Joe is set to make a come-back on Radio Borsetshire but it is to remain a secret.

Radio Times: Pat needs to know more.

Characters: Bert, Clarrie, Jill, Pat, Phil, Ruth

• Clarrie is planning a special treat for Joe’s 80^th birthday. He is to be Wayne Foley’s guest on Radio Borsetshire. In due course Clarrie and Eddie will have to supply a list of music to be played but Pat is doubtful that they will be able to seep it secret until the day. Ed also has a birthday soon; he wants a car but there is no chance of that.
• As they supervise Josh looking for eggs, Ruth is explaining to Jill that Pip is going to keep a bees and hen diary, so any day Jill does not appear at Brookfield, Pip will probably be round to Glebe Cottage with a “hen report”. Josh has found an egg but mind the tree root! Oh dear!
• Phil has been for a long walk to have a real look round and pauses to admire Bert’s straight furrows. Bert is following David’s instructions and is going to miss that awkward corner which is considered not worth ploughing but he is delighted to extract from Phil the authority to give it a go.
• Tony has received a date for a visit to Duchy Home Farm and Clarrie confirms that she and Colin will be able to manage the dairy that day.
• The packing continues at Brookfield. The flights to Australia have been booked; Jill feels that business class is extravagent but it is an argument she cannot begin to win. Bert surprises them with a question about the relative merits of a mixer and a wooden spoon for cake-making but is rather coy about why he wants to know.
• As they admire a newly born calf, Pat expresses concern to Tony about Helen and her relationship with Greg. Helen is planning to leave Kirsty in charge of the shop while she spends a day working with him; Pat thought her daughter was more welfare conscious. Only a week or so ago she was very down in the dumps but now she has gone too far the other way. Tony feels that Pat is being unfair and wonders why she has taken against Greg. It is just that they don’t know much about him.