Summer Time

I have neglected to update for a while, but I’ve been having such FUN, even without access to a computer. I’ve been doing a lot of work for music Festivals, as well as the Edinburgh Festival. Whilst working putting up fences & flooring for T-in-the-Park, the largest music festival in Scotland, I got into the camping area after it had closed. Over 10,000 tents (and contents) had been left behind, destined for landfill. It’s enough to break your heart, so utterly wasteful. The organisers lie, they say the tents are ruined (poles broken or graffitied), but hundreds and hundreds are left erect, intact, and obviously nearly new. I got half a dozen clean tents, gave some away and kept a couple for myself, plus camping items such as inflatable airbed, cooking equipment, and the like. I did the same last year. New this year though, I snuck a friend of mine in and he got a dozen family-sized tents. We’re currently selling them on eBay, getting around £50, plus postage. Given these tents can cost a couple of hundred quid new, everybody really is a winner. Before you ask, yes we do state where the tents come from. We don’t pretend they’re new, we say where they’re from and exactly what they’re like, with a photo of it erected.

I got to the Wicker Man Festival a couple of weeks back, in as a VIP musician playing the Acoustic tent. The only trouble is I don’t play, but that didn’t stop me playing anyway. It was great to spend time with proper musicians, including some crusties from the legendary Ozric Tentacles; and my group got to camp close to the event, unlike the normal people who pitch quite a significant distance away. Our camp was near the main stage, fine as it closes before midnight. The ordinary punters have to put up with the Reggae Tent going till 5am. Ugly! During the burning of the Wicker Man on Saturday night we were on the other side of the site, dancing away to Disco pumping out from a novelty hat & sunglasses trader. Among other musical highlights were Gary Numan (surprisingly good), Alabama 3 (amazing), Bez & the Hacienda DJ tour (hilarious), The Specials (iconic), and a dance tent that had a full-size TARDIS (mindbending).

Last weekend was Linkylea, a local fund-raising festival. Two years ago a friend of mine did the music line-up, the result being the best band in Edinburgh and lots of space-age hippies. Now the rural locals do it and it was a lot of dodgy cover-bands and the sons and daughters of farmers. Still, my mates plated at midnight, and they really funked the place up, then the DJs played & friends played over the top of them.

Now I have the Edinburgh Festival to see, another festival in the north of England, perhaps get a bit of bar work, then off on holidays. Looks like I’ll be touring Barcelona and the region around it on a big motorcycle, then touring the south of England on a £1 bus deal.

Will keep you informed!!