We Are All Trees

This weekend James and I went to We Are All Trees festival at Fell Foot Wood in the Lake District.

My sister's band was playing there with her band, Salford Media City. Incidentally, this blog is named after one of their songs: Doing Stuff is Fun by Salford Media City
When we got there, I was expecting to be directed to a big car park and from there be shown where everyone was camping. I knew it was supposed to be in the woods but I guess I sort of thought there would be some sort of a clearing in the woods where the camping would happen. I was wrong. There was camping in amongst the trees all over the woods, and everyone was allowed to pick their own little campsite.
As we wandered around the place, we kept seeing little settlements of 4 or 5 tents. It was much more homey than your standard 'here is a field and everyone has to camp here'.

When we were putting up our tent it was raining. That was a shame. So as we were stepping about the thing the ground got more and more soggy. And then the inner tent got rained on as we were pitching the outer tent. And then the porch was full of mud before we'd finished with it. And, amazingly, we managed not to get the inside of it wet at all.
We put a double duvet on the floor of the tent (which was an incredible idea! If you have room in the car to take a duvet camping - TAKE ONE!) and we had pillows and blankets as well as our sleeping bags. That tent looked pretty awesome once we'd finished, in spite of the puddle of mud just in front of the entrance. I wish I'd got a picture of it. Next time I go camping, I'll make sure to take pictures of the tent for you.

We got to camp with Sadie's band in SalfordMediaCitysville. It looked like this:

And those tyre marks are from Scott's car, which spent most of the weekend parked next to our tents. I think at the time this was taken that he was off on a 'ralley' ride with it.

What I learned for my next camping trip:

• Pack your stuff so it's organised - that way you can find what you need when you need it. 

I thought of this when I realised it would have also been a good idea to unpack things you might need to find easily (such as your paracetamol - don't want to have to hunt for that when you need it).

• Take burns cream - there are always hot things (such as gas stoves and barbeques) at festivals.

This did not come from personal experience. But we did know someone who got a nasty burn on his hand - something very hot fell over and he caught it (I believe to stop it from hitting him in the face). The person in question did carry burns cream (which, come to think of it, could show that he is somewhat prone to this type of injury - but I must admit that's speculation). Anywho, I will maybe remember to take some next time.

• The extra effort to take little luxuries like duvets and blankets is well worth it.

Honestly, when you are protected by the elements by nothing more than a sheet of nylon, things like blankets are pretty much essential. Never again will I be too cold to sleep when camping. The duvet was a little stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. It wasn't so much like sleeping on the floor. I have slept on those camping mats before - no good. Get a duvet.

• Take too many beverages (by which I mean soft drinks) but leave half of them in the car.

We took way too much fruit juice. And too many fizzy drinks. I knew it was too much when I packed them - I would rather have too much than not enough. But we should not have carried it all to the tent only to carry half of it back again. It's heavy, you know?

• Check beforehand if there will be drinking water available. If you've not confirmed that there is, take some with you.

There was not drinking water available. We made tea with stuff that we found in a container labeled 'NOT drinking water'. So we didn't have many teas. Just in case. Next time, we'll make sure to have lots of safe water.
It was a really nice atmosphere at the festival. We went for a walk all over the woods (it's quite a small woods). We found a really good spot where we could see all that was going on.

Well, WE could see it all, through the trees. It's not so obvious on the photo. That's the stage, slightly left of the middle. And you can see Lake Windermere from here too.

And we went and sat on the grass on the Saturday afternoon and watched the things going on.

There were people playing with hula hoops.

And there were hula hoops everywhere so anyone could play.

And there was a drum workshop happening.

Here's Salford Media City playing:

We had a fun night of drinks and dancing. And with that, I guess I've run out of things to say about Saturday, and the weekend as a whole.

The end.

Beth's Blackpool Birthday

Last week was my birthday; we went to Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

The view from the train station:

We had to walk most of the way around the place to get inside, but it's still way closer than Blackpool North station (which is also a nice way to get there - have a nice walk or take the tram down the sea front).

