Sunday 25 May 2014

It's Bank Holiday, so what are you doing here?

I might sit about with a cup of tea before the day gets going, and then I'm off to the Chippenham Folk Festival.

What - morris dancers and people singing with a finger in their ears? There's a bit of that, but much more besides. It might surprise you just how much 'folk' has changed since the 1960s - to begin with, singers are more likely to clutch a bottle of water on stage than a pint of beer.

I don't remember this sort of thing in the 60s? (Well, I do, but it sounded a bit different then.)



Having said that, it will still involve a lot of flopping about like an old hippy. Sitting in the sunshine (I hope). Eating festival food. Queueing for toilets.

Anyone else into festivals? I love them - I love celebrating anything: music, arts, books ... well, maybe not cars or steam engines. I love wandering among people who are interesting in the same things - so at literature festivals I talk words and this weekend I'll be singing and maybe enjoying a strip-the-willow if my knees can stand it. There will be no prizes, no stars. Just people having fun.

That's it - I'm off to enjoy myself.

But what do you do, just because you can? Because it lifts your spirits? Because you can share it with those you love?


6 comments:

  1. Oh I do hope you have fun, Jo! I love festivals too but haven't been to a folk festival for ever! I'd love to join you in your hippydom! Me? Well, spuddling is number 1 now, but I also love music and the arts. Mostly it comes to playing my violin. I have great fun recording guitar backings with mandolin and then recording the violin on top. Hopelessly amateur, not at all good, but that's my kind of fun! Wishing you lots of sunshine!

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    1. What fun - one day you must post a clip, Val?

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  2. We just came back from the South Bank. They were celebrating the ALchemy festival there. It's an annual event that highlights the culture and traditions of the Asian and South Asian communities. Lovely exhibitions and beautiful music and dance. I took my daughter with me and my brother-in-law and his daughter joined us there. The food was glorious, lots of stalls outside selling Sri Lankan, Bengali, Punjabi and Pakistani food.

    I hope you had fun yourself.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. How wonderful - there's a mela near here in the summer - I don't eat much for a week before that, cos the Asian food is so wonderful!

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  3. I love outdoor summer festivals (specially if its sunny and warm) and outdoor winter festivals (if it's snowy and not too cold).

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  4. Oh I need to live where you live.

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