Tom makes contact but without an indication that he will be coming back.

Radio Times: Clarrie feels low, while Shula misses Dan.

Characters: Clarrie, Eddie, Jill, Pat, Shula, Susan, Tony

• For one approaching a milestone birthday, Clarrie seems rather unexcited, probably due to memories of the 70s as a size 18 teenager or just the thought of being 60.
• Is Dan enjoying army life? Shula hasn’t time to give her mum all the details as she calls into the shop; Jill will go for tea later.
• Tony is delighted with the arrival of the first Aberdeen Angus bull calf. It is thrilling to see new life at Bridge Farm; at last things are going right. Not quite: Pat points out that they have still heard nothing from Tom. They have the Organic inspectors next week. Tom will be back for that; Tony would put money it. (I’d make that a small bet, Tony.)
• Shula had been worried after speaking to Dan on Tuesday. The pace is relentless; he is roused at 5:20am and has 5 minutes to be out and ready for the first PE routine. Now he has made a friend of similar age, who is very funny. He reminds her of Mark, the way he is single-minded in pursuing his objective. Some of Mark’s obsessions were mercifully short-lived, so Shula is pinning her hopes on the army being similarly short-lived. (I wouldn’t put any money at all on that.)
• At last Tom has sent his mum a text. He is ok but has had his phone off all week. He doesn’t know when he will be back because he needs more time to see where he goes from here. Tony is unimpressed. Who will see to the pigs? Is the idiot boy going to let his business go down the tubes on top of everything else?