First off, the Wild Mouse. That's it, behind that fountain:

I always think the Wild Mouse is a good ride to start on at Blackpool, not least because it's right near the entrance. It's a jerky little coaster, taking you round a lot of 90 degree corners without slowing. It hurts, or so I'm told by everyone I've ever taken on that coaster (I never warn them). It gets the adrenaline pumping.

Next, The Big Dipper:

This is a fun ride. It's an old wooden roller coaster. This coaster is 92 years old; under its current design it's 79 years old.
The fun thing about wooden roller coasters, I find, is the rickety sound they make as you ride. It feels somewhat unstable (it's NOT - it's perfectly safe). A must ride at Blackpool, really, just because of how famous it is.

Next ride - Infusion. Fun fact: this exact ride used to be the Traumatizer in another theme park called Southport Pleasureland. Pleasureland was owned by the same family who own Blackpool Pleasurebeach until Pleasureland went bankrupt in 2006. The coaster was relocated to Blackpool and renamed Infusion. Pleasureland was reopened in 2007 by a company called Funporium.

Infusion is epic! It's one of those coasters with the track above the train, such is the fashion these days. Lots of loops and upside downs. Not so many dips and dives. It's more of a disorienting feel than thrilling, I thought. I found it pretty chilled out. James did not - he found the experience of being suspended in the way one finds themselves on a suspended roller coaster to be quite scary. I suppose he thinks it's scary in the way I think coasters made of wood are scary.

And next, why you go to the theme park when kids are at school - behold the queue for our next ride: 

Avalanche is so much fun!! It is advertised as the UK's only bobsled coaster. The sled is carried to the top of the track, then released onto a slope and it carries you down under it's own weight.

It's fast. It's twisty and turny and bumpy and exciting. Because the coaster doesn't use a traditional track, it feels unpredictable in the way the thing moves (it is slightly different each ride because of the difference in weight distribution).

Next up, the Revolution. This used to be called the Irn Bru Revolution, sponsored by Barr Irn Bru (for those of you in the States, this is a soda drink of Scottish origin, which, rumour has it, is not legal in the US because of one of the additives included) until they pulled out of the sponsorship for some unknown reason. So the pleasurebeach people had to paint over the orange and blue tracks and make it boring grey.

It's a big loop-de-loop (or however one is supposed to spell that). That's all. You go through the loop once and stop for a few seconds. Then you go through it again, backwards. End of ride. It is a rush. There is no part of this ride that does not feed the adrenaline producing glands in the brain.

After all that, we thought it was time for something a little more chilled out. This little ride in Nickelodeon Land is sponsored by Avatar.

The track looks like a skating half pipe. The moving part is a big disk that spins as the whole thing moves up and down the track.

It's rhythmic, it's chilled. At least that's what I thought. You face outwards on this ride, meaning that you can't see all of the bits that are keeping you on the ride and not flying off due to the lovely lovely centrifugal forces. If you like to see the bits on the ride that keep you safe, apparently this is scary. (If you think suspension coasters like Infusion are scary because there's nothing supporting your feet, you might find this less than relaxing as well - you might say something like 'You said that would be chilled; it's the worst one yet!')

I think our next ride might be the ride that my friend Max referred to as 'the new Big Dipper'. It started operating in 1933 and was called simply 'Roller Coaster' until 2010, after which it was painted orange and renamed the Nickelodeon Streak.

It's quite a long ride - the whole of Nickelodeon Land is built inside its perimeter, which is neat. We got to look at little rides that our inner children wanted to play on (before we remembered that we had a limited amount of time to enjoy the big rides). I think this is exactly the kind of ride that turned my eight year old self into the thrill seeker I apparently am today. (Bear in mind that when I thought of that line I was considering the fact that I thought infusion was chilled.)

