LAST NIGHT'S DINNER
Morrisons Thai Prawncakes with Chilli Sauce
Quinoa with Soy Sauce
Salad a la Moi

The prawncakes were really nice, something different I hadn't tried before. Salads every day help keep the energy up, though I haven't been using a lot of energy, truth be told....

I'm racking my brains to remember what I've been doing since last post, and then realised, well, I don't always have to talk about meeee...I could start a debate. Yeh! Let's debate!

I think those tall white windmills on the horizon look great!
I can't see the fuss people make about them. They are good for the environment, and isn't that a priority these days?
Reasons like, birds fly into them. Well, there's plenty more where they came from. It's true, I don't think any birds will become extinct from flying into windmills. Also, the noise factor isn't so bad. We have a pump that sounds like the earth's hearbeat down by the stream which we can hear clearly. After a while it merges and doesn't stand out, in fact, it's quite soothing, along with the sound of the stream.

So, there we have it. The great debate about windmills. Now, about meeee...
Still having the odd puff or 2 on the fags, though cut right down now and trying to go a day without any (not succeeding yet, but hopes are high..) I'm still in the 'wanting to give up' phase, so haven't abandoned plans to be smoke free, but still struggling..

Mr A is away working for the week, so I got another 'Family Guy' dvd in. It's so funny, wacky storylines and characters. A new series has just started on BBC3 too.
Reading Janet Evanovitch. A humorous writer who has a female detective who is a bondsman from New Jersey. The characters are a bit stereotyped, like the ex hooker who is the main characters sidekick, but what the hell. It's funny.

There's one scene, where Stephanie (the hero) is having her hair coloured in a hairdressers and sees a guy who didn't show up for his court appearance (it's her job to make the bail breakers turn up for court) and she rushes out to catch him. Well, by the time she returns to the hairdressers after loosing him, her hair is an orange frizz, instead of the rich red highlights!
I found it funny...

My lovely exotic lilly that I photographed and posted has lost its petals. Ah. Also the deep red rose is on the turn. It's called 'Flastaff' and has a rich rose scent, you know, the old fashioned scent which is so intoxicating. Lots of roses look good but just haven't got that scent that makes the rose so unique.

The montbreecia has finally flowered, even though I dug up loads of bulbs to stop it taking over. Have to say that it is a lovely flower, orange and yellow, like flames in a fire. The buggers will have to go though for next year...

This is Mr A's dad's tractor.
Mr A bought a manifold for it for his dad's birthday.
It is part of the family, much loved and used.

I know that Mr A is going to want his very own someday. He will spend spare time doing it up and finding jobs for it to do.
I will then be a tractor widow.
C'est La Vie!

DINNER
Quinoa (bit like cous cous)
Salad a la Moi with Feta Cheese

Whoops! Gotta go, Scarabellas' arrived for a sing.

The photos from my mobile phone take up much less space than those from my camera so I have been able to download a few photos which I've been blogging as you can see from previous posts.

This is how Mr A makes charcoal in the woods next to our house. See, I don't make these things up!

This heavenly salad is showing its wings!

Here's a picture, as requested by Meno of the lilly at present parading its petals in the garden. I can catch its scent from my front door.
Heavenly. This flower has a brown powder on its sepals (long bits that stick out from the centre). If you stick your nose in for a good long sniff you end up with same brown powder staining your nose! I know!

At work one day I sniffed one of these lillies and then the consultant turned up and I had to escort him around the ward, introducing him to the women. I didn't realise, till I looked in a mirror that I had been parading around with this brown powder round my nose! Maybe everyone thought I was sniffing illegal things! Nobody said anything though, which I find strange, as I would have told me if I wasn't me, if you see what I mean.

LAST NIGHTS DINNER
Welsh Spring Lamb Chops
Reheated Chickpea Curry
Organic Brown Rice

It was a surprisingly good combination. The curry went really well with the chops. Mmmm mmmm!

