Varying degrees of rural stress all round.

Radio Times: Daniel gets a new companion.

Characters: Amy, Caroline, Daniel, David, Oliver, Ruth, Shula

• Shula is stressed to find Daniel out of bed at 3am. She and Alistair have been woken by the security light but everything is OK – must have been a fox. Daniel is excited because they’re going to collect a dog from the Rescue Shelter later this morning.
• David is collecting the small baler from Oliver. Eddie was going to borrow it but he’s been a bit stressed this week – well, we all know why. Oliver nicely puts his foot in it by saying how much better it is to stay on the right side of the law. David is resigned to it all – he’d hoped to be a nine-day wonder as far as shooting the badger was concerned but no such luck. He’s still persona non grata among the youngsters in the Bull, reports Oliver. It’s all Matt Crawford’s fault – he’s got to be stopped. Both Oliver and Caroline have signed the petition.
• “Scruff”, a German Shepherd cross without kennel-stress, has arrived at the Stables! Daniel takes him to collect his bedding. Caroline learns from Shula that Daniel is now less stressed since she and he have been spending more time together on his riding lessons. But he’s not a natural like Alice … Amy sounds completely unstressed since she’s being allowed to help out daily with the horses. Roy and Hayley must still be stressed ‘cos they haven’t yet found anywhere else to live, and the flat feels very strange with no Marjorie downstairs, says Caroline.
• David is stressed because Lynda will not remove a vicious message about him from the web-board. Ruth hints that Elizabeth is stressed because two days in Ireland with Siobhán (who is stressed with boredom at being stuck in the house (in this weather?) all day with Ruairidh), wasn’t enough. Shula arrives, apparently stressed by the dog’s energy. Kenton is probably stressed because Jack has told him off for neglecting the caff and now he’s having to clean it thoroughly – and Ruth is stressed because someone expressing an interest in the Hereford beef has heard the rumour about TB on the farm and probably won’t ring back. To say nothing of having to lock up everything every night because of the Costa del Ambridge goings-on …
• Oliver and Caroline are partaking of a pre-prandial G & T and conversation. She is stressed about her horses still being at the Stables but not wanting to let Shula down by taking them away. He’s stressed because of what he heard in the Bull last night – Neville Booth connecting Ed caught stealing those knives to the horse slashing. How could anyone think that? Ed has such a feeling for animals – he’d never hurt one …