15 November 2022

Gwern presumably copies Garry's number

Gwern is copying a number to his phone when he hears Dani, so quickly sits down on the sofa;  

"You're not sitting in front of your X-box all day!"

“No way – you’re not sitting in front of your Xbox all day!” she rebukes him, “I’m fed up with dragging you out of bed to catch the bus –and the one day you don’t have school, you’re up!”

"I'm going shopping with Britt"

He explains that he has plans, and she wonders why she is only finding out now.   “It was a surprise – I’m going shopping with Britt to get your Christmas present.”   

"I didn't think you had any money"

Dani did not think that he had any money, but he says that he has been saving;  

"Stop worrying about me"

“Stop worrying about me – I’ll be all right.”

"You're a good boy, really"

She says that he is a good boy, really, 

Dani gives him a big hug

and gives him a hug;  “Enjoy yourself and I’ll see you later – 

"Dentist this afternoon"

“but remember you have the dentist this afternoon.”   

His rucksack is all packed

As soon as she is out of sight, Gwern retrieves his rucksack from under the sofa.

"Hard at work, Eileen?"

Colin arrives at Penrhewl, where Eileen is hard at work, preparing Christmas hampers.   She is pleased to see him and asks him to put the kettle on, as she is desperate for a cup of tea.   

He fills the kettle with water

He comments that it looks as if she has been up all night, and she agrees that it feels like it.

"I hadn't noticed Britt had the day off"

She had not noticed that Britt had the day off, and Colin apologises for that, maintaining that she is excited about going Christmas shopping.   “I’m sure if there’s a problem . . .” he begins, but Eileen already knows that she has abandoned her phone.

"It's nice to have a bit of peace"

“But still, it works both ways – it’s nice to have a bit of peace,” she adds, “You know, all that nonsense she was sending – ‘Who were you in a previous life?’ and ‘Find your Soulmate Quiz’!”

"A cowgirl in the Wild West – that what she was"

“A cowgirl in the Wild West – that’s what she was,” Colin informs Eileen, but she does not want to know.   “I wanted to ask you a quick favour, to be honest – 

"Don't say a word to Calamity Jane!"

“as long as you don’t say a word to ‘Calamity Jane’!”

"Has the world come to an end?"

Arwen has just eaten her breakfast and her mother sarcastically comments, “Goodness, what’s happened?   Has the world come to an end?”

"We could go shopping or something"

Arwen suggests they could go on a shopping spree or something, as they have a day off;  Ffion explains that Arwen is the one with the day off, 

"I have an inset day"

whereas she has an inset day.   Arwen points out that a lot of other children’s mothers are taking a day off, but Ffion insists that she cannot.

“Typical – what am I supposed to do, then?” her daughter demands, 

Monopoly with Jinx?

and is told that Jinx has promised to play Monopoly with her.   

"Great!"

The less than enthusiastic reply is, “Great!” and he suspects that she is afraid of losing.   “No, I just want to do something with Mam sometimes.”

"I'll book us a weekend in Cardiff"

Ffion proposes, “Why don’t I book us a weekend in Cardiff, then?   Shopping and a show – we’ll enjoy it.   What do you say?”

"I'll believe it when I see it!"

“I’ll believe it when I see it!” Arwen snarls, so her mother is determined to prove it to her and will book it now, before she forgets.   

"Yeah, right!"

“Yeah, right,” is Arwen’s dismissive verdict on the matter.   Ffion assures her that they will be going this month.

"You're not still here?"

Colin is surprised to find that Britt has not departed, and wonders if she has changed her mind about the shopping trip.  “Why – are you trying to get rid of me?” she asks, “I can’t tempt you to come with me, then?” 

"What – carrying your shopping bags?"

and he does not relish the thought of carrying her shopping bags.   

"I can read a book"

He will probably watch a few westerns and read a book.

"You – read a book?"

The thought of him reading a book makes her laugh, 

"I've got so many more hours in the day now"

and he explains, “I’ve got so many more hours in the day, now I’m not playing with my phone the time.”   She appreciates the fact that he is supporting her way of life like this, concluding that it says a lot about their relationship.   

"Don't spend too much on me!"

She had better get going now, and he warns her not to spend too much on him.   

Colin has another phone

As soon as she is through the back door, he takes another phone from his pocket and is soon engrossed in it.

"Seriously not on, pal!"

At Bryntirion, Kelly is looking at her phone and exclaims, “What?   Seriously, not on, pal!”   Jason wants to know what is the problem, 

"Another juicy storyline to Samantha!"

and she informs him, “My stupid editor has given another juicy storyline to Samantha – again!   Look what I’m lumbered with – people’s reactions to the fact that council has put double yellows on the road by the cemetery!”

Anita is put out to hear this

Anita is not happy to hear that;  “I think that is important – a lot of elderly people park there to visit loved ones.”   That is exactly the point that Kelly is making – it will take two minutes to write the article, 

"And Samantha gets the big, juicy sorry!"

while Samantha gets the big, juicy story.

"There's no point complaining, Kelly"

Jason maintains, “There’s no point complaining, is there?” and she thanks him for his support.   

