A useful comparison...
In years to come we can ask ourselves, “Was this Greenbelt worse than 2006?”. If the answer is yes, then maybe it’s time to stop going…
Greenbelt itself was excellent – we have absolutely no complaints about the organisation or the content. The major problem was organising one pre-schooler, one toddler and two very tired adults. (AF had done her usual trick of wiping me out the day before we set off, and left me about as useful to John as a wet lettuce.) But it started well, very well. I had arranged to meet up with Nickerjac and Daisy at the Tiny Tea Tent at 5:30 on the Friday. Daisy was poorly sick and couldn’t make it (bad thing, very bad thing – send cross vibes to her tonsils, and calm, soothing, get well vibes to Daisy herself), but it was lovely to meet Nic (and Andy), and she told me how to avoid getting holes in short-row heels.
The whole thing seemed to be over in a blink – but we did manage to:
- Take the children to St Mike’s (aka St Michael le Belfry ) worship on the Saturday morning – Adam and Ruth loved it – a really good opportunity for them to get a taste of another style of worship.
- Go to Midday Eucharist with the Anglican Franciscans – which they had very kindly arranged to have as a gluten-free Eucharist, so I could take part without worrying or feeling singled out.
- Go on a “date” – i.e. leave the children asleep with our next-door neighbour (we camped with our neighbours from home) babysitting, so John and I could go for a wander round all the fringe stalls. I bought books, and we had the chance to amble and look at all sorts of things without small children grabbing things they shouldn’t, or whinging about wanting to be somewhere else.
- Get the children into the Children’s program (aka nursery) for a few sessions – although they weren’t always keen to start with, they did some wonderful things including stroking animals from Miller’s Ark Farm, eating edible bubbles and watching Roly the Clown
- Attend 2 seminars – one given by Ibrahim Hewitt – a Geordie Muslim, now headteacher at a Muslim school in Leicester who described both his journey of faith and what it is like to be a Muslim in the UK today – even in multicultural Leicester. He was very passionate and very thought-provoking and it will take me a while to think through the points of agreement and disagreement. The second seminar was given by Jim Wallis speaking on his book God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It
- Eat lots of delicious food – Thai Green Chicken Curry, La Tartiflette (French cheesy, bacony, creamy potato thing – wonderful!), Bacon in a bag (like a bacon roll, but without the roll…
) Smoked mackerel and gammon – hot smoked on site and utterly wonderful, not to mention Shepherd’s Ice Cream (the rule was no more than one ice cream a day… – if you ever get the chance to have their tayberry icecream – take it!)
So you see there were lots of good things going on – AND we managed to meet up with (I think) everyone we would expect to meet at Greenbelt – although it did take a few frantic text messages on dying phones having bumped into the friend of a friend in the queue for the ladies to manage to contact Sarah, but we did manage to find each other in the end.
So it was basically good, although there was an awful lot of trekking around with tired and fractious children.
It was Monday when it all started to go wrong.
To start with we could only get Adam into the children’s program as they had run out of spaces for toddlers, so we had to entertain Ruth while striking camp – not easy. Then the weather decided to join in – we had just got the tent dry when we had a brief shower. Then we had another shower. Then another one. Time crept away from us, and by the time we were leaving the campsite it was already about the time we’d hoped to get home. And our trailer was somewhat poorly sick. It had been poorly sick on the way to Cheltenham, and it was poorlier and sicker on the way home. So poorly sick that about 5 miles up the road it gave a clunk and started screeching at us. Not good. John drove into a layby to discover that the suspension he had fashioned out of a block of wood was in no way going to hold. So we were stuck. The trailer was to all intents and purposes immobile, we had two tired children and two very tired adults, oh, and I was supposed to be at work at 9am the following morning – some 100 miles away in Cambridge. We phoned ETA only to discover that we aren’t covered for the trailer. So after some debate we drove back to Greenbelt (score one for NOT removing the wristbands – we had no problem getting back on site) and managed to get in touch with one of the most wonderful women I know – Kathryn got very tired of me thanking her, but she was our guardian angel. Once she knew that we were stranded, she offered us a roof over our heads, beds for the night, toys and books for the children to look at, a hot shower, and, most importantly, a cup of tea. THANK YOU KATHRYN!!! By the time we were established there, having told Kathryn to yes, go, get back to the racecourse and enjoy the last night, John was too wiped out to drive back to empty the trailer, so we left it until the morning.
