Cwmderi Diary 2017: January 2018

Ffion looks uncommonly happy

In the salon, Sheryl is giving a manicure to Ffion, who admires the brooch; Sheryl says that it was a gift from a friend,

"Don't do anything silly, like washing-up!"

and warns that Ffion should not do anything silly, like washing-up, after her manicure.

"I've been using the pasta machine again!"

Hywel comes in, with Esther, and tells them that he has been using his new pasta machine again.

"Why don't you join us, Ffion?"

“Why don’t you join us for a meal?” he asks Ffion, but Sheryl does not seem very keen.

"I'm trying to keep Arwen at home"

Ffion replies that she is trying to keep Arwen at home as much as possible, so he suggests, “If you can’t come to the pasta, maybe the pasta can come to you.”

"Gethin won't refuse that!"

She says that Gethin loves food, so will not refuse. Sheryl does not look any too sure about this.

Mark is back from hospital, again

Mark is home from hospital,

"Sit down – you're taking it easy!"

and is ordered by Debbie to sit on the sofa; he admits he is looking forward to being fussed over. He had been hoping that Non would come in to see him in hospital, and when she sent the text, he told her to behave herself with her friends.

"I'd love one of Non's cheese toasties"

“It’s nice to be home – do you know what I’d like with a cuppa? One of Non’s cheese toasties.”

"Want me to give it a try?"

Ricky will try to make one, and Mark thinks she puts a little bit of Tabasco or something in it.

He sends a text to someone

Once in the kitchen, Ricky gets out his phone and composes a text.

Elgan protests that his nightmare means nothing

At Llwyncelyn, Elgan is dozing, but then suddenly shouts out, waking himself up; he says he needs a coffee.

"Elgan, please don't ignore this!"

Gaynor pleads, “Elgan, please don’t ignore this. I’ve been so bold as to print out a list of the symptoms of PTSD. We’ll go through them together and discuss them sensibly.” He replies that this is nothing to do with her, but she insists that it affects both of them.

He looks dismissively at the list; “Feeling anxious? No. Not sleeping? Well, you elbow me if I snore.

"You nag me constantly!"

“Feeling numb? Yes, I do feel numb, because you nag me constantly!”

"Because I have to live with you!"

“Because I have to live with you!” she shouts, and he says he will leave if that is what she wants. As he heads for the door, she warns him, “If you run away again, I’m not running after you this time!”

Off he goes again

This makes no difference, and he goes out of the front door.

"He won't discuss it!"

Then Liam arrives, and she explains that Elgan will not listen or discuss it; she does not know what else to do.

"Do you want me to talk to him?"

Liam offers to try.

Ricky has received a reply, which pleases him

Ricky has a reply to his text, and looks pleased.

The menfolk are doing the cooking

At Cysgod y Glyn, Hywel and Gethin are preparing the meal; Ffion says that Arwen is excited to show off her new princess costume. Hywel asks for a serving bowl, and Gethin hands out the drinks;

"You wear it well!"

he tells Sheryl that this is a nice surprise, and she relates that people have admired the brooch. “You wear it well,” he simpers.

There is some sort of surprise coming

On the other side of the room, Hywel enquires if everything is ready for New Year’s Day; “I can’t wait, seriously – it’s going to be amazing,” Ffion replies.

Elgan is back in his Ops Room . . .

Elgan has returned home and is sitting in his War Operations Room once more,

. . . but putting away his map this time

but this time he takes down the map and folds it up.

"Medical Corps, I suppose"

Liam finds him there; “Medical Corps, I suppose,” he says, “Sorry, I should’ve warned you that I was here – Gaynor gave me the address.

"A present from Mam for saving Mark"

“I’ve come to give you this, a present from Mam, to thank you for saving Mark.”

"You saw me freeze, didn't you?"

Elgan answers that he cannot accept it, and it is obvious why; “You were there – you saw me freeze, didn’t you? Don’t pretend you didn’t.

"I don't deserve it . . ."

“So take that back to your mother – I don’t deserve it –

". . . I'm nothing but a coward!"

“I’m nothing but a coward – a coward who is no good to anyone!”

Non has been summoned by Ricky . . .

In the café flat, Non comes to meet Ricky; he thought that they would be alone as Vicky and Mathew have gone out. He thanks her for coming,

. . . with seventeen texts!

but she replies, “I didn’t have a lot of choice – not with seventeen texts!” He was confident that she would come in the end.

Ricky informs her, “I know about the tests, and I know you could be a match – but I haven’t told anyone, and I won’t if you don’t want that. I’m so sorry for what I said –

"When will you find out the results?"

“when will you find out if you are a match?” She tells him that it should be next week.

She is given back the pendant

He gives back her pendant, and pleads with her to come home with him.

"I've never seen this therapy in action"

Liam says, “I’ve heard of this kind of therapy, but I’ve never seen it in action.”

"The reason being that it doesn't work!"

