Not too much preamble this week folks, it's been a particularly nasty sort of day, the sort of day you really don't want too many of. So, excuse me while I whizz through the update this evening, I just want to go and collapse in a quiet corner with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. And brandy, plenty of brandy. Anyway, here we go with this week's Coronation Street update.
Sharon and Ian get married in the registry office after lying to Rita, who still has no idea what's happened. And after all she's done for that girl!! Bland Danny and Sally are witnesses to the event. So it's a marriage with no Rita, no romance, and no point.
Les shouts his mouth off in the Benefits Agency. The lovely Spider puts two and two together and realises Les is claming benefit while working on the canal. He tells Toyah he's going to investigate further, it may even lead to his promotion. Les finds out that Toyah and Spider are living together and has a few choice words for Spider in the Rovers about their 'love swamp'.
Tom tells Mel he wants nowt more to do with her. She runs back to boyfriend Phil, blaming Tom for the affair.
Ashley arrives home and Maxine has to break the news to him about Judy. He's also unhappy when he finds out that his mother in law has moved in and it's impossible for the newly weds to get five minutes together for some post-nuptial rumpeh pumpeh. However, after Derek decorates his lorry with flowers and banners, he eventually wins back Doreen. Maude comments: "There's nowt like a man making a fool of himself to show a woman he's in love". And as soon as Doreen leaves, Maxine and Ashley are straight up them apples and pears.
Tyrone buys the dog a new collar and lead and takes it back to the B&B. Despite Jack trying to sweet-talk Vera into letting Tyrone keep the dog, she's not having it, so Tyrone takes to sleeping in the shed with the dog instead. "I love her Jack" he says "I love the way she looks at me and everything". Ah, bless.
Martin and Gail have got problems with Sarah Lou who, overnight, has turned into a sulky teenager wearing too much make up. She's also turned into a different actress but no one seems to have noticed this yet.
Ravi's brother has died overseas, conveniently giving him an exit storyline and Nita asks Curly for 2 weeks off to help organise the funeral. Steve gets on to Vikram about doing another booze cruise, but Vikram is less than enthusiastic.
Sorry it's a short one (said the Bishop to the Actress) but I'm done in. That's it for this week.
Glenda ;-) http://zen.sunderland.ac.uk/~aa8gyo/index.html
This is my last update for a couple of weeks folks, but fear not, top woman Janice Gaffney has offered to keep you all informed with the events on the cobbles while I'm away. Uni work this year has been a hard slog, the level and amount of work expected from us poor students has shot up a fair bit (we've even had to think for ourselves this year, and I don't recall there being a warning in the prospectus about that). To cope with the pressure and to give us all time to catch up with reading and essay writing, the Uni kindly allow a 'reading week' where we're all supposed to sit diligently in the library. They tell us to use the time wisely, advise us to read as much as we can, recommend we plan essays, reflect on lectures, digest the last seven weeks of knowledge and prepare for the next hard slog up to Christmas. So that's what's expected. And me? Well, I've already written, read, revised and planned everything I need to, and more. So let's see now, as I don't have any academic work to catch up on, I wonder what I can do with my 'reading week'.hmm. I wonder what Barcelona is like this time of year. Oh, and in true weekly update 'guess which hunky Premiership footballer I talked to on Saturday night style' I really should mention I had a word in SAFC's Paul Butler's shell-like in the pub at the weekend, and he says to me, 'Glenda, pet' he says 'tell 'us what's been happening in this week's Coronation Street, lass' so I says, 'well Paul....
Sharon and Ian return to face the wrath of Rita who can't believe she's been lied to by both Sharon and Sally. Sharon won't hear a bad word said about her new husband so there's a bit of an atmosphere in the Kabin, to say the least, with Sharon threatening to sack Rita! Ian takes Sharon out house hunting and the daft bint falls in love with a 3 bedroom Lego house on one of them estates, the sort of estate and the sort of house where the builders leave the doors off the rooms to make the rooms look big when gullible people are being herded around. Anyway, she's in love with the house, Ian wants to live there but how can they afford it? Ian suggests Sharon sells the Kabin and gets all stroppy with her when she takes more than one episode to decide she's going to do exactly what he wants her too. Rita calls on the wisdom of Fred and tells him she fears she's losing Sharon. Fred tells her to be nice to Ian, and despite everything she feels, Rita decides this what she'll have to do to get close to Sharon again. Looks like it could be too late.
