People On The Move

Emerald O'Hanrahan (Emma Grundy)

Lots of travelling around last week – Brian eventually got to Paris, having shaken off Jennifer's superglue-like attentions. "Where's your passport?" she asked "In my jacket pocket" he replied, but she still had to check. Not only that, but she rang the hotel to check that he had got there. For God's sake, woman, it's only Paris! What would she be like if he was off to Tokyo? Having said that, he did manage to lose his boarding pass before the flight home, so perhaps she knows what she's doing.

Debbie was in Paris too, as were Matt and Lillian. Brian described M&L to Jennifer as "a formidable pair", but their teamwork was put to the test later in the week when Jolene tells Lillian that she might be willing to sell her share of the Bull and let Matt turn it into flats. As Lillian didn't realise that Matt had approached Jolene, this was news to her and she gave Matt a piece of her mind. "I'm only thinking about Jolene" says Matt, unconvincingly.

David was travelling too, driving General Custard up to his new home in Scotland and getting back late. Pip and Josh were in the lambing shed and a ewe was giving problems, so Ruth had to go and help, postponing the milking. Ruth wasn't a happy bunny and it really wasn't the best time for Pip to ask if she could skip lambing that night and go to a party? Ruth went berserk, but later apologised to Pip. Don't worry, Pip - the scars will hardly show.

When David did eventually return, he vowed that, from now on, his place is at Brookfield, not Lower Loxley. He kept on saying this, so you knew that it wasn't going to happen and, sure enough, when he went to tell Elizabeth, she wasn't listening and said "you're doing a brilliant job." David starts to try again to get the message through, but Lizzie's mind is elsewhere as she interrupts to tell David that she has had a letter from the Coroner about the Inquest. When she does realise that David wanted to talk about something, she asks what it was about. "It's really not that important" he replies, glumly realising that, when Ruth learns that he won't be full time at Brookfield, Dave is a dead man walking.

David has also received a letter from the Coroner, as we learn from Emma, talking to Susan. Emma just happened to see the letter when cleaning at Brookfield and 'accidentally' read it. "Does that mean David is a suspect?" she wonders – I know cuts are having to be made, but surely we haven't got to the stage where people are being arrested via the Royal Mail?

Emma also gets a cob on when she hears Eddie discussing his 60th birthday celebrations and she hasn't had an invite, so she goes to see Clarrie. Clarrie is amazed that Emma didn't realise that she was invited and casually mentions that the planned treat (a day at Felpersham Races) was Nic and William's idea. When last seen, Emma was buying a wax doll and a load of pins…

Clarrie seems full of wanderlust after talking to Lillian, suggesting that they go to Paris, rather than the Races for Eddie's birthday and Lillian fantasises about getting an apartment in Montmartre. Now, I hold no brief for the French especially, but even they don't deserve that. Finally on the subject of Eddie's impending 60th (and when asked by Nic when it was, devoted son Will didn't know) Eddie tells Tony and Mike "I still don't feel a day over 25". Presumably that's IQ, Eddie?

Someone who will be travelling in the near future is Phoebe, who became very distressed to learn that Brian was late home because his flight was delayed. "What if it happens to me when I fly home from South Africa?" asks a worried Phoebe, imploring Kate to fly back with her. Sensitive as always, Kate dismisses her fears, saying "It will be an adventure".

Continuing on the travel theme, Tom and Brenda are in Berlin and Tony and Pat have returned from Salzburg, hardly pausing to unpack before shooting off to see Helen and Henry. Tony offers to look after Henry while Helen gets some zeds in and promptly takes him down the pub, where he meets Eddie and Mike. Personally, I think he took him because he reckoned it was about time Henry bought a round of drinks, the mean sod.

Anyway, Tony was worried that Helen would find Henry gone and took him back in some trepidation. But the new, laid-back Helen hadn't noticed that Henry had gone and, even more amazingly, she didn't even care that he had been to the pub. This is a trend that needs watching – carry on like this and she'll end up smoking dope, or going out without ironing her jeans.