Armadillo Blog

Just when I was getting ready to write all about the brilliant books I have read recently and cheer you all up after this miserable (but good for the garden rain), Liz Bankes has written a wonderful series of Hay Diaries, so sit back and enjoy the installments over the next few days and before you know it I will be back with even more books up my sleeve!

The Hay Diaries

Thursday 2nd June: Things I didn’t see

2:45pm – On the train
As I journey to the Hay Festival I thought I’d depress myself by looking through the Hay Fever programme at all the things I’d already missed. (I did this while eating Burger King chips with my hands if that makes it any more tragic). Here are my top five things I didn’t see:

1. The Etherington Brothers – creators of Monkey Nuts
I didn’t find out how to make comics, draw monkeys and be hilariously funny.

2. Geraldine McCaughrean and Candy Gourlay, chaired by Sarah McIntyre
I didn’t get to find out how these quirky, humorous writers put spark into their writing (but they in turn missed out on my contribution to Q&A – WHY ARE YOU ALL SO GREAT??)

3. Fiona Dunbar – Ghostorama
Phantom science teachers, dead celebrities and creating a spooky mystery to solve… *cries*

4. Patrick Ness and David Almond – A Monster Calls and My Name is Mina.
Do I need to explain?

5. Julia Donaldson and friends – A Jolly Jamboree
It is one of my life’s ambitions to meet the Gruffalo. [and you can add to that a chance missed of meeting the new Children’s Laureate!]

7:30pm – In a tent selling cider
(The tent was a cider selling tent – I didn’t just start selling cider to people.)
So, after my train ride I accidentally got on three buses and at some point arrived in Hay. As the Hay Fever events had finished, there weren’t many children around, but I heard many a word of praise for Andy Stanton and his Mr Gum event from many an adult. (There’s a number 6 for my list)

I had a look around the Hay Fever courtyard, where all the children’s books events were taking place. There was the Starlight Stage – venue for most of the author events, the Make & Take tent, the Mess tent for cooking events, and a giant wall book about planet earth.

There’s only so long you can walk around a festival before you accidentally spend all your money and so I went to my Hay house, where I was cat-sitting for my uncle.

I was a few hours later than I thought I’d be. The cat was not impressed.