Les is called into the BA for an interview by none other than Mr. Nugent. The lovely Spider lays into Les, questioning the benefit claims for his 93 year old mother Janice and his four kids! Les is like a rabbit caught in car headlights then reckons Spider is just having a bit of a laugh, isn't he? Obviously not, and Les soon realises he's in deep trouble. Spider tells him he'll drop the benefit enquiry as long as he lays off his relationship with Toyah. Les has got no choice, but things get worse for him when Spider and Toyah realise Les has been pocketing benefit money without Janice's knowledge. The pair of them decide to blackmail Les into being nice to Janice and even get him agreeing to take Janice away for the weekend.
Vera tells Tyrone he really must get rid of the dog but it's breaking Tyrone's little heart. Monica is the only thing he's ever loved in his life, and he just can't get rid of it. It's Jack's birthday and Vera lets him have a couple of pints in the Rovers which he shares with Monica. But, even though Jack has a soft spot for the greyhound, he agrees with Vera and insists the dog has to go, so Tyrone takes it to the vet. The vet finds it's got a microchip ID in it (Vera: "Did you hear that, Jack? This dog's computerised!") and now Monica's details are known, it's time for Tyrone to do the decent thing and return her to her owner.
It's the night of the Freshco fireworks party and the whole thing is a disaster. Roy and Hayley are on duty as first aiders and Hayley finds Sarah Lou and friend Candice smoking behind the marquee. Next thing you know, the marquee is full of smoke, Audrey's passed out, Lester is unconscious, Roy and Hayley are in shock, and Curly is walking around with a rocket in his hand.
Tension mounts in the Platt household with Sarah Lou being the typical teenage brat we all were (well I was, and I'd have done anything to get out of peeling the Sunday spuds too). Martin wants to capture his lost youth and tells Gail he's going to start playing football twice a week which, strangely, upsets Gail no end. She feels like she's going to have to cope with Sarah Lou's teenage tantrums all on her own. Never mind Gail, it'll be all over soon. Another 6 years and she'll have grown out of it.
Gary is back on the Street with the twins and is finding life back in the house a little difficult with reminders of Judy everywhere. Natalie hands his brother Shane the bottle of money that's been collected in the Rovers, but Gary takes it straight back, saying he's doing okay (he's not) and won't be accepting charity (he will).
Jim's in the dumps after he gets a letter from Liz saying she's going to marry Michael, the man she ran off with, so she did. He confides to Natalie and she invites him round for dinner that evening. The two of them share brandies on the sofa in the back room and Jim reads more into the situation than is there and embarrasses himself after trying to snog Natalie. She tells him to leave and stands there with a confused look on her face.
Steve and Vikram shift Alec's furniture out of Sharon's flat and drive off in a van down to Brighton - but that, dear reader, is a whole different story...
It's over to Janice Gaffney now for the next 2 weeks of updates and I'll be back with you in a fortnight.
Visca El Barca! Glenda ;-)
Don't forget to visit Spider's Web!
Glenda is taking a break for two weeks and I offered to do the updates for her. Sorry if they are longwinded, you never know whether to put too much or to little into them. All I know is, this updating lark isn't as easy at seems ...hope you all enjoy them. Janice Gaffney
Les receives a letter that looks like it's bad news. It's an appointment for another interview with the DHSS. When he arrives there, Spider is the first one he sees, and Les in convinvced it's a wind up. Les however, is invited into the office by a Miss Finch, who is a Benefit Fraud Investigator. She records the interview, and gives him a caution. She offers Les legal aid. He still thinks someone is playing a joke, until Miss Finch shows photos of Les dredging the canal. Les tries to bluff his way out of it, andsays he wouldn't put his health at risk, he says it's occupational therapy for his bad back, and she asks if this is a new method, where they pay him. Miss Finch tells him it's fraud, Janice works and that they always prosecute, and he'll be informed of the date of the court case. Les now has to tell Janice what has happened. She is furious with him, and he told her that he had signed off the dole. She also wants to know where all the extra cash has been going. Whe Les sees Spider in the Rovers, he blames Spider, who insists he had nothing to do with it, and Emily makes things worse by stating that Spider was right to report Les - too many people take advantage of the system. The whole of the Battersby's beleive Spider has reported Les, and nothing will convince them oterwise. Leanne (nice to see her back) tells Toyah that Spider started the problem, he should get Les out of the hole he's in. He knows all the working of the DHSS, he should be able to sort it out. Toyah puts this to him, and begs him to do it for her.
