Helen is finding it difficult to endure her domestic problems and Roy invites Kirsty for a birthday treat

Radio Times: Roy has a spare ticket for a day out, and Jim makes a big effort with the bird watch.

Characters: Christine, Helen, Henry, Jim, Kirsty, Rob, Roy

• At The Bull, Rob badgers Helen about eating and announces that he will accompany her to her next scan despite her mild objections. No changes to their conversations then. Rob does find a new way to humiliate Helen when he asks Henry if he should cut up Helen’s meat for her in small pieces as they used to do for Henry when he was a baby. Henry laughs and Helen’s response is choked back when Jim approaches their table. He is feeling the effects from the cider tasting and Jazzer’s recommendation of a fry up for breakfast has only made him feel worse. Rob appeals to Christine for support in his effort to encourage Helen to eat up. Christine absently agrees but turns the conversation to the special Valentine’s Day meal that The Bull is promoting. Rob asks Helen if she fancies going to that. She demurs and Christine observes that Rob and Helen don’t need any outside help. Rob nods with satisfaction: ‘Perhaps a cosy night in with just the two of us.’ Helen runs from the table with a strangled cry of ‘Excuse me.’
• Roy receives a phone call from his father with the bad news that Bethany is in the hospital. She is recovering but the family celebration for Roy’s birthday will have to be postponed.
• Henry finds Helen in the bathroom and announces that Rob sent him to find her. Helen quickly dries her tears before Henry notices.
• Roy sees Kirsty and asks her if she is interested in accompanying him on Tuesday for a steam train ride with lunch on board. The tickets will go to waste otherwise since the rest of the family had to beg off because of Bethany’s illness.
• Rob once again enlists the innocent Henry in bullying Helen. They have ordered a pudding for her in her absence and want her to guess what it is. With each wrong guess, Rob sniggers and Henry announces his mum is ‘hopeless.’ Rob has ordered the sticky toffee pudding with extra custard. Helen protests she won’t be able to stomach it but Rob dismisses her protests. She must make a good dent in it first, and then he and Henry will finish it for her.
• Kirsty suggests to Roy that perhaps they should find someone else to accompany them or the other tickets, one adult and one child, will go to waste. Roy is in a hurry and agrees that if Kirsty knows someone who can go, she should invite them. Jim shows up for a swim to try to clear his head. Just as Kirsty assists Jim, she receives a call in reply to a previous text. Helen and Henry would love to go on the train ride on Tuesday. Kirsty is surprised and happy to hear this but she suddenly asks Helen if she is outside on her phone at this time of the evening. Helen answers hurriedly that she is just feeding the birds. After Kirsty disengages, she asks Jim if he would ever feed the birds after dark. Not unless it was owls, he replies. That is what I thought, worries Kirsty.