Hay, Hay, Hay! It’s been a great half term break during which we were blessed with a blissful mix of family, friends and a whole lot of sunshine to welcome us into the first official month of Summer.
We spent a few days in our homeland with our nearest and dearest visiting the world renowned Hay Festival and listening to some clever, unrivalled and downright hilarious nursery rhyme recitations from the likes of Helena Bonham Carter, Tony Robinson, Ruby Wax, actors Olivia Williams and Sam West, the incredible Michael Rosen, Brian Bilston, as well as Julia Donaldson and her husband Malcolm, to name a few.
I also got to take part during this same week in my first book shop ‘gig’ at the amazing North Books on Castle Street in Hay on Wye, where the most wonderful Jules and Amanda could not have been more welcoming, or encouraging. We sang songs, read Ivy and the Mole, did a ‘Feel Good Flowers’ activity together and also had the opportunity to sign a few copies of the book with those who were good enough to pop in to the event and say hi too.
This was on the back of having had the good fortune to hear from the amazing team at The Felin Fach Griffin before we headed up to Hay as well, who stock both Ivy and the Rock and Ivy and the Mole, to say they were just about all sold out and managed to replenish the stocks there too!
Then we hot footed it over to West Wales for some much needed ‘R&R’ to see out half term with some of our best mates in our campervan next the sea, all the while bathed in glorious, unrelenting sunshine.
All in all, it’s been a wonderful week reaping the rewards of the time and effort we all put into being with the people we love most in this world – which, as becomes more apparent to me the older I get, is never a day wasted.
