Captain Phillips was advised by others in the trade to "cut off the legs or arms of the most wilful, to terrify the rest" but he decided not to do that, recording that he believed they were God's creatures, despite their "want of Christianity and true religion". He was quite happy for them all (including the children) to be branded on the chest with the letter H for Hannibal before they were brought aboard, though.

I was inspired to do some research after seeing the film - the balloon flight in the film was actually made with a male colleague, and Amelia Wren was fictional, but based on some real lady balloonists of the time. For the second meal I went for the beef and plum and apple crumble option. Again, the beef was delicious, and the crumble came in two little pots - one for the crumble itself and the other for ice cream. They also offered a gluten-free pudding option from the ordinary menu. At Ty Glas on Gipsy Castle, just past the church, Deborah Gillingham is exhibiting her paintings and drawings. What’s more, this bookshop is committed to sustainability and works to ensure that its goods and suppliers are as sustainable as possible. To match this, there’s also a selection of environmental and nature books with a sustainability focus.

The Kingdom of Hay

As we went around town in a big loop, we stopped at intervals so that Oliver could read passages from the diary and talk about them. We also had a member of the Historical Society along to tell us about the history of the castle. Oliver also said that he had promised not to talk about the history of Hay, so as not to overlap with the History Walk later in the day. And earlier in the day, I'll be going to a free event - Radio 4 are recording Natalie Haynes Stands up for the Classics. I've really been enjoying the podcasts of this series, so I'd like to see a live performance. A part of the meeting I found very useful was the (no longer lone) man in the group going through the printed handout about the aims and objectives of Extinction Rebellion.

I'd been looking forward to The Aeronauts, starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as Victorian scientist James Glaisher and balloonist Amelia Wren who attempt to break the height record for balloon flights while taking scientific readings.There were presentations, too - Mary Fellowes got a special certificate, which they'd managed to keep secret from her, and Dial-a-Ride was presented with a Dementia Friendly sign. The lady presenting it said she thought that Hay was the first community bus service to get such an award, and it was all thanks to the enthusiasm of the office secretary, Lesley Moore. And all the volunteers got a little scroll. The service has also been awarded a Community Transport Association Quality Mark, and several awards (from PAVO and others) for Volunteers of the Year. The works in the auction are by local artists, and include an original painting by Meg Stevens (who painted gorgeous wildflowers and local landscapes), others by Pip Woolf and a numbered print by Sir Kyffin Williams. Ardent Gallery and Sable and Hogg gallery in Brecon have also donated works. The nearest Climate Strike march to Hay is in Hereford, starting from the Sixth Form College at 11.15am, and marching into the centre of town. The biggest rally is expected to be in London. If you have a story, a song, a poem, a picture, words of remembrance or music you want to play, let us know.

The councillors are changing round again. This time it's goodbye to Councillor Hugh Sawyer, who is moving on to a new business venture, and hello to Councillor Isobelle Keith, who works at PCI Pharma Services and has lived in Hay for two and a half years - her husband Tom grew up in the area. So Extinction Rebellion wants governments, and corporations like the fossil fuel giants who have been lying about the problem for forty years, to Tell the Truth about the scale of the problem, and what they intend to do about it. The Table on Lion Street is full of pictures of Welsh country cottages by Simon Dorrell, and some raku fired ceramic Welsh houses by Amanda Banham.For those who believe that coffee and books are the ultimate pairing, you’ll be pleased to hear that North Books also has a coffee bar! Consultant-led Accident and Emergency Services (the nearest A&E for most people in the area will be Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, or County Hospital Hereford). In the meantime, there are volunteers who help out at the library. HOWLS is determined that the library should continue to be a professionally led service to the community, but volunteers are always helpful. At the moment there are seven regulars, including two who are still at school (which is encouraging for the next generation of readers and library users), and they try to make sure there is someone there for each session that the library is open. There's also Sian, who runs Storytime on Monday mornings, and Bernie who helps with IT advice. Jane the Librarian has also started Enchanted Hour, a storytime for adults, with coffee. First was Cathedine Church, just at the bottom of the drive. It was interesting that two of the houses next to it were called The Towers and Tower House, though we couldn't see a tower. We managed to find a place to pull in to park - sadly for the church, there seems to be no place for cars to park to get to it. Someone is still maintaining the churchyard - the paths were mown, but the latest grave there we could see was dated 2003, and someone had chalked "Please Help Save Our Church" on the front step. The girls who are in the bursary project have also been doing well, and are all moving on to the next grade. This is to provide extra support in the form of school materials which parents would usually have to buy, and to give extra training in areas like sexual health.

Edited to add: I've just got this week's Brecon and Radnor Express, and there will also be a climate strike rally in Brecon, starting at 9.30am at Bethel Square. There will also be two talks- at St. Mary's Church, Brecon, on Saturday at 7pm and at The Muse on Sunday at 3pm, by climate scientist Dr. Aaron Thierry. The talks are free, but donations will be asked for.] About fifteen people turned up to the first XR Hay meeting last night at the Parish Hall. They weren't just from Hay - there were people there from Llowes, Llanigon, Glasbury and Cusop. A couple of chaps from the Golden Valley group had come along to explain how their meetings work and to give advice. The Golden Valley group is part of a regional network with groups in Hereford (meeting at the Koffie Pot), with groups up into Shropshire and across towards Birmingham. Hay, as ever, is on the edge of that, or could choose to be on the edge of a Welsh network with the nearest group in Brecon and heading down to Bristol. Last August's issue includes a report on the Bryngwyn WI outing to Berrington Hall, where they enjoyed the costume collection. The Young Farmers were taking part in a Rally - shearing, a wheelbarrow race, floral arrangements and a Generation Game competition, among others (they came 9th - Howey were the winners), and held their 75th year ball, hosted at Trewyrlod farm in Painscastle. Owen Sheers said that the play was intended as a kind of haunting, so that Keith Douglas would be remembered, even though his published work fell into obscurity after the war. If he had lived, he could have been one of England's foremost poets of his generation. The two smaller trees in the porch were decorated with all natural materials, as Cusop Church is now an Eco Church.They usually choose a theme for each issue, and the theme for this one is paper. Hay is very dependent on paper, in the form of second hand books, but we don't usually think much about the paper they are made from. So they start with a history of paper, from Ancient Egyptian papyrus to modern wood pulp (inspired by a French scientist called Rene Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur, from his observations of wasps' nests).