Tim the Gardener has been running his bookstall from the alleyway next to Tinto House for several years now. However, some work needs to be done at the back of the house, and they need to get some machinery through, so the shelves have to be taken down to allow access.
So Tim is moving his shelves to the Bean Box, in the garden by the river, next to Hay Bridge. I met him a few days ago down on the Riverside Walk, building new shelves, and he seemed quite optimistic about the future.
The next concert is on 1st April, at 7pm at St Mary's Church, and it's the Sirinu Ensemble performing Music for a Medieval Castle. Tickets are £15, or £7.50 for students. (I do like medieval instruments, so I shall try to get along for that one).
Then on 30th April, also at St Mary's Church at 7pm, Tom Poster will be playing a selection of classical music on the piano - ticket prices are the same.
Ty Tan Gallery, opposite the Blue Boar, are holding an art exhibition to raise money for the Red Cross Ukranian Appeal. That's the shop front with the enormous Ukranian flag painted on the window at the moment.
Artists are being asked to donate works that are no bigger than 60cm, at a reasonable asking price.
The exhibition will run from 24th March to 23rd April, on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The Black Mountain Lions are setting up a food bank in Hay as a satellite of the Brecon Food Bank, and they need help to run it. It's going to be housed at the Sports Pavilion.
This isn't the first food bank in Hay, of course - the original initiative, run from the Council Chambers, was taken over by Brecon. This new venture is going to keep the links with Brecon rather than be a separate venture.
Volunteers will be given training by the Brecon Food Bank, and the email to contact for application forms is volunteers@brecon.foodbank.org.uk.
The Lions are also looking for volunteers to help with car parking opposite the Festival site this year. For more information about that, or about the Lions generally, contact ChrissyHallett621960@gmail.com
The Community Choir will be singing in St Mary's Church from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, 19th March, to raise funds for Ukraine. It's free to come and listen, or sing along, but you have to pay to leave!
The money is going to be sent to the Disaster Emergency Committee.
Sunflower seeds (a symbol of Ukraine) will also be on sale, donated by the Old Railway Line Garden Centre.
The Ukrainian National Anthem will be sung every hour, on the hour!
We met in a back room of the Swan, and most of the people who turned up were present or past trustees, members of the Town Council, and a few supporters.
Sandra Skinner opened the meeting with a quick run down of the achievements of Hay2Timbuktu since the twinning began in 2007 - supporting girls aged 11 - 14 through school, supplying solar powered lamps so children could do their homework, and fundraising for projects like building new toilet blocks in schools.
However, the twinning and the creation of the charity came at a time when there was a lot of funding available for that sort of thing, including a lot of help at the beginning from the Welsh Government initiative Two Towns, One World. That funding is no longer available, and the last two applications for funding were turned down. Having supported 80 girls through school, the charity has been unable to fund any girls this academic year.
The situation in Mali is also very difficult. Islamic insurgents took over part of the country in 2012, including Timbuktu, and life is still very unsettled there. It's a lot more difficult to get aid to Timbuktu than it was, and the last regular contact Sandra Skinner had with Timbuktu was six months ago.
It's also pretty much impossible for visits to take place. From the UK end, people are advised not to visit Mali, and from the Mali end - well, it's just about impossible for a single man to get a visa, even if they did go through the onerous process of travelling to Bamako, and then to Dakar in Senegal, to get a passport and apply for a visa, and most of the teachers in the schools in contact with Hay are single men. Married men have slightly more chance of being allowed to travel to the UK, but their wives also need to have a passport, which must be given up to the authorities while the husband is in the UK, so they are not able to join him here. The days of teachers coming into Hay and Gwernyfed schools, and medical personnel visiting the local clinics, and silversmiths demonstrating their crafts in the Buttermarket, are impossible to organise now.
So it's obvious that Hay2Timbuktu cannot carry on in the way that it has, and three of the trustees wish to step down, having worked very hard on all the projects for years. This leaves three trustees who wish to carry on with some sort of contact with Timbuktu, because everyone at the meeting agreed that the relationship with Timbuktu has had benefits to Hay as well as the obvious financial benefits to people in Timbuktu - the links with Hay School, for instance, were felt to be very important for our local children.
Mel Prince, one of the trustees who wants to continue, said that before Covid struck, there were plans to develop further links between the local WI and Mothers' Union and groups in Timbuktu, and perhaps between the Chamber of Commerce and the women's market traders group there, but that hasn't been possible yet.
Chrissy, the President of the local Lions club, offered fund raising help - she had checked before she came to the meeting, and there doesn't seem to be an active Lions club in Mali, but one of the things that the Lions do is to give assistance to other Lions clubs internationally (they've raised money for Ukraine to send to the Lions clubs there, for instance).
Gareth Ratcliffe, who was Mayor of Hay when the twinning first took place, suggested that Hay should have 'ambassadors' rather like the National Park ambassadors, to encourage the links between Hay and Timbuktu and publicise those links - as one lady said, when she tells tourists about the links, they are always interested. That's been my experience, too.
