Events over Festival Weekend

 Hay Winter Festival is coming up soon, (next weekend, in fact) and there are lots of things going on around town that are not in the official programme.

Wobbly Owl is the new cider shop opposite the Blue Boar.  They are paired with an Owl Sanctuary in Ebbw Vale - they even sell cuddly owls to raise funds.  On 29th November, they will have some owls from the sanctuary in the shop.

Down at the Poetry Bookshop on 30th November, there will be a day of poetry.  From 10am to 3pm, on the hour, they will have two poets performing their poetry - a different two poets each time.  They are partnered with Parthian Books for the event, which is free.  There are actually thirteen poets - there will be three performing at 1pm.

Also on 30th November, and also partnered with Parthian Books, North Books will be hosting an event at 4pm.  The event is called Birds of the Imagination, and features three writers talking about how birds and the natural world thread through our lives and our imagination and into our words and writing.  Tickets are £5 from the bookshop - please book in advance.

Also at North Books, in the evening, there's live music.  Julie Brominicks will be reading extracts from her travelogue The Edge of Cymru, published by Seren Books, with music from Rowan Bartram's EP Outta Borders.  The email I have doesn't mention ticket prices, but the doors open at 7.30pm for the performance to start at 8pm.  Drinks will be available.

Violin and Cello at St Mary's

 The concert last night at St Mary's, organised by Hay Music, was absolutely wonderful.

The performers were Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux on violin, and Ben Tarlton on cello, and they spent the morning in local schools doing music workshops with the children.

The music they played was mostly unfamiliar to me - which is the main reason I go to concerts.  I want to discover something new.  

The first half was heavily Eastern European, and early 20th century, music from Reinhold Gliere, Bela Bartok and Erwinn Schulhoff.  I'd heard of Bartok, of course, but I didn't know about his work collecting folk music around Hungary.  The music played was a selection from his duos for two violins, arranged for violin and cello, and written as a series of lessons for violin, from easiest to most difficult.

The other two composers were new to me.  Gliere was a Soviet composer, though the piece that was played came from before the Soviet Union, in 1909 - and my problem here is that I don't know how to describe music.  I can only say that it was beautiful and I'll be looking out for recordings by the composer in future.

Schulhoff was Czech (that's been a bit of a theme this week!), and is described in the concert notes as a virtuosic tour de force, which seems accurate.  They played fast; they played slow; they plucked the strings - it was incredible to watch.  Another composer I'll be looking out for in future.

The second half was made up of two pieces, one by Mozart and one by Ravel - so I was familiar with the composers, but not these particular pieces.  Charlotte explained that they had chosen the Ravel piece to end the concert because of the relationships between it and the Schulhoff piece - so another virtuosic tour de force, which was recieved with rapturous applause.

As an encore, they played a short tango, which was lovely.

The next Hay Music concert will be part of Hay Winter Festival, and after that there is the Christmas Concert by the Choir of King's College London on Saturday 14th December at 7pm.

Library Fundraiser

 Hay Library still needs help.  

So, to raise some more money to keep the library open, there will be a fundraising gig at the Globe on Thursday 28th November, at 8pm.  Tickets are £10, and the group performing is The Breaks, who apparently play jazz-infused hip hop and funk.  If anyone wants to hear what they're like ahead of time, there are a couple of YouTube videos on the Globe website.  They've played as a support band for performers like Courtney Pine, and are offering their services free to keep the library open.

Also performing will be the Hay Climate Choir.

Bike Sale

 Drover Holidays are holding a bike sale on Saturday 23rd November, from 9am.

It's a good chance to buy good quality secondhand bikes, and accessories.

They even have a little cafe up there at their shop on Forest Road.

Poetry and Music at North Books

 The shop was packed, but there was just space for a keyboard and the viola player, and Simon the Poet.

Sadly, Omar Majeed couldn't make it, but Simon had put together a very good programme of nature poetry even though he admitted that he hadn't given much thought to climate change or climate activism up until now.  Rod and Steven provided musical interludes.

The first poem was from Cressida Gethin, the girl from Dorstone who is now in prison for helping to arrange a Zoom call to organise the blocking of the M25 motorway as a protest.

This was followed by a poem about hiking in the Rockies by Gary Snyder and a Czech poem called Prayer for Water.  Simon has been translating Czech poems into English, and Rod at the piano actually lived in Czechoslovakia from 1968 for a time.  Rod said that everyone in Czechoslovakia knows this poem, and it has great meaning for them.  When Simon had recited the English version, he repeated the last verse in Czech, and followed that up with part of his own Moravian Suite - Moravia was the part of Czechoslovakia that Jan Scakel the poet came from, and where he lived just down the road.

Then we got part of Wordsworth's poem about Tintern and the Wye Valley, and a poem by Gerald Manley Hopkins.

Simon read one of his own poems, about living with sheep just above Hay, and followed it up with Wendell Berry and Mary Oliver.

All of these poets are worth seeking out, by the way.  Their work is wonderful.

We finished with a Welsh lullaby, sung by Ros, who was sitting in the audience - so it was a trilingual evening, with English, Czech and Welsh.  Rod said that, when he brings musicians together to play jazz, the group is called Blue Haddock, and Ros lives in Tenby and is a mermaid - so the title for the evening was Blue Haddock and the Tenby Mermaid.

It was a wonderful evening, and a lot of money was raised for the Prison Phoenix Trust, which is a charity that organises yoga and meditation sessions in prisons.

Cabinet of Curiosities

 Saturday was the last open day of the Cabinet of Curiosities before  the renovations of the building start.  As ever, there were new things to see, like the writing boards from Mali which Françoise and Pierre picked up at the Book Fair at Hay Castle earlier this year.

On Sunday, I was chatting to two chaps who were visitors to Hay as they were buying some books from the Cinema Bookshop.  They had tried to find the Cabinet of Curiosities, and got lost, partly because they had forgotten the name.  "I kept thinking it was the House of Trembling Madness, but I knew that wasn't right," he said.  "That's a pub in York!"  

Then they asked what sort of a museum it was anyway - antiques?  fine arts?

I explained about the focus on botany and the health of the planet, as well as the collaborations with local young artists (I'm sure there were some new mannequins around the house this time, for instance, or at least, ones that I haven't noticed before).

So they said they'd be very interested to come back to Hay when it re-opens.

Rambling Rosa

 

A new florist's shop has opened, where The Flaming Lady used to be.  Flaming Lady has moved into Hay Distillery, where they will be holding an event on 28th November, from 8pm, to celebrate the life of Athene English, who died recently.

Meanwhile Gordon, who had the florist's shop on Lion Street, is working out of the garage of the big white house on the corner of Broad Street and Chancery Lane, at the other end from Hay Distillery.

Enchanted Hour Wildlife

 The talk by Stewart Roberts at the Library yesterday was very well attended - extra chairs had to be brought out.  He had a great many slides to show, of a wide variety of birds, insects and small animals that could be found in his garden, and also of local fungi and other plants.

As an organic gardener, he has a bird feeder which attracts a variety of small birds which also eat insect pests in the garden - and the presence of the small birds also attracts birds of prey like sparrowhawks, which eat the small birds.  There was a good picture of a female sparrowhawk which was feasting on a pigeon she had just killed, outside the Doctors' Surgery.  "The pigeon was beyond medical help."

He also has a pond, where dragonflies and damsel flies breed.  He also had pictures of toads, frogs and newts, though not all of them came from his own garden.

He even had a picture from the Begwns of the damage badgers can cause to a lawn when they're digging for worms and other insects.

I've seen slowworms in various places around Hay (which are neither slow, nor worms - they're a type of legless lizard).  He talked about trying to encourage a local grave digger not to kill them, and it was all going well until the slowworm panicked and shed its tail in a bid to escape!  He has also seen grass snakes, though he hasn't seen the other native British snake, the adder, locally.

There are birds and butterflies that are summer migrants to the UK - swallows for instance coming all the way from Africa - and some slightly less welcome visitors like Asian hornets, which have not been seen locally yet, but are spreading across the UK because of the milder weather we have now.

