Hi folks, here I am back from holiday all tanned and lovely (and also with a stinking cold, a cold sore and stye in my left eye!) I know CP was supposed to have sent out the weekly updates while I was away but he hasn't been able to do so yet. I received this email from him today which promises to get the missing 2 weeks updates out in good time:
From: CP Turner To: Glendayo@aol.com Subject: Weekly Updates
Dear Glenda Sorry I haven't got it out yet. I've been feeling a little behind. However, I've got it in hand now and have a firm grip on things so it'll be coming shortly. CP
And I think we can all look forward to that, don't you?
So anyway, on with this week's Coronation Street update. (If you missed the last two weeks I'll recap to say that Des is dead and Nat is well, you know, upset. Des was killed in Nat's house by two thugs who had come looking for Tony when he couldn't repay his debt to them for drugs he'd bought. Also, Jackie Dobbs (Deirdre's ex-cell mate from prison) turned up at Deirdre's flat asking for a place to stay for a while and Deidre has taken her in.)
It's Des' funeral and his family travel from Hartlepool. Des' brother, Colin tells Natalie he knows the real reason that Des was killed as Des had called him last week to tell him about Tony and the trouble he was into with drugs. Understandably, Colin is bitter and angry with Natalie for keeping quiet about it all, especially when he realises all the neighbours have been fed a story by Natalie and they all think Des died fending off two burglers who broke into the house. At the church, Colin causes a scene, says it's all lies about the way Des died and walks out. Later in the Rovers where the funeral tea or whatever it's called is laid on, Colin loses his temper with Natalie and shouts out to everyone in the pub that Tony was a drug dealer and Des died because of Tony, urging Natalie to accept the truth. She denies it all and the neighbours believe her. However, she confides in Judy Mallett later at home asking her to keep the secret. Nat goes back to work in the Rovers the day after the funeral but Alec persuades her to go home after Fred complains that "Natalie has a face as long as a banana on a stick" and is fair putting people off their beer, I say, off their beer.
Talking about Fred - he invites himself to Audrey's for Christmas day dinner. He's raffling a hamper full of comestibles and treats and makes sure Audrey will win the hamper by giving her the winning ticket!
Jackie is causing Deirdre a few problems. Looks like Les Battersby has his glad eye on Jackie and she takes him back to Deidre's after a few drinks together in the Rovers. Jackie tells Les his fortune by reading his palm and he offers to help her physically by "making up for lost time" when she was in the nick. After Des' funeral, he persuades Janice to go back to work and invites Jackie over to their house for a quick one. Anyway, Les dims the lights and sets the mood and as Jackie walks in the back door, Janice comes down the stairs. She hadn't gone back to work at all, she'd been upstairs asleep and had woken up when she heard Les come in. Jackie makes a quick exit and Janice tells Les she wants him to leave, but quickly relents and lets him stay after he begs of her "do you think I was going to do what you thought I was going to do, on the day of a mate's funeral?". Back at Deirdre's flat, Jackie's son Tyrone makes himself comfortable on the sofa with one of those irritating, bleeping computer toys. Jackie explains to Deidre that her son also needs a place to stay and tells Tyrone not to steal any of Deidre's things, the two of them are there to make the most of a good thing while it lasts.
Zoe is angry after she finds Leanne and Nick listening to her Nirab cassette tape, it's all one big "ummm" if you ask me but Zoe thinks it'll bring her closer to Shannon. And all for just 15 pounds. She tells Ashley there'll be "no more of what you call loving" because he's not one of the Nirab lot and doesn't understand. Ashley is becoming increasinly concerned about Zoe, especially after Gary tells him that Ruth and Ben had talked to Judy in the street and told her the best place for her unborn babies was the next world, not this one. Ashley asks Zoe if he can go along to one of the Nirab meetings with her and she agrees although Ruth and Ben aren't best pleased when he turns up uninvited by either of them. He sits around the table with the rest of them umming and ahhing and walks out saying "it's not right, not normal". And so say all of us.
Leanne feels she isn't seeing as much of Nick as she'd like now that he's working evenings at the college. So, she goes to the college to surprise him when he comes out of class. What she finds is Nick and his female tutor getting into her car together and she goes home and waits for him, tapping her fingers, probably. Nick explains it's just his teacher and his class had all gone to the pub to celebrate someone's birthday. If that is true or not, I don't know. I don't know if there's anything going on between Nick and the tutor as I haven't yet been able to catch up on events while I was away.
Roy and Hayley audition for the Weatherfield Operatic Society. Roy, nervous before the audition, has a whisky in the Rovers and at the audition gives a so-so rendition of Singing in the Rain. Both are accepted to join the operatic society and will be in the next production, The Sound of Music.
Sally and Greg stamp around the tiny flat grumping at each other. Greg wants more money from Sally and fool that she is not only gives him full access to her bank account by passing over her cashpoint card, she also agrees to open a joint account with him (using only her money!).
Les is rushed into hospital with a bad foot which turns out to be osteosomethingorother, apparantly quite serious and he has to have injections whilst laid up in a hospital bed. Of course, he's milking it for all it's worth, eyeing up the nurses and he rings Jackie to tell her he's in hospital but she thinks it best not to visit him. He's hoping to get some miniature bottles of booze smuggled in past the observant eye of Nurse Platt (does that man attend EVERY patient who is ever admitted to hospital from Coronation Street?). Martin has to give Les a bed bath (not a pleasant thought) but is saved in the nick of time when Janice comes to visit with a bag of fruit.
