As we were meandering our way from Hereford to Kent and were in no particular hurry, we decided to call in at Avebury, a stone circle that I had never seen (and freespiral's recent blip reminded me of that.). On reflection, a sunny Bank Holiday afternoon was not perhaps the best time to appreciate the atmosphere of a stone circle, but impressive it is nevertheless, mainly because of the size and extent of the stones. I played about with photos I had taken – photoshopping people out, trying mono for atmosphere, etc. Then I thought – no. It was as it was – so, here it is, complete with people wandering, children playing and a bird, who had the best view of all.



Reflections on a day at Hay
We had a full day at the Festival yesterday and it was fabulous, everything I dared to hope it would be. There was torrential rain in the morning and sunshine in the afternoon, but what I liked about that was that everyone just adapted without comment. (One unaswered question – how did all those wellies suddenly turn into sandals?)

I loved the atmosphere – everyone happy and friendly, eager to talk. So many people of every age, including families with young children (lots of activities for children) and young people/students (we saw them all walking up from the campsites in the morning and back down again at midnight). It was a positive atmosphere - people there to think, learn, talk, read. 

I was excited by the range of talks, lectures, discussions available and had planned a varied day. Although everything we went to was enjoyable, fascinating, inspirational, the highlights were: Simon Armitage delivering an impressive lecture tackling the question of whether Bob Dylan is a poet: and Ian McEwan being Ian McEwan and keeping a huge (sold out/no seats available) audience totally rapt. And then, how better to end the day than with late night (and I mean late night) music from the truly magical Catrin Finch (Welsh harp) and Seckou Keita (Senagalese Kora) – just sublime. A day I will always remember. Can’t wait until next year!!