4 December 2017

Elgan puts on loud music . . .

Elgan puts on an LP of loud rock music 

. . . and is not very accurate with his aim

and rather shakily pours out 

He is very troubled

yet another glass of whisky.   

"What will the poor customers do?"

In the village street, Dai is winding up Jim;  “But what will the poor customers do for their Christmas dinner?   A stuffed nut roast, few brussels sprouts and a chipolata?   What came over you, Jim, still taking orders while you were waiting for Avian Flu results?”

"I heard about it on the radio!"

Jim breaks his silence and replies, “I didn’t know anything about the flu until I heard it on the radio!”   Dai had been under the impression he was a good business partner.

"They're checking for hidden poultry"

They see two police officers walking past Bethania, and Dai warns, “They’re going from house to house, checking for hidden poultry in the cupboard under the stairs.   They were in Bryntirion this morning – but we are vegans now.”   Jim has had enough and hobbles away.

"Do you fancy meeting up?"

Diane reprimands Dai for stirring things, and then Chester appears;  he tells Dai that Hannah is on a course today, and that he has a free lesson.   “Do you fancy meeting up?”

Dai seems quite eager;  “Is the Pope a Catholic?” he replies.   

"We have to keep DJ sweet"

Chester will ask DJ as well, as it is worth keeping him sweet, although he is not vegan.   

Gaynor cannot contact Elgan . . .

Gaynor comes round the corner, unsuccessfully trying to contact Elgan by phone;  

. . . who is still drowning his sorrows

meanwhile, at his house, the loud music continues, and so does the drinking.

Gwen is rushed off her feet in the café 

Things are busy in the café;  

"Eifion and Cadno are even worse off than you"

DJ tells Jim that he should have been told about Penrhewl’s problem, but Eifion and Cadno are even worse off than him.   

"I've lost a lot of money!"

Jim points out that he has lost a lot of money;  “I know you’ve got a soft spot for Cadno, but I had a right to know!   They should have told me before anyone else – and they didn’t!”

Diane is definitely under the weather

At the counter, Diane thinks she is coming down with something, as there are a lot of bugs around.   She looks lustfully at a cake on display and asks if it was made using eggs.   

Gwen says that the cake must contain eggs

“Probably,” replies Gwen, and DJ decides that Diane, who is still looking enviously at the cake, should go home.

"Haven't they got anything else to report?"

Eifion is furious at CwmFM, who are still broadcasting the news about the farm.   Cadno predicts that they will be in the news for a while yet;  

Mathew is given a cup of tea

“People want to know the latest because it affects them.”   

"I just want to get out of this place"

Eifion just wants to get out of this place, 

"It would be terrible having them here"

and Cadno is relieved that the boys were allowed to go to school;  “It would be terrible having them here during the cull.   I kept dreaming about it last night.”

"Not Jim again!"

Her phone rings, and she finds that it is Jim again;  Eifion points out that she will have to talk to him eventually.   

"You should have listened to me . . ."

“You shouldn’t have had that stall – or lied to him!   I would have told him the truth – you should have listened to me!   

". . . but no – Cadno knew best!"

“But no – Cadno knew best.”

Then the house phone rings, and Eifion loses his temper;  

"We don't want to talk to your ridiculous rag!"

“No, we don’t want to talk to your ridiculous rag!   Get lost!”   He tells them, “Western Post – they wanted to know why we had a turkey stall while awaiting test results.”

Ham sandwiches are being produced

At Bryntirion, Chester is preparing ham sandwiches, and Dai urges him to hide the wrapper;  “We don’t want the women finding this, do we?” he says.   

"DJ can eat meat whenever he likes"

“It’s not the same for DJ – he can eat meat whenever he likes.”   

Then they hear the front door . . .

Just as he is applying some mustard to his ham, DJ arrives – with Diane.   He tells her to sit down, and he will make a cup of tea.

. . . and DJ frantically gesticulates at them

He then warns Dai and Chester to hide the meat.   

Dai is concerned about Diane

Diane tells Dai that she just feels a bit giddy, 

"I want a bacon sandwich!"

and then announces, “I want a bacon sandwich!” 

"We're vegans – no bacon!"

which comes as rather a shock.   Dai enlightens her that they are vegans, and thus do not have any bacon.   

Diane has prepared for that eventuality

“There’s bacon in my handbag – but please don’t tell Hannah!” Diane says.

"You heard the woman – bacon sandwich!"

