Spring-cleaning day

Radio Times: Spring-cleaning day

Characters: David, Helen, Jill, Pat, Ruth, Tony

• Ruth and David are helping Jill prepare Rickyard cottage for the new B&B season – Ruth decorates, while David fixes the rather old electric cooker. They hope that this season will be an improvement on last – a lot of people prefer cheap foreign travel, but the proposed leisure complex might help, despite the fact everyone feels that it is not the right thing for a country village. The new doctor, Tim Hathaway, is a topic of conversation – it seems he has sent a letter to introduce himself – and after the army and an inner-city practice in Islington they wonder how he’ll settle into the village.
• Pat and Tony are pleased to have Helen around. They are concerned about her safety in Zimbabwe, but Helen tries to reassure them – she is still committed, she has only postponed the placement. Helen is becoming exasperated that Tommy is still being very moody, and that everyone seems to worry about him while she is missing John just as much herself.
• Helen’s friend has come up with three designs for the new Bridge Farm corporate identity – Pat & Tony are very impressed, and decide to carry out some market research to judge reaction to them from clients and villagers.
• The cow has recovered, but another one now seems to have the problem. David is keen to call in Alistair in case there is a problem which might affect the rest of the herd, but they agree to isolate the animal and see how she is in the morning, conscious of the need to economise.
• Meanwhile Jill and Phil offer to give Pip the birthday party she want in the Rumpus room. Ruth and David are reluctant to accept, seeing it as an extravagance – Pip could make do with a few friends round at home – but they nevertheless do accept although with the feeling that they can’t quite seem to get the scale of economies right in Phil & Jill’s eyes.