Glastonbury Medic

I had a fantastic weekend at Glastonbury.

I was there to work, but I had Friday & Sunday off, so I got to enjoy most of the Festival too!

I drove down on Thursday evening and there was no traffic at all because just about everyone was already there. So my first challenge was to battle single-handedly in the dark with the brand new tent I'd just bought. It was looking great... until I realised I'd mistaken the inner tent for the flatsheet - so theoretically I could stay in it... but it wouldn't be waterproof & it'd be see-through. I started again.

My first overnight shift in the medical centre wasn't too bad at all. The mental health team were far busier than me, dealing with a number of pill-poppers, most of whom just needed reassurance & a quiet lie-down. I took a trip with the ambulance crew when they transferred a punter to hospital - blue light & siren, very exciting!

The shift finished on Friday morning & I made my tired way back to the volunteer medical staff's private campsite. The organisers had scraped together enough cash for much nicer portaloos & showers than the ones in the main site; if you think I missed the true spirit of the festival, I don't care - you're just jealous.

I tried to get some sleep during the day but it wasn't easy (usually I'm quite good at sleeping anywhere); I woke up every now & then to hear that it was still tanking it down with rain & there was a different band on the main stage in the distance.

Early evening, rested, I finally ambled down to the actual festival in my wellies. The mud was already ankle-deep and like quicksand; I kept getting stuck and nearly falling over - which is why I didn't laugh every time I saw someone else tumble in! Getting around the site took quite a bit of effort - everyone there got a free thigh & bum workout just from sticking & unsticking. Later in the weekend the mud became much more liquid & slurry-like. Either that or the loos had overflowed.

There were more than a dozen stages to wander round. But when I first got there, I was hungry & more interested in the food stalls. There were so many different things on offer, from stalls selling your average pie, burger, chips etc to a place that did Australian meats (if you're wondering, crocodile is quite soft & tasty, whereas kangaroo is more meaty).

I found a brilliant place, the Banyan Tree Cafe, which had an open mic (guess where this story is going...). A guy went up & did some rap/poetry & then played some reggae. Some of his mates joined him & it turned into an impromptu samba dance-off, with lots of the cafe staff joining in on various instruments; there ended up being a dozen people on stage.

Well how do you follow that? With a middle-class off-duty doctor singing rude songs at a piano of course. Went down surprisingly well - by the end of it a crowd of about a hundred people had gathered - more than when I started! ;o)
In any case, technically now I can say I played at Glastonbury!

I wandered round the stalls which sold everything; trilby hats, didgeridoos, wind chimes, you name it. I really wanted to buy some fire poi from a juggling stand but thought I'd better try at home first (eg. with rolled-up socks) before I invest 50 quid in the real thing.

Best bit of the festival? I think I've developed a thing for girls in shorts & wellies... Rrrawr...

My next shift started on Saturday afternoon. Much busier with lots of people turning up with minor injuries like blisters & trench-foot, twisted ankles, and one rare condition which took all four doctors to diagnose!

I could hear the main stage from the medical tent so it wasn't so bad; and I got out in time to catch the end of The Killers (who rocked!)

On Sunday I investigated the smaller stages - found some amazing acts in the Dance tents, including a funk/rap band called Loose Cannons. Saw a trumpet-based jazz act called Beirut and made it over to the main stage for The Kaiser Chiefs who were brilliant.

There was an hour before the next act - so did I use my backstage pass to go hang out in the celebrity hospitality tent, before rocking out to The Who and then returning backstage to drink with the stars & get more stories for the blog?

Or did I go to the campsite, pack up the tent while there was still some light, get out of the car park before the ground had been completely blended to mush by vehicle wheels, drive home before the mass exodus of thousands of cars down one road & sleep in my own bed before coming to work today...?

Sorry.

I'll go backstage next time, I promise!