17 February 2022

It has been a successful break

Back from their short break, Garry says he cannot remember the last time he enjoyed going away so much.   Andrea did not want it to end, stressing that she needs to catch up on some sleep, “But then . . .”

Garry promises her dinner in the Deri, 

They are being watched

and this does not go unnoticed by Britt, who is peering out of the chip shop window.   She calls to Colin, 

As they kiss . . .

and they watch as Garry says, “I’ve got a meeting later, but I’ll phone when I’m on my way over,” and they kiss.

. . . Britt is cackling

This romantic moment is shattered as Britt shouts, “Hey, we need to throw cold water over you two!” and cackles with laughter, but Colin wonders what she thinks she is doing.   “I’m having a bit of fun – it’s only Garry,” she replies, 

"Don't draw attention to them!"

but he accuses her of drawing attention to them.   

Garry goes up to the flat

Garry goes into the chip shop flat with a broad smile on his face, but Colin is far from happy about the situation.

"Looking at the hotel I booked?"

At Maes-y-Deri, Mark is looking at the laptop, and Brynmor enquires, “Looking the hotel I’ve booked for your mother and me?”   Mark is surprised that they are going away again, 

"Your mother deserves a break"

but it is pointed out that it is only for a couple of nights, as his mother deserves a break.

"You'll be away for the weekend, then"

“You’ll be away for the weekend, then,” concludes Mark, and Brynmor appreciates that he finds it difficult having them there all the time.   “Yeah – and I don’t want to be on my own, either,” Mark explains, “It’s a bit boring.”   

"How about that girlfriend you had?"

Brynmor reminds him of that girlfriend he had a little while ago, pointing out that he does not need to be on his own.

“Well, she’s moved on,” Mark advises, which Brynmor regards as a shame, and wonders if Mark wants to accompany them.   

"I'm not quite that desperate!"

“I’m not quite that desperate,” is the reply, 

Mark is deep n thought

but Mark appears to be thinking of some solution.

At APD, Jason is on the phone to Kelly;  “Can you ring me back when you get this message?”   

Jason cannot contact Kelly

Mathew and Eifion come in, and Jason complains that he cannot find the keys to the van, 

"Up there . . ."

which Mathew put on the first aid box.   

". . . on the first aid box"

“I’m going to collect Ifan.”   When Mathew protests, 

"If Kelly could do it, I wouldn't be!"

he goes on, “If Kelly could do it, I wouldn’t be running around like a fool!”   Eifion accuses him of taking the afternoon off.

"Who's going to get those china handles, then?"

Mathew asks, “Who’s going to get the parts, then?   The china handles the lawyer from Llanarthur wants in his bathroom?” 

He looks up the order . . .

and while he is looking for the details of the order, 

. . . and Jason sneaks out

Jason quietly slips out of the door.

DJ is doing some cooking

At Penrhewl, DJ is consulting an old recipé book and asking himself, “Why would I use the juice rather than the peel,” as he holds an orange.   

"Where did you get that book?"

Eileen comes in and provides the answer that the juice stops the cake from drying out;  she wonders where he found the book, and he says that Sioned gave it to him.

"I've been going on and on about your Bara Brith"

“Apparently I’ve been going on and on about your Bara Brith, so she gave me this.”   Eileen recalls that it is her mother’s book and is where she learned to cook.   She tells him to put in the juice, reminding him that he is the chef, but he protests that he is not as good as her.

"Do you want to taste it?"

He wonders if she would like to taste it, 

"I can't taste anything!"

but she sighs, “What’s the point?   I can’t taste anything – it might never come back!”   

"What you need is a 'jump start'!"

He recommends that what she needs is a ‘jump start’;  “Like those people who drink strong coffee in the morning to warm up their senses – leave it to me.”   

Eileen is puzzled

Eileen looks puzzled.

"Do you have any antique china handles?"

After making some fruitless phone calls, Mathew encounters Megan;  “I’ve got a client who wants antique china handles for his new bathroom – have you got anything like that at Apêl Maenan?”   

"It's not an antique shop"

She says that it is unlikely, as it is not an antique shop.

“I’ve been through Brynmor’s bin already,” he grumbles, “That’s what the boys call the garage now – he’s got so much stuff!”   

