Cycle Race

 Yellow signs have been going up around town to close roads - and the car park - for a big cycle race on Saturday (where tourists are meant to park while the car park is closed is another matter!).

I checked the one on the road to the church, and it won't affect the procession in the morning carrying the statue of the Virgin Mary down to the river to be launched on this year's pilgrimage.  That road closes at 1.30pm.

The race itself is pretty prestigious.  It's the Tour of Britain Women race, attracting top cyclists from around the world.  They start at Cockermouth in Cumbria, with a stage that goes through the Lake District.  Then it's Clitheroe to Blackpool in Lancashire, finishing along Blackpool Promenade.

Stage 3 moves down to North Wales, from Mold to the Great Orme.

We're involved in Stage 4, Llanidloes to Hay - which explains why they need the car park, for the finish.

The final stage moves to the Midlands, doing a circle around Leamington Spa.

So watch out for cyclists on Saturday - they'll probably be going very fast! 

Afternoon Concert

 There was a time when I would deliberately avoid concerts with a classically trained singer with piano accompaniment - but I really enjoyed this one, possibly because I know the singer and the pianist.

Lucy Green and Rosemary Firmin gave a wonderful concert at St. Mary's, which was free, with a retiring collection in aid of church funds.  Lucy sang in French, German and Italian, from a wide variety of composers, and Rosemary also played a couple of pieces for piano, one of which was by Clara Schumann.  There was also an excellent choice of cakes and drinks at the back (they really do work hard to make the concerts a success).  I enjoyed the lemon drizzle cake.

There will be another concert on Saturday 22nd August which tells the story of Robert and Clara Schumann.  Rosemary will be on the piano again, and she will be joined by Birgitta Claus, narrating, and Steve Goodridge, narrating and singing tenor.

The tag line on the poster is "Passion, determination, tragedy and beautiful music!"  It sounds fascinating!

The concert will start at 3.30pm. 

Medieval Festival

 I went into Hereford today, and there were flags all over the city centre for the Medieval Festival.

The Festival itself is next weekend, the 15th and 16th August, and they seem to be throwing themselves into the spirit of the thing. 

They're starting with a medieval feast in the Cathedral on the Friday evening. 

Most of the activity seems to be taking place around the Cathedral, with archery, the Museum on the Move, hog roast, all sorts of stalls, a blacksmith display, re-enactor's village and arenas for combat demonstrations.

Then in High Town there's story telling, stocks and trying on armour.  Members of the public can try out weapons training, archery, and medieval dancing, and the re-enactment group involved seems to be the Shrewsbury Levy. 

Around town there will also be guided history walks, ghost walks, and children's horrid history walks. 

It all sounds like brilliant fun, and now I'm torn, because Saturday 15th August is also the day of the beginning of the River Pilgrimage, taking the statue of the Virgin Mary down the Wye from St Mary's Church.  I hope there'll be enough water in the river for them to launch the boat! 

Photoshoot

 At the beginning of the year, I was contacted by a lady who was putting together an exhibition of photos of women involved in pagan practices around the country.  I have been known to do the occasional ritual, and I did go to the Pagan Picnic in Hereford the other year, so I just about qualify!

So last week, she contacted me again, and said that she now had funding for the project, so yesterday she came round to take some photos.  I took her to Swan Well, which is extremely photogenic, especially now that people have started leaving flowers there.  Then I took her down to the Warren and talked about the Friends of the River Wye and how all the pagan activities I've done seem to involve water in some way.  This includes himalayan balsam bashing!  Some pagan activities can be very practical - it's the intention that counts.  I've also successfully dowsed for water - which is a useful talent at the moment!

Then I took her home and showed her my collection of Tarot card decks.

It was all great fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing copies of the photos she's taken.

Her exhibition will be on at the Portico Library in Manchester later this year. 

Trip to Brecon

 I needed to look at an article in Brycheiniog journal, and for that I needed to go to the library in Brecon.

When the library was in the older building at the top of Ship Street, I used to use the local history reference section a lot.  Back then it was in a corner of the main library.  

Now it's in a little room upstairs, and half of the cabinets are locked because they've had some problems with theft.  The staff are all very helpful, though, and I was soon sitting down with the relevant volume and taking notes.

Before I left, I made sure that my library card was re-activated, because I haven't used it for a while, because I'm sure I'll be going back to look at other things in the collection.

There's also a Meg Stevens exhibition on, which I didn't have time to see.  I love her paintings of wild flowers and landscapes. 

Having done my research, I just had time to have a quick look round the town centre, dodging the roadworks - they're pedestrianising the centre of town, apart from one narrow lane for traffic - and I ended up in the Brecon Tap with a half of Good Old Boys, which was very pleasant.  I didn't see what brewery it came from, as the price label obscured the pump.  They were pretty busy, and I was pleased to see that they are still doing pies and pints.

I had a brief moment of anxiety at the bus station.  The bus to Hay used to go from the first stand, which is marked T4.  The bus came in at about the time I was expecting - but it was the Brecon to Merthyr Tydfil T4.  The X44 now goes from the second stand - and it came in about five minutes later. 

Fabulous Thirties

 What a fun concert last night!

Martin Litton played some dazzling piano pieces by people like Fats Waller, and Janice Day sang some of the popular songs of the era - Night and Day, Mad about the Boy, songs from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies, and more.

In the first half, she also invited members of the audience to volunteer to come up and sing with her - I suspect they had rehearsed this, as the Wicked Squire didn't seem to need to look at his script very much.  It was a love triangle between Janice, the Fair Maiden, the Wicked Squire and the Honest Blacksmith (who eventually won her hand).

In the second half, we got Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters!  I didn't catch his name, but the chap was a Bing Crosby impersonator, and he's now ninety two years old!  He's also got a fine voice, doing Don't Fence Me In with the "Andrews Sisters" as backing group.  He also helped to lead the singalong of You're My Everything, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, Underneath the Arches and You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby.

In September they are doing a concert as part of Hay Music's weekend entitled The Healing Power of Music, with Martin playing music from some of the Doctors of Jazz.

And next Saturday, from 3pm, there will be a concert by Lucy Green and Rosemary Firman (on piano) called Songs of Love and Longing from Paris, Vienna, Milan and Leipzig.  This will be a much more classical affair than the Fabulous Thirties, and it will be free, with a retiring collection in aid of church funds.  There will also be drinks and cakes! 

White Rabbit

 

The Alice in Wonderland themed decoration is coming along at the new bookshop where Bullring Antiques used to be.