WOMAD! Mud, Mud Glorious Mud

Hi One and All,                              

I had a great weekend but didn't quite get round to posting as I was up to my knees in MUD at WOMAD.

Yes, after years of resisting the lure of music when combined with tents, mud and a lack of washing facilities and allowed 17 'friends' to persuade me to indulge in festival life. Interestingly, some were so keen that on Thursday a few manly people erected a blue tent of wonder for me to use. Hmmmm. This was almost convincing but as I was teaching belly dance on Thursday evening I was able to save myself one night of sleeping out and by the next day God had decided to revisit the world with a taste of Ark Envy and I had my first real taste of festival life with 2.5 inches of rain, mud galore and was more than happy to have been given the gift of a weekend ticket to the 'La Di Dah Loos'.

I managed to look cool in glow-in-the-dark green ankle boots, cut-down-jeans and what can best be described as a luminous green coat of hideosity. I saw amazing bands, met with friends old and new (was adopted by a guy who looked like Catweazle) and loved every minute of it. However, incessant rain and some raving 20somethings in the tent next door and an aversion to cold meant that I was naughty enough to slip off home. What happened the next day? Endless sun, sunburn, me raving, more bands, eating at the Caribbean stalls for the second day running and home to get aftersun and to dye my eyebrows in a somewhat wasted effort to tone down my sun-burn.

Sunday was back to the rain and even more mud. Why a woman decided to ask me to push her husbands 4x4 out of the mud I have no idea but having just seen another woman end up falling face first into a quagmire and a set of guys get drenched by skidding tyres I was less than gracious in my response. I was actually wearing the ankle boots, some psychedelic chevron thick stockings (stay-ups ladies) and a pair of lycra shorts, a lacy top and cropped trousers and hadn't even bothered to wash my hair. Why wash it when we can tie it up in a glittery scarf and let the rain do its worse?

I did enjoy myself and will probably go back next year as it was really great to see so many bands - even the very angry tango lady - and I simply can't let a little mud put me off... can I?