TONIGHTS DINNER
Aberdeen Angus Beefburgers
Organic Potatoes
Salad a la Moi

I have been puffing away at this nicotine inhaler that leaves a nasty taste in the mouth as a desperate measure to continue not smoking. It has been hard, and I did succumb to one ciggie during a phone call. I bought a packet of 10 and proudly left them unwrapped - till a mate rang and I unwrapped them and lit up. Inhale - cough - relax.
Even if I haven't absolutely given up smoking, the amount is dwindling and then I can join the ranks of all those non-smokers who have succeeded before me.

Decided not to go to the Duck Race and BBQ as it will be a washout in this weather anyway.
Mr A is finishing the window frame under his tarp outside.

Baking bread in the breadmaker again, it only takes 3 hours to cook and about 5 mins to chuck the ingredients in the tin.

I am scoffing licorice sweets to try and stave off the craving for a smoke. Black teeth is a small price to pay.....

DINNER
Curry - Made with Chickpeas, Broadbeans (from t'garden), Celery, with Carrots and Potatoes, all organic 'cept for onion and celery.

Organic Brown Rice - the original hippy food.

Puy Lentils

Salad a la Moi with Feta Cheese

I hadn't tried Puy Lentils before, they are quite expensive and only come from the Puy region in France and the blurb on the packet sounded good. They were nice, a peppery taste the only flavour added was a few leaves of spinach from the garden.

I am in the process of quitting the smoking habit! At last.
I've been serious with myself and went to the doctor who prescribed a nicotine inhaler. It tastes awful but gets rid of the craving for tobacco for the nonce. I have told my son and Mr A. They were both delighted with the news.
Mr A also decided to quite 2 days ago and was carrying around his inhaler from the previous attempt, waiting for the right moment. What a coincidence that we both decided, separately to give up smoking, so let's hope the will power kicks in on a powerful level.
We don't have any tobacco in the house and the ashtrays are all cleaned and put away. I asked Mr A if he was going to buy any tomorrow. He said he wasn't sure and that he would see how he feels...

As most of my friends don't smoke, I'm sure I'll get lots of support when people are around, but the crucial times when I might succumb are when I am on my own. I really want to give it up and haven't seriously tried to before, although I have said that I did - it wasn't long before I was puffing away again.

Been invited to a Duck Race on saturday with a barbeque afterwards in the village near to our friends. I hope those ducks can't run very fast and that I can easily beat them to win. I will feel very foolish if I lose the race to a duck. This is what passes for entertainment in the rural places, still it's better than being mugged in a city centre....

Reading Ian Rankin, a top notch detective story writer. He has written lots of books in the 'Rebus' series. Rebus is a hard nosed Scottish detective who likes a drinkie or 2. The books are so well written that getting to know Rebus is easy and he is a softy underneath that hard exterior who gets the reader on his side.

Haven't been watching much telly these past few evenings, except for 'Hyperdrive' tonight. This is a spaceship sci-fi, a wee bit similar to Dr Who, in that it is obviously written and acted by a Britains. It's only half an hour long and quaint in a non-pretentious way. The days of wobbly sets have gone but they are there in spirit!

The beatboxing is coming along at a slow steady pace with all manner of noises issueing forth, though nothing sounding remotely like a drumkit as yet. I'm enjoying the low growly and gravelly noises I am making, like a motorbike starting up. I haven't worked out how this could fit in to a beatboxing rhythmn but it's fun to do.....

DINNER
Stuffed Red Peppers with Rice
Salad a la Moi. Which is:
Green Lettuce
Vine Ripened Tomatoes
Cucumber
Capers
Green Olives
Spicy Bellini Peppers
Feta Cheese
Black Seedless Grapes
Roasted Seed Mix
Olive Oil and White Wine Vinegar Dressing

MIXED SEED MUNCHIES
Pumpkin Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Pinenuts
Pecan Nuts
Sesame Seeds
I bought a seed mix and added the pecans.
Whack it into a roasting tin, add a drizzle of olive oil and soy sauce.
Roast till just turns brown.

Yum! Yum! I had to take the bowl away from Mr A otherwise he would have eaten the whole lot this evening. It is said that the seeds can act as an anti-depressant, I read it somewhere. I think it's true 'cos after eating my seeds, everyone seems to be in a good mood!
Including me!