It was a fascinating talk, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was filled with enthusiasm to get out more and see what wildlife I could find.  For those on Facebook, he posts his pictures regularly on the Hay Community page.

The next Enchanted Hour will be a talk by an author from New York who now lives locally, about Christmas children's books.  She's hoping to introduce a local audience to some American classics.

Poetry and Music at North Books

 On Tuesday 12th November, at 7pm, there will be an evening of poetry and music at North Books.  

Music will be provided by Steven Broom on viola and Rod Paton on piano (not sure where they're going to fit a piano in!  Maybe it'll be a keyboard).

Simon Pettifar and Omar Majeed will provide the poetry.

The evening is to raise funds for the Prison Phoenix Trust, which teaches yoga and meditation in prisons, and is in support of Cressida Gethin, from Dorstone, who was one of the Just Stop Oil climate activists who was sentenced to four years in prison recently for causing serious disruption on the M25.

The event is free, though donations to the charity are welcome, and drinks are available.

Lest We Forget

 

The post box toppers have come full circle with the Remembrance topper.  Last year it was a head with a helmet, and that was the start of all the creative and imaginative designs through the year.

Cabinet of Curiosities

 Henallt House, the Cabinet of Curiosities, will be having an open day on Saturday 9th November, from 11am to 7pm.  

This will be the last time it is open in its current form, as renovations will start soon.  As the house is a listed building, everything has to be done very carefully to fit in with the historic fabric of the building - I'm sure they'll do a wonderful job.

Phosphates: Too Much of a Good Thing?

 I went to St Mary's to watch the film about phosphates the other night.  About 20 or so people were there.  

The people who made the film had originally made a film about COP26, the climate summit in Glasgow, and on the strength of this West Country Voices in Somerset asked them to make a film about their main environmental concern - the build up of phosphates in the Somerset Levels.

They did a lot of investigation.  They visited a sewage treatment works in Wincanton, which is now removing phosphates from the water - previously the phosphates just went straight through to the river.  There was an organic farm that produces biogas - they use the waste products from livestock, and also buy in stuff like scrap bread from supermarkets.  Apparently 50% of bread in this country goes to waste, which is a whole other problem in itself.

They talked about the back up in the planning system, since applications have to show that they can deal with the extra phosphates from human waste when they are building new houses.

And they had some good footage of Our Lady of the Wye being paddled down the river on the pilgrimage that Father Richard organised.

The question and answer session after the film was very interesting too - there were several people in the room who knew a lot about the subject.  One chap said that the discharge of phosphates into the Wye used to be about 50/50 from sewage and agriculture.  Now all the sewage plants along the Wye have phosphate strippers, so the balance has gone to 17% sewage and 83% agriculture, but the total level of phosphates has risen because of people like Cargill not dealing with their waste products.

The point was also made that phosphates are a valuable resource that is being wasted by being washed into the rivers and out to sea.  There are places where more phosphates are needed to grow crops - and the stuff being wasted, and polluting the rivers, could have a use in agriculture instead.

Meanwhile in government, a few years ago, a rule was made that there had to be a balance of nutrients going into farms compared to the output of the farms, so the farmers didn't use more than was needed to grow the crop.  However, Therese Coffey, the government minister in charge at the time, decided that this would place an unfair burden on farmers, so the Environment Agency didn't have to enforce it.

Someone said that it would be a very good thing if people started writing to their MPs to get that ruling enforced.

So there are lots of solutions to the problem, if the will is there to make the investments, and to enforce the regulations that already exist.

Athene English

 More sad news - Athene English, of The Great English Outdoors on Castle Street, has died after a short illness.  She ran the shop, full of leather goods and blankets, for over thirty years.

There will be a small, family funeral (her son Louis has made the announcement on Facebook), followed by a celebration of her life at Penpont Estate on Saturday 9th November from 2pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family have asked for donations to a charity close to Athene's heart - Action for Conservation - with a link in their announcement.

The Great English Outdoors will continue to trade for the forseeable future.

Biodiversity in Your Back Garden

 This month's Enchanted Hour at the Library is entitled Biodiversity in Your Back Garden, and it is presented by Stewart Roberts.  He posts photographs of local nature regularly on Facebook, along with information about the birds, or fungi, or what ever it might be, and the names in Welsh.

In his introduction to his talk, he says: "You have to know what is there to love it. If you love something, you want to protect it".

Enchanted Hour is on Friday 8th November at 2pm, and is free.

Phil Rickman

 I've just seen on Facebook that local author Phil Rickman has died.  I think he'd been ill, but it was still unexpected.

Phil wrote the Merrily Watkins series of mysteries, set around Herefordshire, including The Magus of Hay, with one body turning up in Cusop Dingle.  Merrily Watkins was the Herefordshire Deliverance Minister - or exorcist, and a lot of local folklore was included in the books.  There's even a tie-in book called Merrily's Border, which explores all the real local places mentioned in the books.

He also appeared several times at Hay Festival, and at smaller local events, sometimes with our other local author Barbara Erskine.  One of his book launches was at Hay Castle, with Rob Soldat dressed as a Knight Templar, which was great fun.  (I'm pretty sure that was the book that was set around Garway).

His other books include the Dr John Dee series and the Marco series for children, set around Glastonbury, and stand alone novels like The Man in the Moss.  He had another mystery series with a Welsh shaman/trans character called Cindy Mars-Lewis, which also included local settings.  In fact, I was reading Mean Spirit, which is partly set around Malvern, only last week.

He lived in Urishay.

Horror Film Night for Hallowe'en

 Hay Comics are organising another movie night at the Parish Hall, on 1st November, and of course the theme is horror.  They're putting two films on, and you only find out what they are on the night.  Tickets are £4 from EventBrite in advance or £5 on the door and the doors open (with an ominous creaking sound) at 6.30pm.  They're promising cult with emerging modern classic horror.  For the full movie night experience, they are also providing Boiled Bobskis hotdogs and novelty popcorn, and soft drinks.  If anyone wants alcoholic refreshment, they have to bring their own - and costumes are welcome.

Weavers, Spinners and Dyers Exhibition at the Castle

 There's a rather good exhibition on at the Castle this week - the national exhibition of the Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers.  This year's theme is Battles, Borders, Books, which makes it perfect for Hay Castle.  It includes practical clothing, wall hangings, and a wide variety of techniques of using yarn.

The exhibition closes on October 27th.  (just in time for the Castle to get Spooky in time for Hallowe'en!).

Hay Music Concerts

 Jayson Gillham has been to Hay before.  He's a concert pianist, and for this upcoming concert he will be playing Beethoven, Chopin and Fauré.

The concert will be at St Mary's Church, on Saturday 26th October, starting at 7pm.  Tickets are £20, and for under-25s £10.  There will also be a small number of free tickets for under-25s, on a first come, first served basis.  There will also be a bar. 

Then on Friday 15th November, also at St Mary's Church, Ben Tarlton will be playing cello and Charlotte Saluste-Bridoux will be playing violin.  These performers are new to Hay, and will be playing pieces by Mozart, Ravel and Bartok among others - I'm pretty sure that duets for cello and violin are quite unusual, so that should be an interesting concert.  Tickets for this one are £17.50, with under-25 tickets at £8.

Film about Phosphates

 I ran into Father David this morning outside the Cozy Cafe, and he told me about a short film that he's hosting at St Mary's Church on Thursday 31st October at 7.30pm.

It's only half an hour long, and it's about the problems with phosphates which are used as fertiliser on farmers' fields and then washed into the rivers, causing pollution.

Most of the film is about the Somerset Levels, but they also mention Our Lady of the Waters and the pilgrimage begun by Father Richard.  As well as the footage of the first pilgrimage, they have contributions from scientists, farmers, businesses, and concerned individuals.

This isn't just a problem in the UK, of course - it's global, because of modern farming techniques, and until those techniques are changed, the problem will only get worse.

Entry is free, refreshments will be available, and there will be a Q&A session after the film.

Very, Very Wet

 I'm thinking of sending out a raven to search for signs of dry land!  

