tisdag 28 Jun 2011, 16:00
Pfft - you're just getting old, man
This is Glastonbury no. 13 for me (and Mildew3000) - I'm now just into my 30s and this year 2 of our troupe are about 5 months pregnant - so it's not going to be the all out alcohol soaked bunch of ne'er-do-wells that it sometimes is!
I've no idea how the demographic for Glasto has changed since 97, but it sure felt that that year there were only a few 17/18 year olds with a lot of people just shy of 30 - maybe these were then second summer of love/old rave kids, grown up a bit but still prepared to 'ave it… dunno. Anyway, seems like the average age of the festival has shot down from 28 to 20 and you never feel older than when you are trying to get kip at 3am whilst all around you are the hard core pill-ed up ravers.
Me and Pete camped in Pennards - which was no distance from the Pennards gate entrance we came through from the outside world. Frank & Anna had a tent on the outside way back behind the acoustic tent and then some, - ever see the big white cross the weird Christian Lady puts up each year? - they were just there under that field. Mildew got tickets through MyHab or whatever they is called, who then pulled out and Eavis had to get a tent company in sharpish with 1 week left - that field was just above the Pennards tipi field, outside the wall,
You get a much better nights kip in the outlying fields - yes it is a bit of a walk but trust me, if you're starting to feel that you need a few more hours sleep each year at the festival then head for them! (I think I'm too old for Pennards now!)
Driving down from London is a doddle
So Pete and me drove down Wednesday morning, expecting a long journey of stopping and starting but, and this is really weird, we never got stuck anywhere… we didn't head north from Castle Cary (passed the train station) but went along the small lanes westwards up to Pennards Farm and the (ex) MyHub field. No traffic at all. Weird. So there's a thought for you; if you don't want the long delays near the site you can spend a hundred quid on an outside the wall tent spot, getting showers, nice loos, etc… or better still you can get a mate to spend that money then you can just get a lift. Nice one Mildew!
Wellies on I get inside the wall - the security people have a scrabble round to find a wristband for me, not many people come through that gate… then I stroll down towards the Tipi tea tent and wander into Pennards field to find room for two tents. Rain starts again as I put them up but I get the outer (fly?) sheets done quickly enough, then Pete turns up with more stuff and finishes stuff off. The grounds flat but we're in a dip so it might get a bit wet/muddy around.
Positioning of tents can be very important - ideally you want a walk-able space either side - so that pegs, guy ropes, etc do not get pulled out. Again, a good thing about camping a bit further out is that you should get more room around you - Dairy Ground areas seem good for that.
Fucking annoying ways to secure more room for yourselves; Gazebos, creating a wall, tying loads of guy ropes together to stop people walking through.All of those are kinda dickish ways to grab land. Gazebos especially are just annoying. The other methods just end up getting pulled down when people walk back late and night.
I've done them myself, thinking 'wouldn't it be better to get loads of room around us and wall it off so that no-one other then our friends can get through'… moan moan moan… old age, see?
Tents up and filled with stuff we check what we forgot to bring; Pete forgot his glasses, I forgot my Gin, Vodka, waterproofs, food and energy drinks. Ah well, have some stuff still and a quick text to Mildew asking nicely if she can bring more Gin the next day - all good!
Things always get too heavy too early for some… - or - remember to eat something
Right - off to Kings Meadow to hear the calming sounds of a hundred balloons full of nitrous oxide being filled and emptied before the little silver containers are carefully left on the ground. No-one wandering around selling pills, trips, coke, etc - bit early? But few people ask me if I'm selling… nah mate, all I have is cider and sloe gin. Which goes quick enough as we chat bollocks and soak in the great Wednesday afternoon sun and happy atmosphere. The grass is dry enough (well, nearly) to sit/lie on, the mud is firming and we watch the skies for any sign that this good weather might change… of to Pennards Wine bar to get a bottle (or two) of the strawberry wine - no blackberry this year - bah. & then onto Brothers for some pear cider. Then wander off to Rocket rays to sit and drink, although the daiquiris are not yet ready… then back to Kings Meadow via Green Futures where we blow a mean didgeridoo. Kings Meadow sees us right for a small bit of green and then back to the tent where we chat to neighbours get them to roll up and so on and so on… I am getting a bit worse for where at this point, I leave the last of the strawberry wine with fellow campers and then we are good to walk off to find Frank and Anna.
OK, Pete is good enough to go walk off to find Franks and Anna, I clearly am not. At some point I just disappear and Pete loses me, or I him. And I can barely stand now. Good stuff. I send a text msg to Frank saying "Term around" and then I try to walk back uphill, holding onto teh fence and making very slow progress. I think I take out a few guy ropes on my way back to the tent which I collapse inside, body in, legs out. At some point Pete gets back and zips up and later I manage to get into a sleeping bag, etc…
I have no recollection of much of that, it's pieced together from sudden sharp memories, other people and guesswork. Hooray! One day handled in traditional first day overindulgence mode! I'm saying it was the sloe gin…
Wake up next morning with a sprained left hand - guess I fell over after all!
…Thursday and onwards to follow!