mchaela

A Week of Glasto Pre-Production: 15 - 22 June

Goodbye Scotland - Part 3: Surf Tour on the Isle of Barra.

8 - 13th June. So straight off the back of the West Highland Way I joined the excellent team at Coast2Coast at the ferry at Oban for a weeks surfing on the beautiful island of Barra off Scotland's west coast. I could really get used to this cold water surfing thing. No crowds, beautiful beaches, and generally my comparative level of surfing is pretty average, where as in Australia my level of surfing would be distinctly below average. It was a great week, Sam & Bob were excellent teachers, and got me back to where I was in terms of surfing after just a few days. 

A few highlights from the shots above.

Beautiful sunny day meeting the dream team to get on the ferry.

4 hour ferry journey from Oban to Barra. I was completely shattered after WHW celebrations at this point so I made a great first impression on the group by lying right down and getting in a good snore session.

Unpacking the surf van, and getting suited and booted, dragging on thick wetsuits became pretty routine. 

Came across the ultimate paisley wrapped camper.

Hanging outside the airport cafe, watching planes land on the beach when the tide was out.

Me and my pal in the vicinity of some surfboards.

Selfie at the ol' surf spot.

Some kind of ruin on the way home on the ferry, which was delayed by a couple of hours because of thick fog. The consistent intermittent fog horn on the ferry on the way home, sadly prevented another snore fest.

Goodbye Scotland Part 2: West Highland Way. 

Goodbye Scotland Part 1: Knockengorroch

So there I was at Knockengorroch World Ceildh, with nearly all my best pals that I've met since the 10 months I've been in this suprising country. Can't praise it highly enough, amazing music, and vibes unique to any festival.

The highlights -

Vieux Fraka Toure - billed as the hendrix of africa. incredible guitar. Mind blown.

Dub Pistols - Wooft

Sam Lee Band - as heard from my stewarding post side of stage. Old skool folk tunes with a contemporary sound.

Alejandro & the Magic Tombelinos - mental fusion, with a brazilliant shirtless sax player.  

Tantz - the balkanarama band. These guys from Leeds kick the proverbial off it. Also I made a lovely pal in the band who kept calling me Susan.

Sketch - another epic sound. Angus the pipe player gave me a huge main stage shout out, as I had done a great job chatting him up and drawing his portrait for him from side of stage.

Mungo's Hi Fi - Reggae sound system from Scotland. Can't beat it for the Sunday night, bass to rearrange your organs.

Skyjahman - SP?? A friend of a friends band, stonking reggae from some Scottish lads.

I never made it to the Sauna which is legendary, and there's a host of other amayzeballs things to do. I stopped in at the Longhouse and Weirdigans, both incredible experiences.

Please make special note of the photo in the album where I have zipped one jacket to the other aka "I've two faced me jeecket!" and special thanks to Nick who I think took the photo at the pinaccle of my amusement. 

  There are— those who write literature of praise and those who write literature of blame.  Both reveal an impulse towards life. those who see the cup half full and those who see it half empty.  Neither dare drink. those who like to sit by oceans and those who like to sit by lakes.  Both admire water birds. those who fear intimacy and those who fear abandonment.  Rehabilitation, for both types, is lengthy. those who see life as suffering and those who see life as worth suffering for.  Rarely is either type native to the tropics. those whose 2nd toe is shorter than their big toe and those whose 2nd toe is longer.  9 times out of 10, athletes are made from the first camp. those who like Wordsworth and those who prefer Coleridge.  Both are predisposed to owning cats. those who like Tolstoy and those who prefer Dostoyevski.  Usually these people are similar in temperament to the people who like Wordsworth or Coleridge respectively but are more widely read. those who bring strawberries and those who bring blueprints.  Both types are equally likely to be female. those who believe in chance and those who believe in fate.  Nobody knows how anyone got this way. those who can roll the edges of their tongue and those who cannot.  Both enjoy kissing. those who believe god lives and those who believe god is dead.  Both believe. those who do not eat animals for reasons of health and those who do not eat animals for reasons of compassion.  Neither hunger. those who'd make professional mourners and those who'd make professional celebrants.  Both professions fill a need. those who say they are afraid of intimacy but are really afraid of abandonment and those who say they are afraid of abandonment but are really afraid of intimacy.  Hope is held for a cure. those who blame their misery on big government and those who blame it on big business.  Both have bad table manners. those who read the book and those who wait for the movie.  These types are likely to intermarry. those who refuse to apologise and those who apologise too readily.  Neither party understands forgiveness. those who speculate about two types of people and those who speculate about continuums.  The latter are caged in a paradox. those who talk to the gods with their feet and those who talk to the gods with their heads.  The former have better rhythm. those who are turned on by cutting edge technology and those who warm to it only once it's obsolete.  Often the latter exhibits great affection for electronic typewriters and vinyl records. those who are afraid of prairies and those who are afraid of the insides of elevators.  Both delight in cut flowers. those who write poetry and those who write about poetry.  Both are susceptible to untruths. those who give to beggars and those who do not.  Religion is rarely a factor. those who fight for the individual and those who fight for society.  Both are abstract thinkers. those who like pigeons and those who do not.  I like pigeons.