Home home home! I’m absolutely bushed. It was cold in that field at night.
I woke with the light cooking me out, trying to lie in, but out by about half eight. Looking up at the sky I could see it was about to rain. No more festivals this year, I didn’t want to pack up a damp tent for a season, so I took advantage of the window of dryness. Much activity in the campsite as everyone in our little band had the same idea.
We were loaded into the cars in record time. I’ve never had everyone so ready to leave so early on a Sunday. I’ve left on Sunday a few times over the years, it just becomes necessary if life things are happening. But this year we all did.
Gen is prosecuting tomorrow morning so she had to study the case, she set her laptop up in a sheltered area by the lake and worked all morning. Dedication. I got back onto the frankincense. I don’t know why that seemed the right thing to do but it really did. That was my festival thing this year, swinging a thurible full of incense. There were very few peaceful calm areas where I could set up and read tarot, so apart from a few very lovely readings for people it was largely just cleansing smoke. Next time I’ll bring bigger charcoal discs and a gauze, and I’ll have different cleansing smokes for different times. Sage on Friday, Palo Santo Saturday, Frankincense Sunday. That seems the right combination.
My fingers are a little tender now from poking hot things.
We watched a couple of acts today. Generally though the music isn’t the draw at Wilderness. If they get the big bands they attract the lager lot so they don’t get them. Let them go to Reading whilst we get the throwbacks and the kooky chilled trancey stuff. Sometimes it’s incredible. Bjork was off the scale a few years ago. Often there is something ethereal and delightful and weird, but this year if it was there I missed it. But I wasn’t in a very consuming mood. I wanted to kick back, but I also wanted to shift energy. No Wilderness Orchestra, which was a sadness. Another orchestra, and lots of people talking that perhaps we were supposed to know. I recognised some of them, and others could tell they were well known by the fact that they weren’t particularly trying to be engaging.
I’ve had a lovely few days and I do feel refreshed. I think the unexpected experience yesterday was net positive – even if at the time it was hard work. Good people. Still a lovely festival even despite the corporate takeover.
AlBarclay 