this one time i was a traveller

It's strange that I didn't write one blog in 2011.  I remember in Jan 2011, I was reading my horoscope, at a time where I believe I was suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (or... London winter blues) and experiencing some feelings of sadness and hopelessness at an intensity i had not really known before, and it said something like 'if only you could see what I see for you this year, you would be jumping for joy'. Even though I don't really believe in horoscopes (except for when i really do).... this gave me a great sense of enthusiasm.
And, actually, Jonathan Cainer, was kinda right.
2011 was an immense year. It was the the year i left london and returned to Melbourne, it was the year I travelled through Italy and Eastern Europe, the year I changed jobs (ok i have done that every year for the last 5 years), it was my 3rd Glastonbury, and, *cringe* most significantly, it was the year I fell in love.

I did do some writing in 2011. I wrote a journal on a word document ( I couldn't bring myself to poison my shorthand journal with my self wallowing nonsense) which certainly helped get me though my winter blues.

I feel that 2012 is going to be the year 'i get my shit together and (it hurts me to write this) 'plan for the future'. So when i found this journal entry (in an actual real life journal) that I wrote in Ljubljana in July 2011, it took me back to that complete and consuming sense of contentedness I felt during these travels.

Here it is:

22/7/2011 
I'm sitting in a cute cafe in Ljubljana - just finished my €6 lunch of salad (yes! Consisting of broccoli, cous cous, chick peas, corn, quinua and potato),  after various combinations of pasta, meat, cheese and bread in Italy, this meal was very satisfying!
Each time I arrive in a new European city i'm overwhelmed by the monumental effort put in to make the city gorgeous to look at.
Ljubljana is probably one of my favourites so far. There is something so at ease about this place. The centre is spacious but full of character. I've spent 2 days happily wandering and have hardly seen the main 'sites'.
Most travelers i've met here only spend 1 night. You can easily see everything in 1 day but i'm glad to have the luxury of spending 3 days here. I've been able to sit in cafes people watching and reading, wander leisurely through the streets and relax in the evenings.
I've met people at the hostel for when I feel like company, but actually i'm far happier spending the days on my own being completely selfish and indulging only in what I want to do. But it's true that I feel comforted that the option to be with others is there if i want it.
Italy - and in particular Tuscany and Levanto were also overwhelmingly beautiful.  In Certaldo, Tuscany with my best friends, reading under the olive tree, drinking local wine, making antipasti lunches and having 'romantic' dinners. The street festival in the old town - 'Certaldo Alto' ... these are incredible memories.

Venice didn't grab me. I could see and appreciate its beauty and uniqueness. I enjoyed getting lost in the streets and canals (again happily on my own) but I hated that suddenly the 'good' Italian food were now out of my price range and I was left with greasy pizzas and flavourless pastas. This was not my experience in Tuscany and Levanto, where fresh, delicious food was completely affordable. I also didn't enjoy feeling like I am part of the cattle of tourists roaming the streets. I realise how absurd this sounds. I 'am' a tourist and I have chosen to be so. But when I think of my favourite places and favourite travels - they are most often when I am surrounded by locals or otherwise 'local tourists'. This is how i felt in Amorgos, Levanto and most of Turkey. This is how i feel now in Ljubljana.
The characters I met in Venice also coloured the experience. I camped about 10 minutes out of Venice and met some quite eccentric and fun travellers. But soon my instincts told me to distance myself and when Frank the 'Jokester' from Germany suddenly lashed out at the waiter during dinner, changing the mood from light and jovial to black and awkward it seemed to fit in with my general disappointment with Venice. Later that night Frank picked a fight with a worker in the campsite which woke me in my tent, Frank was camping next to me and I suddenly felt the full extent of my vulnerability. This contrasted with the night before when I had laid in my tent, content, cosy and with the warm Italian breeze lulling me to sleep and for the first time in weeks I slept uninterrupted through the night.