Next, the Rugrats log flume.

Not a good picture, sorry. I was a bit too busy enjoying my birthday out at the Pleasure Beach to worry too much about photos.
I wasn't very impressed by this ride. We were kind of bored. Had we taken with us a small child, they might have enjoyed it. That is, of course, assuming that the child wants to be completely soaked from head to toe on a day out in Blackpool.
As I say, the ride was boring. Until we landed at the end of the slope. I don't think I have ever come away from a log flume quite that drenched. I was not best pleased.

As we were all wet through anyway, we thought now might be the time to ride Valhalla.

But then we saw how waterlogged people were walking away from the ride and decided against it. Sorry to disappoint.

Next up:

Yes, a merry-go-round. But with a difference. The Derby Racer goes pretty fast (for what it is). Not only that, you know how traditional carousels have that bar sticking up through the horse, right to the ceiling? You don't really think about that until you're on one where you get to lean over the 'horse' and hold onto handles by its ears. It's somehow closer to intense, this way. I kinda felt like if I didn't pay attention, I might be at slight risk of falling off. My point is, this isn't a little kid's ride. This is a carousel for adults.

Next, nostalgia for Gina - The Alice Ride:

Think ghost train, without the ghosts. Instead of a spooky theme, it's Alice in Wonder Land. Except that for some unknown reason the music was the song 'I've Got a Golden Ticket' from the film 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' (that's the old old film, not the new Tim Burton one).
What can I say? It was a pleasant children's ride. I look forward to taking my children on it one day. And there's an awesome photopoint for your scrap books.

And after that we went on the Pepsi Max Big One (behold, the queue)

The Big One is the tallest roller coaster in the UK. By about 5 feet. When it was built, it was the tallest and fastest coaster in the world. It is a fun ride. Matt suffers from Vertigo but he still really enjoyed this ride. If you're not scared of heights, the view from the top is awesome. not because it's particularly pretty, just because you can see so far. It's really windy up there too, then when you zoom down the big drop it feels faster than it is because of all the wind on your face.

And finally, Ice Blast. This used to be the PS2, now it's sponsored by Tango Ice Blast. 

It was a little bit of a let down, actually. Some of these rides shoot you up and then drop you, others lift you more slowly and then shoot you down. This shoots you up, but not all that quickly if my memory of similar rides is anything to go off. Then you sort of bounce for a bit, and it sets you down gently. If you've seen rides like this and been scared to try them, start with this one - it'll give you a feel for the way it moves, but if you've been on better ones I doubt you'll get any kind of a rush from this.

Well, that's that. We went on a couple of rides again - Avalanche, The Big One and Airbender (the latter, sans James). 

Then we wandered down the road and found a nice pub for food and a couple of drinks before heading home to pass out from exhaustion.

The End.

Helping James Move House

On Saturday, James was moving out of his mother’s house. I turned up to help with my car. It took us three trips to move all of his things. We probably could have done it in two, but we still would have wanted to go back and check he’d not missed anything so we decided to pack the car so I could see out of it. I like it when I can see out of the car.

The flat

The flat is above a bar. One of the roughest bars in the area, apparently. But that’s not saying much, really. They do play their music pretty loud at the weekends and are open relatively late (not like night club late, but late-ish). But James’s room is on the top floor, in the attic, so might be all right.

To get in, you have to go up spiral stairs outside. I don’t imagine that’s too pleasant when it’s snowy. Still, he’s moving again for University in September so, climate change permitting, we won’t have to experience that one. (Shhh… Don’t talk about the weather; it can hear you!!)

Inside the front door is a little room. A sort of hallway, I suppose. With a sofa. It feels like a reception area. Most surreal, I found. Upon later inspection, I discovered that sofa isn’t all that comfortable. Maybe that’s why it’s been put in this little box out of everyone’s way.

Go through the reception box and you find a kitchen. Reasonable size. James hunted well, I feel.

