Glastonbury at home

I spent a lot of the past weekend at Glastonbury Festival - not in an actual mud-filled Somerset field with my tent and wellies, but comfily curled up on my sofa watching TV.  There's a lot of musical choice at Glastonbury so I searched the special channel on i-player and chose my favourites. (sorry, folks, no Bowie or Beyonce here)

Festival vibes, though not Glastonbury

I started early on Friday evening and saw Foo Fighters and The Cure before nipping out to a totally different event The Blackheart Orchestra's The Big Armchair Concert 2 on Facebook, then returning to Glastonbury for  Elbow and The Killers (a set from 2004)



On Saturday my husband did some decorating while George Ezra sang in the background. And in the evening we left the festival site yet again and went to the Bridge Theatre in London for a glorious and funny performance of Midsummer's Night Dream starring Gwendoline Christie (from Game of Thrones). I'd need a helicopter to do that in real life :)

After a more relaxing night than I'd get in the tent, on Sunday I was back at Glastonbury. 

One thing that had been missing so far (crowds and mud I can live without) was festival food so to get really in the mood I tried to make my own - pittas toasted with chorizo, slices of red pepper, and cheddar, some cucumber and lettuce added, and served with green olives and mangetout. Not a bad try, I thought. Then I settled down to watch Florence and the Machine during lunch.  

The evening started quietly with Bon Iver, and acoustic sessions from a variety of artists including George Ezra again, with volume and energy increasingly with The Wombats (plus actual dancing wombats), and another set from The Killers (this time 2019).

It was great fun - there were no queues for toilets, the rain didn't matter, and my Fitbit clocked up lots of steps 'dancing' along. Sadly it's probably the nearest I'll ever get to Glastonbury.

Lockdown Week 9 - 19th - 25th May

Well, this was the most up-and-down week so far!


I started the week in a positive mood but Wednesday was gloriously sunny - so much so that I sat outside for lunch, then inside but by the window in the afternoon, and got too much sun. As a result, I spent Thursday feeling 'off' and dizzy, and then that night my sleep was disrupted by rain (very welcome), foxes arguing in the street, and then husband's snoring. Argh. I'd just about got back to my normal self when Dominic Cummings' antics took over the media. Seeing people talking online about how they'd stayed home instead of dashing to the sides of their loved ones who were lonely, ill, even dying, while a government adviser did whatever he liked was heartbreaking. I wasn't ever a government supporter but if they could have dropped further in my opinion they just did. I don't suppose they care much though.

Fortunately there were good things this week too.

On Wednesday, I caught a re-working of Ibsen's A Doll's House, from The Lyric  Theatre, Hammersmith with the setting moved to late 1870s Calcutta. Torvald (now Tom) and Dr Rank being British officials, Nora (Niru) and the other characters being Indians. First performed last year, the film had been made solely for the archives, its production values weren't as good as those of specially recorded plays but maybe it was nearer to the actual experience I'd get in a slightly cheaper seat in a real-life theatre.
And Friday night I saw this week's National Theatre Live's offering A Streetcar Named Desire performed at the Young Vic, and starring Gillian Anderson as Blanche. I thought it was brilliant; my husband complained about the rotating set.

This week also saw the start of HayDigital - a way to bring some of the events scheduled for this year's Hay Festival to us all at home. So far I've dropped in to hear Maggie O'Farrell talk about Shakespeare, plague and grief, the inspirations for her latest novel Hamnet, and I've signed up for more later this week.

Monday brought a good ending to the week (despite political goings-on) with a second Folk on Foot Frontroom Festival. I turned in to see Frank Turner and his wife perform but found a lot of new music to delight me - The Unthanks, Kate Rusby,  Johnny Flynn, Richard Thompson, and Eliza Carthy. An excellent way to spend a Bank Holiday (better than crowding a beach somewhere) and round off the week.

Timber 2020 - first acts announced

Caught up in the run-up to Christmas you might not think it's time to be planning next summer, but the organisers at Timber festival are doing just that, with the announcement of the first wave of performers. 2020 will be the third year of arts, music, crafts and discussions at the National Forest's Feanedock site, and from my experience in previous years it will be wonderful, thought-provoking and entertaining.

The Unthanks

The first guest appearances and musical acts have now been announced. Northumbrian alt-folk group, The Unthanks will be bringing their ethereal, dreamy sound to the Field Notes stage - and to be honest it's hard to imagine a better setting for their music than a moonlit woodland glade.