I do feel incredibly lucky to be visiting what must be some of the most beautiful places in the world. My only set back is how much i wish Joel was sharing this with me, and how much of my time I 'involuntarily' devote to missing him. The peak seemed to be in Italy, it was about the half way point between leaving London and when I will next see him in Vienna, and I couldn't actually comprehend that I would have to wait the same amount of time until i next saw him.
It is difficult to keep your heart focused on where you are and be open to new (non-romantic) connections when your heart is back in London and demanding that your lover be with you as it should be.
Something else that has surprised me is how much i don't miss London. Whilst I loved my 2 years in London I think it finally wore me down. The big city mentality, the extreme size, the long commutes and of course the endless cold and grey winters. I grew up in my time in London. I had extremes of all emotions. I had Glastonbury and fleeting romances, heartbreak, Stokey, Church street on a Saturday morning, London fields on a sunny day, Sunday roasts and hours on end in the pub. And, in my last few months I had Joel.
A few months ago the idea of returning to Melbourne gave me mild panic attacks. London was definitely 'home' and i don't quite know what Melbourne is anymore.
But traveling to the unknown hasn't failed me yet.

Glasto... I did it again

As last year - I wanted to write a memoir of my Glasto experience (and also this is what happens when they make you work on a Sunday).
Last Glasto was an introduction to the festival, it was overwhelming and yet spectacular. I was in great company and of course there was Neil Young and Blur! This year it was about random connections, new friends, incredible music, sunshine and so many laughs (I think I spent 95% of the festival in a fit of giggles).
We were back on the bus this year. Thankfully it was a much smoother and less stressful journey than last glasto and we arrived at Pilton farm at the very socialable hour of 4 in the arvo. The sun was strong and I was already sweating and smelly… and I still had 5 shower-less days ahead of me.
We had planned to camp in the Park area and even though the info maps informed us that The Park was already full... we were determined ladies and decided to try our luck anyway. We treked through the Glasto jungle and found a spot quite quickly, but thanks to Nikki's insistence, me and Simone continued to search for a potentially better location. We found one. Strategically, it was right next to a gazebo... Awesome…this could come in handy when we needed some respite from the sun! It didn't take long for us to meet our neighbours... a crew from the west midlands with very strange accents! But more on that later.
We were in set-up camp and explore mode. First stop, buy hats and chill out at the stone circle. We eventually found ourselves at the Big Easy Jam at the Park stage… where anyone can pick up an instrument and jam to the likes of Blur, Radiohead, Oasis, Bob Marley (of course). I even learnt how to blow a conch! (not a euphemism).
As predicted, Thursday flew. There was more exploring, more befriending our neighbours and I got my Greenhouse Backpacker fix at the Small World Stage where me and Tristan met up for some beer and chai tea (not at the same time). That night I dragged Nikki over to Queens Head stage to see the Local Natives. Unfortunately they were kinda disappointing, but I’m putting that down to the fact that we couldn’t get into the tent, and listening from outside was never going to be much fun (I still love you Local Natives).
We had heard that Fat Boy Slim was DJing the silent disco at the Dance Village so we headed over to meet Simone and the BC boys. Fat Boy Slim didn’t materialize and the silent disco lost its charm fairly quickly. We tried and failed to make it to Shangrila and me, Nikki and Simone called it a night. Even though the days were hot, it was antarctic at night... there’s something particularly special about going to bed cold knowing that you’re going to wake up in the sun and sweating. Good morning Glastonbury.
I did fancy seeing Rolf Harris open the festival with ‘Tie me Kangaroo Down’ at the Pyramid stage… but I also fancied breakfast… and breakfast won. I heard that he pulled quite the enthusiastic crowd though. Me and Nikki met up with her Triple R friends by the Other stage and enjoyed Joshua Radin and the Stranglers. I went for a wander and caught some of Willie Nelson by the Pyramid stage and returned to the Other stage in time for Phoenix – the first band I was really keen to see of the fest! They opened with Liztomania – BRILLIANT, and kept the energy high all set. Really, really enjoyable.
Whilst Nikki and Simone made the journey over to Pyramid to catch the end of Snoop Dog I decided to get some rest under our, (erm, I mean our neighbours) gazebo before heading back to the Other stage for Florence and the Machine UNTIL… I get a phone call from a sly and excitable Nikki informing me that her and Simone are heading to the Park stage…. eventually she tells me that Radiohead are rumoured to be playing a secret gig. No.Fucking.Way! My first thought was that there are a lot of glasto rumours and most of them tend not to eventuate. My 2nd thought was I would never forgive myself if I missed Radiohead! I decided to catch the beginning of Florence, which would still give me plenty of time to get to the Park stage for the gig. Apparently Florence pulled the biggest crowd the Other stage had ever seen, she was a great performer, theatrical, giggly, fun…the only issue was my mind was preoccupied by Radiohead...so I cut my quality time with Florence short - and swiftly made my way to the Park stage.
