11 February 2025

"What do you think of it, Iolo?"

Iolo is eating his breakfast at Y Felin when Lleucu comes downstairs in her fancy new T-shirt;  “I thought you were going cleaning with Dani in the Deri today,” he says, 

"Why would you wear something brand-new?"

“Why would you choose to wear something brand-new, then?”

"It's a bit awkward after what happened"

She maintains that she wants to make an effort, but is not quite sure whether Dani is OK with her;  “It’s a bit awkward after everything that has happened with Dad.”   

"You'll be fine, Lleucs"

Iolo tries to reassure her that she will be fine.

She wonders what he has on today 

"Unblocking toilets, servicing boilers"

and he replies, “Just unblocking toilets, servicing boilers – the usual.”   

"Glad I'm not doing work experience with you"

She remarks that it is a good job she is not doing work experience with him, in that case.

"Goodness – look at this mess!"

Sioned is frantically preparing milk for one of the twins who is crying upstairs when her mother arrives at the farmhouse;  “Goodness – look at this mess!” she exclaims, “Go upstairs – I’ll sort this out for you.   

"You should have checked Bill and Ben were housetrained"

“You should have checked that Bill and Ben were house trained before inviting them to live here!”

"How is Huwi settling in?"

Sioned tries to bite her tongue and simply asks whether Huwi is settling in at the flat.   “Of course he is, why wouldn’t he be?” Eileen snarls.   Sioned thanks her for her help, 

"You weren't expecting me to keep paying the bills?"

but is informed, “I’ve come to read the meters – you weren’t expecting me to keep paying the bills, were you?   You persuaded me to sell this place – 

"I'm sure your housemates can sort it for you"

“I’m sure your housemates can sort it for you.”

Sioned goes upstairs

Sioned shakes her head in disbelief and goes upstairs to the twins.

"I'm ready for my first day"

Lleucu arrives at the Deri, where Dani is waiting for her;  “I’m ready for my first day of work experience,” says Lleucu, “Scrubbing and polishing!   Where do you want me to start?”

Dani remarks on her new top, which Lleucu dismisses as, “Just some old thing,” 

"I'm starting to feel the part"

and she is handed a tabard to put on, just in case.   “Cool – I’m starting to feel the part,” Lleucu giggles.

“The Deri can be disgusting – loads of different people – sweating, the germs – and that’s just Mark!” says Dani, 

"Start upstairs and work our way down"

“Look, we’re thorough, so we start upstairs and work our way down.   We dust, tidy up, do the worktops, then the floor – Hoover, mop, OK?”   

"I'll get on with the dusting"

Lleucu will get on with the dusting.

DJ locks up the Fflamingos van

DJ locks up Fflamingos, which is parked rather inconveniently right in the middle of the road outside Megan’s shop;  

"There we are Lili, love"

he hears a voice, saying, “There we are, Lili, love – what was all that crying about?   You wanted some fresh air, did you?”

Howard is pushing the pram past the bus stop and round by MFC;  

DJ does not like the look of this . . .

DJ does not take kindly to this at all 

. . . another man walking his daughter

as he watches them walking up the High Street.

Eileen has tidied up the place

At Penrhewl, Eileen has already tidied the place up and Sioned suspects there is a problem with the baby monitor, 

"Have you done something to this?"

blaming her mother for doing something to it.   “Are they both asleep upstairs now?” Eileen asks and is told that only Jac is there, so Eileen wants to know where Lili is.

"She's fast asleep!"

At that moment, Howard returns and announces, “She’s fast asleep!”   Sioned explains that he took her out for a walk, as usually she settles better for him.”

"Does she now?"

“Does she now?” growls Eileen.  

Howard imagines that it will now be a waffle each, as usual and Sioned will make the coffee, informing her mother that they have a routine now.   Matthew usually makes the coffee and Howard makes waffles for them.   

"Do you want to join us?"