Today children were sent home from school early - and Peterchurch School is rumoured to have flooded!  Michaelchurch Escley and Clifford schools have also been closed.

Meanwhile bus routes across Herefordshire were shut down because of the amount of water on the roads, and top soil from fields is washing into the river at a worrying rate.

And it's still raining.

Heritage Apples at the Library

 About a dozen people gathered for Ainsleigh Rice's talk on Heritage Apples, which turned out to be a fascinating look at the detective work that researchers have to do to correctly identify the different varieties.

These days, it's possible to get a DNA fingerprint of the apple variety, and the National Fruit Collection has a huge collection of these - but it's still possible to find something that has never been seen by the NFC, and it's also true that mistakes happen, and apples are mis-named or renamed.  One of the four apple varieties Ainsleigh talked about, Brithmawr, turned out to have been renamed by a rival plant nursery as Pride of the Orchard, and the original grower even had a note printed in his catalogues warning of this unethical practice.

The first apple to be featured was Gabalva - which comes from Cardiff (not related to Cabalva across the river from Hay).  The variety was discovered at Aberglasney Hall, and Cardiff Castle is about to replant some trees; the original breeder was the head gardener for the Marquis of Bute, and worked at Cardiff Castle.

Then there was Hitchin's Pippin, or Hedge Apple, Brithmawr and finally the much more complicated story of Egglestone Styre, which presently has two rival claimants for the name, one by way of Tasmania!  After seeing the painstaking way that the evidence was put together for the previous three apples (including tracing a link from Rutland to Crickhowell by way of a Victorian wedding) I'd tend to side with the non-Tasmanian option, which actually has paper records to support it.  The Bulmers sales records had a sale listed to an orchard on the other side of Herefordshire of 52 trees in 1934 - the orchard still exists, and they still have their records which show that they bought 52 trees, and where they planted them.  Unfortunately, they didn't like Egglestone Styre as a cider apple, so they cut off the tops of those trees, and grafted new varieties onto the root stock. 

Apple trees are wierd like that.  It's impossible to grow a variety from seed - just about anything apple shaped would come up - so keeping the variety going is done by grafting scions of the original tree onto root stock.

Fortunately for the investigators, in this case the orchard workers missed some of the original fruiting branches, so the trees that now exist carry fruit of both varieties!  Since one is yellow and the others (one of them was Dabinett) are red, they were easy to tell apart!

All the apples mentioned in the talk were there on the table in front of Ainsleigh.  When I went in to the talk, the apples were just apples.  By the end of the talk, I was amazed that I hadn't noticed all of those Really Obvious Differences between them!

Now is probably a good moment to mention the Marcher Apple Network, which does a lot of good apple related work locally, and only costs £20 a year to join.

Also, Ainsleigh is hosting a walk around his own orchard in Cusop next Sunday, weather permitting, time to be arranged.

This was the first Enchanted Hour that Mary Anne arranged, since the librarian who started it can no longer carry on.  I hope it's the first of many under the 'new management'!

Spooky Season

 

                                            Here's the latest seasonal post box topper!

Enchanted Hour - Apples

 The next Enchanted Hour at the Library will be on Friday 11th October at 2pm.  

Ainsleigh Rice will be talking about Heritage Apples.

Father Richard's CD

 I was meeting a friend outside the church this afternoon, and as I was a few minutes early I slipped inside.

On sale at the table at the back of the church is a new CD by Father Richard.  It's called Parish Notes and includes a variety of extemporisation on classical tunes, a couple of Jerome Kern tunes and some classical music - all for the organ, of course.  I'm playing it now in the background, and it's very good.  The price is £10.  

Father Richard's event at the Winter Festival, where he plays the organ for the silent film Metropolis, is already sold out, by the way, so the CD is a good way to get a flavour of his playing whenever you want!

While I was there I also picked up the latest issue of Way on High.  It was a bit of a surprise to see that they are commemorating the death of David Rees in 2000 - he was the vicar of Hay before Father Richard, and I knew him quite well.  It doesn't seem that long ago!

I also noticed that Father David is now the vicar of Clyro as well as Hay.  This is in addition to the churches at Llanigon and Capel-y-ffin, which have been looked after by the vicar of Hay for many years.

He also reported on the pilgrimage of Our Lady down the Wye, which was a great success.  They hope to make it an annual occurance.

Winter Festival

 The brochure for the Winter Festival is now out, and the tickets are flying out!  I went up to the box office this morning and was only just in time for the events I wanted to see.

The dates this year are Thursday 28th November to Sunday 1st December, and for the first time in years I'm going to miss the Switching on of the Christmas Lights on Friday evening, because I will he heading for the church to watch Father Richard play the organ for the film Metropolis!  (I could do both, but it would be a bit of a rush).

Then on Saturday morning I'm going to see George Nash talk about the Neolithic tombs of Wales, also in St Mary's Church.

Other highlights of the weekend are the Quentin Blake Exhibition and a talk on the demons, witches and ghosts of Christmas by Sarah Clegg, John Fitzpatrick and Blackthorn Ritualistic Folk at Hay Castle.

There's also a cello concert at St Mary's Church on Saturday evening, a guided walk on Sunday, Tom Bullough (local author) talking to artist Jackie Morris about Writing and Rivers, Natalie Haynes talking about Goddesses in Greek Myth, Jenny Eclair, Carol Vordeman, Paterson Joseph, Jonathan Dimbleby and David Olusoga, Luke Evans, Ali Smith and more!

There's also an online pass for people who can't be there in person to watch from home for selected events.

If I had unlimited funds, I'd be going to a lot more than two events!

I also find it interesting that one of the sponsors of the Winter Festival this year is Visit Seattle, which is where the World Science Fiction Convention will be held next year.

New Exhibition at The Chair

 The exhibition that caused all that publicity has now gone, to be replaced by an exhibition by Polly James.  She does pencil sketches of animals, mainly dogs and horses.

Nothing rude.

Or pink.

Art or Pornography?

 According to BBC Hereford and Worcester, police were called to The Chair gallery in Hay the other day, because of complaints about a picture in the window.  They warned that the picture might constitute a public order offence, but they have not said whether further action will be taken yet.

It's very pink.

I haven't taken a picture, because I am rubbish at taking photos through glass, but it's a long, narrow rectangular picture of a naked woman with her legs spread wide - well, almost naked; she's wearing pink cowboy boots.

Apparently there was a meeting about the picture yesterday afternoon at the gallery - I only found out about it afterwards - and there is a visitor's book now where people can record their thoughts about the picture, which was painted by art student Poppy Baynham.  The exhibition is a joint venture with her sister.

The picture isn't something I'd hang on my wall at home, but I think there is a useful discussion to be had about the difference between art and pornography (or is there a distinct difference?).

At any rate, nakedness in art goes back to the beginning of art itself.  Maybe it's the prominent position of the picture that is the problem - but then perfectly reputable art galleries display statues of naked people - all those Greek and Renaissance statues of young men didn't originally have fig leaves in strategic positions.  Mostly, the Victorians added those!

The exhibitions at The Chair don't go on for very long, so in a couple of weeks all this will be past history anyway.

No More Hay Forum

 Back in February Hay Forum, which met at St Mary's Church, went into a haitus because the organiser had a lot of family troubles to deal with.  The idea was that the Forum would return in October - but that will not be happening now.  

The surplus money from the entrance fee to the Forum (after the hire of the church) was being used to help local elderly people, and provide locally sourced gifts for the speakers, as well as bouquets for Helen the librarian and another lady who has gone through major surgery.  The surplus money is being donated to the toddler group at the library, so they can buy some more instruments for their Monday morning sessions.

Mary-Anne has some plans for smaller projects around Hay in the future.

Health and Wellbeing Forum

 The Bronllys Well Being Park CLT is holding a health and well being forum on Thursday October 3rd at 7pm at Talgarth Town Hall.

There is some concern about the future of Bronllys Community Hospital, after the Powys Teaching Health Board re-designated two wards at the hospital for what they say is a temporary period.  Local people are worried that this temporary period may become permanent downgrading of the services on the site.

