The last day at festival arrives and by now many of us are a little over it… the camping thing can get a bit tiring. I mean, yes we’re camping and it’s not camping as many others do it with dome tents, air mattresses and sleeping bags, but you start to long for a decent hot shower and the portaloos or pit toilets get more and more unwholesome as the weekend progresses.

It’s a lot of work and this year I’ve been on light duties.. and I mean light! The household were really fantastic helping me out with tents and beds and packing and all sorts carrying/lifting type jobs. Even though I’ve habitually overdone it at Festival each year and usually spend several days recovering from the efforts of setting up and packing down and sleeping on camp beds…. this year I’ve had to avoid these things like the plague. I find it very difficult to continually ask for help from the people around me and hate to be considered a burden in any way – that one’s just conditioned into me by my Mum I think who works harder and is more tireless than any individual I know. So it’s always hard for me to hang back and watch others do the heavy lifting.

I realize after the weekend that if it was one of my friends who was in my body and living with my chronically painful and debilitating back pain then I wouldn’t hesitate to do all I could to assist them.  So I appreciate everyone who helped me this weekend by providing tents and shade, setting up and packing up my bedding, carrying my baskets and even doing a few of my dishes.  I’m very lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful friends. 

And I promise never to come to festival with my big bed unless I also bring the with me enough muscle to put it together!  🙂

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Wandered the Markets for about 30mins… couple of hundred dollars burning holes in my pockets and yet I can’t really find anything I want to buy.  Purchase an obligatory Festival T-shirt and a small wooden comb and some groovy Lochac dice but that’s about it.

Later in the day make a huge effort (massive headache since the road trip) to go to the Laurel Prize Tourney to sit and talk to Laurelly types who might have some info on how to finish the tassels on my purse.  LPT can be fun, and you can sometimes get some great info by virtue of the high number of Laurels per square inch factor.  But it also has some downsides…. you find yourself repeating yourself over and over and over to everyone who comes by to look at your work and wants to know what you were up to.

After that… early dinner and red wine and some wanderings around the camp site to visit with friends.  Feeling a little today like I’m coming out from under my drug induced cloud somewhat..
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The sound of the rain on the roof of the tent is delightful…..  for about 5.36mins.  At which time you note that you desperately need to find the bathroom and the nearest ones to you are about 50m away.  Further disappointment hits you hard in the face when you realize the Festival Stewards have opted to have eco-friendly composting loos for the event and you find yourself desperately trying to overcome your distaste for the singular aroma of pit toilets while simultaneously trying to avoid sitting directly on a dunny seat that’s wet from the holes in the roof that are letting in water.   Ewww.  Eco-friendly my ass (I know… I know… very punny) .

Rain appears to be setting in.  Suddenly glad for wool garb.  Many intrepid medieval campers decides to send for gumboots.
Borys mutters thanks for decision to go early (period garb that is). 

Finally go to sign in for the event in the late afternoon when the water abates somewhat only to find out I’ve missed the ‘Broider’s meeting which is normally on the Monday but for some unknown reason had been scheduled for the Friday this year!  Grrr…. feeling rather antisocial for most of the day.

Spend remainder of it fending off pop culture references to something called Blue Harvest ?!?!? and the Star Wars Robot Chicken thing (very medjieval).  Feeling cranky and dopey and tired (oh my) from drugs and mostly hanging onto my chair waiting for the bad pain to stop.  Now starting to really wonder what I am doing here.
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Today has been lost in a blur of drugs and flying terrain.  Heading south on the Pacific Highway it was great to see everything looking so green and lush – it’s probably too soon to call, but it certainly looks like the drought has broken…. which would be fine except we’re now all geared up for a wet festival.

Arrive at Rowany Festival feeling like a wrung out dishrag.  It was great to see everyone, but at the same time I wanted to yell at all the youngin’s for being so full of beans when my head was exploding  :S   I’m turning into a sour old bitch… but that’s hardly news.  Fall asleep hoping my mega medication mix ‘n’ match nightcap is safe for human consumption.
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