Royal Welsh Show 2025

 We visited the Royal Welsh Show again this year thanks to a couple of free tickets courtesy of our former blacksmith lodger, Alex, who was stewarding the Ornamental Ironwork Show and Blacksmith competitions. We also visited the show in 2023 and 2024.

Photo 1: Prize Winning Dahlias, Royal Welsh Show (July 2025)

Mary usually likes to visit the pigs, sheep and cows but this year decided not to. This gave us a little more time in the flower and horticultural village and watching the displays in the main ring. Altogether, a more relaxed time.

Pitcher plants were popular this year especially for display ...

Photo 2: Carnivorous Plant Stall, Royal Welsh Show (July 2025)

They had Venus Fly Trap plants as well but no sundews otherwise I might have bought a plant. After a brief stop for an intake of calories (cheese and pickle sandwich with homegrown tomatoes), the next stop was the Welsh Sheeptacular (Photo 3). A 10-15 minute show where the stars are 20 different breeds of sheep and a shearing demonstration.

Photo 3: Welsh Sheeptacular, Royal Welsh Show (July 2025)

I found this old YouTube video from the 2014 Royal Welsh Show  - not much has changed except the human participants are 10 years older. While rams can live 9-12 years (with 3-4 years as productive sires), I suspect the 2025 cast is very different from that of 2014.

Video 1: Sheeptacular, Royal Welsh Show 2014

On our way to visit Alex at the Blacksmith Demo and Exhibition area, we stopped off at the cattle ring where the FitzHugh Championship was being judged. Individual breed champions (bull) paired with a cow (and in  couple of instances with a calf) were being judged. There were 20 or so different breeds, lower than usual due to an outbreak of bluetongue in England.

Photo 4: FitzHugh Championship, Royal Welsh Show (July 2025)

The judge checked over all 20 entries ...

Photo 4: Starting Twenty Competitors

... then selected her 8 best candidates ...

Photo 5: Top Eight Competitors

... before whittling this down to the best four, and then choosing the champion, a British Blue Bull (Photo 6) ...

Photo 6: FitzHugh Champion, British Blue Bull, Royal Welsh Show (July 2025)

It was but a short walk to the main arena where Bolddog FMX were performing their acrobatics on motorbikes ...

Video 2: Bolddog FMX, Royal Welsh Show (July 2025)

Video 3: Bolddog FMX, Royal Welsh Show (July 2025)

Video 4: Bolddog FMX, Royal Welsh Show (July 2025)

Video 5: Bolddog FMX, Royal Welsh Show (July 2025)

Video 6: Bolddog FMX, Royal Welsh Show (July 2025)

We had come to the main ring to watch the Ukrainian Cossacks - so much better than those nasty Russian Cossacks! There was a huge amount of sympathy and support for the Ukrainian riders from the, predominantly, Welsh crowd. Here are a few photos and videos of the action.

Photo 7: Ukrainian Cossack, Royal Welsh (July 2025)

Photo 8: Ukrainian Cossack, Royal Welsh (July 2025)

Video 7: Ukrainian Cossack Horseriding Display, Royal Welsh, July 2025

Video 8: Ukrainian Cossack Horseriding Display, Royal Welsh, July 2025

Video 9: Ukrainian Cossack Horseriding Display, Royal Welsh, July 2025

Photo 9: Ukrainian Cossack, Royal Welsh (July 2025)

Another enjoyable day out at the Royal Welsh Show. We bought a birthday present for a friend, a couple of leek & potato pasties (which would have benefited from less potato and more leek) and two cups of tea. A cheap day out when you don't have to buy the £35 pp tickets! As usual the free park & ride system worked efficiently and flawlessly. Will we be there in 2026? Who knows? 

Photo 10: Gladioli Flowers, Royal Welsh Show (July 2025)

Hwyl Fawr

Classic Vinyl #2 Stevie Wonder - Innervisions

 A talent like Stevie Wonder only comes along once in a generation. A multi-instrumental singer/songwriter/producer who signed up to his first record deal (Tamla Motown) aged 11 and had his first #1 hit when only 13. Born 6 weeks premature in 1950 as Stevland Hardaway Judkins, he was blind virtually from birth. He is still performing and active musically.

Innervisions was released in 1973 which makes my copy 51 years old; and it still plays beautifully. See here for a bit more on the story behind this album.

Front Cover

Back Cover

I've included all the tracks from the album below, courtesy of YouTube (sorry about the ads), so you too can appreciate this wonderful music. You can still buy copies on vinyl or you might be lucky and find second-hand copies in record stalls, shops, e-bay, etc.

My favourite track is Living in the City but it is a close call.

