Ledbury poetry Festival 12 th July

Today Karen and I attended a reading at the Ledbury poetry festival. It was by two women, a Brit of Nigerian  and Irish herítqge and an Aussie of Aboriginal heritage. The poetry was very powerful and evocative of the difficulties experienced as a person of  mixed race.  The British poet was Bernadine Evaristo who read from her semi autobiographical verse novel Laura. She was brilliant and is very active in promoting publication of  work by people of colour. Ali Cobby Eckermann is a survivor of the 'stolen generation' and her poetry is still filled with the anguish of her lost family and a bitterness towards white Australia. I felt quite uncomfortable actually and embarrassed that I had no knowledge of her work. Her poetry is straight to the heart. We had a lot of discussion about the issues experienced by indigenous Australians afterwards.
While enjoying a cup of tea we encountered some of Karen's Buddhist friends and got talking about the Camino and my experience. Maria a budding poet working on her first book was quite keen to hear about it. I always under estimate people's interest and worry that I am a bore but I feel encouraged to write up my trip more seriously.
Karen is involved in re-establishing a library in a renovated building at the Adhisthana Buddhist Centre so we went across to see how the  installation of the shelving was progressing and to speak with the person in charge of the library. The Centre is in an old Georgian era farmhouse and stables.  The library building won an architectural award and has a beautiful half circle roof and full height windows in two rooms. The books are sheltered in side rooms. It is going to be gorgeous when it is finished. The Centre was running a silent retreat for women over the week ahead so there were lots of women around having their last talk before silence decends!
Next was a stop at the Eastnor Castle country fair. They had massive jumping castles, lots of marquees and clay pidgeon shooting. How English! It was quite late and we decided the entrance fee was too expensive for the time left.

They run this fair over two days and also run the castle as a deer farm as well as offering camp sites. It seems all business opportunities are being explored to keep the castle viable.
We then managed to fit in a stop at a church that used to run its own ale house in the Middle Ages to raise money for the church. Very enterprising. It was a lovely black and white Elizabethan era structure. A precedence for All Saints in Hereford that has a coffe shop in the back of the church and runs services in the front half. It was a very satisfying day.

Andy and Karen were going out to a function that was connected to his work on the Housing Board so I got stuck into packing or rather unpacking my bag to lighten my load back to a backpack for tripping around Croatia. It was like putting on an old friend. I am posting excess gear home but will be sad to see my sleeping bag go. It is like a security blanket! I won't need it because we are staying in hotels and apartments-luxury for a pilgrim.