All Creatures Great and Small

Up to here. What do you think?

There's plenty of room.

I'm sure it's fine, James.

(LIVELY MUSIC PLAYING ON GRAMOPHONE)

Aren't you going to help him?

You don't want us all doing that, Mum. Someone might see! (LAUGHS)

Oh, I think we ought to show a bit of interest, don't you?

-Then we'll have to play tennis all summer. -Not quite.

I don't think it'll get that far.

Yes.

See? No problem with the space.

I'll soon have it sorted out with a bit of help from the cricket club.

I thought we were having a tennis court.

If we get the roller up here. Use the white liner for the court...

What a marvellous way to spend summer afternoons, eh?

-Seems straightforward. -Yeah, there's nothing to it.

Balls. That'll be the problem.

Still, have to put some netting up, stop them flying off at the end.

-Never find them in there, would we? -The vegetable plot?

Yes, well, that needs sorting out, too.

Something else for me to have to get down to.

-(PHONE RINGING) -Oh! Knew it was too good to last.

Does, uh, Susie Thornton play tennis?

What's that supposed to mean?

I don't suppose your summer afternoons will be up to much,

just playing with me, Mum and Dad.

Look, I don't think Susie's any of your business.

I just wondered how her ewe was.

(SOFT ROMANTIC MUSIC PLAYING ON GRAMOPHONE)

No, Mr Lawrence, of course not.

Look, don't worry, I'll come out straight away. Mmm-hmm. Bye.

-I've got to pop out to Barden farm. -Right.

That was Angie's dad. Pony's not too good.

What's the matter with him?

Examination first, diagnosis afterwards.

-Can I come? -Um, well, yes, if you like.

-See you later, darling. -Bye.

Bye.

He's seemed a bit stiff the last few days.

You been riding him, Angela?

I've been away. I knew he wouldn't like me being away.

Hmm.

It's the other way around. It were a holiday for the pony.

Do you know what it is?

Not absolutely certain.

Still, he does look stiff, doesn't he?

It's nothing serious, is it, Mr Herriot?

No. We'll get through it.

Won't we, Sinbad, eh?

-Rosie, get the penicillin from the car, would you? -Yes, Dad.

-Thanks. -I'll come with you.

-Is he eating? -Well, he's chewing but he's having difficulty swallowing.

Accidents? Any cuts, broken skin?

Not really.

Well, there was a bit of a graze a fortnight back, left foreleg.

Well, you can't see the scars.

Nevertheless...

You think it's tetanus, James?

I'm pretty sure it is.

But it is in the first stages. Let's see what a course of penicillin can do.

-She thinks the world of this horse. -Yes, I know.

Well, don't tell her. No need to worry her unduly.

Thanks. Angela, hold that, would you?

More exercise will do us all good. It'll be fun, too.

Especially for someone watching me play,

tennis not exactly being my strongest point.

I know, Dad.

Is Sinbad going to be all right?

-I hope so. -Is it tetanus?

That can be very bad, can't it?

-Especially in horses. -Yes.

I think the penicillin will deal with that.

You didn't say anything to Angela, did you?

No, I thought it would frighten her.

You should be asleep, young lady.

But it's Sunday tomorrow.

All right, just another five minutes, then lights out.

-Night, night. -Night.

-Tea. -Thank you.

Rosie's quite serious, you know, James.

-What? -She's been talking about being a vet for months now.

She's been talking about being a vet since she was four.

Yes, but I think this is a bit different.

She's 12! It's a bit soon to be thinking about a career.

That how you felt when Jimmy decided he wanted to be a vet?

-(JAMES LAUGHS) -James.

Just give her a bit of encouragement. It means a lot to her.

Well, she says she wants to come out on my rounds during the holidays.

If that doesn't put her off...

Look, I thought that I might send off for one of these cold-frame kits.

-Make a start on the vegetable plot. -Hmm.

Well, it's certainly a lot better than what's there now.

Well, they do seem very reasonable.

Think of all those early vegetables.

-We could save ourselves a few quid, too. -Yes.

There is a bit more to it, you know, than just plonking them down, James.

There's a lot of hard work involved.

I don't think you can ever accuse me of being afraid of hard work, Helen. (SCOFFS)

We'll have her back to you this afternoon, Mrs Pettinger.

You do think it's best, Mr Farnon?

Oh, I do, indeed. Absolutely the thing.

