Did anybody encounter this enigmatic duo at EoTR last year?
We arrived early on Thursday, set up a tight circle of around 10 tents, and went off to make merry. On our return to Camp Blobby, we discovered despite the usual ample space in Larmer Tree's sweeping verdant fields, two tents had been set up right in the centre of our circle.
It seemed a bizarre choice, with attention focused from all directions, and we speculated excitedly about who would choose such a pitch for the next four days.
It wasn't until that evening that we met the unlikely duo that were Stephane – a genial Frenchman living in Dublin – and his taciturn, mostly mute sidekick, Grahame.
Over the weekend that followed, there were only fleeting sightings of each – Stephane because he spent most of his time wobbling around the arena, cider in hand, and Grahame because he slept near constantly, all the while emitting a sound like a yak being butchered. There was no form of intervention that could interrupt the cacophonous grunting emerging from his canvas domain.
We noticed on the few occasions he was upright, that Grahame wore a pair of comprehensively buggered black work shoes. It is my absolute belief that they were his sole footwear choice for the weekend.
Our final glimpse of this idiosyncratic pairing was on Monday morning, as Stephane furiously shook Grahame's one-man tent and shouted "GRAHAME, YOU IDIOT, WAKE UP, WE HAVE TO GET TO THE AIRPORT. WE'RE GOING TO MISS OUR FLIGHT, YOU BASTARD".
An hour later, all that remained were the two yellowed patches of grass where our momentary pals had set up camp. And the shoes.
Nearly a year later, in idle moments, my mind drifts back to images of Stephane and Grahame. Did they really exist? Why did they camp in the middle of our circle? Did they make their flight? Is Grahame still wandering, barefoot, around Bristol airport? Will they be back this year?