Out With the Old!

 

I think my favourite picture from this year has to be this one - the statue of a stag in the grounds of Hay Castle.

Wishing everyone all the best for 2024.

The Return of the Water Works

 The road works up near the Blue Boar to replace the water pipes packed up just before the Winter Festival - but they'll be back soon, bigger and better than ever!

The sign has already gone up next to Belmont House to say that Belmont Road will be closed from the 2nd January.  The trench will be dug all the way down the hill, along Broad Street and down Newport Street over the coming weeks, in sections.  There will be diversions, and all the businesses will remain open.  Occasionally, they may need to cut off the water for a short time, but they will text people in advance to warn them.

Water, Water Everywhere!

 I needed to go into Hereford, to go to the bank and do some shopping.  I bought a lovely pair of pillow cases at the Red Cross shop - but they are square, so I needed pillows to fit them.  Which I did find, eventually, after schlepping round every shop I could think of that might sell bedding or cushions (I knew I was starting to get desperate when I looked at a pile of dog beds and wondered if I could use one of those!).

The bus home was late, and when we got as far as the Golden Valley, I could see why.

There was water running offf the fields everywhere - it was a bit like seeing Herefordshire by canal!

However, we made it through the floods.

When I got off the bus at the top of the car park, Gareth Ratcliffe was checking the drains to make sure they weren't blocked.  He said there was flooding across the Brecon Road, too.

Boxing Day Hunt

 I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of the Golden Valley Hunt meeting at the Clock Tower yesterday morning, but I did make sure that one particular fox was safe. (There is usually an announcement before the Hunt sets off that they will follow the law i.e. not kill any foxes. I assume they made the same announcemnt this year):

Basil Brush spent the day at the Cinema Bookshop.  Sadly, we didn't have a copy of his favourite book Basil de Farmer, the Man in Shining Armour!

Christmas Trees at Cusop Church

 The weather wasn't brilliant, but I set out on my traditional Christmas Day walk anyway.

I usually head up Cusop Dingle, and this time I noticed belatedly that there was a Christmas Tree Exhibition at Cusop Church.

There are seven trees in the church, all beautifully decorated, but it was a bit dim in there for me to take any photos.

Outside in the churchyard there had been some changes since I last visited:

I thought this was a lovely idea - it's just outside the main door, under the yew trees.

They've also put in some information boards along the path to the lych gate.  They've been mowing the churchyard to encourage wildlife, and one board showed the sorts of wild flowers in the churchyard, and the other was for animals and birds.  Then, nearest the gate, was a historical information board for the church, and features like William Seward's grave (he was the Methodist martyr who was stoned to death on Black Lion Green in Hay).  There's a booklet about him available in the church, too.

Nadolig Llawen

 

Merry Christmas (this is part of the chained library at Hereford Cathedral).

Christmas Meal in the Granary

 It's the first time the staff party has been in the Granary.  The food was provided by Trigg Food, a gourmet catering company which had taken over the Granary kitchens for the occasion.

I stuck to soup - a creamy winter squash, apple and shropshire blue, which was very nice, while the others went for the pate or the scallops.

The main course came with plenty of vegetables - far too many for us to eat!  I had the turkey, others had beef, and the vegetarian option was celeriac, lentil and mushroom wellington.

The crackers came with paper hats and trivia/things to do questions (how do you mime Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?  But the attempt was made, and somebody got it!).  I'm starting to feel out of touch with the youth of today, though, as one of the suggestions was to hum something by Taylor Swift, and I have never knowingly listened to any of her songs!  

No Christmas pudding for dessert, so I went for the chocolate delice and coffee icecream, with hazelnut praline (I'm not keen on nuts, but I could work round them).  The trifle option included prunes, which I really am not a fan of, and the third option was a cheese board (and I'm not fond of cheese).  Still, the main course had filled me almost to the brim, so that was all right.

The wine and Baileys flowed freely, and we finished with coffees, though the Granary isn't really a place to order spirits, as there was no whisky for Irish coffee and the lady who asked for brandy was told that the bottle had been taken home for Christmas!

Blustery Market Day

 The weather forecast was for high winds, which have, indeed, materialised, so the organisers of the Market decided not to put the stalls out today.

Instead, they managed to accommodate some of the stalls that would normally be on the Square in the Parish Hall, and the usual stalls were also there in the Cheese Market and Butter Market.

There was a long queue across the Parish Hall for the cheese stall!

I also managed to get a lovely piece of mistletoe from the plant stall, who were set up by the war memorial out of their van.

Woodpecker

 I was lucky enough to see a great spotted woodpecker along the riverbank path this morning, before the weather got too bad.  It had the red flash on the back of its head, so it was a male.

Too far away for a photo, unfortunately.

