26 February 2025

"Thanks, Jason"

Griffiths has just purchased something (possibly some churros) from Jason in Fflamingos, then  asks DJ, “Did you see the new goal I bought out the back?   It looks good doesn’t it?   

"Ifan can practise his penalties"

“Ifan can practise his penalties this afternoon.”

DJ looks rather preoccupied, but enquires when the boy is arriving, suggesting that Jason should get ready.   

"Sara said she'd bring him straight here"

“No, Sara said she would bring him straight here – to see the Fflamingos  in action – he’ll be here in a minute.”   DJ is not at all pleased to hear this and protests this is not the place for a young boy.

"Jason!"

Diane is approaching and calls to Jason;  “Have you seen Siôn or Ffion about?   I want a word about the dam – have you had any ideas about how to stop it?”   

"I've just been talking and complaining"

He replies that, to be honest, he has been doing the same thing as everyone else – just talking and complaining.”

"No-one is doing anything . . ."

“That’s the problem – there’s plenty of complaining, but no-one is doing anything!” rages his mother, 

"It's time to take matters into my own hands"

“I think it’s time to take the matter into my own hands,” and she walks away.

DJ has a message from Ioan

DJ comes back from disposing of some rubbish and takes out the ‘burner’ phone he was given, where a message is displayed, “Is your mate on board?’   He replies with the thumbs up symbol 👍.

"Thanks for coming over"

Tom arrives at number 21 and Hywel thanks him for coming over;  “No problem – it sounded serious,” he replies.

Hywel wanted his opinion on something;  “I received these anonymously,” he says, 

The notes which Tom himself wrote

as he passes over the notes.   Tom expresses surprise, commenting that they sound a bit threatening and wondering if Hywel has any idea what they are referring to.

"Probably something to do with the dam"

Hywel assumes that it is something to do with the dam, which Tom considers may be a possibility, “But they feel a bit more personal than that, though,” he adds, 

"You haven't stolen someone's wife, have you?"

“You haven’t stolen someone’s wife, have you?   Have you phoned the police?”

"They wouldn't take it seriously"

Hywel does not think that they would take it seriously – they will want evidence before they do anything.   

"I was thinking about CCTV cameras"

“Listen, I was thinking about setting up CCTV cameras in the garden, to catch whoever is responsible – that’s why I wanted to talk to you.”   Tom maintains that he would do anything for a friend.

“Well, what do you recommend?   I don’t want them to be too obvious.”  

"You need then smaller and higher up"

 Tom advises that he needs smaller than average ones, and to set them up high.   He may have some in the boot of his car – he will have a look and Hywel is very grateful to him.

"You can't be too careful, can you?"

“You can’t be too careful, can you?   You don’t know what sort of people are about,” comments Tom, as he goes outside.

Anita is having a doze

Anita is dozing on the sofa when Ieuan comes in;  “Look, I saved these for you – they smell nice, don’t they?   I got them from Jason and DJ – 

"I thought something sweet would give you some energy"

“I thought something sweet would give you some energy.

She tells him that she is all right, but the morning’s shift was a bit busy, that is all.   

"No, I've just had lunch"

She refuses his offer, as she has just had lunch and will not have one for pudding.   

Ieuan eats them

He sits down to finish them off and suggests that Anita should go for a lie down, but she says that she is trying not to.

"Go on – I'll wake you in a couple of hours"

“Go on – I’ll wake you in a couple of hours,” he encourages her, as he continues to eat, so she decides that she will.   

"I might as well have one"

On the way she decides that she will, in fact, have one of his purchases, 

Unfortunately he has polished off the last one

but, unfortunately, he has just consumed the last one and apologises to her.   “You said you didn’t want one.”   She simply groans and goes upstairs.

Jason is entertaining Ifan

Jason and Ifan are sitting on the tailboard of the horse-box;  

"Show your footballing to DJ"

“You know what?   I think perhaps you should show your footballing skills to DJ later – what do you say?”   

"Your Dad needs plenty of practice"

DJ is eager to get rid of them, telling Ifan that his dad needs plenty of practice and they wish him goodbye.

DJ is given his package

Within a couple of seconds, there is a knock at the door of Fflamingos and a stranger with a backpack is standing outside.   

