Hayley has to leave Abbie in hospital. Pat will not leave the digester without an objection.

Radio Times: Hayley makes a difficult journey.

Characters: Amy, Hayley, Pat, Ruth, Tony, Usha

• As a student of midwifery, Amy has a professional interest in Hayley’s recent experience. Back from college, she is visiting her mentor at the hospital; Usha turns up to take her home, after a girly afternoon in Felpersham.
• At Bridge Farm Pat has picked up on the fact of Debbie’s visit, and although it is not as she thought about the digester, Jennifer did let slip that the planning application had gone in. Pat is keen to register an objection; Tony is not.
• Usha and Amy are doing some serious shopping and Usha is being steered towards something younger and trendier – though not, they both agree, to be worn when Mabel comes to visit.
• Hayley is home, without Abbie, and loses no time in making contact with Brenda and arranging to see her.
• Usha seeks a second opinion from Ruth about her new clothes and she explains how she and Alan are spending the next week, his busiest of the year. Jill has a casserole in the Brookfield oven. Why? Because Phil is teaching Bert to cook and thus evade the fallout of Freda’s slimming campaign.
• Pat has had further thoughts about the digester. Tony doesn’t want to be party to an objection but Pat is hell bent on it and she has Helen to support her; the fact that it will cause a family upset cuts no ice with Pat