"Right, I must dash!"

Now he has to hurry away, but Megan cannot resist going to investigate.

Colin is delving into one of the many boxes

She finds Colin reaching into one of the boxes and coming up with an old teapot.   

"What's going on here?"

“What’s going on here!” Megan demands and Brynmor invites her to join them for a cup of tea.   “With this rubbish still in the street?” she asks.

"Helping Colin find his 'ding-a-ling'"

Brynmor maintains that they are helping Colin to find his ‘ding-a-ling’, 

"A man is nothing without his 'ding-a-ling'!"

and Colin emphasises, “A man is nothing without his ‘ding-a-ling’, is he?   No, I’m trying to find a bell for the chip shop.”

"That rubbish is here every day!"

Megan is not placated;  “That rubbish is here every day – it’s a complete mess – what if someone trips over it?”   Brynmor is sure that he has a stick there somewhere, which used to be his grandfather’s, and he recalls what a man he was.

"Mr Wilkinson, what are you going to do about it?"

“Mr Wilkinson, what are you going to do about this?   You’re the police officer,” she demands, 

"No crime has been committed, Mrs Harries"

but he answers that no crime has been committed so he is not going to do anything.   

"I shall contact the council!"

“We’ll see about that when I contact Hywel Llywelyn and the Council!” Megan angrily informs him, but Wilko is not in the least concerned.

"You must really like Andrea"

Britt is doing the ironing in the chip shop flat, and remarks upon Garry’s aftershave;  “You must really like Andrea to go to such trouble.”   He describes Andrea as pretty normal, and Britt laughs, “She won’t fit into this family, then!”   Colin wonders if she will be coming to stay the night there.

"Why, Dad – is there a problem?"

“Why, Dad – is there a problem?” Garry asks, and assures them that he will not keep them awake;  he is now off to Llanarthur to pick up a present before meeting Andrea.

“Presents – I haven’t seen Garry as keen as this,” Britt remarks, 

Colin is looking perturbed

and wonders why Colin is looking so upset, but of course he protests that it is nothing.

"What do you know about her, then?"

Putting down the iron, Britt asks, “All right – what do you know about her, then?”   

"I can't say, Britt"

He replies that he is unable to say, but she snarls, “You promised not to keep secrets from me.” 

So he is forced to reveal, “Andrea is ill.”   

"She hasn't got cancer, has she?"

Britt wonders what is wrong with her, hoping that it is not cancer, 

"She's got HIV"

but Colin whispers, “HIV,” which she takes to mean AIDS, 

"Garry's in danger!"

and is anxious that they should warn Garry, as he is in danger.   She rushes out of the flat, 

"What have I done?"

and Colin worries about what he has unleashed.

"Smoky Bacon"

Eileen is blindfolded and is testing various crisps, the first of which she identifies as smoky bacon, 

"Salt and Vinegar"

when they are in fact salt and vinegar.   

Sioned walks in on this experiment

Sioned is surprised by the scene which greets her, and is informed by DJ, “Blind Taste Test – 

Eileen misidentifies the drink as well

“right, Eileen, you can try the drink in front of you now.”   She identifies it as orange, whereas it is lemon.

She rips off the blindfold, realising that she has not got one of them right;  she only guessed the sugar because of the granular nature of the crystals.   

"I might as well accept I'm totally useless!"

“I might as well accept it that I’m totally useless!” she growls and walks out of the house.

DJ maintains that he was only trying to help, but is reprimanded by Sioned, “You’ve managed to make things worse!   

"I'm going after her"

“I’m going after her to check she’s OK.”   DJ picks up his jacket and follows her.

"Look at that mess . . ."

Kelly arrives back at Bryntirion to find a place in a state of disorder;  

". . . pizza and chips again!"

she grumbles to Jason, “Pizza and chips again!   Of course that’s what Ifan wanted – he’s five!   You have to cook something healthy sometimes.”

"The cartoons were just starting"

Jason in turn protests, “He was starving – I phoned you, but you didn’t phone back.   This is the mess from making dinner – sorry I ran out of time.   The cartoons were just starting – 

"We had to eat quickly"

“we had to eat quickly, watch the telly, then have a bath – and now you’re home.”

