Just sometimes the world is a lovely place

On Thursday my lovely daughter, Rafaela, was excited to be heading up to London after college to see one of her favourite singers, Anne-Marie.

Rafaela was travelling alone and like many of us, was slightly panicked about the thought. She had bought her train ticket in advance, had planned her travel across London, had both phone and mental maps of the tube trains she needed to get etc etc.

What she hadn't counted on was her shoe falling apart just as she arrived at the station. And not just a tiny crack in the sole or a loose aglet either! Her entire sole ripped off the shoe. Leaving her in tears. But after a bit of deep breathing, thinking, looking at timing, (could she make it to a shop and still make the concert? no. Get home and still make the concert? no) she decided the only thing to do was to ask for help from the people that would understand. Anne Marie fans. And the best place to get in touch with them was via Twitter.

What happened next became a Twitter Moment.

First an urgent request to anyone that was attending the concert, I imagine she hoped maybe someone could bung a pair of spare trainers in their bag to give to her at the gig, or would be able to get some to give her at Victoria station, because by the time she arrived in London the shops would be closing and she had a concert to get to.

❕Yo someone help a girl out??
Anyone going to @AnneMarie tonight have a spare pair of shoes 😂 cos I’ve just got on the train and the sole has completely come off my shoe 😂😂 currently walking in socks 😩😭❕

— Rafaela🏳️‍🌈 (@Raffacake1999) March 22, 2018

But it was Anne-Marie herself that saw the tweet and said she'd sort it out. Even then Rafaela assumed she meant that she would tweet about it, boosting the post. When Anne-Marie asked what size shoes Rafaela wore, she again thought it would be about sharing the problem, but a DM (private twitter message) from Anne-Marie explained more. Anne-Marie planned to get some shoes to Raffy herself.

A thrilled and now relieved Raffy continued her journey to London. But she still had some travelling to do before collecting her shoes. Cinderella-like she wandered in her socks down to the tube and onward across the city, trying to ignore the odd stares of other travellers. Her feet became increasingly cold, but finally she arrived.

Once at the concert venue she joined a queue of fans already there. Now, mildly famous, people in the queue were laughing and chatting with her. She messaged Anne-Marie and was overjoyed when someone from Anne-Marie's team came out to give her some new shoes. A JD Sports bag was handed over.

Raffy was stunned to find inside, a pair of new black Nike AirMax in her size. And just like in the fairy tale they fitted perfectly, and Rafaela did go to the ball. What a fabulously generous act by Anne-Marie.

Anne-Marie wasn't only generous to Raffy either, she sent pizza out to her fans that had been queuing for a long time in the cold.

Who’s queuing outside The Roundhouse already? I’m gonna send you all some pizzas. Keep an eye out for @ashtonmiranda & @oli_drums ❤️

— ANNE♥MARIE (@AnneMarie) March 22, 2018

And there is another thing about this story that I really loved; twitter Anne-Marie's fans did see the initial tweet, and they did respond, with ideas, love and sympathy. And once Anne-Marie stepped in to solve the problem, and after Raffy shared a picture of the shoes, they continued to be lovely, sending supportive tweets and friendly messages. It's really lovely to see a group of people brought together by an artist who go on to really become like a family. I know that sounds gushy and soft, but really it was so nice to see.

Just pop over to twitter and look at the sweet replies to this tweet

Do they fit ok? https://t.co/lWfjLFtRRv

— ANNE♥MARIE (@AnneMarie) March 22, 2018

So thank you Anne-Marie for saving my daughter's day, making her evening and turning a disaster into a really special memory. And thank you to Anne-Marie's fans for being so lovely too.


Anne-Marie comes to the rescue after a fan's shoe falls apart 👢

My Wraps - Wearable Headphones Review

My daughter, like many teens, lives with her headphones in her ears, listening to the soundtrack of her life on her phone.