Sam Lee

 Joining them on the line-up will be Mercury-nominated folk singer Sam Lee, playing two sessions - one on the big Filed Notes stage, the other a more intimate affair around the woodland campfire in the As The Crow Flies area. Gary Stewart will be back (he's previously played Timber as part of Hope and Social), this time with a seven-piece band recreating Paul Simon's Graceland album.

Simon Armitage

Geoff Bird, from BBC Radio 4, will be returning with his Wilderness Tracks feature, in which guests from the worlds of music, literature and art chat about their favourite nature-inspired pieces of music. Previous guests have been as diverse as Phill Jupitus, Robert Macfarlane and Laura Barton; announced so far for next year are Grammy Award winning percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, and Poet Laureate Simon Armitage (who'll also be DJ-ing into the night on the Eyrie stage)









For me, one of the highlights of last year's festival was Lost in Translation's production of The Baron in the Trees, which combined aerial acrobatics, trapeze and circus skills, so I'm delighted to see similar acts listed for next year; Chris Bullzini with a Treetop Tightrope Spectacular taking place above the forest canopy, Ramshacklicious, the Band at the End of the World, a dystopian troupe of strange silent characters, and Heliosphere with acrobatics performed suspended from a helium balloon.

Although there will be plenty of pure entertainment, there's also a more serious side to Timber, encouraging us to explore the benefits of nature and to consider the impact we have on it. In 2020, the emphasis will lie on our impact and how we can tackle the climate crisis. Speaker and discussion leaders are yet to be announced but tying in with this theme will be a reading of  Letters to the Earth, a book of moving and inspiring letters from the public about the climate crisis, and in an associated audio-installation audiences will be able to listen to recordings of contributors from Greta Thunberg to David Attenborough.
The amount of food which goes to waste is a shocking issue, but Leicester-based community organisation Perfectly Edible UK will be trying to reduce this the Binner Party, a popular feature from last year's festival in which a two course meal is created entirety from food which would otherwise have gone to landfill.

So far, it looks like Timber 2020 is shaping up to be another wonderful weekend in the forest.

I've been along twice, courtesy of organisers Wild Rumpus, in 2018 as a day visitor, last year trying out the full camping experience, and it's a remarkable experience combining activities, discussions, and music suitable for both young and old, and anyone inbetween. My general caveat would be - not for petrol-heads or fans of heavy metal.

 There are more details on Timber's website, and if you're still looking for Christmas gifts, the National Forest Co are donating a tree for every early-bird ticket purchased before 24th December.

Curious Arts Festival - 23rd - 26th August

It's nearly time for Curious Arts Festival, that blend of music, literature and comedy which introduced me to the fun of festivals. For five years it's been held at Pylewell Park in the New Forest; I went along for two of them - in 2016 and 2017-  and loved it! 

Now it's on the move to Pippingford Park, Sussex, where it will join forces with Byline Festival.

While Byline is all about serious hard-headed journalism, looking at contemporary culture and politics, Curious Arts will provide the arty, literary complement to it. I've covered the literary line-up over at OurBookReviewsOnline, but my picks would be Candice Carty-Williams talking about her novel Queenie, described as a politicised Bridget Jones' Diary, about a 25 year old black woman trying to straddle two cultures, and Dan Richards talking about his search for isolation and silence, which led to his book Outpost - A Journey to the Wild Ends of the Earth.

Blow Monkeys

The musical line up, meanwhile, ranges from open mic and DJ sets, to performances from  Blow Monkeys, Suggs (from Madness), The Feeling, The Priscillas, and Pussy Riot. Curious Arts is certainly living up to its eclectic reputation!

The Feeling

A huge part of the Curious Arts experience for me was the food on offer. Again 'eclectic' covers it well, with choices from pizza to Iraqi street food to a three course meal at the Naturally Curious pop-up restaurant, with beer and ciders from Curious Brewing, or Chapel Down English wines to drink. You could even take part in an oyster tasting workshop. Somehow that just sums up the vibe of Curious Arts!



My weekends at Curious Arts have always been very special times and I'm a little disappointed that our plans don't allow me to go this year (I'm heading north, though, to Edinburgh for a different sort of festival fun). Maybe I'll be back another year.

Timber 2019 - an introductory overview

We're just back from a wonderful weekend at Timber Festival, courtesy of WildRumpus.org.uk. It's an event which combines music and fun with serious discussions on nature and environmental issues. Music, discussion, comedy, circus-style entertainers - imagine Edinburgh Fringe condensed into three days, and held in a forest.









For the rest of the year the 70 acre site at Feanedock in the National Forest is quiet and peaceful, but over the last week or so volunteers have transformed it, installing stages, marquees, bunting, art installations, and the all-important 'facilities' - compost loos on the festival site, proper water-flushing ones and hot showers on the campsite (these amenities matter so much, so how wonderful is that?)









