"Look at you." "Melbourne University will love you." "You'll be their shining light." "I missed out." "I don't understand." "I'm not going to Melbourne Uni." "Go!" "NICK:" "It was your mother's idea to buy the car." "Wrapped it myself!" "My reward for failure." "You're not a failure." "Did I miss something?" "I thought I didn't get in." "I just bought this." "A desk." "Not "a" desk." "That's Billy McMahon's desk." "My desk!" "I'm gonna kill her." "There's definitely something fishy about the sale of the pub." "24-hour pokies." "Crime." "Addiction." "Street violence." "Yes, but they think they've found another buyer, somebody who is anti-gambling." "You know I gotta work on this thing." "Really?" "Yes, really." "Cos I just realised today I don't wanna be with anyone else." "Ever." "Me too." "Teach me to dance." "(LAUGHS) Marry me." "Go on, Loui." "Jump." "I'll catch you." "If it's too big, I'll get it resized." "Oh." "It's perfect, Nick Pickering." "Oh, please!" "Please let it be in here." "God!" "It's not in this lot." "Can someone explain to me why the ring would be in a pony pat?" "Because Duncan always gets in the compost and I thought if I lost it in the kitchen the chances are it's in the compost." "That's why we're here." "My Aunty Lillian used to say whenever you lose something, always look in the last place you'd expect to find it." "I think you must be close to that place now." "Hey, watch out for fresh ones." "Oh, can you take him and just follow his every movement?" "So to speak." "Or you can blame Nick for thinking you had fingers the size of chicken sausages." "(CRIES)" "Oh, darlin'." "Where was the last time you positively..." "There's nothing positive about today!" "Look what I found!" "THEME MUSIC" "SONG: £ I lay down in a bed of roses" "£ I woke up lying on a bed of nails" "£ It's the oldest of tales" "£ Lose the wind" "£ From yourselves" "£ I lay down in a bed of roses" "£ And I woke up lying on a bed of nails... £" "(HUMS)" "Maybe it's some kind of a sign." "Oh, nonsense." "It's not a sign!" "There's no such thing." "No, you just lost the ring." "It happens." "Yeah, when I was 15, Rowan Wilson..." "I lost the ring!" "I can't believe I lost the ring." "Oh, my God!" "I lost the ring." "..like sport socks." "OK." "Now, that could've been some sort of sign." "Anyway, I moved on." "Became a better person." "Changed my socks." "You'll find it." "And, until then, play to Nick's practical side." "Mmm." "Say you took it off for work." "For cleaning." "For gardening." "It was so special, you didn't wanna risk scratching it." "Yeah, it's not your fault." "It was too big for you." "And you loved it so much, you didn't wanna take it off." "I feel sick." "Sugar." "Sugar." "What if I never find it?" "OK, if that happens remember this - when you tell him...cry." "Cry like there's no tomorrow." "I've got Mr Scott ready down in the cool room but I'm gonna need a hand with his hair." "Oh, right, there's combs and brushes in the bottom drawer." "I mean I'm having trouble keeping it on." "It's a wig." "It came off." "I think everyone's expecting him to have something on top." "Yeah, there's some woodwork glue." "I tried that." "There's gotta be some superglue somewhere." "I can't find it." "Alright, I'm coming." "Just, um...just a couple more hands." "You know it's rigged." "Just wait until I send you a postcard from the Bahamas." "Dream on, Dad." "So it's true?" "Yeah, no, I spoke to Boof." "He's a concreter." "He's gonna be quoting on this job." "Mega Tool Store." "Yeah, it's gonna be huge." "You might have to put some of your Chinese power tools on special." "Oh, you know what they say." "Competition is the engine room of the free-market economy." "See, the customer will decide." "I welcome the Mega Tool Store." "In fact, I embrace them with open arms." "Morning, Gavin." "First thing on the office agenda is the broken towel dispenser in the bathroom." "As this is a matter of hygiene, I'm going to order..." "They're $28.95 including GST." "And while you're at it you can skip the front page cos I've got it sorted." "Since when do we skip the front page cos you've got it sorted?" "Since I've got a big story." "Oh, fantastic." "You gonna tell us about it?" "Maybe pitch it to us, at least?" "It's about the threat to small business by a multi-national company putting profit