Maureen Richardson Retrospective

 Larchwood Studio at Racquety Farm are hosting a special exhibition to celebrate 70 years of Maureen Richardson's work.  She's a paper maker - which is a very basic description of what she does.  She has learned techniques in Japan and Egypt, and her paper is a work of art.  And as well as being a renowned maker of beautiful paper, she has practiced all sorts of other crafts over her long career.

I only saw the flyer this evening, and the first day of this two day exhibition was today, but they are open again tomorrow from 11am to 5pm, with Maureen hosting the exhibition.  A percentage of the profits will be donated to the Save the Wye Campaign.

You can find out more about Maureen's work at thekilvertgallery.com

Bongo Drums at the Red Cross Shop

 When I went into the Red Cross shop the other day, the manager was sorting out some children's musical instruments that had just been donated - and she was playing a set of bongo drums.  "These are proper drums, not kids' toys," she said.  "I'll have to do some research on what to price them."  

She went on to wonder why people always came in with donations at times that the shop was busy - last week was half term, and some of the volunteers couldn't come in because they were with their families, and they had loads of donations that needed to be sorted through, but almost none the week before, when the shop was quiet.

Then, as I was heading for home, I met Catherine.  I went down to the Bean Box to give her some knitting moral support a while ago, and now she has finished her scarf!  We're going to meet up sometime soon so she can show it to me.

Icons of Hay

 Tails of Wales has a new project - they're photographing local people in Hay with black and white photography for a new book.  If anyone would like to be involved, the details are on their website at https://www.tailsofwalesdogphotography.com/iconsofhay

They've got quite a few already, up on their Facebook page, including Kelvyn Jenkins and The Herefordshire Piper.

Events at St Mary's

 There's such a lot going on around Hay at the moment, it's hard to keep up!  (I completely missed the Quiz Night at the Cosy Cafe last week, for instance).

So, here are the things that are happening at St Mary's over the next few weeks:

On Friday 3rd November, the Sacconi Quartet will be playing, with William Howard on piano, at 7pm.  This is a Hay Music event, and tickets are £20, or £10 for the under 25s.

On Saturday 4th November, from 10.30am to 11am, there's more music - an organ recital by Barrie Magill, the organist and choir master of St Mary's.  This is free, with a retiring collection in aid of St Mary's.

On the Saturday afternoon, from 3.30pm, the Hay Forums talk is on the influence of AI on farming and food production, by David Jones, who is a retired local farmer.  He imagines a world where farms are run from offices and humans lose their connection with nature.  He is joined by Stuart Carter-Smith, from the band Gypsy Fire and jazz violinist Ben Holder.  Also performing are Christina Watson, accompanied by Steve, violinist and member of Hay Madrigals.  Tickets are £5, and the proceeds go to people in need in the local community.

On Sunday 5th November, at 7pm, Helen Ingham will be giving a talk entitled Life on a Wardrobe Truck.  She was a costumer for the British film industry for 25 years, and has worked on films like Harry Potter, Skyfall, Bridget Jones, Downton Abbey, Mission Impossible and many more.  Tickets are £10, and are available from Gay on Wye and on the door, with proceeds going to Hay Community Choir Messiah project fund.

At the end of November, the church is one of the venues for Hay Festival Winter Weekend.  The silent movie Hunchback of Notre Dame, with Father Richard providing organ accompaniment, is already sold out, but there's still a variety of talks to choose from, including Oz Clarke talking about wine, River Cottage Great Roasts, Comfort Eating and for those who are interesting in something other than food or drink, a talk about Spies, Lies and Illusion, Enchanted Wales, and How Our Biology Shaped World History.  Details from the Hay Festival website.

Events at the Castle

 Tonight looks interesting - there's a talk from 7pm to 10pm about the curlew.  Or rather, a series of talks, from a variety of speakers.  Mary Colwell is from Curlew Action, and is also an author.  James Roberts is a local author who has written beautifully about curlews in his book Two Lights.  Rachel Taylor is from BTO Cymru.  Sian Shakespear is from Curlew Life.  Lizzy Daly is a wildlife presenter and Nicky Davies is the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Ecologist.