When Howard invites Eileen to join them, she decisively refuses, 

"I'm surprised you've got time!"

adding, “I’m surprised you’ve got time to play nanny and chef.   Cae Top’s [Top Field] fences look a mess and it’s a miracle the cows are still alive, with so little silage.”

"I've lost my appetite"

Howard says that suddenly he is not hungry, simply picking up an apple and leaving the farmhouse.   

"Did you have to, Mam?"

Sioned is furious with her mother;  “Did you have to?”

"Carrying on with two men under one roof!"

Eileen could ask her the same question;  “Carrying on with two men under one roof – it’s like a commune!”   She is told that the three of them understand each other.   

"People will talk!"

“Oh, do you?   Well, people will talk.   

"You look like you need a bath!"

“Why don’t you go for a bath?   You look like you need one!”

"I don't know if I can afford the hot water"

“Because I don’t know if I can afford the hot water any more,” is Sioned’s angry reply, so is told to have a quick wash with a damp cloth, in that case.   Eileen is in a bad mood, as usual.

Lleucu takes down the picture from the wall

In the Deri, the cleaners have reached the bar and Lleucu takes down the picture from behind the bar to clean it.   (It is obvious that something is going to happen to it.)

She is full of enthusiasm

“I love it – I’m hooked!” Lleucu tells Dani, “This guy Jack, who talks like this – ‘I said you can have your own opinion’ – basically Lauren had enough of his nonsense – you would have laughed!”

"Careful with that picture, Lleucu"

Dani warns her to be careful with that picture;  “Less talking about dating programmes, more work,” she advises.

“Sorry, Nain Val always said I was a chatterbox” says Lleucu, “But she got fed up in the end and . . .”   

It ends up on the floor

At this point, as she was about to rehang the picture, it slips from her hands and ends up on the floor with the glass shattered.   

"I'm so sorry, Dani!"

This horrifies Dani and Lleucu is so sorry, confessing that she got too excited.

"What are you doing here, Eileen?"

DJ marches into the farmhouse, where he is surprised to find Eileen, who is at present putting the kettle into a box.   

"I thought you were living the village"

“I thought you were living in the village,” he remarks, but she is at the farm picking up a few things.

“To be honest, I’m glad I’ve got a chance to have a word with you – 

"Mathew and Howard have moved in"

“were you aware that Mathew and Howard have moved in?”   It is obvious that he had not heard, so she continues, “Sioned said that ‘they understand each other’.   They’re helping with the cooking, the cleaning – and raising the children.”

"I saw Howard with Lili"

DJ says that is why he is there – he saw Howard with Lili this morning.   Eileen insists, “The children need a normal upbringing – not men coming and going and confusion over who the father is.   

"You have to do something, DJ"

“You have to do something, DJ.”

Thirsty work, this cleaning

In the Deri, Dani takes a swig from her water bottle while Lleucu carefully bundles up the broken glass.   

"It's only a picture frame"

She insists that she will pay for a new one and feels terrible about it, but Dani simply dismisses it as a picture frame.   

"I'm such a liability!"

“I’m such a liability!” Lleucu wails.  

Dani cautions her not to pick up anything breakable when she is excited;  

"Do you want a drink to cheer you up?"

“Do you want a drink to cheer you up?” and then realises that Lleucu is under-age, but is told that Lleucu drinks at home.   However, she just points out that they are supposed to be working.

“Don’t worry about that – what do you want, flower?”   

"Two large vodka and lemonades"

Lleucu selects two large vodka and lemonades;  Dani sets about getting them.

"I'm telling him about the sleeping arrangements"

When Sioned comes downstairs she asks DJ what he is doing there;  “I’m telling him about the sleeping arrangements,” interrupts her mother.   

"Where are the kettle and the blender?"

Sioned suddenly realises that the kettle and the blender are not in their usual places.

“They’re in my car – I bought them, so it’s only right I use them,” Eileen snarls.   

"Do you want to take the boiler as well?"

Sioned demands whether she wants to take the boiler as well –  and the sink.

"If you and your guests want to invest . . ."