before people." "Are you talking about the pub?" "No." "What's happening with the pub?" "Nothing." "They're coming." "The soul-less conglomerates." "And they're gonna swallow us up if we let them." "The mums and dads companies, the family firms, they're gonna be gone forever." "That's not a story." "That's an editorial." "Are you alright?" "Well, what have you two got for the front page?" "Well, er, we could push the lack of drought aid for Rainbow's End farmers." "The council meets on it next week." "Next week's another planet." "I'm talking about now." "Are you sure you're not talking about the pub?" "Yes." "I'm sure." "CRASHING" "Do you wonder if we're rushing into this?" "We've known each other for 40 years." "Can you pass the chilli oil?" "Yeah, the second time around, you know?" "You're not going into this with any delusions." "It's your second time." "My first time." "Yeah." "Exactly." "And I'm going into this eyes wide open." "Is everything alright?" "Yep." "Loui, the ceiling needs pruning." "Ah!" "BELL RINGS" "Lost something?" "What?" "No." "I just, um..." "Took me forever to get to sleep last night." "Yeah, you look a bit pale." "Thanks, Mum." "I just woke up." "Hey, I've been thinking about.." "Oh, can we do this later?" "About the uni offer." "I know you're disappointed." "No, no, I'm not disappointed." "I mean, I am but for you." "Not...not because of you." "Right." "Yeah, anyway, so I think it's important that I don't rush into making any stupid decisions and that what I end up doing is something I really wanna do." "Yeah, absolutely." "Look, I know any decision you make will be the right one." "Mwah!" "Good, cos I'm thinking about taking some time off." "Like a gap year." "A gap year?" "Hol, that is a terrible idea, alright?" "I don't mean to sound negative but you're just tired, alright?" "We both are." "It would give me a chance to think." "Are you worried I wouldn't go back?" "No." "Mum, I'm not talking about dropping out." "Maybe...maybe I'm burnt out." "Holly, you're 19." "How can you be burnt out?" "I just wanna do something different for a while before spending my nights and weekends in piles of text books again." "Mum, I need your support on this." "Holly, you've got my support." "And may I mention that during my era a gap year wasn't even in existence." "What, in the swinging '60s?" "No, in the very groovy '70s." "And, you know, I-I-I could've gone to Kathmandu!" "But you didn't." "No, I didn't." "I went straight from school to get married!" "Mum, I'm not you." "Yeah, exactly, Hol." "I don't want you to become me, don't want you falling into the same trap." "Dad was a trap?" "No, no, no." "Holly, come on." "I don't mean that." "OK, it was just a thought." "I..." "I haven't made up my mind anyway." "Fine." "It's alright." "Sorry." "HORN BEEPS Oh!" "That's Marg." "I've gotta go shopping with her." "We're shopping." "Just gotta help her." "She wants to do a bit of shopping." "Oh, God." "I love those earrings." "Marg?" "I need you focused." "They are good." "Can I be of assistance?" "Yes, I, er, I hope so." "Um, you sold a ring to a man last week." "Er, he was handsome, sort of strong and big hands." "Er, it was an engagement ring." "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah." "Diamond. 22-carat band." "Yes, yes, yes." "I need another ring like that." "Actually, exactly the same as that." "Well, that was unique, as are all our rings." "Um, but look, there is one that could be quite close." "It's roughly the same price, as luck would have it." "What do you think?" "A woman would pick it but a man, maybe not." "I'll take it." "How much?" "$6,899." "$6,000?" "!" "That's a lot of grease and oil changes." "Oh, my God!" "Keep breathing." "Oh, my!" "Keep breathing." "Oh, that's so lovely." "And I've lost the ring!" "This is the situation." "We've lost the ring." "Yeah, but I-I-I will find it again." "She will." "But for now, we need another ring." "Just very, very similar." "And under $500." "We don't stock anything in the lower end of the market." "I'll lend you the money." "No!" "Yes!" "You can pay it back." "No!" "I need to do this by myself." "Oh, actually, there might be something." "Um, one of the Indigo High School boys left a ring to be engraved last year - he didn't pick it up." "What do you think?" "Almost identical." "Three or