This week also marks the beginning of Curlew Connections Wales, a project to drive curlew recovery across Wales, where the species is in a state of serious decline.

Also today is a print workshop at 1pm, making pictures of curlews, and a writing workshop from 4pm to 6pm by James Roberts, who is a very good nature writer, so that should be worth attending for anyone interested in writing about nature.

(This is all a bit short notice, I'm afraid, because I've been busy with Other Things, but more details are available on the Hay Castle Trust website).

Also at the Castle, coming up soon, is an African Dance session on Saturday 4th November with Tijesumini Olakojo - there are two afternoon sessions, costing £5, and no experience is necessary.

Then on Friday 10th November, at 6pm, the Cameroonian writer and human rights activist Eric Ngalle Charles will be performing his poetry.  Price is £7.50.

The art exhibition at the moment, which runs until 12th November, is Refugee Artists Wales, with work collected from across Wales by a variety of artists including Josef Herman.  A second exhibition shows work from people who are currently seeking sanctuary in Wales.

Hay Cult Cinema Club

 A new cinema club is starting on Saturday October 28th at the Parish Hall.  The idea is to show two cult movies, with popcorn, Polish hot dogs and other refreshments, for £5 entrance fee.

One of the organisers, Lauren Edlin, is from Indiana, where her family own a cinema, so the popcorn will be authentically American, in six different flavours!

They aren't able to tell anyone what the films will be, but they do say that the first film will be a 15 rating and the second film will be X rated.  The doors open at 6pm, and tickets will be available on the door.

They're hoping to make this a regular thing.

Bronllys Well Being Park Petition

 The committee of Bronllys Well Being Park are trying to get signatures on a petition to get on the Senedd's Petition Committee Official Agenda - they need 250 signatures and have just over 100 so far.  They want the Senedd to consider the benefits of their plans for the Bronllys Hospital site, which includes community housing, environmental projects, improved health care facilities, leisure and arts facilities and more.

In the future they will be looking for 10,000 signatures on a petition to make sure they get a Senedd debate on the project.

[Edited to add: the link to the Bronllys Well Being Park website is on the sidebar]

Crafts at the Library - Cornel Grefft

 There's now a Crafts Corner at the Library on Monday afternoons from 4.45pm to 5.45pm.  The first session is on Monday 23rd October.  The idea is for people to take their own craft projects along to be crafty in company.  For the first session, the organiser will have some knitting and crochet patterns for poppies for Remembrance - any extra ones will be passed on to the British Legion for their fundraising.  The session is free, but donations are appreciated.

Chrissy Williams has Died

 I was in the Post Office yesterday when the ladies there were talking about this, and saw it confirmed today on Facebook.

I first met Chrissy Williams when she joined the Stitch and Bitch group, when she first came to Hay - she liked knitting in bright colours.  As she settled in, she became a leading light in the local Lions Club, enthusiastically fund raising and looking out for new members.

She had health problems, but she was looking forward to moving to Hereford.  Sadly, she had only just moved when she died.

Mac Eager Retires

 Mac Eager has been working for the Council around Hay for thirty five years, and now he has decided to retire.  He's the one who has kept the bins empty, and the gutters swept, and all sorts of odd jobs done around the town.  At the moment, he is training his replacement, Stephen, to take over when he goes.

Over the years, Mac has been Citizen of the Year, and has turned on the Christmas Lights.  He was also chosen to go down to London to attend the Westminster Abbey Carol Service in 2021.

Thanks to Haydn for the photos!

Welsh Water Digs up More Road

The replacement of water pipes is continuing, and the trench is now being dug from the Blue Boar to Red Indigo, meaning that Belmont Road and Castle Street are closed to traffic.

Edward Wakeling

 I was sorry to hear that Edward Wakeling had died - his funeral was today.  He lived in Clifford, and was a renowned expert on Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland.  

