You are getting sleepy...

I had my first ever bona fide hypnosis experience today.  It wasn't quite what I expected - I didn't eat an onion like an apple or regress to past lives. But it was interesting...

I warned the practitioner that I may be hard to put under, or I might try too hard, or be tempted to fake it. But really, it was just a deeply relaxing experience - I was aware of everything around me, even if I wasn't concentrating on it all.  And I had a lovely visualisation, the positive, warming effects of which stayed with me for the rest of the day.  So a good experience all in all. Will be going back for some follow up sessions so will be interesting to see how it works. Finger crossed.

Hot hot hot

Weather.co.uk says 28 degrees. My backyard themometer says 34. After packing a major sad overnight, my fridge interior reads 22. I have spent the day decanting contents into cool boxes, beer fridge etc. And had a few losses along the way (I do hate throwing away defrosting meat etc but better safe than sorry).

Have given fridge the mechanical equivalent of a cup of tea and a lie down, and it seems to be recovering slowly. It had better pull itself together smartly, or it's a swift kick up the jacksie and a trip to the tip.

Appliance is Bank holiday...

I love Maya.  She helps me out with the housework and is wonderfully friendly and efficient.  But her English is ropey at best. 

Face to face we manage with extensive sign language (gets me by around the world - never be afraid to make a fool of yourself). But the phone is difficult. We resort to texting, with sometimes confusing and/or funny results. Some recent examples...

Appliance is a Bank holiday.  I do not know whether to come?
Pease excuse me but I come, I know that now too but not did not want.
Today I have veri leg pain. Went to urgent entyr and told me that I wear I do not know.

We get there in the end.

I love Castles!

You know in New Zealand, we don't have vast amounts of history. Many of the old, historic buildings were build of wood and succumbed to fire. It seems that the stone ones don't survive too well in our shakey isles either (re Christchurchs' ongoing earthquakes and the devastation they have wecked on that beautiful city).

But the UK? Well it has oodles of castles, and history sloshing about all over the place. On my recent drive back through Wales we stopped at Tretower castle, a lovely spot, ostensibly to give a little boy a run around and explore, but secretly to allow a certain kiwi a bit of an historical wallow....

And we weren't disappointed. The newer medieval Tretower Court had lots of lovely recreated rooms and spiral staircases to explore and beautiful rose gardens outside. While the original Norman tower a short distance away, reeked of thick walled crumbling stone, might and pathos.   

So our visit involved climbing, clambering, exploring,  sitting on ancient stone walls, hunting for tadpoles in the creek, sitting in a scent drenched rose garden with a sneaky cappucino, having a bloody battle with an English knight (with new wooden sword and dagger), stock watching (the ewe feeding 2 very new

lambs beside a sunny sheltered bit of castle wall) and inevitable photography....

Overall a lovely stop with warm and enthusiastic guides/wardens telling the stories, sharing their experiences with the old place, and most importantly, pouring that coffee...

A Cottage on the Wye

We have a regular spot we stay during the Hay festival - a roomy 2 br cottage in Newbridge on Wye called Orchard House (much recommended). Not only is it well set up and surrounded by a lovely garden (with herbs, peonies, old roses and apple trees), it is also a very short hop to the River Wye. And they make you feel very welcome - when we arrived, we found a freshly baked loaf, speckled eggs, milk, Welsh butter, home made preserves, a bottle of wine and even cupcakes waiting on the table...

Perfectly positioned for walkers, fisherpeople, and people like us who fossick about, talk to sheep, look out for fish rising in the river, make arty arrangements of river stones and take copious photos in the hope that some will look suitably idyllic.. Of course, a certain little boy was in heaven, and arrived home muddy, tired and soaked after each walk, carting a big stick with him.

I was content to look for interesting stones (I always come back with heavy pockets) and sit on a sunny boulder drinking in the peace, the sound of the river and the sunshine. Also, it has to be said, stalking the ewe and her lambs (OK, NZ sheep farming background - I had pet lambs as a kid and they still make me laugh).

Quite a lot of impromptu art therapy from Auntie Jojo too. Secret graffiti - writing on the undersides of stones with wet mud, and finding stones that 'spoke to us'. (It was that or keep fishing  the 6 yr old out of the river - what is it about kids and deep water??? And sticks, come to think of it?). 

The 25 min drive to Hay was very doable, and there was some light entertainment along the way, with a biker rally held in Builth Wells down the road.  Whenever we drove through, we passed a line of beefy bikers and their colourful girlfriends walking from the campsite to the pub.  But all seemed very peaceful - very well behaved, and the bonus was that we saw some excellent hogs on the road...

Looking forward to next year...

Hay festival - a date with the stars...

Somewhat delayed feedback from Hay. What a great place.  Mind you, we were a bit overcommitted on Saturday and had booked in 4 back to back lectures after a 5 hour drive from London - a major challenge, especially with a 6 yr old in tow.

A roller coaster ride really, kicking off with the (still dreamy) Rob Lowe.  Goddamn, the guy has smarts too. And he signed my book afterwards (up close and personal like...).

Paul O'Grady and Sandi Toksvig were funny, as you would expect, and quite risque (cue: hands over 6 yr olds ears and lalalala distraction activities).  A laugh...

Henning Mankell was an inspiration and a true social democrat and campaigner for justice (as only the Swedes can produce).  Ballsy, outspoken, very interesting. And son in law of Ingmar Bergman, which I never knew.

The IQ in the room went up by about 40 points when Brian Cox came on. I did try to concentrate, honest (quantum particle physics, update on the Hadron Collider, elegant proof of Einsteins Theory of Relativity, the Problem with Gravity, Big Bang etc).  Smartie pants. But of course he looked so good in them. Tight black jeans they were - ever the rock god...

VS Naipaul was wonderful and gave a very moving talk about the relationship with his father (on which his latest book is based). He also has the most mellifluous reading voice - beautiful to listen too. And I loved that he ignored all the frantic handsignals and went overtime...

And lastly, Nigella. She seems so familiar after years on the Telly, but was very honest about how she sees her role in the realms of celebrity chefdom. And of course, we have very similar food philosophies. She also signed a book for me and bless her, offered me her lippie when I balked at having my photo taken with her (was not looking my best at the end of a long day).

So a great time had by all.  Came home with bags of books (that's my reading sorted for a while) and Hay looks like a date for next year....