 I'm going to be following up with more detailed posts but for now here are photos which I hope capture the joyous feel of Timber, and the wild and delightful things to be encountered there.

























There were two main music stages, Field Notes and Eyrie, and a smaller pop-up style one, Elemental, for music, poetry and talks. The fun isn't limited to the stages though.

Walking round you might encounter a swoop of (puppet) swallows, giant woodland insects, poetry on trees, discover the Eyrie stage hidden in the trees, a willow 'Earth' hung with messages of hope, super-sized board games, a giant marble run, juggling and acrobatics, and a campsite in the woods with story-telling and music.

Music wasn't just confined to the stages as Rimski and Handkerchief toured around with their bicycle piano and double bass, and The Baghdaddies accompanied a procession of cardboard figures made over the weekend by volunteers and children.

The Shimmer Tree

My favourite art installations, to which I returned time and again, were the Shimmer Tree, designed by Dan Fox, and a simple circle of hollow bamboo poles, both of which responded to air currents to make music.

 If some of this seems a bit hectic, you could find your way through a newly-created living maze, relax in a hammock with a book, book a massage or hot-tub session, or do as we did and slip slightly aside from the festival activities to take in the quiet of the forest, listen to birdsong, and later watch the sun set through the trees and from the Hollow Way Lookout.

Everything takes on a different aspect after dark, and, as the sun set, the festival site transformed into a magical wonderland.

There were of course some mishaps - mainly involving our camping set-up and lack of  waterproof coats - though there were a couple of cancelled events (sad but inevitable) and a stall which had sold out of sausage sandwiches for Sunday breakfast; the world was saved when we found bacon elsewhere :)

The weekend left me feeling refreshed and inspired, though at the same time physically exhausted so despite our intentions to stay till Monday we took the comfy option of heading home late on Sunday night. I found a lot of interesting new bands, and heard new ideas, or old ones I'd neglected, which I'd like to incorporate into my life,  but more of these later ...

Timber - enlighten, educate, and inspire

            -  music and more

            - practicalities - camping, food, and festival toilets 

Dates have now been released for next year 3/4/5 July and earlybird tickets are available at TimberFestival.org.uk

Since writing this, I've seen other reviews of Timber Festival, mainly from the point of view of families, so here are some links. Let me know if you were there too

The Brick Castle

Hodge Podge Days

Marvellous Mrs P

Typical Mummy

So Many Festivals, So Little Time

Once summer actually arrives there's never quite enough time to do everything you'd like to. It's certainly the case with festivals. There are so many out there - inspiring, fun-filled and delightful - but, with only a certain number of weekends for them to take place on, some are bound to clash.

Here are some I wish I could go to, if it weren't for other plans ...

Tangled Roots - photo credit; Camilla Arnhold

First, this weekend, is a new festival  - Tangled Roots at Radford Mill Farm in Somerset. It describes itself as a 'Contemporary Folk, Roots and Acoustic Festival' with music ranging from India Electric Co with their award-winning contemporary folk, to French gypsy jazz from Petites Annonces, a cappella, acoustic soul, roots Americana, and traditional Spanish music and dance from Flamenco Loco. As well as performances on stage, there'll be a choir workshop, a chance to try flamenco dancing yourself, campfire story-telling from Noah and the Whale's Matt Owens, and impromptu acoustic sessions around the site, or at evening by the campfire, that everyone can join in with.
It's location sounds idyllic - an organic farm with a stream running through the festival site

I already have tickets for a local festival this weekend - no, not Download, although that's not far from here, but a quieter affair, Wildside run by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust - but maybe next year I'll head south to Somerset ...


Also Festival, at Compton Verney, Warwickshire, is another fab-sounding event. It's a much bigger affair than Tangled Roots, offering over 200 experiences over the weekend 5th -7th July.










There will be talks and discussions to stretch your mind, music and comedy to entertain, food to keep you going, and a wide range of activities to take part in, from light sabre workshops to wild swimming.



 Where would I start? Well, what attracts me is the mix of informative talks, and hands-on experiences, so I'd maybe head to hear Margaret Macmillan on The Uses and Abuses of History, or James Wallman talk about Time and How To Spend It (as relevant to a person of my advancing near-retirement years as to younger folks), then make a flower crown, and join a foraging walk, though checking out the wide range of food on offer, from Tibetan curries to pizza, seems like a 'must' too.