"Show the editor you're better than that . . ."

Anita says that she should show the editor that she is better then the cemetery at Bethania, 

". . . use a bit of this"

and that she should use her head – draw attention to herself.   Jason is in agreement with this.

Kelly does not appreciate their input, and snarls, “Don’t you two have jobs to go to, or what?”   

"Work is quiet at the moment"

Apparently work is quiet at the moment and the purse strings are tightening.   

"Perhaps you should use a bit of this"

Kelly’s answer is, “Perhaps you should use a bit of this, and draw attention to the business,” before walking out of the room.

Jason looks at Anita

Anita and Jason look at each other;  “She might have a point, you know,” Anita supposes.

"That's a bit aggressive for this time of the morning"

Outside the shop, Dani shouts to Jinx, and he thinks that she is rather aggressive for this time of the morning.   

"Why aren't you replying to Petra?"

“You’re ignoring my friend,” Dani complains, “Why aren’t you replying to Petra?   It’s the right thing to do, if you enjoyed your date!”

"Things have been rather hectic"

His is excuse is that he has not had the chance, as things have been hectic, but Dani considers it to be rude.   He will text her now and reports that they had a nice time.   

"It's offensive!"

“Nice?   You can’t call a date ‘nice’ – it’s offensive!” she reprimands him, “Calling it ‘nice’ is a nice way to say you’re boring!”

"Petra is certainly not boring!"

He makes it quite clear that Petra certainly is not boring, and Dani insists that he has some grovelling to do.

"Watch where you're going!"

As she hurries into the shop, she barges into Howard who is coming out.   “Watch where you’re going!” he growls at her, 

Kelly witnesses this 

and Kelly is watching.

"You should have heard what Iolo said about him . . ."

“You should have heard what Iolo said about him – 

". . . it will all come out soon enough"

“it will all come out soon enough,” says Kelly, prophetically, and she continues along the street, 

"What is she on about?"

leaving Dani somewhat puzzled.

The Bull Ring?   Sounds like Birmingham

The scene shifts to a coach station, (which might be Birmingham, but the coach services and times are wrong) where the 9:45am to Cardiff is being announced from stand 6;  “Final call for the 9:25am to Glasgow.”   

Gwern looks at coach departures

Gwern looks at the departure board, and then at the National Express coach waiting outside.

Colin is having some 'downtime'

Colin is relaxing and playing on the replacement phone that he has acquired when he is alarmed to hear Britt returning;  he quickly stuffs the phone down the sofa.   

"I left my credit card behind"

She moans that she left her credit card behind, and was halfway to Cross Hands before she realised;  “I bought a pair of daps online last night, you see – I have no idea where it is.   It might have fallen down the side of the sofa.”

Colin is eager to keep her away from the sofa . . .

Colin is very insistent that he should check there, and advises her to look on the shelves.   Then the phone which he has hidden makes a sound, 

. . . but a text tone gives the game away

which Britt immediately recognises as, “Someone receiving a text.”   

"You must be having withdrawal symptoms"

He argues that she must also be having withdrawal symptoms.

“Colin Evans, I know you too well – come on, shift!   You’re hiding something.”   

Britt discovers the evidence

It does not take her long to find the offending phone, 

"It must be Wilko's old one"

and he tries to explain it away as being Wilko’s old one.  “You’re a hopeless liar – it’s your phone, isn’t it?”

He is forced to admit that it is Eileen’s phone, 

"What's Eileen's phone doing down our sofa?"

and Britt demands what it is doing down the side of the sofa.   He points out that it is nothing like that;  “I borrowed it, love – I can’t live without my phone, Britt, sorry.   

"I'm weak and spineless"

“I’m not like you – I’m weak and spineless.”

She declares that he has deceived her and there is only one thing to sort this out;  “Find my card, so I can max it out!”

"It's all go here!"

At Penrhewl, Kelly arrives, remarking, “It’s all go here!” and Eileen predicts that it will be the same until Christmas.   “Do you know what?   It’s fascinating, all the, like, juggling you do.”   

"Fascinating?"

Eileen does not think that ‘fascinating’ is the right word, 

Howard comes in for his breakfast 

then Howard comes in and is told that his breakfast is in the oven.

Kelly continues, “I think it would be a really good feature in the Western Post – ‘access all areas’ in one of the the biggest local businesses in the lead-up to Christmas.”

"People need to see your work ethic, Eileen"

As her gaze is concentrated upon Howard, she goes on, “People need to see your work ethic, Eileen – you work around the clock, all year round.”   Eileen does not appear very keen, 

"Why don't I send a week observing?"

so it is suggested, “Why don’t I spend, like, I don’t know, a week here, just observing?   If I get on your nerves, you can send me packing.”

"There's plenty of packing to do"

Eileen remarks that there is plenty of packing to do, and Kelly boasts that she is a dab hand at packing.   Eileen agrees, and they will see how it goes;  

Kelly has successfully infiltrated Penrhewl . . .

Kelly is very pleased that her plan has succeeded, 

. . . with an ulterior motive

and she turns to look at Howard, who is tucking into his breakfast.

