Just Get On With Your Job, Roy

Ian Pepperell (Roy Tucker)

I don’t know - one night of drink-fuelled passion with the boss and Roy seems set on becoming the next master of Lower Loxley. Elizabeth, however, takes a more pragmatic view; yes it was a good night and she enjoyed it but it was a one-off and it’s time to move on. As she reminds Roy, he has a wife and family to think about.

The week started badly for Roy, as he finds out that Elizabeth has offered Carol Tregorran the use of Lower Loxley for the wake after John’s funeral. Bad luck Jennifer - the kitchen unveiling will have to wait. Roy confronts Elizabeth and he thinks that she is avoiding being alone with him (and no wonder if he keeps telling her how he feels about her). He also (belatedly) asks for Tuesday afternoon off to go to Abbie’s school play and Liz says it’s a bit short notice. Tempers are getting frayed and sharp words exchanged, just as Hayley comes in. Later on, she goes on about it to Roy and he tells her waspishly to leave it alone.

Of course, Roy doesn’t make it to the play and, at home later, he and Hayley have words. He says he can’t help working long hours and she says “Elizabeth is taking advantage of you” (only the once, Hayley!). Roy’s reply to this is that he doesn’t need an earful when he comes home.

On Wednesday, Hayley has a heart-to-heart with Elizabeth, saying that she doesn’t realise just how much Loxfest is taking out of Roy and “He thinks the world of you - he’d do anything you ask.” Little does she know that he already has. Slightly taken aback, Elizabeth says she’ll try to sort it out somehow. However, things do not go well, as Roy is pressed into serving drinks at the wake on Friday and he isn’t a happy camper (unlike when he was at the festival with Liz). In fact, he tells her he’s had enough of being treated like a skivvy while she swans around and is going off to the office. He adds that she can find someone else to be her plaything.

I can’t help feeling that both he and Hayley appear to have forgotten who is the boss and who pays their wages - don’t expect many glowing remarks when it’s appraisal time, kiddies.

Someone else working hard is Ed. Emma’s 30^th birthday is coming up (7^th August) and he’d like to take her away (and presumably leave her) but he can’t afford it. Solution! He asks Adam if there’s any work going on the Estate, driving the tractor and Adam says yes, provided he’s prepared to be flexible and work at short notice.

Almost inevitably, Charlie is at the farm when Ed asks Adam, trying to get Adam to produce a paper about the new digester. Adam says he’s got too much on at the moment and Charlie leaves, disappointed. Ed remarks that Charlie seems full of himself and for some reason, the talk turns to the subject of college, with Ed wondering what would have happened if he had gone to college? Well, he’d probably have got into drugs a few years earlier, is my guess.

Ed goes home and the phone rings - it’s Mike, who has put his back out and so he won’t be at work for a few days and could Ed cover for him please? Ed is now worried and tearing his hair because of his promise to Adam but Emma once again demonstrates that sometimes she doesn’t realise what’s going on when she says “At least we’re happy.”

Tony and Pat seem to be warming to Rob as a future son-in-law, actually talking to him and not setting the dogs on him. Rob confesses that he is against the proposed new digester at Home Farm, as it’s not farming because the waste will be trucked in. It’s amazing how having (allegedly) a dysfunctional family can drum up sympathy. Incidentally, it’s Rich’s birthday coming up and Pat says that she’ll slip £50 into his card. That’s probably more than his Mum and Stepdad are going to spend on him. My birthday’s in May, Pat, in case you are interested.

Susan was at her most annoying last week, making constant insinuations about Jennifer and John Tregorran having an affair and she can’t wait for the funeral, when Jen will come face to face with widow Carol. In fact, at the wake, she is on tenterhooks, saying things like “they haven’t spoken yet” and “how much longer can they keep it up?” In fact, when Carol is introduced to Susan, she remembers her as one of the Horrobin family, which must have hurt. Eventually, Carol and Jen do talk and Carol mentions Brian’s roving eye and how forgiving Jen must be to accept Ruairi. Their conversation is interrupted, however, as Susan homes in on them like an Exocet missile, breathless to overhear some scandal. They tell her they were talking about the farm and move away.

I fear - no, that’s not true; I hope - that Susan’s nose is going to be put out of joint soon, as Lynda mentions to her that she will be using the occasion of the gala grand opening of Jennifer’s kitchen to “whisper in a few ears” about the anti-Route B campaign. Susan says that she hasn’t received her invitation yet, but is confident that it’s on its way. The fact that everyone else seems to have had their invite for the best part of a week doesn’t seem to have crossed her mind. I’d like to see her get an invite for the day after the party, with Jennifer explaining that they needed someone to clear up the mess.