Cwmderi Diary 2017: 21 June 2017

Dai suspects there is an intruder . . .

Early in the morning, Dai hears a noise, comes downstairs, arming himself with an umbrella,

. . . but it is only Linda

only to find that it is Linda.

"I was lying on the beach in Copacabana"

“I was far away on Copacabana, lying on the beach,” he yawns,

"A hospice is one possibility"

and finds that she has been looking online at the website of a Hospice, which she explains is one of the possibilities.

"It wouldn't be fair on anyone"

“I don’t want DJ to see me deteriorating, or even worse, be forced to look after me – he might have to do everything for me in the end, and it wouldn’t be fair on anyone,” she tells him, “The palliative care nurse is coming today, and I shall talk about my options.”

"I suppose you know best"

Dai concludes that she knows best.

She seems to be eager to receive what she ordered

When he shuffles off back to bed, she returns to the laptop where she is apparently tracking the delivery of her package by Royal Mail.

Vicky now has a lot of ironing to do

Vicky is ironing, to the accompaniment of loud music, while Kath is cooking the breakfast;

"Do you want a sausage?"

Vicky refuses a sausage,

"No – I'm watching my figure"

as she is watching her figure, and asks Kath what she is wearing to the party tonight. Debbie overhears this conversation, and Vicky asks her where she is sneaking off to.

"I told you, I'm not going to this party!"

She answers, abruptly, “I’m going to work, and I told you, I’m not going to this party!” Then the cooking sets off the smoke alarm. “Has he been here for my birthdays over the years?” Debbie demands,

"He didn't know about you"

but Vicky points out that he did not even know about her, and calls her stubborn.

Gwyneth has just been revving up her bike . . .

At Y Felin, Gwyneth has been out to check on her bike, which is due for a service;

. . . much to the annoyance of Siôn

Siôn comes down and snarls, “Did you have to make so much noise on that bike this morning?”

"Why don't you cook tonight?"

Gwyneth suggests that Max should cook dinner for the three of them tonight, as it would be an opportunity to build bridges.

"You're up to something, aren't you?"

Macs’ immediate comment is, “You’re up to something again, aren’t you?”

Linda watches for the post to arrive

Linda is looking out of the window, and DJ tells her that she was up before the cockerel next door. There is a knock on the door,

"Right, sign here, please"

and Mark has a package for her. He tells DJ he is looking forward to the party tonight; “A few cans, and a chance to chill,” then realises he had better go, or he will never get to the party.

"I'm off to work, Mam!"

Linda seems very secretive about the contents of her package, and DJ leaves for work. Linda stumbles up to the bedroom

Linda shuts the door . . .

and closes the door, then checks that DJ has gone.

. . . then opens the jiffy bag . . .

She opens the package, which has come second-class,

. . . and looks at the bottle of pills

and gets out a small bottle of pills.

Vicky has a day off

At Maes-y-Deri, Vicky is relaxing as she has a day off;

Mark tries to find a clean cup

Mark is home early,

"Mark, get Mam to sign this"

and Vicky wants him to take a card to Debbie, so that she can sign it for Josh. “One day she’ll regret it, if she doesn’t go to the party,” she insists,

Mark doubts if he will persuade her

and Mark agrees to try and persuade Debbie to go, but without much optimism.

Gwyneth is, as usual, up to no good

Gwyneth stealthily creeps downstairs, with a small bottle in her hand; checking no one is around, she unscrews the cap of the whisky bottle,

She adds some unknown substance to the whisky . . .

and puts some of the liquid from the small bottle into the whisky, using a dropper.

. . . exhibiting a dastardly expression

She looks suitably furtive.

"I've already said I'm not going!"

Mark catches up with Debbie at the Deri, and offers her the card, but she is insistent, “I told Vicky, and your mother, that I’m not going!”

"It would mean so much to Ricky"

He points out that he will be there, and it would mean so much to Ricky; “You need to swallow your pride and move on,” he tells her,

"You remember Non, don't you?"

“You remember Non, don’t you? She didn’t know who her father was for years – and by the time she found out, it was too late. Come on, sign it – everyone else has.”

Mark hands her a pen

He hands her a pen, and she looks undecided.

Josh puts on his 'special occasions' waistcoat

In the caravan, Josh has put on a fancy waistcoat,

Vicky has put up decorations

and Vicky has been putting up balloons outside. He tells her he got the waistcoat in Llan Ffestiniog, and only wears it on special occasions.

"I haven't even sent him a card, Mark"

Mark is carrying a number of cans, and Kelly says she has not even sent him a card; “Give him some of these cans, and he’ll be thrilled,” Mark replies.

