Cusop Churchyard

 I've got a copy of the lidar results for Cusop Churchyard, from the survey that was done as part of the historical research into the history of the church, so I went up yesterday (in between the early shower and the later thunderstorm!) to see how it related to the present day churchyard.  

There's a clear, though partial, oval on the map, which must be the original boundary of the churchyard, with the church in the middle.  The modern churchyard has grown round the edges, and in the area to the west of the church, which is sometimes used for car parking, it disappears entirely.  The features on the lidar map are all underground, and thus invisible when you're walking round the churchyard, though I did like the way that one of the mown paths, between the church and the old school, more or less follows the line of the original boundary.  

That's the area of the churchyard where the fallen oak tree has been carved by Danny Thomas.  The parish council had a list of animals to suggest to him, and got a badger and an owl, but Danny thought that the third branch would be best as an otter, which wasn't on the list, but they're delighted with it.

 

I met one of the churchwardens, sweeping up the yew tree needles by the church door, and she told me all about it.  They're also quite excited, in the group of parishes that includes Cusop, about the licensing of their new vicar, Rev. Vicki Burrows - just as soon as all the paperwork can be sorted out!  She's already written the Thought for the Month in the Link magazine, and she will be living in the Rectory at Cusop with her husband Billy.

Cusop Church is also an Eco Church, and they've done a lot to encourage wildlife in the churchyard - and they report in the Link that an adder has been seen in Cusop Dingle!

The Friends of Cusop Church will be holding a Table Top Sale in Cusop Village Hall on Sunday 20th September from 10am to 12 noon.  If anyone wants to book a table, they are £5, and you contact Cherry on 01497 820 396. 

And on Tuesday 22nd September, John Price will be showing films of local interest at the monthly Tea and Chat meeting at Cusop Village Hall at 2pm.  Also with tea and a raffle.  

Hay Music Festival

 It's almost time for the Hay Music Festival.  It runs from 11th to 14th September this year, and there's lots of good stuff happening in several venues around Hay.  There's a theme running through the weekend of music and healing.

On Friday 11th, the Fitzwilliam String Quartet are giving a concert, with Simon Callaghan on the piano, called Bringing light into darkness.

On Saturday 12th there's the Sinfonia Cymru Wind Quintet with piano, doing two concerts (the second as an Octet/Nonet!), followed by Martin Litton and the Doctors of Jazz.

The three concerts are entitled: Music to lift your day, Music that brings joy and Music that lifts the soul.

On Sunday there's a discussion entitled Music as a Treatment, with composer Nigel Osborne and Michael Trimble, Professor of Neuroscience at Queen's Square and UCL.

There's also a film called Love and Mercy, about Brian Wilson, the founder of the Beach Boys, and his struggles with mental illness - and how music was central to his life and recovery.

The final concert will be the Fitzwilliam Quartet again, with Mozart, Beethoven and a world premiere by Osborne. 

There are also outreach workshops, which are by invitation only.

The first is with composer Robert Peate, cellist Roz Gladstone and violinist Selina Hamilton which is specially for children who are part of the Adoption Support Service, using music, writing, movement, crafting and so on, with trained therapists.

The Fitzwilliam Quartet will be doing outreach workshops with primary and secondary school pupils, and also an interactive performance at the HayDay Cafe for disabled adults, people with dementia and their carers. 

More information, and tickets, are on the Hay Music website. 

h.art week

 It's time for h.art week, beginning on Saturday 5th September, and as usual there are several exhibitions and open studios locally.

Hawthorn Gallery on Castle Street is showing landscapes by Barry Martin-Andrews, alongside their usual selection of pottery, glass, jewellery and woodturning.

John Clare has his paintings in the room at the back of Tinto House.

Menna Angharad and Jeremy Stiff have their studio up in the hills beyond Tregoyd.  He makes wood and steel sculptures and she paints in oils.  Some of Jeremy Stiff's work can be seen in the garden of Hay Cinema Bookshop, and for a while hcb also had some of Menna Angharad's paintings on display inside the shop.  There was a big picture of golden eggs hanging in the Travel department that I liked very much, so I was quite disappointed when the exhibition came down.

Up in Michaelchurch Escley there Crispin Thornton Jones has his studio.  He paints detailed landscapes, which are well worth a close look.

And Dore Abbey is hosting thirteen local artists, with ceramics, felting, glass works, painting, printmaking, textiles, willow work and woodcraft. 