Sharon and Ian discuss having to sell the Kabin, and how to tell Rita. She wants to clear the air with them, after her talk with Fred and asks them round for a drink and some supper. Rita tells them that life is too short to fall out. Rita asks how the house hunting is going, Vera had told her about it. Sharon tells Rita that in order to afford the new house they will have to sell the Kabin. Rita tells Sharon that it hasn't taken Ian long to put his foot down. She's furoius with her, and tells her that the shop was something for her future , not to sell in five minutes. Rita accuses Sharon of trying to punish her, and Sharon retaliates saying that Ian was right, Rita wanted her there all along for her old age. Rita asks if the new house will be in joint names, and what if Ian gets upto his old tricks...this is not going well. The 'For Sale' sign goes up. Sharon tells Fred that she was warned giving Sharon the shop was a bad idea, so she only has herself to blame.
Curly ask Nita is she will go ona leadership development course that head office at Freshco's are organising. Nita tells him it's not possible with Vikram not being availbale. Curly asks Alma and Ken to go as well, and after some cadjoling they decide to go.
Nita finds out that Vikram has not gone to Birmingham when she phones her second cousin Dev. He arrives later on to help her in the shop, and decides to stay a few days at Ravi's house. Nita realises that the shop takings weren't banked. ( I think this may be a romance in the offing). In passing, Nita chats to Jim and asks him how Steve is doing. Jim tells Nita that Steve and Vikram have gone to Brighton to deliver a sofa. But why they would need passports is another matter, it's more likely to be a tobacco and drink run. Vik and Steve come back to Weathrfield, Vik is worried about what to say to Nita. He tells her he was in France, and Steve's van was stolen. He'll sort out the money owed. Nita is furious with him, and walks out the shop, telling him to get on with it. She finds Curly, and tells him she is availbale for the course.
Emily goes to see Gary and the twins and is invited in for a cup of tea by Shane. She brings some clothes for the twins that are from the Charity shop, Gary refuses them saying the twins have enough clothes. He refuses her offer to babysit at any time, saying he can cope. Emily leaves in a fluster, and Shane goes at Gary about the way he treat Emily. Shane takes the twins for a walk for nappies while Gary is asleep. A knock at the door wakes him up, and he's is in a panic when he realises the twins aren't there. Shane walks back through the door with them, and he tells Shane that if he takes his kids again, he will kill him. Shane tries to explain that there were no nappies and he thought Gary deserved some rest. Gary tells his to leave his kids alone, and if he doesn't like it, he knows where the door is. Shane packs his bags and leaves, Gary tells him he's best left on his own. When Ashley goes to see him, the place is a tip, and he offers to help him clear up.He refuses this help. Gary places Billy and Becky on the setee while he starts to clear up, and Billy falls off. He rushes out to take him to Casualty, refusing Emily's offer to look after Becky. There's another knock at Gary's door. Gary asks what he wants, and Ashleys retorts that he likes coming round , so that Gary can be rude to him. He tells Gary that he might not like what he is going to say, but that he hurt Emily's feelings, Emily was upset. They have a heart to heart, Gary blames himself for Judy's death, he should have insisted she went to hospital. He says he spends all his time trying to remember her, and all he can see of her is her lying out in the yard, surrounded by policemen. They tidy up and Gary thanks Ash for being a real mate.
