Wednesday 20 July 2011

The Larmer Tree Festival and Serious Internal Modification (!) - Mid July 2011

So last time I wrote I was flirting with a 30 something waiting to go to the Larmer Tree and set the date for the modernisation of my home.  To the Larmer Tree Festival first.

Working the Larmer Tree Festival - 13th to 18th July 2011

I was not going to do any festivals this year due to my spring trip to Europe and not knowing when I was going to return so being offered a freebie to the Larmer Tree was most welcome.  I was working the festival for a mate who makes guitar stools and other odds and sods out of guitar bits!  These are better than I make out and are hand made from choice English wood.  They are not cheap either - up to £350 a go, but the quality is excellent, all of the pieces are very attractive and are certain to be a talking point.  The guitar theme is very well used by Roger.  My favorite, except for the solid Walnut stool pictured, was the machine head candle stick holder.





First day the weather was good and we set up the stand and the friend making process began.  The traders have there own secure parking/camping compound adjoining the marque where our stalls were, blissfully as it turns out, under cover.  There was Rose (mad as a bucket of frogs) the felt maker who was to my left, Sian (dirty bitch) Thomas the jeweller directly across from me and the delightful Marilyn Allis and hubby.  She is a TV artist.  (Bit like a TV chef but with paint brushes)

Set up the stall and the punters filed in boy aren't they posh!  The most well spoken festival goers I have ever spoken to!  Not many Mohawk haircuts or extreme piercings here (exceptions and rules? see pic below!).  That said the atmosphere was friendly and it was warm.  Out came my Festival Top hat and I'm enjoying the punters whilst getting ready to catch some Jools Holland.  Not bad first night headliner ay?





I'm working this festival and that means I help Roger man the stall.  I'm a very chatty guy and Roger is a quality artisan.  It's a good match and we operated a loose manning routine that allowed me to rest when I needed to as well as getting a beer or two whilst watching a band.  We tended to close the stall no later than 10pm so I could always catch some late night entertainment.

Enter the beautiful Soni.  A couple of days in an I received an unwelcome text from a female friend of mine that basically allowed me to, er, well, er yes! "flirt a little" - if the opportunity presented itself...  This I enjoyed immensely and one particular lady was a joy.  Soni is a mature blond babe.  Very classy, gentle and warm.  We had a couple of very innocent days "flirting" and it was great.  I promised to get in touch post-fest but I haven't.  I'm doing lots of stuff at the moment and I suspect Soni could do without me and my lifestyle.








For working the festival I got a free ticket and a little pocket money.  I worked hard, got in for free and given that I am just about to redo my house I thought if I saw some nice art I would go for it.  At every festival there is an artist or 2 selling their fantastic work.  I never seen any pictures that I would buy however until I saw Marilyn's work.  Marilyn Allis is a lovely human being as well as being a great artist.  She is charming, polite and welcoming and ya know what?  She looks it in the photo above doesn't she?

For a very good deal I bought 2 of her watercolours and when I finish my house in a month from now I will post pics of the framed paintings on my living room wall.

So far in this long post about this festival I have not talked about being wankered.  At a festival getting wankered is what you do.  Working is not good for the wankering.  Periods of work seriously disrupt the timeline necessary to get wankered.  Wake up, get stoned, tins of lager, bacon butty, beer then on to spirits when bloated, curry, drink doubles until pissed and they turn out the lights.  That is a festival timeline.  Work takes the heart out of it and therefore the chances of getting truly wankered are considerably reduced. I even had an early nite after 1 hectic day and there was even a possible "flirt" opportunity if I'd ventured out.  I went back to my tent and got wankered listening to the stage 30 yards away.  Getting old, still a wanker.

I may have Spanish friends reading this and I wonder what the Google Spanish-English converter will make of the paragraph above!!




I cannot end this Rat eyed view of the Larmer Tree Festival without mentioning Sian Thomas.  Sian makes then sells jewellery.  It's good silver festival stuff and very popular.  We shared 5 days where we were closer than 10 foot for hours a day and she is a great crack.  She had me cackling on more than one opportunity and has a mind like a sewer.  She knows it and is proud of it.  A real sassy, wise cracking, huge bosomed woman.  She has been making a living the alternative way for years.  She lives on a narrow boat and with her "live in capable" van (with chimney from the solid fuel heater) she goes from festival to festival enjoying her lifestyle and making the money to pay for it without a boss.  Sian you are the real deal.  Love your spirit babe and your jewellery rocks to.

It pissed down on the last 2 days of the festival and although no one allows the weather to be a downer everyone always hopes the wet would end ASAP.  Some of these guys have been trying to trade in wet weather for weekend after weekend.  It adversely affects business and it increases the likelihood that some could question their lifestyle.  This on top of increasing silver prices, fewer customers and higher fuel costs.  These are good people who want to earn a living in a certain way, latter day tinkers if you like and festivals would be duller experience without them.  They are part of the festival.  Mary, Vikki, Sian, Sue, Rose, Charlie, Marilyn, Brian, and Soni; live long and prosper and I hope to see you soon.

Thanks Rog, enjoyed it.

Serious Internal Modification!

No I have not had colonic irrigation.  (Wince)  I rested the day after the festival the cleared out my kitchen yesterday (Tuesday, 20th July).  Today Chris the builder brought his van, expertise and sledge hammer to begin the modernisation of my house and its long overdue.



It's the kitchen first and that means opening up the chimney breast to accommodate a 5 ring hob and oven. and my pantry door needs widening to allow me to hide my fridge in it.  I will end up with a dry, modern kitchen with a table I can sit 4 around.  Nice.  Then it's the bathroom, then the lounge.  More to follow.

No comments:

Post a Comment