DJ is apprehensive 

Without a word, he hands over a box to DJ and leaves.

"Sorry, Anita is resting at the moment"

Anita’s phone rings, so, as she is upstairs, Ieuan looks at it, then answers, “Sorry, Anita is resting at the moment.”

Ffion deals with paperwork

Ffion is at Deri Fawr, dealing with school paperwork, when Jinx comes in, 

"Sorry for interrupting"

saying he is sorry if he is interrupting.   She welcomes any excuse for a break in all this paperwork about the inspection, 

"I'm surprised you're allowed to come here!"

“But I’m surprised you’re allowed to come here!” she adds.

“Look – about the other night, I’ve told Eleri that she has to make more of an effort with you.”   

"I'm sure that went down well"

Ffion is sure that went down well, 

"I'd appreciate it if you made more of an effort"

but he continues, “I’d appreciate it if you made more of an effort with her, too.”

“I don’t think so,” is her response 

"Perhaps you are jealous"

"Pand Jinx suspects that Eleri may be right – perhaps Ffion is jealous.

“Well, who wouldn’t be jealous, Jinx?” exclaims Ffion, 

"Doesn't every woman want to throw themselves at you?"

“Doesn’t every woman in this place want to throw themselves at you – Kelly, Dani, Eleri?   There is nothing more offputting for a woman than a man with an ‘ego’.   

Methinks the woman doth protest too much 

“You never used to be such a big ‘I am’!”

"Sorry that I've grown a backbone"

He is sorry that he has grown a backbone, 

"Backbone – or a big head?"

but she immediately protests, “There’s a difference between growing a backbone and a big head!”

"The Jinx that let everyone walk all over him . . ."

“So you preferred the Jinx that let everyone walk all over him and wanted to please everyone?   

". . . that's the Jinx you liked"

“That’s the Jinx you liked,” he tells her and walks out of Deri Fawr.

"How long have you been listening?"

Then Ffion becomes aware that Arwen has been listening to them from the stairs;  

"You're so mean to him!"

“You’re so mean to him!” she reprimands her mother.

"I feel better now"

Ieuan is looking depressed as he sits in his armchair;  Anita comes downstairs and says that she feels better after her sleep.   

"Your solicitor phoned"

“Your solicitor phoned – he wanted to discuss power-of-attorney.   He wouldn’t tell me any details, but wants to discuss the matter with you, that’s all.”

"Why did you answer my phone?"

“Well, you should have called me,” Anita growls, “And why did you answer my phone in the first place?”

Ieuan thought that it might have been an emergency;  

"So, when you're ready . . ."

“So, when you’re ready, I’ll be happy to discuss what you want me to do when . . . well, I’ll be making decisions for you.”

"I'm not ready to discuss it"

“No!” says Anita, “I’m not ready to discuss it.”   

"We would be one step ahead"

He points out that they would be one step ahead, 

"Will you stop talking about it?"

but she shouts at him, “I’m not ready to discuss it!   Will you stop talking about it?   

"I'm going to have a bath"

“I’m going to have a bath.”

Off she goes upstairs again

He is forced to accept that is the end of the conversation, 

He picks up his coat . . .

so he picks up his coat 

. . . and leaves the house

and leaves the house.

Diane is in the deli

Diane is sitting solemnly in the deli when Ieuan finds her there;  

"Have you got time for a quick chat?"

“Just the woman I wanted to see – have you got time for a quick chat?”   She says that she was just about to go to Bryntirion, 

"It's about Anita"

but he begs her to spare just ten minutes;  “It’s about Anita.”

"Is she all right?"

This changes her mind and she enquires whether everything is all all right;  he is not sure of the answer to that.   

"It's as if Anita's hiding things from me"

“It’s as if Anita is hiding things from me at the moment and I’d like you to shed some light on things for me.   I’m looking to the future – Anita’s future, that is . . .”

"You have to respect her wishes"

Diane stops him there;  “Look, Ieuan, I know things aren’t easy, but you have to respect her wishes.”   

"Yes, I know that"

He is very much aware of this and it is why he does not understand why she will not discuss things.   

