On the loose

  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=636688317474065 I have been invited to attend this interesting local literary festival. Looking forward to reading a little of my novel there. Remember the novel?  Don't be afraid to post a review on Amazon ...... https://www.amazon.com/Bell-That-Never-Rang/product-reviews/0473615150/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews ........and its available on Kindle too! The festival itself as a fantastic experience. I particularly enjoyed the the writing experience organised by Pipand Emma of Poetry Pause. Check out their wonderful podcast     - a recent  edition, which reviewed the entire year other phenomenal output, included a  review of our foot steps along  journey on the writing trail: https://poetrypause.libsyn.com/poetry-of-wales-festive-dedications-and-review-of-the-year I did ashort reading to set the trail up but then became engrosed in Emma's challenges to absorb and channel the emo...

The logistics were getting a little strained! My van was by now some fifty miles to the north of me. I sat in the pub with my phone and notebook and worked on a recovery plan. It was a lively pub, with some excellent conversation available. I had a great chat with Mick, a guy who had worked on fight scenes in many movies and had trained Marlon Brando, Tom Cruise, de Niro and a few others in unarmed combat. Seven thirty the next morning found me at the local bus stop, having left my bag with my new friend. Three hours, three buses and £9 later and I was back in Knighton. Thankfully I remembered last minute to take the van keys out of my rucksack! I drove slowly south again, meandering through country roads, sometimes getting lost. Offa's Dyke is by far the most direct route around here! It was after 2pm when I finally collected my bag from Mick. The plan was now to position the van ahead of me, hitch back to Pandy and walk back to the van. I found a convenient rest area, parked up, ...

I wandered into Hay in the late afternoon to stock up with enough food for the next two days. The streets were deserted! Situated in the bottom of a valley, Hay on Wye was now experiencing a temperature of around 38C, which I am prepared to admit is pretty hot for Wales! I posted my useless camping mat and a few unnecessary layers back to Roose Ferry, which lightened my load a little. I then purchased 5litres of water as Dan had already informed me that nearly all the creeks up in the Black Mountains were dry. Net result : about 2 Kg more than I arrived with. I left Hay about 6.30pm, as it was cooling to about 35C, and I climbed rather slowly up in to the foothills. It wasn't too long before I picked up a slight mountain breeze and by 8.30pm I was on a 400 metre 'peak', surrounded by sheep and ponies! There was convenient rock, probably left by a glacier, which I used for a table and springy heather to sleep on. I cooked the sausages I had bought in Hay and ate them with ri...