09 March 1998

Characters: David, Eddie, Pat, Phil, Ruth, Tommy, Tony

• Brookfield is starting to notice David’s continued absence: Ruth’s just about coping with the late nights and early mornings of lambing (grateful for the children being able to stay with Jill in the main house), Phil’s miking and Eddie’s still lending a hand. He even offers to take David’s place drilling on the Estate land – a bit of extra work does the pay-packet good.
• Tommy’s taking over the pigs (he’s even up at six to feed them), he’s looked in John’s diary and sees that some are due to go to the abattoir on Thursday. He needs help, though, with the tractor and trailer. Later, when David’s giving him that help, Pat spies him riding on the back of the tractor and really tears him off a strip, saying he’s not fit to work on a farm and that he’s as stupid as his brother. Tommy doesn’t take kindly to this and storms off, at which point Pat, who’s not looking forward to Helen returning to college today, just breaks down in confusion at the mess she’s turning into.
• Pat and Tony are tired of the hollow “life goes on” platitudes and are wondering what the point of it all as, milk prices are on the way up and Tony’s cows are producing well, but he can’t get motivated. It’s rubbing off on David, while he’s glad to get away from Bridge Farm for a bit, over a cooked breakfast at Brookfield, he ponders over how much machines really matter.

Summarised by: Chris Harrison