Hay Festival Booklet

 This year's Hay Festival booklet was delivered to the shop today, so I've been looking through it this evening.

The first thing that jumped out at me was that Father Richard is doing two silent films this year - A Cottage on Dartmoor and Nosferatu, both of which are brilliant. 

Free music at the Bookshop Garden Marquee will be provided throughout the Festival by Cantorion Y Gelli (in Welsh), the Got 2 Sing Choir, the Harper Gardeners (on harps), the Feast of Fools folk group, Hay Community Choir, the Hay Shantymen, the Love to Sing Choir, and the Decis - an all women a capella group.

There will be visits to Snodhill Castle and local walks.

Billy Ocean is giving a concert, Tim Rice is talking about his life in musicals, Robert MacFarlane is talking about rivers, Michael Sheen is launching his new children's picture book in aid of Shelter, Diane Abbott is talking about her life in politics and Michael Heseltine will be reflecting on his lifetime in politics - and lots more including films, music, green issues, history....

Last year I enjoyed a Tibetan meal at the Festival, and this year they're back, and also doing an event about Tibetan food.

There will also be the usual mix of stalls on site.

In Hay itself, there's Fair on the Square, local makers and producers markets, flea markets, crafts, and records and CDs.

The Festival runs from 22 May to 1 June.

Between Heaven and Earth at Hereford Cathedral

 Starting on March 25th, there will be an exhibition of iconography at Hereford Cathedral, from Hay's own Christina Watson and Petro Birov.  Christina gave a brilliant talk not long ago at St Mary's Church, with lots of examples of the icons she has written (you write icons - you don't paint them).  She's had an exhibition at St Johns Chapel, too, which was very good.

The exhibition will be in the South Transept of the cathedral between 25th March and 24th April, and on selected dates Christina and Petro will be  working there, and will be available to answer questions.

Fairtrade Fair

 I'd forgotten it was Fairtrade Fortnight until I went up into town yesterday and saw the Fairtrade Fair in the Buttermarket.

Love Zimbabwe was there, and I treated myself to a new tablecloth.  I have several round ones from her  - this one is rectangular and printed with what I think are secretary birds.

Also there was the Tuareg silver jewellery from Timbuktu, the Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees, Tools for Self Reliance, and a couple of other stalls.  I also treated myself to some Zaytoun olive oil from the West Bank - while I still can.

Enchanted Hour Connections

 I thought that the talk in the Library yesterday was going to be a sort of travelogue - the title did imply a journey from New Mexico to the North Pole, by way of dancing hippopotamuses, after all.  In her introduction, Mary Anne said there was only one thing you did when you saw a hippo - run!

It turned out to be rather different.  The travelling was from subject to subject by way of interesting links between them - so we very quickly got from Cae Mawr outside the window (the Big Field) to the Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico, and from there to outer space with the messages that were sent off into deep space in the 1970s, including a recording of music from Earth (including instructions on how to make a record player to listen to it!).  One of the musical tracks brought us back to Dallas - there were extracts of music as well as slides - and another piece of music was the Hippopotomus Polka, written to celebrate the arrival of the first hippo in London Zoo in about 1850!

The polka led to Swedish candy, and the woman who invented the sweets lived in the same town as the man who went on a doomed balloon expedition to the North Pole.... There were also giant rabbits.

It was very entertaining, and funny, and I enjoyed it very much.

At the end of the talk, Mary Anne passed a sheet of paper around for people to sign if they were interested in a minibus tour of the tombs and castles I was talking about in my talk in January.  She had already found out the cost of hiring a minibus (£169 plus petrol) so there may be some fund raising involved.  If people pay for tickets, it becomes more complicated.  There are a lot of regulations that have to be abided by.  But if we just get in and go, it's a lot easier.

Someone suggested car sharing, but there are narrow lanes where parking to see the monuments would be a bit difficult.  We're planning on a trial run to work out how long the trip will take and look at practical things like parking and how far people will have to walk. 

Mary Anne has a variety of talks planned throughout the year, including an explanation of why sourdough is good for us from a local baker and a series of talks on local conservation.

Elvis will be in the Parish Hall

 Decisions, decisions!

Should it be classical piano at St Mary's, or Elvis Presley at the Parish Hall?

They're both on at the same time, from 7pm on Saturday evening.  

Tickets for Elvis are £10, in aid of the Summer Show, with a bar.  Email haysummershow@outlook.com or message Hay Summer Show from their page on Facebook for tickets.

Kirk Marsh is the Elvis tribute artist who will be performing.

Wearing a Cloak

 

I was on my way to work when I met Bob outside the Catholic church, and he took my picture.

There's no special occasion - I was just on my way to work, and it was warm enough to wear the cloak!

Tokyo Madness at the Globe

 Cult Cinema nights have been going on at the Parish Hall for some time, but now they're moving into the Globe with Tokyo Madness, a variety of short, child-friendly films from Japan, followed by a short feature film and a long feature film, with short intervals between them. 

I was warned that the films might be a bit heavy in the blood and gore department, but I'm sure there's an audience that will enjoy that.  There will also be excellent popcorn, and manga on sale.

Tokyo Madness is on Thursday 13th March from 6.30pm till late, and tickets start at £4 to prebook or £5 on the door.