15 January 2014

Ffion is on the phone, and Jinx remarks, “Not another teacher off sick?”   She says that makes four, and Sioned is not answering her phone;  “Why this week?” she asks.   

Then she calls at Gaynor’s on the way to school, where Hywel is making bread;  while Ffion assures Gaynor that the first day of the inspection went well, and she is coping, despite being four teachers short, having a leaking pipe and a funny smell in the gym.   She has managed to contact some supply teachers, and the caretaker has stopped the leak, but Gaynor seems rather disinterested in all this.   

Then Hywel is rather distressed to discover his bread is seriously overdone (and rather flat).   He says that Ffion should not have brought the school’s troubles to Gaynor;  she, on the other hand appreciates that Ffion was worried sick.   Gaynor is surprised that she does not really care about what is going on at the school, after all the years of school being a very important part of her life.

Debbie is showing the picture of “Meicky Mouse” to customers in the café;  she cannot afford to buy any jewellery from Gemma as she is “skint”, but Mark offers to try and sell some for Gemma.   When he takes the post to Jinx, he manages to sell two items, and plays with Arwen.   Meanwhile, Debbie visits Gemma’s workshop, asking, “What’s your game?” and accuses her of taking advantage of Mark, which Gemma denies.   Debbie then asks if she pays rent at Maes y Deri.   She warns that if Mark was to lose his job for selling jewellery on the side, Ricky would suffer.   However, she haggles and buys a bracelet for £7.   

Back at the café, she is angry when Jinx tells her he bought two items for £10.   She tells him that the teachers are stressing Ricky out, so Jinx replies, “You should try living with one!”

Mark then delivers to Gaynor, and tells Hywel about his personal shopping service, but Hywel threatens to report him to his boss.   When Mark gets home, and tells her what he has sold, Gemma says that she does not want him to sell any more.   She also insists on paying some rent, although he says that her company is payment enough.   She stresses that she does not want people to say she is taking advantage of him.

Ffion is absolutely exhausted when she arrives home, telling Jinx that she almost set fire to Llwyncelyn, but it all got sorted out in the end.   Jinx talks to her, but receives no reply – she has fallen asleep on the sofa.   

Hywel produces a more successful, and better-shaped, loaf;  Gaynor thanks him for looking after her, and says she felt as if the rug was being pulled out from under her.   Before Christmas, she was obsessed with the inspection, but now, after her illness and almost losing Hywel, it all feels so trivial.   As they eat freshly-baked bread and butter, she says, “Listen — Silence!   No pupils — paradise,” but Hywel looks somewhat uneasy.