I never did have Jemima, you know, done, but I couldn't cope now, though.

She's a spitting image of Jemima, this one, isn't she?

Yes, she is, isn't she?

When Jemima died, I thought I wouldn't have another one, but when I saw her...

-What's her name? -Prudence.

Well, you leave her here with us, Mrs Pettinger.

-She couldn't be in better hands. -Oh, I know that, Mr Farnon.

-Come on now, Patience. -Er, Prudence.

I beg your pardon. Prudence.

-Shall we say, this afternoon at 5:00? -That'll be fine.

-Goodbye. -Goodbye then. Goodbye.

Hello, Mr Venables. Shan't keep you a moment.

Come on now, Prudence or Patience, or whatever you're called. In you pop. Oops!

There you go.

That's a good cat.

Right then, Mr Venables. Bring him in.

Best breed of dog in the world, this.

Just a bit tricky to lift, aren't they, with that deep breast bone.

Up you come, laddie.

Now, we'll have a feel how that lump's going and then we'll give him his jab.

I'm very grateful, Tris. It's just the job. But the...

Yes. Let me get that address down.

Right, got that. Good.

Thanks a lot, Tris. Mmm. See you later. Bye.

Thank you. That'll be lovely.

That was Tris. Someone in Brawton's selling off some netting.

-For the tennis court! Mmm. -Oh, good! How much?

Well, I don't suppose it'll be very expensive.

Apparently, it's old fishing net.

-(SCOFFS) Not much use in Brawton. -Exactly.

Can I come out on the rounds today, Dad?

Yes. Good idea. I'll be glad of the company.

Got to be off in five minutes though.

-I won't be that long. -Good.

-Oh, thanks, darling. -Oh, thank you.

Mmm. Better get the car out.

Rosie, I'm running late already.

Thought Dad didn't want Rosie to be a vet.

What do you know about it?

Stands to reason, doesn't it? Daft idea, girls being vets.

Morning, madam. Beautiful morning, too.

But then this a beautiful part of the world at any time.

-Yes. Can I help you? -Er, can I help you? That's the question.

And the answer is, very definitely, "Yes!"

You might wonder why I've got a rolled-up rug under me arm.

I haven't. What I'm holding, madam, is a work of art.

A work of art.

-If you're selling something... -I'm not selling, Mrs, er...

Heh, not selling. More like giving it away.

The quality of this magnificent rug is remarkable. One look will convince you.

And this is the last one I've got.

Darrowby 385? Morning, sir. Beautiful morning.

I was just remarking to your good lady wife.

Yes, he is. Just a moment. Mr Farnon...

Uh, thank you, Mrs Alton.

Oh, er, Bowling's the name.

Hello?

-Now, madam, if I can just... -Out!

Er, once you see this Kasbah...

I've not asked you over the doorstep and I have no intention of doing so. Out!

Thank you for your time, madam.

Well done, the missus.

Well, they'll run a temperature for 24 hours,

then it'll drop back to normal.

See?

Blood in the diarrhoea.

Necrotic enteritis mostly affects pigs between two and six months.

What causes it?

Well, there's some argument about that.

Still, I reckon the differences between Salmonella, Vibrio and E. coli

can wait for another time, don't you?

The root of the problem lies in bad management.

And if I've told Harry Arnold that once in the last 10 years I've told him 100 times!

-There is a treatment, though? -Yes.

Sulfadimidine. If we catch it in time.

Another dead one, Harry.

Mrs Alton? Oh.

I'm sorry, Mr Farnon. There's no sign.

Have you looked in the cellar?

Aye. I did think she might have got shut in the larder, but...

One simply does not lose a cat.

Prudence! Prudence!

Well...

-Any luck? -Definitely sans Prudence, Siegfried.

It's too preposterous.

I've searched the house high and low. Where the devil is she?

Well, in the face of the evidence I can only draw one conclusion, my dear Watson.

-And? -Well, if Prudence Kitten isn't in the house

or the garden,

she must be somewhere else.

That really is all I need.

She must've got out when that darn salesman was at the door.

We're not gonna find her by sitting out here.

Ah, Mrs Alton. We're going to have to extend our search.

Ah, he's going to be a grumbling at this, Mr Herriot.

Right, Rosie.

Ring?

Thanks. That was the hard part.

-Whoa there, lad. -Shh, shh, shh!