Present at the meeting will be our new MP, David Chadwick, Hayley Thomas the CEO of Powys Teaching Health Board, Councillor James Gibson-Watt the Leader of Powys County Council, Matt Perry from the County Council, Claire White from Cwmpas and Sharon Healey from PAVO - so it's a meeting that is being taken seriously by the local authorities involved.

Refreshments will be provided, and the advice is to arrive early, as there is a lot of local interest in the plans for the hospital.

Meanwhile, on the next page of the Brecon and Radnor Express, there is another story about Bronllys Hospital - the installation of new lung-function equipment at the hospital.  This is a Body Plethysmograph, and the Powys Teaching Health Board say that it will reduce patient waiting times and travel, as previously a GP had to refer a patient to a consultant, and the patient would then have to travel to a hospital in England for the tests.  Now they can be referred straight to Bronllys.  The Bodybox can help to treat asthma, bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and is also used in cardiology and rheumatology treatment, to make sure that the medications are not affecting the patient's lungs.

Small Businesses on the Move

 

Here's Gay-on-Wye, which has just moved one shop along into the premises which used to be Eighteen Rabbit and Tangled Parrot.  They need more space for their stock already!

Meanwhile, in the old newsagents where they started off, Small Stories has moved in, down from a small unit at the Castle.  I'm not entirely sure what they're selling - they weren't quite open when I went past - but it seems to be small household items.

Hereford Labyrinth

 I needed a new Senior Railcard (I have some plans for days out later in the year).  I tried to renew the card online, but the website wouldn't let me do it.

Thank goodness for ticket offices!  I went into Hereford yesterday and bought a new card over the counter in minutes.  The online version had to allow ten days for the card to be delivered.

So, while I was in Hereford, and had plenty of time, I decided to go in search of the Hereford Labyrinth.  I'd heard of this via the new local Pagan group that has a page on Facebook, the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Pagan, Witch and Spiritual Community - not exactly a snappy title, but does what it says on the tin, and it has 1.3k members!

The Labyrinth was built by volunteers, in the last few years, and the information online said it was on Castle Green.  So I walked all round Castle Green, without success.  There's a rather pretty footbridge across the Wye to Bishop's Meadow, so I thought I'd try there.  

On the way, I stopped at a coffee stall, and the lady there pointed me in the right direction.

It is, indeed, in Bishop's Meadow, surrounded by park railings, and free to anyone who wants to go in and walk the labyrinth, or sit on the benches around the edge.

The benches are just out of shot, in the corners of the fenced area.  The four quarters of the compass are marked with small stones around the edge, too - the labyrinth begins in the North East.

The difference between a labyrinth and a maze is that a maze has dead ends and you can get lost in them, whereas a labyrinth has one path that meanders towards the centre, and then out again.  It took me about ten minutes to reach the centre, walking slowly.  It's a very peaceful experience, and is often used as a method of meditation.

New NHS Dental Service for Hay

 I don't know about anyone else, but I haven't seen a dentist since just before covid lockdown, as the NHS dentist that I was going to see retired at that point.  The dental practice were unable to find a new NHS dentist, so only private dental services have been available in Hay since then.

All that is about to change, at least temporarily.

A mobile unit will be parking at the recreation grounds on Brecon Road until December.  After this, it will be moved to another location in Powys.

This will be a five day a week service, and patients will be invited to come in at the start of a session (morning or afternoon) and wait to be seen, so they can get through as many patients as possible.

Patients will be invited to the service from the existing dental waiting list for Powys, but there will also be emergency care available for people who dial 111 with dental swelling or pain.

Patients who need more complex treatment, or longer courses of treatment, will be referred to Brecon War Memorial Hospital, which has a dental unit.

So three cheers for the Town Council for providing a place for them to park, and all the other facilities they need.

h.art Gallery in Hay

 

Here's Elena Underhill's gallery, in her conservatory and hallway, tucked away down an alley way near the Clock Tower.  

When I visited yesterday, a couple of the organisers of h.art were also there - they said that they tried to get round to see all the new exhibitors during the week.

I treated myself to a watercolour view of the Warren, as a percentage of the profit will go to buying testing kits for the citizen scientists testing the quality of the water in the River Wye.

Missing Heron Found!

 The wooden sculpture of a heron, which disappeared from the Riverside Walk about three months ago, has been found!  It was floating in the river about five miles downstream from Hay, and was found by a local angler.  It has lost its beak, but it might be possible to restore it, and return it to the Riverside Walk - where a new heron has been installed to replace it.

New Post Box Topper

 

Here's a proud gnome showing off his vegetables!

Zen Painting at the Chair

 Now that the sketching exhibition has finished, there's another exhibition at the Chair gallery that encourages members of the public to try their hand at an art technique.

This is as much a meditation practice as art.  The idea is to relax, breath deeply, and make either a line or a circle with the huge paintbrush.  Stacks of newspaper are provided to paint on, and there is an assistant who talks you through the process.

It was actually really good fun, and the people demonstrating the technique are very interesting to talk to.

The exhibition is on for another couple of days.

Vessel Art Trail

Vessel is an art trail between remote rural churches maintained by the Friends of Friendless Churches between Usk and Hay, and it runs from 8th August to 31st October.  I discovered it when  a friend gave me the leaflet.

 It's an art trail that requires a car, but for those who can get to the churches, it sounds very interesting.  

Each church hosts a different artist, so:

St Jerome Llangwm Uchaf has a sculpture of a white hart by Lucy Glendinning

St Mary Llanfair Kilgeddin has a sculpture called Centre in the churchyard, by Steinunn Thorarinsdottir

St Michael and All Angels Gwernesney has a sculpture called Grace Vessel by Jane Sheppard

Urishay Castle Chapel has a wooden sculpture called Simmer Down by Robert George (I have been to Urushay Castle Chapel by taking the bus to Peterchurch and walking up the hill, though it's a bit of a climb).

St Cadoc Llangattock-vibon-avel has two sculptures by Barbara Beyer, one in the church and one in the churchyard.

Dore Abbey has a knitted red wool installation by Lou Baker

and finally, St David Llangeview has a tapestry above the West door by Andrew Bick

There's also a weekend event coming up from 13th to 15th September based in Abergavenny, with curator-led tours to all the churches, talks, dinner at St Mary's Priory and an art performance by Holly Slingsby - tickets start at £35 from artandchristianity.org/events

Stone Seat in Cusop Churchyard

 There's a new stone seat in Cusop Churchyard, and to celebrate the church is having live entertainment on Wednesday 4th September, from 4pm, with a Bring and Share Tea.

Everyone is welcome.

Outdoor Theatre at the Castle

 The Three Inch Fools will be performing tomorrow (Sunday), with an essential guide to how to keep your head in a Tudor Court!

The Secret Diary of Henry VIII follows young Henry through fighting the French, re-writing religion, and marrying all those wives!

It's an outdoor performance, so the audience has to bring their own seats - and picnics are welcome from 6pm, with the performance starting at 7pm.

Tickets are around £20, with children half price, but they are offering a 10% discount.  Tickets are available through the Hay Castle website.

Hay Music Festival

 The box office is open for the ninth Hay Music Festival - a weekend of concerts, films and discussions from Friday September 13th to Sunday September 15th.

There's even a whole Festival ticket, costing £105, to cover all the events apart from the Hay Remembers guided walk and the two films, which are paid for separately.

One of the films, Testimony, is a life of Shostakovich starring Ben Kingsley, and the other is The Death of Stalin, Armando Iannucci's dark comedy, so there's a definite Russian theme to the festival this year.  Music by Shostakovich is included in most of the concerts and there's also a lecture/discussion about the composer.

The concerts include the Fitzwilliam String Quartet and Sinfonia Cymru string quartet at St Mary's Church as well as a piano and cello concert.

Meanwhile at the Castle there's an experimental composer performing The Inside-Out Piano.

All the details and ticket prices are on the Hay Music Trust website.

h.Art in Hay

 It's time for the h.Art brochure to appear again.  I picked up mine in Hereford this morning.

