Greenbelt

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 29 August 2006 12:38:12

Where to start? Another happy, muddy, fun weekend. This time we actually went to some stuff. Saw Andrew Motion - very good, Jackie Pullinger - surprisingly good. Jim Wallis and Stephen Timms - interesting, although I fell asleep at one point, and we even made the sunday morning service which was MUCH MUCH better than last year. Oh, and beer and hymns - what can I say. You drink beer, you sing hymns - how could that ever have been a failure with a Greenbelt crowd? Fantastic. Traidcraft wine tasting was a good innovation, and I was sorry to miss everything that happened on Monday. Hate working Bank Hols.

Things I have discovered about Greenbelt that I never knew until this year
1. The nearby leisure centre is walking distance, has a very nice pool and free hairdriers and is highly recommended for a Sunday morning visit
2. If you have a little stool with you you definitely end up sitting with different people (I am getting old, aren't I?)
3. If you have a contributors band you can get to some toilets without queuing for hours.
4. If you camp next to the children's area you get woken up very early by some song about "stomp stomp stomping for the Lord" - why are the children forced to be so much more evangelical than the adults?

Things that could make Greenbelt even better
1. Less rain
2. Better signs from Cheltenham - so many people ended up going round and round in circles!
3. Some things (taize etc) definitely needed bigger venues
4. The bookshop should serve tea!
5. More ladies toilets (see above) The men NEVER have to queue.

It occured to me that the whole festival has become much less edgy than it used to be, though. I'm glad it is now more family friendly than at Deane Park, but there doesn't seem to be as much controversy as there once was. I'd welcome it, for the sake of the people who need it to be the church where they feel accepted.

And, last but not least. Lovely to see the wibsite people as always. Same place next year? (unless we've begun our long planned trip to Latin America by then)

Fish