Anita's latest plan

Anita has designed a flyer, advertising APD, on the laptop, and predicts that the orders will come flooding in.   “Yes, good,” says Jason, 

"As long as you're the one traipsing round the village"

“As long as you’re the one traipsing around the village, posting flyers.”   

"We could move with the age"

Then she has the idea that they could send them out digitally and move with the age.

"Which age is this, then?"

Rhys is just coming in and wonders which age she is referring to;  

Anita shows her e-mail flyer

“I’m going to send this out to our customers by e-mail, to remind them we’re still here,” she answers.

"You need to use the different platforms"

Rhys informs them, “If you want to move with the digital age, use the different platforms – Insta, TikTok.   Has APD got an Insta account?”   

This is all double-Dutch to Anita

Anita looks blankly at him.

Rhys gets to the point about why he is there;  “I’ve been to see a house in Swansea and the owner wants to spruce a few things up – can you take a look?”   Jason is pleased to comply with this request, and will go with Rhys now, 

"You can set up the Insta and TikTok accounts . . ."

leaving Anita to set up the Insta and TikTok accounts for APD.

". . . come on – just use this!"

“Yeah, come on – just use this,” he tells her, pointing to his head.

Gwern is still waiting

As Gwern sits, waiting for his coach, he opens his rucksack and takes out a packet of crisps.   There is an announcement that the 10:00 to Newcastle will now commence boarding from stand 3.   

He is targeted by two youths

Nearby two youths approach him and one asks if he knows where the toilets are;  

"Just along there, I think"

while his attention is distracted, 

Meanwhile his accomplice grabs the rucksack . . .

the second one grabs his rucksack 

. . . and they both do a runner

and they make a hasty exit.   He realises that he has been robbed.

"I've found it, Col!"

Britt comes back downstairs at number 21, reporting that she has found her credit card in the pocket of her jeans at the bottom of the wash-basket;  “So watch out, Swansea!”

"I will have therapy, Britt"

Colin says that he has been thinking, and if she thinks it necessary, he will have therapy;  “I’ve Googled it – how to beat phone addiction.”   

"Researching phone addiction – on your phone"

She is rather amused that he has been researching phone addiction on his phone.

He accepts that he has had upset her and deceived her;  “It’s pathetic, because all I wanted to do was colour in – it helps me to relax, you see.   

"Colouring in pictures with these little boxes"

“Colouring in pictures with these little boxes – it’s a game – do you want a go?”

"No thanks, Col"

Britt declines the offer, but assures him that she does not care that he likes to use his phone, “Even if it is to colour in,” 

"You're not angry with me?"

and he is surprised that she is not angry with him.   “I don’t expect you or anyone else to live without a phone – 

"I'm the one with the problem with phones"

“I’m the one with the problem with phones.   They cause me stress and worry – but we’re all different, Col.   I’m glad you tried to support me in this, but you’re you and I’m me.”

"Britt, you're priceless!"

He describes her as priceless 

He hugs her

and they hug;  

"I don't need to ask what you'll be doing"

“I must go, but I don’t need to ask what you’ll be doing,” she laughs 

He resumes his colouring

as she goes out of the back door.

Jinx send s a message to Petra . . .

Jinx is also using his phone, sending a message to Petra, as instructed;  thanking her for ‘a nice time’, 

. . . and remembers what Dani said

and then changing it to ‘a great time’.

Ffion has a disturbing phone call

Outside, Ffion is just approaching her front door when her phone sounds and she receives some unwelcome news.

Crumpets for Arwen 

She goes into the flat, where Jinx has just toasted two crumpets and hands them to Arwen, encouraging her, “Come on – you’ve got a day off, crumpets and chocolate – you can’t beat it!”

"The session finished early"

Ffion walks in and Arwen immediately assumes, “You’ve cancelled training to spend time with me?” but it is told that the session finished early, and that she has just had some terrible news.   

"Is Nain all right?"

Arwen fears that it involves her grandmother.

OFSTED are about to descend on the school

“No, Nain is fine.   The school is having an inspection, starting in two weeks’ time.”   

"You'll be working every hour of every day"

Arwen can see that her mother is going to be working every hour of every day.   “Jinx, I’m going to have to rely on you for help again, if you can,” Ffion pleads.

"Everything you said earlier was a lie!"

Arwen walks out of the room, snarling, “I told you, didn’t I? – everything you said earlier was a lie – again!   We’ll have to cancel the weekend in Cardiff!”   

"We'll just postpone it"

Her mother maintains that they will simply postpone it, but then they will have more reason to celebrate – a spending spree.   It will only be a couple of weeks’ difference.

"Yes, until the next crisis!"

“Yes, until the next crisis!” Arwen exclaims, “You’re so predictable!”

Fortunately they did not steal his phone

Gwern boards the coach and asks the driver, “Is this the bus to Newcastle?”   He shows the ticket on his phone 

The long journey begins

and goes to take a seat;  the long journey starts, 

. . . on a coach operated by Edwards Brothers of Llantrisant

and the coach’s destination shows as Newcastle 426 (a National Express service which goes nowhere near Birmingham).