Thoughts from a small folk festival, part the first

After a journey up the M1 that was rather longer than intended, I landed back in Darlington for the Spring Thing folk festival, which my parents help run. The festival is based in the local Arts Centre, where my Dad also works, and has been going for nearly twenty years now.

( Steafan Hannigan and Saskia Tomkins )

( Never get involved )

Daydream around the rods and reels

Well, today was supposed to be a trip to a nice restaurant for lunch, a pleasant drive around, and a poke about in Richmond. Only it didn't quite work, on account of lorries having blown over everywhere. The A1 and the A66 (the two major roads here) were both closed due to upside down lorries, one of which had been full of something corrosive (it could cause me problems getting back to Oxford if some silly bugger's melted the A1). So everyone was driving along the pleasant little backroads that we wanted to potter along, and sodding them up royally.

However, we did get our nice lunch. And the wind dropped, but then made up for it by pelting us with sleet (and maliciously came out sunshine again once we got back to the car.)

Among other things, we went to Barnard Castle, and I got to indulge one of my ( secret vices. )