four metres away." "How much?" "Well, it has $9.50 owing on the engraving." "To Fluffy." "Love you." "Bunny." "Guess things didn't work out for Bunny." "Mrs Franklin, you know you're not supposed to do this." "Do what?" "Hitchhiking." "What harm's it doing?" "It's dangerous." "That's rubbish!" "I was hitching along this road when I was 15." "Well, things have changed since then." "Well, that's for sure." "I was never accosted by a policeman who've got nothing better to do with their time." "Road safety regulation 2009, statutory rule number 94, section 236." "Pedestrians are not to cause a traffic hazard or obstruction." "I remember helping your mother change your nappy in the back of Lily's grocery store." "Why can't you catch the bus like everyone else?" "Not enough hours in the day." "Alright." "Well, where are you heading?" "Into town." "Where do you think I'm heading?" "Hop in." "Thank you." "That's OK." "Oh, where are you going?" "I might just go inside with you." "I'm not a child." "I don't need a chaperone." "..it's an important story..." "..as if you would..." "Mum." "I need a cup of tea." "Um, here we go, Minna." "Wait a minute, what's going on?" "Your mother was apprehended hitchhiking." "Apprehended?" "Oh, great." "Hitchhiking's a chargeable offence." "Well, go on, then, charge me!" "I'll just leave her in your capable hands, OK?" "Mum, hitchhiking?" "Why didn't you ask me to give you a lift?" "Oh, it was a last-minute decision." "Had to come into town, do some business at the funeral parlour." "The funeral parlour?" "Why?" "Why do you need the funeral parlour?" "Oh, well, Lionel promised me a refund cheque and he hasn't sent it and he's always on the phone so I thought I'd speak to him myself." "He owes us six weeks worth of advertising." "Really?" "I might have to come with you to see Lionel." "Oh, no." "I can handle Lionel." "And I have made a decision." "I have decided I'm going to get my driver's licence again." "What?" "Oh, Mum, do you really think that's a good idea?" "How many fingers?" "Oh, now stop that!" "No, my eyes are perfectly good and I've still got that car." "Which I think you should sell." "Cars are a liability." "There's the insurance, there's the tyres..." "Why would my car be a liability and not yours?" "I mean, Louisa, I've just gotta be able to get about the place." "I can't spend the rest of my life waiting for that bloody bus." "And I will not beg and harass people for lifts." "You don't have to, tell me where you want to go and I will take you." "I wanna go to see Lionel for starters." "Good." "I'll take you to Lionel's in...er, about an hour." "Never mind." "I will walk." "I will walk." "Oh!" "Oh, walk!" "I can't help noticing that sparkly diamond on your finger that looks very much like an engagement ring." "Oh, God, yeah." "Is that who I think it's from?" "I...er..." "Yeah." "It is." "Well, aren't you gonna show it to me?" "I-I can't." "It's a secret." "Well, it's not really a secret." "It's just, I dunno, we wanna..." "keep it under wraps." "You know?" "Your secret's safe with me." "I got your message." "Is Iris OK?" "We think she was hit by a car." "They're hoping she's just badly bruised and in shock." "But you can never tell with internal injuries." "Cats hide their pain." "Have a seat." "I blame myself, Gavin." "I should never have let her have the run of the yard." "But when I lock her in, she spends hours pawing at the window." "Oh, she's an adventurous cat." "I'm a bad mother." "No, you're not." "Yes, I am." "And this is gonna cost a fortune." "Don't you worry about that." "I'll look after it." "Dr John owes me a few." "Thank you, Gavin." "Couldn't get through this without you." "Now, I know you have to get out so any time on the weekend that you need a lift, just call, we'll make it an outing." "Oh, Louisa, I'm not one of those people for whom going shopping is an outing." "Yes, well, I would never mistake you for one of those people." "If I had to depend on you to get my own messages done" "I might as well give up the ghost." "Now, I want some beets, please." "Mum, you know how Nick and I have been friends for a long time?" "Oh, and I want them firm." "Why people pay perfectly good money for beets that are shrivelled is beyond me." "Well, we've been thinking..." "Well, he's been thinking and I've been..." "Well, no, we've