Jennifer enjoys a day out with her husband. Elizabeth contemplates building bridges with Debbie.

Radio Times: Jennifer steps out.

Characters: Adam, Brian, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Kenton, Nigel

• Brian has been helping Adam with the lambs – in his best suit; don’t tell Jennifer. He is dressed up to take her out because the poor dear has worn herself out with the village website.
• Nigel is now an enthusiastic ‘twitcher’ and is proudly showing off to Kenton the swallows nest in the garage. Elizabeth only sees the mess they are making on the car. Kenton vows he will not distract Kathy: this is the ‘new improved stand-alone’ Kenton, who wonders if they have any left-over paint.
• Jennifer’s mystery day out is to the Antiques Fair and the amazing thing is that she is having a good time without buying anything. They reminisce and Brian concludes that marrying him was not all bad.
• Kathy can talk to Kenton for 5 minutes only, lest the ogre Elizabeth sees them. Kenton has spoken, on the quiet, to Frank (the chef at Daphne’s) and assured him of a job, post-renovation. He has kept to himself the news that the waitress Sally, she of the dirty fingernails and unkempt hair, will have to go. His paint search has turned up a job lot of magnolia or some burnt ochre – not unlike nicotine stains. Kathy steers him away from visions of knocking down walls in the flat towards finding a replacement for Sally. He really needs someone who can run the place on his day off (better still, on his day on), someone like Emma.
• Elizabeth does not have the time to look at Nigel’s coots and she is not looking forward to celebrating her birthday without two of her closest friends, Siobhán and Debbie. Debbie has been through so much with her, Elizabeth just wants to be there for her; who else has she got to give her a hug. Would it look odd if Elizabeth sent her a card? Debbie won’t make the first move.
• Jennifer has had a lovely day. The important thing was Brian noticing that she was tired and doing something about it. Then there is Spearmint and he has been working so hard on the farm. She has noticed that he is trying, that’s all.