Planet Hay - Well and Truly Launched!

I was in medieval costume this afternoon for the launch of Planet Hay, Huw Parsons' book about the town.
There was entertainment throughout the afternoon in the main room of the Globe. Islay showed herself to be a jazz fan - she lay right in front of the stage all through the first set by Li Harding and the guitarist and bass player, only looking round when people clapped.
Later, she decided to wander round the dance floor in the middle of the belly dancer's performance. I went to apologise afterwards, but they didn't mind a bit.
Then there was the poet Jan Price, in full Welsh costume, doing mainly comic verse (Max Boyce once pinched one of her poems, she said). She used to run pubs, and got a lot of material just from listening behind the bar. She had a book to sell, too, and left some on the table with Huw. Who seemed to be doing quite well.
At the end of the afternoon, Rob Soldat gave us a quick gallop through Hay history, from the Paleolithic ("nothing much happened") and Mesolithic ("fishing trips in the summer - they left all the usual things behind, like ice cream wrappers and old crisp packets - and flints, of course.") through the Middle Ages with tales of Maud Walbee and characters like Ralph the Timid and the Bishop of Hereford who fell in battle at Maesllwch, up to the Victorian period when, if you lived in Hay you were either temperance or blind drunk (30 pubs for a population of 1,500!) and the illegitimacy rate was running at 44%.
I chatted to Huw's sister's friend, who is involved in an art exhibition based on the Mabinogion over the period of Brecon Jazz this year, at Theatr Brycheniog - and has a rescue dog of her own at home who she was showing pictures of. A very cute dog.
Anita was just back from the Midlands, and Jackie is back from the States - and wasn't on crutches any more! Father Richard came in with Jimmy briefly.
I talked about re-enactment to lots of people, some of whom had been involved themselves in the past, and met a lady who'd made her own dress - a gorgeous 1950s style one in fabric patterned with Japanese figures. Pat Morgan had a go at belly dancing - they invited members of the audience up to have a go for the last dance.
The Globe was pretty full throughout, with lots of familiar faces coming and going, and I think a good time was had by all.