“If you and your guests want to invest in your own appliances, crack on –  but these are mine,” explains Eileen.

"You're just punishing me!"

“You’re punishing me because Mathew and Howard live here,” but her mother maintains that it is not a healthy situation for two children.   

"Are you just going to stand there?"

Sioned turns to DJ, who has been keeping out of the argument up to now, and asks him, “Are you just going to stand there?” 

"I don't want to interfere"

but he says he does not want to interfere.

"You just want to make life difficult for me!"

“You just want to make life difficult for me, don’t you?” rages Sioned;  her mother argues that she deserves some thanks for tidying up.   She will now leave them to it, 

"And you'll need your own Netflix account"

on her way mentioning that Sioned will need her own Netflix account as well.

When she has gone, DJ confirms that he does agree with Eileen about Mathew and Howard;  

"Don't you think I have a right to know?"

“Don’t you think I have a right to know who is living under the same roof as my children?”   

"At least Mathew and Howard are here for Jac and Lili"

She reminds him that at least Mathew and Howard are here for Jac and Lili;  “We don’t know where you are half the time – selling nachos to drunk hipsters!”

He insists that it is his livelihood, but she is inclined to think it is his priority.   “You didn’t give me much choice did you?” he moans, “Howard and Mathew are out by the end of the week!”

Sioned has no intention of complying with that

Sioned makes it very clear that she has no intention whatsoever of doing that, so he maintains that gives him no choice;  

"I'll be going for full custody!"

“I’ll see you in court!” then, on his way out, he adds, “Just so you know, I’ll be going for full custody – this place isn’t fit for them.”

"That's bonkers!"

As they continue drinking at the bar, Dani asks, “So they didn’t actually know each other when they got married?   That’s bonkers!”   Lleucu asks if she has been married before and Dani lists, “Garry – 

"I was married to Mark for a while"

“and I was married to Mark for a while as well.”   Lleucu imagines that she must have been going through midlife crisis, but Danny insists that she is too young for that, as they continue drinking.

"How was your marriage to Garry?"

“So how was your marriage to Garry?” she is asked, taking a few moments to answer, 

"A woman's heart is an ocean of secrets"

before cryptically saying that ‘a woman’s heart is an ocean of secrets’ which Lleucu recognises as a quotation from Titanic.    Dani maintains that is how tragic it was.

Lleucu wonders what they are going to do next;  

"We need this . . ."

“Well if you’re going to ask any more about my life, we need this,” 

She helps herself to a bottle of vodka

and she fishes out a bottle of vodka from under the bar.   “Shall we take it with us?”

Howard comes in . . .

Sioned is sitting glumly on the sofa when Howard comes into the room;  

. . . and is amazed

he looks around and demands, “Sioned what’s happened here?”   

"Mam owns everything!"

He is told that Mam owns everything and he exclaims, “She’s even taken the juicer!   No smoothies – and no cups of tea!”   Sioned adds that there is no Netflix, either.

"What are we going to do tonight?   Play cards?"

He finds this unacceptable;  “What are we going to do tonight?” he shouts, “Play cards, or what?”   

He can see something else is troubling her

Then he notices that Sioned is looking particularly downcast and wonders if there is anything else.

“Sorry – today has been awful – DJ’s threatened to take Jac and Lili away from me,” she explains.

"Who does that DJ think he is?"

Howard cannot understand who DJ thinks he is;  “You’re with them day and night!” he stresses and this gives SD an idea.

"Yes, you're right – but not tonight!"

“You’re right – I am the one who’s with them day and tonight – but not tonight!   There’s no point sitting here, worrying – 

"I'm going out – are you coming?"

“I need a break and I’m going out – are you coming?”   

"We're still lambing, Sioned"

Howard protests that they cannot just leave, because they are still lambing.

“Just say if you don’t want to come,” she tells him, but he is keen to come with her, pointing out that they need someone there.   

"I'll phone Rhydian"

“I’ll phone Rhydian – he's always keen to be in Mam’s good books,” she says.