By the time I got to the Park stage Nikki and Simone were up by the barriers and there was no way I was going to reach them. Not to worry, I was still close to the front and had a good view of the stage. I quickly befriended my excitable Radiohead enthusiast neighbours (except maybe for a Brazilian guy who I’m pretty sure just happened to have passed out there, and awoke to find himself at a Radiohead gig. When I told him who was playing he looked puzzled and was like ‘oh yeh, I think my ex-girlfriend use to like them’ DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU JUST STUMBLED ON?)
Michael Eavis walked on stage and said something along the lines of ‘these guys don’t need any introduction’ and out walks Thom York… Cue grown men crying, crowd going crazy and strangers embracing like long-lost lovers. Even though most of the crowd already knew who was playing… there was still a collective gasp when Thom York appeared.
Thom York performed some of his solo stuff and was then joined by Jonny Greenwood for some Radiohead classics like Ideoteque, pyramid song and some more recent stuff from In Rainbows. There’s something so incredible about the collective energy of a crowd who refuse to let a song end. Very reminiscent of Blur playing Tender last year, the crowd continued to sing Karma Police ‘For a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myseellllf’ until Thom was compelled to join in again. It honestly felt like such a privilege to be able to see Radiohead play an intimate gig where they were clearly so thrilled to be there. The guy next to me (not the Brazilian clearly) declared it the best day of his life. It was easily the musical highlight of my weekend/(life). Do I want to get t-shirt that say ' I saw Radiohead at a secret gig at Glasto and now my life is complete' ? ... Yes. I really, really, do.
We hung around for Broken Bells next… but respect to them… Radiohead was never going to be an easy gig to follow! I’m not sure who could pull it off…
except.... maybe...the Flaming Lips !! Even though I’de heard over and over how amazing their live show is, I was still completely mesmerized at their production. They had lasers, streamers, giant inflatable balls, people dressed as animals on stage, smoke … and of course some proper awesome songs! Got to hear the classics, and they ended on a ‘Do you realise’ which was beautiful and emotional. DAMN this festival is good!
Saturday was hot, so maybe having porridge for brekkie wasn’t the smartest idea (that’s me, I live on the edge). Never mind, there was a basin with running water and a half hour line to wait in for our morning 'shower' ... special thanks to the girl who actually stood at the basins shaving her legs !!!!
Reef were there to give me my Sat morning 90s rock fix. The sun was draining our energy a little and so some shade at the Glade area was sought. Even though it was tempting to spend the arvo with a beer in the shade, I had been too excited about Jackson Browne to miss it and so I made the long walk over to the Pyramid stage solo. Jackson Browne was great but didn’t play any of the classics which was a little disappointing. As I headed back to the camping area I stopped off in the Dance Village to wash my hair (oh yes I did… and I’de do it again!). And then popped into the Pussy Parlour – a kind of Spiegeltent with burlesque dancers and red velvet booths, for a pint and some random chats before heading back to base camp. I had ended up spending a good deal of time in the sun afterall and so instead of seeing the National I lazed about listening to them from the peaceful shade of our gazebo (yes by this point I think I can start calling it ours).
Sat evening was starting to pose a very difficult decision…. leading up to glasto i was determined to see Parliament headline the West Holts stage at all costs (those costs being Muse and Pet Shop Boys). My reasoning was that George Clinton is surely going to collapse, die, cause a minor earthquake and maybe take some of us out with him and I will have missed my chance to see my favourite obese 70s funk pop star. BUT everyone kept banging on about how good Muse was going to be! And by this stage I was starting to grow quite fond of my new crew and *cough* may have been enjoying their company immensely (and no longer just using them for their shade, beer, food, chairs and other festival comforts). I even started to understand some of what they were saying!
Everyone else was going to Muse and I couldn't help but think it would be really fun for us all to be at the headliner together...In any case we made our way to the Pyramid stage for the Scissor Sisters. We got there just in time to see 'our' Kylie make a guest appearance. Gooooooo Kylie (she looked/sounded hot). Scissor Sistors were (of course) really fun, and I had one of those random Glasto moments where I bumped into someone I didn't know was at the fest (actually I didn't know they were in the country) and the conversation goes along the lines of 'you're here.... but i'm here!' ... etc.
