Watching rugby - Italy ๐ฎ๐น v ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ Scotland - and drinking a Dead Canary ๐บ๐
Hay-on-Wye bookshops ๐๐ธ
Documenting in photographs some of the current bookshops in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, the world’s first town of books.
Richard Booth’s Bookshop
Hay Cinema Bookshop
Hay Castle Honesty Bookshop
Hay-on-Wye Booksellers
Addyman Books
The Addyman Annexe
Murder and Mayhem
The Poetry Bookshop
Gay on Wye
Green Ink Booksellers
Broad Street Book Centre
Clock Tower Books
North Books
The Black Mountains Bindery
๐ more
Now listening: Any Woman’s Blues - Bessie Smith
Playlist:
๐ Jackie Kay on Bessie Smith ๐๐ต
๐ Some thoughts on International Womenโs Day
Speaking truth to the power of the patriarchy is unimaginably difficult, even as I live a life of relative privilege. In the past, Iโve experienced deep levels of discomfort at writing one small truth because thereโs the worry that Iโll be branded a troublemaker, a man hater, a difficult woman to work with. All of which heightens my respect for those women across global history whoโve had to fight like lions for the barest modicum of political and/or cultural change.
Currently reading: Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay ๐
๐ The Long Wait
Implement a genuine progress index in place of GDP
At the moment, every attempt to create a greener and fairer country is hampered by the way we measure progress. So my third big policy is to dethrone our use of GDP as a general indicator of how well we are doing, and replace it with more appropriate measures.
๐ Outrage Farming
Sunak leads a government that has introduced the most draconian anti-protest laws in our democratic history. These laws are deployed exclusively against official enemies: environmental campaigners, republicans, feminists, Muslims. If you belong to one of these groups and you block a road, you might go to prison. If you are a farmer and you block a road, the prime minister might join you.
The protest the prime minister attended displayed the banners of No Farmers, No Food, a group convened by a notorious conspiracy theorist, James Melville.
Microbrewery ๐บ
Lunch at the Bunch of Grapes, Pontypridd ๐บ
Sharper, 2023 - โ โ โ ยฝ
Watched on Monday March 4, 2024.
The Hunger Games, 2012 - โ โ โ ยฝ
Watched on Sunday March 3, 2024.
๐ต My Top weekly artists as logged by last.fm:
Nadine Shah (16 plays)
Brittany Howard (12)
Portishead (12)
Christy Moore (10)
The Passions (10)
Shop window
Location check in ๐บ โ Hay Distillery, sampling gins
๐ Zoom in
Staying at The Old Black Lion, Hay-on-Wye. They do excellent Wye Valley Smokery kippers for breakfast.
