Mother & Son

It was supposed to be just a nice drive to buy Maggie an icecream but that's how Robert lost his mother, Liz found out about Carmen, Arthur got the laundry sorted and Maggie came home on the back of a motor bike.

It was a nice thought of Aunty Lorna's to take Maggie on a trip to Britain. Arthur certainly thinks so. He can hardly wait. But when sibling rivalry flares, it looks like Maggie will be staying home after all.

Maggie and Lorna are still feuding and Liz has locked Robert out, which explains the caravan in the driveway. Arthur is doing his best to negotiate peace all round but the family conference he calls escalates hostilities to open warfare with him as the common enemy.

Maggie has no trouble deciding which is her favourite son for the magazine contest but she shouldn't expect Arthur to write a hundred glowing words about Robert. That's why Arthur moved into the caravan, got kidnapped and had to be rescued by Japanese tourists.

Arthur and Robert have both tried to talk her out of it but Maggie is determined to do her civic duty and report for jury service on the same day that she's promised to make 18 dozen lamingtons for charity. It's not Maggie's fault the court is disrupted and it isn't Maggie who stays up all night to do the baking either.

Arthur didn't want Maggie to know he was having some tests done, it was bloody Robert who told her he was dying. Fortunately, Maggie has a good personal relationship with God and was able to arrange a miracle cure. But at a price.

Arthur should have known better of course. Fancy putting his trust in Robert, particularly in something as important as this. Still, it just might have worked out if Maggie hadn't lost her wedding ring. She'd have been at Robert's when Deirdre arrived.