2 April 2018

"Your father wants chicken for dinner tonight"

DJ is having a cup of tea when Diane, on her way to APD, announces that Dai wants chicken for dinner tonight.   

DJ is perturbed by what he has just read . . .

DJ however has just noticed the headline on the Western Post, 

. . . about a homeless girl being stabbed

which reads, “Homeless Girl Stabbed.”   

There is no reply to his call

He makes a phone call but receives no reply.

"I shall be busy with my new job"

Siôn and Anita arrive at the café, and she explains to him that with her new job, she will not be able to spend so much time on the Best Kept Village.   

"When does the place open, Auntie Anita?"

Kelly asks when the job starts, and is told that it is on Wednesday.   

"Could you help me?"

Siôn tries to enlist Kelly’s help on his project, but she replies that she is not the planning type of person, but eventually agrees, 

Megan would be willing to assist

and convinces Siôn to let Megan assist him, too.   

“We could deal with some flower beds in the village, to get people involved,” Kelly suggests, and Siôn has plans in his folder, covering that.   

"Siôn and Auntie Anita are 'an item'!"

When he has left, Kelly advises Megan that he and Auntie Anita are now ‘an item’, 

Megan thinks she is joking

but Megan takes some persuading, as Anita has not mentioned it to her.

Eileen has already seen the report in the paper . . .

DJ rushes to the shop flat to tell Eileen about the article in the paper;  she informs him that she has seen it, and the name of the person involved is given in the paper, but it is not Sioned.   

. . . but as it was not Sioned, there is no need to worry

“There’s no need to worry now,” she says, “She has probably moved on by now, staying with friends.”   

DJ is amazed that Eileen is so unconcerned

DJ is still concerned about her, but Eileen insists that she is perfectly capable of looking after herself.   

Eileen has a dizzy spell

Then she suffers a sudden headache, and feels rather dizzy;  “Haven’t you got any work to do?” she asks DJ;

DJ takes the hint and goes

he takes the hint and leaves.

Cadno fears what the future holds

Cadno is hard at work in the farmyard when Eifion approaches, bringing her a cup of tea.   “I can’t help worrying about Bobi and Arthur if I go to prison,” she says, 

"It won't come to that"

but he consoles her that it will not come to that, and the solicitor will help.   He also proposes that they should approach the tapas bar about supplying vegetables, 

She can rouse no enthusiasm

but she is not enthusiastic.   

“Why don’t you go to the village and have a word with Eileen about the idea?” he suggests, but she is reluctant.   

"You can't hide here for ever"

“You can’t hide here for ever – go and show your face.”

Kath is sitting alone, again

Kath is sitting alone at Maes-y-Deri when Siôn arrives, 

Siôn is on a garden inspection visit . . .

checking out the gardens in that part of the village;  he looks out of the back window, 

. . . and is not impressed with what is out there

and is less than complimentary about the avocado bathroom suite, mattresses and other assorted detritus out there, suggesting that they should be cleared.   

"How am I supposed to do that?"

Kath wonders how she is supposed to do that.

A £50 note changes hands

He takes a £50 note from his wallet and hands it to her;  “I don’t know what to buy,” she tells him, 

"Come to APD and give me some tips"

“Come with me to APD, and give me some tips.”   

"I think I can spare half an hour"

He is sure that he can spare her half an hour.

Diane infiltrates herself on to the committee

In the street, Diane tells Anita that in her position as Community Councillor, she really ought to be on the Best Kept Village committee.   

Planning is in full swing

They see Megan and Kelly planning what should be done outside the shop.   

"Petunias and Begonias!"

“We could have beds of petunias and begonias in pink and purple,” says Megan, but Kelly fancies something more exciting.

"Gorilla?"

“We ought to adopt a guerilla approach,” she recommends, “No, Megan, nothing to do with apes!” and Diane is pleased to see such involvement in the project, 

"Some hanging baskets would be lovely"

pointing out that some hanging baskets would make a difference.

"Can't stop – I'm on the way to the allotment!"

Eileen comes out of the shop and encounters Cadno, but does not seem interested in the the prospect of Penrhewl selling vegetables to the tapas place, 

Eileen cannot resist stirring about Linda

and is about to hurry off to her allotment, but not before mentioning Cadno’s involvement with Linda and the tablets.

DJ soon stops her . . .

When DJ joins them, she continues on the subject, but DJ stops her, 

"That was what Mam wanted"

“That was what Mam wanted, and all Cadno did was to help her.”   Cadno answers that she did what she thought was the caring thing to do, but Eileen forcibly points out that she could end up in jail, and wonders about the future for Bobi and Arthur.

"How about Sioned – living on the streets?"

DJ also raises the vexed subject of Sioned, sleeping on the streets, and Eileen’s lack of concern for her;  

They have an audience . . .

this of course is heard by Megan, Kelly and Diane, who are nearby.   

. . . and Eileen is humiliated

Eileen feels well and truly humiliated.

The hanging baskets impress Siôn . . .

Siôn admires the hanging baskets displayed outside APD, 

. . . but Kath prefers the garden gnomes . . .

but Kath is much more interested in the tacky garden gnomes which are also there;  

. . . at which Siôn turns up his nose

she works out how many at £6.99 each she could afford with that £50 note.   Siôn tries to dissuade her, but she is very attracted by them;  

"That one is the image of Dyff!"

