Strawberry Fields For Never...

Lets make it the last time... somebody perleeeease remind me next year just how bad Strawberry Fair is, and don't be put of by my insistence that 'it will be fun' (unless of course you can airlift me to the Acoustic Tent, and airlift me out when the good bands have finished).

Every year, the great unwashed of East Anglia (or perhaps even, further afield it seems) congregate on Midsummer Common in Cambridge and exchange drugs and pairs of trousers made of hemp. This in itself wouldn't be a problem... even the grungiest crustiest hippy is generally good natured, and the biggest danger is that they might get too close when they manage to splutter out between pear cider scented breathes "oooo wants to buy a whistle... man". However, throw into the mix several thousand gurning, urchin faced, Stella swilling, Rottweiler dragging chavs... in gold trimmed tracksuits and glistening baseball caps, and what do you have... a bloody stinking mess. This was my third time attending such an event, and possibly (if I haven't forgotten again by next year) my last. Don't get me wrong, the company is good (we met with some of Mark's buddies - all deeply pleasant and comfortingly clean), the music is good (we saw The Winter Kings - my new fave band of the week), the food can even be nice (not that I had any).... but.... I hate to say it, I've outgrown it all. My 17 year-old self would have been in seventh heaven... patchouli oil scented combat boots, healing areas and crystals, a veritable cacophony of queasily coloured cotton clothing, made by doe eyed children in a sweat shop in Cambodia. But now, all I see is the people vomiting blood, the pee stains on the grass... and the all pervading 'threat'. that hangs in the air like an overweight and extremely tipsy blue bottle.

Anyway... I drank too much... I wore 'bohemian' clothing... and I made pee stains on the grass. ;-) In fact the whole weekend (too much wine and cheese on Friday night... and drinking my own bodyweight in beer on Saturday night) has inspired a 'new non-drinking me' - and although it has only been three days, I am already optimistic about the future health of my liver.

Sunday, despite the grumbling hangover, was a lovely lovely day. We went for a delicious lunch at the Royal Oak in Barrington... and then put the Canadian Canoe in the water at Haslingfield - our first trip out on it this year. I LOVE going out on the canoe... we paddled for two hours, and didn't see a single soul - save for a myriad of Kingfishers and amazing blue Dragon/Damsel flies. So peaceful... so utterly 'hippy'... in fact, don't let those nature loving folks hear about it, or in five years time there will be billions of them paddling up and down the river, being pursued by their 'towny' booze/drug-loving counterparts.

Euro 2008 has started - although has limited appeal, since we don't have a chance to support and then slag off England this year... but anyway, we have adopted a couple of teams (Czech and Poland for some reason), and its a nice way to pass an evening. Last night we also went to see Mongol at the cinema - can highly highly recommend it. It's the story of Ghengis Khan - amazing cinematography, and the characters were powerful and charming (and slightly sexy in a very weird way). It's filmed in Mongolian, with subtitles - we did have to chuckle at the guy on the door, who gravely warned us that it was filmed in "Hungarian"... I guess all "ians" sound the same to him... perhaps we looked too thick for the foreign movie genre... heh.

Anyway... must get on. I have to attend a fracture clinic this afternoon for the broken finger. I wonder what delights that three-hour wait will hold! ;-) Off to London tomorrow... sigh.... but then onwards to a pleasant weekend. We have a 'ball' at the football ground on Friday night (what to wear..?), and on Sunday I am taking my parents to the BBC Gardening Live show thingy at the NEC in Birmingham (a Father's day effort). Much more civilised...

Lots of love
Hayls
xxxxxxx

PS. Happy 40th Birthday to Sophie for Friday, and also to Adele (not 40... more like 31) for the same day!