I gave a piano lesson today (4th one) to Georgie, my 12 yr old student who is a very nice girl. She is home educated, like my grandaughters, and very organized about her learning. Part of the lesson is teaching her a song that she likes, rather than just teaching how to play the piano, and she wanted to learn 'Greensleeves.' She was delighted to learn how to play it!
We haven't yet cracked playing different things with the right and left hand at the same time yet, but are close.
I will always remember when I found I could play a bass line with the left hand and a melody with the right. Boogie Woogie was my first love and gave me the impetus to learn.
George will crack the left and right hand divide, and I'm looking forward to when she does.
Their house is being renovated so they (parents and little sister) live in a yurt at the moment. A nice space, round and warm.
Her stepdad has made a cd with some friends to sell to get some money together to send Georgie to a Krishna Murti school. She is a hard working and studious girl who will do well in whatever she chooses. With some children you can just tell. Of course I may be totally wrong, and she may go right off the rails! I don't think so though....

I've taken some photos which I will download tomorrow of a massive lilly in full bloom and this evening salad. The photo of the salad casts an unusual shadow which looks like a bird flying. I think it is the Spirit of the Salad! It was in a fluted glass bowl so the light shines through it onto the surface of the table. Anyway, you have to see it then you'll see.....

By looking at my stats I can see that a lot more people read my blog than comment. I wonder why they are put off by not commenting. Maybe they have nothing to say, or don't want to leave a cyberprint to show they've been..I'm just curious and would like to hear from someone who reads my blog but doesn't usually comment. Come on, I promise I won't be sarky or ironic at you!

I've been watching Beatboxing on U tube. Brilliant stuff. People make sounds like drum kits and make good rhythmns whilst singing at the same time. There are loads of people doing it, though some are quite brilliant. BEARDY MAN. Check him out.

I got so engrossed that it was getting on for 9pm and I hadn't got any food together. I asked Mr A to time me to see how quickly I could make Chilli Con Carne, Potatoes and Salad. 30 minutes from chopping board to serving it up.

Back to Beatboxing. I want to do it! This means that I'll have to practice which means that I'll have to do it out of earshot of anyone else, as the sounds are going to sound rubbish to start with.

A brilliant vocal group called 'natural seven' are worth seeing. There's a video clip of them giving an impromptu performance on the Paris metro. Incredible! They are my favourite vocal group of the moment.

I had Liberty down for a visit this afternoon. We went for a walk in the woods, right by our house and played sword fighting with sticks. She came and helped me pick off slugs from the veg in the garden. They've made my cabbages into lace! I need to get organic pellets as the normal ones are too poisonous to use.

DINNER
Roast Chicken
Roast Potatoes
Peas from garden
Leeks in butter
Roast parsnips.

We ate early so Mr A could go off to his gig. I stayed at home as Molly and Eve were staying and go back to England tomorrow.
It's sunny, so why don't I feel all sunshiny marvellous?
I actually feel drained, though the only physical thing I've done was piling logs into bags..on saturday.
I fell asleep on the chair then got up and my foot was still asleep and I twisted it as I tried to walk on it! Got a tubigrip on and it's not as bad as I'd feared.

A smart new format on this site, it took me a while to find things, even emailed lifes lessons, cos he knows about computer stuff, only to immediately discover how it works.

DINNER
Cold Chicken
Salad a la Moi
Cold Broad Beans with lemon juice, garlic and olive oil
Organic Potatoes

Blew up an airbed with a self inflating pump built into it. You press down, release the hand and keep on doing that till it's full of air. Started off slow but then it was easy. Much better than the old foot pump rasping away. Comfy beds too. Eve has outgrown the small mattress she used to have. In fact, she is the same size as Molly who is 14. Molly always has been, and always will be, a tiny person. Not a dwarf, more fairy or elfish. A very pretty fairy too!

Oh dear, oh dear.
You see it's like this. I'd arranged for Scarabella to perform and do workshops at the festival this weekend. Then found out some of the others couldn't make it. So, I told the organisers and volunteered to do workshops myself, but I didn't hear it confirmed so assumed it was all off.
Our neighbour turned up today with a programme of the festival with my name writ large saying 'voice workshop today 15.30.'