Meal with an Author at North Books

 North Books are having a special event on Thursday3rd September at 6pm - an entire three course Italian meal, with a glass of Etna wine, to celebrate the book The Fire in the Mountain.  It's a book about wine growing in Sicily, by local author Helena Attlee, who lives in Presteigne.

It's essential to book, because the tickets are £50 each, and space is limited. 

Community Campus

 There was a presentation in the back room of the Swan today of the plans for the Community Campus.  This is the sports centre/community space/offices for local bodies like Dial-a-Ride/youth club which has been proposed by HADSCAL for the site next to the doctors' surgery on Forest Road.  They also want a cafe and a hall that would seat 150 people, with a stage.

I was reminded that it was happening by seeing a post on Facebook from Gareth Ratcliffe, who went to the VIP presentation last night.  Today was for any member of the community to come and make their views known, and it looked as if a good number of people had come through.  They had various places around the room where people could write their ideas or what they thought about the project, and there were plenty of answers on display.

The next stage for the organisers is to get planning permission from the National Parks - they've been thinking carefully about green roofs, and solar panels over the parking places, and keeping the light pollution as low as possible because of the National Parks Dark Skies area.  Only after that can they start applying for funding to build.

It's been designed in modules, so it can be built in several stages as the funding becomes available.  One aspect of the plan that I really liked was the idea of a swimming pool that is part covered and part open air (and I don't even swim!).  

Part of the plan is for 10 business units, and the rent from those would be used to fund the campus, as well as rent from the offices inside the main buildings.  The design also includes allotment plots, some of which are already there at the edge of the playing fields. 

A lot of hard work has been done to get the plans to this stage, and I hope that they succeed in getting the campus built. 

Wildfire near Builth Wells

 We saw a fire engine from the Hay fire station heading off with sirens blaring yesterday lunch time.  It seems they were answering a call out to a wildfire near Builth Wells.  Five fire engines were on the scene, from all over the area.

There have been more wildfires this year than I ever remember in Wales before.

Which is worrying.

(Yes, climate change is real, and the fossil fuel companies should be shut down before they make the situation any worse.) 

Schumann Concert

 Before I start, I'd like to say that the cake making ladies are awesome!  I had a delicious blackberry sponge cake before the concert started.

I went into this knowing nothing about Clara and Robert Schumann, and it was such a sad story, beautifully illustrated with piano pieces played by Rosemary Firmin.  At one point, she also played the part of Maria, Clara and Robert's oldest daughter, playing for her father.  

When Clara's father finally allowed them to marry (they had to bring a law suit to force him!) they had eight children together and seemed to be very happy.  He was composing and running a music magazine, and she was a concert pianist who also composed.

Then he became ill, and ended up in an insane asylum, and Clara was left to provide for all the children and pay his medical bills.  Sadly, he never recovered, and died, and Clara spent the rest of her life touring, becoming the foremost concert pianist of her age.

The performance was made up of letters and diary entries, as well as linking passages explaining what was happening in their lives, and it was brilliantly well done.

I'm sorry to say that I no longer have the flyer for the performance, so I can't remember the names of the performers, but they were really very good. 

Secret Wine Bar and Japanese Lunch

 

This is the view from the garden of Belmont House, which was open for the Secret Wine Bar and Japanese food.  I had a glass of pink fizz called Running at Rabbits from the Black Mountain Winery, which was very nice, and for lunch I had the marinaded vegetables and pork meat balls, which were delicious.

No Bus, No Picnic

 

Here's the big screen set up for the cycle race at the bottom of the car park.

I hadn't seen any information about the buses, so I assumed that they would be running, though with diversions because the Brecon Road is closed for the cycle race.

However, when we checked the bus tracker map, we could see that the bus crossed the river at Glasbury, and just kept going without coming into Hay at all.

It wasn't that important for me - it would have been nice to go to the picnic and meet the Hereford Pagans, but it wasn't essential - but the lady I was waiting with needed to catch a train, and has lost the money for the ticket.

So instead I intend to visit the Secret Wine Bar and go to the Clara Schumann concert at 3.30pm. 

 

Secret Wine Bar

 

One of the many things that will be happening on Saturday (and Sunday, in this case).

There's also a concert at St Mary's Church in the afternoon, about the life of Clara Schumann.  It starts at 3.30pm, and is free, with a retiring collection in aid of church funds.

The car park will be full of the sports village, and a big screen to watch the cycle race.