Elgan explains that there is a reason for that – it does not work. “It might – with supervision,” suggests Liam,

"I was treated for PTSD"

“I was treated for PTSD – I still have to be careful, avoid alcohol and late nights, and I have to work hard to keep my mind on point. IED – it went off under my friend’s feet – that’s what set the symptoms off in me.”

"Are we going to have a silly competition?"

“So are we going to have a silly competition to find out who has suffered the most?” demands Elgan,

Elgan relates his experience . . .

“Because a friend of mine lost his leg with a mortar, but when I looked around, there were three young children scared stiff in the corner – instead of saving them, I took care of my friend. By the time I had carried him out, another mortar landed and smashed the place to bits. All three children were killed – try to beat that!”

. . . and Gaynor is listening from outside the door

We then see that Gaynor is just outside the door, listening to what has been said.

"There is no shame in not being able to cope"

Liam tells him, “There is no shame in not being able to cope.”

Elgan asks if he has ever been in love;

"I had a chance to save Gaynor – but I couldn't!"

“When Bethania’s ceiling collapsed around us, I had a chance to save people, to save Gaynor, but I couldn’t.

"I froze – I couldn't do anything for her!"

“I froze – I couldn’t do anything for her – the woman I love more than anyone, ever! Yet I couldn’t do anything. How can I expect such a gentle and kind woman to have anything to do with someone as spineless as me?”

Now Gaynor understands

Gaynor is very much affected by what she has heard.

Hywel's culinary skills are very much appreciated

Hywel has excelled himself with the meal; then the buzzer sounds. Macs wants to talk, but Ffion says that it is not convenient. He alleges that he has to go to the doctor for a checkup, and after some deliberation,

"You can have two minutes"

she says that he can have two minutes. Hywel greets him as, “The Great Hero!”

"Come on, Ffion, I want to see my little girl"

Macs says that the experience has made him reconsider a few things; “Come on, Ffion – life is short – I want to see my little girl.

"Now is not the time, Macs"

Ffion replies that now is not the time to discuss it. “We could have discussed it at Y Felin, but you didn’t come! I’ve held on for too long –

Macs threatens court action

“I don’t have a choice but to take you to court!”

Ffion shouts at him to get out; “You can’t see her now.

"I'm starting to question your sanity!"

“I’m starting to question your sanity!” but he continues to threaten her with court action.

Macs is advised to leave

Both Gethin and Hywel order him out of the flat; Macs alleges that Gethin threatened him, but he stops

When Siôn is involved, he thinks he ought to comply

when he hears Hywel speaking to Siôn on the phone.

“All right, I’m going to send you a letter,” Macs says as he leaves,

Gethin issues a warning to Macs

with Gethin following him outside. “If you do that to Ffion again, I’ll thump you!” Gethin warns.

Hywel prevents the argument developing . . .

Hywel breaks up the ensuing confrontation, and warns Macs that his father is on the way; Gethin goes back inside.

. . . and escorts Macs in the direction of Y Felin

“Does everything have to be so dirty?” demands Hywel, “Arwen hasn’t even has the all clear yet!” Let’s go!”

Gethin is admonished

Inside, Ffion reprimands Gethin for squaring up to Macs; she insists that they should not try to belittle him. She goes to check up on Arwen and Esther, leaving Gethin alone with Sheryl.

"Macs gets under my skin"

Gethin admits that Macs gets under his skin; “He doesn’t have to see Arwen and Ffion when things are serious – he treats it as a right, but it’s not. Raising a child is a privilege, and you have to earn that right. And then Dani is struggling to cope – I don’t know where to turn.”

"It will soon be back to normal"

Sheryl reassures him that in a while things will go back to normal;

Come on – use a bit of common sense, you two!

they gravitate towards each other, in an amorous manner, but then the buzzer sounds, as Hywel is back.

"Siôn came to my rescue"

He announces that Siôn came to his rescue. Gethin makes a coffee, and the rest of them sit down.

Here comes Elgan

Elgan returns to Llwyncelyn, and apologises for his behaviour earlier; “You deserve an explanation,”

"I've had the explanation"

but Gaynor says that she has had it, as she followed Liam and heard everything.

"You could have trusted me"

“You could have trusted me,” she tells him,

"It's too much to ask"

but he maintains it is too much to ask of her to deal with this. She is adamant, “I want to help you, I want to support you,

"I've loved you from the beginning!"

“because I love you – I have done from the beginning. Can we do this together, please? I don’t care how difficult it will be.” He wonders what he has done to deserve her; “Be quiet, and kiss me, will you?” she instructs him.

"Look how much lasagne Non has made!"

At Maes-y-Deri, Debbie is amazed that Non has made so much lasagne, that there is enough for lunch, dinner and the same again tomorrow.

"They're bound to find a kidney before very long"

Liam returns and asks Mark how he is feeling. “I wasn’t expecting a fuss on my home visit,” Liam comments, “They’re bound to find a kidney for you before very long.”