OUR WEEKEND.... have a read.

[gratedenini]

Well, bugger me --what a weekend.

Status Quo on saturday Night--and Eric Clapton (and Robert Randolph) on Sunday.

Overall -- a cracking weekend,with the weather holding out pretty well in fact..... there is a big however though as you will hear shortly....

So, Quo in the forest--this was great.... Took Meet The Fockers over Hill and Dale to get to Dalby Forest nr Pickering and about 10m from Scarborough. Very nice seeting for a gig... a LONG drive through the forest before you get there.

We sometimes forget just how beautiful some of our places are here in England.

Got the van parked up and I made Sil a Thai Green Curry with rice and commenced the consumption of the lass in good time!

I wore for the 1st time my recently acquired troosers--- you`ll need pics to do em justice--but they did get a LOT of remarks I twell yer.

With Quo--you know what yer getting--and they give you it--although Parfitts voice was terrible tbh.

Larmer was a knockout and entertained all in the vicinity with his air guitar. It was touch and go whether i had to be taken back in The Larmer Mobile (again)... I cant remember any encore I said the next day. Apparently--I was falling all over the shop!

Back to the van--and we waithed till nearly everybody had left,hoping that nobody would bother us--and we`d just crash out there--but no--we were moved on--Silke doing remakable well to drive MTF for the 1st time in total darknes through the forest. We eventually just parked up by t he road and made camp.

Awoken at 7am by the park ranger-- i coud hardly speak as me gob was as dry as a kangarooos scrotum--he politely asked us to shift--which we did and found a little spot further along.

Had a nice little breakfast and a walk in the forest before packin up and heading to Leeds for the Clapton Gig. This turned out to be a quite different affair.

Got there in good time and the weather broke for us and it turned out to be a lovely evening weather-wise.

Met some friends and had drinks eats etc etc--and said we`d meet them inside the gig.

Both these gigs were outside of course--in a big field basically.

So--we got ready, loaded up the Larmer Mobile and set off for the entrace-- a flippin long trek it turned out too.

Approached the entrance and there --all lined up--the stewards in the obligartory bright jackets. Everybody was already in really and just the stargglers going in at this time.... what follows is what happened......

"You don`t think you are getting in there with that do you?" pointing to The Larmer Mobile

"Why not?"

"Its not allowed"

"Why is that, who said that?"

"Its a danger--- Health and Safety.. if someone tripped over it in there we`d be in trouble"

before this mind-- he`d given me the old--"step over here sir people cant get in"--when there was nobody within 20m--y`know the type.

"Look--we wont be dragging it about--we`ll just park it up over there right up against the fence-- it`ll be no trouble"

" No --I cant let you in!"

There was more to it that I`ve put here tbh--and by this time-- I was starting to lose it a bit.

Then someone else gets involved.... after I pointed out that there would be more chance of someone tripping over the multitude of folding chairs strewn all about--

"Yes but sir, those chairs are collapseable!"

"So is this --watch!"

and within 20secs I had the Lar out and the thing in pieces.

Of course, I knew by this point we weren`t getting in-- we could see everything ---all there was was a mesh portable fence-in fact people were sitting outside and enjoyed the full show--for nowt. Tickets were £50 for this might i add ( 2 for £68 --ebay).

I was absolutely livid by now.... and when yer get some efficious jumped-up short arse who is a proper jobs-worth not seeing reason--- you just know you are gonna get nowhere.

I pleaded with them... look at my wife--what are we expected to do with the bairn? Carry him around when he drops off?

Y`know what I did next----

"Right" I said "we`ll leave him out here--and we`ll go in"

"You can`t do that!"

"What the flucks it got to do with you-- I can do what i like out here. Now flook off!"

I did start swearing at this point cos I just knew we werent going in with The Lar Mobile.

You could see other people about -- realising it would be no trouble to just park the thing up out of the way--no trouble at all.