both been thinking..." "Have you set a wedding date yet?" "Deirdre at the post office told me." "Is there anyone that doesn't know?" "Personally, at your age, can't see the point." "Just cos we're 150 doesn't mean we have to give up on love." "I'm not talking about love." "I'm talking about marriage." "It's without doubt the most ridiculous institution ever imposed upon two people." "Ah, well." "Never mind." "If it is what you both want then, er...then I'm very happy for you." "Oh!" "Don't you wanna know what happened at Lionel's?" "Yep." "I think there's something going on." "That place was shut up in the middle of the day." "Hey." "Hey." "Anything on?" "Hmm, nothing much." "Sorry I scared you this morning." "You didn't scare me." "Springing the gap year talk on you." "Maybe you scared me." "Can't remember which." "Can I have some time to think before we dive into one of those again?" "Yep." "Absolutely." "But, um, there is something I wanna talk to you about." "Nick asked you to marry him." "How did you know?" "I had a hunch he was going to." "Oh." "Mum, you know Nick's a sensitive guy." "He could get really hurt here." "Yeah, Holly, I-I know." "I'm not gonna hurt him." "I would do nothing to hurt him or you." "What are you saying?" "I'm just surprised, that's all." "Have you thought it through?" "Everything seemed perfect the way it was." "Yeah, of course we've thought about it." "It's just, I dunno, Nick and I, we just wanna make it better." "If you don't want me to marry him, now is the time to speak up." "Mum, don't give me that responsibility." "Just as long as it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision." "No, it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment." "Cos there's a lot at stake here." "Nick's my friend." "Yes, Holly!" "He's my friend too." "And you're my daughter." "I have thought about it." "Congratulations, Mum." "Show me the ring." "The ring?" "Yes, the ring." "Do you like it?" "Oh, yeah." "I love it." "I hate it." "I lost the real one." "It's a fake." "Oh, Mum." "What was it, one, two days?" "(SNORES)" "You've got an eyelash." "Nick proposed to Louisa." "I thought that was on the cards." "Sell my car." "Like hell I will." "Hello?" "Oh, hi, Nan." "What?" "Yep." "OK, yep." "Yep." "Yeah, I'll be over soon." "Hol was thrilled." "She was a bit worried for you." "Well, at least somebody is." "And she wants to take a year off." "Gap year." "And would that be such a bad thing?" "I'm just scared she'll lose momentum." "At the moment she doesn't know the difference between breakfast and dinner." "And you don't want her making the same mistakes you did when you left school." "Yep." "Although, actually, I haven't done too badly." "No, you've done brilliantly." "Ooh!" "Congratulations, you two!" "I just heard." "Hey, so when's the wedding?" "Who told you?" "Sharon Lang." "Who?" "You know, Eddie's friend Sharon." "I think Lynny Ryan told her and..." "I dunno." "Who?" "Show us the ring." "Oh, wow." "That looks beautiful." "See ya." "Bye." "Bye." "You know, apart from Holly and Minna when we said that we'd keep the marriage a secret for a little bit?" "Yep." "I think, given the circumstances, we should start telling people." "Look how much land they've got." "Bet you they have a cafe." "A cafe?" "Hardware is hardware." "Why does everything have to have a muffin in it?" "Suppose your Mega Tool Store's gonna be front page." "Shut up, will you?" "Don't mention the Mega Tool Store." "If I write that, they'll say I'm using the paper for my own ends." "So what?" "Marg." "Gavin." "You go back to the shop and find a way of getting that desk back together." "Go on!" "I think Gavin knows something about the pub." "What?" "Gavin!" "What's Gavin saying?" "He's banging on about small businesses being taken over by multinational companies." "No multinational is taking over the pub." "Marg, please talk to me." "I will." "When the time's right." "Nick showed me how to use them." "What do you think about this marriage business?" "Well, it seems like a good idea." "But ask me when it happens." "(LAUGHS)" "Are you gonna sell the car?" "Oh, no." "I booked in for my driver's licence test on Friday." "Don't know why you didn't do it sooner." "My thoughts exactly." "Have you decided about your course?" "Oh, I was thinking about having a gap year." "I