He was the chairman of the Lewis Carroll Society for many years, and also wrote books about Lewis Carroll and he had a comprehensive collection of Alice books.  When I worked for Judith Gardner at the Children's Bookshop, she always tried to keep a good selection of Alice books in stock, as Edward would come in regularly with guests from around the world.

Happy Bookshop Day!

 

Repair Cafe

 The Repair Cafe was in the Buttermarket today.  Usually, they are in the Sports Pavilion on Brecon Road.  The chap I talked to said they might try the market again - if so, I have a couple of knives that need sharpening.

Ludlow Castle

 In all the years I've lived in Hay, I've never made it into Ludlow Castle, so I decided that yesterday was the day.

Not wishing to get up at the crack of dawn, I took the 9.50am bus into Hereford.  This meant that I had about an hour to wait for the train to Ludlow.  I could have done a bit of shopping, but there was nothing I really needed to get - so I was on the platform when the steam train came through!

So that was fun!

The Manchester Piccadilly train was about ten minutes late, but the journey to Ludlow was a smooth one.

I had been to Ludlow many years ago, but I didn't remember the layout at all.  Fortunately, there is good signposting from the station, and I found the castle quite quickly (unlike Abergavenny, where I went round in circles for a while before realising that the castle was further down the hill!).

It costs £8 to get in, and I got the 50p guide book.  

I was pleased to find that my archaelogical knowledge hasn't completely deserted me - I spotted the blocked up archway in the wall of the keep straight away.  This was the original entrance to the inner bailey of the castle, and was replaced in Tudor times by the gateway to one side of the keep with a bridge over the moat, which is the present entrance.  It's quite similar to the original entrance to Hay Castle, in fact.

This was a magnificent castle in its day, owned in turn by the de Lacy and Mortimer families and the headquarters of the Council of the Marches.  It was where Richard III's nephews lived before they were transferred to the Tower of London to become the Princes in the Tower, and Prince Arthur visited with his new wife Catherine of Aragon.  The castle and town surrendered to the Parliamentary forces in the Civil War, and one notice I read as I was going round said that this is probably why so many early buildings survive here.  There are something like 500 listed buildings in Ludlow.

I had great fun exploring.  There are fireplaces in the walls everywhere - the place must have got through wagonloads of firewood!

I met the dragon:

I am not a great fan of spiral staircases, but I was determined to get to the top of the keep, too.  The view of the surrounding countryside is magnificent, and there's a pretty good view of the chapel and its new roof, too:

This is the Chapel of St Mary Magdalene, which is unusual for having a round nave.  You can just see the remains of two walls leading to the inner bailey wall - this was the chancel, where the altar was.  I was amused to see that the first floor was put in in 1580 - the original nave is Norman - so that the Council of the Marches could attend services without mingling with the lower orders.

After wandering round the castle, I headed off to find a pub.  I always try to find somewhere to have a half on my days out.  I came upon the Rose and Crown, which claims to be the oldest pub in Ludlow (records going back to 1102!) and possibly one of the oldest in England (though I'm sure the Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham would like to dispute that!).  The pub is built around three sides of a small courtyard, and I sat in the Mouse Bar.  This was actually created in its present form in 2016, when they installed woodwork - panelling and cupboard doors - saved from the workshop of the Mouse Man of Kilburn.  He was the chap who 'signed' his work with a little carved mouse.  The pub serves real ale from Joules Brewery, and I had the Slumbering Monk.

They also have an accessible toilet, though I went upstairs to the toilet so I could have a bit more of a look round at the building.

Then I made my way slowly back to the station.

I didn't really have time to do St Laurence's Church justice, but I did find the second St Laurence's Church, built in 1824, when the town needed a new graveyard.  The graveyard is now a haven for wildlife, and there are picnic tables.  The chuch is now a One Stop Print Shop!  Originally this was the site of a Carmelite Friary.

Nearby is the site of a chapel of the Knights Hospitallers, which later became a glovers' workshop, and a little further on up a side street is the Quaker Meeting House.

Near the station is Ludlow Brewery, which does brewery tours, which is something to bear in mind when I visit again.

