Making Hay

“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” 
Paulo Coelho : The Alchemist

There's something about Hay-on-Wye, even in these strange times it's a haven of tranquility and inner peace, a place to nourish the soul. But first we stopped off at The Swan to nourish the body with Sunday lunch. K2 and R have come to stay for a few days in advance of K1's birthday, and it's the first time for me to see them in person since January, so a red letter day. A visit to Hay is usually a combination of good food and wandering the streets, occasionally stopping in a bookshop (or several) to be tempted by the limitless goodies on offer. Today I content myself with the good food and people watching from various vantage points squatting on the pavement or the wall of the old cheese market, I still have several books to get through back home before I'm ready to buy any more - and K2 more than compensates for my lack of activity on that front. Unsurprisingly it's not as busy as usual, even for a Sunday, and it's noticeable what an impact the pandemic has had on the town.