The h.Art week starts on Saturday 7th September, and happens at venues right across the county.  All sorts of art is included, and artists open their studios to the public as well as putting on exhibitions.

Just across the river from Hay we have Cabalva Farm Gallery at Whitney-on-Wye, showing paintings and sculptures from five artists, including Sally Matthews, and at Cabalva House there is a working pottery studio, with work from eight different potters, and the offer of tea and cake in the walled garden.

Larchwood Studio on Racquety Farm, on the road into Hay, has an exhibition of Maureen Richardson's work - she is a renowned paper maker, and there are also paintings in oils, up-cycling, ceramics, Japanese woodblock print making, blown glass sculpture, floral art and stained glass.  They also have a licenced cafe/restaurant.

In Hay itself there's Oil and Oak on the end of Castle Street, with a variety of local artists. 

Tucked away near the Clock Tower at 15 Broad Street there's an exhibition by Elena Underhill of watercolours and sketches.  She has several pictures of the River Wye, and said that if she sells any of them a percentage of the profits will go to Friends of the River Wye to buy testing kits for the citizen scientists.  At the moment she is one of the three artists who have a sketching exhibition at The Chair, but that is closing soon.

Hay Dragon

 I was told this lunch time that there was a new statue at the top of the car park, so this evening I went down to have a look:

It seems that Hay has a new dragon!  The sculptor is Danny Thomas the chainsaw man.

While I was in the area, I went up to the Castle Stables to the Tuesday evening market and picked up some potatoes and eggs.

I also had to inform a visitor that they had missed the last bus back to Hereford - so I'm not sure what they're going to do now....

Sketching at The Chair

 The Chair gallery has a new exhibition of local sketches by three different artists, some pen and ink and some watercolours. 

They also have a competition - they are giving out postcard sized pieces of paper for members of the public to sketch on, and the winner will have their sketch made into a postcard.  There are several entries to the competition hung up in the gallery already, and it looks like a fun thing to do.

Writing With Light

 I haven't been keeping up to date with events at the Castle, partly because I was away earlier in the month, but here's something that sounds exciting.

This weekend is Writing With Light.

It starts on Friday 23rd August, with a talk by Owen Sheer at 6pm followed by an indoor showing of his film Resistance at 7.15pm.

On Saturday there's a workshop on creating your own Booktok at 2pm with Elle Adams and Toni Cook. Then at 6pm Elle Adams presents Bookflicks.

At 8.30pm there's an outdoor screening of The Princess Bride!  Swordfights!  Pirates!  True love!  (I love this movie!).

On Sunday at 3.30pm there's a talk on writing music for film and TV, and at 8.30pm there's an outdoor showing of the film Jaws.

Bring your own seating to the outdoor showings - snacks and popcorn will be available, and the film will go ahead whatever the weather!

Latest River Test Results

 The latest news I've had on test results for pollution in the River Wye is that the Warren is safe for swimming at the moment.

 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/UX99tHiJDY4Be2Ba/

I hope the link works - this is a short video of the procession from St Mary's Church to the River Wye canoe landing stage to launch the statue of Our Lady of the Waters on the first stage of her trip down the Wye.

(I'm afraid it's a copy and paste job after all - sorry)

 

The morning started with Mass in the church, followed by the procession.  There was a brief moment of confusion when one of the bearers for the statue forgot to turn up (!) but a substitute was quickly found.  

Catherine Kramer sang a hymn under the bridge, and then the statue was securely lashed to two canoes, and launched into the river, with a small support boat that had the words Save the Wye on the sail. 

I have to say that some of the comments under the Facebook post are quite ignorant.  The statue is not "more junk ending up in the ocean".  It will be taken back to St Mary's to be used again at the end of the pilgrimage.  I don't see how another commenter could say that St Mary's was not a family church any more when they later said they never go near it - how do they know what it is like if they never go?

Also, not all the people in the procession are committed Christians, but some people were there because they are concerned about the pollution of the River Wye, which this pilgrimage is designed to highlight.  I was with a friend, and I was explaining the service to her as we went, because she is not a church goer.

Just a final word on the hymn that we were singing - the chorus was fine.  We all got "Ave Maria".  But some of the verses neither rhymed nor scanned, so they were quite difficult to sing!

What I did on my Holidays

 Here are the costumes I wore for WorldCon:

Starfleet officer, Star Trek the Next Generation

kilt in the Convention tartan

UNIT sergeant from 1970s Doctor Who

and the Demon Crowley from Good Omens.

I went to lots of interesting panel discussions, met lots of lovely people, went to a concert with full orchestra playing SF and Scottish music, attended the Hugo Awards, which are the Oscars of the SF world, and generally had a really great time!

I'm recovering now!

Launching Our Lady of the Waters Again

 I'm back from Glasgow WorldCon.  I had a brilliant time and since several people have asked me to share photos, they will be coming just as soon as I can sort them out.

The first person I bumped into when I got back to Hay was Elena.  I'd literally stepped off the last bus home, dumped my bags and gone up to Spar to get milk.  She told me that St Mary's is holding a big event on Thursday morning.

Our Lady of the Waters, the wooden statue that was the focus of a pilgrimage down the River Wye, is being launched again.  She is being taken from Hay via Bredwardine and Moccas to Hereford, in a call to action against the pollution of the River Wye.  Thursday has been chosen because it is the Feast of the Assumption, an important day in the Marian calendar (when the Virgin Mary was taken up bodily to Heaven).

The timetable is as follows: 

8.30am    Mass at St Mary's

9am        procession from St Mary's to Hay Bridge

9.30am    launch at Hay Bridge

4pm        arrival at Bredwardine (with musicians playing Bridge over Troubled Waters)

5 - 6pm    tea at Moccas village hall (£10 prior booking required - tickets from Rachel Jenkins on 01981                 500726)

6.30 - 7.30pm    Gregorian chant by the monks of Belmont Abbey at Moccas Church

The following day, the statue sets off again from Bredwardine to Hereford starting at 9am, arriving at Hereford Cathedral in time for 5.30pm Evensong in the Lady Chapel.

On August 17th, the statue will be taken in procession to All Saints Church for coffee and cake between 10 and 11am, after which the statue will continue down the river to Hoarwithy Church for Evensong at 5.30pm.

Brief Hiatus

 I shall not be posting for a week or so.

See you on the other side of the World Science Fiction Convention!

Shoplifters in Hay

 On Saturday I stopped by Gay-on-Wye, as I finally got round to picking up a copy of the book they've been promoting - The Betrayal of Thomas True by AJ West, a Georgian era gay love story and murder mystery.  

Tom had been getting in touch with other booksellers to spread the news that there were shoplifters in town - they took some clothes from Otherworldz at the craft centre in the morning and were caught on CCTV.  He hadn't got round to the Cinema Bookshop yet, so I went up to let them know.  Fortunately they had already heard through another part of the grapevine.

The good news is that the stolen clothes have been returned to Otherworldz!

They say they are going to give them a good wash, and donate them to a local homeless charity.

Sighting of Churchill

 It's not every day you lock up the shop and look up to see Winston Churchill strolling past!  He was with another chap in a 1940s suit, and two ladies.  They must have been coming from the afternoon concert at St Mary's Church.

Welcoming the Chelsea Pensioners

 

It's the latest post box topper!

Dial-a-Ride Concert

 Thanks to Adrian for reminding me about the Dial-a-Ride concert at St Mary's on Sunday 4th August, at 2pm.

The Surrey Police Band is returning to Hay to perform for Dial-a-Ride, but also for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, so there will be a 1940s theme to the afternoon.  Also performing will be the Vintage Class Singers, professional dancers Sue and Steve Mace and soprano Lauren Elizabeth Williams.

Guests of honour are Chelsea Pensioners, Royal British Legion standard bearers, the 'Queen Mum' and 'Winston Churchill'!

Tickets are £10 and can be purchased on the door.