And so...I stayed for Muse and I missed Parliament .... and I.am.so freakin glad I did! Muse were amazing ! You could feel the energy through the 100 000 odd crowd. Muse are just built for playing live ... or maybe it was just one of those gigs were everything comes together and just works. They gave Glasto that really big, showy, rocky headliner, going off slot which, from what I heard Gorillaz hadn't, and Stevie (whilst loads of fun) was never going to. The Edge encored with Muse to play Where the Streets Have No Name (c'mon a great U2 song) and I had this feeling that so far, somehow, i've managed to find myself at the right places at the right time. And, as I had presumed, being there with my new bffs just made the experience even more fun/special.
We were all on a massive high after Muse and were determined to finally get to Shangrila. It only took about 5 hours...(Glasto has its own space/time continuum - i'm sure of it... I have no idea where those hours went). We danced until it was light before managing a couple hours sleep.
And like that, it was the last day of the festival! 4 days in the sun, sleep deprivation and a touch of over-indulgence the night before took its toll... and I was forced to take it very easy Sunday morning. Me and Nikki lazed about in the Green Fields unable to face the harsh English sun (did you ever think you'd see those 3 words together in a sentence?). I missed Paloma Faith in the process, I think I would have really enjoyed her. Eventually I caught the Temper Trap at the Other stage - having seen them at Glasto last year with about 30 of Temper Traps nearest and dearest...it was kinda cool to now seem them with more like 30 000 other people. But it was pretty much the same set as last year, and the lead singer seemed to be struggling with those falsettos his songs so heavily rely on.
I hung around for Grizzly Bear, who unfortunately for them were playing during the England V Germany match which seemed to have reduced the crowd considerably. Still, they were very personable and even played some of the match over the radio during their set.
At this point I really, really wish I had gone to see Slash at Pyramid. He played 'Knockin at Heavens door' and 'Sweet Child of mine' apparently .... but it clashed with lying in the shade passed out....daaammmnit. I awoke in time for MGMT and LCD Soundsystem at the Other stage. The last time I saw MGMT at Meredith fest they were disappointing... but their songs represent a really fun/happy time in my life, and I wanted to give them another chance. Turns out they're just a bit of a shit live band. Don't think I'll be giving them any more chances. LCD on the other hand more than made up for it. Lead singer was hilarious for starters... (who knew singing about human faeces was so funny?) and they were perfect for that sun setting, pre-headliner, last night of glasto, time slot.
AND FINALLY there was Stevie Wonder, a proper legend! Me and Nikki were a little late and so it was very difficult to get any view of the stage whatsoever, but we could see the screen (at times). I knew I really wanted to see him, but I really didn't know what to expect. Stevie turned out to be really charismatic, totally kooky and quite funny! He preached peace and respect between songs but by saying things like 'All the haters of the world should just drink some hatoraid and die!' RESPECT! I can't promise that I didn't shriek like a 16 year old when he sung 'I just called to say I love you' (reminds me of my childhood!) and 'Living for the City'. And yes, of course, hearing 'Superstition' was a special moment, as was Stevie singing 'Happy Birthday' with Michael Eavis on stage (FYI Eavis is completely tone deaf!). Stevie was completely different to anyone I had seen at Glasto (or any festival) before, but seeing someone who's so super talented and who has overcome hardship/disabilities to become a music legend made my soul happy.
Again, on a massive high, we re-joined our new Glasto bffs and found ourselves at Arcadia. We got our drum and bass shoes on (it's been a while since i've done that) and danced under a structure that looked like it was out of Tank Girl, complete with fire shows and acrobatics. Possibly one of my most fun dances of the fest actually. Well exhausted we thought we'd watch the sunrise from the stone circle (major glasto cliche). But as was becoming a common occurrence, I fell asleep at the stone circle and missed the sunrise anyway.
Monday was a mix of extreme emotions... I was still riding the high of the festival and I had absolutely no desire for Glasto to end! I was also really depressed to be saying goodbye to the lads...who I had grown so fond of, and who had filled my festival with laughs and adventures and friendship. It had all just been too much fun. This was obvious when our bus had an accident on the way home...and me and Nikki STILL couldn't wipe the grins off our faces.
It's like those rare moments, where you catch yourself, and realise all of sudden... that everything has just gone right, and you are just completely blissfully content and you never want that moment to end. That is how I felt...but for 5 days. Like I said last year, this festival is so much more than just the music. Thanks for sharing it with me!

