Voiceinthetent   

The view from the fly sheet

 

Well, I know it’s been two weeks since the best festival on the planet has finished, but what with all the goings on and the job hunting one really hasn’t been able to find the time. However, today (Saturday July 10th) is my brothers birthday I’m awake its way too early and there are small children in the house now playing computer games in the room I was pretending to sleep in. Sat here on the deck in the sunshine, Glastonbury the Festival quickly becoming another memory, but boy, what a memory!

For those of you that know me know I bang on about the fest at any given opportunity, it’s the dogs whatsits, especially when, like this year, it stays dry! This year was a strange one, poor, with not much money in my pocket, but earning while I was there, not really having anyone, initially, to hang out with; no desperate need to see any headliners (‘cept Tony Benn, Billy Bragg and Get up Stand up) all of which would basically mean that I wouldn’t have any time to actually do any work(!) Luckily for me the beer tent/ bar I was working in was right next to the main stage. Having the best sound system on the planet kinda beats any poxy radio station hands down.

I had feelings of mixed apprehension, I usually take shed loads of cash with me, I come home with jewellery, small wall hangings, contact details for the wish list items, should I ever win the lottery kinda thing. This year I managed to spend 40 quid. No jewellery bought, no wearable, touchable jewellery this year. I did bring home a souvenir but more of that later!

I know people reading this will know that I tweet, but this year my Glasto experience was enhanced 10 fold by the 140 character networking, blogging site. For several weeks before the event @Glastowatch, organised #twisto or twitterbury so that tweeters at Glasto could meet up in reality, shocking concept I know, we all hide behind a smoke screen of bytes do we not?

On the day of the meet and as my job was important but my presence wasn’t constantly required I slipped out during a break, to attend and boy am I glad that I did! Apart from being squashed in in a small space near the Brothers cider bar it was really nice to be hugged by people that had only started following me 24 hours before (some, slightly longer) with cries of ‘oh you’re thescobe,’ and then it happened….

I wouldn’t say it was lightening bolt stuff nor even a rumble of distant thunder, but somehow I started talking to this slightly lairy bloke, I can’t remember the first words spoken apart from maybe ‘hello I’m thescobe.’ I didn’t catch his name, he put his hands on my head and told me that I needed a hat to protect my head as it was far too hot, I remember mentioning I like Bon Jovi, and, dear reader, for the record, initially, I was stone cold sober. We swapped user names, it was hot, I thought he lived in The Oval but no, he lives in Yeovil. There was hugging, lots of hugging, but in a kind of plutonic l like you it’s great here isn’t it kind of way.

I met his brother, I could remember his user name, I wrote it down. The next day I sent his brother a message via Twitter and asked him to tell Mark, the lairy huggy guy; that I had bought a hat and that for some reason I couldn’t remember his Twitter name (I blame the mescal) Once Steve (his brother) had forwarded the tweet to his bro and I had his user name. BINGO! I could then ‘stalk’ him through Twitter (something that is totally legal and allowed) and know what exactly he was up to. He is a big flirt, he tweets regularly with many of the #Twisto crew and he uses Twitter interactively, I just tend to read tweets and put people in touch with each other.

On the Friday I spent the day following him on Twitter – quick glances between counting stuff and asking him questions. He came to see me at my bar last off at about 1.30 in the morning, we chatted and he gave me a peck on the cheek.

On Saturday morning the ‘relationship’ moved up another notch he sent me his number so I could text him, At 3pm I was due for a break and asked him what he was up to, he was watching Sea Sick Steve at the pyramid stage 100 yards away, I asked if I could join him and I did, as soon as I met up with him he kissed me, Whooopeeee Sun shining, at Glastonbury and kissing a very nice boy!

It was then Steve time, watching Seasick Steve with his brother Steve and best mate Steve! I had my back massaged, we watched, hugged, snogged, he didn’t seem fazed by me, or scared, just lovely, I went back to work with a huge grin on my face! Later that day we arranged to meet up at 9.00pm to hang out, I had the night off and started late the next day, so he collected me from my beer tent and we went to watch Muse. Fantastic set, nice spot, with the addition of that spine tingling atmosphere that is Glasto on a Sat night. With or without the boy.

After the set I ate bangers and mash in Holts field were we’d met and we snogged in the field, now empty of people. We wandered up to the stone circle and sat on a bench, the moon was full and in one of those Glasto magic moments, was over the open jaws of the dragon statue – the dragon was eating the moon! and, oh for a better camera!

The rest of the evening, I will leave up to your imagination but I kept my socks on!

Next morning after we awoke and groggily got the hello how are you stuff out of the way. Mark went outside to talk to his mate and his brother – who luckily sleeps in a different tent, about their evenings. I made a comment to the assembled crowd from inside the tent.

The reply was ‘Oh Hello Voice in the tent’

‘Hello’ I replied I was then introduced to the friend outside.

Voiceinthetent was born!