Glastonbury, 2007
Well, it was a couple of weeks ago now, but now the coursework is all finished and I have free time again!
Glastonbury itself was one of those time-sinks that came around far too quickly. It didn’t seem too long between checking the two-month long range forecast, to checking the forecast the night before (and yes, it seemed to get worse with each passing day). But, with tents checked and essential waterproofs dug out from the shed, we were off.
This year, being super prepared, I thought we should leave on Wednesday afternoon, take a couple of hours of work and beat most people down to the site. Little did I know that this year everyone left work at lunchtime, and by the time we arrived (after a fairly quick drive), the place was packed. We managed to squeeze in our five tents in spaces that you wouldn’t have thought a tent would fit (and neither did our neighbours), but I was panicking - it was getting dark, and I am bad enough with pegs and hammers in the light! Once the panic was over, we could relax a little, and wandered through the site with Stewart eating at most places we passed regardless of time or foodstuff…
Thursday we waited for the arrival of Matt, Katie, Rob, Caro and Louisa and showed them to where we had packed their tents in. After the initial disappointment at being at the top of the hill, the ever-present rain and danger of flooding reassured all that we were in a good spot! After lunch we wandered up into the Green Fields with Matt and Katie, watched the most amazing performer Mik Artistik and generally explored before the excitement of the next three days worth of music.
Then the rain started, and never really stopped until we got back to London.
All in all though, despite the miserable weather, it was a typically excellent Glastonbury experience – some great music (Reverend and the Makers, Mika, Guilty Pleasures), some crazy music (Mik Artistik, The Go Team!), some missed opportunities (Rufus Wainwright, Crazy P) and lots of duff stuff; lots of great wandering and lots of great food. We even managed to celebrate George’s birthday a day early with Pina Coladas and Woo Woos in the Jamaican food tent, which set Sunday off nicely!
Must also remember - getting up at crazy o’clock on Monday morning to ‘beat the traffic’ in best Dad style helps a bundle, and the shower at the end is totally worth it!