11 July 2023

Then post arrives early in Cwmderi

As Cassie is making herself an early cup of tea at number 9, four items of post come through the door.   

Cassie takes it back to the kitchen . . .

She picks them up and collects her glasses on the way back to the kitchen.   

. . . and when she reads it . . .

Then she opens the first one, 

. . . she has an unpleasant surprise

finding to her horror a letter from a firm of solicitors, headed, ‘Notice to vacate property’.   

"What the . . ?"

“What the . . ?” she exclaims.

Hywel does not appear to be in a good humour"

Esther comes downstairs at Llwyncelyn to find her father sitting, bleary-eyed on the sofa, having not had a good night.   “Are you OK, Dad?” she asks, “

"You look a mess!"

You look a mess!   I don’t think you’re sleeping very well on the sofa.”

"It's only while Gaynor is ill"

He makes the patently false excuse that he is only there while Gaynor is ill, and of course Auntie Cheryl is sleeping in the spare room, but Esther knows better than that.

"Are you and Gaynor splitting up?"

“Dad, are you and Gaynor splitting up?” she demands, “Moli said that her parents slept apart for ages – and they split up.”   As Hywel hesitantly  tries to explain, she goes on, “And you’ve been falling out for ages.”

"Can we discuss it another time?"

He would rather that they discussed the matter another time, 

"So you are splitting up"

so she takes this to mean that they are splitting up.   

"It's complicated"

He tries to explain that it is complicated and that he would like to discuss this properly with her.

"Where am I going to live?"

“So it is true, then?” she says, “Well, what’s going to happen?   Where am I going to live?   Who am I going to live with?”

He assures her that she does not need to worry about that now, maintaining that nothing is going to happen to anyone and there is no talk of anyone going anywhere.   

"But if you don't like each other any more"

“Yeah, but if you don’t like each other any more . . .” Esther begins.

He interrupts her to insist, “We do like each other . . . well, we don’t love each other any more — 

"But we do love you!"

“but we do love you!   Go and sit at the table – we’ll have some breakfast and discuss it properly.”   

"I have to catch the bus to school"

Esther objects to this idea, as she is in a hurry to catch the bus to school, but he says that she has plenty of time.

"I've got some nice goat's cheese"

Eileen informs DJ, “The beetroot and fennel are ready at last,” and he has got some nice goat’s cheese, which would make a good salad.   

"I might come over for lunch"

She decides that she might come over to the deli for lunch and he will reserve a table.

"A lot of people have asked when we are reopening"

“A lot of people have been asking when we’re reopening,” he says, then his phone rings 

"Hello – Doctor Matthews?"

and he finds that it is Dr Matthews, 

Eileen is concerned

which causes Eileen some concern.

"The last thing we want is for you to worry|"

Over the breakfast table, Hywel emphasises, “The last thing we want is for you to worry,” 

"You'll miss the bus, Esther"

and at that moment Gaynor comes in, remarking that Esther will miss the bus.   “Yeah, well, Esther and I are discussing the fact that you and I are separating,” he explains.

"I know you and Dad don't love each other any more"

“I know that you and Dad don’t love each other any more,” Esther tells her, and Gaynor is rather lost for words, 

"We're better off apart"

pointing out that things get a lot more complicated when you get older, and they have decided that they are better off apart.

“But you’re not apart, are you?” Esther reminds her, 

"You've split up, but you haven't split up?"

“I don’t understand – you’ve split up, but you haven’t split up.”   

"You'll come first, OK?"

Hywel tells her that they have not sorted everything out yet;  “But you’ll come first, OK?”   

"We both love you very much"

Gaynor confirms that this, stressing that they both love her very much and will always be there for her.

“And Auntie Cheryl?” asks Esther, 

Hywel detests the mere mention of Cheryl

at which Hywel tries to stop himself grimacing;  when Esther wants a lift to school, 

"You don't need to go to school"

Gaynor maintains that she does not need to go to school today if she does not want to.   She can stay at home and they can talk.

