Sadly no tipi this year (the tipi people were all at Bestival instead, apparently), but Waveform was nevertheless once again splendid. doop heroically dragged the bike trailer with the MegaTent all the way there[0], which helpfully gave us somewhere to keep the bikes as well as actual space.

We did fetch up camped next to the Nitrous Kids (nitrous for breakfast, nitrous for lunch, and a fully balanced meal... no, wait, nitrous again), which helpfully enabled one to locate our tent in the dark. Just stand still, wait a couple of seconds... ffffsWHOOSH, aha, there it is. They were a little noisy but as I saw them carefully tidying up their campsite on Monday morning I will forgive them. Actually, the whole thing was remarkably litter-free, possibly due to the fact that about 50% of the people there seemed to be some variety of staff (or were at least accustomed to being staff at other festivals). Next to no nitrous canisters left lying about the place! Also on the 'potentially iritating drugs' front, Team Ket also remained largely not in evidence, apart from one chap who after a few minutes of uncoordinated stumbling was gently escorted off the dancefloor by his friend.[1]

We danced to lots of psytrance, some splendid crusty acid techno (possibly one of the Liberators, but it was bloody good whoever it was), a bit of random crusty folk at the very-UV-tastic solar stage, and Back To The Planet, who I last saw at Phoenix in 1994 (my first ever festival, awwww). They were ace. And/or I was monumentally nostalgic, whichever. Also we ate several vegan burgers, and sat around watching the world go by extensively. I had a go on a swing bike, and both of us got our faces painted by someone who turned out to be Ian Bell. doop managed not to fanboy too much.

Small festivals are *aces*. I hope they manage to run it again next year; the whole thing often feels a lot like a random conglomerate of crews who just happen by glorious serendipity to fetch up in the same field at the same time (although I am sure it actually takes a lot more planning than that), and as such you always wonder whether they'll manage to bring it together again next year... Still, 4 years so far ain't bad going. It is pretty much the *nicest* and friendliest-feeling festival I've been to; wish they'd bring back the compost loos, though!


[0] This was a Learning Experience in terms of the bike/trailer/train thing; mostly we Learnt that you need to allow rather more time for changes than normal, and that it's always quicker to rehitch the trailer even if this does currently require the use of a spanner. Plus not all trains will let you on, if they're small trains (but the odds decrease dramatically if you're running late, hence the need to allow more time).
[1] One often seems to encounter these teams of a K-ed up person with a sober-ish mate translating for them. doop is obviously the one who has these conversations most often, and he reports that they go a little bit like this:
"Hurbleburble hurble, vrrr."
"My friend here says that he thinks your glowsticks are splendid."
"Oh. Thanks."
"Vrrbur blurl, frr. Hurble!"
"He says that he finds the interplay of the blue with the green of the lasers particularly exquisite."
"Right. Good."
"Hurble, vr."
"He says..."
"'Nice one, mate.' Yeah, I got that one."