So I rang up and explained that it hadn't been confirmed so I didn't go. she said my ticket was at the gate but it wasn't my fault if they didn't confirm. Nice lady who made me feel less guilty for not turning up.
My name'll be mud on the festival circuit.....

The new profile pic shows me in uniform outside my place of work, the Chill Out tent at the last festival...I think the t shirt they gave me was too big!

Read my last post if you want to idle away some minutes reading the latest adventure of Tyalskye and Pacy - with a new addition!

I can't remember ever seeing Macy show that she was bothered about something, she is surely the Queen of Cool. Even while in labour with Pacy Junior she was in control.
Earlier she had asked me to bring her the latest issue of 'Hello' magazine, there was an article she had wanted to read.
"Surely you won't have time after having a baby?" I said in a surprised high tone.
"I can read while I'm breastfeeding, I won't have to watch what I'm doing so I might as well read a mag." Macy said in between contractions.

After 8 hours of drug fuelled breathing I heard a cry.
It was from the midwife.
"I've never seen that before!" She remarked incredulously.
"What?" I said impatiently whilst gripping Macy's hand.
"A baby come out reading 'Hello' magazine!"
"Ah! That's where it got to, I couldn't find it! The baby's probably crying because of those pictures of Jordan and Peter" said Macy.

There was a baby crying, and I awoke from my dream to reality. A crying baby being lifted out of a cot by Macy, who didn't seem to have realised that she should look worn out, not happy in a drug induced bliss.
I had dreamed that Junior had been born reading 'Hello' magazine. Thank god it was just a dream!

Macy put Junior to the breast and it all went quiet, except for the page turning of a magazine.

Macy had discovered she was pregnant and appeared to be delighted at the thought of becoming a mother.
"It can come along on surveillance' she said blithely. A good cover."
The pregnancy had gone well and when the midwife shouted 'it's a girl!,
we both snarled at her because Macy wanted to see the sex for herself first. However, there she was, a gnarled baby with a curious stare which seemed to bore into and through everything. She wasn't cute, she wasn't beautiful, but she was definitely There.

Macy was not one for babytalk, and conversed with Junior as if she was an adult.
"and no biting on the nipple when you get teeth!" she admonished.

"Have you got a name?" I asked Macy, she hadn't mentioned one yet.
"I was thinking of Lacy," she said looking kindly on her infant.
"Lacy? That's a made up name, any reason why?" I said, all agog.
"I like the sound of it," and that was that. Lacy Pacy. It did have a sort of ring to it.

"Any work come in while I've been hanging around in here?" Macy said this waving an arm to encompass the hospital.
"Surely you won't want to be working already?" I thought she should at least get home first.
"Go on, I prefer to be thinking about working out problems," she said as if she hadn't just given birth.

I told her about our most recent client, a Madam Batski, who had rung into the office yesterday and left a message after we had left or the hospital. When I rang her back she explained that someone had stolen her crystal ball. She took off the silk cloth to uncover it for her last client of the day only to discover that someone had stolen it and left a cabbage. A Savoy cabbage.
"Can you let us know all your visitors since you last saw the ball," I asked her. She had emailed me a list of names, occupations and times of visit.

"I didn't uncover the ball for every reading, most wanted a Tarot reading, in fact, I hadn't used the ball at all that day," she said when I rang her back to question her.
"All those clients were new, except for Mr Blane, it was his second visit. Bit of a shame really.."
"What do you mean?" I said, puzzled.
"Well, his last reading showed that his business was going badly, and that he should change direction."
"What was his business?" I asked.
"A greengrocer," she replied.

I relayed all this to Macy as she put down her magazine and continued to suckle Lacy.
She then went very quiet and stared into space for a while. I kept quiet, I knew that look. She was thinking.

We left the hospital that afternoon, Macy didn't want 'coddling' as she saw it, from the hospital staff.
It was a proud moment when Lacy got strapped into her very own car seat. This meant we would have to stick to the speed limit with such a precious passenger.
At home Macy looked at the email list of clients, rang some contacts and then rang Madam Batski to ask some questions.

