By DAWN M SANDERS
Josie (my closest mate) got here just before mid-day and, w – kitchen stuff packed into two bags, camp stove and bedding slung into her treasured transit van, she calls Trevor, then we hit the road.
I thought we made such amazing time, but then I found out she was going 80 MPH down the motor way – wouldn’t expect anything less from a fast moving, quick thinking lass…
Tickets checked at the gate and, the usual Green gathering chaos glimmered, but only a little, as there was a mix up with mine and Debbie’s crewing codes – got her in as my PA.
We set about setting up and people were welcoming and warm – was such a relief to be back in the field, away from Babylon and all its trappings.
Eventually Jasper, that strapping lad of mine, Josie and I went out to play and check out the music – it was all of course happening and fully underway.
Predictably, we got back late and collapsed.
Then the rain came, down in sheets; everybody knew it was threatening, as menacing black clouds hung overhead and the humidity closed in on us all.
So Friday was slow-paced, but fine. I was already knackered by the end of the day, but couldn’t pull myself away from the fire.
There was no space for me to do my massage, so Carole, the main coordinator of the assisted camping, tried to rig up the accessible shower as a space, but as long as I had takers.
Well, I wasn’t going to stay tied to the place, so we left it until the full threat of rain went.
Somehow I knew it wouldn’t happen and, it didn’t – next year I’ll just bring my own space via a bigger walk-in two roomed tent.
Terry and Debbie’s kids ran around gleefully, as did all the others – it’s always nice to see, somewhere where they can run around and be free, be like children and breathe fresh air, which they can’t in Babylon…
I needed a topical something for the radio show on Sheffield Live for this week, so caught a couple of good workshops.
The most interesting, was the Reclaim Shakespeare theatre group and their ‘To BP or Not to BP acts – exposing British Petrol and their dirty sponsorship of Shakespearian plays at all the high flying theatres.
I had a much needed massage and Friday seemed to merge into Saturday.
Was seriously spaced when I heard from behind me: “Dawn, its Rona.”
I turned around instantly, because it was the moment I had been waiting for – I had finally ran into the friends of mine from Brighton who I used to hang with and knew really well.
We chatted and hugged – they were really happy to see me and I was chuffed to finally be seeing them.
I eventually got their phone numbers – giving Mike a rundown of the journey I’ve had since leaving Brighton.
He said some encouraging things and I just thought, this is yet another sign, another nudge to maybe move back down?
It could be wishful thinking, but then the tarot card reading I had over the weekend was promising, but it was slightly tricky to tell in which direction it was encouraging.
I think the gist of it though, was I would have to decide, weigh the pros and cons either way, but the cards as per usual, were shockingly accurate to mine and Jasper’s current crossroads in the ongoing journey.
I had the card of compromise, the card of silence (in contemplating my big dilemma); I had a card called ‘we are the world’ directly symbolising my relationship with the world and how it perceives me, my son or anyone who’s “different”.
The reader said something about needing to be more grounded and he’s right.
The most interesting cards I had were of a dove flying out of a cage to join some doves overhead, which were already free, then the letting go card; the one I wasn’t at all surprised to have come up. It nearly made me cry, because I knew it was speaking to me and telling me, I need to learn to ‘let go’; with Jasper and probably so many other things.
Sunday came and, I hastily packed and then got ready for delivering the talk on Sexability.
I stayed in my tent as long as I could, as sleep was intermittent and every inch of me ached or was just exhausted.
There were apparently 8 or 9 people at the talk, with a few stragglers outside – it went okay and the recording came out good apart from Debbie’s reading of the article being a bit too distant from the recorder and laced with a lot of background noise.
In the end though, I was relieved and got good responses.
I hated leaving, but I was exhausted.
http://www.greengathering.org.uk/