Lleucu wants to know more

The cleaners have retired to Maes-y-Deri, where they seem to be getting through the purloined vodka bottle;  “You still haven’t told me about your marriage to Mark,” Lleucu reminds Dani, but she replies that Lleucu really does not want to know.

"It was a silly idea to make some money"

“OK, it was a silly idea to make some money – and, obviously, we got caught!” she admits, “The story of my life – every time I want to make money, I just mess it up!”   Lleucu admits that she did not help with that picture today, for which she is sorry.

"I haven't laughed like this since . . . I don't know when"

“Don’t say sorry – I haven’t laughed like today since . . . I actually don’t know!”   

"You're so strong, Dani"

Lleucu maintains that Dani is doing great and is so strong.   

"I just feel numb"

Dani does not feel like that, but rather numb.

“That’s why I try to keep busy, because if I stop . . . I’m not sleeping a lot, but when I do, I wake up in the morning and, for a second, I forget everything.   

"And then it all comes back"

“And then it all comes back,” as she becomes tearful.

Lleucu cannot imagine what she is going through;  “Dad would do anything to change things, you know?   It’s eating him alive – I’m worried about him – 

"Do you think you can forgive him?"

“do you think you can forgive him?”

Dani does not want to think about that

Dani is very uncomfortable thinking about that 

"Megan's house at nine tomorrow"

and tells Lleucu, “Right, shift is over, so you might as well go now.”   Lleucu is sorry that she raised the subject, but is told, “It’s fine – so Megan’s house at nine o’clock tomorrow.”   

Dani tries to hold herself together

Lleucu takes this as her cue to go, as Dani is trying vainly to hold back the tears.

"What are you doing here, Sioned?"

DJ is surprised to see Sioned at Bryntirion and wonders what she is doing there;  

"As you're so keen to have them . . ."

“As you’re so keen to have them, here you go.   I’m going out.   There are enough wipes and nappies in the bag to last a month and I’ve mixed the formula – 

"Bring them home tomorrow"

“bring them home tomorrow.”

The fact that the twins are staying overnight seems to frighten DJ, but she explains that she needs a break;  “You can’t expect me to look after them on my own without any help at all – it’s not fair!”   

"It will be a pleasure"

He tells her that it will be a pleasure and as she goes, 

"Good luck with this custody business"

she adds, “Good luck with this full custody business – because you haven’t been around – so I’m looking forward to seeing how that goes down in court.”

"I don't want to take them away from you"

Now he insists that he does not want to take them away from her;  “It’s just breaking my heart that two other men see my children more than me.”   

"You are their father"

She reminds him that he is their father;  Mathew and Howard do not want to take his place, but she could not afford to run Penrhewl without them.

"I do contribute"

He emphasises that he contributes.   Shaking her head, she tells him, “You have no idea – nappies cost money, formula cost money – vests, ‘babygros’, bibs, the lot!   It’s never-ending, DJ – and now they grow out of everything so quickly!   

"And I have all these bills to pay as well"

“And I have all these bills to pay as well now!”

He insists, “If it’s money you want, I’ll find it – you can have everything I’ve got – as long as I can see more of Jac and Lili.”   Sioned wants him to see more of them and he promises to do everything he can to help;  she will see him tomorrow 

"Enjoy your night, Sioned"

and he tells her to enjoy her night.

Dani is alone, drunk and miserable

Dani is sitting alone on the sofa, with the empty bottle on the table in front of her, when her phone sounds;

Lleucu thanks her

she finds a message from Lleucu, ‘Thanks again’, 

She finishes the last of the vodka

then has another drink.

Sioned orders drinks . . .

Sioned is at a bar in Swansea on her night out, where she orders a lager and a Pinot Grigio.   

. . . but has the misfortune to meet Ioan

Next to her at the bar, Ioan happens to be standing and comments, “Gorgeous.”   

She does not appreciate that . . .

