DP 1st Summer Camp
Pictures Of This Weekend Can Be seen By clicking Here
By Mark
Merry Meet to you all.
First of all I would like to say a big Thank You to all of you who came along.
It was a brill weekend which without you all, could never have happened.
Thursday 5th August 2004
There was much panic in the morning as our camper van was all ready to go apart from we still had no batteries for it. A few phone calls later and J.D. arrived with the batteries and connected them up for us. Hey presto! the van started first time, minus any use of windscreen wipers. A quick look at the weather and it was decided to risk it. I drove the car and Martin the van as it was so large and without power steering my arms just couldn't hack it. Anyways we arrived at the site at around 2.p.m. and were surprised to find that there were folk there already. One family tent was already erected and there was a Yurt (a large Mongolian mobile Roundhouse) in the process of being erected.
After introducing ourselves we got on with setting up our pitch. We put up a tent next to the camper van and our lad and his friend put up their tent as far away from Mum as possible. Mandy (my better half) lost a gold bracelet whilst we were doing this. Grace (Martins wife) got up to go and look for it and in doing so tripped over some poles and landed very heavily on her arm. A phone call and 30 minutes later, the Paramedics arrived. Off she and Martin went to Stockport Hospital. 30 minutes after that the rain arrived, along with the thunder the lightning and the wind. Being a child of nature and all that, Hehehehe , I sat under the Gazebo eating my dinner watching the wonderful pyrotechnic light show provided for us. I must admit, I was now wondering whether this camp was a good idea, as things were looking decidedly dodgy. Okay, I thought, the pub would be a good idea about now, so off we went. The few of us there had a couple of pints and then went back with Jez, the Yurt owner to imbibe a little more alcohol. Martin and Grace arrived back along with a picture (X-Ray) of her fractured elbow. Sheesh. A wonderful pleasant evening was had by those of us not spending it in Stockport and so off to bed to start worrying whether anyone would actually turn up the next day.
Friday 6th August 2004
Well Friday arrived and was started with a wonderful fry up with a cup of Earl Grey. The rain had cleared up and the sun was shining. With smiles on our face's we proceeded to set up the welcoming table close to the entrance of the site. The idea being, folk would stop on their way in, maybe have a natter and pay for their pitch. It didn't quite work like that, most folk drove in set up and then came over for a natter. Yup people had started to arrive and it was great to see folk from different paths. Witches, Wiccan, Druids, Heathens and probably more. It was all pretty much laid back from there onwards. I was getting worried about the adjacent field. We were to build the bonfire there and it was still full of mown hay. Not a good idea to mix a field full of dry grass with a fire. Not to worry, the landlady Annette assured me, the farmer should be collecting it later. The farmer kept turning up but all he was doing was driving around the field in his tractor, turning the hay over.
By now the site was filling up and folk were settling in. There were quite a few musical instruments coming out and I even tried to play my melodeon with a chap named Adam from Canada. He was playing the fiddle and talented or what. I played a couple of tunes that he had never heard before and within seconds had picked up the tunes and was playing them flawlessly.
The day wore on the alcohol went down and folk kept arriving. I had been slightly worried that folk would be at a loss for something to do as nothing had been specifically organised. The idea was just to get likeminded folk together and let them make their own entertainment. This appeared to be working. Some people had brought along their crafts and the likes and had set up little stalls, people were mixing and getting to know each other, wasps were being very anti social though. A lovely lady called Debra had a lot of home made products and luckily for some happened to have insect repellents and sting relief salves. I didn't need to use them but I know a few folk did and they reckon that they were fantastic and certainly did their job.
Anyway, people were in and out of the pub or wondering around sitting for a while with other groups and then moving on somewhere else. A chap named Bob had some double strength Vodka and you could tell who he had been speaking to and drinking with as there lips had gone numb and their taste buds had shot it for the night. Hehehehehee. A certain chap happened to mix his drinks just a tad too much and proceeded to change his T-shirt from black to multi coloured, that will teach him.