Kevin wants to know why Jim is keeping out of Natalie's way. Jim tells him he had too much to drink the night before, and he made a fool of himself. Natalie comes to see him. She says that they both had too much to drink, and can they still be friends.
There's trouble brewing in the Platt household, and it's not just all Sarah-Lou. Martin gets invited to play football with Danny and a few others, and Gail isn't very happy. That's the only day they all get together as a family. Sarah-Lou , egged on by Candice, asks for 10 cigarettes in the shop. Nita refuses her, and later tells Gail about it. She talks to Sarah-Lou, who says she would look a wimp if she didn't go along with it. She doesn't mention to Gail that Candice also threatened to find another friend to knock about with if she didn't ask for the fags. Gail sees Martin walking past the cafe without calling in. He tells her he's in a hurry , and has just nipped home for his kit. Gail asks him if they should meet later after training for a drink, but Martin tells her he'll be going for a pint with the team , and for her not to bother making him tea, he'll get something when he's out, and not to bother waiting up!
Mike is off to play a round of golf when the phone rings and he dashes off to collect Mark, his son, from the station. Linda is a bit put out that Mike hadn't told her he had a son. He tells her that the reason he's probably here, is that an Endowment Policy has just matured for him. (Funnily enough on the ITV Plus epsiodes this has just been mentioned where Mike has started one for him). Linda is a bit put out at him staying and asks Mike how long he will be there for. Mike invites Mark to the factory, and the girls wonder who he is. Linda informs them that it's Mike's son. Mark queries Mike what happened with him and Alma, and Mike tells him it didn't work out. He later meets up with Alma, and ask her. She tells him it wasn't over Linda, but it's all in the past and it's no good raking it all over.
Tyrone and Jack take Monica back to Mr. Hardcastle. His wife answers the door, and thinks they are trying to wind her up. Monica is her ex-husbands dog, an she doesn't want her back. Her husband left when he ran off with the kennel maid. She offers Tyrone the papers, she's a thoroughbred with a good background. They take Monica back home, and Vera worries what Eunice will say, but says Tyrone can keep the dog. Jack wants to start a syndicate with him, Fred and Vinny to race Monica. It won't cost Tyrone anything.
That's it for this week...see you this time next one....
Janice
Toyah and Spider are discussing ways to get rid of the evidence on Les. Toyah suggests waiting till lunch time when there's no one about, and flushing it down the toilet. Spider waits till 1pm, and watches everyone leave for their lunch, including Miss Finch. He searches the files to no avail, vut then spots the file on her desk. he takes out a piece of pink paper and the incrimidating photo of Les working at the canal. he shoves them both in his pocket. He later goes over to the shredder, and offers his services, saying he finds it relaxing. He shreds the photo and the pink file, and nearly gets away with it, when up walks Miss Finch, screaming why is he shredding a red file. She tells him that all red files are kept in her office, and warns him that he shouldn't cross her. She tells hims she wants to see him in her office the next day. Spider has some explaining to do, he says it was a mistake. She asks if he know Leslie Battersby, and he replies no, which she finds very strange - Mr Battersby lives at No 5 , and he used to live at No 3 Coronation Street. She gives him time to think about. He then tells Miss Finch, that yes they used to live door, but he never had anything to do with the family, and he moved out from his lodgings. Miss Finch then says it will be overlooked this time, master file wasn't shredded , but she's keeping an eye on him. Spider tells Toyah that Les is in for the high jump, he had to deny knowing her, and she must warn Les not to mention knowing him. Janice passes it on to Les, who seems to take great pleasure in knowing this.
Gary apologises to Emily, and tells her he was behaving like a prat. He asks her if she will watch the twins for him for a few hours and she agrees. He apologises to Betty next, and he takes the collection away. Spider waylays Gary and tells him he can get him help for the funeral expenses, and one parent family supplement, anything he wants explaining he just has to ask. Later Gary relates this to Jim in the Rovers, telling him if it wasn't for close neighbours, he wouldn't get to spend a few hours a day in there. He tells Jim that Judy and him had a joint morgage, and the house has been paid off. He doesn't feel he should be making a profit out of her death. Jim tells him, it won't bring her back, and he's entitled to the money.