Several members of the current Town Council were also there, because the twinning process is set up between Town Councils - one of the Mayors of Timbuktu (there are about five of them!) has been an important contact. The charity, and the spin-off charities Jump4Timbuktu and Medics4Timbuktu, were set up to give practical help, but this is quite an unusual way for twinning to develop. This was felt to be a good thing, but Medics4Timbuktu wound up about four years ago. Jump4Timbuktu is still in regular touch with the artisans who sell their products at Haymakers, though. Gareth pointed out that the relationship between Hay and Timbuktu shouldn't rely on the interest of a few people, because when the enthusiastic councillors step down, there's always a chance that the new councillors will have no interest in the twinning project and it will be allowed to wither on the vine. In May, the Mayor will be elected by the councillors (this is an annual event), and that is probably the best time for the Council to discuss the future of the twinning process.
One of the Council's initiatives, the Timbuktu Trail, is now out of date and needs to be changed - one of the points on the route was the Council Chambers, illustrating the links of local democracy between the two towns, and the building no longer belongs to the Council.
It was also pointed out that what was needed was up to date information from Timbuktu to help the Friends of the charity make a decision about the future - how many girls had continued in school thanks to the help from Hay, and how many of the solar lamps were still being used, for instance. Also, the people in Timbuktu, especially the Mayor and teachers who had been involved in the projects, should be contacted if at all possible to make clear how the situation in the UK had changed, and to ask their views about how they wanted the relationship between the two towns to develop.
So the consensus in the room was that Hay2Timbuktu should continue, but at a much reduced level than it had been working, and with more emphasis on educational and other links rather than fundraising for projects, with a hope that more can be done when international relations become easier.
When I went to the Post Office this morning, I saw a very disreputable group of people hanging around on the pavement outside!
They were waiting for the delivery of the new Hay Tourist Information Brochure, so they could help to carry the boxes into the Tourist Information Centre. The brochure will shortly be available around town.
I went out a bit later than usual to do a bit of shopping round town, and I was glad I did, because I ran into the Climate Choir just as they were finding a spot to set up to sing. They ended up in the gateway next to the old HSBC bank (now a clothes shop). Many of them were dressed in blue and yellow, as they were collecting for Ukraine.
Michael Eccles let me share his songsheet, and Justin was giving instrumental support (though I did dissolve into a fit of giggles when he brought out the kazoo - flashback to his performance at the St David's Day concert!).
The songs were mostly rounds, so fairly easy to pick up, and they (we!) also sang a lovely Blessing from the Lost Words, the collaboration between artist Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane.
It was great fun, and passers-by were generous. The blue and yellow decorated basket was full of bank notes when we finished.
The Climate Choir meets on Tuesdays at the Globe at 6.30pm - they ask for a fiver a session, but if anyone can't manage that, they're still welcome to sing.
Hay2Timbuktu are holding an open meeting on Wednesday 16th March, at 7pm at the Swan.
What they want to discuss is the future of the organisation - should they cease their activities, or pause, or something else? Several of the trustees are stepping down, so they want to know whether people in Hay would like them to find new trustees and continue, or wind up their operations.
Over the years, they have raised money for new girls' toilets for the high schools in Timbuktu, and provided solar powered lamps to help children do their homework, as well as several other projects since Timbuktu twinned with Hay in 2007. It's become more difficult in recent years because of the unrest in Mali, and the fact that several sources of funding in the UK have dried up.
If anyone would like to go to the meeting, please email the organisers at info@hay2timbuktu.org and also use the email if you have ideas or thoughts to share, but are unable to come to the meeting.
I've been thinking about getting an eBike for some time now. It would give me a bit more flexibility in travelling outside Hay rather than having to rely on our sadly infrequent bus service, for one thing.
So yesterday, I took the plunge and hired an eBike from Drover Cycles for the day. They charge £50 for the day.
Now, I haven't cycled for about fifteen years, so I'm terribly out of practice, and the only bike they could offer me had a gent's frame with a crossbar, so you have to swing your leg over the back to get on and off.
The last bike I rode was a ladies' three speed (or possibly five?) and I got on and off by swinging my leg forwards, because there was no cross bar.
The lovely man at Drover Cycles did not laugh at me. He adjusted the saddle, and thoroughly explained the controls, sorted out my helmet (the first time I've ever worn one - I used to cycle in a woolly hat), and made sure I knew what I was doing before I wobbled out of the gates. Included in the hire are the helmet, a bike lock, and a puncture kit.
It soon came back to me, and the controls were easy to use. There was even a speedometer, which I'd never had before either.
To do a proper test, I decided to cycle to Talgarth and back. This had been about my limit when I was younger and fitter on a pushbike, and the back road through Ffordd-las and Velindre is quiet, and reasonably flat. At any rate there are no really steep hills to climb, just a series of fairly gentle slopes.
