Bronwyn's movie night finished at midnight, with about 50 minutes of the video still to go. Not sure why they picked such a long movie! Then the next day, she was out helping to move the cows. About 7 needed eye drops, but they weren't being very cooperative. So she was a bit tired on Friday.

Parachute didn't go quite as planned. The first two nights went really well. We were in a big tent in the centre, and room for several hundred to hang out all night if they wanted to. It was very lively until about 4am, and then quietened down.

Sunday didn't go well. In the morning, a group were jumping off a bridge a few miles downstream, and one of them landed badly and didn't come up again. Not only was he well known and popular, but he was also one of the leaders in his youth group.

That night, I got in early, and went to one of the small stages. I stayed on afterwards to help clear up. The rubbish crew came in, and collected everything, including some of my stuff, which I'd left next to the stage. At this point it started raining really heavily, and I spent the next half an hour trying to find them, but couldn't. I ended up completely soaked. There were rivers of water three inches deep on all the paths.

Got to the cafe, and decided to stop worrying about what I'd lost. I had to remind myself that others had lost far more earlier that day. Someone lent me a spare couple of shirts after I began to shiver, and I kept going through the night. The tent filled with refugees. It was hard to tell the people who wanted to stay up all night from the ones who had no choice. Two girls came in wrapped in blankets, looking completely shattered. They asked for a hot chocolate. I looked at them and quickly made the order for two hot chocolates, and paid the extra myself. They said their tent was knee deep in water, after the nearby drain had flooded.

Got home in one piece, and managed to keep going at the brass band rehearsal. Feeling a lot better now that I've had a chance to get some sleep. I'm really not that bothered about the stuff I lost, even if it did include my new Rubiks cube and the little camera. I was going to cut off the Parachute wristband the moment I got home, but decided to leave it on a bit longer. I've learnt a few lessons this weekend, and I don't want to forget them in a hurry.


[ add comment ] ( 1781 views )   |  permalink  |   ( 3 / 2096 )

---

<<First <Back | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | Next> Last>>