Back to the Big City

 I was glad to see the new timetable stuck up on the board by the bus stop when I went up this morning, and two more on the bus shelter - with a note that more are available at the Tourist Information Office.

I needed to go into Hereford to pick up a passport renewal form - the young lady at the Post Office was very helpful, and gave me two, in case I made a mistake.

After that, I had a couple of hours to kill before the bus went back to Hay, so I hit the charity shops.  And there I hit the jackpot!

In the Cat's Protection shop there was a box full of LPs and right at the front was something I'd been looking for for years!  To give a bit of context, when I was very small I was taken to a show.  I think it must have been one of the summer shows in Blackpool, and one of the stars was John Hanson, singing songs from the musicals.  I burst into tears, and when mum asked me what was wrong, I said: "That master's singing too loud!"

Later, I discovered that John Hanson was most famous for his role as the Red Shadow in the Desert Song (a sort of early superhero).  I tried to get hold of a cast recording of the songs, but the only one that's easily available stars Gordon MacRae - so I had the songs, but not that Very Loud Voice I was looking for.

And now, for the grand total of £2, I have John Hanson sings 20 Showtime Greats, which includes The Desert Song and The Riff Song (which is hilarious!  "If you're the Red Shadow's foe, the Riffs  will strike with a blow and bring you woe!").

I shall be listening to that later.

Something else I've been listening to in the last few days is the podcast History Hits with Dan Snow, specifically the episode where Kate Mosse talks about her new book Warrior Queens and Quiet Revolutionaries.  It sounded fascinating, and when I walked into Waterstones, there it was, marked at half price!  So I was very pleased with that, too.

So, all in all, a successful day out!