"The client that came after Mr Blane, he is a jeweller?" Asked Macy, jiggling Lacy on her hip.
"Yes," said Madam.
"Did you make him a cup of tea," Macy asked. She was striding around the room now, phone tucked under chin, Lacy now on the breast.
"Ok, we will ring you back with the name of the thief shortly," she said as she disconnected the phonecall.

"It's Mr Blane, isn't it?" I asked, it seemed more and more obvious to me. He was a greengrocer, a cabbage was left. Ergo, he did it.

"No, and yes to your question. I'm afraid there are 2 people involved in this crime," she said, winding Lacy to be rewarded with an enormous burp.
"Thank you, I appreciate that." Macy said.
"What do you mean, you appreciate that?" I asked puzzled.
"I was talking to Lacy," she said as if I should have know better than to ask.

I eventually spoke to Madam Batski on the phone to inform her of our findings.
"So, it was Mr Solder, the jeweller who stole it then?" Mrs Batski asked.
"Yes," I said, "he was in cahoots with Mr Blane who gave him the cabbage in the waiting room to replace the crystal ball with after he had his reading. Mr Solder exchanged the cabbage with the crystal ball whilst Madam Batski was making him a cup of tea. It was about the same size, as Mr Blane had seen it previously and chose it with care.
Following on from the information you gave about Mr Blane changing his business, some enquiries were made and we learnt that that his new business involved fencing, and not the kind that uses swords.
He wanted to fence stolen items on the black market and got to know Mr Solder through discreet inquiries and sussed him out as a fellow criminal. They hatched this plot between them. I have informed the police and they will both get a visit soon."

After effusive thanks and the promise of a free reading for myself and Macy any time, I put down the phone, rubbing my hands with the expectation of money coming in.
"Now you pointed out what happened, it seems obvious," I said.
"I thought it was just Mr Blane though," I added, "it's lucky you have such good contacts in the grimy underworld of crime and found out about the fencing and connection to the jeweller."

"Yes, I reckon Lacy can get some designer wear with the fee," said Macy, holding her baby up to the light and examining her closely.
"Designer wear?" I asked, a bit taken aback at this new image of a baby modelling the latest Gucci and Jean Paul Gautier."

"Yes," she said with a twinkle in her eye.
"The designer being Mothercare."

So here is where I had to work (!) to earn my ticket. Not the hardest of jobs.
There was a parade of d.j's playing great music during my shift, though you can see the ocean of mud in front of the tent that we all had to wade through!

Hurrah! I managed to download a photo of my old Ford Fiesta after Mr A's recycling efforts into using it instead of a tractor to turn a log splitter.
He has the front wheel turning which rotates the mole like log splitter. More photos coming up (I hope)

DINNER
Fresh Bream (fish tastes like Sea Bass)
Rice
Salad a la Moi with Feta Cheese

First time I've had bream and it was quite nice, very filling though.
The salad was delicious, I love Feta cheese!

Molly and Eve are here, they are going to a wedding tomorrow. Molly says she is in agony because she has to wear a dress tomorrow, in front of people, she is going shopping for shoes before the wedding, otherwise it's going to be red crocs! Eve has a pink pair of crocs.

It's been raining all day so I didni't go to the festival. After the last mud fest a day at home in the dry sounds quite good.
Mr A is brewing more beer, after brewing 5 gallons last saturday.
If the weather clears up I may go to the festival for the day.

I have to go as it is a bit impolite to ignore visitors and blog in their face!

DINNER
Starters: Feta Cheese and Herb Parcels in Filo Pastry
Felafal - all from M@S foodhall. (The chilled cabinets of gastro-pleasure.)

Fresh Dressed Crab Salad with lettuce from the garden
Fresh Broad Beans from the garden cooked, then cooled with lemon juice, olive oil and garlic added
Freshly home baked bread (using the bread maker)

Mr A is having a band rehersal in this very room that I am typing my blog in, so it's an early dinner tonight, cos no one else is having any of my crab!