"The future must be worrying her"

“Well, that’s only to be expected under the circumstances – the future must be worrying her,” Diane goes on.

"I've encouraged her to get he legal side in order"

“Exactly – that’s why I’ve encouraged her to get the legal side in order – so that everything is ready when the time comes,” he says and Diane wants to know what he is talking about.   “The solicitor phoned – he wanted to discuss power-of-attorney.   When I brought it up with Anita, she was furious.”

"You must be very patient with her"

Now Diane can understand and Ieuan realises that she knows something about this, but Diane advises him to try to have another word with Anita, stressing that it is important that he is very patient with her.   “She is the only one who knows how she feels.”

"Is there anything else I should talk to her about?"

Ieuan asks if there is anything else he should talk to her about, 

"I'm late for Bryntirion"

but Diane angrily snarls that she is late for Bryntirion 

Diane walks out

and hurriedly leaves the deli.

"Why do you hate Eleri so much?"

Jinx cannot understand why Ffion hates Eleri so much 

"Because she has power over you!"

and she replies, “Because she has this power over you – and you can’t see it!”

"But what does it matter?"

“Power?” he demands, “And even if that was true, what does it matter?”

Ffion’s answer is, “Because you’re too nice for her, Jinx.   Someone like Eleri will take advantage of you.”   He insists that she does not know Eleri and wonders why Ffion cannot just be happy for him.

"She's not the right person for you"

She insists, “Because she’s not the right person for you,” so he wants to know who is the right person, pointing out that she knew that things were not working out with Dani and him.

"You're scared of losing me"

He urges her to just tell the truth;  “You can’t be happy for me because you’re scared of losing me – that’s not fair, is it?”   

"I shouldn't have come"

She comes to the conclusion that she should have not gone to his house and will not listen to anything else he says, but leaves.

"Do you want to hear some good news?"

Jason opens the door of Bryntirion, where his mother comes in, pushing a large case and asks him, “Do you want to hear some good news?   I’ve just been talking about the dam with Idris from the planning department.   He thinks there’s a way to use clause 97 to change things.   

"There might be a way to cancel the permission"

“There might be a way to cancel the planning permission because the original application was based on a lie.”

"That Quantum was going to imply local people"

Jason knows what she is getting at;  “The lie was that Quantum Hydro was going to employ local people.”   

"If it was based on a lie . . ."

His mother goes on to explain that if the application was based on a lie, they cannot carry on without another vote.   “Are the other councillors are aware of this?” Jason enquires.

"Conflicts of interest"

This is where there is a problem;  “No – and I can’t put it forward, or I bring all kinds of ‘conflicts of interest’ upon myself.”

"And I can't say anything, either . . ."

“And I’m your son, so I can’t say anything either,” Jason agrees, 

". . . but I think I know someone who can help"

“I think I know someone who can help – leave it with me,” he tells her as he puts on his coat.

"Are you all right?"

Ieuan is sitting disconsolately at the kitchen table and Anita if he is all right.   

"Are you hiding something from me?"

“Are you hiding something from me?” he demands and she denies that.   “I spoke to Diane – I was worried about you and I said the solicitor had phoned.”

"Is Diane your choice of attorney?"

Now Anita knows where this is heading and she is asked, “Is Diane your choice of attorney?”   

"I'm sorry, Ieuan"

She has to agree that is the case and she apologises to him.   He tells her not to be sorry, as he could never have handled it.

"

"Diane will be the perfect choice"

“Diane is the perfect choice – things will be difficult enough without having to think about money and your assets as well.   

She can agree with that

“We both know that my financial track record isn’t great — but you should have told me.   There’s nothing you can’t tell me – I want to support you.”   

"Is there anything else you want to discuss?"

Anita knows that, so he wonders if there is anything else she wants to discuss.   

"Yes – do you fancy going to the Deri?"

“Yes, there is something else I’d like to say – do you fancy going to the Deri for a drink, now that I feel better?”

"I'm so grateful to you, Ffion"

At Deri Fawr, Jason tells Ffion, “I’m so grateful to you for doing this, Ffion,” and she in turn is more than happy to send the e-mail 

"Are you happy with this?"

if he agrees with what she has written.   He acknowledges that she knows more about these things than he does.   She sends off the email and Jason calls her ‘a star’.