The lowest setting on the eBike is "Off", which means you are using it as an ordinary pushbike, and there are ten or so (?) gears on the right side. I didn't count them, and the chap and Drover Cycles said they didn't matter too much when you were using the battery.
The next setting is "Eco", which conserves the battery but you can feel a bit of a push to make it easier to pedal. This was good for my first gentle slope, and when it got a bit steeper I went up to "Tour".
The next setting after that is "Sport", and if you really want to take off, the top setting is "Turbo".
I did not use Turbo - but I did get up to a top speed of 21km an hour going down the long slope from Ffordd-las to Llanigon on the way home - which was mildly terrifying.
It's a straight route along the back road, which comes out to the main road a little way outside Talgarth. I had forgotten that there is a cycle path along that road, so turned directly onto the main road, where I should have turned onto the path. I got onto the cycle path at the first opportunity, as soon as I realised my mistake. However, every driver I came across all day, cars, tractors and even a coach, was considerate and gave me plenty of room on the road.
I got to Talgarth in just under an hour, which I was quite pleased about.
I spent a little time walking around Talgarth, and had my packed lunch in one of the little gardens next to the river, just visible in the far back of the photo.
Going back to Hay was easier, because there are more downhill stretches, so I made rather quicker time.
At the turn into Forest Road, I chickened out. There was a lorry coming down the hill from Hay, cars coming up behind me and turning out of Forest Road, so I pulled into the kerb, climbed off the bike, and pushed it across the road when all the traffic had disappeared. My bottom was aching enough by then that I didn't really want to climb back on, so I pushed it back to Drover Cycles.
I had a brilliant day out, though, and I'm certainly thinking very seriously about buying an eBike now - with a ladies' frame.
International Women's Day is on 8th March, but Hay Feminists are celebrating early with a meeting at the Globe at 3pm on Sunday 6th March for tea, cake and conversation.
The idea behind the Day is to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world. It is also a call to action to accelerate moves towards women's equality.
The first ever International Women's Day was held in 1911.
The Globe was packed on the evening of 1st March.
I went in wearing a mask, but the requirement has been dropped in places of entertainment in Wales, and almost no-one else was wearing one (apart from one chap who steadfastly kept his on all night). I bought a drink, and found a seat up on the balcony where I could see about half the stage.
As is traditional in the Globe, there was a film being projected on the wall as background - this one was of a field of daffodils.
First on was a trio, led by Andy from the Bridge End Inn at Talgarth, who mentioned his Open Mic nights every Tuesday evening. They were joined for a couple of numbers by a girl called Imogen - I think she was playing a mandolin.
Next was the Wynn Family, father and son, who sang traditional Welsh hymns a cappella - the boy was wearing traditional Welsh costume of a red and black tweed waistcoat over a white shirt, with black trousers, and stood on a stool to reach the mic.
There were a lot of performers - Sean O'Donoghue, of the Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees group (who organised the event) said how lucky we are in Hay to have so many talented performers here. Half way through the evening a bucket was passed round for donations, and I think people were giving generously.
Roughly in order after the Wynn Family (I was not taking notes) were two ladies with guitar and violin, followed by some Welsh poetry by Dylan Thomas (Rev. Eli Jenkins from Under Milkwood), Ivor Gurney the war poet talking about the Welsh boys welcoming him in the trenches, and Max Boyce - we learned all about Miner's Fortnight, when the South Wales pits closed and everyone went to Porthcawl or Barry Island to stay in a caravan for two weeks.
Another chap recited his own poetry (available from the Poetry Bookshop!), and sang a song of exile dedicated to the people of Ukraine.
One lady, (Lucy), apologising in advance for her accent, played the spinet and sang O Calon Mor and a Welsh lullaby.
Janice explained how she was learning Welsh via Duolingo, other websites, and Haydn Jones who gives lessons at the Three Tuns - and said that Haydn had been by far the most useful to her. He had helped her to translate Gershwin's The Man I Love into Welsh, which she then performed, accompanied by her husband Martin on keyboards, and a violinist who then did a solo. And then there was a bit of a cappella Bach from a small group who came back on stage as part of the Hay Welsh Choir at the end.
Justin was there, singing and playing guitar - and then he brought out a tray full of electronic bits and pieces, including a foot pedal that made echo-y noises, and a kazoo, and played the Welsh National Anthem as it has never been heard before!
He then accompanied Thomasin, who sang a couple of her own songs.
The finale was the Welsh Choir, singing a medley of famous Welsh songs. The last three were projected on the walls for audience participation - Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, Calon Lan and finally: "The Anthem?"
"The Anthem."
Everyone stood, and belted out Land of My Fathers, and my goodness, I felt proud to be Welsh at the end of it, and I'm from Lancashire!
This is the art gallery opposite the Blue Boar.
Meanwhile, Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees group have been collecting medical supplies and toiletries, which will be going to the Polish/Ukrainian border from Neath tomorrow. Dixies in Brecon have also been collecting items, including clothing, though clothing is generally not needed at the border.