"Hope you don't mind me gatecrashing"

Kelly hopes Josh does not mind her gatecrashing, but Mark invited her. Josh is confident that there is enough food to feed the 5,000.

"I'll tell you where to put it in a minute!"

Kath gives him a bonsai tree; he wonders where to put it, and Kath threatens to tell him.

Dai shouts across to Josh

Dai warns Josh, “Hey, Smith, I don’t want a mess left here – is that clear? If anything has been moved an inch, I’ll know where to come!”

"Keep your hair on, Dai!"

Kelly tells him to keep his hair on, which they all find rather amusing. Mark hands over the card, which he says is from all of them;

Any reference to Debbie is conspicuously absent

Josh looks eagerly, but finds no signature from Debbie,

"Give it time, Josh"

and Kath advises him to give it time.

Kelly records the happy occasion

Kelly is asked to take a photo of the family.

The nurse is about to leave

The nurse leaves Bryntirion, after talking with Linda;

"Been discussing the hospice?"

Dai comes in, and asks if they have been discussing the possibilities – including the hospice.

Linda points out its advantages

“I’d get the best care in there – the best medication and therapy – and they would support DJ, once I . . .” she tells him, “But the truth is, I don’t want to spend my final days in an unfamiliar place with people I don’t know. I don’t want to be a burden to the people closest to me, either – the people I love most.”

"Isn't there another solution?"

Dai wonders if there is another solution; she is about to tell him what arrived in the post when DJ comes in,

"What did the nurse say?"

and is told about the possibility of a hospice, although she has not yet made a decision.

DJ takes umbrage and stalks off

He goes off in a huff, having never been consulted about a hospice.

"I hope you'll join us at the table"

At Y Felin, the table is laid, and Gwyneth hopes that Siôn will join them at the table; Macs announces, “Lasagne and chips, nothing fancy,”

"I'll make myself something later"

but Siôn decides he will make himself something later. “I’ve made it now, and there’s plenty here so you may as well have some,” says Macs.

"I'd rather starve – she's probably done something to the food!"

“I’d rather starve than sit around a table with her,” Siôn replies, “She’s probably done something to the food! I’m not hungry!” and he continues reading his book.

Debbie sits alone with the TV

Debbie sits mournfully in front of the television, then receives a text,

She is sent a picture of the happy gathering

including the photo of the rest of the family taken by Kelly; this makes her think.

DJ makes carrot and coriander soup

Linda hobbles into the kitchen as DJ is cooking carrot and coriander soup, and he announces there is a fresh loaf to go with it. He also thinks that there is a wedge of Edam cheese left in the fridge.

"Come and sit down a moment"

She tells him to sit down with her for a moment.

"I was going to tell you tonight"

“I know everything has been difficult,” she begins, “I’ve been thinking about this for a few days, and I was going to tell you tonight, after I had time to consider what the nurse said.” She insists that she is doing this for DJ,

He refuses to entertain the idea

but he considers that a hospice is not an option.

"It would be the best place for me"

“It’s the best place for me when the time comes,” she stresses, “I’d get the best care, and I wouldn’t be a burden to anyone – especially you. It would be a strain for you, and I don’t want to put you through that.” He argues that he did not have a chance to be there for her before, but now he does,

"I want to look after you, Mam"

and he wants to look after her. He begs her to let him do that.

"Well, that was a disaster!"

After their meal, Gwyneth complains, “That was a disaster, wasn’t it?”

An embrace for Siôn's benefit

Then, hearing Siôn coming downstairs, she kisses Macs passionately.

"Where's the photo?"

Siôn picks up the whisky bottle, and demands where the photo has gone, which was displayed there. Gwyneth tells him that change is good, and she hopes that he does not mind; Siôn walks out,

"This is the sort of thing to bring us results"

and she comments to Macs, “Making small changes like this will bring us results,” and Macs calls her wicked.

"You've broken it!"

Siôn has managed to find the photo of his late wife Gwen, in the bin with the glass broken. Gwyneth tells him it was accidental, this time,

"That witch watching us all the time!"

adding, “I have never liked that photo – and that witch watching us all the time!”

"Your game is not going to work"

He pours himself a glass of whisky and tells her, “Whatever your game is, it’s not going to work,”

He swigs down the doctored whisky

and then he drains his glass, as she watches with a morbid interest.

"It will mean a radical change"

Linda warns DJ, “It will mean a radical change – do you realise that? We’ve talked about moving the bed downstairs.” He replies that he knows life will change, that nurses will come and go, there will be medication around the place.

"I'm willing to try my best"

“He is ready to help her wherever he can, at least he is willing to try his best.

He tells her, “Listen, these next few weeks won’t be easy for anyone, especially for you, but if you stay here, we’ll be together. Families are supposed to stick together, aren’t they?”