And I think I'll be off to Hereford for the Pagan Picnic at Castle Green.  Usually the local pagan events are in the evenings, so there are no buses back to Hay, but this one runs from 11am to 2pm, so I can actually get there and back.   

A Shop Called Alice

 

Hay's newest bookshop is now open for business - specialising in Alice in Wonderland books.

Parking during the Cycle Race

 Some good news from Gareth Ratcliffe's Facebook page - extra parking has been arranged for the Saturday of the Cycle Race at Brecon Road and the Football Club on Forest Road.  Proceeds from the parking charges will go to charity, specifically the switching lights project (Christmas lights???).  There will also be extra parking at the end of Brecon Road near the Festival site, and possibly something across the river at Clyro.

The finishing line of the cycle race will be on Brecon Road, which will be closed so they can put up all the usual barriers and bollards and so on around the finishing line.

The main car park will be used as a sports village during the day.  People will be able to see the cyclists after the race and there will be a big screen showing the race as they come down from Llanidloes, with commentary.  The race organisers are expecting around 4,000 people to turn up, on top of the usual holiday crowds that come to Hay.

The race will be coming through Clyro, down to Glasbury and over the river at Glasbury bridge to end up in Hay, and the roads will only be closed when the race is moving through that stretch. 

Launching Our Lady of the Wye

 

Here's the boat about to set off down the River Wye, with the statue of the Virgin Mary firmly attached.  

The morning started with a short Mass (no hymns) at St Mary's, followed by a procession through Hay and down to the canoe landing stage.  On the way, I chatted to a lady from Presteigne.  She had come down because she knew Father Richard, who now lives there, and seems to have settled in well after his time in Hay.  Another lady had come from Abergavenny to take part.  

Also this year a couple of ladies from the Friends of the River Wye had brought collection tins to rattle as we walked through the town.  They were also handing out copies of the Riverside Code.  It's a little booklet with a hand-drawn map of the river catchment area in the middle, with lots of useful information about the river, the situation with pollution, and what people can do to help, either through their own actions or by joining a variety of local groups.

The statue went down to Whitney on Wye, stopping at The Boat for evensong at Ss Peter and Paul on Saturday afternoon.

Today there was the Patronal Mass at St. Mary's Hay in the morning, and Vespers at St Thomas and St Bede Catholic Church in Weobley. 

Tomorrow they're going down the river from Whitney to Bredwardine Bridge, and evensong is at S Michael and All Angels, Moccas, with monks from Belmont Abbey doing Gregorian chant (and also wine and canapes). 

On Tuesday they go from Bredwardine Bridge to Hereford Cathedral for evensong, followed by a party in the Old Chapel.

On Wednesday, they're going from Hereford Cathedral to Hoarwithy, for the final evensong at St Catherine's, Hoarwithy with Ross Parish Church Choir.

The river is very low indeed, and a lady in a bikini actually waded out into the channel to make sure that it was deep enough to launch the boat.

 

National Fire Alert

 We've been three months without rain (apart from one evening of drizzle that didn't do much to help the parched plants) and last night I heard a strange electronic beeping.  It didn't sound like any of the electronic devices I own, so it was a puzzle.  Then it went again, and I thought to check my phone - to find a National Alert from the government about the dangers of wildfires.

Nice to know the system works, but it wasn't exactly news - we've been smelling smoke from wildfires in the area for days in Hay, and seeing the haze in the air.

As a result of the warning, though, the barbecue at Cusop Village Hall has been called off - it was going to be held on Sunday, but they've decided not to risk setting the grass alight. 

Cycle Race

 Yellow signs have been going up around town to close roads - and the car park - for a big cycle race on Saturday (where tourists are meant to park while the car park is closed is another matter!).

I checked the one on the road to the church, and it won't affect the procession in the morning carrying the statue of the Virgin Mary down to the river to be launched on this year's pilgrimage.  That road closes at 1.30pm.

The race itself is pretty prestigious.  It's the Tour of Britain Women race, attracting top cyclists from around the world.  They start at Cockermouth in Cumbria, with a stage that goes through the Lake District.  Then it's Clitheroe to Blackpool in Lancashire, finishing along Blackpool Promenade.

Stage 3 moves down to North Wales, from Mold to the Great Orme.

We're involved in Stage 4, Llanidloes to Hay - which explains why they need the car park, for the finish.

The final stage moves to the Midlands, doing a circle around Leamington Spa.