30 Years of Dial-A-Ride

 I missed the recent Dial-a-Ride tea at Cusop Hall, but there's another celebration coming up soon to mark 30 years of Dial-a-Ride in Hay.

On Saturday 3rd August, at the Conservative Club in Hay, from 6pm,  there is going to be live music from Abba and Elvis (at least, their local impersonators!) and a barbeque.  Cwmbran Pipes and Drums will also be providing music - fancy dress optional!

International Container Reception

 

A new sign has gone up on the window of what used to be Gordon's flower shop - I'm sad to see that the flowers will not be returning there.

This was originally a sign painted on the wooden door round the back of Booths, in the side street where the Cinema now is, in the days when Richard Booth made a big thing of bringing books into Hay from all over the world.

Parking on Lion Street to unload lorries may be more difficult - it's a narrow road (well, the side road is narrow, but it is also used by traffic less).

So I'll keep watching to see what appears inside the shop....

Tuesday Evening Market

 I went up to the coach house of the Castle after work to have a look at the new evening market.  It's open from 4.30pm to 7pm.

Artistraw Cider was there, and the chap who sells organic veg in the Cheese Market on the Thursday market, and a lady selling meat, but there wasn't really any room for any more stalls.

I felt a bit embarrassed, because I hadn't gone up there to buy anything - just to have a quick look, and at that moment I was the only potential customer there.

New Heron Sculpture

 

This is the new heron statue on the Riverside Path.

Meanwhile, the seagull on top of the post box disappeared - but he hasn't been pinched.  He's just at Pugh's shop for a while and will be reunited with his chips soon!

PBFA Book Fair

 The evening before the Book Fair at Hay Castle, Hay Cinema Bookshop invited all the booksellers to a reception in the garden.  The weather was perfect for it, there was wine and delicious nibbles made by the lady from Chapters, and I met some really interesting people.  I ended up discussing South African archaeology with a lovely couple.

The book fair itself didn't feel quite so crowded as last year, but I did go quite early.  There were 18 different booksellers, and the most interesting book I saw was the original novel of The Prisoner, the 1960s TV series starring Patrick McGoohan - whose picture, in the iconic Village blazer, was on the front cover.  It's by Thomas Disch, who was a reasonably well known SF writer from the 1960s onwards.

I had some jobs to do at home that didn't take as long as I thought, so I turned up just in time to get a ticket for the bookbinding talk.  There were about a dozen people there, who all seemed to be very knowledgeable.  It was a fascinating talk by Arthur Green, who is a book binder, book conservator, and also teaches bookbinding and bookbinding history.  He is based near Malvern, and has a website at greensbooks.co.uk

I now know a lot more about how books are put together as physical objects, from the original leather bound books that were stitched and laced together, to the common hardback today which became a common style in the early 19th century, where the boards of the book are printed separately to the interior of the book, and then glued together. He made a passionate case for the second volume of the 1832 set of Byron's Life and Works being the most important book in bookbinding history.  The first volume was made with a flat spine, with the title on a piece of paper stuck to the spine.  The second volume was case-bound - with the boards produced separately and glued on, and so were the other books in the 17 volume set.

 Even though the process became mechanised, though, there was a lot of handwork, often done by women who hand stitched the sections of the book together.  One of the ladies in the audience has done research on the suffragettes, and talked a bit about the numbers of women bookbinders she had come across.

He also talked about the invention of book cloth, which made it feasable to use cloth rather than leather to bind books.  This is a starched cloth (so that the glue doesn't soak through the fabric) which was mainly produced in Manchester.

 Françoise, from the Cabinet of Curiosities, had an interesting snippet of information to add, too.  The early Beatrix Potter books were bound in calico from the Potter family business.  When we left at the end of the talk, through the book fair, it was quite exciting to find a pretty Beatrix Potter board game on one of the stalls, Paths and Burrows, with four adorable little model rabbits as playing pieces.

"Do Not Swim!"

 

Here are the signs that have just been put up on the Warren.  

With the news that the Warren had been granted bathing status came the requirement that the water was tested by the local authority - and they have immediately discovered that there is bacteria in the water which makes it unsafe for bathing.

Hopefully, they will now do something about it, by which I mean finding the source of the bacteria and stopping it from coming into the river, not just putting signs up.

Some people have been continuing to swim anyway, but it is at their own risk, now that they know the dangers.  Just off this picture to the left were some people sunbathing on the beach, and a couple of people paddling - and I passed a very wet dog on the path on the way down.

There were two pairs of swans on the river too, which is more than I've seen for a long time.

Browniebasket Honesty Stall

 

This new Honesty stall is open on Thursdays and Fridays - the delicious cakes are £2.50 each, and there's a little cash box on top of the cool box.  It's round the back of the house opposite the dentists, on Oxford Road.

And when I was walking back down to Broad Street, a procession of motorbikes went past, from the bridge up past the Clock Tower - there must have been about 50 of them!

PBFA Book Fair

 The second PBFA Book Fair to be held at Hay Castle is this Saturday from 10am to 5pm.

Entry to the book fair is free.

As well as the booksellers, there will be two talks.

At 12 noon Arthur Green will be talking about the use of cloth in English bookbinding in the early nineteenth century.  He is a book conservator and book binder, and a bookbinding historian, based in Malvern.  The cost of the talk is £8.

At 2.30pm, Jeff Towns is giving a talk called The Wilder Shores of Dylan Thomas.  He used to run the Dylan Thomas Mobile Bookbus, and spent fifty years at Dylan's Bookstore in Swansea.  He will be bringing out a book of essays on Dylan Thomas shortly.  This talk is also £8.

Both talks will take place in the Clore Learning Space, upstairs in the Castle, and tickets are available from Hay Castle Trust.

Hay Cinema Bookshop is holding a reception for the visiting booksellers on Friday evening between 6pm and 8pm, outside in the garden if fine!

New Honesty Bookshop

 One of the small shops next to Booth Books has just re-opened as an Honesty Bookshop - there's a box on the wall to put money in, and all books are £1.

The flower shop next door is still empty.

When I went inside, I saw that the wall to the left of the picture has been stripped back to the bricks and timber framing - and there are very clear carpenters' marks on the wood.  This was done so it was easy to slot the pieces of timber together - just like medieval IKEA!

These two small shops were built between two older buildings, so the wall with the carpenters' marks was originally an outdoor wall:

as you can see here.

Beer on the Wye

 I went into Hereford on the bus on Saturday afternoon for Beer on the Wye.

I'd read that the marquee was going to be at 90 degrees to previous years, to fit on the site this year, but in fact it was the same layout as it's always been.

Usually, I try to pick a beer from each of the different categories (bitter, IPA, porter, mild etc.) but this year I saw several old favourites on the list, and went straight for them.

Here's my first half of Woodforde's Wherry, from Norfolk, with the Festival programme on my folding stool.  It was very useful - there are never enough seats!

Then I went for Jaipur from Thornbridge, a strong IPA which I think I first tried at a previous Beer on the Wye.

This was followed by a very fine vegan Cornish pasty from Loafers, one of the food vans on site.

Then I went for Batemans XB, another East coast beer, followed by Uley Pig's Ear, a pale ale which isn't often seen outside the small area around the brewery in Gloucestershire.

Number five was Elgood's Black Dog Mild - I do like a good mild, and I finished off the session with something I hadn't tried before - 8 Sail's Victorian porter, which was very tasty.

And that hit my limit, with two and two thirds pints.

There were 138 cask beers on offer, including 23 from local brewers, and 148 ciders and perries on the cider bar, 100 of those being from Herefordshire producers!  Hereford Beer House provided a variety of world beers, and there were a couple of low alcohol beers and ciders as well.  They even had a listing of gluten-free and vegan beers!

Towards the end of my afternoon, the live music was just starting on the stage with The Barcodes, three blokes in hats, with guitar, bass and electric drum kit, playing a variety of songs from the sixties onward.  I rather enjoyed them.

The charity this year was Hope Support Services.

Over the weekend, 130 volunteers served nearly 20,000 pints of beer, cider and perry to over 5,000 people.