Random Thoughts

 I saw Santa coming down Broad Street on the evening of the 17th - in a trailer pulled by a landrover, with an elf and the Grinch walking in front and what looked (from my high window) like someone dressed as a Christmas tree in the trailer with Santa.  Some people had been waiting by the old bank for them to come, and sang carols while the kids ran up and down.

The Post Office has run out of second class stamps!  But I think I've sent all the cards I need to send now, so I can relax in the run-up to Christmas Day.

I usually do a long walk on Christmas Day, but this year I think I'll just take the next fine day that presents itself - it's far too damp to be enjoyable on a day like today.

Glorious Hay Madrigals

 What a wonderful concert yesterday afternoon!

(and this time I very decadently got myself a glass of red wine before the performance began!)

Before the music began, Michael Eccles said a few words about the Citizens' Assembly he's organising in the New Year.  As recently as the 1960s, Hay was more or less self sufficient in food, and he thinks we can be again.  So there will be a meeting at the Swan on 27th January from 2pm, to discuss local self-sufficiency.  I'll mention it again nearer the time.  The event is free but ticketed, because the space is limited, and tickets are available from bit.ly/HayFoodAssembly

Lucy, one of the founder members of the Hay Madrigals group, announced that this concert was dedicated to the memory of Michael, another founder member, who died two weeks ago.

And the opening organ music by Father Richard was the Shepherd's Farewell by Berlioz.

Then it was straight into some glorious seventeenth and eighteenth century music, much of it in German or Latin (or both) for voices, violins, cello - and there was a keyboard and spinet, and a flute player who sat very quietly until it was his turn to play, when there was a scramble to find him a light to see his score by - it was a candle lit concert, so the performers were using those little clip on lights to see by.  The cello player turned out to be my neighbour - I knew he was musical, but I hadn't known he played the cello!

Buxtehude was, apparently, much admired by Bach.  Perti wrote a rather beautiful setting of the Magnificat.  There was a version of O Dulci Jubilo, and I knew all the medieval carols they sang - Lully, Lully, and Veni, Veni, Emmanuel.  They finished with a piece that had a lot of Alleluias at the end.

Mistletoe

 It was such a lovely, sunny morning that I decided to go for a walk along  the Offa's Dyke Path by the river this morning.

By the Wye Glamping always does something with seasonal decorations, and this year they had a small herd of log and twig reindeer down by the table and log seating area.  The bushes along the Offa's Dyke Path are decorated with big Christmas baubles, mostly red, with a few white and gold.

Every time I pass through, I notice some new addition they've made.  This time it was high backed wooden settles on the verandahs of the glamping tents, and I'm sure the fire pits are new, too.

There is no longer a fence between the last glamping tent and the field - the fencing to keep the sheep out, and the gate, are at the edge of the next field along.

I saw an egret flying towards Hay Bridge, and a few ducks sitting on the little island off the third field - not that there's much of an island there at the moment.  The river is just high enough to cover most of it.

And a little further along, I found this tree full of mistletoe:

Don't Miss Santa!

 Santa Claus is coming to Hay!

On Sunday 17th December, Santa will be visiting Hay, Llanigon and Cusop.

He'll start at Cae Pound at about 4.50pm, and head up the Brecon Road to Llanigon.  He'll turn round at the community centre and come back to Hay at about 5.30pm, visiting the Meadows, Birch Close, Wyeside, Warren Close, Gypsy Castle and St Mary's Road.  He'll then head to Castle Street, High Town and round to Bear Street and Heol y Dwr, taking in Booth Gardens and Bookers Edge - then up Broad Street to Carlsgate, turning at the Clock Tower into Lion Street, up Oxford Road to the top of Cusop Dingle and then back round the centre of Hay.

They are raising money for the Hay Summer Show.

I got all this information from Gareth Ratcliffe's page on Facebook.  He doesn't say how Santa will be travelling, but on previous years a traction engine and trailer have been involved.

Christmas Fayre

 Sadly, the main part of the Christmas Fayre, in the square, was cancelled because of weather reports of high winds.  Some of the stalls were accommodated inside shops - pottery in Gay on Wye, tea towels and prints in Eighteen Rabbit, and Artistraw Cider, Pobl Bakery, and some more pottery and perfumes in Chapters Restaurant.  They were also selling their own Penodau Gin, distilled by Hay Distillery for them with their own botanicals.

The brass band, down to four hardy members, was standing by the Castle Gates, where the sound could reach all round the middle of town.

I didn't see the reindeer - I don't suppose they could make it due to the weather either.

The Castle was crammed full, on every floor, with the most marvellous things.  Hand forged goods from keyrings to candlesticks, pottery, jewellery, olive oil and vinegar, prints, sheepskin waistcoats, crocheted shawls, decorative lanterns, and much more.  I bought some wooden Christmas decorations from Laura at Bolgoed Crafts (a heart decorated with bees and sprigs of leaves) and Brittany Davies - she had a range of little shop fronts to hang up.  I bought a Bookshop, of course.