I am a more discerning listener, by which I mean I listen less frequently than she does. Because of this I'm forever forgetting my headphones or finding them tangled and/or broken and useless at the bottom of my bag. When I was sent a set of My Wraps headphones to review I realised I may have finally found the solution!

My Wraps are headphones designed to be worn around the wrist like a trendy bracelet. They come in various colours and even with wooden beads, but the brown suits my style perfectly, nestling comfortably alongside my wooden watch and other bracelets.

They look so good on that I actually wore them for 3 days before I tested them as headphones! They work fine as headphones of course, and I don't lose them and have not been able to tangle them either. They are my new favourite thing, never again will I be trapped on the bus unable to watch a hilarious Youtube clip because there at my wrist will be the answer to my needs! From now on - I'll be wearing my sound.

They are really easy to put on, just wrapping around your wrist (even my skinny one) and then the jack slips into the silicone grip on the earphone end.

My Wraps start at £14.99  for the basic colours, but they are available in leather or beaded too. Perfect for men or women they are available in various colours to suit your mood or style.

They would make a perfect gift for the fashion conscious teen or the forgetful parent :-) Buy some for every outfit!

Specs for Classic Wraps…
Anti-Tangle Fabric
Includes S, M & L Silicon Tips
20Hz – 20kHz Frequency Response
10mm Dynamic Speakers
3.5mm Gold Plated Jack
80dB/1mW Sensitivity
16 Ohms Impedance

Disclosure - I was sent the wraps free of charge for the purposes of this unbiased review.

Wordy Wednesday with Richard Wall

The first Wordy Wednesday of 2016. Happy New year to you all and a big Wordy Wednesday welcome this week to Richard Wall. Richard was born in England in 1962, grew up in a small market town in rural Herefordshire before joining the Royal Navy. Having travelled extensively, Richard now lives in Worcestershire where he works as a freelance Technical Author.

And as usual we grab a cup of our favourite tipple, pass around the fairy cakes, and begin...

When did you start writing?
 At school about 100 years ago :-) In 2003 I joined a local Writers' Group and that's when I began to think seriously about creative writing.

What 3 things (not including paper, computer, pens) would you like to facilitate a good days writing? 
1. A good book to read beforehand that is still fresh in my memory
2. Blues music playlist
3. Headphones

Do you write to a schedule, eg every day or three times a week, set times, etc or do you write as and when the mood strikes?
I write for a few hours at least a couple of days a week, and every chance I get

Is writing your main source of income, if not, what else do you do?
I can't survive on creative writing (yet). By day I'm a freelance Technical Writer, currently contracted to the automotive industry.

What are your favourite biscuits?
Ginger nuts...

Where do you do most of your writing?
Anywhere I can sit with my laptop

What book are you reading at the moment?
I've just finished Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon and just started American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

Have you had a good or bad 2015 and why do you think it was good (or bad) ?
2015 was good to me. I was healthy and employed throughout. My philosophy is that if you wake up to see a new day then everything else is a bonus.


If reading and writing were banned on pain of death, what would you do instead?
I would create a book in my head, memorising each paragraph as I went along and then reading it to myself before going to sleep.

If you could bring a dead person back from the dead for one day to have tea and a natter with them, who would you choose and why?

Charley Patton, a bluesman from Mississippi who died in 1934. I would ask him to tell me what it was really like to live that life, in that place, at that time.

Richard Wall's book Fat Man Blues is available from Amazon.

"Hobo John" is blues enthusiast on a pilgrimage from England to present-day Mississippi. One night in Clarksdale he meets the mysterious Fat Man, who offers him the chance to see the real blues of the 1930s. Unable to refuse, Hobo John embarks on a journey through the afterlife in the company of Travellin' Man, an old blues guitarist who shows him the sights, sounds and everyday life in the Mississippi Delta. Along the way, the Englishman discovers the harsh realities of Delta life, and the true price of the deal that he has made.

Thank you Richard for joining in Wordy Wednesday, I hope 2016 continues in as postitive a way as 2015 finished.

JamAudio Bluetooth headphones - Review

The very same day that I griped on twitter about too many baby items and nothing for teens to review on blogs and I was offered a free pair of bluetooth headphones to review by JamAudio!

So I obviously leapt at the chance. I confess that we have never really bothered to get decent headphones while DD was growing up - too worried about her breaking them! But now that she is 15 I felt she could do with something a little better to listen to her music on. We have also tended towards 'ordinary' headphones with cable.

It was with some excitement that DD opened the rather nicely packaged Jam Transit Wireless stereo headphones. They were incredibly easy to set up and sync with her phone too, in fact by the time I had binned the outer wrapping and turned around, as they arrived pre-charged (great idea!)  I was faced with this



So score 10/10 for packaging, and 10/10 for ease of set up. The headphones allow you to skip tracks, pause and alter volume all via the headphones too! So you can leave your phone in your bag and still listen to what you want when you want. DD was impressed that there is a microphone on the headphones so she could take a call all while her phone was on a table a few feet away. 10/10 for usability.

The bluetooth range is great and the quality of the sound is excellent. The noise leakage seems minimal too - I had to lean in close to be annoyed by her taste in music, and she assures me that when listening via the headphones she can't hear me talking...certainly she couldn't hear me tell her to tidy her room! She has used the headphones in the car while I was driving too - when I wanted to catch up with the Archers - and confirmed that the music still sounded clear even over the car and radio noise, there was no interference. 10/10 for sound.

The headphones are slick looking, have a solid reusable case and charge easily via a USB cable. With a rather awesome battery life of 11 hours! So you could probably run a marathon in them (I'm not suggesting they will give you super power, you'd have to train and stuff, but they'd supply the music while you did it!)  If you are looking for quality headphones at a good price I would recommend these. They would make a good Christmas present for any age but nice to be able to let your teen listen to their music without having to share the experience. Of course you can link to other devices, anything with bluetooth really. So they are really handy.

All the technical info about the headphones can be found on the JamAudio website - where they also have other headphone ranges. They retail at £59.99 and they have another bluetooth headphone at £29.99 Jam Fusion  Both sets of headphones are available in various colours.

I was sent the headphones for free but all thoughts and the words in this post are my own (and sometimes DD's)

Music, Children and 'Adult Only' Spaces

Copyright: korionov / 123RF Stock Photo

A musical post for you today. With some bragging, some questions and some ranting.

This week I have a proud mummy brag. My DD (the lovely Teen) has passed her grade 5 Music Theory exam with merit! She was not keen to do the exam and wouldn't have bothered except that to continue to the Clarinet Grade 6 you have to have passed the Grade 5 theory exam. She can read music of course and has been studying music since she was 3. And no, I'm not some wild tiger mother that beat her with a violin until she played correctly. She went to a toddler music group, Kindermusik, that is fun for little ones and teaches things like rhythm, keeping in time with others, following a conductor, looks at beats and speeds etc. She really loved it and at about age 5 she moved up to recorder and then on to the clarinet. So anyway, she passed and I'm proud.

Music is important for humans (and possibly some other animals too) and children have been shown to benefit from both playing and listening to it, so I was surprised to read a BBC News story in which a musician of some standing criticised a child and berated the parents for some concert disruption in the form of coughing.

  

But the 66-year-old took offence at a child coughing during her performance of Mozart's Sonata In G.

"Maybe bring her back when she's older," she scolded the parents from the stage.

I don't know about you but I sometimes cough in a concert (or theatre, or cinema) and you do your best to muffle it but mostly life (and the concert, play, film etc) goes on. Of course a prolonged hacking fit of coughing would make me leave but just a bit of coughing? I guess I might hope to find something to suck (behave!) in my bag but that's all. We are humans, silence is not always possible.

And what of the strange idea that a child is 'too young' for a concert? Can that be right? Are there 'adult only' spaces and if there are should they at least be clearly marked? If a concert plans to be adult only should it not at the very least say so on a ticket? I took my own daughter to many public spaces from when she was a baby and although I would take her outside if she was noisy for any length of time (I'm not a sociopath) I don't see that a baby or child cannot experience and enjoy music just as an adult can. Even the Royal Festival Hall are quoted as saying "We don't discourage parents or carers who wish to bring young people to an evening event".

So what are your thoughts (and do mention if you are a parent or not!) Do you get annoyed by children? Are there too many 'free range' parents that allow children to dominate public spaces or should we be prepared to share?

I like to think I take a middle ground, sharing spaces has a responsibility to others in the space and as a parent I take responsibility for my child, but as for the odd cough, I'm not convinced that warrants complaint.

Wait, every other ...what?!

It's been a while since a song in the charts has moved me enough for me to blog about it.

I last ranted about song lyrics here.

Recently DD and I had a long car journey and I was thrilled forced to listen to Radio One for most of the journey. During that time I was privileged to hear ALt J sing Every Other Freckle. I was so amazed by the bizarre lyrics that I assumed I had misheard them (after all I am old) but DD googled them on her clever mobile telephone and sure enough...

So without further ado, here are my thoughts on the song


 Every Other Freckle

Aaah >>open wide ladies and gentlemen because ...
I want to share your mouthful > you see! He's diving right in...
I want to do all the things your lungs do so well > such as breathe? OK then, continue breathing, I'm ok with that...
I’m gonna bed into you like a cat beds into a beanbag >This is where we start getting weird...you want to WHAT? I'm seeing that whole paw-kneading thing and I'm not sure my belly can take it to be honest...
Turn you inside out and lick you like a crisp packet >OK now we have passed through weird and out into freaksville, I can only hope I don't taste of Prawn Cocktail (sorry)

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
Hey! >hey

You’re the first and last of your kind >Fairly sure other humans exist and I'm not really sure if this is complimentary
(Hold me like an animal on top of her) >I rarely hold animals on top of me, I think you can get into trouble for that
I wanna be every lever you pull >all the boys say that
And all showers that shower you> Yeah OK I'm not into golden showers or water sports in general...
Gonna paw paw at you
Like a cat paws at my woollen jumper >You seem a tiny bit cat obsessed - do you get out much?
Me, I’m in bin >hmmm
Ignore her worth, and some trivia

Hey!

Ooh, devour me >yeah, but no
Aaah
Lou Lou, let the cover girls sing
Hey!

Do, do do do, do do do do
Do do do, do do do, do do do do, do do
Do, do do do, do do, do do, do do
Do do do, do do

All hand claps
Human claps
Let me be the wallpaper that papers up your room >slightly odd, like a fly on the wall you mean? but thinner, more spread out?
I want to be every button you press >you are not really pressing my buttons so far, this might be the least romantic song I've heard since the last one
And all mouths that surround you > slobbery
Yes, I’m gonna roll around you > crushing
Like a cat rolls around the chrysanthemums >OK enough with the cat thing, maybe you just should get a cat?
I’m gonna kiss you like the sun browns you >hot kisses? best thing you've suggested yet

Hey!

Oh oh oh oh oh devour me
Oh oh oh oh oh oh devour me
Oh oh oh oh oh (Oh oh oh oh oh)
Oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh (Oh oh oh oh oh)
If you really think that you can stomach me > fairly sure I can't by this stage actually, sorry

Hey hey!

Hey!
Hey!
Hey!

I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
I want every other freckle
Freckle >and we're done.

weirdo

Camp Bestival, or 'turning it off and on again'

Today in the news there was talking of the arrogance of the west (no arguments there) about sleep (oh, as you were...sleep eh?) and how sleep is important

I can see the parents nodding at the back, or maybe nodding off at the back. Yes they mumble, sleep is important, and I'm not getting any (no nor any of that either - I'm too tired)

Well I'm here to tell you exciting news!

Camping resets your body clock! Yes yes it does - the BBC wrote about it here 

Gratuitous Picture of Eton Mess served at Camp Bestival

Camping can be a great way to reboot, to 'switch yourself off and on again' as it were. Getting up with the light, snoozing in the sun if you get sleepy in the daytime, eating when hungry, going to bed when tired... And if you are panicking that you can't because ... you have kids and camping with kids is too stressful (I wrote about that here) then more good news!

Camp Bestival still has tickets and it's a festival designed for families, for children, for parents, even for babies! yes loyal reader a festival for all! (they don't mind if you are single, or even alone either, more the merrier, pile on in)

Camp Bestival has security to keep you safe and return lost kids, it has bars for relaxing grown ups and all kinds of free activities to keep small ones entertained, from clay modelling to dance schools. It has a quiet chill out baby tent, for snoozing babes, and breastfeeding mums (and bottle feeding mums and dads too of course!)

It has bouncy castles, jousting (yes real actual jousting!) circuses, dressing up with a cat walk (unleash your inner 'silly'!) lots of shops selling fun things, clothes, bubbles, wigs, food, hats...

This year Rob and Josie have been working on a Teen Arena so that those annoying lovely teens don't feel left out and can have some fun of their own, I know DD isexcited about this as we did start to feel she was getting too old for some of the kids stuff while not quite old enough for the grown up stuff.

I'm going this year as a Camp Bestival Official Blogger and I'm taking my brother and his family along to their FIRST festival! I can't wait to show them the joy of Camp Bestival.

Good gracious I failed to mention the MUSIC! It's a festival so of course there is music, dancing, Mr Tumble for the little ones, Chas and Dave for those older...I've been told to listen out for The Wedding Present, ... look at the whole line up here.

So? Are you coming? Grab a tent, some bubbles and some glow sticks, I'll save you a pitching spot...

California Driving Tunes

I'll be meeting up with Mimi, a friend I've known online (and met once in person) for years. I have hired a convertible car and DD and I are planning Thelma and Louise style adventure (with less death hopefully) and so I need some songs to drive to.

I'm planning on popping a few onto my generic mp3 playing thingy (probably my phone actually) and also doing a CD or 4. I plan to take the unabridged Audio Book (on CD) of To Kill a Mocking Bird too, we have a lot of driving to do.

So I'm asking you for some help, some input, some reader participation. So far the tracks I have lined up are



and some Beach Boys of course, California Girls....obviously

San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) - of course.

But what other must have driving tunes do two English girls in an open top car cruising the West Coast need?

Suggestions in the comments please!

Swamps, Stages, Sun, and Sweat (Glastonbury ...continued)

Friday arrived damp and drizzly. We donned wellies (and clothes, I wasn't allowed to wander naked, the teen DD had forbidden it, tsk, teens eh) And headed down to the festival for some breakfast. The field by the Other Stage was a quagmire. Proper sticky, slippy Glastonbury mud. Hungover festival goers slithered and slid along the walkways, sometimes falling with a satisfying 'splat'. We stopped for breakfast of bacon and egg in a bap (well I did, DD claimed not to be hungry) and then walked about in the mud, we squelched onward and suddenly were forced, FORCED, to eat warm blackberry and apple pie with cream, when we spotted the aptly named Just Desserts (absolutely scrumptious!)

 We then staggered onward to the kids field as DD had been dying to visit and see what was going on there. By this time the sun was out, so I lounged while she played in the spider tower, the pingpong thunderdome and other assorted amusements. I wasn't just watching beards (I was).

Later we went to Williams Green to meet Lemon Fancy at the Ecover Bee, we also bumped into Ptolemy the bee's creator. We chatted, admired the bee and then popped into the 'souper' Soup Library, a place we discovered last year at Wilderness, and one we were delighted to see again.

We were sad to miss Amanda Palmer but DD was very happy to catch up with Rita Ora's set on the Pyramid stage.

We had pizza (cooked in a wood fired oven, smokey goodness) for lunch, and also had to eat crumpets after spotting old friends from Camp Bestival the Strumpets  with Crumpets (I seem to have turned  into a Glastonbury food critic and it's true we did eat ALL THE TIME! but it's hard work festivalling) DD had two luxury jam crumpets, while I had the Bloody Mary - best crumpet ever!

In one of the shops DD cunningly bought a Jessie J T-shirt for a £5 (I say cunning, it was priced at £10, I said no, the guy selling instantly reduced it LOL) And then we went to the Cider Bus for beard watching warm cider. We could hear The Vaccines playing from there so it seemed churlish to move, it's a bit blurred at this point to be honest. :-)

We went to watch the rather fab and funny Dizzee Rascal complete with swearing and balloons, a rather spirited and fun performance that DD loved, and we stayed  for the Arctic Monkeys set too because I rather love them.

After dark we went back to  Williams Green to see the bee in the dark, and it didn't disappoint, cunning light effects rippled over its body and it looked amazing.

 Saturday Morning broke bright and warm. The mud had all dried, and after an  ostrich burger for breakfast we were off!The green kids field was first on the list as DD was obsessed with the climbing wall there. The people in the field were so lovely and friendly too, oh and we were dressed as bees.

 We took a walk up to The Park to the Crow's Nest hoping to see  Professor Brian Cox but it was so busy we couldn't even get close, reminded me of stories of people trying to hear Jesus! So we took photos of the lovely view over the festival, and had some lunch then walked back past the stone circle (where we saw the most romantic of marriage proposals, he: down on one knee, she:crying and saying yes, everyone:hugging)

We went to watch some comedy next, DD's choice, and chanced on Torann Drummers (young, hunky, sweaty topless drummers, what's not to like?) and then listened to Jeremy Hardy and some other people that raised a giggle or two.

Tea was a fishfinger butty while watching stunt men lay on beds of nails. Which fortified us to go and see The Proclaimers in the Accoustic tent.

 We nipped back to the tent for chairs and shmangles so we would be comfy for The Rolling Stones later. The field was heaving with fans and we were far far away but it was amazing. I was exhausted just watching them for over two hours, incredible the stamina they have and Mick was clearly loving it all.

Sunday. Dressed as bees again today after washing our hair in a bucket by the tent, no queueing at showers for us! Even though there were free showers in the Green Futures field, stocked with Ecover products.

We caught a bit of Zulu Winter on the Other Stage, and DD danced about with her breakfast ostrich.

We went to the West Holt stage to see Riot Jazz (mostly by accident, you really do find all the best things by accident at festivals)

Then we spent an hour or so at the Circus Pavement (DD's favourite spot) watching such great acts as Great Dave, Billy Kid and Mr H. (no Photos of Billy Kidd though - too busy cringing as she dislocated her shoulder to escape from a straight jacket)

 And at 1:30 we were back at the Other stage for what turned out to be my favourite act of the festival (and the cruel BBC didn't film it!!) Stornoway, so there I sat sipping gin from a tin, listening to lovely music on hard baked earth that had been a swamp only days before.

Lianne La Havas (someone we discovered at Wilderness and instantly loved) was great on the West Holt stage later, I sat eating Goan Fish Curry (delicious and very spicy) while listening.

Mumford and Sons performed a stonking set later, much of which we listened to from the comfort of bed, we really are wimpy festival goers :-)

Monday. I'd been dreading getting the trolley back up the hill but I needn't have worried. Delightful friendly men helped us at every steep bit, one guy helped push for so long that we awarded him a medal (I bought some at the 99p stores for just an occasion such as this, we had already awarded one to one of the litter picking team) and so we were gone, driving away from several days of action packed fun. I miss being in the tent, I can't wait for the next festival.

All the photos you've already seen plus a whole load more are in the slide show below. (Well done if you read this far)

Big thanks to Ecover for sending us to Glastonbury

Created with flickr slideshow.

Festivals, Camping, Spring, Summer. I can't WAIT!!!

So, half an hour of lunchtime left, time for a quick blog about camping and festivals because it's snowing and 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 get out in the tent (and to test my new storm kettle!) with my long suffering DD (the darling husband stays home (more sense than TM & DD I bet you are muttering) but it's so close to festival season, costumes are being bought, supplies are being listed (cans of G&T and Pims mostly), soon the tents will be checked.

The first festival I'm off to is the Magical Faery Festival in Findon, Sussex. Sounds delightful, a fine excuse to dance skyclad or in ethereal faery garb to mystical music in a field of green. Here's hoping for fine weather, fine food, fine wines and average toilets.

Many people are put off attending a festival due to the whole 'portable chemical toilets' 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!

After the Faery Festival DD and I are off to Glastonbury of course - and we are so excited we can hardly breathe. More of that in later blog posts.

Then we have tickets booked for 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 will be taking painted festival tent, as we will to the Faery festival - not so sure about Glastonbury, I'm a bit concerned about tent safety (and my lovely canvas being weed on, so may buy a new cheap yet funky tent for Glasto)

And then only the next weekend we will be off to 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. Are you coming? Should I bring extra Pims?

Lyric Appreciation

I realise Olly Murs is not everyones cup of tea, in fact on Twitter at least people see to have rather taken against the cheeky little Essex boy. I on the other hand find him rather endearing. He always sounds quite genuine on radio and television so either he is or he's an excellent actor. He seems fairly cheerful and unpretentious, young and fun-loving. And I like his poppy music too. Long ago I had a long moan/rant about Bruno Mars whose lyrics I loathed so to redress a balance here are some lyrics I love

My heart skips-skips-skips-skips-skips-skips a beat.
I can see you're not yourself
Even when you're here with me
I know that you're somewhere else
So put another record on
Kiss and lead me on
Nothing really matters when we're dancing
Listen to the same sad song playing on repeat
'Cause every time we come this close, my heart skips, skips a beat
So come on, spin me around
Now I don't wanna go home
Cause when you hold me like this you know my heart skips, skips a beat
I know I should, but I can't leave it alone
And when you hold me like this that's when my heart skips, skips a beat
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
So hung up
We can't let go
If you really have to leave
One more time just move me slow
So put another record on
Play it on repeat,
Nothing really matters when we're dancing
Cause all you ever need to know, is what you do to me,
And every time you hold me close, my heart skips, skips a beat
So come on, spin me around
Now I don't wanna go home
Cause when you hold me like this you know my heart skips, skips a beat
I know I should, but I can't leave it alone
And when you hold me like this that's when my heart skips, skips a beat
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos  

I love these lyrics because they are about the singer and his emotions not blaming someone else for how he feels, because it's getting back to an old fashioned love song, the sort where just being with someone is enough to make your heart skip, not that you want to suddenly rip of her clothes and ravish her on the dancefloor, not that you are full of a desire to die horribly (take note Mr Mars) just that being with someone makes you happy, silly happy and you don't want the evening to end.

Sweet, boppy and I like it. So there.

(oh and another song on the 'It's not big and it's not clever and I loathe it' list is Black Heart)

Where did you buy your first CD?

This is apparently a question much asked today after the slow but steady demise of what is still oddly called a 'Record' Store. I guess they do still sell recorded music.

Like most people I buy a lot online, actually more than many as I work full time, get home after 6.30pm and am a busy mum at weekends. But back in the day I was a keen record store browser. I won't say buyer, I was young and hadn't much pocket money and a single (7inch vinyl) record was 79p...

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My first few records were cover type albums - they were cheaper (and dreadful) and you got more music for your money. Yes I'm of the age that the Top of The Pops albums. And the shop I used was a local independent record shop, now closed.

The first record I really really wanted was the Telephone Answering Machine Song

 

and I made my mum stay in all day at home to tape it off of the radio for me - and yes I know

 I have finally bought a copy on vinyl so you can all relax.

The first song I adored and (finally) owned an original of was 5705 by City Boy and it's still one of my pop favourites

 

Into the 80s when I finally had some money my music collection expanded, with Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Wham!, Adam and the Ants, Shakin' Stevens, ABC, Human League and numerous other  dubious bands :-)

What was your first CD? Vinyl? Tape? Download?

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Do you still buy 'actual' music or do you only download?

Camp Bestival, in which there is a photo of me dressed as a horse

Last week I went to Camp Bestival again ….

I hope you read that in your Daphne Du Maurier voice..
 
As usual (this was my 3rd year) it was FABULOUS with capital F A B U L O U and S.
   I find it hard to tell you how wonderful and full of excitement and things to do it was as the entire weekend spins by you in a haze of delight, from Circuses with Performing insects, via Wall of Death Riders, past lone pianos in fields and music and food… Oh there a good place to start, the food.

This year we decided cooking was too much of a faff especially as the food is great at Camp Bestival and really not that expensive (yes it’s more than the local chippy, but it’s in a field! And it’s mostly fresh cooked, local and delicious) so we started with trying to eat all the pies. Failed miserably as there were just too many to try! Day one saw us eating a Higgidy Pie (Beef and Ale) and while the Delicious Matador Pie from Pie Minister on day 2 was amazing it’s fair to say that the Higgidy Pies won our hearts. (and stomachs)
My vegetarian friend tried a Grumpies Pie and was keen enough to try to get another but time and far too many things to see and do meant that sadly never happened. We also had a rather lovely cream tea (with real clotted cream) at The WI tent for a bargain price, and the 12 year old girls that accompanied us had large wedges of homemade (gluten-free) cake. I was very pleasantly surprised at the amount of information about the food,, the availability of vegetarian and also of gluten free food.
We also sampled pasta (bolognaise and a vegetarian pesto), Wood fired Pizza (simply delicious), Fish and Chips (a bit disappointed to have to pay 50p for sauces! But food was great and you got a fair bit of sauce for 50p)
We started each day with my festival favourite, a bacon (and sometimes bacon and egg) butty at The Grill, and often added a smoothie (strawberry, pear and apple) from the Smotthie satll next door to start off the day with a boost! Also gallons of coffee were drunk. I didn’t use the bar a lot at Camp Bestival this year due to the long waits – it was the most sober festival I have attended on that score! But a pint of cider on my last night was lovely.

But what was happening? What did I do except eat! Well everything,
I’ll add photos so you can get a flavour, but there was shopping, dancing, walking, watching movies, comedy, filthy comedy, Kids comedy, music, dancing, bubbles, comedy, Keith Allen, Dick ‘n’ Dom, Fancy Dress, charity work, crazy golf, a funfair, Jimmy Carr, Rolf Harris, Rizzle Kicks, dancing, walking in the woods, art, and so it went on, seriously we were all exhausted, if you are wondering ‘will my child sleep ok in a festival tent?’ let me tell you – every one will sleep!! You’ll be too tired not too!

The firework finale was, as ever, fantastic.


Oh quick note on a much asked question – what of festival loos! Well in general Camp Bestival has the cleanest loos of any festival I’ve been to. They are port-a-loos so they are not posh, (there are compost loos in the festival too (see more shit that you have ever seen before!) so expect portable loo type loos, bring wetwipes, hand gel and loo roll. You may also want to invest in a ShitBox and a Travel John, Just in case – but I’ve never needed to use them.

Will I be going next year? Is Lulworth Castle in Dorset???!?

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