Another year, another Hay festival, and welcome one and all to our festival blog, which is now in its second year. Yes: once again we've selflessly dragged ourselves out of Farringdon and up to Herefordshire to cover the proceedings for the unhappy souls who can't make it. Truly, we are martyrs to the cause.
Despite a week of gloomy forecasts, the weather gods are smiling on Hay this afternoon, and the festival site, which is largely as yet untrodden, looks green and pleasant under the late afternoon sun. Although the festival officially opened yesterday evening, with a concert from Katherine Jenkins, it's only this afternoon that things have really got going. The talks so far have focused mainly on music, however, and as Mozart isn't really my strong suit, I've spent the afternoon with author and Hay veteran Tiffany Murray, who took me on a tour of the town. Her insider tips on the best places to eat, drink, be merry and buy the odd book will be available to download as a podcast later on this evening.
The highlight of today's programme is the performance (her only European festival appearance this summer) at 9.30pm by PJ Harvey, who I can hear warming up in the nextdoor marquee. The Guardian's Ian Gittins will be reporting on that on the blog after it happens. The literary programme, meanwhile, begins in earnest tomorrow morning, so I'll be back on then to tell you all about it.