SIDE ONE

Too High

Visions

Living for the City

Golden Lady

SIDE TWO

Higher Ground

Jesus Children of America

All in Love is Fair

Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing

He's Misstra Know-it-All

Weekend in Knighton

 It's late September and Mary is keen for another weekend break. The weather is turning colder and some wet weather is forecast. so Mary books a Shepherd's Hut in Knighton, Powys ...

Photo 1: Weekend Accommodation

The facilities were immaculate - the only drawback was the toilet and kitchen were 10 - 15 yards away. Fine during the summer months but a less attractive proposition visiting the loo during the night when it was either cold (3 ℃ overnight) or wet. We had one wet and two cold nights!

On the journey from Hereford to Knighton, we called in to the Old Chapel Gallery at Pembridge - the paintings we liked were a little outside our price range. Ye Olde Steppes village shop is up for sale so may not exist when we revisit; its coffee shop has permanently closed but we did pick up a few provisions (bread, mushrooms and a jar of ginger lemon curd). There is another coffee shop (Bloom & Grind) opposite but we had other plans.

Our next stop was Westonbury Mill Water Gardens, where we had lunch. We just managed to squeeze in this visit before the gardens close for the winter. More on these fascinating gardens in a subsequent blog.

We arrived in Knighton a little early for our accommodation so 'wasted' a little time with a pleasant walk around the town.

Photo 2: A Bit Early For Halloween?

We just missed afternoon tea as the cafe was closing (4 pm) but did manage to buy a long handle for Mary's winged hoe and some extra provisions for our stay (ground coffee and decaffeinated tea).

Knighton is situated on the River Teme although it is the Wylcwm Brook that divides the town of 3000 people. It was while we were on one side of the Wylcwm Brook valley that we had our first sight of the Shepherd's Hut on the other side ...

Photo 3: First Glimpse of the Shepherd's Hut

During our three night stay in Knighton, we had planned a busy schedule including:

• Community Market on the Saturday morning (Mary bought a Matryoshka doll for one of our grandchildren along with some pasties and cakes for our afternoon walk at Fishpools)
• A forest walk at Fishpools
• Folk concert on Saturday evening ...

• Visit to Knighton Museum on Sunday - the museum is only open on Sundays but we were thwarted by a leaky roof
• Visit to the Offa's Dyke Centre on Sunday - thwarted once again, as the centre was closed due to staff sickness
• Visit to the Spaceguard Centre, a couple of miles outside Knighton, on the Sunday afternoon. More on this in a subsequent blogpost
• A walk along part of Offa's Dyke on Sunday/Monday

For now, I'll just finish with a few photos taken from our Shepherd's Hut. These next two photographs were taken around 6.45 am after an early morning trip to the toilet (too much information?) ...

Photo 4: Early Morning Mist Over Knighton (late September 2024)

... when the sun was just rising ...

Photo 5: Sunrise Over Knighton (late September 2024)

Our trip home was largely uneventful apart from a short delay due to sheep crossing the road ...

Photo 6: From Shepherd's Hut to Sheep Hustling

... and a stopover in Ludlow for lunch and an exhibition of the calligrapher's art.

Classic Vinyl #1 (Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water)

Nearly four years ago, I started a thread describing my collection of vinyl records and how I still enjoy taking time out to sit down, listen and enjoy. My LP collection is 40 to 50 years old now with one or two more recent additions. Despite a few of the records having a noticeable background crackle, they are, if I say so myself, still mostly in pretty good nick. It helps always having had some decent kit to play them on.

This series is called 'Classic Vinyl'. The vinyl part is self-explanatory but you may ask, quite reasonably, what makes them classic. There is only one definition - it has to be in my record collection!

We'll start this series off with a classic from 1970, Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel. It was their fifth and final studio album, sold over 25 million copies and was number one in all the major record-buying countries.

Wikipedia does a nice potted history of Simon & Garfunkel and there are several biographies; for example, here, here, here, here and here.Their relationship was tempestuous, and at times downright acrimonious, with several splits and reunions. The fact they broke up after Bridge Over Troubled Waters, their most acclaimed piece of work, says it all really.

Here is the tracklist for Bridge Over Troubled Water ...

... and you can listen to them here ...

Bridge Over Troubled Water

El Condor Pasa

Cecilia

Keep The Customer Satisfied

So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright

The Boxer

Baby Driver

The Only Living Boy In New York

Bye Bye Love

Song For The Asking

In my opinion there isn't a single dud on this album. My favourite is The Boxer but I will happily listen to the whole record in one session - as I did while I wrote this post.

Herefordshire Reuse and Recycling Organisation (HRRO)

 Today, Mary & I attended the official opening of the Herefordshire Reuse & Recycling Organisation at their new warehouse. Our invitation was through Hereford Open Door, a local charity supporting homeless people in Herefordshire for which we are both trustees (I am also the treasurer).