"Right – bath, then takeaway!"

“And I’m knackered!   I was hoping for something nice, for once,” she moans, “Do you know what?   I’m going to have a bath, then order a takeaway – nice one, Jase!”

"You tried your best, DJ"

Eileen is out in the fields, where she is joined by Sioned and DJ, who apologises for upsetting her.   “You didn’t – you tried your best,” Eileen answers, and Sioned insists that her taste will come back.

"What if it never comes back?"

“When?   Nobody understands this illness – what if it never comes back?   What will I do without cooking?   That’s what gives me pleasure, and sharing my enthusiasm for cooking – I can’t do anything else well.”

"This farm would be nothing without you"

Sioned protests that the farm would be nothing without her, 

"You have the shop and the accounts"

and DJ points out that she has the shop and the accounts to do.   “But that’s not fun, is it?   Food means more than just eating – 

"If I can't taste, what's the point?"

“that’s how I show love for people, and enjoy myself – comfort people.   If I can’t taste, what’s the point?   

"Cae Glas is over!"

“We might as well accept it – Cae Glas is over!”   

They are speechless

Sioned and DJ look at each other as she walks away.

Megan drives slowly out of the village

Megan manoeuvres her car past the boarded-up Cwm Delhi and out of the village.   

The DI is about to follow her

Waiting in the back street is the DI on his motorcycle;  he follows her.

"I'm waiting for Garry"

In the Deri, Andrea tells Dani, who is carrying her baby monitor, that she is waiting for Garry, and invites her, “You’re welcome to join me, if it’s not too awkward.   I would buy you a drink, but the barman has gone to the cellar.”   

"Well, I can sort that out"

“Well, I can sort that out – I’m an old hand at this,” Dani replies, taking up her position behind the bar.   

"How are things going with 'Fi a Nghi'?"

Andrea enquires how things are going with ‘Fi a Nghi’ [Me and my Dog], and Dani corrects her that it is ‘Ci a Chi’ [You and the Dog].

“You know, it’s actually been a bit quiet recently,” Dani replies (possibly due to there being no staff working there), and Andrea does not know how she does it – 

"Running a business and a family"

running a business and a family.   Dani concedes that it can be difficult sometimes.

"I never met the right person"

“I would have liked a family, but I never met the right person,” Andrea admits;  

"Do you think Garry is the one?"

Dani wonders if Garry might be the one.   

Britt comes into the Deri . . .

Then Britt comes in through the door and looks at them;  “Do you want to join us?” Andrea asks.

. . . then walks out again

“No!” Britt snarls in reply, turns and walks straight out again.   

"Sister-in-law – watch out!"

Dani warns that she would be the sister-in-law, so Andrea should watch out.

"We don't know what she's touched!"

As soon as Britt gets back to the flat, she instructs Aaron not to put anything on that table;  “We don’t know what she’s touched!   Andrea – Garry’s new girlfriend!   I need to scrub this place clean.”   

"What's wrong with Andrea?"

Aaron wants to know what is wrong with her, 

"It's nothing"

and Colin says that it is nothing.

Britt insists, “We don’t know that – and where’s the bubbly?   I bet she took that as well!”   Colin tells her to stop, but she will not;  

"Garry's new girlfriend's got AIDS!"

“Who knows where that disease could be?   She’s got HIV – Garry’s new girlfriend’s got AIDS – and I’m not going to let her infect this house with her illness.   

"Whores and druggies!"

“Do you know who used to catch HIV?   Whores and druggies!”   

"Britt, stop, now!

She will take no notice of Colin’s entreaties to stop, even when he shouts at her.

"Your dinner, madam!"

Kelly comes downstairs after her bath, and is presented with a special pizza by Jason, 

Some competition for Arwen's pizzas

tastefully decorated.   

"What am I, like – five?"

“What am I, like – five?” she says, and he points out that he is only trying to say sorry – and has cleared up the mess

“Things were a lot easier when Anita was around,” he comments, but Kelly reminds him they cannot rely on Auntie Anita for the rest of their lives.   “But it’s a lot easier with an extra pair of hands,” he points out.   She maintains that they simply have to be more organised;  

"Perhaps we could be more official"

he suggests, as he attempts to light a candle, that they should be more official.