Wadi Rum

I am trying to pinpoint the moment where i felt connected to you. It wasn't the moment i saw you. It wasn't instant. I was too distracted by the beauty of Wadi Rum to really notice you. But when I did it was real and shared and consuming.

You were our guide. At our second stop I was waiting by the car and you asked me how it was travelling with my parents. I told you they were driving me crazy and you laughed saying that's what everyone says. Did I feel connected to you then? I'm not sure.

A few minutes later you took my camera from me and took photos of me pretending to drive the car. I noticed you had a nice smile.

After we climbed the rocks I saw you had changed into white linen pants and a white t-shirt. Your dark skin stood out and suddenly i realised you were beautiful. You were talking with your friend and I asked my dad to take a photo of all of us. I went to the side but you told me to sit in the middle and put your arm around me. My dad took too many photos. I was apologetic and you said it didn't matter you could sit like that all day. I smiled and realised you were flirting with me.

You told the group that if anyone wants to sit in the front seat with you they can. I thought I would like to but my dad jumped in. At the next stop you offered me your kaffir because the sun was strong.

You tied it around my head the traditional way and then I bounded up the rocks. I loved the feeling of climbing, heaving myself up and then once at the top feeling the soft warm wind and taking in the extreme space around me. The truth is I felt connected to the land before I felt connected to you.

I jumped into the front seat this time. It was just us, everybody else was in the back of the car that wasn't connected to the inside. I asked you a lot of questions about your life. I was curious and ignorant about bedouin life, but I also liked hearing you talk. There was a peacefulness about you. It's the same peacefulness i've noticed in others who feel a connection with their land and their people. I knew we had a lot to say to each other, and not very much time to say it. You asked if you could take me out that night and I regretfully told you that we were headed straight back to Israel.

After we had lunch I sat next to you again. You asked me how much time I would be in Aquaba before heading to Israel ... 'no time', our driver was taking us straight back to Israel after Wadi Rum. We were both disappointed. You said that I should come back and next time I could be your guest. You said you would take me to places in Wadi Rum that only locals know about, and that you would take me as my friend and not as my guide. I told you I would love that and I really, really meant it. I started to plan in my mind when I could come back.

By this time I had returned your kaffir to you and you picked it up and started to smell it. I thought this a little strange and then you handed it to me 'this is from Saudi Arabia, I bought it six months ago, so it's a last season design'. I thought this was really funny. 'I want you to have it', I began to refuse when you said apologetically 'i've been wearing it today so it might smell' again I said this wasn't necessary, you looked directly into my eyes and said 'it's from my heart to you'. I accepted the kaffir.

I wasn't sure how to say goodbye to you. I gave you a hug, we swapped e-mails and I told you I'de see you soon. One day there would be a knock at your door and it would be me.

