Knitting at the Bean Box

 I got a message on Facebook yesterday morning from a friend who has just taken up knitting, and was in a bit of a pickle.  After warning her that I'm only at the Ladybird Book of Knitting stage myself, we agreed to meet up at the Bean Box, where she would treat me to a coffee.

It's been pretty damp over the last few days, and showery, which has made the garden at the Bean Box look really lush and green.  We took shelter in the undercroft of the house, that opens onto the garden.  It's a low arched room, now lined with bookshelves.  Tim the Gardener, who used to sell his books from the alley way entrance to the the garden of Tinto House, now sells from the Bean Box.  He's got an interesting and carefully curated collection of books there - he often buys from the outdoor bins at the Cinema Bookshop, and I always have really interesting conversations with him when I'm on the desk.  He has a huge knowledge of historic literature.

Tim's also taken over their garden - after he told Johnny, who runs the Bean Box, that  he was tired of walking past it looking so awful (I'm paraphrasing here!), when it should be a flagship for people entering Hay over the bridge.  His condition was that they wouldn't criticise anything he did!

Down the middle of the room is a long table with chairs, and we settled near the door, where the best light was, so we could examine the knitting.  She's starting with a scarf - and it's a patterned scarf, so she's leaping straight in with learning knit and purl in ribs.  We only had to undo four stitches at the end of a row - I'd taken my own knitting along so we used my spare needle to slip the stitches onto, and then she could finish the row.  

Then we had to work out how many stitches she was working with - the pattern said 16, and she obviously had far more than that in a row, but she couldn't remember how many her other friend, who had cast on for her, had started with.  Well, it was 46, and she was about four or five inches into the pattern, so that seemed a good number to keep to.  There were plain knitting rows in the pattern, so we decided it would be best to do a couple of plain rows and then get back to the ribs.  

It was really pleasant to be sitting there, looking out at the garden, and knitting in company.  I kind of miss Stitch and Bitch for that (the group stopped meeting over lockdown), and Catherine said she was really starting to enjoy the knitting while we were chatting together.  I think she'd been having to concentrate too much to relax to begin with - you do have to pay attention when you're starting out, and I could at least talk her through what to do when she made any mistakes, and reassure her that these things can usually be easily fixed.  

While we were there, several people came to browse the books, and stopped to chat, including a lovely Australian couple who are spending a month touring around the southern parts of England, mostly - the roads are a bit different to what they're used to in Australia!

So that was a really lovely start to my day, and I'm looking forward to seeing Catherine's scarf when she finishes it!

House Moving Anniversary

 It's exactly a year since I moved into my new place - and my old house is still standing empty.

Ticket Offices at Railway Stations

 There's a lot of concern at the moment about the news that ticket offices at railway stations are about to be closed across England.  A lot of this concern comes from disabled groups - it's already difficult for people who use wheelchairs, or are blind, to travel, since they often need assistance at stations, and where are they going to find staff if the ticket office is closed? 

Transport for Wales have said that they do not plan to close any ticket offices, which is a relief to me, because they are responsible for Hereford Station.  I always buy my tickets at the ticket office - it's easier for me than buying tickets online, and I usually get a better deal, and better advice on routes, than I would online, too.  

I've also been on journeys where trains are late, so I've needed to find out whether I will catch my connection, or change my route - and I need to be able to find a member of staff to do that.  (Travelling home from Lincoln to Hereford was an adventure I'd rather not repeat, even with the help of staff on the way!).  I'm able bodied and at least vaguely compos mentis, and I can find it difficult, so I have every sympathy with the disabled people who are protesting about this.

New Location for Lucky 7 Brewery

 The programme for Beer on the Wye this year had a section on local breweries - including the news that Lucky 7 brewery has moved across the border to Cusop!  They say it's on the site of the old railway station, so I went up to have a look.

I think the railway station was nearer to Hay and Brecon Farmers, and they're not there, so I went further along the road to Clifford, past the Co-op, and came to the industrial units....

So there they are, at Unit 4.

