Closure of Parish Hall

 There are several posts on Facebook pages related to Hay about the sudden closure of the Parish Hall.  Apparently the groups that use the hall regularly were given three days notice, and the Black Mountains Ministry Area made the decision while Father David was on leave.  It's the sort of thing that you would think the local vicar would be involved in, but they seem to have just gone ahead without him.

It's serious enough that Gareth Ratcliffe has got involved as our local County Councillor.  He's sent an official letter to the Black Mountains Ministry group to find out why the Parish Hall was closed so suddenly - there seems to be some maintenance issue at the back of the building, but not affecting the main hall.

Jo Lord was running Spinning sessions there (with indoor bikes, nothing to do with weaving!) and Strength and Stretch sessions.  She had to move all her bikes out straight away.  Fortunately, she's managed to relocate the Strength and Stretch sessions to Clyro Village Hall, and now Drover Cycles has offered space for Jo to finish the term's classes for the Spinning.

So three cheers for Clyro Village Hall and Drover Cycles, and boos for the Black Mountains Ministry Area, who could surely have arranged things better. 

Christmas Lights in June

 The Buttermarket is being dressed with Christmas lights today, in preparation for filming of a Christmas romance film!  Some of the shops around the Buttermarket are putting Christmas displays in their windows, too.  Roads in the middle of town will be closed for a few days while filming goes on.

How Queer Bookshops Changed the World

 I suspect I'll be far too tired to hobble up to North Books on Saturday evening after my last afternoon at the Cusop Dig, which is a pity, because the talk they're having there at 6.30pm sounds really good.

AJ West will be in conversation with Dale Headington about his new book How Queer Bookshops Changed the World.  It's the story of how queer bookshops like Gays the Word in London, or Shakespeare and Company in Paris or the Oscar Wilde bookshop in New York became the focus for communities of like minded people.

There will be drinks and nibbles! 

Just the thing for Pride Month! 

Hay Music Sacconi String Quartet

 Hay Music was busy over the Festival, but they aren't slowing down now.  On Friday 12th June, at 7pm, the Sacconi String Quartet will be playing at St Mary's Church.  Doors open at 6.30pm, and there will be a bar.  Tickets are £20, or £10 for under 25s, with a few free tickets for under 25s on a first come, first served basis.

They'll be playing Mozart's quartet no. 19, which was called Dissonance when it was first performed (but only by the standards of the time - Mozart was just being a bit experimental), Smetana's "From my life" and Freya Waley-Cohen's Dances, Hymns and Songs for Friendship.

And in July there will be a series of piano concerts.  All details on the Hay Music website. 

More Archaeology

 My mind is full of archaeology at the moment - I'm having such fun on the Cusop Castle Dig.

There will be an open session on site on Wednesday 10th June, from 4.15pm to 5pm, where anyone can turn up to find out what the progress is so far from Tim Hoverd, who is in charge of the dig.  There is parking at the church (which would appreciate a small donation), and no dogs are allowed on site.

And for those who have caught the digging bug, there will be another local dig in August.

Dorstone has been the scene of quite amazing archaeology around Arthur's Stone for years now, but the digging has been done by professionals and students.  This year, from 1st to 9th August, to discover more about the medieval origins of Dorstone, in various sites around the village.  Like Cusop, this will be a community dig, with all welcome - youngest participants must be 12+ and accompanied by an adult.  Tickets for the sessions (free) can be booked through Eventbrite - you can't just turn up - under dorstone-dig-a-medieval-mystery.  There will be a pre-dig talk in Dorstone Village Hall on Wednesday 17th June at 6pm. 

Cusop Pride

Seen on my walk up the Dingle today.

 

First Day of Cusop Dig

 

I am having so much fun, and we're only just starting this trench by taking the turf off!  The sharp eyed young girl who was in the same trench found some pottery, an iron nail - and some shiny stones!  Two other trenches have been opened so far, elsewhere on the site, and they're a bit further advanced than this one.  Next step is trowelling back to clean the surface and get down to the layer beneath the topsoil.