Sharon asks Jim if Steve took the sofa, and he replies that he did. Vikram tells Nita that Steve offered him a lift - and he ended up in Brighton, then Calais! Jim comes to see Steve in the cafe. He tells Steve that him and Vik should get their stories straight. Steve is telling one, Vik another. Steve tells Jim that he went to Brighton, and Vik took the van to Calais - and the cxustoms people have it. Vil later tells Steve he needs to get the £1,000 shop money back, and he needs help. Steve refuses saying, he has lost £1,000 lost the van and still has the original tax bill, that made him do it in the first place. Steve recives a letter. The good news is he is not to be prosecuted by Custom and Exiles, but they want £600 for the van. He offers the van to Kevin for £2,500, if he gives him $600 up front to get the van released. Kevin asks what does he wants with a van, Steve says he can sell it, it's worth £3,000, but Kevin tells so can he.
Sharon asks Ian to watch the shop,as they have a potential buyer to show around that afternoon. In a great Blanche scene, she offers Rita the programmes of the Over 60's club for the new year with all this time she'll have on her hands after she retires. There's Line dancing and McCramy (whatever that is, I'd be interested to know) or you drop dead with boredom in three months. Rita looks very wistful. The potential buyer is looking up at the outside of the Kabin, he comments that it looks like a little goldmine, and they 'll be neighbours. Rita walks off, and Candice asks him to buy her 10 cigarettes. Rita interrupts their conversation, to say Candice is underage. He tells her she'll keep her nose out, when it's his business, and walks away. Ian and Sharon are congratulating themselves when Rita walks in and ask what the asking price for the shop is. Sharon tells her it's £45,000, and Rita tells her she's changed her mind about the shop. She now realises that she's had more pleasure from the shop, than from that selfish little madame (Sharon), and now she's going to rectify it. She'll give her the asking price, and she thinks she deserves first refusal on it. Ian makes Sharon promise that she won't make a decison on the asking price until he's discussed it with him. He's after upping the price to £48,000, he thinks Rita can afford it. Sharon (at last) puts her foot down, and tells him Rita can have it at the asking price. Rita comes to tell Sharon that she's been to see her solicitor about buying back the Kabin, and she may as well know, she's changed her will, so she can have her inheritance now, instead of waiting till she's popped her clogs. Sharon asks if that's her lot, and Rita replies yes, she can't have it both ways, and she cut herslf out of the will. Leanne comes into the shop and makes a snide comment to Sharon about Rita buying back the business, she always thought Rita was keen to retire. Sharon is furious, and tells Ian that everyone must be talking about them. He suggests that they go away now, have the honeymoon they didn't get. Sharon goes and asks Rita if she'll do them a favour while they are away, see to the removal man etc. Fred tells her she's a cheeky mamdame, but Rita interrupts him, and says there's no more to be said. Fred tells her they took her for a ride, and Rita comments that is was a valuble lesson to learn. Fred comments, that £45,000 is a damn expensive lesson. So is this the end of Sharon and Ian? God I hope so!!!
Tyrone has Monica in training. They need something to help her get out of the trap, Jack suggest Vera's bunny slipper. It's a complete fiasco, with Monica chewing them to bits, and Vera wondering where on earth they could have got to. Finally, the penny drops when a policeman comes to the door, sent by the RSPCA, they've had a report of a dog being encouraged to cause suffering to another animal, Vera realises it was her slippers.
Mike offers Mark some work in the factory. He wants to take him out for a meal, but one look from Linda, and Mark tells Mike he has already made prior arrangemnts to meet some friends. The battle lines are drawn when Linda asks him what he is doing here in Weatherfield, and he asks what she is doing with Mike, only after his money. He tells her , she's pretty - not his type, but she could pick up someone her own age in any pub or club. She ask why would she do that? She remarks that Mike isn't a fool, he would have sussed her by now. Great scene that! Mike tells Linda that he hopes her and Mark are getting along OK, he tells her he needs her on her side. They've been invited out to dinner, but he thinks it will be too boring for her, all shop talk. She asks if he thinks she will show him up? She'll not even take her roll-ups, so dinner is on.