So watch out for cyclists on Saturday - they'll probably be going very fast! 

[Updated to add:  the cycle race is on 22nd August, and the Virgin Mary sets off down the Wye on the 15th, so the procession wouldn't be affected anyway!] 

Afternoon Concert

 There was a time when I would deliberately avoid concerts with a classically trained singer with piano accompaniment - but I really enjoyed this one, possibly because I know the singer and the pianist.

Lucy Green and Rosemary Firmin gave a wonderful concert at St. Mary's, which was free, with a retiring collection in aid of church funds.  Lucy sang in French, German and Italian, from a wide variety of composers, and Rosemary also played a couple of pieces for piano, one of which was by Clara Schumann.  There was also an excellent choice of cakes and drinks at the back (they really do work hard to make the concerts a success).  I enjoyed the lemon drizzle cake.

There will be another concert on Saturday 22nd August which tells the story of Robert and Clara Schumann.  Rosemary will be on the piano again, and she will be joined by Birgitta Claus, narrating, and Steve Goodridge, narrating and singing tenor.

The tag line on the poster is "Passion, determination, tragedy and beautiful music!"  It sounds fascinating!

The concert will start at 3.30pm. 

Medieval Festival

 I went into Hereford today, and there were flags all over the city centre for the Medieval Festival.

The Festival itself is next weekend, the 15th and 16th August, and they seem to be throwing themselves into the spirit of the thing. 

They're starting with a medieval feast in the Cathedral on the Friday evening. 

Most of the activity seems to be taking place around the Cathedral, with archery, the Museum on the Move, hog roast, all sorts of stalls, a blacksmith display, re-enactor's village and arenas for combat demonstrations.

Then in High Town there's story telling, stocks and trying on armour.  Members of the public can try out weapons training, archery, and medieval dancing, and the re-enactment group involved seems to be the Shrewsbury Levy. 

Around town there will also be guided history walks, ghost walks, and children's horrid history walks. 

It all sounds like brilliant fun, and now I'm torn, because Saturday 15th August is also the day of the beginning of the River Pilgrimage, taking the statue of the Virgin Mary down the Wye from St Mary's Church.  I hope there'll be enough water in the river for them to launch the boat! 

Photoshoot

 At the beginning of the year, I was contacted by a lady who was putting together an exhibition of photos of women involved in pagan practices around the country.  I have been known to do the occasional ritual, and I did go to the Pagan Picnic in Hereford the other year, so I just about qualify!

So last week, she contacted me again, and said that she now had funding for the project, so yesterday she came round to take some photos.  I took her to Swan Well, which is extremely photogenic, especially now that people have started leaving flowers there.  Then I took her down to the Warren and talked about the Friends of the River Wye and how all the pagan activities I've done seem to involve water in some way.  This includes himalayan balsam bashing!  Some pagan activities can be very practical - it's the intention that counts.  I've also successfully dowsed for water - which is a useful talent at the moment!

Then I took her home and showed her my collection of Tarot card decks.

It was all great fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing copies of the photos she's taken.

Her exhibition will be on at the Portico Library in Manchester later this year. 

Trip to Brecon

 I needed to look at an article in Brycheiniog journal, and for that I needed to go to the library in Brecon.

When the library was in the older building at the top of Ship Street, I used to use the local history reference section a lot.  Back then it was in a corner of the main library.  

Now it's in a little room upstairs, and half of the cabinets are locked because they've had some problems with theft.  The staff are all very helpful, though, and I was soon sitting down with the relevant volume and taking notes.

Before I left, I made sure that my library card was re-activated, because I haven't used it for a while, because I'm sure I'll be going back to look at other things in the collection.

There's also a Meg Stevens exhibition on, which I didn't have time to see.  I love her paintings of wild flowers and landscapes. 

Having done my research, I just had time to have a quick look round the town centre, dodging the roadworks - they're pedestrianising the centre of town, apart from one narrow lane for traffic - and I ended up in the Brecon Tap with a half of Good Old Boys, which was very pleasant.  I didn't see what brewery it came from, as the price label obscured the pump.  They were pretty busy, and I was pleased to see that they are still doing pies and pints.

I had a brief moment of anxiety at the bus station.  The bus to Hay used to go from the first stand, which is marked T4.  The bus came in at about the time I was expecting - but it was the Brecon to Merthyr Tydfil T4.  The X44 now goes from the second stand - and it came in about five minutes later.