Jason are at home

Kelly and Jason are at home at Bryntirion.

"Happy New Year, DJ"

Sioned walks purposefully towards DJ and decisively kisses him, while Mathew looks on.   

"Yes, it will be!"

DJ is confident that this will be a Happy New Year.

The village fireworks display