Hay there!

So I spent my bank holiday weekend a long, long way from the massive pile of marking. Instead, I went to Hay on Wye in Wales for three days of walking in beautiful countryside and buying books. In case you don't know Hay / Y Gelli, it's a gorgeous small town with 40 or so books shops, set in the Wye valley. It is pretty much paradise. Even the 21 mile bus journey from Hereford is magnificent, through the Golden Valley, past the multiple apple orchards and bucolic villages. Highly recommended. Good walks, mostly nowhere near roads, and fine pubs or cafés at the end of each one.

I was quite parsimonious with the books. I bought a couple of 1930s cheap editions of Dorothy L Sayers books, some Ursula K LeGuin, a walking guide to the Welsh border and Adam Roberts' history of SF.

I also got to play with my new (old) 105mm f/2.8 macro lens. The detail available is just amazing, though it really needs a tripod - these close-ups were taken handheld. If you don't like insects, best not to look at some of these pictures. If you do: click to enlarge or see the whole lot here.

There are so many bluebell woods in the area that the relentless blue became monotonous!

Hay, with its semi-ruined castle in the centre