Cwmderi Diary 2017: 6 December 2017

"Can you pick her up from Siôn's?"

Walking along the back street, Ffion asks Gethin to pick up Arwen from Y Felin;

"We should talk to her about the operation"

he tells her, “I know it’s not something you want to think about, but I honestly believe we should talk to Arwen about the operation. A letter from the hospital could arrive at any time.” Ffion finds the whole thing so hard,

"It will give her a chance to get used to the idea"

but he insists that they should do it, so that Arwen has time to get used to the idea.

"I'm looking forward to this surprise"

Elgan is about to walk into the alley when Gaynor calls to him; he says he is looking forward to the surprise that she has for him, and asks if he can eat it. His walk has done him good,

"I'll see you in half an hour"

and she says that she will come walking with him when she gets her strength back. They will meet at Llwyncelyn in half an hour.

When the coast is clear . . .

When she has gone, he hides in the alley, checks that no-one is looking,

. . . Elgan swigs some more whisky

then takes a swig from his hip flask.

"Have you seen my notebook?"

At number 7, Tyler comes downstairs, looking for his notebook;

Iolo knows its whereabouts . . .

Iolo is busy, doing the ironing, but stops to locate the notebook,

. . . and hands it to him

and warns Tyler to calm down, as there is no need to panic.

"I've been looking after Greta all weekend"

“I’ve been looking after Greta so you could make arrangements,” Iolo points out, and Tyler says that he is getting stressed.

"Oh, I've forgotten a sash!"

“I think this baby shower business has taken over my brain,” he complains, and then realises, “I’ve forgotten to buy Dani a sash!”

"Dani won't be bothered about that"

Iolo is doubtful whether she will worry about a thing like that, but Tyler wants everything to be perfect.

Arwen is absorbed in her colouring

Arwen is busy colouring as Gethin suggests a book they could use;

Gethin has found a useful book

“It has some great pictures. Listen, Ffi, I know how hard this is for you –

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

“do you want me to talk to her?”

Ffion insists that it is her place to talk to Arwen, then she receives a text;

Ffion needs to charge her phone as a matter of urgency

it is from Tyler, and reads, “Looking forward to seeing you at the baby shower!”

"Oh, that bloomin' baby shower!"

“Oh, it’s the bloomin’ baby shower!” Ffion groans, “I forgot all about it!” Gethin is of the opinion that she should go, but she thinks otherwise.

"I hope it comes up to expectations"

In the Deri, everything has been prepared, and Tyler hopes that it meets Dani’s expectations.
Eileen has made a lemon drizzle cake, but Tyler reveals that the main cake came from a shop.

"You should have asked Eileen to make it!"

Britt insists they should have asked Eileen to make it.

“It’s nice not to have to worry about what people say about your cake,” says Eileen,

"I can make lemon drizzle cakes in my sleep!"

“But I can make lemon drizzle cakes in my sleep!”

The first game – a name for the baby

Tyler invites them all to take part in the first game – to suggest names for the baby. Eileen asks Britt, “What’s ‘Monk’ in Welsh?”

"Ooh - very clever, Eileen!"

and is told that the word is ‘Mynach’.

Hywel objects to those other rowdy customers

Hywel and Jason think they have chosen the wrong afternoon to come for a pint, with all the noise going on;

"Let's find a quiet corner"

they try to find a quiet corner.

Gaynor finds some old games . . .

At Llwyncelyn, Gaynor produces several boxed games, including Scrabble and Monopoly; Elgan realises that this is the surprise, which he was not expecting, but agrees that it may be a good idea to do something different.

. . . and Elgan selects Snakes and Ladders

He decides on Snakes and Ladders, and Gaynor insists on being red. “This reminds me of playing games with Grandma and Grandad,” he comments, “In the caravan in Llandudno years ago.”

Elgan is still putting away the whisky

Gaynor remembers that Izzy and Lois used to enjoy it, but Lois always cheated. He goes to pour himself another drink,

"It's rather early for that, isn't it?"

although she remarks that it is rather early.

"You must have one – doctor's orders"

He insists that she has one as well. They settle down to the game, having to throw a six to start.

"That's it, I've had enough – I'm going!"

Even in what they thought was a quiet corner of the Deri, Hywel decides they had better leave,

The carousing continues . . .

as the noise is increasing.

. . . with Tyler awarding the prize for the name . . .

Tyler gets up to announce that the winner of the first game is the person who thinks the baby’s name will be,

. . . "Garrieta Mynach"

“Garrieta Mynach,” but Dani is confident that Garry would not be happy with that. Eileen wins the prize, and they are about to give a couple of presents to Dani

Iolo provides the missing item

when Iolo rushes in and hands her a bag, which she finds contains a sash.

"Bit over the top, isn't it?"

Watching from a distance, Sheryl remarks to Ffion, “It’s a bit over the top, isn’t it? Are you all right? You’re a bit quiet.” Ffion, looking upset, hurries to the toilet, and Sheryl follows her.

"Not another one!"

Elgan is still drinking, and as Gaynor walks into the room, he is pouring some more into his glass. She is rather concerned about this,

"You shouldn't be drinking so much!"

and asks if he thinks he should be drinking so much. He replies that it helps; “You said that we should be open and honest.”

She says that she has read about people doing this, and it is not the answer.

"You're a doctor again, are you?"

“Oh, you’re a doctor again now, are you?” he replies, “You read too much and understand nothing.

"Stop telling me what to do!"

“Stop telling me what to do, and stop analysing me, right?”

