Fairport's Cropredy Convention 2006.

The sights and sounds of Fairport's Cropredy Convention 2006:

We arrived on the tin can on the Tuesday all ready and geared up to fight for a precious spot on the canal as close as possible to the festival site. It turned out that there were lots of moorings still available. Maybe the nightmarish stories that circulate about the diabolical mooring situations put people off the idea of taking their boats, but it is definitely the best way to do Cropredy.

So, sunny weather, mixed with clouds and gales. And a little bit of rain for the benefit of those attempting to construct their tents on Thursday (haha!) and the festival was a go.


Thursday's line-up:
wRants
P J Wright
Feast Of Fiddles
Chris Newman and Maire Ni Chathasaigh
Steeleye Span

Friday's line-up:
Shameless Quo
Bodega (Radio 2 Young Folk Award Winner)

Then Came The Wheel
Ashley Hutchings' Rainbow Chasers
The Deborah Bonham Band

Flook
John Martyn Band
10cc feat. Graham Gouldman and friends

Saturday's line-up:
Richard Digance
Sam Holmes

Swarb's Lazarus

King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys
Dervish
Glen Tilbook

Fairport Convention and friends

On the friday Fairport were presented with a gold disc for Liege & Lief by Frank Skinner (in a rather lovely yellow rain mac).




The atmosphere was amazing and it is always somewhere we like to go to meet up with friends and family (more photos to follow soon). Last year we bought our wooden wedding rings here (mine broke the day after the ceremony and so were properly replaced with something a little more substantial). I also always come away with a little wooden carved figure. Last year was a hare (my spirit guardian) and this year was a little wooden Lolly replica. We broke with tradition by NOT having breakfast in a bun from the local school. I wasn't sure how Rob would cope with this as it is one of the highlights of the festival for him - but, considering we had our own facilities on board for a change (hurrah for narrow boats and not camping!) he promptly forgot all about it and made his own breakfast!

The rain held off until Fairport finished their amazing set. The heavens opened and the rain fell...and fell...and fell. We were tucked up warm in bed listening to the rain hit the roof of the tin can feeling rather smug about not camping... until we realised that if the rain failed to stop we'd be the ones getting soaked on the journey home as opposed to all those snuggling safe in their cars!


A big thank you to Holly and my mum for adding to the photo bank.

Sad News.

Whilst on our way up to Fairport's Cropredy Convention we lost the last of our Rattus shipmates. He passed into the next world whilst sleeping. He's now with Nobby, his brother, getting into all kinds of mischief, no doubt. I hope there are not too many electical cables to chew on, or cats to chase them, or small holes to get stuck in on the other side. Tain reached the grand ratty age of 2 years and 8 months (by my reckoning) and I found him with a smile on his face, so dying in your sleep can't really be that bad.

My nobby and Tain, together again. We miss them both... but at least all my food is my own now!