Northern Green Gathering

I know I have been back a week already, but I had such a good time at the Northern Green Gathering, I just had to share.

It has been 15 years since I have been to a festival, feeling the enjoyments of being free and watching bands into the night, wandering aimlessly etc. did not go hand in hand with small children, although many do take their children. This year, aware we were not going to get a conventional kind of family holiday, I thought this little festival would be a good substitue. I wasn't wrong.

It is situated in the non exotic Pontefract, Yorkshire, in mainly two fields. One has the stages and food, and craft yurts, showers, cinema etc.. the other is camping. What really helped was being blessed with stunning weather. having come back from Crete and the searing sun, I was foolish to think a filed in Pontefract offered no threat. The UV in England is deceptive, and both Madeline and myself ended up inthe First Aid tent for some aloe vera for sun burn.

I was most excited about being learning to quilt in a yurt! So relaxing, sitting with lots of women sewing. It looks easy and in theory it is but its not! getting straight lines with all that padding pulling the fabric in different directions. I have done further quilting since my return, and I think I will need a lot more practise.

Madeline had her 12th birthday at the festival, and was bought a large and very silly felt hat to celebrate. In fact festival hats were a must, Lisa had a cat hat, Rowan had what he called a Bobby La La hat, (don't ask).

There were fire jugglers, cabaret shows, bands, and all sorts in the evenings, and the joy of just sitting in a field in the sunshine with no electricity is always a joy of camping.

This last week has not been very exciting, and mainly about work, but today is the first day of the six week long summer holidays that I have really felt at a loss as what to do, and seem to have agreed to take various children swimming later. Not my favourite activity.

I will sort out getting some photographs on here to animate it some more- especially of those hats.

Until then