Looks like there's going to be a new romance between Leanne and Mark, they are both making eyes at one another, and twice Vikram has refused a date with Leanne. When Mark comments to Mike that Leanne is tasty - he tells him he can do better. On his own head be it!
Gail and Martin are still disagreeing. Sarah Louise wants new trainers, and Gail refuse her. Martin slips her some money and tells her not a word to her mother. When Gail finds out she blows a fuse, telling Martin he never backs her up. Sarah Louise asks Sharon for a paper round, telling her that all has been agreed at home. Her first morning out, it's noticed she's not asleep in bed. David has been told to keep the secret, when in Sarah Louise walks in. She tells them she has a paper round, £20 a week for mornings and evenings. They tell her she should have discussed it with them first and tell her she can't do it. Martin says they will have to compromise, mornings only , and see how it goes. Gail had better tell Sarah Louise. Gail tells her they will see how school work will fit in, and maybe when it's lighter evenings, she can do the evening round as well. Sarah Louise seems OK about this, but comments that Martin probably thought it up!
Fred overhears Curly talking about the weekend outing and thinks that he and Ashley should be invited. He tells Ashley it will be a doddle, good food, hotels, sitting around doing nothing. Curly tells him it's for Freshco staff only, but he later overhears Curly telling Alma all the places aren't filled, so yes, Ashley and Fred can have a place.
Audrey tells them at the Rovers that the tickets for the Millenium bash are £25. They all think it's a bit steep, and Roy suggests they do one on their own, have a Street party for the Millenium - they have the cafe, the Rovers for drink, two businesses, and hopefully Mike Baldwin will hand over money. He's now after a committee, but Gail refuses. They arrange a meeting. Ken says he will give all his time after the weekend course, and of course Deidre's appeal.
Glenda makes this look like a doddle, but this has took me about 3-4 hours of stopping and starting...I think Glenda and the likes of Mike Plowman of CSVU fame, plus all the other updaters over the years deserve every praise you can heap on them
Bye for now, Janice Gaffney
Before I start, I'd just like to send a million thanks to Janice Gaffney for the last two weekly updates. I'm sitting here writing the update to you this week listening to 'The Best of Dusty Springfield', and I have to keep taking my fingers off the keyboard to dance along in time to the music. What else can you do to classics like these? So as you're reading this, if you come across a blank space in a paragraph, I'm just having a quick boogie with my hands folded into fists with thumbs up pointing behind my shoulders. I bought the CD this weekend for a good friend's Christmas present, but on reflection, decided to keep it for myself instead. The dog's lying on the floor next to me and even she joins in with the swaying from side to side every now and then (but only with the songs she likes). Anyway, without further ado, here we go with this week's Coronation Street update.
Roy wants to put a committee together to organise a street party for the (if I hear this word one more time I'll scream) Millennium. However, Audrey is dismissive at what she sees as competition against the official council party. Not many residents are interested in Roy's plans and even he's having doubts about raising enough money to get the thing organised. Emily comes up with a corker though - a sponsored silence - by Les Battersby! Even I'd pay money to see that. A great scene in the Rovers this week when Leanne embarrasses Roy into buying a round of drinks for everyone in the bar. A hesitant Roy agrees while Hayley quickly whispers something in his ear. "Ah yes", he says, "..just have to nip home for my purse first".
Mike and Linda go out to a business dinner and Linda takes her cleavage for an outing to the Rovers first and isn't deterred when Janice comments: "You can dress a brick in fancy paper, but it's still a brick". Anyway, on the way back from the dinner, Mike gets pulled over by the police and breathylysed. He's over the limit and ends up accompanying the officer down to the station to spend some time in the cells while Linda gets a taxi back to the flat. He's up in court the next day, confident he'll get the car straight back but instead, gets a one year ban and a 500 fine and is not best pleased, as you can well imagine, and neither is Linda - how's she going to get to work now? (Watch out this week for Linda's wonderful 'Supercow' t-shirt). Mike hits on an idea and recruits Mark to be his personal chauffeur. It's an idea that appeals to Mark once Mike tells him he can have the car to himself on an evening. With that in mind, he drops Linda off at the Rovers, picks up Leanne for a night out and takes her back to the flat. Linda arrives back to find Mark and Leanne in the nuddy in his bedroom and threatens to tell Mike.