'I hope so' you said.

a whole lot of lust

It's that blissful lusty moment
it's that instant connection and
that static chemistry
it's being consumed by an overwhelming desire
it's intimacy on tap
it's connections that feel real

it's my mind wandering
it's pretending we're compatible
it's looking at you looking at me
it's lazy mornings
it's the walk of shame
it's your hand on my back and your mouth on my skin

it's not love
it's not thinking past the moment
it's the blissful ignorance of not yet knowing
that they will hurt you
it's making yourself vulnerable
and regretting that later
and then making yourself vulnerable again
and regretting that later too

it's giving yourself
but only the parts that you want to
it's drifting to sleep
and being awoken by their snoring
it's feeling sexy
and then catching your reflection in the mirror
it's sweet nothings
it's seeing their eyes light up
it's making the same mistakes

but it's not being in love
it's definitely not being in love

come what may

Come What May is tattooed on my arm.
It's quite big. You can't miss it. Actually it's a little too big, I was so caught up in the excitement of it I didn't consider that 'come what may' should be a subtle message, and not an in your face command.
But when I look at it I think of a fairy tale. The script and artwork are enchanting and reminds of me of the first place I go to in my mind when it needs peace ... it's by a creek, with soft clear running water and i'm lying on the side, not quite in the sun, but it's warm and I can dangle my hands into the water leisurely. This place is green and lush and I am surrounded by trees, actually I am lying under a tree. Mostly I am in this place on my own. Occasionally someone is with me, but it's my place.

I, so believed in what come what may meant that I had it tattooed on my arm. I had to believe that whatever happens, regardless of why it has happened, and what it is - that I can face it, that i can learn from it and that it might change my path but that's ok.
But it's harder than I thought. A lot harder.

Many ones

The ones who crawl through my mind
who never knew the way to my heart

and yet

do not leave

The one who whispered in my ear
i believed every word
but you were never my lover
or the one who liked it rough
talked dirty
and all i could do was giggle
and kiss you anyway, even when you stopped calling

The one in the midst of a storm
You never meant to see me again
But you gave me refuge
and I wanted your warmth.

The one who rejected me
The one who made me cry
The one where I slept like a baby
The one who forgot my name
The one who was my friend
The one who couldn't understand
The one who kissed me goodnight

I don't desire the one, i've never believed in the one
I just believed in you
and your memories bring me warmth, like your kisses once did
but I don't trust my emotions anymore

Glastonbury memoir

Wednesday:

The Glastonbury journey begun well before arriving at the festival. Gratefully Ed came with me to Liverpool st station and carried my far too heavy backpack for me. From there I headed solo to Victoria coach station to meet with Stanya and Lan for our 1pm bus for glasto. Except for just a small thing.... we were met with a huge, stagnant queue of other glasto bus riding enthusiasts.

2 hours later.... we were on the bus, and 3 hours later we had hit dead moving traffic. This might have been bearable if there had been some freakin windows on the bus... but there was no air except for a sunroof which was doing a little on a non-moving bus of 40 odd people. Spirits were still high though, and we all hopped off the bus and started walking in the direction of glasto, stopping at an ice-cream truck on the way to replenish our energy. We were 20 miles out and wouldn't arrive at Glatonbury for another 4 hours, hopping on and off the bus as it caught up to us in the snail pace traffic. Eventually at about 11pm we caught our first sight of Glastonbury and Stanya exclaimed in her best aussie bogan accent 'it's bigger than Sydney!!'

The rest of the evening was spent putting up our tents up wrong, befriending our neighbours (which served us well the next day when they helped us fix our tents before a downpour), exploring, getting lost, marveling at how wasted people already were, and exclaiming continually that the magnitude of this festival was blowing our minds.

Thursday-

Although the music doesn't start officially til Friday there was plenty to entertain us on Thurs and still many small stages/tents with their own band line-ups. We saw an amazing band called 'Roots Union' (myspace them - seriously), sampled the cider, continued to explore the overwhelmingly huge festival site (but still hardly scratched the surface), welcomed Lex, James and Alex to our camping posse and kept breaking into East17 songs 'Alright, Alright everythings gonna be alright. It's really alriiight' (lyrical geniuses they are).

Apparently the rest of the festival had the same idea because the rather small tent they were playing in was absolutely packed and we had to stand outside which seemed equally packed. Of course they couldn't live up to the impossibly high expectations we had of them, but it was some good nostalgic fun.

It was here that the news that Michael Jackson had died broke and the crowd went into a frenzy. People were screaming it, running round telling their friends, telling strangers, calling home to find out if it was true...
All I can say is that when someone asks me where I was when MJ died - I'm gonna be pretty stoked to be able to say - 'At an East17 gig'.