This year though, Timber Festival falls on the same weekend, and I'll be covering that.

photo credit; Michael Bowles

Heading down to Cornwall later in July, you'll find another festival of ideas, Port Eliot. Running 25th - 28th July this year, this is timed awkwardly for me as it falls close to, some years actually on, a family birthday.

photo credit; Sarah Louise Bennett

 There are several stages showcasing different musical styles, so there's bound to be something for everyone, though I'd probably give the late night pop dungeon a miss :) I'd head instead to the estate's Church, the oldest in Cornwall, for some quieter acoustic sounds.

The church. photo credit; Linday Melbourne

Around the grounds you'll find a wide range of activities from river-based activities like wild swimming, mud baths, and canoeing, to star-gazing, yoga sessions, and Viking tournament games.

photo credit; Louise Roberts

The literary line-up boasts novelists, journalists, and comedians; there'll be cookery demonstrations to inspire your meal-times; and the drawing room of the house will play host to an exhibition celebrating fifty years in the fashion industry for designer Zandra Rhodes.
 An event mixing art, fashion and books with music and comedy, set on the riverside Port Eliot estate in a romantic landscape designed by Repton, sounds like another one I should catch sometime (and preferably before I'm too old to enjoy a few nights under canvas)


Looking further ahead, I've spotted another festival clash - Derby's own street festival Feste takes place the same late September weekend as Deepdale Festival in north Norfolk. Sometimes I feel a time machine is the only answer to doing everything I'd love to!

Woodside Festival

Saturday afternoon saw us in a field, sitting on bales of hay, listening to live music, while huge soapy bubbles drifted past on the breeze. Yep, festival season has started!













We were at a new event - Woodside Festival - organised by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, and held at their farm in Shipley Country Park, with profits going to the Trust. I heard about it when researching for my local festivals post, and knew it fitted many of my criteria - local, suitable for older folks like myself rather than just teens and twenty somethings, and dog-friendly - so when I stumbled across a half price offer, I decided we should go.









It was primarily a children's event with lots of pond-dipping, den building, and such outdoors activities, theatre (we saw part of this, with children joining in a dance, and it looked great fun), but there were things for adults too - yoga, a drumming exercise class, chainsaw carving demonstrations, fab food and drink, and of course the bands on stage, which were our main interest. Some were musicians we've seen before, others I knew by name, some were complete unknowns, but we enjoyed all the acts.



Things kicked off at 12 noon, and ran till 9:30, but we'd aimed to arrive to hear Scribble Victory playing at quarter to three. Well, we did get to HEAR them, but unfortunately not SEE all of their set because of the unexpectedly long walk from the car park. The organisers were making use (very sensibly) of the old tarmac carparks left from the days of the American Adventure theme park, but they were quite a way from the event site, and I hadn't spotted any warning about this. Still, it got us into the 'wild' mood as we spotted dragonflies and buzzards along the way, and it let Dylan the dog get some exercise before having to sit more or less quietly for much of the day. It's always nice to be able to take him along to events. After all he's part of the family, and it's not really feasible to leave him home alone all day. I was surprised though that no one seemed to have thought about providing water for dogs (the Badger Baristas were happy to fill his bowl though, which was a relief)

Poutine - fries, cheese curd,
gravy, maple-smoked
bacon, chicken, sour cream.
Good stuff!

I'd been anxiously watching the weather forecast all week because sandwiched in between two weeks of lovely sunny weather was a seemingly damp weekend, but on Saturday morning it showed no rain. They were wrong, of course. Late afternoon the heavens opened, just as I was tucking in to Canadian poutine from The Gravy Train, and I had to put up my brolly to keep rain out of my food (luckily none fell in my lovely Pinkster gin)





A lot of folk dashed for the exit, but we stuck things out, in the hope that the sun would return. And it did. My belief is that thin clothes are best if you're going to get wet - they soak through easily, but dry off quickly too - so my linen trousers were soon dry -ish, while hubby's jeans stayed wet.

The music acts were timed with ten to fifteen minute change-over gaps in which we wandered round the site visiting the various stalls, saw the chainsaw carver at work creating a Viking warrior, watched the huge art mural taking shape, and checked out the food and drink, including some of the best carrot cake ever from the Badger Baristas.

mural by Faunagraphic

mural detail

As the sun set, the lights on the stage went up for headliners, The Tin Pigeons, performing a mix of their own music and covers. We didn't stay till the end of their set but started to make our way back to the car, singing along to their cover of The Proclaimers' 500 miles.








It wasn't heavily attended, but the organisers say it will be back next year. For me, it's on to the similarly outdoorsy themed Timber festival, held on the first weekend in July in the National Forest.