Will offers George a ray of hope, and Kate is determined to get her own way.
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12:57
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12:57
09/11/2025
Having helped Pip prepare the cows’ winter housing at Brookfield tired Leonard nearly falls over, before going inside to make a phone call. Pip tells Ruth she’s worried Leonard might be overdoing it, helping out while the others are busy at Meadow Farm. It’s so easy to forget how old he is. Ruth agrees and says she’ll have a quiet word with Leonard. But when Ruth catches the end of Leonard’s phone call, then teases about hearing him mention a “little secret”, he gets prickly, agreeing tersely that he’ll be sure not to do too much from now on. Later, Ruth mentions being intrigued by Leonard’s “little secret” to Pip, who tells her bluntly not to be so nosey.
Susan compliments Alan on the Remembrance Day service, but he punctures her mood by passing on a complaint from a shop customer, before telling Susan he’s starting to lose patience himself. Jakob, likewise, grudgingly passes on a customer query before Susan tells Alan the shop isn’t really her concern now. She’s handed in her resignation, due to the shop committee refusing to allow George to volunteer there. When Alan suggests some villagers are still coming to terms with what George did, Susan insists he just needs someone to give him a chance. Susan accepts that her resignation will make it difficult for people, especially replacing her at the Post Office, but she won’t change her mind unless George is allowed to volunteer. Alan then confides in Jakob that the shop will have to stop operating at the church.
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13:06
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13:06
07/11/2025
Unsettled Esme answers a call from Susan, who apologises for the disturbance at yesterday’s funeral. Esme accepts the apology, but cuts Susan off when Ruth and David arrive. Seeing the state she’s in Ruth pulls Esme into a hug. Esme blames herself for letting her dad down, despite David and Ruth’s reassurances. Esme then announces she’s decided to take the farm on, as her dad would have wanted. She doesn’t mean permanently, but she’ll keep it a going concern before selling the herd and business on to the next tenant. David and Ruth pledge their support, while Esme offers to use what money she has to make it work. Between themselves David and Ruth aren’t sure how realistic this is, agreeing they’ll keep an eye on Esme.Susan tells Neil that Brian, Lilian and Mick, plus some of the volunteers, have complained about George working in the shop. The shop committee have summoned Susan to an emergency meeting, though Susan is defiant about keeping George on. Neil thinks she might have to back down or risk losing everything she’s fought for to keep the shop going. Later, Neil finds Susan taking out her frustrations on some bread dough. She’s been told she can’t let George volunteer in the shop. And now Susan’s dreading having to tell him, after making such a huge effort to repair their relationship. While Neil is more pragmatic Susan determines to give the committee her own ultimatum: unless they reconsider for George’s sake, she’s handing in her notice. Is Neil with her on this?
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13:02
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13:02
06/11/2025
Alice calls on Chris to retrieve a forgotten scarf of Martha’s. Chris apologises again for last night’s firework incident, but Alice assures him all’s well and not to give it another thought. Martha had a lovely time and can’t stop talking about it – and she likes Chris’s friend too. They chat briefly about the upcoming trip to Scotland before Chris tells Alice the friend is Carly. Last night was a completely casual thing, she just dropped in. He then admits Carly stayed the night. Alice takes this in, insisting it’s not her business who Chris sees and he doesn’t need to explain. When he continues to over-share Alice asks him not to go on about it. She’s sure Carly’s a nice person. Chris assures Alice he won’t see Carly while Alice is in Scotland; it’ll be all about Martha. It's the day of Esme’s dad’s funeral and she’s pleasantly surprised at the turnout. She thought people might have forgotten him; he was a bit of a recluse in his later years. Alan assures her they will give him a good send off. Ruth and David offer to stay with Esme as the hearse arrives, but Esme thinks she’s okay. However, as she’s delivering her eulogy the church door bangs open. It’s a bread delivery for the shop. David and Ruth deal with the errant van driver, who didn’t clock there was a funeral taking place. Appalled Esme thinks the day will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. It’s been ruined, and she’s let her dad down.
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13:07
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13:07
05/11/2025
Tom and Helen wonder if Mick will help out with cover at Bridge Farm. After some initial hesitation, and having established he doesn’t need farming expertise, Mick says he’ll give it a try. What are neighbours for? Once in the packhouse Mick finds it all a bit daunting. It’s draughty, and there’s a lot of veg boxes to shift. However, he does a good job and Tom gives Helen a glowing report. When Tom offers Mick the cash for today, Mick refuses. He’s sorry but this work isn’t for him. Having assured him there are no hard feelings Tom gives Helen the bad news. They’re back to square one.Carly finishes work early, and Chris invites her over to watch fireworks in the garden with Martha. Carly arrives with a gift for Martha. They’re both happy their friendship isn’t proving awkward – they agree what they had was a long time ago. There’s a moment, and Chris apologises for flirting. Carly’s cool with it. They’re enjoying the fireworks with Martha when the wind catches the homemade firework stand and it topples, sending firework sparks shooting in their direction. Carly jumps in front of Martha and no-one is harmed. Afterwards they have a debrief, Chris having taken Martha back to Alice. Chris feels a fool and like a rotten dad, but Carly assures him he’s the opposite. There’s enough to fret about in life without worrying about something that didn’t happen. They share some wine and Chris thanks her for her quick thinking. The time is right for a kiss.
France