She wants to compare notes with Moli

“I want to go – I want to see Moli!” Esther insists, and Gaynor remarks that 

"As your father is still in his pyjamas . . ."

as her father is in his pyjamas, she had better take Esther.

When she goes upstairs to brush his teeth before school, 

"She knows everything's not as it should be"

Hywel says, “She’s a clever girl – she knows everything is not as it should be.   I just hope we haven’t made a mess of this.”

"I've escaped from the ironing"

In the Deri, Dani is sitting at the bar, having escaped from the ironing at number 7 and says that she does not have the patience to do it.   

"The boiler has blown a fuse"

Cassie suggests that they have a coffee, commenting, “You know what?   I was going to wash my hair this morning and the boiler has blown a fuse.   And the day started much worse than that.”

Dani cannot think of anything worse

Dani cannot imagine anything worse than not being able to wash her hair, 

"Not having a roof over your head"

so Cassie explains, “Receiving a letter, saying you don’t have a roof over your head.   It didn’t say that exactly, but the executor of Gwyneth’s will has started the process of selling the house.   Have you heard anything on behalf of Gwern?”

"I haven't heard anything"

Dani has not heard anything, and Cassie does not want to be a nuisance;  

"I'm sure Gwern will want to go back to it"

“It’s a nice house and I’m sure Gwern will want to go back to it.”   

"Power shower!"

In the meantime, Dani knows how she can sort out her hair, and the whereabouts of a power shower.

"I've had more compliments about my hair"

Cheryl comes sadly out of Tomos ac Ellis, just as Kath has emerged from the Deri;  she has received more compliments about her hair and someone has asked whether Cheryl is available to do hers.

"Since when has Cwmderi become such a 'des res'?"

“Since when has Cwmderi become such a ‘des res’?” Cheryl moans, 

"People think they're stuck here"

and Kath replies that half of the residents think they are stuck there.

“It’s a nice place, nice people – but finding somewhere to put your head down is impossible –

"There are waiting lists in Tomos ac Ellis"

“there are waiting lists in Tomos ac Ellis,” Cheryl goes on, “The thing is, I don’t know how long I’m going to hang around – I’m only looking because I don’t want to be in Hywel Llywelyn’s way.”

"I'm surprised he hasn't tried his luck with you"

Kath expresses her surprise that Hywel has not tried his luck with Cheryl.   

"You do know I'm Gaynor's sister"

“You do know I’m Gaynor’s sister?” Cheryl reminds her. 

She is informed, “That wouldn’t stop Hywel Llywelyn, believe you me!”   Cheryl looks rather troubled by that prospect and asks if Kath should hear of any local private rentals, she would be interested;  

Kath is working something out

Kath’s mind is starting to develop an idea.

Hywel is still in his pyjamas

Hywel is still in his pyjamas, on the sofa, drinking a cup of tea, when Gaynor returns.   She says that Esther was OK, more or less, although she asked a lot of questions;  

"She's still worried she'll have to move out"

“She’s still worried that she’ll have to move out.   It’s only natural that she’s worried about that, isn’t it?   That’s what usually happens.”

“But I’ve told her she doesn’t need to worry about that yet,” stresses Hywel;  

"In the future things might change"

Gaynor predicts that in the future things might change, and he wonders what that means.   

"Do you want me to look for somewhere else?"

“Do you want me to look for somewhere else?   That will take time.”

"No-one has to do anything"

Gaynor insists that no one has to do anything;  “We’ll sit Esther down and explain to her that she does not have to move anywhere – all right?   I’ll arrange a family dinner for us all – it’s important that she sees we can all live together as we are.   

"Go and get changed, Hywel!"

“And in the meantime, go and get changed – you can’t stay in your pyjamas all day!”

"It's got plenty of personality"

Cheryl comes downstairs at Maes-y-Deri, commenting that the place has plenty of personality.   Kath concedes that it might need a bit of a spruce up, but is assured that it is fine as it is;  

"It feels lived-in"

“It feels lived-in.”   Kath suggests that is probably because she lives there.

“Anyway, it’s ideal – in fact I saw a place like this in Coedporth before I came down and that cost £190 a week.   How does that sound?”   

