Well, Hallo...!
Sorry, I've not been very communicative on friends journals nor posting.  Just wrapped up in the new job, and finding my feet.  I haven't done full-time work for a very long time, so it has taken a bit getting used. Not that I'm expecting any sympathy from the old full-timers! ;)


Saturday before last, was tremendously ego-lifting.  Boggarts Breakfast danced out in Sheffield's Chance to Dance festival.  Heh!  It was great, an enormous interested crowd, who really let us know their appreciation.   And then because of the title of the festival, we got loads of people to dance tinners rabbit.  Ha!  And I got two altenative very young kids come up and tell me that I  rocked and I was cool!  I hope they saw Alec, our drummer, who looks like something out of the mighty boosh!  And I hope forgives me for insulting him, thinking he was Elmo, and saying, "I though Elmo looked a bit old today". WHOOPS! Sorry, Alec!  :(    I suppose, they don't see top hats and tatters and blue faces, slamming sticks and dancing in great patterns, very often!  I am very lucky, they are a lovely bunch to hang out with.  We have Warwick folk festival next weekend all being well.  Although, DAMN, it clashes with the student trip to Scarborough, and I would have to have loved to have gone for lots of reasons. OHHHH ***********!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Always the way, eh?! *pouts muchly*

We're still sorting out some of the students' union cards.  I really do feel for them.  They've paid, what three grand or so, and three or four weeks into their course, without a student card, and so no access to library or internet for study/browsing.  We do get it on the front line of reception, but my deputy boss said she was ever so chuffed, with my backing her up, and telling the students, that she has a mile high of letters to do, and no, she can't do your letter in five minutes.  Though we are working hard, and she's fair working flat out.  And there's a student treasure hunt for our English Foreign language tonight. That's likely to provoke some interest, by the locals! :)

And oh, damn, again!  Just got the tv on, in the background and uktvgold has a carry on weekend.  ARrrhhggghhh!!!!!!!!!  Give me Frankie Howerd any day. *winks* :)


what else?  Went to festival at the edge at the weekend.  It's storytelling and music.  I prefer the latter, having grown up in sessions in pubs and listening to short stories, than dramatic acted oral epics, in beer gardens at Sidmouth festival, told by anyone and everyone. Far more interesting.  Say a young un, then one of the Seven champions mollydancers still blacked up, then a known storyteller like Taffy Thomas and so on.

I felt a bit footless and restless as usual, as most friends were either stewarding or not around to be found!  Boo.  However, I did investigate the stalls/marquees and seriously had delight in indulging in some well deserved retail therapy.  I bought a lot of dresses, nice to find some flattering ones, and found various people, and chilled out with coffee and crepes.   We did get the session rocking later.  It's nice to be able to play withe new found confidence, after playing for so many years.  And then, I had an idea.  I remembered I 'd brought my step clogs and I asked the bar staff, if we could take down a table, so I could dance on it!  That went down very well, especially as the fesitival on a rugged Welsh greenbelt site.  So I was almost dancing at an angle.

Nice though to see old friends Taffy Thomas and Pete Morton performing.  And catching snatches of old friends who were tight on time for performing.  I also had extremely interesting conversations with a chap I'd met a couple of years ago, about paganism, druidry, pantheistic animism (if he sees that, he'll roar) :), and yes, Pagan John, I agree, I think we will take up and continue that conversation over the years. Definetely.   Freedom of conversational subject and talking with someone on the same wavelength, is rare and a joy!

then on sunday, the edge being the festival that is, I was sitting across from a few people, when the chap with long hair, said "I think I've met you before, are you from Yorkshire?! " "Yes", I said, looking at him, and seeing the past come back.  I thought "this is easier going to be "Oh S**t!!!" or possibly not. Thank the gods the latter.  It turned out, as he pointed out, we'd met THIRTEEN years ago"  Ye Goddesses, that makes me feel old!!!!!! And he now live in Leeds. We had met at shetland fiddle school, in Burwell, Cambridgeshire, and he was going out with one of my now flatmates.   Whaw!!! the festivals really do exist in strange parallels!

Anyway, that's some of what I've been doing, at least, what I can remember.

I shall endeavour to be more in touch. *Looks very contrite* :@ xxx