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Chris Stewart has written more than one book but he is perhaps best known for writing ‘Driving Over Lemons,’ the international bestseller and story of his family’s move to a ramshackle farm in Las Alpujarras, in Andalucia, Spain. In the sequel, ‘A Parrot in the Pepper Tree,’ Chris and Ana’s daughter, Chloë, teaches her author dad a thing or two about letter writing, and a wayward parrot - actually a Quaker Parakeet - named ‘Porka,’ interrupts the peace. So too do revived plans for a dam, which threatens not only Chris, Ana and Chloë’s farm but also the whole valley. Naturally this marks the perfect occasion for a party:

“In Andalucia, the preferred method for dealing with threats to the environment, or any other assault on the public interest, is to have a fiesta. This can achieve a number of goals at once: it can raise money, it can build public awareness of an issue, and, last but not least, everybody gets to have a good time.”

Perhaps then there is an element of this spirit in the thinking behind the new festival in Abergavenny market town, South Wales: The Celtic Spirit Music Festival. Despite the current economic downturn and associated tightening of belts, you too are invited to have a good time, culminating in a night with Cerys Matthews in the Market Hall (Sunday 24 May). Another favourite is sure to be Diana Jones, who is set to bring country blues and mountain music all the way from Nashville, Tennessee, to the South Wales hills (Saturday 23 May).

Chris Stewart himself is familiar with and has written (in the Guardian newspaper) about Abergavenny, or, more accurately, the gastronomic celebration known as ‘Abergavenny Food Festival.’ And while Chris Stewart might be forgiven for not knowing about South Wales’s newest festival (he does live in the beautiful back of beyond), he will be in town.

Chris Stewart is due to speak at this year’s Hay Festival (21 May - 31 May), just a stone’s throw away from Abergavenny. As Hay Festival coincides with the Celtic Spirit Music Festival, it seems some sort of crazily fantastic festival session is about to go down in South Wales. They’ve made it happen. Now who’s up for it?

To find out more about the Celtic Spirit Music Festival, you can visit their website - http://www.celticspiritmusicfest.co.uk - or phone 01873 735767.