‘they who sing in the summer must dance in the winter’ 

Answer – most definitely NOT!

It’s a time to regroup, reflect, learn and practise.

Every year winter gives us opportunities galore… granted this year it’s a bit more stop-start that usual but despite lockdown 2.0 and the current 3.0 the team has already managed time out on the water developing their Grade II and III skills, working towards gaining new qualifications and getting quite chilly(!)

… in December we ‘branch out’ welcoming Abi and Mojos Festive Forestry Christmas Trees as we turn our home/office at Larchwood https://www.racquetyfarm.com/larchwood-studio into a winter wonderland… today the Christmas Lights are blazing around town despite no grand switch-on or physical Hay Winter Weekend or Christmas Shoppers filling our streets because of the pandemic; in 2018 Aubrey introduced Matt Lucas at the switch on ceremony, an evening we will never forget, nail-biting and brilliant all rolled into one! These busy, bustling times will return again, of that we are ever hopeful. In the meantime if you want to show some love for Hay from a distance in anticipation of a 2021 visit then you can shop online in most of our epic independent shops RIGHT NOW – get online NOW 😉 … and you can buy Hay Vouchers online too https://hayonwyechamber.co.uk/buy-online and treat yourself or someone else to some ‘future fun’ in the worlds first and most famous book-town (which also has the most magical river running through it by the way!)

… oh yeh we try to have some down-time as well, it’s great to enjoy and appreciate being home at the farm and our home town Hay on Wye at a slightly more relaxed pace than in the summer. Some favourite winter activities include walks up the Bluff and Begwyns to find snow, to stock pile lots of firewood, long dog walks, cooking, baking and eating(!), general maintenance jobs around the farm, making some music (yeh so Aubs also composes / produces did you know?! https://www.facebook.com/aubreyfrymusic / his latest track is signed to Bedrock on John Digweeds’ Quattro II album https://bedrockshop.com/cart/product.php?id=74332 ) and occasionally when time allows we get away for a bit to North Wales or Scotland – this year of course this is unlikely as the pandemic takes hold again in full this month and here in Wales we retreat back into lockdown. We get it though… we will sit it out and keep on planning, doing and staying positive.