The family begins to notice that Lionel has become a tad hard of hearing. Feeling that they must do something about it, Jean, Judy and Sandy enlist Alistair's help in trying to find a way to tell Lionel, gently.
Jean gets a call from an old flame and goes out to dinner with him to catch up and reminisce. Meanwhile, Sandy dresses up as a St.Trinian's girl to go with Harry to a rugby dance.
When Alistair tells the family that he has finally sold the house next-door, Jean is anxious to learn who the new home owners are. But when the family meets their new neighbors, they soon find themselves wishing Penny and Stephen were living next-door.
When Jean, Lionel, Judy, Sandy, and Alistair stay at the house in the country for a weekend, they learn of a plan to install a bypass around the village. But when Jean tries to oppose the bypass, she finds herself in an embarrassing situation.
Penny and Stephen are expected for lunch, but when they arrive there appears to be something unusual going on between the couple. When Sandy announces she will be away from work for a week, Jean volunteers herself to stand in temporarily, much to Judy's dismay.
Jean volunteers to hold a party for the elderly residents of a local retirement home. With the help of the whole family, she attempts to entertain the guests to the best of her ability, but some of the old folks are more enthusiastic than others.
Once again, the house next-door is up for sale and Jean is as curious as ever to discover who their new neighbors will be. Little does she know that a surprise question from Alistair may bring them neighbors they never imagined they'd have.