“You heard the woman – bacon sandwich,” Dai orders Chester, and he sets about preparing it.   Dai insists that she is not letting anyone down, 

"You're just not eating right"

and DJ adds that she is just not eating right.

Meanwhile, at Elgan's . . .

The loud music is still playing at Elgan’s house, 

. . . he hears banging on the door

when there is a hammering at the door, and Gaynor’s voice demands that he open it.   

Gaynor will not take no for an answer

“I’ll stay here all afternoon if I have to!”   At first he decides to ignore it, but Gaynor is persistent and the hammering continues.

Diane swears them all to secrecy

Diane feels much better after finishing her bacon sandwich, but is very clear, “No-one is to mention what has just happened.”   They all agree to keep quiet, 

"You're not cut out for this vegan business"

and DJ does not consider that she is cut out for this vegan business.   He insists that she needs to eat a balanced diet, 

"Hannah gives us a balanced diet"

but she argues that is what Hannah provides when she cooks.

"Have you been taking supplements?"

Chester enquires if she has been taking supplements, but she objects to the accusation that she is too weak to be a vegan.   “Maybe I have had a moment’s lapse, but I’m as determined as ever – it’s only natural for anyone to have an blip early on.   

"We're all vegans!"

“Everything remains as it is – I am vegan, we’re all vegans!”

"Amen!"

Dai says, “Amen!” to this, and Diane points out that Hannah would be so disappointed if she thought they had all given up.

"Shall I open the curtains?"

At last, Gaynor has been admitted to the house, and turns off the music, suggesting Elgan should open the curtains.   He forbids this, and she tells him how concerned she has been, not being able to get hold of him;  she does not like the way they left things on Friday.

"I shouldn't have said what I did"

“I shouldn’t have said what I did,” she admits, “I understand that you’ve been through hell – I also know it was a misunderstanding about Sophia.   Are you still married?”

"Living with me was intolerable"

Elgan sadly answers, “She left me – because living with me was intolerable.”   

"I've been reading up on PTSD"

Gaynor has been reading up about the condition over the weekend;  “The ‘condition’ – have you now?” he scoffs.   She is certain that he is suffering from PTSD.

"Putting a label on it will sort it out?"

“Oh well, everything is all right now, is it?   Putting a label on it will sort it out?”   She points out that there is help available, and the treatment can make a world of difference.   “Since when have you been qualified to save that?” he demands, and she describes the experiences of people suffering from PTSD which she has read about.

"And I thought I was the doctor"

“And I thought I was the doctor,” Elgan says.   Gaynor insists that there is no shame in acknowledging what is wrong with him.   “The fact you labelled what’s wrong with me doesn’t change what’s inside here – maybe this, maybe that.   You can’t fix me, Gaynor – that damage was done a long time ago!”

More whisky is poured . . .

He pours out yet more whisky and she suggests going for a walk to get some fresh air, or would he like to come to Llwyncelyn, as it would be a change for him.   “Oh, Elgan, talk to me, please!   

. . . and then drunk

“Tell me how I can help.”

"Talking helps . . ."

He is quite emphatic that she cannot help, but she pleads, “Talking helps – tell me what you’ve been through – 

". . . I'm willing to listen"

“I am willing to listen.   It doesn’t matter what it is – and I do understand that this is difficult for you, because PTSD can be a cruel condition.

"I don't want anything!"

He turns and snarls at her, “Stop this labelling!   You have no idea what you’re dealing with.   I don’t want to talk, I don’t want a fuss, I don’t want anything!   I cope with this in my own way – I wish you would respect that!”

A game of cards to while away the time

At Penrhewl, Eifion and Mathew are playing cards;  Eifion’s phone sounds, and he sees that Jim is trying to contact him now.   

"This is all Cadno's fault!"

“This is all Cadno’s fault!”   Mathew knows that he warned her not to set up the stall, but she did not set out to risk the farm’s reputation;  

"She was trying to stay in business"

she was trying to stay in business.

"But look at the mess she's made!"

“Yes, but look at the mess she’s made!” rages Eifion.   Mathew points out that avian flu was here, stall or not, and urges him not to be too hard on her.   

"You two should be sticking together"

Eifion is unconvinced, but Mathew again advises they should be sticking together, and not making each other feel worse.

"Can you bring a cup of tea in half an hour?"

At Bryntirion, Diane is going upstairs for a nap, and asks for a cup of tea in about half an hour;  Dai will bring some toast and jam as well, and is reminded not to use any butter.   “A vegan fridge doesn’t have any butter,” he assures her.