She looks at him with disgust, 

. . . however, he means the twins

then realises that he is actually referring to the photo on her phone.   “Twins?” he enquires.

"Yes, they are totally gorgeous"

“Yes, they are totally gorgeous,” she replies, “I can’t stop taking photos of them,” 

Then there is a photo of DJ

as she scrolls to the next photo, which features DJ pushing the pram.   

"Is that the father?"

Ioan asks whether that is the father and whether he is still involved with the kids.

"They're with him tonight"

“Yes – they’re with him tonight, so I can have a day off, for once,” she sighs.   He advises her to make it a night to remember and introduces himself as Ioan.

They shake hands

As they shake hands, Howard arrives, 

"I've seen more life in a packet of spare ribs!"

complaining, “I’ve seen more life in a packet of spare ribs than this place,” but Sioned comments that at least they are out of the house.

"Don't say this clown is with you?"

“Don’t say this clown is with you?” demands Ioan, incredulously,.

Lleucu creeps in quietly

Iolo is reclining on the sofa watching the television when Lleucu comes back, intending to quietly slip upstairs, but he comments, “You’re late!”   

"I went over to Dani's for a cup of tea"

She tries to explain that she went over to Dani’s for a cup of tea after work.   He asks whether work went OK 

"I enjoyed it, actually"

and she replies that she enjoyed it, actually.

"Dani is class, isn't she?"

“Dani is class, isn’t she?” she slurs, which rouses suspicions in Iolo’s mind that she is drunk.   

"Is everything all right, Lleucu?"

She is very eager to get upstairs, but he continues to ask if everything is all right.

"Work is a lot of . . . work!"

“Yes – I’m just shattered – work is a lot of . . . work.   Good night.”   

A disturbing text message

His phone sounds and he finds a text message which seems to astonish him.

"So that's Tegwen's ex?"

“So that’s Tegwen’s ex?”asks Sioned 

"Of all the bars in all the world"

and Howard laments that ‘of all the bars in all of the world . . .’

Ioan comes over and wants to know, “Where’s that witch of a sister of yours, then?”

"Pathetic!"

“Is that why you’re in Swansea – looking for Tegwen?   Pathetic!” says Howard.   

"I have a right to see my son!"

Ioan maintains that he has a right to see his son;  “Not after how you treated her!” Howard snarls.

“And what do you know about women?”   

"This one has no idea about women"

Then he turns to Sioned to inform her, “Sorry to break it to you, love, but this one has no idea about women.”

"What are you going to do?"

Howard has had enough of this and stands up to confront Ioan, who taunts him, “What are you going to do?”   

He checks the  CCTV camera 

Ioan looks across at the CCTV camera 

"One step out of place . . ."

and sternly warns Howard, “One step out of place and you’ll be back in jail!”

"Come on – we're going"

Howard tells Sioned, “Come on – we’re going,” but Ioan insists that she does not have to go anywhere, 

"She's way out of your league!"

stressing that Sioned is way out of Howard’s league.

"Howard is worth ten of you!"

Sioned speaks up, “For your information, Howard is worth ten of you – I’d be very lucky to have him!   

"I wouldn't touch you if you were the last man on earth1"

“I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last man on Earth!”   

Ioan retreats with his tail between his legs

This successfully deflates Ioan’s ego and he slinks away, 

Howard smiles wryły

while Howard permits himself a wry smile.   They resume their drinks.

"Have you got any more work?"

At Bryntirion, DJ has managed to get the twins asleep and now everything is quiet;  he takes out his phone and dials a number.   “All right?   Listen, I want to ask, as the Tremyrddin festival went well last week . . . erm . . . have you got more work?”

"There's always work"

Ioan is leaning on the bar and replies that there is always work.   Howard and Sioned get up and leave, as he continues, “I’ll phone you tomorrow – nice to hear from you.”   

Sioned is leaving

Then he tells Sioned, who is approaching the door, 

"Look after those twins"

“Look after those twins,” which she suspects may be some sort of threat.