The Fayre is on until 4pm - so I might go round again later!

Hay Madrigals

 One of the many musical events in Hay in the run up to Christmas is this candlelit concert on Saturday 16th December from 3.30pm.  Tickets are £10 on the door of St Mary's Church.

After opening organ music by Father Richard, there will be a variety of music by Buxtehude, Schutz and Perti (who I'm completely unfamiliar with), Telemann (who I have at least heard of!) and medieval carols.  I do like the style of music that Hay Madrigals perform, so I'm sure I'll enjoy whatever they choose to sing.

The concert will be followed by homemade seasonal cakes, tea, coffee and wine.

Wildlife Calendar

 Stewart Roberts, who often posts wildlife pictures on the Hay pages on Facebook, has some of his wildlife calendars in the Red Cross shop at the moment for sale to raise money for the Red Cross.  They're £10 each (and they'd make a nice Christmas present!).

Christmas Post Box Topper

 

Appeal for Children in Gaza

 I went straight from the Hay Forum in St Mary's to the Parish Hall, where the Appeal for Children in Gaza was taking place. 

They were just starting the presentation by Neil Stone, of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Israel and Palestine, and about 20 people were there to listen.

I grew up in a Jewish area of Manchester where some of our neighbours had very strongly held views about the State of Israel (they were in favour, obviously), but over the years I've found myself far more in sympathy with the Palestinians, as I've followed what has been happening there.  The videos coming out of Gaza now are harrowing to watch, and despite protest marches around the world the Israeli forces are continuing to bomb civilians, and kill people who work for the UN, journalists and medical staff - and children. 

 There doesn't seem to be anything ordinary people can do to stop the killing, but at least I could buy a few cakes to show my support.

Hay Forum - the Camino Santiago de Compostela

 This is the first time I've made it to one of the Hay Forums, and I had a very enjoyable time.  (The cost was £5 on the door.)

The format was a main talk, with musical interludes and shorter talks, in this case about the famous pilgrimage route the Camino Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain, 800km of mountainous terrain, but with places to stay for the pilgrims scattered along the route very close together, so the walkers or cyclists could travel for as long or as short a distance in a day as they felt comfortable with.

We started with Father Richard playing a short piece on the organ, about the Lord calling Elijah.

Then Pete and Mia started their talk.  Pete cycled the Camino, because he wasn't able to take too long away from his work to do it - it took him about two weeks.  He decided to make the trip because he'd seen a film that included the cathedral at Compostela, with the giant swinging thurible!  Later he showed a short film of the thurible being used during a service, trailing clouds of incense and swinging right up to the roof!  There's a man who has the job of jumping out to catch the chains to stop it swinging.

Mia had no fixed time to walk the route, as she'd just finished University, and was using the time to figure out what she wanted to do next.  She had some awful weather towards the end of the journey, but everyone in her photos - and she had a short video, too - seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Both of them had started off alone, but as Pete said, you tend to meet up with the same group of people for the communal meals in the evenings, because you're all going at about the same pace, and by the end of his trip he was sitting down to dinner with 14 friends.  He also arrived in one town on the day of the annual running of the bulls, where the young men either bopped the noses of the bulls and then ran off to dive behind a protective screen, or had to throw something over the bulls' horns. 

There was music from Father Richard on the organ accompanying Terry singing a version of Ave Maria (I think it was Russian?).  It wasn't hard to learn the words, as it was just Ave Maria repeated throughout.

Then Christina talked about what Christmas was like in her Polish household as a child, and sang one of the carols the family used to sing round the Christmas tree, with guitar accompaniment.  She'd dressed for the occasion, too, in an embroidered blouse and waistcoat, and floral head dress with ribbons.

After the videos, Father Richard said a few words about pilgrimage, and mentioned a time when he was a young priest in Cardiff, visiting a school once a week.  He managed to track down one of the children, now an adult, who told him that he couldn't remember the thought provoking questions he asked, but he did remember that all the children loved Father Richard.

I was sitting next to a lady who grew up in South Africa, and she told me that a priest had visited her school when she was a child, too.  "His name was Father Tutu, and he went on to be quite famous!  And we all loved him, too."

Then Lucy from Hay Madrigals sang a piece from the Messiah (which will be performed in St Mary's later this month) with Father Richard this time accompanying her on the piano, and finally he went back to the organ so the whole congregation could sing O Come All Ye Faithful.

And then there were mince pies to take home.

Beehive

 

I should look up more often!  I don't know how long this beehive has been on the Castle grounds, across from the Yoga Studio/Chapel.