dunno." "Probably just take my second preference." "Hmm." "Personally, I don't believe in settling for seconds." "Oh, is something the matter?" "Um, I remember Nick said not to let the wires touch but I can't remember if it's red on positive or black." "There's only one way to find out." "Hello?" "Louisa." "Hi, Lionel." "Er, come on in." "Oh, good, I'm not interrupting?" "No, no, not at all." "Not at all." "Should warn you I'm quite busy." "It's chaos in here at the moment." "Really?" "Sean's only emailed through a couple of death notices this week." "To what do we owe this visit?" "Er, um, Mum's a little bit concerned about Sandy's account." "Oh, she's a lovely person, your mum." "She is." "It just seems a little bit odd that you billed her for Sandy's funeral when he'd already pre-paid it." "Oh, yeah, yeah." "Yeah, it was a computer glitch." "There was a payment made unnecessarily but it's all sorted." "Anyway, how's that lovely daughter of yours going?" "She's good, thanks." "She's talking about a gap year." "Fantastic." "She's a credit to you, Louisa." "Yeah, she is." "So, um, when can Mum expect a refund?" "Oh, she's probably already received it." "I sent a cheque to her yesterday morning." "Right." "Are you OK, Lionel?" "Yeah, I'm fine." "Fine." "Although, um, would you excuse me for just a minute?" "I've just gotta check on a new arrival in the cool room." "ENGINE STARTS" "Viv, how's Iris?" "They kept her in overnight for observation." "She might walk with a limp but they don't think it'll affect me showing her." "Louisa, when Minna was in here yesterday something rang a bell." "I read this months ago." "Letters to the editor." "Dear editor, as the days warm up and become longer," "I'm reminded spring has arrived." "Normally a time of joy..." "I've highlighted the relevant passage." "Oh." "Had I not accidentally realised I'd paid for my aunty's funeral twice..." "..no doubt the error might have gone unnoticed and while the funeral parlour admitted to their mistake," "I do feel five and a half months is long enough to wait for recompense." "He doesn't name the funeral parlour." "When you're making a list, like exploitative practices one, two, three is it colon, semicolon or full stop?" "Colon." "Do we have an address for this letter writer?" "Can't we just skip this?" "No, if you want your licence you have to know how to reverse park." "But I'll never have to do it again." "Doesn't matter." "How could you have driven all those years without knowing how to?" "It's easy in a country town." "If I can't just drive into a space and out again," "I just park further up the street." "OK, well, you can't do that now." "So come on, put it in reverse." "First check your mirrors." "Mm-hm." "This one too." "Oh." "That one too." "And your blind spot." "(SIGHS)" "Oh, God, at my age, they're all blind spots." "And then when it's clear, turn to the back and start reversing." "Nice and slow." "Right hand down." "OK, that's what I'm doing." "See, slower, slower." "No, clockwise." "Turn the wheel clockwise." "Straighten up now." "Come on, straighten up." "They're too close." "You just backed into a BMW." "Damn capitalists." "If they can afford the car, they can afford the bill." "How you going, Mum?" "We've got some company." "Newspaper lady." "Hello, Moll." "Now, I had no idea that my aunt had pre-paid her own funeral and then he billed me and everything." "Blamed it on the computer." "So Smithwick's never reimbursed you?" "He's a difficult fellow to get hold of, Lionel." "Very busy." "You wouldn't think of it in a town this size." "Must be a lot of dying going on that we don't know about." "Isn't that right, Mum?" "There you go." "She would've liked talking to you." "She was a school teacher." "Yeah, I know." "She was my sixth grade teacher, weren't you, Moll?" "I don't know what makes me angrier - the fact that I trusted him to come good or that he's throwing it all away on the pokies." "Wait a minute." "Is Lionel a gambler?" "Is he ever." "Indigo RSL is practically his office." "And I'll tell you another thing." "You want to look into the handles." "The Handles?" "Who are the Handles?" "No, no, the handles on the coffin." "You couldn't miss 'em." "They're shaped like acorns and flowers." "Now, Cheryl Bromhurst had them on her casket when she went." "I saw them again three weeks later