This organisation started about 4 years ago with the aim of, as their title suggests, reducing the amount of landfill waste by providing a service and facility to enable the reuse and recycling of unwanted items. As a non-profit organisation it donates any earned money from the sale of items to local good causes. It is a facility that Hereford Open Door would use to purchase items for our work - including furniture for a homeless person just entering unfurnished accommodation.

From its early origins in a cricket pavilion on Widemarsh Common, it now has a large warehouse, part of which is the shop displaying for sale items. For those on a limited budget, it is an Aladdin's Cave of clothes, furniture, toys, utensils, white goods, furnishings, bedding, etc.

Photo 1: HRRO Warehouse and Offices

Photo 2: Furniture Department

Photo 3: Household Furnishings

Collections are by arrangement, often through house clearances, but there are some handy recycling bins for everyday items. In Photo 4, there are bins for postage stamps, spectacles, small ink cartridges, scrap metal, electrical cables, aluminium foil and cans, and bras.

Photo 4: Recycling Bins I

In Photo 5, there are bins for Babybel cheese wrappers, biscuits wrappers, Tupperware/drinks bottles, bread bags, water filters, Pringle tubes and cheese wrappers.

Photo 5: Recycling Bins II

Certain items are collected for a very specific local group; e.g. Babybel wrappers for Herefordshire Girl Guides. The manager and volunteers are always looking for new opportunities to reuse/recycle those items that nobody seems to want. At Hereford Open Door, we are often asked it we take duvets (we don't, but we do take sleeping bags which are more practical for someone who is homeless). Apart from animal shelters and vets, we haven't been able to find a suitable home for  these. HRRO are still looking ...

We did enjoy some tea and cake and bought a few items (two vinyl LPs and a jigsaw).

The shop is open Wednesday to Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm. Support it if you can.

Note: Jesse Norman is the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Herefordshire.

Alma Mater - UEA and Norwich - Day Four & Five

These two days were spent mooching around the city. Day five included a change of accommodation as our son & daughter-in-law were joining us for a few days. The on-suite room, that had served us well for the first 4 days, was superseded by a large apartment in the city centre. Photo 1 shows the lounge/dining room. The record player in the far corner came with a supply of LPs from the 1960s/1970s (Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, etc); many of which I also listen to at home!!

Photo 1: Lounge Dining Room of our Norwich City Centre Apartment

Day four was spent wandering the streets of Norwich, popping into churches including St Julian's, art exhibitions and the occasional 1970's student haunt such as Head in the Clouds ...

Photo 2: Mary outside Head in the Clouds (May 2024)

... where she went for the full student re-enactment by buying a top. Head in the Clouds opened in 1971, a few months before we both started our university careers. I used to buy my loon pants from here (aka loons, bell bottoms, flares). The clothes were cheap, imported (from India/Asia?) and colourful - and you never washed them with other items as they were not dye-fast.

Photo 3: Mary deciding which top to buy (May 2024)

A trip to Norwich has to include a visit to Norwich Market and its 190 or so colourful market stalls (Photo 4). The market in Norwich was mentioned in the Domesday Book and is still going strong. At the beginning of the 1970s, when we used the market, at least one-third of the stalls sold fruit and vegetables; these have largely disappeared due to competition from the supermarkets.

Photo 4: Norwich Market (May 2024)

Street food and specialist food emporiums are now the main type of stall. We did enjoy some very tasty vegetarian fish (battered halloumi) and chips at Lucy's Fish & Chips.

Photo 5: Mary at Norwich Market (May 2024)

Norwich has a modern library, The Forum, which opened in 2001 after its previous incarnation burnt down in 1994 (see here, here, and here for more details). In addition to housing the library, the office/studios of BBC East and a couple of restaurants, the large atrium hosts exhibitions and events. During our visit, the Nara to Norwich Exhibition was on display in the atrium organised by the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures.

Photo 6: Nara to Norwich Exhibition, The Forum, Norwich (May 2024)

We were fortunate that during our visit to The Forum, we witnessed a performance by the Karyōbinga Shōmyō Kenkyūkai ensemble (Videos 1 & 2).

Video 1: Buddhist Sutra Chanting, The Forum, Norwich (May 2024)

Video 2: Buddhist Sutra Chanting, The Forum, Norwich (May 2024)

There was time for coffee/tea and cake at Biddy's Tea Room (delicious, great service, busy) ...

... before heading back to our digs for the evening after a brief diversion to check out the location of our next accommodation.

Day five was largely taken up meeting a couple of friends from our University days who still live in Norwich and with whom we have kept in touch with by exchanging Christmas cards. Betwixt these two visits we managed to dump our bags at the new digs (Photo 1). Dinner was a Thai takeaway (👍) with our son & daughter-in-law.

