Here I am at last! Sorry I have been absent for a while but I have been a little distracted. I may/may not tell you about it one day. It is just before six here in the UK and I have been up all night. Cooking and packing for The Folk on The Water Festival in Warwickshire.
I finally realised that despite writing a Blog about it last year, most of you don't really know what it is. I have a great friend by the name of Dutch Van Spall. I met him when I was 17 in another, much more charmed life. Dutch is a bit mad about music, he loves everything about it and has dedicated his life to it. Dutch masterminded The Folk on The Water Festival (FOTW) last year. http://www.folkontheWater.com .Dutch decided to get on a Barge, stop at a few pubs along the way and host live music at every place he 'laid his hat'.
I live in Cornwall and as FOTW takes place on the Warwickshire Ring Canal, I offered my services as Chief Cook and Bottle Washer. Funnily enough, Dutch accepted. So I found myself on a Barge, in a County I had no knowledge of and managed to pitch in and look after the crew in some small way. What a fantastic time we had. We could not believe how many people turned out to welcome us and what a positive response we had. Oh and the two weeks of sunshine helped as well! So here we are again with a much bigger FOTW. Much more press attention and many more artists, with more coming forward as I write, despite the fact that FOTW started on June 18th.
I wanted to tell you about life on a Barge. Firstly it's difficult. You have to almost walk sideways to get anywhere when you have a Crew plus four and some nights that can mean 9! Feeding people is also fun. Trying to open an oven door or peer into the fridge whilst a few of the Crew wander past is interesting to say the least. You have to think about lots of things like taking on water, going to the pumping station - read that as 'getting rid of Poo!' Food supplies and managing to recharge your mobile phone/laptop/ipod...etc...etc...whilst the engine is running also feature. Note to Blokes - read that as Please! can I switch my hairdryer on NOW! Then there is the 'trying to find your land legs' after spending a week aboard. The world tilts gently when you have spent so much time on the water. No alcohol needed. It took me a week at home to realise that my shower wasn't going to be interupted by a another Barge sloshing by and turning my world slightly skew whiff!
Ah but the upsides....in the summer it really is living the dream. Imagine (excuse The Pun) living aboard a Dutch Barge (only 160K, fully fitted). Having a little plot of land with some solar panels and a beautiful grapevine, a veggie patch and a peaceful mooring. Complete Bliss! Then of course you would need a one bed flat close to your mooring so that you could spend the coldest months of the year in centrally heated heavan. Oh and don't forget a nice battered hat to wear at the tiller! That is the dream. But for now I am going to live the dream on FOTW for a week.
I can't wait to meet all the new artists and of course all my friends from last year. Joshy will be there, running the locks and more importantly 'running free'. So looking forward to meeting you all and catching up with precious friends. See you there!
Barge It!
Muse x
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