Cwmderi Diary 2017: 7 April 2017

"I saw Cadno earlier"

Diane, with Hannah in tow, hammers on the chip shop door; she breathlessly tells Britt, “I saw Cadno earlier – she said these two –

"In Cadno's bed!"

“Hannah and him – were caught in Penrhewl the night before last – in Cadno’s bed!”

"I know – but not about the bed!"

She is rather deflated when Britt replies, “I know – well, not about Cadno’s bed! I didn’t tell you, as I knew you’d react like this – you don’t think he’s good enough!”

"He's taking advantage of Hannah"

Diane accuses him of taking advantage of Hannah,

"We were quite aware of what we were doing"

but Hannah protests that they both knew what they were doing.

Britt adds, “See? I’m not ashamed they’ve been together.” Diane most definitely is, and marches Hannah out of the shop.

"It's like an obstacle course in here"

Eileen tells Sam that she has just had a delivery, which was dumped unceremoniously on the floor,

Eileen has cheered up considerably

but reports that she has had the good news that Jim is all right, although he has not yet said when he is coming back. He turned off his phone to get some peace.

It is all that Sam can do to lift the box

Sam lifts one of the heavy boxes with some difficulty.

Stacey informs Mark that Kath has gone missing

At Maes-y-Deri, Mark is speaking to Stacey on the phone; she informs him that Kath disappeared three days ago, and did not say where she was going.

"What if she starts taking the pills again?"

Then he tells Debbie, “She has had a tough time lately – what if she starts taking the pills again?”

"Like looking for a needle in a haystack!"

Vicky points out that if she is not with Stacey and not in Cwmderi, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

That box was too much for Sam

After his exertions, Sam is helped up to the shop flat and given a drink of water, while Eileen phones the surgery, as he had been about to faint.

"It's this diabetes"

“I’ve had a couple of dizzy spells recently – it’s this diabetes, but I’ve got tablets for it,” Sam tells her.

Eileen phones the surgery

He is surprised that she is going out of her way to help him.

"Boys that age are only after one thing!"

When they arrive back at Bryntirion, Diane tells Hannah, “It’s not right, what he did! Everyone knows that Chester is a tearaway – boys that age are only after one thing! You’d be safer at home with your mother.”

Hannah does not want to go home

This angers Hannah, who pleads to be allowed to stay; after some thought, she asks, “What if I agreed not to see Chester?”

"Mind, I wasn't born yesterday!"

Diane replies that if she cut all ties with him, she might be prevailed upon to change her mind, but stresses that she was not born yesterday.

"I'd do anything to stay here!"

“I would do anything to stay here! Give me a chance to prove it to you!” Hannah urges Diane.

"But if I catch you together . . ."

Diane concedes, “All right – but if I catch you together, I shall have no choice!”

Mark is unable to track down his mother

Mark has made more fruitless phone calls,

"She might be with Dol"

then Vicky suggests that as Kath was mates with Dol, perhaps she may have gone there, but when Dol’s number is called, there is no reply, and no answerphone. Vicky jokingly predicts they may have been abducted by aliens;

"The aliens can keep Dol!"

Mark replies, “They can keep Dol, as long as they send Mam back!”

Debbie is offended

This remark about her mother angers Debbie, but Mark insists Dol should be kept out of things for now, as she would only complicate matters.

"We can't cope with both of them!"

“We can’t cope with both of them turning up!” he insists.

"Cadno's bed?"

Britt comments, with a smile, to Chester, “Cadno’s bed? I can’t believe you’ve done such a thing!”

"Our minds were on something else!"

He argues that it was just an empty room, with a bed, and that their minds were on other things. “I bet they were!” says Britt,

"If you'd asked me properly . . ."

“If you’d asked me properly, I might have let you use a room here – it would have saved public embarrassment!”

"Oh, right – next time . . ."

“Really?” responds Chester, “Right – next time . . .”

He is off on 'Owl Watch'

Then he announces he is going out on ‘Owl Watch’ over in Henllan Forest, to prove to Jason that he is serious; apparently the birds are nesting there.

Britt gets him a scarf and hat to keep him warm;

"No-one will fancy you, looking like that!"

“There, this will keep you out of trouble – no-one will fancy you, looking like that – not even Hannah!”

Kath arrives at a run-down caravan park

In a run-down caravan park, Kath, with her umbrella, purposefully approaches one particular caravan and knocks on the door.

An old man opens the door

An old man opens the door and wrongly assumes she is someone else.

"I've been over it in my head"

“I’ve been over it in my head,” he tells her, “Everything Taid remembered about Harry Turpin Wood, a descendant of Abram and the Romanies.” (Famous Welsh gypsy family)

"We're not on the same wavelength"

“I don’t think we’re on the same wavelength!” Kath informs him, “You are Josh, aren’t you? I’ve been staying with Dol – Dolores.”

"Oh – her!"

“Oh – her!” the old man says, dismissively, and Kath goes on to explain that

"This letter says you're the father of her daughter"

while she was there she found a letter which says that he is the father of Dolores’ daughter, Debbie.

He does not like the sound of this

He looks astounded.

"Dr Pritchard – very nice man"

At Llwyncelyn, Eileen asks Sam what the doctor said; “I saw a locum, Dr Pritchard – very nice man.

"He gave me an MOT"

“He gave me an MOT and said if I don’t feel better by next week, he will make an appointment with a specialist. But in the meantime, I’m going to enjoy myself this weekend, in the company of Colin, Gaynor, Anita, I hope, and with you.”

"Jim's home tomorrow!"

Eileen has had another call from Jim, promising that he will be home tomorrow, so she regrets she cannot join him,

"How about bread and cheese to go with the wine?"

but he does tell her he has a loaf of barley bread and some nice cheese to go with the wine.

Josh maintains the letter is a load of rubbish

In the caravan, the old man insists that the letter is total rubbish.

"Debbie should know who her father is"

Kath points out that it is only right that Debbie should know who her father is; “There are too many secrets in this family already!” is her opinion, “All I’m asking is that you come to Cwmderi to see Debbie.”

"It's a pack of lies!"

He answers that he does not have to do anything; “I’m telling you it’s a pack of lies, but you’re welcome to try and prove me wrong!” Kath informs him that she is staying with Dol, and he knows where that is,

"Well, you know where to find me"

so if he changes his mind, that is where to find her.

Sam is helped up the stairs . . .

Eileen helps Sam upstairs to his room; they both appear to be somewhat inebriated after the wine, and Sam says the room is spinning like a top.

. . . and collapses on the bed

He collapses on to the bed, where Eileen removes his shoes, and he begins reminiscing about the late, lamented Katrina.

"I'm so lonely without Katrina"

“I’m so lonely without her, but do you know what my favourite pet was?” he asks Eileen,

"Esmeralda the rat!"

who sits on the bed beside him, “A rat – I bought her in Rio de Janiero – Esmeralda! I remember that poem by T H Parry Williams – ‘Y Ferch ar y Cei yn Rio’!” (The girl on the quay in Rio)

Eileen is out like a light

As he rambles on, Eileen becomes weary and lies down on the bed; by the time he has told her that the rat, with its big black eyes and little pink paws was his best friend for a long time, she is fast asleep.