Huw Parsons has been keeping a diary since he moved to Clyro in September 2013. Like Francis Kilvert, the village’s famous Victorian diarist, Huw has written about his day-to-day experiences with candid honesty and in a very readable style.
In January he bound the hefty five-volume diary with the aid of videos he found on YouTube, and he has just donated it to Hay library for anyone to read.
“I have no delusions about this being the work being of any great literary merit,” Huw said. “But they are nevertheless very descriptive and as such are almost by default full of my feelings, passions, opinions and, hopefully, humour. I realise too that I’m very fortunate to have done something that many others would like to do, and in having had the time, determination and simple skills to have completed the work to date.
“And, having done it, I also feel very pleased to be continuing the tradition of diary writing in the way that Francis Kilvert, Anne Hughes and many other obscure diarists have done in the past. Now I can only hope that people will enjoy reading the diaries for the first time.
“I hope too that I have created something of value for posterity, but only time will tell!”
Anyone keen to hear more about Huw’s diaries an do so by attending a half-hour talk he is giving at Hay Library at 2pm on Friday, May 10.
He will also spend some time talking about about the diaries of Rev Francis Kilvert and Ann Hughes.