on Jack Madden's." "They were the same ones." "Nearly got it." "Any questions, Nan?" "Er, yes." "Um, what have you decided about Indigo?" "Er, I dunno." "I guess I'll go." "Might be fun." "I just..." "I just hate the thought of going there." "Then why go?" "What would I do in a gap year?" "If you have to ask that, maybe Indigo is the right place for you." "Look, Holly, you only get one go at your life." "I mean, you wouldn't think that, the way people wander around looking all miserable as if they're gonna do it all better next time." "You don't get to my age and be able to rewind that clock and start all over again." "Darling, you should do what you want to do." "I'd really like to get her a diamante collar." "Why don't you get her the plastic ball?" "It's got a bell inside." "Look, Iris, there's Mummy and Daddy." "Iris?" "Happy to be home." "That's good, Louisa." "We're gonna run a newspaper, we have to take a stand, be unbiased and tell the truth." "Can't you two at least wait till I finish my article before you start to criticise it?" "It's not about your article, Gavin." "It would seem Lionel Smithwick has been double-billing the bereaved." "Lionel?" "Louisa spoke to Ray Mumphrey." "And he said there are others that he's been ripping off as well." "Lionel's one of the most trusted members of our community." "Yeah, not to mention Sean's father." "And a scam artist." "It's probably just another attack on a local businessman." "Well, I wish you were right, but I think we've only just scratched the surface." "Lionel?" "One, two, three, up." "Watch the wall." "Sorry." "No, no, I'm alright." "Oh, Mum would kill me if I broke you." "You girls don't do things by halves, do you?" "At least you'll never got bored." "You cool with your mum and me getting married?" "Did Mum say I wasn't?" "Holly, it's me you're talking to." "Nick, you look after us." "I trust you." "You're like a dad to me." "Yeah, but I'm not trying to be your dad." "No, no, you're not my dad." "You're..." "You're my Nick." "I'd love for you and mum to get married." "Oh, got a surprise for you." "Second round offers are in." "I'm kinda avoiding them." "Yeah, well, I haven't." "Go on." "I got into environmental science." "(LAUGHS) Congratulations." "Wait till your mother hears." "Yeah, wait." "Lionel?" "Are you alright?" "Oh!" "Louisa." "Oh!" "Lionel, get me outta here!" "Oh!" "Wah!" "God!" "Um, maybe you should sit down." "Maybe you should tell me what you were doing." "Um, well, I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." "Oh, Lionel, please." "Come on, you're stealing from dead people." "No!" "No, it's just I'm attending to a bit of routine maintenance, that's all." "Lionel, these people are dead and buried." "Doesn't get more low maintenance." "What about the handles?" "Yeah, wh..." "Yeah, look at them." "That's antique gold plate and walnut." "It's not the cheap polypropylene and resin crap that's just flooding the market." "That's got weight." "Lionel, please." "It's none of my business but are you gambling?" "No." "No, no, no, no." "Lionel, please." "No, no, no, I've just got a little bit of a cash flow problem, that's all." "Does Sean know what's going on?" "No, Sean doesn't know." "No, just..." "Oh, I feel like I'm drowning." "Um..." "I don't know what to do." "Er..." "What should I do?" "Why don't we start by putting the handles back, yeah?" "Yeah, alright." "Um..." "What happened to you?" "I fell in a hole." "Literally." "You were wrong about Lionel." "He was at the cemetery taking handles off coffins." "Who knows how far it's gone." "Poor Sean." "I knew he had a gambling problem but I didn't know it was that bad." "What are you gonna do?" "What are we gonna do?" "Did you ever meet Lionel's wife?" "Yeah." "Long time ago." "He looked after her when she was ill, didn't he?" "So did Sean." "It was a tough time for them." "When our boy died... ..Lionel looked after me and Marg." "When I fell apart, he picked up the pieces." "I remember he said to me his job was more about the living than the dead." "Sometimes what life throws at you doesn't make you stronger, it just...just drains the hope out of you." "Like this bloody desk." "It's good timing." "I got into environmental science at Melbourne Uni." "Hol!" "Oh, that's great!" "I'm not taking it." "I'm gonna have a gap year." "Oh, no..." "And