Graffiti in Hereford

 On the way to Beer on the Wye, I saw this graffiti on the wall of the car park:

"Cheap chicken (poo) is killing our River Wye"

(The graffiti is in chalk, so it'll easily wash off).

Just a reminder that the pollution to the river is still going on, with no signs of it stopping any time soon.

Beer on the Wye XVII

 Off to Hereford this afternoon for the first day of Beer on the Wye, and a lovely sunny day for it!

The bus got me to Hereford shortly before one, and Beer on the Wye opened to the general public at 2pm, so I had time to take some stuff to a charity shop (I usually go to the RSPCA, as it's close to the bus stop where I get off), and find something to eat before I started drinking.  I found a little crepes stall just inside the entrance to the Market - I just had a plain one with lemon and sugar to try it out, and it was delicious.

I do not have a large capacity for beer these days, so my approach has to be pretty well targetted.  So although there were over 149 different draught ciders on offer, 90 of them from Herefordshire, I wasn't going to try any of them - or the 53 World Beers, partly because I am very much out of practice at knowing what the different beer styles are like.

That leaves the 134 beers, so there was plenty for me to choose from.  I was drinking thirds, too, so I could try as many different beers as possible over the afternoon.

As soon as I stepped into the marquee, I spotted the barrels of Uley beer.  I have happy memories of a CAMRA coach trip to the Uley brewery, which ended with the brewer playing his accordion while we sang, so I started off with the excellent Old Spot, a 5% ruby ale  (several of my choices were on the strong side).

Also at that end of the bar was Jaipur, from Thornbridge, which I'm pretty sure I remember winning best beer of the Festival a few years ago - this one is a Pale Ale, very well hopped, and 5.9%.

After that I was in the mood for something completely different - Moonraker Mild, from Empire brewery in Huddersfield, which was only 3.8%, and not hoppy at all.

My fourth choice was a porter from a brewery called Wildcraft in Norwich.  It was flavoured with cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, and my mouth went 'Wow!'  It was also 5%, and my favourite of this year's Festival.

Finally, I'd noticed a new distillery housed in an old toilet block near the swimming baths on my way into Hereford.  This is Goldenwake Distillery, and they had provided a barrel of Honey Ale, which is technically a mead made with hops!  It's 4.4%.  I tend to think of Moniak Mead as the gold standard of meads, and this one was quite a bit lighter than that, but very thirst quenching, and I would certainly try it again.

By that time, I was sharing a table with a retired truck driver and his friend who had come down for the day on the train from Birmingham - I took my own stool, which was a wise move.  We had a very pleasant conversation about the beers.  One of them was enjoying Absolutely Cherried, a cherry porter from 4TS brewery in Warrington, and the other was enjoying the dark mild from Bank Top in Bolton.

According to Mark Haslam's introduction to the programme (he's the Festival Co-ordinator), this might be the last Beer on the Wye to take place by the Rowing Club.  There's a scheme afoot to develop the riverside, and if it goes ahead there won't be room for the beer festival's marquee!

The Festival continues this year over the weekend, with a variety of bands on Friday and Saturday evenings, and Hereford Big Band, playing music of the 1930s and 40s, from 2pm on Sunday afternoon.

Shakespeare at the Castle

 It's going to be a weekend celebrating the Bard at the Castle.

On Friday 7th, at 7.30pm, the Amarylli Duo will be in the Great Hall of the Castle, singing and playing a programme of Shakespeare's Musicke.  Hannah Grove is the soprano, and Elizabeth Pallet plays lute and theorbo.  Tickets are £15, or £7.50 for under 25s, and there is also the chance to have a pre-concert supper at the Castle cafe from 6.30pm.

Then on Sunday 9th, at 5pm, the Willow Globe Theatre will be performing The Merchant of Venice on the Castle Lawn.  Tickets are £15 or £7.50 for under 16s, and bring your own seat!

Also at the Castle on Saturdays from 11am to 1pm in the Great Hall, there's the chance to add a few more stitches to the Friendship Quilt, which has been made in collaboration with the refugees who are being helped by Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees.