Glorious Mud

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…back in June, I asked to “ride again please” in relation to working at more events. In the best possible way, I was not prepared for what happened next.

Days after the post, I landed possibly *the* jammiest production role, behind the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury. There, I met a contact who asked me to be Guest List manager at the sophisticated Standon Calling. While at Standon I met a production company who invited me to be Social Media reporter at Eastern Electrics. I helped save the planet as an Eco-Ranger at Boomtown. Compass Presents invited me to Stage Manage at Shambala and finally, old favourites The People’s Front Room enrolled me back in a Front of House role at my final festival of the year, Bestival, on the Isle of White.

Concluding 10, yes TEN festivals in one year.

Clearly, I have plenty to write about, from massaging LCD Soundsystem, squawking like a dinosaur to a shadow puppet film of ‘The Moon’, to stencil-tagging tents with gold graffiti…and not to mention all the inevitable MUD. Mud that even Michael Eavis had never seen the likes of. But that will have to wait I’m afraid, for I’m now packing a bag to head off to Bristol to help deliver what will possibly be my last event of the year. It’s over 3 days, involves live performances and stewards, but I can’t quite count ‘Equinox’ as a Festival… and I think I’m actually very glad about that!

Ten festivals in one year is actually something (now that I’ve done it) I would probably avoid doing again. Though I don’t regret a second of it and would do it all again in a heartbeat, like so much in life, quality can trump quantity. Don’t get me wrong, I learned a helluva lot, and my face ached from smiling, but striking a healthy balance between field and screen is going to be my mantra for next year, hopefully, I’ll be lucky enough to cherry pick events slightly more carefully – rather than the “Yes, where is it?!” approach I adopted this year.

October brings much-needed ‘home-time’. I plan to stay firmly put in Norfolk. Put away my fancy dress (yes, it might actually take a month), high-viz jacket, glitter and to wash all the mud-stained camping equipment, and to concentrate on the garden studio project…more on that later, I’m sure.

So, in the spirit of deep, universally-reaching, weird and awesome energy and whatever-it-was-that-landed-me-some-of-the-best-experiences-of-my-life, I’d like to once again say I am truly grateful to the universe. And grateful to this blog, because, despite the fact that it sometimes feels like a responsibility I fail at, a neglected opportunity – often, I’m excited and so fortunate to populate it with posts like this, rare though they may be. And ultimately, you. Thank you. Without you, this blog would just be a diary in a drawer, and I’m sure I’d neglect that even more.