The Champion Beer of the festival was Three Tuns Best from Three Tuns Brewery in Bishop's Castle.  They've been brewing since 1642, and their beer is now brewed in a miniature Victorian tower, which means the process starts at the top and moves by gravity down to the finished product at the bottom.

Herefordshire Beer of the Year was Rock the Hops from Ledbury Real Ales, and the West Midlands Champion Cider was also from Ledbury - Wilce's Dry Cider.

Leigh Day Legal Action

 Adverts have been appearing on Facebook for a while now publicising the legal action that Leigh Day, the law firm, want to take against the chicken farms causing pollution on the River Wye.

They were also at Hay Festival talking to people about it, and I had a good chat with them there.

On Friday evening they held a meeting in the Globe in Hay, one of a series of local meetings they'd been holding all week across Herefordshire.

Doors opened at 5pm, but the speakers didn't start until 6.30pm, so I had a good chat with Françoise and Carolyn, and some very nice cake that had been laid on for the meeting.

Leigh Day is a firm that specialises in environmental legal cases, and they have been doing this since the 1980s.  They believe that the law is a tool that can be used for positive social change.

One of their big cases was against Shell in the Niger Delta, where they helped the local community to bring an action against Shell for pollution, and took them back to court when they failed to clean up the local water supply when the judgement had been that they should do that.  Another case they worked on was against a Zambian copper mine, but in this case the copper mine cleaned up their act as soon as liability was proved against them.

In recent years they've shifted their focus to the UK, and in particular the water companies, and the consistant failure by the regulators and government to hold them to account for the sewage and pollution in our rivers.  A recent court success was that planning applications now have to include a climate impact assessment.

The way it works is that the firm organises a group litigation, on a no win - no fee basis.  If the case is won, then Leigh Day take a proportion of the damages to cover their costs.  If they lose, they will have taken out insurance which will cover the cost - and the fact that the insurance company is willing to take out a policy means that they think the case has a good chance of success.  Each person who signs up to be a part of the case is represented individually, but all the cases are heard together.  When damages are awarded, this is a deterrent to the companies - if they have to make a big pay out because of their actions, they should be less likely to do it again.  

In this case Cargill, one of the companies involved, have been shown to have done the same thing on the Oklahoma River in the USA that they are now doing on the River Wye, so there is a body of evidence already in existance to support the River Wye claim.  Cargill is an equal shareholder in Avara in the UK.  Someone said that the Cargill family are the richest people in the world, which isn't quite true, but they're certainly up there with the top billionaires.  So they can afford to clean up after themselves.

The representatives of Leigh Day invited a couple of local speakers.  One was Oliver Bullough, who talked about the plan he's been involved with to gain bathing status for the Warren.  Testing the water has now started, and the Welsh government has to publish the findings.  The Friends of the River Wye (including the Friends of the River Lugg) are considering the possibilities of extending bathing status to Glasbury and Rhayader, too.

The other speaker is the owner of Black Mountain View caravan park, near Lower House Farm close to Hay.  Which used to be a nice place to stay until the chicken shed was erected.  Now they have to deal with the smell of the chicken manure and flies, and the fans in the chicken sheds making a noise constantly.  They are also worried about the streams that feed into the River Wye, where there are white clawed crayfish and newts, which are supposed to be protected species.

They have fishing rights along a stretch of the River Wye, and this used to be quite busy, but now only a handful of fishermen come, and they say they never catch anything, and there's been at least one case of a dog getting sick after it had been in the river.  

The speaker (Dave? I think) had all the facts and figures about the failures of the planning process with Powys County Council over a number of years.

 Later in the evening, a member of the audience spoke as well.  He turned out to be the Labour candidate who stood against Jesse Norman in the general election - he's also a teacher.  He ran the length of the river to raise awareness of the pollution, and was surprised to find how many people have no idea that there is a problem.

In the Question and Answer session, they explained who could join the claim.  It's people like the owner of Black Mountain View caravan park, of course, and any other businesses that have suffered damage because of the pollution, but also anyone who uses the river for recreation - or who used to go swimming or kayaking or fishing, but no longer do.  

Even before the claim has been brought, the Avara management has been talking about their management of manure from the chicken sheds, presumably in an effort to appear to be doing the right thing.

Someone asked about why the focus was on chicken farms, and they explained that the population of Herefordshire has remained fairly constant over the last few years, and the amount of agricultural run-off has likewise been fairly constant - so what's changed to pollute the river?  And the answer is an explosion of chicken farms, which have been given planning permission without any thought as to the cumulative effect of so many of them.  They also need to make clear that it isn't the farmers they are taking action against - it's the big companies that the farmers are working for.

Civil law does not require the same amount of proof as scientific proof (the citizen scientists were mentioned for the good work they are doing in testing the water regularly and building up a body of evidence on the phosphate levels).  In court they only need to prove something on the balance of probability, so that it is likely that chicken farms are the main culprit without having to trace the pollution back directly to their door.  And even if Avara say they are complying with all the regulations, the problem still exists, and it is something that they should have to do something about.

A judgement against Avara would include damages for past loss, but also injunctions to prevent future loss - so they would have to work to clean up the mess they have made, and make sure that they don't cause a mess in future.

One recent development that may be helpful is that people can now sue the water companies for discharging sewage into the rivers, which only happened about two weeks ago.

The meeting ended with a short film called Fish Boy, by Rivers that Dance, about a theatrical presentation for schools about a boy who is friends with a fish, and when the fish disappears, he goes on a journey to find out why, and finds out all about the pollution of the river.

So Leigh Day needs as many people as possible to come forward to be part of the claim.  The leaflet I picked up only has a QR code to contact them, which I can't reproduce here, but I found their website at: 

https://www.leighday.co.uk/forms/river-wye-join-the-claim/

Inside the Cabinet of Curiosities

 I went along to Henallt House quite early, but Françoise told me later that they had been busy all evening, up until 10pm (I was chatting to her before the talk about the legal action to save the River Wye, which I will talk about in a later post).

The exhibits in the house are beautifully laid out.  There seems at first to be only a small display - but they all go into such detail!  I was very impressed with the display of cords made from different plants - Cordage by Sarah Putt - with all sorts of plants from banana to wheat.

Each room is dedicated to a different author or other famous person.  So The Pencil of Nature, with the cordage and the botanical illustrations, is dedicated to Henry Fox Talbot the early photographer, and across the hall is Richard Booth's Kingdom of Books, with a lovely Beatrix Potter display in one corner - she is being recognised as a serious illustrator of nature now, rather than just a writer of children's books.

Upstairs two of the rooms are dedicated to Tristan Gooley (How to Read Water) and Robert Macfarlane (Underland) - two recent books that are best sellers.  In the Brent Elliot/Flora room I learned that there are 30 plants with 'Angel' in their name, and in the Claire Wilcox/Patchwork room I learned that French linen used to be sent to Haiti to be bleached, to give it a fashionable blue-white tint.

Upstairs again is a room dedicated to the night sky, named for Jun'ichiro Tanazaki, and one dedicated to the French author Colette.  Jun'ichiro Tanazaki was a Japanese novelist who wrote an essay called In Praise of Shadows, and at the end of Colette's life a publisher called Mermod, from Lausanne, sent bouquets to her regularly, which she wrote about in Pour un herbier, a book of twenty two short essays.

There's also an exhibit of the Earth drowning in plastic.  There are small notices all around the exhibition giving extra information, and many of these are reproduced in the copy of the Cabbage Leaf that was being handed out to visitors as they came into the house.  The notice for this exhibit had the title "5.25 trillion pieces", which is the estimated number of pieces of plastic in the ocean right now.

Signs in the Patchwork room talked about the impact of the fashion industry on the natural world, from the amount of water needed to produce one pair of jeans (3,780 litres) to carbon emissions (8 - 10% of all carbon emissions and rising) and micro plastics (2.2 million tonnes of microfibres from clothes entering the oceans every year).