Blossomtime

Cider is one of Herefordshire's best known exports and is rightly celebrated in the county. The two main events of 2024, organised by The Big Apple Association, are Blossomtime (5th & 6th May 2024) and Harvestime (12th & 13th October 2024). The titles are fairly self-explanatory!

Figure 1: Flyer for Blossomtime 2024

We attended Blossomtime on the Sunday - fortunately, the rain we were promised never appeared and we enjoyed a warm sunny Spring day. The Spring and Autumn events used to be small parochial affairs based around Putley Village Hall. The Big Apple Association has clearly upped their game by adding more events and using three different venues.

Activities included walks and talks, demonstrations, singing, music, arts & crafts, Morris dancing and (of course) cider tasting and sales. All for £5 per person.

Photo 1: Apple Blossom, Dragon Orchard (6th May 2024)

The apple blossom was a little sparse in some orchards compared with previous years. These apple trees (Photo 1, Photo 2) were at Dragon Orchard, the venue for music, dancing and drinking!

Photo 2: Apple Blossom, Dragon Orchard (May 6th 2024)

Photo 3: Leominster Morris (6/5/24)

Photo 4: Leominster Morris (6/5/24)

Of course, no English country occasion would be complete without Morris Dancers; we were treated to performances by both men's (Leominster Morris, Photo 3 & Photo 4, Video 1) and women's (Pinsley Mill Clog Dancers, Photo 5 & Photo 6, Video 2) teams.

Photo 5: Pinsley Mill Clog Dancers (6/5/24)

Photo 6: Pinsley Mill Clog Dancers (6/5/24)

Video 1: Leominster Morris in Action (6/5/24)

Video 2: Pinsley Mill Clog Dancers

To finish off the day, there was a short walk through fields and orchards for me (Mary took the tractor-pulled trailer option) to visit the recently restored 16th Century cruck-framed tithe barn at Court Farm, Aylton (Photo 7). Tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology) of the barn indicates a build date of around 1503. The barn housed a number of exhibitors; Mary made a blossom flower and we bought a couple of wildflower plants.

Photo 7: Court Farm Barn, Aylton (6/5/24)

Fortunately, the forecast rain did not appear and we could enjoy the warm late Spring sunshine along with a taste of Old England.

Rhayader & Gilfach Nature Reserve

Two family weddings in August and September meant we missed out on camping trips over the summer. We did manage the final Llanwddyn Folk Weekend at the beginning of September but, before we knew it, October had arrived and it was getting a little chilly/damp for camping. We managed to squeeze in an overnight stay and a visit to Kelmscott Manor on the way to a family gathering in early October. And, of course, there was the eventful trip to the Isle of Wight towards the end of the month. Inbetween these two trips, we did manage to get away for a few days in glorious Mid-Wales.

We booked a two-night stay in the Bear Apartments, Rhayader - self-catering accommodation comprising large bedroom, spacious bathroom, and well-appointed kitchen/dining room/lounge (Photo 1). Good price and location and our host, Julie, was charming (5 ✩ rating from us).

Photo 1: Kitchen/Dining Room/Lounge - Bear Apartments, Rhayader

We arrived in Rhayader just after midday on a warm (for October) sunny day and headed straight for the Gilfach Nature Reserve just outside Rhayader. We spent an enjoyable 3 hours, including lunch, there.

Photo 2: Lunch Spot Overlooking the Information Hut adjacent to the Car Park

Photo 3: Art Work near the Information Hut

Photo 4: Art Work near the Information Hut

Photo 5: Blue Skies and Orange Bracken - Gilfach, October 2023

Photo 6: Mary Forging Ahead

Photo 7: View from the Trail - Gilfach Nature Reserve

The Marteg River flows through the valley - a great spectacle after rain:

Photo 8: Magical Marteg River

Video 1: Marteg River (Gilfach Nature Reserve) in Full Flow

In mid-November, you can view leaping salmon from the platform as they head for their spawning grounds. Alas, we were too early for the show!

Photo 9: Salmon Viewing Platform

We made it as far as the Byre visitor centre (toilet, help yourself refreshments in high season, and lots of information) before returning to the car and heading back to Rhayader.

Photo 10: Byre Visitor Centre

A bit of shopping in Rhayader followed by an early tea before heading off to the Lost Arc ...

Photo 11: The Lost Arc Venue

... for a concert by Hands of the Heron - a trio of singer/songwriters from Bristol playing dreamfolk choral alt-pop. No, I'm not sure what that is but it was an excellent evening nevertheless.

A trip on the Vale of Rheidol Railway was planned for tomorrow.