And I think that's just about that for this week. So from me and Sophie, my cup of Earl Grey and cheese and cucumber sandwich, I'll leave it for now and see you next week.
Glenda ;-)
Hello folks. I feel stuck in that strange vortex which is the few days between Christmas and the start of another year. I'm presently stuffing myself with mint chocolates, but just don't seem able to stop eating them somehow. I'm sure you know what I mean. And I'm still trying to settle into a new house - it's all a very strange time indeed. So, if this update sounds a little disjointed, it's probably the fact that I'm feeling so unsettled and out of it (for which I apologise) - either that, or I've had too much chocolate. This weekly update covers events in the UK from Monday 21st December up to and including Monday 28th December and includes the 1 hour special which was shown on Christmas day. So, here we go.
Well, Jack and Vera set off to spend Christmas in Blackpool with little Tommy and the Hortons. Alec realises this could be his chance to get rid of the Duckies once and for all and as soon as they leave the street, he's thrown all their clothes out of the living quarters, changes the locks and decides he's not going to let them back in the Rovers, he's had enough of them. Bah humbug, or what? Anyway, Rita rings the Duckies in Blackpool to let them know what's happened and they come straight back, straight upstairs to their bedroom where they barricade themselves in their room in protest against Alec trying to throw them out. The neighbours, willingly assisted by the lovely Spider, bring food, drink and Christmas cheer up a ladder and through the bedroom window for the Duckies, and Alec isn't best pleased. And when Rita tells him it was she who rang the Duckies in Blackpool to tell them what Alec was up to, he really isn't chuffed at all and builds an erection to block the doorway between his flat and Rita's. Their friendship has been soured forever. Grand-daughter Vicky is back helping out behind the bar of the Rovers for now, and Alec confides in her that he's not happy living in Weatherfield any longer. When he tells Natalie this also, she offers to buy the Rovers from him but expects a good price as there are two sitting tenants upstairs. Alec offers Jack and Vera a thousand pounds to move out so he can get a decent price for the pub when he sells to Natalie, but Natalie offers Jack and Vera a plate of sandwhiches and persuades them to stay in their room for a few more days, but doesn't tell them why. Vicky is planning on opening a cafe-bar and Alec offers to invest the money from the Rovers and go into partnership with her.
Judy Mallett gives birth on Christmas day to twins - one of each, but no names have been decided on yet. Emily knits pink and blue booties, bless her.
Fred draws his raffle and lo and behold, Audrey Roberts is the winner of the hamper full of comestibles. What a suprise. Anyway, Fred's plan backfires a little when Audrey tells him he can't come round for Christmas dinner after all as she and Alfie are going to Gail and Martin's. Now then, Gail and Martin want Leanne and Nick there for Christmas dinner and so do Janice and Les. So as not to upset any of the parents, they decide to stay at home with Ashley for Chrimbo dinner and invite Fred and Maude along too. However, Leanne walks out and back across the road when she finds a Christmas present for Nick "with love from Miranda". Nick tries to talk to Leanne at the Battersby household but Les throws him out.
Jacqui Dobbs and son Tyrone are still squatting in Curly's house. Jack, worried about his pigeons, offers Tyrone a pound to feed the birds, which he does. In the back yard of the Rovers, Tyrone finds bin bags full of Jack and Vera's clothes which Alec has thrown out, and he takes Jack's overcoat and silk scarf, selling them to Les Battersby for a fiver. When Jack spies Les from his bedroom window of the Rovers, walking around in his overcoat and scarf, he isn't best pleased. Jacqui is sacked from Underworld when Mike Baldwin catches her stealing underwear. He wants to call the police but Deirdre talks him out of it, which is a pity, as Jacqui would've then been nicked for nicking knickers.
Sally warns Maxine that Greg owes a ton of rent money to Fred Elliot and that he beat her up also. As Maxine now lives in the flat above the salon, Sally warns her that Greg is likely to ask to move in with Maxine as he's going to be homeless when Fred throws him out, and sure enough Greg tries to wheedle his way in. Fortunately, for the first time in her life, Maxine sees sense and walks out on Greg, leaving him to ask Les if he can move in with the Battersbys. Greg follows Sally back to Rita's flat one night and shouts threats to her through the letterbox, and then later he rings her at Rita's flat, threatening her again. Poor Sally, it hasn't been the best Christmas for her. She goes to see Kevin and the girls on Christmas day, only to find the girls have already opened their presents (after Kevin agreed he'd make them wait until she arrived) and then he throws her out without any stuffing, pudding or crackers and off she has to trundle back to Rita's place again.
Gail tells Roy she's made a decision about the cafe - she's decided to sell her share. When Hayley tells Roy she wants to be supportive of him in his new venture, he takes this to mean she wants to be his business partner and tells Gail he'll not be needing her any more anyway, as Hayley is going to help out in the new place. However, this isn't what Hayley meant at all, so to clear up the confusion, Hayley asks Gail if she'll stay on at the new place and she tells Roy she'll invest in the cafe. Right, that's all sorted then.
My favourite character at the moment has got to be Deirdre's mum, Blanche. I hope she's going to stay around for a long time. Every time we see Blanche and Deirdre together, Blance wastes no time in pointing out her daughter's faults and telling her where each of her marriages went wrong. Sounds a bit familiar, then.
Anyway, that's it for now. See you next week!
Glenda ;-)
