Off to Presteigne

Market day in Hay is great. There are lots of stalls selling all sorts of things, up in the main square and down by the Clock Tower - including a new one with woollen goods including a stuffed llama the size of a small dog! In fact a real small dog was being carried past it when I was there, so it didn't attack the llama!
Down at the bottom of the hill, round the Clock Tower the road has been blocked off so that the stalls can spread out safely. There's delicious bread, and Hungarian sausages, and olives, and Weobley Ash with their lovely apple juice and vintage stuff and CDs and old clothes, and falafels.
Unfortunately, it seems that people have been walking down as far as the stalls, and then turning back, which is bad news for the bookshops beyond the stalls.
So Brian of Belle Books decided to close his shop for the day, and invited me to go with him on a drive up to Presteigne.
We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world - and I'm sure we saw a red kite flying over the fields (but it wouldn't turn round so we could see if it had a forked tail).
We went round the charity shops, and got talking to a lady in one which is supporting the volunteer drivers who take people to hospital. The lady behind the counter was going up to Llandrindod Wells for an X-ray on her wrist soon, and wasn't sure how she'd get there if there were no hospital cars. She was also keen to go to a meeting in a few days' time to save the local bus routes - some have already been axed, so they can't get to Leominster any more, and they don't want Presteigne to be completely cut off from the rest of the world. They've already lost their last bank.
We had lunch at the Hat Shop, which is a lovely cafe, and on the way back to Hay we stopped at the New Strand at Eardisley for a soft drink - it was a hot and sunny day. We looked at the books there, too, of course - the New Strand is a cafe, pub and bookshop combined.
And there was a dream cottage for sale on the edge of Eardisley - black and white timber framed, with a mass of yellow roses around the door.