Sharon and Ian leave the Street this week but not without wounding Rita even more than they've already done. Ian calls Rita "a sad old lady who tried to buy Sharon" (ouch!) while Sharon delivers the final parting shot in a tearful farewell: "You're still my mum to me", she says to a very 'try to be cool and don't let the little toe-rags know how upset you are' Rita. I think I boo'ed at the screen at this point, asking Sharon if she thought it normal to diddle her old mum out of 45 grand, but I don't think she heard. She's gone now anyway and taken that 'orrible Ian with her. At least she had the decency to cry.
(Hang on, this is a good 'un, just having a quick dance, well it *is* Wishin' And Hopin'...)
Les is back in court early in the New Year on charges of making false benefit declarations. He asks Janice if there's any of the neighbours would give him a character reference. After Janice reels off all the ones he's upset in the past, he quickly realises there's little chance of that, then. The Freshco team go on an outward bound type of weekend, you know the sort of thing I mean. All rain and wellies, bad food and even worse beer, hard bunk-beds and team building skills. Not my cup of tea at all, and clearly not Fred's either. So, stuck out on the moors, we have team leader Curly, young Ashley, Fred, Ken, Nita and the fragrant Alma. Needless to say, the Weatherfield team don't win anything, come last in everything and get woken up at 1.30am and dumped on the moors by organiser, Jock McFascist (name changed to protect the innocent), because, well, because he's in charge and he can do what he likes. And what he likes is dumping people on the moors at 1.30am. The team find their way back, eventually, but not until they fall out with Fred, who falls and sprains something and eats all the chocolate rations. It's only Nita who gets an award at the end of the weekend, for her 'individual skills'. Jock McFascist's nephew, Nephew McFascist, aka James something or other and heir to the Freshco fortune, takes Nita out for a drink to discuss her... er... individual skills. Nita, realising her hard work at Freshco's and ambition for the future might finally come to fruition, is all eyeballs and big smiles for the boy wonder.
Over at the Platt place, Sally has been invited for dinner and turns up with a bottle of plonk, something white, cheap and nasty - just like Danny, who also turns up. Anyway, they're sitting down to eat with Gail, but Martin's late. When he does arrive, Gail gives him a bit grief over not being on time for his guests but isn't mollified when he tells her he had to stay late at work to deal with the victims of a car crash. She tells him she'd already called the hospital and they'd said he was off duty. Well, they have a bit of a falling out and then make up again, which was nice, only to sit in the Rovers later like a couple of stuffed sprouts with Martin pulling grim faces over the thought of spending the (I thought I said if I heard this word again I'd scream?) Millennium night on the Street.
Joy of joys. Blanche has started work in the Kabin. She's only been there 5 minutes, purely just to help out, you understand, but already, she's managed to upset Rita and most of the customers. "Keep your hands where we can see them!" she tells a spotty 15 year old looking at the computer magazines. She's got plans, has Blanche, to help Rita run the Kabin, but Rita's already wondering if she's done the right thing by hiring Blanche.
And that's just about that for this week.
Don't forget to read Spider's Web - it's quite good, honestly, well, not in that sort of whizzy Shockwave state-of-the-art bells and whistles sort of way, I mean, it doesn't play music or offer you free software or anything and it doesn't give you a pound off railtickets if you book them online, no jazzy quicktime or virtual hugs, nothing like that, no, but it's a nice little site and it's there if you want to see it, go on, please, it'll not take long, it's got a guestbook you can fill in, but you don't have to, not if you don't want to, I mean, I wouldn't want to force you into anything, but it's a nice little site, it is, honestly. http://zen.sunderland.ac.uk/~aa8gyo/spidersweb.html
Glenda :-)
Read my on-line newspaper, The Daily .Dot http://zen.sunderland.ac.uk/~aa8gyo/index.html
