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.

Marble Run at the Castle

 A friend told me there was a new exhibit at the Castle, so I went up to see.  

It's a large model of the Castle on the outside, and when you go round to the other side there are three separate marble runs inside, made with wooden and wire runs, going round big wheels and up steps - it's fascinating to watch!

Meanwhile in the entrance hall, the quilters are still meeting - every Saturday morning through August, they told me.  They said they normally have three or four small quilts on the go at a time.

And on Thursday 30th July, at 7pm, Barbara Erskine will be talking about her new novel The Valley of Ravens in the Great Hall, to Professor Anne Rowe.  Tickets are £16, and are available from www.haycastletrust.org.

It's another time slip novel - in the present Eve is restoring an abandoned cottage, and in 1260 Alys is tending to the wounds of Prince Llewelyn.... 

X44 Bus Route Changes

 I needed to go into Hereford on Thursday, and decided to catch the 13.35 bus and spend the afternoon there - something I haven't done for a long time, after a bad experience with Stagecoach involving a broken down bus and a last bus that didn't run (that cost me £50 in taxi fare, and Stagecoach swore blind that they'd run the bus, so wouldn't give me any compensation).

Sergeants seem to be doing well in running the buses when they say they will, even if some of them are at odd intervals through the day.  However, the routes have changed, because of major roadworks at Peterchurch, which blocks the entire Golden Valley.

So when the bus came, it turned round at the top of the carpark and stopped at the Brecon bus stop.  We all went over, including the chap who had been busking in the morning, with his guitar and all his gear on a little trolley, were assured that the bus was going to Hereford, and went across the bridge and along the road on the other side of the river.

On the way back, at 17.22, I expected the same thing, but the bus went on the usual Golden Valley route until the edge of Peterchurch.  Then it turned up the side lane to Fairfield School, and along the lane parallel to the main road.  It was so narrow that the hedge was scraping the sides of the bus from both sides.  It rejoined the main road at the Nag's Head, and went on normally from there. 

Questionnaire on the Future of Hay

 There was a stall on the market yesterday where they were handing out QR codes for a questionnaire about the facilities in Hay, and what local people want to see in the future.  I don't do QR codes, so fortunately they also had paper copies to fill in.  It's being done by the Town Council, so they can update the Town Plan.

The questions are wide-ranging, and they invite people to add pages if they have additional comments.

They ask how people find out about local news and events, how to improve the town centre, what to do about tourists, affordable housing for local people, traffic, public transport, environmental concerns including the health of the river, historic buildings, plans for a new community centre, the public toilets, provision of facilities and groups for young people and older people, and employment opportunities locally.

The forms are anonymous, but if you do give your name, it will be entered in a prize draw for a £20 voucher to be spent with a Hay business.

The paper forms can be given in at the Council office at the Pavilion on Brecon Road - or one of the Zero Waste ladies at the stall said she could take them, so I'm going up to hand mine in shortly.  The survey will be running until 30th September, so I'm assuming that they will be on the Thursday market again until then. 

Swan Well

 

Someone has been decorating Swan Well with flowers!

The Fabulous Thirties

 Vintage by the Wye are having a concert on Thursday 30th July, at 7pm at St Mary's Church.

The title is the Fabulous Thirties, the performers are Janice Day and Martin Litton, and they are always good fun.  Songs will include 42nd Street, Mad about the Boy, Night and Day, and more.

Tickets are £20, but only £17 for early birds, from vintagebythewye.com