Off to bed I went, folk were still partying and by all accounts one little group kept going until about 5 in the morning didn't they Lilly, Jodie and co.
Saturday 7th August 2004
I woke up and about 9.a.m. and as Mandy wasn't there and my mouth felt like somebody had put a wet sock full of cow manure in it. I wondered if this was her way of saying, get up. After checking my mouth and realising it was just the result of last night, I emerged from the camper van. Most people were already up and about, well I say up and about, some looked like they had just come from the set of Night Of The Living Dead.
It was glorious weather again and the showers were getting overworked even though there was no hot water. The pub opened at 9.30 a.m. and many people had trotted over there for breakfast. We had another fry up at the camper van. Great this camping thingy, normally Mandy only allows me one fry up a week. Something to do with cholesterol or some such thing. I tell her that drinking red wine helps reduce cholesterol and that's why I like it so much.
Quite a few people had trips out to Arbor Low and more people were arriving. Now I'm worrying whether the field would be large enough. We had run out of room around the edges so tents started to appear in the centre of the field. The farmer arrived and still kept turning the hay over. The wasps, obviously disgruntled at this human infestation were happily dive bombing folk and stinging them. A friend of mine, Eddy, went for a walk with wife and two sons, they came across a hollow which had rather a lot of sheep's skulls and other various bones in it. On turning from this gruesome find they all spotted what was described as a large black cat. When I say large, I mean as in Puma size. Eddy had only just put his camera away so missed out on a picture exclusive. There have been rumours for years of a Puma roaming the Peak District. Maybe this was where it stashed it's food.
The day wore on the sun got hotter. I finally caught up with the farmer who later came along and bailed the hay and moved it to the bottom of the field. Dave decided to light a BBQ and to prevent the grass from burning, rested it on top of a plastic milk crate. Suffice to say, the crate set on fire. It was quickly extinguished and replaced with stones and a piece of asbestos sheet by a very red faced Dave.
With the field cleared it was time to start moving the wood to where we were to have the fire. A belly dancing workshop started in the large communal Gazebo so it was time to go for a pint before I got roped in.
I must say thank you to Jacq for sitting at the welcome table for me so that I could have a rest a mingle a little. Later on Mandy and I went for a meal at the pub with a couple of friends of ours. After that it was starting to get dark, almost time to light the fire. On arriving back at the field I noticed a rather large crowd gathered around the Yurt, a rather large Horn was being passed around. Ignoring this I went to sort out the fire. just before lighting it I was called over to the crowd and thrust into the middle and passed the horn. I think I was supposed to say something but being a little shy kept it short and sweet, at least I think I did.
I escaped back to the fire anyways and finally got it lit. Immediately folk wandered over, it's a primal thing I reckon. Songs were sung and stories told. Crumpets were toasted and drink was drunk. There was a lot of Mead there by the way. Eventually folk started to wander back to the site to do their own thing. I know that throughout the weekend other stuff went off but as I spent a lot of time at the gate I didn't see these things, so can't tell you about them. In the very wee hours of the morning I finally stumbled off to bed.
Sunday 8th August 2004
I arose to another gloriously sunny day. Loads of folk were at the pub having breakfast again. Tents started to get packed away and off folk went on their merry way. Hopefully having had a wonderful weekend and slightly richer for having met and made new friends.
I did get collared for belly dancing eventually but luckily most folk had already left.
I had a great weekend, put faces to people who I have known for a number of years but not actually met and met new faces who I will hopefully see again. I would especially like to thank my wife Mandy who supported me through all this, Jacq and Geoff who are an inspiration, Martin and Grace, John and Daz for all your help.
Loads more of you helped out in one way or another so a big thanks to you also. A massive thank you, to all of you who came and hopefully you will come again next year. See you all then if not before. Oh Yeah, ta for keeping the site clean and using the bin liners it made clearing the site so much easier.
Brightest Of Blessings To You All
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Mark: [email protected]
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