Back in Hereford, I had to catch the 4.25pm bus again, with all the college students on board, but this time a lovely young lady stood up and gave me her seat.

Secret Garden

 

I was in the Secret Garden on Brook Street the other day, and found this statue of a dog.

It's a lovely, slightly overgrown garden, with seats dotted around, and a swing hanging from one of the trees.

Across the road from the garden, Brook House has a bumper crop of crab apples on the trees in their front garden, and they have signs up asking anyone to help themselves.

Nearly New Clothes Shop

 

Just opened, up from the Clock Tower, near the pet shop - the sign in the window says this is a dress agency.

Trouble in Timbuktu

 There's trouble in Mali again, as two armed groups are fighting for control of the region around Timbuktu.  People from the surrounding villages have fled into Timbuktu, but the town is almost cut off from the outside world, and food is running short.

It's the last Saturday market of the season today, and the people from Hay2Timbuktu and Jump4Timbuktu have a small table where they're collecting money to send whatever aid they can.  They have also set up a page for online giving at https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/campaign/together-for-timbuktu

Money raised will be sent to the Mayor of Timbuktu, so he can distribute it to the people in most need.

Hay Winter Festival

 The brochure is out for the Winter Festival, and today I went down to the Drill Hall to book my tickets.  Miranda Aldhouse-Green is speaking to Daniel Morden at St Mary's Church on Saturday 25th November at 5.30pm about Enchanted Wales: Myth and Magic in Welsh Storytelling.  There were only a few tickets left!

I went with a friend to the Pagan Phoenix Conference a few years ago, and she was one of the speakers there.  Fortunately, she was the last speaker of the day, because she over-ran by quite a bit - she had a lot of slides to get through about Roman Britain and their Gods, and it was all fascinating.  She's also written several books on archaeology and Celtic Gods and Goddesses.

There's a lot of good stuff over the weekend, including Father Richard playing the organ for the silent film The Hunchback of Notre Dame at 8.30pm on Friday 24th November.  This will be after the switching on of the Christmas Lights in the Town Square earlier in the evening, which is always great fun.

There are lots of other interesting guests, and craft workshops, and this year it's all going to be centred around the Castle.

The Winter Festival runs from Thursday 23rd November to Sunday 26th November, and there's an online pass for people who can't be there in person.  For more information visit hayfestival.org/winter-weekend

Civil War and Cider Apples

 The Museum of Cider in Hereford is holding an event on Saturday 7th October, from 10.30am, where visitors can meet re-enactors to talk about seventeenth century food and drink, with a display of heritage fruit.  There will also be a talk in the evening by historian Stuart Peachey.

Talk at the Library

 As part of the regular series of talks at the Library, on the first Friday of the month, this month the speaker will be Françoise Verger.  She will be talking about a picture by Albrecht Dürer, the Great Piece of Turf, and asking if it is a botanical illustration or a work of art.

The talk begins at 2pm on Friday 6th October, and is free.

The Scandal of the UK Housing Market

 Last night I was invited to a book launch at the Swan.  I was asked not to publicise it in advance, because they could only cater for a limited number of people, but it was a fascinating evening.

The book in question is called The Scandal of the UK Housing Market, and is written by local author Henry Charles Pryor. In it he lays out the roots of the current housing crisis in the UK, and offers some possible solutions.  

I'm particularly interested in the subject, because I was directly affected by the housing crisis last year, when I was subject to a no fault eviction and found it incredibly difficult to find another place to live in Hay.  I was extremely lucky to have been offered the flat where I now live.

Nearly everyone I spoke to last night had stories to tell about the difficulties they had faced with the rental market, both local to Hay and in London, though the problems are widespread across the UK.

I haven't read the book in detail yet, but it's only short - 42 pages - beautifully put together by Seza Eccles under the imprint Silent Impressions.  The author was an estate agent for many years, and has also invented a cricket bowling machine which has been used by the England Cricket Team!

[Edited to add: the first printing is now sold out - a second printing will be available soon!]