“Look, that one is the image of Dyff!” she laughs.

"Have you heard about Sioned?"

Diane approaches and tells them about Sioned, being seen living on the streets in Swansea, then informs Kath that the gnomes are on special offer;  

"Siôn White and the seven dwarfs!"

“Two for one, as Dai wants to get rid of them!”   Kath quickly computes that she can afford 14 of them, 

Siôn despairs of such tasteless tat

and Siôn is despairing.

Cadno arrives back at the farm . . .

DJ brings Cadno back to the farm, where she tells Eifion of her reception from Eileen, who brought up the matter of DJ’s mother again.   

. . . and tells Eifion of Eileen's attitude

Cadno is now depressed, and Eifion tries to reassure her;  

DJ gets back into the car . . .

DJ gets into the car to return to the village.   

. . . and Eifion grabs a lift back to the village

When Eifion hears what Eileen has been saying, he angrily jumps into the car, for a lift.

The miscellaneous gnomes reach Maes-y-Deri  

Siôn carries the assorted garden gnomes to Maes-y-Deri, 

"You need a man and a van . . ."

and Kath is quite entranced by the resemblance of that one to Dyff.   Siôn maintains that she needs a man and a van to take the rubbish away from the garden;  

". . . I'll contact Iolo"

he will contact Iolo to bring his van round.

Hard at work on the allotment

Jim and Eileen are busy on the allotment;  

"The fresh air will do you good!"

Eileen says that she has not been sleeping well, and he presumes that the fresh air will do her good.   As she tells him she was talking to Cadno earlier, 

Eifion starts haranguing Eileen  

Eifion arrives, in a furious mood, and Jim tries to placate him.   

"She's a fine one to talk!"

“She’s a fine one to talk, with Sioned sleeping on the streets,” Eifion goes on, “She must enjoy hurting people!” and he marches off again.

"Is that true, Eileen?"

Jim cannot believe what he has heard about Sioned, 

"DJ saw her in Swansea"

and Eileen explains that when DJ was in Swansea he saw her.

Anita brushes up on her Spanish

As they walk round the corner by the chippy, Anita lists some of the things which will be available from the tapas bar, and Siôn commends her on her Spanish pronunciation, as well as telling her he and Iolo will be trying to tidy up the Jones’s garden.

A rather tasteful trellis has been erected

Trellis has been erected around the entrance to the alley;  Diane is surprised that Dai gave it to them free of charge, 

"I told Dai you authorised it"

but Kelly explains that she said Diane had authorised it.   

The other flower bed lowers the tone of the place

Then Kelly is dismayed to see that one of their other flowerbeds has been taken over by Kath, who has populated it with garden gnomes.   She explains that it is her contribution to the community spirit, but Kelly is not pleased to see the gnomes, 

"Ooh – he's just like Reg!"

one of whom, according to Megan, bears a striking resemblance to her late husband, Reg.

Kelly is disgusted

Kelly walks away in disgust, 

Megan congratulates Siôn on his new relationship

while Megan congratulates Siôn on becoming involved with Anita.

The little allotment shed

In the rather small shed on their allotment, Eileen is becoming more and more wound up, 

"I haven't been feeling myself recently"

and admits to Jim that she has not been feeling herself for some time.   

"It's not easy, what with Sioned and Cadno"

He appreciates that it is not easy, with Sioned and Cadno, and she says something is wrong, but she does not know what.   

"I'm not ill"

“I’m not ill,” she begins, and Jim, in his rather faltering fashion, points out that she is not as young as she used to be.

"Perhaps it's the men – er – the change"

“Perhaps it’s the men – er – the change,” he mumbles, and she completes his sentence with the word ‘menopause’.   “It gives me hot flushes just to think about it,” he adds, 

"You may be right"

and she considers that he may well be right.   Jim assures her that whatever happens, he will be there for her, 

Jim gets out his hip flask"

and offers her some brandy from his hip flask.

Cadno in calving gear

Cadno is in the middle of calving, and points out to Eifion that she has had to call the vet;  

"I had to put things straight"

he explains that he had to go and put things straight with Eileen, as he does not want Cadno upset, but she protests that he has made matters worse.   She has also had a bill from the solicitor.

"You should not have upset Cadno"

Eileen has had a shower, and when DJ arrives, he admonishes her for upsetting Cadno, but Eileen replies that she has a lot on her mind at the moment. 

"What were you thinking?"

“What were you thinking?   That’s no excuse for sending Cadno to jail!”    

Eileen’s answers, “I know, and I regret it, but the last thing I need is you telling me off!” and DJ asks if she is all right.

"No, DJ, I'm not all right!"

“No, DJ, I’m not all right!” she shouts, and dissolves into tears, sobbing that she cannot help Sioned now.   “All I do is run around after her, cleaning up the mess she creates – I can’t do it this time!   I want to help her, but I don’t think I’m strong enough at the moment.”

He tries to console her

DJ sits down and tries to console her;  

He promises to make sure Sioned is all right

“I might try,” he says, “I don’t know how, but I’ll make sure that Sioned doesn’t come to any harm!”