This may have been a mistake, or it may have already been too late. Either way, by the time John returned to the layby – no trailer. It had been opened as the central portion of the roof was left behind. (Basically rendering the tent useless in any sort of rain – hah!!) Now, admittedly, had we any sort of brains whatsoever, we would have removed the camera the previous night before leaving the trailer, but we were past that sort of intelligence. So no pretty sky pictures (and there were some very pretty skies), no more tent, no more camp beds… John phoned the police, and checked with the council in case they had removed it, so we have an incident no, but we’re unlikely to get anything back. One of John’s jobs for tomorrow is to check our insurance.
But being very Pollyanna – all the people are fine. It was lovely to spend some time with Kathryn, for whom I’ve had a lot of affection for a long time, but haven’t really spent any time with, we’ve only lost things – it’s incredibly annoying, but – on a more positive note – we don’t need to worry about how to get everything home…
And John managed to drop me off at work (in the smartest of my festival clothes – complete with muddy trainers) just in time for me to slip in the back of a meeting and sign the attendance sheet 
fourteen comments:
Oh Anne. What can I say? Other than: ONE BIG, ENORMOUS GROUP HUG TO ALL OF YOU! Spending time with Kathryn must have been one enormous piece of silver lining on what was, othewise, a bit of a grey cloud.You’ll look back on all of this and laugh, I’m sure. I really admire you for turning up at work—- and I missed you lots.
Big Ruth () (link) - 29 August '06 - 22:24
WOW – Some kind of “adventure” – far too busy but amazing to read about. Hope you have all recovered by now.Donni () - 30 August '06 - 02:20
I am so sorry that your weekend ended in such a bad way. It was good to meet up with a fellow knitter though and hopefully this hasn’t put you off and we can meet up again next year hopefully with Daisynic () - 30 August '06 - 11:24
Uuurgh! That’s miserable, especially to lose the camera. But rain and toddlers and sick friends… blah. Have another cup of tea!Mary de B () (link) - 30 August '06 - 13:31
Oh Anne, so sorry to hear about your Monday… ((((you all)))).I really hope that your insurance does cover everything – I miss Cambridge skies, and your pics bring back good memories. And you might even get a new trailer out of it all!
And as for Greenbelt… jealous jealous jealous!! Roll on 2007 – we’ll be there!
C
xxx
Carolyn () (link) - 30 August '06 - 16:22
Really hope the good things of the weekend blot out the yuk for you xLouise () - 30 August '06 - 16:32
Eeeek, what a load of horribleness. I hope the insurance is OK for the trailer.I’m sure next year will be MUCH MUCH better. I was really sad to miss meeting up with you all.
Daisy () (link) - 30 August '06 - 16:40
Urgh, why is it always one thing after another? Hope you’re all feeling rested by now, at least. And whatever are edible bubbles made from?rosie () (link) - 31 August '06 - 00:19
It’s blog day today, and I’m linking to you.Mary de B () (link) - 31 August '06 - 15:32
oh Anne, I’m so sorry. That is just terrible, and I hope that whomever took your stuff gets no enjoyment whatever from the things. Meanwhile, glad you are all ok and moving on. {{hugs}}Marji () (link) - 31 August '06 - 16:39
Oh my. I’m so sorry. Now I remember part of why it’s sometimes good to be single…I get my kiddo fix being a nanny but I get to give her back and not worry about how to entertain her while I’m trying to camp!! :O) At least you have a fascinating story to tell…?? Praying that your stuff comes back to you. :O)kirsten () (link) - 31 August '06 - 18:24
Well, it was a joy to have the house full of Pettigrews, and I really did mean the “if camping is too horrific a prospect come here next year” offer…As for the wretched person who took the trailer,- words fail even me.But next year WILL be better. And there’s currently lots of discussion about improving/extending the children’s provision which might be some comfort.
Kathryn () (link) - 31 August '06 - 19:44
Oh no! And then getting to work on time? But the rest of the trip sounds amazing.Carrie K () (link) - 01 September '06 - 22:38
Oh my! Anne that’s some tale of woe.Hope you guys are all recovering ok – what a nightmare.
Kathryn is a bit of a star isn’t she? She provided me with the perfect thin sun lounger mattress, which combined with my thermarest gave me the best night’s sleep, I’ve ever had at Greenbelt.
Sounds like she was the perfect angel in the right place at the right time for you. Which is quite a gift.
Liz (link) - 04 September '06 - 22:45