A rare view of the ladies' toilet

In our first glimpse of the inside of the Deri ladies’ toilet, Sheryl has been told about Ffion’s predicament; “What if she doesn’t come through it?” Ffion sobs,

"Terrible things can happen!"

“Terrible things can happen – you know that better than anyone!” Sheryl says that she must try to stay positive, as Arwen’s situation is entirely different to what happened to Meilyr.

"Anything could go wrong!"

“But it’s a major operation – and anything could go wrong,” Ffion continues. Sheryl points out that it is incredible what they can do these days, and asks how Arwen is coping with it all. “I haven’t talked to her about it yet –

"I don't know what to say!"

“I know I should have done it by now, but I don’t know what to say. I’m so selfish!”

“This is an impossible situation,” Sheryl tells her, and Ffion adds that Gethin was encouraging her to tell Arwen earlier.

"But I just snapped at him!"

“He even offered to talk to her himself – but I just snapped at him! He was only trying to help!”

The helpful advice about babies begins . . .

Meanwhile, by the bar, Eileen, Britt and Sara are giving Dani advice about the baby, including buying sleeping bags.

. . . with an argument about bottles versus breastfeeding

Eileen extols the benefits of breastfeeding, as nothing is more nutritious; then Britt takes issue with this, as all her three children had the bottle, and they did not suffer.

"Chester was a guzzler!"

“Chester was a guzzler – I wouldn’t have had enough milk for him anyway!”

Dani makes a hasty retreat

Dani is becoming tired of this, and escapes in the direction of the toilet.

Ffion salvages her mascara

Still in the toilet, Ffion cleans up her mascara, as Sheryl explains that she knows how Ffion feels, but she should let Gethin be a part of this too, as it is not easy for him either.

"You'll need Gethin's support"

“You’ll need him for support over the next few weeks – and Arwen will need him as well.”

"It's all too much!"

Then Dani walks in, and tells them that it has just been a bit too much for her; “Everyone’s being so kind, spoiling me and the baby rotten.” She disappears into a cubicle.

"You go home, Ffion!"

Sheryl tells Ffion to go home, and Ffion makes the excuse that Arwen has been asking for her.

"There will be even more fuss when the baby arrives"

When she has gone, Sheryl speaks to Dani through the toilet door, “Everyone will make even more fuss when the baby arrives,”

An unusual view over the toilet door

and Dani looks upset at the prospect.

Elgan is about to make the winning move

The game of Snakes and Ladders reaches its conclusion, with Elgan winning.

He apologises for his outburst . . .

He says to Gaynor, “I’m sorry about earlier – it wasn’t right to lose my temper like that.”

. . . and Gaynor advocates talking to someone

She still insists that talking to someone would be much better than drinking, but he replies that it is not that easy, as it might affect his career.

"Would you want to be treated by a doctor who has my problems?"

“Would you want to be treated by doctor who has my problems?” he demands.

"Other doctors must be the same"

Gaynor is sure there must be other doctors who suffer similar symptoms, and if he talked to an expert, it would be confidential.

"I though we agreed to do it my way"

“I thought we agreed that I’d do it my way,” he says, but she is adamant that drinking will not solve anything.

He acknowledges that Gaynor is right

“It silences the voices – it allows me to pretend that life is as it used to be,” he explains, “But no, you’re right of course – it doesn’t do any good – you can take it away if you want.”

"Aww! I've cut my finger!"

She takes the glasses away, and cuts some cheese, in the process cutting her finger.

"Just put a plaster on it"

Elgan comes to her rescue, and prescribes putting a plaster on it. “What would I do without you to look after me?” she says,

She gives him a kiss

and kisses him.

While she goes upstairs in search of a plaster,

The doctor definitely has an alcohol problem

he removes the hip flask from his coat and drinks some of its contents.

After Arwen's dinner . . .

At Cysgod y Glyn, Arwen has eaten all her dinner, and Ffion tells her

. . . she watches Cyw on S4C

she can watch Cyw [CHICK] for a while.

"That party was a lot of fuss!"

Ffion informs Gethin that the party was a lot of fuss, and Dani was in her element.

"I'm sorry about the way I talked to you"

“I’m sorry for the way I talked to you earlier,” but he knows she is under a lot of stress. “You’re right – we need to face up to this and sort things out, so I’m going to talk to her later – with you, if you’re all right with that.

"We're a family, aren't we?"

“It’s important that you’re with us – we’re a family, aren’t we?”

Ffion clings to Gethin

Gethin hugs her.

"Today has been fab"

Dani tells Tyler that he is the best brother in the world, and today has been fab; he is glad that Greta slept through it all, and Dani hopes that her little one will be as good.

"I feel like I've been knocked over by a bulldozer!"

Tyler informs Iolo that he needs an early night; “I feel like I’ve been knocked over by bulldozer! Thank you for getting the sash – it was really nice of you. They leave for home with the pram, and others are doing the same.

"Too much advice!"

Dani mentions getting too much advice from Britt and Eileen about how to bring up her child. “If I had listened to people about Esther, I wouldn’t still have her,” Sheryl comments.

Ffion reads the book to Arwen

Ffion is going through the book with Arwen, pointing out the pictures of a child in a hospital bed. “The doctor has helped her to get better, and she’s fast asleep.

"Then, when you wake up, Geth and I will be there"

“And after the doctor has looked at your head, you’ll be fast asleep for hours as well, like Lowri – and then when you wake up, Geth and I will be there.