Then you have to go up more stairs (but straight, indoor stairs this time, so I can’t complain too much) to the attic. And unlock another door into another room with another sofa. There are two bedrooms off this living area, and one of them is James’s.

His bedroom is pretty big. And furnished. Shame about the bed. It’s not only mattressless, it’s broken.

Arriving for the first time

The landlord told James to arrive at 10am to collect his key. We arrived at 10.07, so naturally we were deemed early and the landlord hadn’t arrived yet. The bar man tried to let us in but his key wouldn’t work. He’d been struggling with the door for a couple of minutes when the landlord showed up. He let us in, but hadn’t had James’s copy of the key cut yet, so said he’d go and sort it out while we unpacked the car.

Half an hour later we collapsed on the sofa, exhausted. Landlord hadn’t returned from the key cutting place so we couldn’t go back for more stuff yet. Now seemed like a good time to rearrange the furniture.

It wasn’t much later with James’s keys turned up, and they sorted out the final paperwork and money stuff. And Landlord said we could collect some bits of wood from the yard to fix the bed with.

The bedroom

The bedroom is pretty big. Much bigger than his old room. And there’s room for his table that he brought with him from the house. He put it under the skylight because he’ll use it when he’s painting his models. And there’s a wardrobe (albeit much smaller than the one he left behind). And there’s a computer cupboard. And there’s two little tub chairs. I like tub chairs when there’s two of them because if you put them together facing each other you have a nice little cot to curl up in with your pillows and blanket. I had a little snuggle while he was sorting his computer out. And there’s a built in shelving unit type thing that’s either really useful or a waste of space, I’m not sure. And there’s a broken bed.

The bed

The bed is deigned like so: one long piece of wood in the middle, from the head of the bed to the foot, which supports panels that go across. Each panel is half the width of the bed and they clip in place at the edge and over the long piece. The long piece is cracked and splintered and it touches the floor in the middle. It seems the previous tenant tried to mend this with sticky tape.

The landlord said we could help ourselves to some wood from the yard to fix it with, but I’m not sure what he thought we could do with a scrap or even a small plank of marginally rotten wood. There were some logs, or would you call them stumps? Rather wider in diameter than they were tall, anyway. One of them might have done it, if we could find one just the right height to prop up the cracked wood. But that seemed a little overkill, and we figured that wasn’t really what he meant by ‘take some wood’. Still, we found an abundance of bricks that didn’t look like they were being used, so we took four of them. We stacked them in two pairs and they were just the right height to prop up the wood. Then we put the panels back in place. One of them was bent, but we put it in the middle (where we figured it had probably come from) thinking it’d probably be alright, might even bend itself back in time. If it’s not, we can always swap it for one at the foot.

Job done!!

The mattress

The bed did not come with a mattress. We did not have the equipment required to carry James’s mattress from the house to the flat (i.e. a van). So he decided to buy a new one. He’d seen memory foam mattresses on sale in a shop down the road, about five minutes walk from the flat, and they come in a box that’s not too difficult to carry. So we went and got it.

I unpacked the mattress and found it rolled up inside its packaging. It was at this point that I learned that before they roll them up, the fold them in half. When we unfolded it, it didn’t want to go flat. It had a silly kink right in the middle (I say kink, it was about 10 inches tall). After spending what seemed like a silly amount of time trying to convince the thing is wanted to be flat, like a good mattress, we had a look around to see if any instruction leaflet had come out of the box. We could not find one. We propped the thing against the radiator, thinking that the heat might convince it that it wants to be part of a bed now, and we went shopping.

When we got back, James found a paper on the floor, which looked suspiciously like is had come out of the box (our first clue was the title on the page: ‘memory foam mattress – instruction manual’). It must have been underneath the thing whilst we were trying to flatten it.

It was at this point that we learned that you’re supposed to leave the foam to air for 72 hours after removing it from its packaging. So we weren’t allowed to sleep on it that night. Oh dear. What to do? We’ll work something out I suppose.