Friday-

And the festival officially began for me with Regina Spektor at the Pyramid stage. As expected her voice is incredible, she is amazingly talented and she played my favourites (Samson, Fidelity, That Time) and her new songs that I really like, like Blue Planet and Laughing at God (don't know if that is the actual song names). She was giggly, happy and delightful to watch.

I stayed on at Pyramid for N*E*R*D.
Pharrell Williams begun by exclaiming that Glastonbury wanted to shorten their set – though I later found out this was because they arrived late. Pharrell revved up the crowd by asking if we wanted to see their whole set – of course we did.
‘200 000 people want our whole set!’ – No Pharrell, there are 200 000 people at the whole festival, not at your gig.
Pharrell’s arrogance was amusing, they played some of their fun new stuff, some of that generic American hip hop and I had my first good dance of the fest.
Also heard my first of many MJ tributes ‘REST IN PEEAAACEE MICHAEL JAAACKSON’.
As they stubbornly continued their set over their allotted time the plug was pulled on them mid-song, the crowed was dumb struck and clearly so was N*E*R*D, well at least Pharrell got his memorable set!

Next was Fleet Foxes. I’de heard they put on an amazing live show and was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately they seemed to struggle with the immensity of the Pyramid stage and seemed really awkward and uncomfortable with it. I still enjoyed it, and their harmonies are great. Hope to see them again in a more intimate venue.

Lilly Allen followed and was as cheeky and fun as you would expect her to be. Played a mix of new and old, and wore a really hot one piece blue number with some very obvious boob tape, though she did exclaim that she had tape on her nipples in case her breasts did fall out. A highlight was watching the 10 year old girl next to me singing along enthusiastically to wet spots and being left sexuallt unsatisfied during ‘It’s not fair’.

And then there was Neil Young.
A highlight of the whole festival! There's good reason why he's such a rock legend! He kicked it off with ‘Hey hey my my’ and did 4 false endings to ‘Rocking in the free world’ – GENIUS – the crowd went even more nuts each time. Also sung ‘Heart of gold’ (I may have almost cried). He encored with ‘A day in the life’ by the Beatles and then trashed his guitar at the end of it. HE IS SO ROCK AND ROLL. Only disappointment is that he didn’t play ‘Old Man’, one of my all time favourites.

Saturday –

Saturday was mainly spent running solo between stages and dancing energetically.
It begun with Peter, Bjorn and John at the Other stage. Enjoyed hearing another big favourite of mine ‘Young Folks’ and really enjoyed Peter’s kookiness and interaction with the crowd.

I stayed on at the Other stage for Metric. It was too hot to dance, and they probably should have been on a bit later in the day, but again really liked it, they were energetic and had lots of ‘we’ll inspire you to follow your dreams’ kinda messages going on (but not in too much of a wanky way).

From there I headed for the John Peel stage to support Aussie band Temper Trap. I was curious to see what sort of crowd they would pull. As it turned out, quite a small but very enthusiastic one (they were on the same time as Spinal Tap to be fair). They put on an amazing live show, and I danced and yelled my heart out. I felt weirdly proud of them and will definitely love to see them again if I get the opportunity. They were one of my Saturday stand outs.

From here I checked out Dizzee Rascal. Although I’m not really into the whole ‘make some noiiiissee’ and ‘chant my name over and over’ thing, I still had fun. Highlights were: beginning the set with a version of the Ting Tings ‘That’s not my name’, the Michael Jackson medley, free styling to M.I.A’s ‘Paper Planes’ and of course ‘Bonkers’.

I quickly high-tailed it over to Jazz World for Jamie Callum. He definitely wins for most comfortable banter with the crowd. He was really laidback, had the British boy charm going and of course plays a mean piano. Unfortunately I missed the end of his set where apparently someone from the crowd decided to accompany him with their own trumpet playing which made for some amusing spontaneous fun from Jamie. Oh well, again I’de love an opportunity to see him again.