So we went in and left Lar sat in the boagey.

N ow--important... although we went in--we were only basically the other side of a piece of mesh fence.

Lar just sat there talking to the punters.

Next thing of course... the jackets gather round us with their walky-talkies.

I was getting more and more angry now of course-- I wasnt pissed here mind... but I tell yer --it was so so unfair.

I did phone up beforehand and ask if it was ok to bring a child of two and was told no problem. I didnt ask tbf if pushchairs were allowed in--but nothing was stated on the back of the ticket about pushcahirs not being allowd in

Inside--there was STACKS of open space where we could have just sat--out of the way etc.

See-- these people--they pull on a flourescent jacket and the power shoots up thier arses.

The whole thing just ruined the night.

After 2 or 3 mins-- we made the choice to just leave the baogey outside and get larmer in-- always knowing that we would do that if the crunch came.

As it turned out--- he once again entertained all around him for the duration of the concert--- but for me-- it wasnt until probably the last half dozen songs that I`d mellowed (drink and other stuff assisting maybe).

As I was having a lash -- i thought-- "This could be anyone playing here"

Although i do like Clapton and have a lot of his records-- tbh I think he is overrated.

We met some nice people (again)-- two young waifs liked me troos so much they wanted a photo of me with them...

Some peo ple came up to me and said how wrong the stewards were in not allowing it in, which did ease the pain a bit. We are sensible enough to realise if there is a danger etc etc.

There was no problem the previous night--the stewards even admiring the boagey.

We`ve took it all over the place now--and had no trouble at all.

Needless to say--- the 1st thing in my head when i woke up this morning--was my letter of complaint--which i have been mentally compiling all day.

So-- there we are.. what do you think?

den

[marooned]

...way too long - got a ferry to catch

[gratedenini]

...way too long - got a ferry to catch

[Harrow Strongbow Ciderman!]

I`ll wait....

den

(this is actually a copy of my personal mail--see how me mates get the full story!)

[mr blue]

Good luck with your complaint mate. I know from bitter experience how uppity those flourescent coated wallies can get. Once they've made their minds (ha!) up there's no gainsaying them. No matter how good your argument is they aren't gonna back down, cos they're 'real men' and real men are never wrong.

I hope you get a positive result from whoever it is your complaining to (even though you bought your ticks from evil-bay )

[gratedenini]

I'd prefer to hear yer tales in person, as not enuff time to read at work etc.

[Harrow Strongbow Ciderman!]

I'd prefer to hear yer tales in person, as not enuff time to read at work etc.

Well, if you`d have bothered yer arse to meet up at Wychy--yer would have had a few!

S0--are you making posts such as "Bring on Amy Turtle for next year!" --on the works pc?

No wonder the price of food and fuel is going up!

den

[gratedenini]

I heard you were keeping the Wine Bus busy!

[timespeedsup]

And for the record I meet up with LOADS of eFesters @ Wychwood, just not yer goodself Den.

After bumping into Mr Blue (2nd time) I was about to come over to meet youse & the 'Denini' family but went to the songlines tent to get my CD of 3 Daft Monkeys autographed. After queueing and bit of banter with them when they took the piss out of my hat, I completely forgot.

I heard you were keeping the Wine Bus busy!

[Harrow Strongbow Ciderman!]

You wrote about your hat without showing us its beauty???? Sort yerself, you, get those Glasto photos online, unique hat to see etc etc

[timespeedsup]

I've just jumped on the bandwagon 'Face Book' Embrace the digital age & all that. So will upload me Glasto (AND some Wychwood photos up on that)

And actually my photo on face book is WITH me lovely Festival hat!

For some reason couldn't put it on eFestivals as photo is too big!

[Harrow Strongbow Ciderman!]

Shouldn't have such a big head then.......

[timespeedsup]

Anyways, sort it. The world (of efests) needs to see that hat in all its technicolour-dreamhat glory......