Blacks, the camping shop have proved to be incredibly helpful over the issue of my tent. I took it back from the very wet and muddy festival, saying it wasn't what I wanted, as it let the rain in the porch.
So they took it back (mud n all) and I choose another tent and they took the money off the new tent. For some unfathomable reason, I followed the advice of the nice salesperson and got a 5 person tent with a huge porch that looks like it will keep out the rain. The drawing on the front shows someone sitting at a table on a chair and another person standing up, so plenty of room to play charades then if the occasion arose....

Flowerwise, there's a lot of colour in the garden now. The clematis that I potted against the wooden railings of the deck has really taken off. A mass of mauve flowers adorn that side of the deck now, and the passion flower that I also potted has gone bonkers too. The sweet peas I am encouraging to trail downwards from the floor of the deck so it will be like a waterfall of sweet peas when they flower.
Nasturtiums come along without being planted, a leftover seed from previous years is all it takes for those red, yellow, orange flowers to escape into the sunlight.

Fresh broad beans ( I remember writing the same thing last year) are a firm favourite, especially cold with lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Mmmmm!Tasty! The fresh peas are another favourite (yup, got lots of favourites) so sweet and lush! The little baby peas eaten straight from the pod whilst picking has got to be one of the most valuable treasures that life has to offer. (Who said 'sad!'?)

Liberty had her three years birthday party on the 10th. I managed to avoid the crush of toddler crush and just turned up for the handing out of the cake. Phew! I heard that it was a great party though, with the trampoline (present from the parents) being a real favourite.

Another festival is lined up for this weekend, but I have a cunning plan to avoid putting up a huge tent in the rain.
I will commute.
The site is not that far away so I will go as a visitor, not a camper and return to my snug dry bed at night. I love camping, but The Workhouse festival was a riot of mud and I had enough of it. So the new bungalow, I mean, tent, will not be aired until the Big Green Gathering at the start of August. The sun should have come out by then!

Yesterday I cooked Spag Bog with Salad a la Moi and very nice it was too. Spag Bog is a quick, easy meal that always gets me thinking 'o yes, I can get that together quickly enough.' Hardly any faffing around.

..and finally..dusted off the bread maker and got it working again. I forgot just how easy, quick and simple it is to use. Takes about 3 hours from plonking the ingredients in the bread maker to placing the sweet smelling cooked dough onto a griddle to cool.
So I can definitely recommend using a bread maker to anyone, mine cost about $30 and worth every penny. Blah blah blah blah now, time to do something else...

Amendment to my description of what Mr has done to my old Ford Fiesta, there was no welding involved! What he has done is adapt the front wheel to turn and drive the log splitter. The wheel is taken off and an arm attached via a widget to the log splitter which sits on a base he made for it. So, the car is in gear, handbrake on, plus chocks, and the wheel whizzes around turning the device.
Clever, huh?
Ooo it's time for Dr Who, I missed the last episode, so more later.
Quick Menu of the Day

DINNER
Welsh Lamb Chops
Organic Potatoes
Brocolli
Organic Carrots.

p.s. Just found out Dr Who isn't on, I'd looked in last weeks tv paper..........
Anyway, it's time to peel some spuds.

My computer is so slow today that I haven't been able to reply to comments, or is it comment on replies, anyway. That thing.

SNACKETTE - While out and about, travelling.
Big Bag of Chips with lashings of salt and vinegar

This afternoon, Mr A and I have gone out and visited a few people on route to taking the new log splitter to his parents. The log splitter looks like a giant screw and can be attached to a tractor which turns it so it can split large logs as easily as - well, falling off a log.
As we don't have a tractor and his dad does, this is a trial run before Mr A welds the splitter to the front of my old Ford Fiesta, Heath Robinsonesque.
Anyone remember 'The Mole' in the Thunderbirds? Well, in theory it should look like that.

At the mo we are at Chris's house and I've taken the opportunity for a quick blog while Chris and Mr A fiddle about outside with various bits of machinery. They both love tinkering about trying to get things to work out of old milk cartons sort of thing!
Chris has set up his own windmill which powers the lights and has a large solar panel in the garden which gives electricity as well.
I'm sure they were both inspired by Blue Peter to make things, and more importantly, make things that work.