before you say anything, let me talk." "I know you want the best for me." "So do I." "But right now there are all these choices." "I don't want a life that just happened to me and I don't wanna end up in a place I can't get out of or that I regret." "One year." "Hello?" "Er, in the kitchen." "Er, thanks for meeting me." "That's OK." "Look, I've been thinking about this, Louisa." "I couldn't bear it if Sean was to find out." "I'll do anything to keep it from him, anything." "So how many people do you owe for double-billing on the prepaids?" "Oh, um, including Minna, seven." "Lionel!" "You must've known you were gonna get caught." "Yeah, er, maybe." "No, I dunno." "Er...er..." "Look, I g..." "I just thought if I could... ..if I could just have one decent win, I could've paid everyone back." "Is there any way you can pay them back without gambling?" "Look, I could pay them back in instalments." "Weekly." "Oh, do you think they'd agree to that?" "I dunno." "It's a call you'll have to make." "But I'd do it as soon as possible if I were you." "Are you gonna publish?" "No, I'm not gonna publish." "The Echo won't run this story but... ..there's a Gamblers Anonymous in Indigo." "They meet three times a week." "I'm happy to take you there." "Sean will find out." "Be much better coming from you." "Good morning." "You all set to go, then?" "But you're not doing my driving test." "I'm booked in with Sergeant Whitford from Indigo." "He's not here." "Oh, well, then I'll wait." "Well, he's not coming today." "He's sick." "Oh, well, then I'll reschedule." "Fine." "OK." "Er, what time next month would suit?" "Oh, please put your seatbelt on." "Oh, no, there's no point till I'm out in the street." "Once a vehicle is in motion, it is a requirement for you to be wearing a seatbelt." "But how am I supposed to turn round and see what's coming if I'm all strapped in?" "I insist." "OK." "We'll start north and make our way down." "Yeah." "Yeah, I've got heaps of holidays owing." "It'll take a few months." "Live in the van." "Won't cost much." "We just need food and petrol." "Yeah, fish." "Sleep on the beach." "Find jobs along the way." "Fruit picking." "(LAUGHS) No ties, no commitments." "Might never come back." "Yeah." "My lips are bigger than that." "And my nose is all wrong." "Really?" "Mmm." "Now it is." "I gotta go meet Nan." "Er, what?" "Oh, well, that really wasn't so bad." "That was terrible." "Oh, um, is there a problem?" "Yes, there's a problem." "Um, where do I start?" "The truck turning into Mahoney's Road that you tooted?" "Oh, yes, well, of course I had to 'cause he was taking an age to turn." "Yeah, he was waiting for oncoming traffic." "Oh, that's the silly part about it." "The traffic was a mile up the street." "He had plenty of time to turn." "No, he didn't." "He was in a loaded concrete truck, not a Ferrari." "Oh, for goodness sake." "Er, secondly, er, it's kind of important to stick within the speed limit during the test." "Now, that has always been a 60-kilometre zone and I don't understand why they've changed it to 50." "Of course, revenue-raising is what it is." "Thirdly, you are incapable of parallel parking." "Oh, I mean, that's just being pedantic." "You failed." "I-I'm sorry, what do you mean I failed?" "I'm not passing you." "How'd you go?" "Oh, Holly." "Well, of course I passed." "Congratulations." "Guess you'll be driving home." "Um, er, no, I'm not feeling very well." "I was wondering if you would drive." "No, on second thoughts, I think I will." "Hello." "Any luck with the ring?" "Oh, God." "I'm gonna resort to wearing gloves soon." "I'm gonna run a story on the sale of the pub." "I thought you agreed to hold off." "If this place is gonna be turned into a pokies barn, the community has to know." "That is not going to happen." "Well, I need it from the horse's mouth." "And if I went on record, would that satisfy you?" "Marg, you're my friend, alright?" "But I am gonna write the story." "And if I went on record as the new owner of the Rose and Thistle?" "You?" "Oh, my God!" "So no pokies?" "No." "No pokies!" "Yeah, it's a topical piece." "Oh, come on, Louisa, can't you speed read?" "We shouldn't embrace change..." "Change for change's sake." "That's right." "Maybe lose the bloke that's been going to the same store for years." "No, we need that bit." "Well, it's