"It won't make any difference"

“It won’t make any difference if you can’t make different dinner on two consecutive nights.” she remarks, but he considers that she does not want to marry him.   “You’re not serious, are you?” she says, “Jase, we’re happy – we’re chilled, we love each other –

"If it's not broke, don't fix it!"

“if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.   I mean, never say never, but – you know what?   I think we have enough on our plate.”

He agrees that they just have to be more organised;  have a rota.   “You make dinner one night, I make it another,” Kelly suggests, 

"Who needs a ring when we could have a rota?"

and he wonders who needs a ring when they could have a rota, commenting  that it is cheaper but not so romantic.

"Play your cards right . . ."

“Ifan’s fast asleep – Auntie Anita’s not here – so play your cards right, after the pizza, 

". . . and you might get lucky!"

“and you might get lucky!” Kelly proposes.   He seems to be all in favour of that.

"Another drink?"

Dani asks Andrea if she  would like another one, but she says she is driving, and not staying tonight;  “We’ve spent enough time together over the last few days – 

"I have to go bck to a normal life"

“I have to go back to normal life.”   

"Life with Garry is not normal"

Dani concedes that life with Garry cannot he described as normal.

"How about a day out as a family?"

Andrea has been thinking that perhaps they could organise a day out as a family;  “We could go to Folly Farm perhaps, or Oakwood – would you be happy to do something like that?”   

"I'm not going on any rollercoaster!"

After a little thought, Dani answers that it would be nice – but she is not going on any rollercoaster.   She has enjoyed talking to Andrea.

"How are things going with Garry/"

Then Mark arrives at the bar and Andrea asks if he is meeting someone;  “No, just a quick drink,” he says, “How are things going with Garry?”   

"Thanks for not saying anything"

She replies that things are fantastic, and thanks him for not saying anything about her condition.

“You gave me the chance to tell him in my own way, and that’s so important,” she says;  

"That's the least I could do"

he maintains that was the least he could do.   

"Hey, gorgeous!"

Garry comes in and greets her, “Hey, gorgeous!” and he shows her the little present he has for her.   

Mark is thinking again

Mark sits at the bar, pondering his situation.

Aaron researches HIV

In the chip shop flat, Aaron is searching online for ‘Hwrod HIV’ when Colin comes in;  

He has been put off his pizza . . .

“You can have the rest of this pizza – I don’t want it,” says Aaron, 

. . . and retires to his room . . .

as he takes the laptop to his bedroom 

. . . which concerns Colin

and Colin is very concerned.

"There's no such thing as driving too slowly"

On her return to the village, Megan has been stopped by the DI;  she protests, “There is no such thing as driving too slowly,” but he maintains that there is when she is among other motorists, 

"I have been following you"

and reveals that he followed her.   

Brynmor is keeping watch

Brynmor is watching from amongst his various boxes.

The DI lists her various failings

The DI goes on, “I was distracted because you had your hazard lights on,” and she explains that she must have touched the button while fiddling with the radio.   “So you weren’t paying attention to the road,” he suggests, “I’m worried that you’re not safe to drive.”

"Is everything all right, Megan?"

Brynmor approaches and asks if everything is all right;  “He says I’m not fit to have a licence,” declares Megan, and the DI reminds her when she turned right in Llanarthur, she was going against the traffic, and it was dangerous, maintaining that he just wants to keep her safe.

"I'll have to ask for a doctor's note"

“I’ll have to ask for a doctor’s note confirming your competence to drive,” he says, 

"You can't do that!"

and Brynmor objects to that.   

"This is just revenge!"

Megan realises that this is revenge for her threatening to go to the council.   “Can I see your licence, please?” the DI asks.

“Come on – just give her a warning,” urges Brynmor, but is told that this is nothing to do with him.

"Don't tell me how to do my job, all right?"

“Don’t tell me how to do my job, all right?” he snarls.   Megan pleads that she will be lost without her car, 

"I must see your licence"

but he insists he must see her licence.

Brynmor's doubts intensify

Brynmor regards this as further proof that his suspicions about Wilko were well-founded.