"I haven't thought about rent" — Pull the other one

Kath confesses that she has not thought about rent and that sort of thing, 

"That works out at £760 a month"

but Cheryl calculates it to be £760 per month.

Kath, always eager to maximise the profit, says, “I don’t know what kind of place this Coedpoeth is, but you were saying earlier about Cwmderi being a ‘des res’.   

"I think I could get £850 for this"

“I think I could get £850 for this.”

"You wouldn't have to pay commission to Tomos ac Ellis"

“But you wouldn’t have to pay commission to Tomos ac Ellis, would you?” asks Cheryl.   By the same token, Kath remarks that Cheryl would not have to pay agency fees either.

"With the cost of living these days"

“With the cost of living these days,” she continues, and Cheryl reminds her that she will get all the cash for herself.   

"How about £800?"

Kath proposes a compromise, that they meet in the middle – £800, and the offer is quickly accepted.

"When can I move in?"

“When can I move in?” Cheryl wants to know, and they agree on tomorrow, 

"Why are you in such a rush?"

after Kath has enquired she is in such a rush.   

"Would you want to see Hywel's pants on the line?"

“Would you want to see Hywel’s pants on the line when you’re sunbathing?” and Kath can understand her haste.   “See you tomorrow then,” laughs Cheryl.

"She's all right – I think"

Eileen is waiting anxiously for DJ’s return;  as soon as he comes in through the door, she asks, “How is Sioned?”   He thinks that she is all right, explaining that she has to stay in hospital a bit longer to rest, but at least they have received an official diagnosis.

"Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy"

He removes a piece of paper from his pocket and reads, “Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy – it affects the muscle in the heart and makes it harder to pump the blood around the body.”  

"Is she going to be all right?"

Eileen realises that is why she collapsed and demands whether Sioned is going to be all right.   “She’ll have to learn more about this first,” he says, handing the leaflet to Eileen.   

"They'll fit an ICD device"

“She will be all right, but they’re going to have to fit a device to monitor the heartbeat – an ICD device.”   [Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator]

“I know it sounds bad, but it will be for the best in the long run,” he adds, 

"How long will she need it?"

and her mother wants to know how long she will need this device.   

"For the rest of her life"

“For the rest of her life,” he replies, “But at least we’ll know she’s safe then.   Listen, we need to stay positive – for Sioned’s sake.   

"She'll soon be bossing us both around"

“She’ll be home with us soon, bossing us both around.”   

Eileen looks at the leaflet 

Eileen looks at the leaflet for more details.

Gaynor is chopping a red pepper . . .

Gaynor is chopping up a red pepper for their meal 

. . . but her mind is not on the job

and looking very upset;  the door opens and Cheryl comes in.   

"I've sorted it so I can move out"

“Guess what I’ve done,” she says, “I’ve sorted it so I can move out.”   

"You can't do that! "

This comes as rather a shock to Gaynor and she argues that Cheryl cannot do that.

"I've been in the way long enough"

“I’ve been in the way here long enough, haven’t I?” Cheryl points out, “Come on – tell the truth!”   Gaynor does not agree, so she sighs, “It’s not right that Hywel has to sleep on the sofa, is it?   You don’t know your little sister very well, do you?   

"I'm a real mover and shaker!"

“I’m a real mover and shaker – the minute a seed is planted in my head, I’m off!”

"You're moving to Maes-y-Deri?"

Then she reveals that she is moving to Maes-y-Deri, having managed to do a deal with Kath Jones.

Cassie is carrying a large bag

Cassie, carrying a large bag, comes out of the door of number 9 at the same time that Dani leaves the house next door;  

"Any luck with Iolo?"

Dani asks if she has had any luck with Iolo.

“He says the boiler needs a new part and it’s going to cost me more than £300!” Cassie growls, 

"It's not worth me doing it"

“It’s not worth me doing it – I won’t be in the house much longer.   Perhaps Gwern isn’t so lucky, inheriting a house at the age of 12.”   

Gwern is listening to music

Gwern has been nearby, leaning on the windowsill outside the deli, and when he approaches them, 

"Did you hear what we were saying?"

he has not heard what they were saying, 

"No, I was wearing these"

as he was wearing his earphones.