Ffion zips up her jacket

Ffion zips up her jacket just as Arwen comes downstairs, surprised that her mother is going out for a run.   

"Have you sorted things out with Jinx?"

“Have you sorted things out with Jinx?” she asks 

"Well, not quite"

and her mother replies that she has ‘not quite’ done so.

“I just need to go out to clear my head, OK?   I won’t be long.”

"Right, job done, Hywel"

Tom comes in through the back door of number 21 and report to Hywel that the job is done;  

Two cameras have been installed

“You’ve got one camera keeping an eye on the garden and the other is pointing down the alley.”   Hywel has downloaded the app and it seems to be working perfectly.

"How much do I owe you?"

He asks Tom, “How much do I owe you?” but he will not accept any payment.   Hywel insists that he does not want it for free, 

"That's what friends are for"

but Tom maintains that is what friends are for;  Hywel can buy him a pint some time.   He adds that he has not seen much of Hywel recently.

“Have you heard anything else from the police?” Hywel asks and it appears that Tom has almost forgotten about Cheryl.

"That's old news"

“No, that’s old news now,” he answers and is thanked for what he has done today.   “That’s all right – 

"Don't attract any more of these messages"

“just be careful that you don’t do anything else to attract any more of those messages,” says Tom, as he leaves by the back door.

"Has the e-mail been sent yet?"

Jason and Ifan are playing at Bryntirion while Diane is sitting nearby looking very thoughtful.   “Has the e-mail been sent to the council yet?” she asks and Jason confirms that Ffion sent it earlier in the day.   

"That's a great weight off my mind"

“Thanks, love – that’s a great weight off my mind,” she sighs.   

He assures his mother she does not have to worry now

He points out, “You don’t have to worry about Brynmor, Eleri or anyone else in the village knowing that you gave her the tip-off.”   Diane hopes so, for both their sakes, but still appears to be concerned.

Ffion runs through the woods . . .

Ffion is running by her usual route through the woodland 

. . . and her leg gives out at the same place as last time . . .

when her leg plays up again;  there is obviously some underlying weakness there.   After hobbling a few more steps, 

. . . right in front of Tom's camera

she stops to massage the painful leg and looks up at the camera, placed in that particular location by Tom, who is watching her.   He is disturbed by what he sees and hurries out of the site office.

"I can't wait to hear"

Jason cannot wait to hear what the council has to say now;  

"I can't wait to see the back of Quantum Hydro Works!"

his mother adds, “And I can’t wait to see the back of Quantum Hydro Works either.”   Jason imagines that, with a bit of luck, they will not have to wait very long.

DJ comes in . . . 

DJ comes in through the back door 

. . . and is invited to join them

and is invited to come and join them, but he is not keen to do that so Jason goes out to see him.  “What’s wrong?”   

"You don't have to do that, Jason"

DJ appreciates them trying to include him after everything, but Jason does not have to do so.

"Everything will be fine . . ."

Jason consoles him, “All we have to do now is stick together, pay off this debt to Eleri and everything will be fine.   

". . . the tide is turning . . ."

“I’m telling you I can feel it – the tide is turning – everything is going to be all right.”   

. . . but DJ knows otherwise

DJ is painfully aware that this is not the case.

Jason goes back to Ifan

Jason goes back to his son, while DJ looks at that phone again, 

DJ has another message from Ioan

where there is  message, ‘Nice one today – pick-up over the weekend’.

As Ffion bends to massage her leg . . .

Ffion is still in the woods, waiting for the pain to subside;  she bends down to massage the leg again again 

. . . something catches her eye . . . 

and then notices something alongside the path.

. . . very similar to human hair . . . 

She takes a closer look, crouching down to see what appears to be human hair, protruding from moss on the ground.

. . . as she recoils, someone is behind her . . .

When she touches it, she recoils in horror and backs away.   As she stands, not knowing what to do, Tom appears behind her, with a malevolent look on his face and carrying a shovel, 

. . . wielding a shovel

with which he hits her with tremendous force, 

She slumps to the ground . . .

causing her to fall to the ground.   

. . . as Tom looks at his handiwork

He looks down at what he has done.