The computer

The room came with a neat little cupboard for computers, with a slot cut out of the back for all of your wires and various shelves, and a slidey shelf for your keyboard. Only problem is, the computer is so old and massive that won’t fit in the cupboard. So the tower will sit next to the cupboard and all the other stuff will go inside. Did I say that was the only problem? That’s not quite true…

Computers do not like being moved. Fact. This computer had a nasty little tantrum, well beyond the usual difficulties. For a moment I had thoughts of my old laptop, which once crashed so badly that it lost one of the files required in order to run windows. This guy didn’t get quite that upset. He at least came up with troubleshooting options for us, after a half hour wait. We spent a couple of hours checking periodically to see if it had decided to tell us anything. Eventually James got it working. But it doesn’t like the Internet here. It’ different to the Internet that it’s used to, you see.

I have every confidence that the computer will soon adjust to its new surroundings, just like any pet or child would.

The kitchen

The kitchen is pretty big, but there’s a fair few people sharing it. Nobody seems to have much food in, probably because there’s not enough space for everybody to have loads of food. The freezer’s not very big, but there’s barely anything in it. When we bought ice cream, we didn’t have to eat it all straight away, which is lucky, as he hasn’t got all his utensils yet.

And it’s clean!! The whole place is not completely full of clutter and unwashed pots! I was amazed at how clean it was. There was a little bit of washing up in the sink that had yet to be done, but only a couple of things.

The kettle was fun. It’s sat on the counter looking nice and innocent. When James opened it found the inside was completely dry, as if the thing had never been used. After filling it up, he realised there was no stand to put it on. I told him that’s because it’s a corded kettle, then we realised there was no cord. He had a look at where the cord plugs in and decided that it would fit the lead that plugs his computer monitor into the mains. We tried that and found it works, so I finally got a cup of tea!! Also, James said that he has an identical lead at his mum’s and will collect it next weekend. Tea is very important.

The night

For the first time, we could find out how loud the music was going to be on a Saturday night. In spite of being two floors above the bar, we could hear the tunes with clarity. We could not decide whether it got louder as the night went on or weather it just seemed to because we got quieter and more still and had nothing to listen to but the sound of downstairs.

Still it wasn’t too loud. We could hear the words of the songs, but we couldn’t exactly feel the bass through the floor. It wasn’t really loud enough to stop us from sleeping, especially after the tiring day we’d had.

Also, we imagine that it would probably seem a little quieter if we had been lying on the bed, rather than a makeshift bed of pillows on the flattened box that earlier that day had contained the mattress. All things considered, not a bad night’s sleep.

Yellow Jeans

On Sunday afternoon, I was bored. At a loss for things to do (that is, things I could actually be bothered to do - I'm quite a lazy person at heart, really). Anywho, I had a look through my bag of sewing stuff to see if there was anything in there and I found my yellow jeans.

They were once white jeans, but I dyed them last year for some costume party.
tex
Anywho, it got me thinking I could take them with me to We Are All Trees (a festival I'll be attending later this month). Then I thought they could be a little more interesting. So I went through my crafty bits and found this lot.

Right. Get started. First off, I'm not too happy about this button. I sewed a scrap of fabric around it.

Right. Now to get out the fabric pastels.

These card making things are pretty. I stitch it on through the button holes.

Next, some sequins.

And fabric pens.

Then I get this stuff. It's 3D paint.

And then the pens and pastels again

Now, for my right leg, I cut a star out of felt and used it as a stamp to print on some fabric paint. I stamped two colours on top of each other, like so.

Then I filled in the gaps with the third colour. I didn't wash my paintbrush between the three colours, so get a bit of a marbley effect in it.

And I think those are pretty so I made a littler star out of more felt to do more of similar. Maybe only two colours this time. 

 Yay! Finished! Just have to iron them to lock in the colours.

I am no longer bored.