Thinking of festivals...

I am missing being under canvas.
Yes the joy of canvas - and when I say that I'm not euphemistically referring to all tents, I actually own two proper canvas tents. I have a nylon tent too and it's fine, waterproof, light, easy to erect (steady!) but it's not really the same. it doesn't have the authentic camping feel, it has the wrong smell. 

Ah the smell of a canvas tent, the lovely warm summer smell of the tent as it warms in the sun, or the autumn smell as it dries after rain. 

Rain which on a nylon tent is noisy but in a canvas tent has an oddly solid 'thump' to each drop, leaving one to assume that the Armageddon of storms is taking place when actually it's a light shower. At least the wind doesn't bend the firm steel poles of my canvas tent though. The canvas might snap and crack like a whip but the tent stays firm in the onslaught of a spring wind. I am longing to be back in the tent (and playing with my new storm kettle again!) with my long suffering DD (the darling husband stays home (more sense than TM & DD I bet you are muttering) but it's so long until to festival season, even though costumes are being bought already, supplies are being listed (cans of G&T and Pims mostly), and then soon the tents will be checked.
The first festival we went to in 2013 was the Magical Faery Festival in Findon, Sussex. a fine excuse to dance skyclad or in ethereal faery garb to mystical music in a field of green.

 After the Faery Festival DD and went to Glastonbury . More of that in later blog posts.  

We also went to  Camp Bestival, a true 'middle class mummy' joy of a festival, eco loos, baby changing and breastfeeding tents, Pims on the castle lawn, Jousting, flowers, art, literature, ballet and some good old fashioned music. Love this festival to pieces and took painted festival tent, as we did to the Faery festival -  For Glastobury, I was a bit concerned about tent safety (and my lovely canvas being weed on) so we too Nigel the nylon tent. Surprisingliy good loos at Glasto after all the horror stories!


  Many people are put off attending a festival due to the whole 'portable chemical toilet' thing, I can sort of understand that but the first festival I attended was Eastern Haze, DD was 8, it rained and rained, no one could get lorries on site to clean the loos, by day 3 the poop was a foot higher than the seat (who looks at a pile of poop in a festival toilet and thinks "hmm if I hover I can squeeze another one on there"?) and after that, all festival loos appear amazingly clean! and just in case of disaster we take the 'ShitBox' (never had to use it but it's a comfort to know it's there) and Sheewees of course!  



And then it was time for  Wilderness, smaller but just as lovely, boating on the lake, smoothies for breakfast, flushing toilets. A gorgeous festival.
And at each festival you find me, erecting the tent, sometimes with help from DD, making it look easy (considering I'm 'only a girl' and then having a celebratory beer.(top tip here - always erect your tent at least once before you go - it saves looking like a tit that has no clue what they are up to and checks no bits are missing!) Spring, Summer, Festivals, Camping. I simply cannot wait for next year. Are you coming? Should I bring extra Pims?
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