Had a singing rehersal last night, though it was largely chatting and discussing future gigs, and what songs to sing for them. Brenda and I had the marvelous Potato Wedges with Chilli n Cheese before meeting everyone else. God it was filling! Also it was too tasty to leave any on the plate so we really pigged ourselves out. All for £2.75, plus a side salad.

I took my new tent, (purchased last week just before taking it to the Workhouse festival) back to the shop where I bought it.
When I bought it I asked for a tent that had a porch which would stay dry if it rained. I didn't want one with a separate groundsheet. When I pegged it out I discovered that indeed it did have a separate ground sheet and the porch was soon sodden with all the rain.
The manager of the shop was very understanding and gave me a catalogue to choose another tent, and deduct the £50 I paid for the original tent from the price. That's very good of them, especially since I didn't clean off the tent, and it has mud caked onto it. All the bits are there though.

Thinking about getting a gazebo for cooking in, and somewhere we can sit when it rains. Argus has one for about £60 which opens up like an umbrella, easy to put up, but you do need at least 2 people to do it.
I'll be well sorted at the coming festivals then.

I put on the Marigolds and had a blitz in the kitchen this afternoon. All surfaces mercilessly scrubbed so that the original colour gleamed through. Very satisfying! I can recommend Ecover cleanser. It's not harmful to the environment and does what it says on the tin. At the rate I use it, it should last at least a decade.

I have told myself that this weekend I will write a short story for the blog. Probably a Tyalskye and Pacy one. Macy Pacy just found out that she was pregnant in the last story, so by now, she should be due to give birth...... If it's a girl, a good name would be Tracy - Tracy Pacy, it has a ring to it! If mother and daughter were being introduced to someone, they would say;

"Please meet Tracy and Macy Pacy."
She could have a middle name of Stacy.

"Introducing Tracy Stacy and Macy Pacy!"
If she grew up to be a bit 'risque', she could be known as;
"The very racy Tracy Stacy Pacy!"

If she wore a top which was made of net, she could be;
"The very racy lacy Tracy Stacy Pacy."

If she grew up to be a bit mental, and wore the frilly top, then she could be known as;
"The crazy racy lacy Tracy Stacy Pacy."

etc etc...................................

The tattoo of constant rain on the tent was surprisingly pleasant and soothing.
There was I, ensconsed in my Queendom on plumped pillows, lying on a tastefully draped mattress.
I had my mandolin for company and sang and played 'Twist and Shout' and 'It's so Easy to Fall in Love' amongst other 3 chord songs.

I actually had a very nice time on my own in my new tent.
Which I am going to change tomorrow in Blacks, the camping shop.
The porch leaked you see, and I had asked specifically for a sewn in porch that would stay dry, so I could keep my musical instruments in.

Still, the sleeping compartment was snug and cosy. A nest to retreat to in between the slog to the main field where all the stages, cafes, and stalls where. A cup of hot chocolate with Rhiannon before sleep was a nice little routine, until saturday and sunday night, (got there on thursday.)
Then I got nicely sozzled. You know, that mellow friendly level of drunkness where everything you say is witty, each laugh more louder, as was each burp. Where I could be outrageously rude to people and get away with it because I was the life and soul of the party. It's true.

I don't normally drink alcohol, Mr A has never seen me drunk, in 22 years. Of course I had to ring him up on Saturday and tell him how much I loved him and how pissed I was. He was delighted!
I was with group of festival goers in their gazeebo when some of my friends turned up. They had heard me laughing from across the other side of the field. I embarrased them immensely as they hadn't seen me drunk before and hadn't realised how badly I could behave. Still, the gazeebo owners seemed to enjoy my company, it was like we'd known each other for years.
Yes, I was discovering my 'inner drunk.'

I think my mates were surprised the next day when I announced that I had no hangover whatsoever.

