Cwmderi Diary 2016: 8 December 2016

DJ attempts to warm himself . . .

Cadno is looking at a photo album when DJ comes into the kitchen at Penrhewl; “It’s cold enough to freeze cats!” he exclaims, “You’re not changed yet.” She replies that the funeral is not until two, and she does not want to arrive early.

She laments, “There were so many things I didn’t tell her.”

. . . then turns to toast the other side

DJ has finished for the day and again offers to go with her, as it is not right she should go to her mother’s funeral on her own. “I don’t want you to meet my family, especially after the way I found out about the funeral,” she insists,” I won’t be gone long.”

"I'll take an invitation to Mam"

DJ says it will be a good chance for him to take a wedding invitation to his Mam; “It might give her a chance to explain why she cut off contact.”

"Mr Davies-White – Prince Charming!"

Dani (who must possess amazing script-writing talents) is trying to sell the pantomime to Gethin and Tyler; she enthuses, “You, Mr Davies-White – Prince Charming!”

"Ooh – he'll look lovely in tights!"

Gethin comments that Tyler will look lovely in tights.

"I've got the perfect part for Iolo, too!"

“And I’ve got the perfect part for Iolo too! If both of you do it, I’ll cook you Christmas dinner, OK? Turkey and all the trimmings!”

Gwyneth writes Christmas cards

Iolo arrives at Y Felin to find Gwyneth writing Christmas cards,

"Countdown to Christmas?"

and she has compiled a list of things to do. She has to order a turkey, and asks Iolo, “Can you and Tyler come?” She suggests to Siôn, “It would be nice if Huw and Macs could come.”

"it would be good to build bridges with Macs!"

Siôn agrees to ring them, remarking that it would be good to build bridges with Macs, and that there is plenty of room at Y Felin.

Iolo, however, is not particularly keen

Iolo is non-committal about Christmas dinner.

Cadno dreads the funeral . . .

Cadno is ready to go, but not looking forward to it, when Eifion arrives, maintaining there is no point in taking two cars.

. . . but, sure enough, Eifion is at hand

“I wanted to pay tribute to your Mam – Dora was always good to me, and anyway, I’m all dressed up now.”

"I got a 5p tip!"

Ed reports to Sioned that his last fare gave a 5p tip; “That will pay for a couple of sprouts!” says Sioned.

"You're here to look after me now"

When asked, she tells him, “My arm still hurts, but you’re here to look after me now – that’s what’s important! He promises not to leave her again.

That café will have to get a new coffee machine

Kelly comes upstairs; “The coffee machine’s on the blink again – I thought I could borrow your new one – I’ll pay for the pods.”

There seems to be a slight difference of opinion

The response to this request is a refusal from Ed, but agreement from Sioned.

"Oh, I've got another fare!"

Then Ed is alerted to another taxi job and has to leave; “I’ll fetch it now,” Sioned tells Kelly,

"I don't want to cause ructions between you"

who is rather reluctant, as she does not want to cause ructions between them.

"He hasn't touched me since he came back"

Sioned’s assurance that he has not touched her since he came back does not convince Kelly;

"Leopards don't change their spots overnight!"

“Leopards don’t change their spots overnight – look what happened to Sheryl – and to me!”

“Unlike Kevin, Ed’s not a rapist!” answers Sioned, “I appreciate your concern, but everything’s fine, honest!”

A slight clue to Linda's condition

DJ reaches his mother’s house,

DJ at the front door

and knocks on the door,

Before his mother wakes

waking his mother, who has been sleeping; she hides her tablets,

DJ looks back and sees . . .

and by this time he has walked back up the steps, assuming no-one is there.

. . . his mother at the window

Then he looks at the house and sees Linda at the window.

The meeting is not very cordial to start with

“You took your time – if you don’t want to see me, just say so!” he snaps, “You haven’t contacted me for months and you left without saying a word.”

"You've got enough on your plate"

She argues that he has enough on his plate, looking after Cadno, but he replies that she is better now.

"Cadno's Mam has just died"

He goes on, “On top of everything else, her Mam has just died – she had dementia for years. Cadno wanted to go to the funeral on her own – and I wouldn’t have known anyone there.”

Gethin learns he is to play – a rat!

In the Deri, Dani dangles a script in front of Gethin; “Please! For your little sister!” she pleads. He enquires what part she had in mind for him, and when she announces, “A rat!” he walks away in disgust.

Iolo and Tyler have a dilemma

When Iolo and Tyler compare notes, they find they are supposed to be attending two different Christmas dinners, and they do not want to go to either.