In the How to Read Water room, along with the display of pottery and clay pipes found by mudlarks on the River Thames, there was information about the 500 poultry farms in Shropshire, Herefordshire and Powys, and their impact on the River Wye, polluted rivers across the UK, and ice caps melting at a rate of 420 billion tonnes per year, leading to rising sea levels.

The little display of butterflies on the landing (dedicated to Charles Darwin) noted that the numbers of Monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico has fallen by 59% because of pesticide use and climate change, while in the UK the numbers of common butterfly species on farmland has fallen by 58% due to modern agricultural practices.

Also scattered about the house are a series of wooden puppets, each with a different costume created by Maizie Hardy.  There's a Welsh woman in a costume made from scraps of Welsh blankets, a Georgian dress covered in wild flowers called Lady of the Meadows, and The Queen of the Night in black velvet and silver sparkles.  The puppet in the Gardening alcove has a smocked top (that area is dedicated to Frances Hodgson Burnett and her book The Secret Garden).  There's also a Welsh miner, and a swimmer and a reader, and others.

All this, and I haven't even mentioned the kitchen, or the beautiful back garden, or the Rachel Carson area under the stairs - and there is far more!

Françoise and Pierre have plans for the house - I really hope they manage to achieve them!

Boozy Weekend

 Two alcohol-related events are on this weekend.

The big one is Beer on the Wye at the Rowing Club in Hereford.  It starts this afternoon (Friday) at 2pm and runs until Sunday afternoon.  On offer are 135 real ales, 130 ciders and a variety of world beers.  Food is available on site, and there is live music on Saturday and Sunday - Sunday is also the family friendly day.

It was thought that last year would be the last Beer on the Wye, because Hereford Rowing Club were planning changes to the field where the marquee is pitched, but the Rowing Club and the local CAMRA group got together and worked out a solution so that Beer on the Wye can continue - with the marquee moved at 90 degrees to its previous position.  The organisers think that this might actually be an improvement, and it means the beer festival is safe for years to come.

More locally, Artistraw Cider are having a Midsummer celebration on Saturday 13th July, at their orchard on Priory Lane in Clifford.  The event runs from 3pm to 11pm, and as well as the cider, Lucky 7 beer and Black Mountains Vineyard wine will be available, and gin and tonic from Hay Distillery, plus a variety of non-alcoholic options.  The Origin Pizza van will be there as well.  Parking is limited, so car sharing is encouraged - or even walking!  The Wye Valley Walk runs close to the orchard.

Music Everywhere!

 Hay Music is going for percussion tomorrow night with the Ensemble Bash Quartet in Hay Castle at 7.30pm.  Tickets are £17.50 or £8.75 for under 25s.  Their programme includes traditional drumming from Senegal.

The following day, at the Globe, there will be an interactive Samba drumming session starting at 11am.  It's for adults, but can include any age from 12 upwards.

Meanwhile at St. Mary's Church, Hay Madrigals and the Ystradivarius Ensemble are having a concert at 3.30pm on Saturday 13th.  Tickets are £10 on the door, with tea, coffee, wine and cakes afterwards.

Guest Author at Gay-on-Wye

AJ West will be in conversation with local bookseller Dale from Clocktower Books tomorrow evening at about 6.30pm, talking about his new book The Betrayal of Thomas True.  It's a historical thriller set around the molly houses of Georgian London, and it's getting rave reviews.

Tickets are £5, and they've already had to move the venue from the Gay-on-Wye shop to the larger space of Hay Distillery round the corner.  

AJ West also wrote The Spirit Engineer (and I think this is my push to try a new author, because both books look fascinating).

I'll be at the Cabinet of Curiosities, and I think I can only cope with one event per night, though some people are planning to do both.  There's just so much good stuff happening around Hay at the moment that it's hard to keep up!

Roadshow for the River Wye

 The law firm Leigh Day are staging talks around Herefordshire all this week.  They have plans to bring a law suit to clean up the pollution in the River Wye, and they want to know what local people think about it, and how the state of the river affects them and their businesses.

The roadshow will be visiting the Globe in Hay on Friday 12th July.  Doors open at 5pm, and the talk itself gets going at 6.30pm.

Yesterday they were in Dingestow Village Hall.

This evening they're at the Left Bank Village in Hereford.

Tomorrow evening they're at Goodrich Village Hall

On Thursday, starting from 5.30pm, they're at Grange Court, Leominster, and on Friday they're here in Hay.

Finally, on Sunday, they'll be at Penybont and District Community Centre from 12 noon to 4pm.

Cabinet of Curiosities

 Henallt House on Oxford Road will be open on the evening of Thursday 11th July, from 5pm to 10pm.

The exhibits throughout the house are all related to nature and botany - the latest issue of the Cabbage Leaf has more details of what is in each room.  Some rooms are dedicated to books or authors, such as My Kingdom of Books and Richard Booth in one of the ground floor rooms, Oliver Sacks, Frances Hodgeson Burnett's Secret Garden, Arnold Wesker in the kitchen, Rachel Carson, Ronald Macfarlane, Tristan Gooley and more.

Building work will be starting soon to renovate the house, and the hope is to set up a space dedicated to botanical illustration, with a specialised library, and possibly offering residencies to young scientists, botanical illustrators or apprentices involved in the natural world.

Damp Pride

 The weather wasn't brilliant, but people still seemed to have a good time!

It was a busy day in Hay, with the Saturday Market in the square, and the Craft and Well-Being Fair in the garden of the Globe, as well as Hay Pride at the Castle.

I had a quick look round the Well-Being Fair while I was waiting for the Pride parade to start.  There were three Tarot readers there - the going rate seems to be £30 for 30 minutes.  There were some people with therapy beds, too, and I had a good chat with one of the craftspeople.  She had some rather sweet stick mermaids, with woven tails, and called herself The Hag Under the Hill Spirit Dolls.  Billie Charity was there as the official photographer, and Amelie Williams as the official artist - she designed the new tote bags and tshirt logo.

I am actually in this picture, in a red coat off to the right hand side, just behind the samba band (picture taken by Malk Williams and shared on Facebook).

I think the Pride parade was even bigger than last year, and because the Saturday market was filling the square, the parade continued down Castle Street and round to the other Castle entrance on Oxford Road.  There was a samba band leading the procession, and the dancers in the enormous Welsh hats were back.

At the Castle, the taiko drummers were on the stage, and there was a flash mob dancing to songs like Queen's I Want to Break Free.  Boo La Croux sang Come to the Cabaret, and there was a short speech from the other two organisers of the event.  They pointed out that Pride is always political, and pledged their support for our trans brothers and sisters, and also for the people suffering in Palestine.  

Hay Pride couldn't have happened without grant funding, but they have also been fund raising, and said that the money they raised will go to future Hay Prides, but also to a Palestinian children's charity.

There were stalls on the Castle lawn, split about 50/50 between merchandise and health and charities.  The lady at the HIV stall, Fast Track Cymru, reckoned they had the best free swag - I got a nice bright red tote bag from them.  They were also providing information for sexual health, including home testing kits for sexually transmitted diseases, and a leaflet on trans and non-binary sexual health from the Terance Higgins Trust.  They can be found at www.fasttrack.wales

I met a couple of people from Squirrel Friends, too - they provide support for trans people, and can be found at squirrelfriends.org.uk  I have no idea what squirrels have to do with it!

PAVO were also there, and West Mercia Women's Aid, which supports people affected by domestic abuse.  They can be found at www.westmerciawomensaid.org

There was also a leaflet from Fighting with Pride, a charity for LGBT+ military veterans.  Their website is at www.fightingwithpride.org.uk

Then there was the fun stuff - Otherworldz, Gay-on-Wye and Lauren's comic stall were there selling a variety of rainbow themed stuff and books and comics.  Hay Pride was selling tshirts and tote bags, and I went a bit mad at the badge stall.  Inside the Castle there were more stalls with crafts and stickers and so on.

Later there was a dog show and there were also food stalls.

In the evening there was a cabaret at the Globe.

It was all great fun, and I met lots of friends there!  And everyone admired my rainbow coloured long cap, that I knitted myself.

Latest Post Box Topper

 

Even the chips are knitted!