Am I glad I took my wellies to the Workhouse festival over the weekend. Not only did it rain every day, it poured, and poured and poured...
The site was a muddy bog, and there's always some people who play around in it and end up looking like they are made of clay. I bet they regret it when it got cold later..
Anyway, loads of great bands, lots of different stages plus caberet and impro theatre happenings. All the sort of stuff you enjoy when the sun is shining as you stroll round the site in flip flops and the barest of clothing - usually!
Still, I had an absolutely brilliant time! Here's some of the best bits.

Going out to Boogie with Brenda and Ed. Ed dressed up in Mad Max drag looking eirily glamorous. Brenda and I dolled up with wellies complimenting the outfits.

Dancing my wellies off to Transglobal Underground. A very funky band, impossible to stand still and listen to them.

Sitting round the fire in our enclosure playing music and singing with some friends. Nice

Doing my shifts as a Steward in the Chill out tent, dancing for the whole shift (4 hours).

Doing a workshop with Mal Webb, an amazing beat boxer who made sounds like a complete drumkit from his mouth. He also did a fantastic set of his songs using a loop machine and adding to it, building up layers until he sounded like a whole band with lots of harmonies.

Getting tipsy and gazeebo crashing, staying there till 6am laughing, singing, burping loudly, chatting and making a complete fool of myself. So thank you Nicola, Debbie, Liz, Steve, and Darren for a night that we will all remember....My 'How Can You Be a Backseat Driver, When You're Sitting Right Next to Me' song went down well.

Eating some of the lovely food on site including oatcakes, like pancakes made out of oats with great stuffings. I had honey roasted veg in mine.

The bits I didn't like, strangely enough, was the incessant mud everywhere, getting on everything. It was warm, so not as bad as it could have been if it were colder.
There were no wheelbarrows available to ferry stuff from car (parking over the road) to camping area, it all had to be carried. An enterprising 11yr old boy called Connor hired himself out and ferried my stuff in his wheelbarrow. He was good company and we hit it off and chatted non stop during the 3 trips it took to carry all my stuff. Of course I brought too much. I had enough clothes for a 3 month holiday travelling around the world.
Of course Connor wasn't around when it came time to loading up to leave. There was acres of thick squelchy mud to get through, and I mean THICK, up to the top of wellies high. The thought of trudging through all that mud made me despair in wondering how I was going to do it when Gra, Brenda's boyfriend and one of the organizers of the festival came to the rescue in his 4x4 by ferrying my stuff in one go to my car.

So, next festival will be the Small Nations, then the Big Green Gathering, all in Wales in the next 2 months. I prefer the smaller festivals by far, the bands are just as good as you would get at Glastonbury without the huge ticket price.

To get the car our of the very muddy gateway of the field I had to swerve and slide, so it ended up coated in mud. I spray washed it today, and it's clean again.
There was some lovely countryside on the way to and from the festival. Devil's Bridge was fantastic and views of distant hills and lush greenery.

The wonderful Mr A carted my gear out of the car and up the steps on my return. His only comment was 'that got the blood pumping!' I bought him a present. A little wood burning stove that is portable, so he could make a cup of tea in it when he's working in the woods. Also got him a piece of jewellery, a copper bracelet with 'Om Mane Padme Hum' written on it in silver in sandscrit.

I now have his old phone as the photos can be downloaded onto the computer from it. However, I discovered the alarm was set for 6am and I couldn't disable it, so it went off every morning... When I download the pix I'll put them on the blog, I've got to find a lead to connect it up yet though, hoping Mr A has one. He has gone to Winchester until tomorrow to work.
Had a visit from Liberty, my 3yr (3 this month). We played 'Teddy to the Rescue!'
This game involves chucking toys off the bed and leaving Teddy to rescue them. There's Kookaburra, Dolly, Lala and Teddy. As soon as the toys are reunited they jump up and sing 'We're Back Together Again!'Then they get chucked off the bed again for Teddy to rescue.
She loves playing it and doesn't seem to tire of it.

Potato Wedges with Chilli n Cheese tomorrow. Yum! The pub grub fare that would delight any gastronome. Hurrah!

DINNER
Stuffed Omelette with potatoes, mushrooms, peppers and onion sprinkled with cheese
Salad a la Moi