Dark River

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1

And away.

- Getting a full one?

- Yeah. We've got to get a full one.

I hate 'em without handles.

I know.

- Do you want me to...

- No, it's all right, I got it. Okay.

- Your wages.

- Yeah, thanks.

Was it something we said?

Er, we um...

My dad died.

Oh, Alice.

When you're ready to come back...

Probably not coming back.

He... promised farm to me.

- That's good news, isn't it?

- Yeah, yeah, be good, yeah.

Be good to settle.

You know, see my brother and...

Well, there'll always be

a place for you here.

# My father left me an acre of land

# Sing ivy, sing ivy

# My father left me an acre of land

# Sing holly

# Go whistle and ivy

# I ploughed it with a ram's horn

# Sing ivy, sing ivy

# And sowed it all over with one peppercorn

# Sing holly

# Go whistle and ivy

# Sing holly

# Go whistle and ivy

# Sing holly

# Go whistle and ivy

# Sing ivy

# I sent it home in a walnut shell

# Sing ivy, sing ivy

# And thrashed it with a goose's quill

# Sing holly

# Go whistle and ivy

# Sing holly

# Go whistle and ivy

# Sing holly

# Go whistle and ivy

# Sing holly

# Go whistle and ivy

# Sing ivy #

Hey. Shh.

Who are you, eh?

Oh. You're one of Fly's, are you?

Hey.

Joe?

Joe?

Joe?

Oh, stop!

Come on!

It's not gonna be that cold. Come on!

Oh, my God, look at that. That's awesome.

I am not getting in that.

Who's going in first?

You are.

Come on, guys!

To be fair, I wouldn't mind going in.

Come on!

Shh.

Hey, hey, hey! Shh.

Oh...

Hep.

Oh, God.

Oh, lassie.

Let me see.

Hey.

I'll get gun, eh? Let's get you sorted.

Shh, Billie, Billie.

- Shh. Shh. Shh.

- She bred out of Fly, is she?

Eh? Er...

Erm...no, no, she's...

I paid good money for her - 500, like.

I've wasted her. She's... She's more of

an alarm system than a working dog.

Needs an owner that can do better for you,

don't you?

Where were you?

- I were contracted...

- Don't.

You don't need to chat sh*t.

I'm here now.

And what good is that?

Really? I mean, it's too late now, innit?

He's gone.

- I've been driving all night.

- Where's key for gun cabinet?

- I've got to get my head down.

- There's a yow needs culling.

- I'm not giving you my gun.

- Well, better get up there, hadn't you?

I haven't seen you for 15 years.

You've...

I'll...

I'll wait with her.

Can you call knacker man?

It's all right.

Be over soon.

All right.

Stay there.

You all right, love?

Yeah. She's broke her leg. She's done for.

Alice?

It's David. Spider.

Yeah, it's her left one.

Aye.

Aye.

20, is it?

You didn't know I were knacker man, did you?

- I got out of farming a while back now.

- You said 20, did you?

Aye.

- Your Joe still hanging on, is he?

- Yeah.

He's proper f***ed now, in't he?

No, he's all right, actually.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

You know where to find me.

Where you stopping?

Prefab.

Don't be daft. Stop in house.

Oh!

Go on, hold my hand.

Go on, then. Take one step. One step.

No, no, you gotta hold my hand properly.

Erm...I've made you summat to eat.

Erm...I'm not hungry. It's fine.

Go on, then.

I expect you've been all over, then.

Yeah, well, er... there's a circuit,

you know.

- New Zealand, Norway.

- Yeah?

Anywhere there's sheep.

- Want one? No?

- No.

Well...

you've seen the world.

Well, you must have been some places.

Dover.

To pick up spuds.

I used to get over to Ireland.

On wagons, like.

Yeah, it were great.

Ferry and that.

Most of the time, just been grafting here,

you know what it's like.

And looking after Dad.

I've applied for tenancy.

Eh?

Interview's tomorrow.

I'll do hard graft. You can...

You can give up lorries.

Dad promised it to me.

Sorry? Am I f***ing losing it?

You know he were asking for you, don't you?

Oh, yeah. He kept on asking,

"When's she coming?"

And I had to...

Well, I had to lie to him, didn't I?

I had to make sh*t up on your behalf.

Um...will you get out, please?

- Get out.

- Joe...

Please, can you just get out?

- You're early.

- Rowan Spender.

Lead the way.

What you doing?

This is land agent.

Water Corporation sent him.

Rowan Spender.

F*** off. I don't care who you are.

You can f*** off out my house.

Now.

Sorry.

Oh, um... We can go in there.

You know, technically,

the farm should go to me.

You know that, don't you?

We don't seem to have received

your application.

F*** off with your applications!

I swear to f***ing God, I've grafted

on this land since I could walk.

We do expect our tenant

to maintain our properties better.

- Bib-bib-bib-bib-bib!

- Joe.

Is that right?

And what would you know about it, eh?

Joe!

I mean, where do they find

little boys like you?

Dressed in little uniforms,

pottering about like a little p*ssy.

You come here, treat me like I'm some

rare breed out of a f***ing textbook!

It's all f***ing assets

and lifestyle to you lot, ain't it?

- Sorry about that.

- No. No, no, no.

You're all selfish f***ing twats!

- So...

- I'm sorry.

Okay.

The land's in poor condition.

Barn roof and the mortar need replacing

or you could be found

in breach of your contract.

And the rats are a problem.

Look... my dad and my brother have

done their best but they've let it go.

I wanna sort it...

get it back to how it were

when my mum and Nanna ran it.

And what is the situation with your brother?

Erm... well, we can work it together.

- He's not done a very good job of...

- No, I know, I know, but I'll sort it.

Look, he's just...

he's not himself with my dad... dying.

If you make a start fixing the holding up.

Maintaining boundaries, deal with vermin...

I'd say you're in with a very good chance.

Thank you.

Away. Away.

Lie down. Lie down.

Lie down. Lie down, Billie.

Hey, Joe.

She's dead intelligent.

Reckon I could train her up.

No, it's too late now.

Joe.

Yeah?

I should have come back.

But I just...

I couldn't face him.

Did he suffer?

Yeah, he did.

Away.

Away. Away.

Away.

Away. Lie down.

Lie down.

Come by.

Come by. Come by.

Come by.

What are you doing?

- I'm doing rats.

- No, no, no, no.

- No, no, no, don't do that.

- Why?

No, no, there's owls in here.

Up there, there's fledglings.

- There.

- Oh, wow.

Oh, there...

- Shh.

- Been a while.

Wait.

We should cut that field.

I don't cut for silage.

I leave it for hay.

They're all skin and bone.

Come here.

I wanna show you summat.

It's shepherd's needle.

You don't see it very often.

Not round here, anyway.

When it comes through its seed pods,

they look like a needle.

When you cut it for silage,

all you end up doing is...

...killing everything that's under it.

In one acre of hay meadow...

...you've got 400 million insects.

600 million mites.

Two million spiders.

Burnet moths.

Butterflies, bees.

Voles, shrews.

Yeah, yeah...

But, Joe...

silage is better for 'em.

Maybe we just... cut it just this year?

No.

Only take contractor couple of hours.

We can't afford a contractor.

- Look, what if I sell a few lambs?

- No, no. You're not selling my lambs.

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