Cwmderi Diary 2014: 21 August 2014

Jinx is away, and Ffion is missing him

Jinx is away for a week, and Ffion is missing him; she phones and tells him she will let him know the school’s GCSE results later.

What Mark finds in Gemma's bag

Mark finds Gemma asleep on the sofa and notices a “VIP Lounge” flyer in her handbag. When she wakes, he gives her a postcard from Mari, and she reminisces about her interrailing holiday, saying that she should sort out the photos on her laptop. Ricky is staying at Lloyd’s house, and wants his father to take him round some clothes; Gemma has a text from a friend who wants to meet for lunch, so off she goes. Mark gets out a box of Gemma’s old photos.

"Maes-y-Deri has been sold"

Jim gives Eileen the news that Maes-y-Deri has been sold, and the money should be in the bank next week, so they must make plans; “A Caribbean Cruise, or an African Safari?” he suggests.

Cadno had no choice but to go for this dodgy loan . . .

Soon Eileen is serving customers with a holiday brochure open in front of her; after Betty, Cadno comes in, looking for Eifion or Angela, as she has an appointment to get a loan later.

. . . from these merchants (with a strange phone number)

She reveals it is one of those firms who advertise in the Western Post and charge a high interest rate, but it is her only hope. Eileen urges her to consider what would happen if she could not make the repayments.

Mark takes the last photo album off Eileen's hands

The next customer is Mark, who wants a photo album.

"I can't believe it – the results are awful!"

Gaynor has just found out the exam results, and tells Hywel, “I can’t believe it! What has Ffion been doing? The press will get hold of this and I shall have to answer to the governors.” She insists that she has to sort this out, and leaves.

Ffion tells Jim they are not as bad as that

Meanwhile, outside the shop Jim meets Ffion; “You won’t be celebrating tonight – I hear that the results are dreadful!” He hopes that Courtney’s education will not suffer.

"Heard about Dai and the Afrikaner?"

Then Hywel appears and Jim asks if he has heard the news about Dai and the Afrikaner in the Western Post; “You’d better talk to Dai!” he says. Eileen is locking up the shop, so Hywel cannot see if she has a copy of last week’s paper.

Gaynor does not think Ffion is taking the matter seriously enough

When Gaynor gets to Ffion’s, she is disappointed that Ffion regards the results as merely “a bit disappointing”. Gaynor continues, “If the pupils are weak, we have to work harder. I suppose I’m to blame – I should have taken more interest. Obviously you should focus your energies more effectively next term. It will take a lot of hard work to restore the school’s reputation.” She hands Ffion a present for Arwen, a cuddly camel, and goes.

Eileen sees Cadno cannot cope with everything

Eileen is feeling guilty, and goes to the farm to help Cadno, who is unable to cope on her own. Cadno observes, “It’s funny how life turns out – things were never right between me and Eifion, and I was almost glad when he slept with Sioned – if it wasn’t her, it would have been someone else. At least he seems happy with Angela. I dreamed of a good farm and a family, but I didn’t think it would be so difficult.”

Eileen persuades her to have a sleep for an hour, while she deals with the washing and ironing.

"You'd offer as much as that for Penrhewl?"

After a while the phone rings and Eileen answers; it is a company, wanting to develop the land. “You’d offer as much as that?” she says incredulously.

"What on earth? There's no money left!"

When Gaynor gets home, angry about Ffion’s attitude, Hywel is similarly irate after reading online that Dai spent all the club savings on bringing “some tinpot player from South Africa”. “I told the committee to stop him doing anything stupid. I go away for a fortnight and it all falls apart!” he rages.

Gemma's mother (murdered by Gemma) and father

Mark has been putting Gemma’s photos in the album, and when she arrives back from her lunch, she seems quite touched, but is momentarily troubled when she sees a photo of her mother and father.

Mark says he has no problems with her going out alone

“You don’t mind if I go out on my own, do you?” she asks Mark, and he tells her it is no problem, as long as she goes to the Deri with him, now.

Gemma on a dating website

As soon as they get there, Mark has to dash off to give Ricky some more money, and while he is away, Gemma looks at a dating website on her phone.

Poor Ffion tells Gemma her troubles, but Gemma is not listening . . .

Ffion comes in, feeling depressed; “The GCSE results are not great, Jinx is away and I’m not coping well,” she says. Gemma says that couples can spend too much time together, but Ffion disagrees; “I don’t feel like that with Jinx – I don’t deserve him – he’s saved me from myself so many times.”

. . . she is too busy looking for some "excitement", apparently

However, Gemma is busy with her phone, and clicks to accept the date it has found for her, so Ffion goes back home, just as Mark returns.

"I'll buy Eifion's share of Penrhewl!"

Cadno comes downstairs and finds the ironing done, and something cooking in the oven; Eileen tells her it was a salesman on the phone. When Cadno says she must go to this appointment, Eileen stops her; “Don’t go for the loan – I’ll buy Eifion’s share. It’s as an investment, I don’t want anything to do with running the place. Penrhewl has only bad memories for me, but you’re here, and the children, and I can’t let strangers come in and destroy it!”