Afternoon at the Cobbles

The Cobbles is what the area around the back of the Castle is now being called, where there are several shops and an open space where the stables used to be.
Saturday was one of those glorious late summer afternoons, perfect for sitting out and drinking white wine, and there were two events going on up there at the same time.
Hay Together were opening their office and meeting room (with glasses of wine) and the Thoughtful Gardener was also having a launch party (with wine) and 10% off. The other shops were also opening late, so there was a lovely relaxed party atmosphere.
Hay Together have a small office next door to Eighteen Rabbit - and they're still looking for donations of office supplies and furniture - and they have also been given the entrance area next to the Castle kitchen, straight in through the door under the porch, as a meeting room. There they had displays on the walls of the new plans for the school, and plans to put trees in the car park (without losing any parking spaces), and posters for various groups who have shown an interest in using the room.
They also have the shed outside, which has the map of Hay across one wall (salvaged from the Ordnance Survey map stand at this year's Hay Festival). There they have a notice board for the use of all local organisations, and they hope to soon have another board up for things offered or for sale. They are also planning to display forthcoming events, situations vacant and wanted, lost and found, volunteering opportunities, lift sharing, and properties to let.
The Hay Together office is going to hold all the local planning and listed building applications so that members of the public can have a look at them, and the Local Development Plans and proposals. They'll also have the minutes of the local council meetings, and documents from both Powys County Council and Herefordshire County Council that affect Hay. They also want to hold a list of all the local organisations, groups and clubs, a list of local trades and skills, local professions, and provide community support and assistance.
They can also use their space for art and craft exhibitions, displays by local groups and organisations, and displays of community initiatives.
Also drinking wine in the sunshine was Ellie Spencer, one of our local councillors. She had her letter with her for people to sign to call for an election to the empty council seats, and she already had 17 signatures and the promise of 30 more when I signed. She was also up there as a representative of the Hay Community Cupboard, of which more in a later post.

I took advantage of the late opening of the Old Curiosity Shoppe to buy a couple of vintage sheets for my bed. I've been meaning to treat myself for a long time, and the time finally came when I had only one clean sheet in my blanket box and the rest in the wash! They didn't have a large selection when I went in - a lady from a local B&B had just been in and bought eight double sheets from them, but I have a three quarter size bed, and we managed to find two sheets that would fit it perfectly - and all for £10.

Then I ambled along with my wine glass to James the Thoughtful Gardener, who has set up his shop in the old stables. It's been used before as a temporary shop during the Festival for crafts and so on, as it still has the original horse stalls in place, and it really does look very good with the Royal Horticultural Society tools on display, and prints on the walls (some by Lizzie Harper, the illustrator who organised the social media meeting at Tomatitos last week), and Castello de Haia soaps made by his wife Jackie, as well as potted plants. I bought a cyclamen - I usually kill them, but they remind me of a wonderful holiday in Italy, so I thought I'd give them one more try. I saw Jo Eliot, who is on the Fairtrade group with Jackie, and her husband Noel, who is a gardener (and has a blog listed on the side bar), who had come up to give encouragement before heading off to the cinema to see the new Alan Partridge film.