Wednesday, August 16, 2006

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.

18 Comments:

Blogger Pete said...

Looks absolutely brilliant. Hurrah for Narrowboats indeed (said having come back from a wet camping holiday).

Sounds as though you had a wonderful time. Great photos

August 17, 2006 3:57 AM  
Blogger herhimnbryn said...

Oh V. These pics have made me smile and bought a tear to my eye. it's 6am in W Australia and bloody cold and I WANT TO BE IN CROPREDY!
YOur words and images have bouth so many memories back! Will now have to dig out some faded photos and thing back!
Am sending a link to Avus, who is also a FP and Cropredy fan.
Thankyou for a great post.

August 17, 2006 3:10 PM  
Blogger herhimnbryn said...

ps apologies for typos!

August 17, 2006 3:12 PM  
Blogger Avus said...

Hope the rain stopped on the way home!

I am jealous (still, my fault for lacking the will to get there). Great photos and I can just imagine the atmosphere.

What a stylish way to travel there. "The Green Man" sounds a great name for a narrer boat.

August 22, 2006 8:06 AM  
Blogger valonia said...

Avus - You should have gone. It was wonderful! I must admit, we go every year and are yet to tire from it... or the Welsh Oggies!

The Green Man was my choice of name for the boat. It was decided upon before we even built it. I'm calling our next one Tom Bombadil to keep the theme going!

August 22, 2006 10:56 AM  
Blogger Pete said...

V

For you.

http://www.cornishlight.co.uk/cornish-cream-tea.htm

August 23, 2006 1:23 PM  
Blogger Pete said...

Knock Knock - Are you in?

August 31, 2006 3:03 PM  
Blogger valonia said...

Hello! Yes, I'm in! I've been working stupidly long shifts at work (last one 33hrs) so I've not been around to post or comment :(

September 01, 2006 4:39 AM  
Blogger Pete said...

33hrs!!!! - Any chance of you relaxing this weekend?

September 01, 2006 6:06 AM  
Blogger Avus said...

Tom Bombadil - very appropriate.

"The old year was turning brown; the West Wind was calling:
Tom caught a beechen leaf in the Forest falling.
"I've caught a happy day blown to me by breezes!
Why wait till morrow-year? I'll take it when me pleases.
This day I'll mend my boat and journey as it chances
West down the withy-stream, following my fancies!"

(thank you J.R.R.T.)

September 01, 2006 8:41 AM  
Blogger Avus said...

I have added you to my links since you have interesting interests that interest me!

September 01, 2006 1:52 PM  
Blogger Avus said...

Forgot to ask - I guess Swarb was at Cropredy - how is he these days? He was very ill at one time

September 03, 2006 4:04 AM  
Blogger valonia said...

Knowleypowley: You'll be pleased to know that I got terribly drunk this weekend at a friend's wedding, danced like a maniac and then went to a scrumpy farm to recover.

Avus: I think I'm in danger of being a J.R.R.T. fangirl. My geekery never fails to astonish me (but not my husband).
Oh, and thank you for adding me as a link to your blog. My intrests aren't that interesting but I'm interested in your intrests and your intersting blog interests me further.
And yes, Swarb was at Cropredy. He didn't make it to the gold disc presentation on the friday as his flight got cancelled due to the terrorist threat. He is looking a lot better than he has in a long time. Still skinny and gaunt though.

September 03, 2006 8:02 AM  
Blogger Pete said...

HOORAY!!!! Let your hair down big time. well done you

September 03, 2006 9:59 AM  
Blogger Pete said...

Valonia

Just stopping in to make sure work isn't to hard on you at the moment (no 33 hour shifts).

September 08, 2006 11:23 AM  
Blogger Pete said...

Valonia

thought you may be interested in this link I found at Blog Virgin on my links;

http://boatlife.blogspot.com/2006/09/river-weaver.html

September 08, 2006 11:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a wonderful life you must lead. I have great respect for everybody who dares to live their dream because so many of us waste our lives doing nothing more than thinking about it.

September 08, 2006 5:19 PM  
Blogger valonia said...

Lib - OMG! You're alive! Good to see the blog update. xxx

Knowleypowley - Nope, no amazingly long shifts, just dramatic ones! We all love a good trip to A&E.

And thank you for the link. I'm going to shoot off there and read in a mo. :)

Sharon J - Hello, and welcome to my blog! Thank you for the kind words, though I must confess, rocketing house prices did allow us to pursue our dream! Wouldn't change our life for anything though. :)

September 12, 2006 2:58 AM  

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