At this point I had a very hard decision to make – Badly Drawn Boy or Passion Pit. I thought I had made up my mind to see Badly Drawn Boy, yet I found myself walking in the direction of Passion Pit… I guess my subconscious wanted to see the ‘this years MGMT’ (as quoted by the Daily Glastonbury paper). Passion Pit was good fun, all the hype around them is justified. And although it was busy, if the person in front of me moved slightly to the left, and the person in front of them to the right, and if Passion Pit stood at a certain part of the stage… I could even see them!

Whilst grabbing some dins I stumbled on Peter, Bjorn and John doing a teeny gig in The Guardian tent and got to see them all close up – even though it was the 2nd time that day – it was very exciting!

And so came on The Boss! Almost 3 hours of extreme high energy, at one point you could literally see steam pouring off his skin!! I didn’t know a lot of his songs, and he didn’t play some classics. But he did finish with Dancing in the Dark. Didn’t move me like Neil Young, but still an awesome performance.

Sunday –

Unfortunately I didn’t have the same amount of energy I had the day before, and struggled to dash between stages. Spent the morning with the girls chilling out at the Green Fields and seeing Linda Lewis at Jazz world. We then wandered over to Pyramid for our West African beat fix and relaxed in front of Amadou & Miriam.

As I was already at Pyramid I decided to hang around for Tom Jones. I hadn’t given him much thought, but he was seriously entertaining, has an amazing voice and is the sexiest 69 year old I’ve ever seen! Got to hear ‘You can leave your hat on’ and ‘Sex bomb’ – big crowd pleases and seemed to put a big smile on everyone’s face.

I left Tom Jones before the end and headed over to the Other stage for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but found out they had started half an hour earlier than they were spose to and I only caught 2 songs. Though got to see my second guitar get trashed (sorry Neil did it better). I stayed for Bat For Lashes, which seemed to give me back some much needed energy, and then eagerly awaited Bon Iver.

Bon Iver met all expectations! He was really comfortable with the huge crowd, really humble, and gave us all a singing part in ‘The Wolves (Act I and II)’ … he asked us to sing‘What might have been lost’ quietly and get louder and louder and then when he gives us the sign just break into loud cheering. The moment was magic. Can’t wait for his 2nd album (bless that Emma chick for breaking his heart!).

Quickly raced back to the Pyramid stage to see the end of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Didn’t catch much of it, but it was an crazy high energy end and again (for the umpteenth time that festival) wished I could have seen the whole set (though didn’t at all regret choosing Bon Iver).

And then there was Blur…
It was like listening to their Best Of album, albeit with 100 000 odd people singing along! The crowd were crazy for Blur, and I’m pretty sure it was the most packed the Pyramid stage had been all festival. I saw more than one teary eye… never underestimate Brits love for Britpop. Blur were awesome, and I got the genuine feeling they were thrilled to be there. At one point Damon Albarn did exclaim ‘I’m so glad we decided to this!’. Best moments had to be the whole crowd singing to ‘Tender’ (Come on, come on, Come …get through it… love is the greatest thing… that we have…I’m waiting on that feeling….. oh my baby, oh my baby …. Etc). And of course Song 2 went off.

After Blur we all regrouped and headed for the small and intimate ‘Small World stage’ in the Green Futures field. It was there that I had one of my best dances of the fest to ‘The Worms’ and ‘Roots Union’. When the stage closed and as the sky was beginning to get light we explored Trash City and Shangrila. Shangrila’s theme of ‘dyscotopia’ described as ‘a bladerunner-inspired-retro

-futuristic citadel of pleasures gone wrong: a mono-state of quarantined and enforced utopia, a self proclaimed paradise’ …. Need I say more? I was there until it was time to pack up the tent and head home.

So even though this seems like a pretty detailed account of Glasto... there is so much more to this festival than music, and there is no way you can do everything you want to. I could have spent the whole festival at Shangrila, or The Park, and still had an amazing time. Hopefully i'll be there next year to continue exploring this overwhelming amazing festival.

In summary – If the hardest decision I had to make were Badly Drawn Boy or Passion Pit, Bat for Lashes or Ladyhawke, Neil Young or Doves/Animal Collective/Q-Tip/Bloc Party, Springsteen or Franz Ferdinand … then really… life is pretty good! And on that note I got a plane to Barcelona to catch.