"Special rôle for you – Sinderelo!"

Iolo tells Dani, “I don’t want to be in this panto – I don’t like doing things in public!” Dani informs him that she has written a lead rôle especially for him – Sinderelo!

"That was supposed to be a present!"

Also in the Deri, Ed is displeased that Sioned gave Kelly the coffee machine, hoping that she will look after it.

"If you want us in the panto – NO!"

Dani approaches them, but before she can utter a word, Sioned tells her, “If you want us in this panto – NO!” No amounts of blandishments that they are romantic, photogenic-ish, sexy and beautiful will change her mind.

"It might do us good to take part"

Ed ventures to suggest that it might do them good; they spend too much time in the flat and do not go out enough. “We’re out now!” chides Sioned, “I don’t want us to act like children, thanks!”

The wedding invitation

DJ hands Linda the invitation, and she is surprised it is only two weeks away.

"I think the world of you two"

“I think the world of you two, and my heart bleeds for Cadno, losing her mother just before the wedding,” she says,

Linda rushes to the sink . . .

before jumping up, rushing into the kitchen and throwing up into the sink.

. . . but says it is something she ate

DJ fetches water and she takes a tablet, explaining it away as simply something she ate. “I’d love to be at the wedding – you and Cadno are a lovely couple.”

"Sorry I didn't keep in touch"

DJ apologises for not keeping in touch, and his mother admits,

"We're as stubborn as each other"

“We’re both as stubborn as each other

"If you don't do it, Tyler won't!"

Dani has followed Iolo home to number 7 in her efforts to enlist him for the pantomime. He admits the script is good, with plenty of laughs, but is unsure about playing Widow Twankey. “If you don’t do it, Tyler won’t!” Dani warns, as Tyler comes in. Dani leaves, advising them to cancel everything and learn their lines for the rehearsal at the weekend.

"Not in the Deri with the Monks!"

Iolo decides he does not want to spend Christmas in the Deri with the Monks; “One pantomine is enough!” agrees Tyler,

"Or pulling crackers with your Dad and Gwyneth!"

and adds, “Pulling crackers with your Dad and Gwyneth won’t be much fun either!” Iolo concludes that there is only one answer.

The funeral order of service

Back from the funeral,

"I can't believe she's gone"

Cadno cannot believe that her mother is gone;

"The Dora I knew had gone for years"

“The Dora I knew had been gone for years,” says Eifion, “Her memory had gone – she didn’t recognise anyone.” DJ comes in, and is not pleased to see Eifion there again.

"Mam will be coming to the wedding"

He tells Cadno that his mother will be coming to the wedding.

"Still keep the brandy in the same place, then"

Cadno feels chilled by standing in the cold cemetery, so Eifion gets out the brandy, but DJ says he has work to do.

"We want to spend our first Christmas together, just us two"

Iolo and Tyler go to Y Felin to break the news that they want to spend their first Christmas Day together, just the two of them.

No Macs or Huw this Christmas, then – no surprise there!

Unsurprisingly, neither Huw or Macs will be coming back.

Is that one of the large iPads?

When Iolo and his father have gone to make a cup of tea, Gwyneth reveals to Tyler that she has a plan; “What if the four of us went away to relax in a hotel? They have some mid-week bargains – then Iolo and I could build some bridges.

"Early Christmas present?"

“It could be an early Christmas present.”

"Hey – all I have to do is squeak!"

At the bar of the Deri, Gethin complains, “There are no words – I just squeak!” Dani points out that there are a whole range of different squeaks. “Everyone will laugh at me!” he protests, but she reminds him that is the whole point of a pantomime.

"That Kelly is acting oddly!"

Kelly walks past Ed, ignoring him, and he tells Sioned that she has been acting very coldly toward him lately. “Probably the strain of living under the same roof as Kevin,” Sioned explains, “I’ll go and check she’s all right.”

So Sioned issues her instructions

What she in fact instructs Kelly is, “I’d like you to stop being so cold towards Ed!”

"I don't like wife-beaters!"

Kelly points out that she does not like wife-beaters, but Sioned continues, “I don’t want him to suspect I told you.”

"Maybe we need to be in the panto!"

Kelly jokes that yes, he is a reformed chacter – for the time being. “Maybe we need to do things together – like being in the panto!” Sioned suddenly suggests,

"You off your trolley, or what?"

and Kelly comments that she is ‘off her trolley’. “He’ll have to behave in front of people!” insists Sioned, but Kelly wonders what will happen later, behind closed doors.