Dani finds her contactless card

He asks if he can get a can from the shop, and Dani gives him her contactless card;  “Use the bleeping thing in the shop,” she tells him, 

"I don't want him to think he's going to be loaded"

then advises Cassie, “I don’t want him to think he’s going to be loaded.”   

"That could lead to all kinds of trouble"

Cassie agrees that could lead to all kinds of trouble, and heads off with her luggage towards the Deri.

"Take these bags out to the car"

Mark arrives home at Maes-y-Deri to be instructed by his mother, “Take these bags out to the car for me, will you?”

"Not emigrating to Brynmor, are you?"

“You’re not emigrating to Brynmor, are you?” he jokes, and she answers that she is moving into the Deri.   He maintains that it is not sensible to leave the place empty 

"I like your hair, Mam"

and then he notices her new hairstyle.

"I've already rented out the house"

“I’ve already rented out the house,” she advises, and Mark wonders how Brynmor feels about that, 

"Brynmor won't be happy living above a bar"

as he does not imagine Brynmor will be happy living above a bar.   

"We understand each other"

Kath makes it clear that she and Brynmor understand each other.   Cassie does not know yet, but Kath insists that this way she will keep everyone happy.   

"What idiot's moving in here then?"

“What idiot’s moving in then?” Mark asks, and is advised that he does not want Gaynor to hear him talking about her sister like that.

"And she's paying more than the going rate"

“And she’s paying more than the going rate – so that’s what you call a ‘win-win’,” Kath brags.   Mark prefers to call it ‘jammy’.

"That smells amazing, Gaynor"

Gaynor is sitting miserably at the table when Cheryl comes in, and remarks on the amazing smell of dinner.   

"Can I ask you a favour?"

“Can I ask you a favour?” Gaynor begins, “It’s quite a big one, to be honest.”

"The answer will be yes"

She is assured that any time she wants a favour, the answer will be yes;  

"Can I move into Maes-y-Deri with you?"

“Can I move into Maes-y-Deri with you?” Gaynor continues, “It’s a shame, just as we’re starting to get to know each other – and to be honest, the idea of sitting on the sofa every night with . . .”

"We're going to have a fantastic time!"

Cheryl agrees without hesitation and says that she cannot wait;  “We’re going to have a fantastic time!   It will be like party central!”

Kath does not like that sofa

Kath arrives at the Deri flat with Mark and decides that the picture on the wall will have to go for a start, then makes derogatory statements about the large, gold-coloured sofa.   She notices the large bag, which we have seen earlier in the episode.

"There's no pleasing some people"

“There’s no pleasing some people,” Mark scolds her, “You’re living here rent-free and you’re getting tidy pocket money.”

"What the hell are you doing here?"

All of a sudden there is a cry of anguish as Cassie walks into the room, clad only in a towel, having taken advantage of the power shower.   “What the hell are you doing here?” she demands, 

"I'm in the process of moving in"

and Kath could ask the same thing, as she is in the process of moving in.

"You're too late – I'm moving in!"

“Well, you’re too late – I’m moving in!” Cassie rages, and Kath is lost for words, for once.   

Mark is sniggering

Mark regards the situation as rather amusing.

"I'll be tidying up the garage"

Hywel asks Gaynor what time dinner will be, and says he will be tidying up in the garage.   

"There's something I want to tell you . . ."

“Before you go there’s something I want to tell you,” says Gaynor, 

". . . I think we should separate officially"

“After talking to Esther earlier, I think we should separate officially – I think it’s going to be very confusing for her with everyone living together.”

"I've got nowhere to go, Gaynor"

He whines, “We’ve discussed this – I’ve got nowhere to go.”   

"I'm going to move out . . ."

Gaynor insists that he does not have to go anywhere, because she is the one who is going to move out.

". . . to Maes-y-Deri with Cheryl – tomorrow"

“I’m going to Maes-y-Deri with Cheryl – tomorrow.”   

Hywel cannot believe it"

This comes as a total shock to Hywel.