DJ says the sandwich did her good

DJ maintains that she looked better after that sandwich, and Dai hopes that their sandwiches were stashed somewhere safe.   

"Why don't you stop this vegan nonsense?"

“Why don’t you just be honest and stop this vegan nonsense?” demands DJ, and Chester agrees that it might be for the best.   

Dai predicts that there would be ructions;  “A word to the wise,” he tells them, 

Dai's lessons on 'How to Deal with Women'

“How to deal with women – make them think you’re always following their rules.   Right, I have an idea – I deserve something stronger to go with my ham sandwiches.”

"Some idiot threw my single malt down the sink"

He finds the bottle given to him by Siôn, and comments, “Some idiot threw my Islay single malt down the sink the other day.   This isn’t so nice, but it is a good one.”   Chester suggests that he could have one, 

"Not on your nelly!"

but the answer is, “Not on your nelly!”   Dai then relents and gives him a small one, 

Whisky does not appear to agree with Chester

one sip of which makes Chester choke.

They have to be quick with their ham sandwiches

Chester’s phone sounds, and he receives a message from Hannah, “Back in half an hour.   Fancy chilling?”   Dai says that they must get stuck into their sandwiches, but now Chester is having second thoughts.   

"Whisky is vegan"

Dai is convinced that whisky is vegan.

The waiting is getting them down

In the farmhouse kitchen, they wait glumly for the arrival of the men from the Ministry;  

"For heaven's sake, just talk to each other!"

“For heaven’s sake, just talk to each other!” shouts Mathew, and goes up to his room.   

"You're right, it is old news"

“I can’t deny I’m angry about the stall – but you’re right, it is old news,” concedes Eifion.   

"I should never have set up the stall"

Cadno admits that she should never have set up the stall, but she was so sure the results would be clear.   “Now it’s going to be in the Western Post, and everyone will think we're cowboys, because I was so stubborn.”   

"Well, the Bird Flu was not our fault!"

Eifion stresses that their biggest problem is the Bird Flu, and that is not their fault, but she says, “It’s so cruel – such a waste!   

She worries about the effect on the boys

I bet the other children are picking on Bobi and Arthur.”   

Their waiting is over

Mathew reports that the van is outside, and Eifion goes out.

Elgan is not interested in the soup

Gaynor has given Elgan a bowl of soup, and encourages him to try it, but he will not.   “It’s obvious you haven’t eaten properly all the weekend,” she says, 

"You should be looking after yourself"

but he replies there is no point in her being here, nor is it right.   She should be at home, looking after herself.   However, she obstinately refuses to go;  

"You really don't want to be a part of this"

“Look, you really don’t want to be a part of this,” Elgan insists, “I’ll only cause more havoc – it’s what I always do.”

"Eat that soup before it gets cold"

Gaynor assures him that he is not getting rid of her;  she is not going anywhere.   “So eat that soup before it gets cold,” she instructs.   His response is to take another sip of whisky.

Penrhewl's turkeys are no more

Eifion comes back inside and reports that the job is done, and they have left;  it is time for the children to come home.   

Jim is still pestering Cadno

Then Cadno receives another text from Jim;  “Phone me Cadno – today!”   

"Ring him and take the flak"

Eifion advises her to phone him back and take the flak before he threatens to take his share of the farm, and she agrees to do so.

"I've had enough of this struggling"

“I’ve had enough of this struggling,” she laments, “Not a month goes by without some problem or other.”   Eifion tries to console her that they will be out and about next week, and they do not have much choice, 

"This is our livelihood"

as this is their livelihood.

Gaynor has had no success with the soup

Elgan’s soup remains untouched;  Gaynor offers to reheat it for him, but he declines.   “Listen, I meant what I said earlier,” he begins, 

"I don't want you to be responsible for me"

“I don’t want you to feel responsible for me – I’ll be fine on my own.”   

"I want to be there for you"

She replies that it is not a responsibility, but she wants to be there for him.   “I’m not going to change, you know.   

"It won't change anything!"

“Putting a name on what I’m going through won’t change anything.   I know how I want to live with it.”

"Promise you'll be honest with me"

Gaynor responds, “Will you promise me one thing, Elgan?   Will you be honest with me from now on?   No silences and refusing to speak – and no disappearing acts, and switching off your phone.   We’ll get through this – together.”   

"All right"

He nods and agrees.