safe, you know?" "He knows what he's getting." "Yeah, yeah." "Sure." "But it doesn't fit with the thrust of your piece." "It's about the need for businesses that are sensitive to the town." "Oh, you can protest to protect bloody gardens and lizards." "When it comes to local trade and the people who serve..." "Would you stop whinging?" "So much of this is usable." "Just a little bit of cutting and pasting, alright?" "You're not gonna block me on this?" "No." "We'll just polish it up." "You need a hook, you know?" "You need an example." "What about the hardware store?" "We're always up against it." "Gavin, you don't put yourself in the centre of the picture." "Spoil the story." "But it's still a good story." "You said so yourself." "Yes, it's a very good story once we put Marg in it." "It'll be terrific." "Marg?" "What's Marg got to do with it?" "You know the pub?" "Big conglomerate?" "24-hour pokies?" "Not anymore." "Marg just bought it from under them." "Marg?" "Yeah, Marg." "Oh!" "Oh, my God!" "A local hero with the town's best interest at heart." "That's a great by-line!" "Oh, my God!" "Congratulations." "You got your first cover story." "Marg?" "You dark horse, you." "I didn't wanna tell anybody." "I didn't wanna jinx it." "Congratulations, Marg." "Oh, sorry I'm late." "Hey." "Mwah." "I got held up with some late edition news." "Marg's got some news of her own." "Louisa already knows." "Playing favourites now, are we?" "You might say our paths crossed." "Yes." "Congratulations to our new publican." "And may your till be always full and may your cup frotheth over." "Can you please promise me you won't bring back the meat tray raffle?" "To the Rose and Thistle." "To your success." "And may I take this occasion to invite you and Nick to hold your wedding function here." "Perfect." "That's very generous of you, Marg." "Be my wedding gift to you both." "Just avoid shearing season when the bar will smell." "I'm going to have to do some painting." "I think a softer cream." "It'll enhance the timber and the brass." "Oh, hang on a sec." "I'll just take this." "I remember how this used to be." "There use to be these beautiful hand-made tiles on the walls." "Really?" "Had to get out of there while my life was still mine." "Might wanna get a ringside seat." "It's pig-on-a-stick versus a la carte." "Nick, I..." "Just say it." "I was married once before and, um, I wasn't very good at it." "Maybe it was just a bad fit." "I lost the ring!" "I found it." "Oh, my God!" "Where?" "Sink in the garage." "Oh!" "God!" "Oh!" "I..." "Here I was, I dunno," "I was thinking it was some kind of a..." "I dunno, a sign." "It is a sign." "It's a sign that we have to get it resized." "(LAUGHS) Stop... (GASPS) Oh!" "Don't move." "Don't move." "I think it went round the other side." "Hold on." "Oh, my God!" "It could be anywhere." "Nick?" "No, Loui." "It's not a sign." "So if we don't find it, will you still love me?" "Is it optional?" "No!" "Good." "See it?" "No!" "Hi, I'm Samuel." "I'm the priest from Our Lady's down the road." "I heard of your bereavement, your loss of a dear friend." "Thought I'd call, say g'day and see how you are." "Well, I'm fine, thank you." "Have a nice day." "Tamara?" "Davo's walked out on us." "Oh, no." "I can't pay the rent." "I've gotta find work but I can't do a job because I've got a baby and two kids to look after." "Does give the place a kind of homely, family-friendly sort of a feel." "Hello." "Who wears the pants in that relationship?" "Be a man." "Gavin, you got two options." "You can borrow my bike or you be a man and fix your own damned car." "I'll take him." "Do you see what's happening here?" "We have a circus in what was once an orderly office." "You alright there, Min?" "Of course I am." "Why shouldn't I be?" "Because you seem a little bit more snippy than usual tonight." "Don't you tell me what I need." "What do you know about my life or anybody else's?" "Are you OK?" "I'm fine." "Why does everybody keep asking me that?" "it's the only time in my life, maybe until I retire, that I'll have no responsibility." "I'm sick of being responsible." "Oh, Minna." "What are you doing here?" "I stopped grieving for him when I realised that I was just feeling sorry for myself." "And I think it's time that we all stopped feeling sorry for ourselves and started living."