How ordinary people can do remarkable things

I'm just back from Cardiff. A coach load of Hay people went down to the Senedd with the Timbuktu delegation. Well, the Malians went by car - you can't really expect the Malian Ambassador to Belgium and the Mayor of Timbuktu to go in a coach with the rest of us! There were a lot of familiar faces on the coach - Father Richard was there, and Mrs Jones and Mrs Pugh from the Tourist information office, and our Community Support Police officer, and a couple representing the Black Mountain Lions, Jenny from Hay Arts, Caroline from Community Support, the Deputy Mayor (Gareth couldn't get away) and Rob Golesworthy from the Council, and lots of others.
It was great fun! Unlike last week, we could see the scenery, and there was even sunshine. We got dropped off at Roald Dahl Place, outside the Millennium Theatre - which is a really impressive building, cased in copper.
I made sure I took photos of the big fountain - my boyfriend is a fan of Torchwood, the Doctor Who spin-off set in Cardiff, and their secret base is supposed to be right under the square.
We were treated to a tour of the Senedd building, which meant that we had the architecture explained to us this time. The great funnel in the middle, which is a really impressive feature, is supposed to represent a huge tree trunk, of the sort that people would gather under to have meetings. It also serves a practical purpose, as it provides natural ventilation and natural light to the Senedd chamber below it. Robert, the guide, told us that as much of the building as possible was built with Welsh materials - lots of slate, of course, and the framework is Welsh steel, with furniture made of Welsh oak. The curved timbers of the roof are Canadian cedar, and they should last for a hundred years - it's a wood that doesn't rot.
We just missed one of us being the half a millionth visitor - which happened yesterday. Not bad for a building that only opened on 1st March 2006. One of the impressive things about the building is that, despite the security at the door, there were loads of people coming and going - three school parties today alone, one of them from Flintshire - and the public gallery overlooking the senedd is often full. It's possible for the public to watch the committee meetings as well. They were also celebrating 100 years of the Caravan Club upstairs.
There were speeches - Rhodri Morgan spoke in English, Welsh and French, and one of the Malians - the Culture officer for Timbuktu - translated (not the Welsh bits). There were cameras everywhere - including the BBC. I'm told we're going to be on the news tonight. The Mayor of Timbuktu gave Rhodri Morgan a book, and introduction to Timbuktu, and the Malians got goody bags from the Senedd.
They went off for private meetings for a while (the important business of the day). Ann went off with them, which meant that Anna had to step in and give an interview on camera. She said she was really nervous, but she looked quite confident. Then there was a group photo on the stairs, followed by lunch at a nearby cafe, in their conference room upstairs. We were entertained by a British couple who are studying Malian music, which delighted the Malians. The girl sang while the chap played the kora. Meanwhile one of the Malians was considering how to find Father Richard a wife.
"I've got a dog," Father Richard said.
"No, a dog is not enough!"
There were more speeches, from the young chap who is acting as interpreter for the Malians - he's a Tuareg and he speaks 12 languages, but he never went to school. One of the things he said was that he asked, when he was a boy, why the Tuareg lived so far apart, and he was told that it gave them room to be themselves, and the people may be far apart, but the hearts are close. He said he hoped that would be the case between Hay and Timbuktu.
Ann said that she found it quite incredible to be there. "I'm just an ordinary bookseller, and last night I had dinner with the Ambassador, which is such an honour for me..." she said. That's what made me think - all the people in the room, the ones from Hay anyway, are quite ordinary people, but we are doing this remarkable thing of making contact with a completely different culture, with a different religion and language, and we are making friendships that will change both communities for the better.
The Malians went off to see the Big Pit after lunch - it's a World Heritage site, like Timbuktu, and a huge part of Welsh history, and then they're having dinner at the River Cafe. We had time to scoot round the gift shop in the Millennium Theatre before we caught the coach home. (There was a yurt in the middle of the concourse - I have no idea why).
When I got back to Hay, it took me about half an hour to walk home. I saw Marijana in the shop in Backfold, and Sue and Malachi at the Sandwich Cellar, and told them all about it. The delegation went round there yesterday, and Sue and Malachi had their picture taken with them. "They all managed to squeeze in here," Malachi said - and the Sandwich Cellar is not large.
Tomorrow they're going to the Health Centre - Sue is providing a vegetarian lunch for them - and the twinning ceremony in the evening, and on Friday they're going round the craft shops. Saturday is Hay-on-Fire, and on Sunday they get a bit of free time before heading to Birmingham for the first leg of their flight home. Meanwhile, the Ambassador is returning to Belgium on Friday.