Sunday 26th December – Woodford

The mud surrounding our tentMorning

After a sleep-in, Bronwen and I drove to her parents’ place, then on to Indooroopilly, where we eventually found parking, had lunch in a totally packed eatery, and bought a few small things from the Boxing Day sales.

Afternoon

After our shopping we drove home and I packed for Woodford. Realising I had lost my ticket we had to drop past Bronwen’s parent’ place again, and then drove up to Woodford.

Evening

It rained very heavily on the drive up, but dropped back to a drizzle when we arrived. Our tent was still dry inside but the mud everywhere else was epic. There was no parking and parking people were going around threatening to have people towed. I squeezed my car into a small spot nearly off the road, and we set up our tarp over the tent, before heading down to the general store, then on to the armband getting gate, got our arm bands, and headed off to Govinda’s for dinner, going via the Festival Shop, which was shut.

Night

After dinner, Bronwen and I headed back up to Cloudland, pumped up our airbed, had a shower, washed our feet with our water bottle, and went to bed.

Monday 27th December – Woodford

The festival shop, still mostly empty Bronwen running away from bulls–in slow motion The Gremlins “Rokit” The queen of diamonds The stop-go-slow man, & Bronwen Another of the crazy characters from “The Game” A rather large bird thing Broken mirror and old volunteer medallions Disabled stilt walkers. I suspect there’s something I’m missing here… The rain thunders down at The Grande People on the hillside behind The Grande, pretending it’s sunny An ambulance, Woodford style Flooding More flooding A terrifying torrent of water… Indigo & Fiona, the only two who remembered it was a safari theme Lasers above the festival A lone girl at a lone stage

Morning

Bronwen and I went down to the Festival Shop early, in case we had early shifts. As it turns out, we didn’t, so we wandered the festival. It rained quite a bit.

4:30pm

I worked at the Festival Shop. It was nice to see a lot of the same people again.

Night

Bronwen and I wandered the festival some more, before going to bed around one.

Tuesday 28th December – Woodford

The “Cybergarden” internet café “Alert: Pumans will be given priority” (on the men’s toilets) The jaffle place Friends of Woodford, who really were very friendly… The Festival Shop Bronwen & a protesting crowd, protesting whatever A large, green insect Another of the crazy characters from “The Game”, & Bronwen getting something stamped A disturbing pig-girl, at Disturbia A disturbing pig-clinic, at Disturbia A disturbing pig-patient, at Disturbia A disturbing pig-pub, at Disturbia A disturbing pig-prostitute, at Disturbia A rather enticing pig-prostitute, at Disturbia Another rather enticing pig-prostitute, at Disturbia A disturbing pig-storeman, at Disturbia The amphitheatre

Morning

Bronwen and I slept in, listening to the worrying sound of tent poles banging together, which turned out to be a caravan door blowing in the wind I think, and the tarp flapping wildly, every time the wind blew.

After a while, we walked down to the festival, I lost my umbrella at Vollywood but took the equally—but differently—broken one the people who took mine left behind, and went to work just after midday.

Evening

Disturbia is disturbing. I also walked up to the car, had a shower, and dinner at spaghetti Junction. My feet are very sore—I’m going to try going barefoot for a while.

Night

Bronwen and I went around barefoot, heading painfully up to the amphitheatre at one point. We got to bed sometime around two o’clock.

Wednesday 29th December – Woodford

Fiona, sticking with the safari theme at the Festival Shop Gremlins The Gremlins: “Rokit Launch 8 PM: Much Danger!” More gremlins Stilt-walking ninjas The pineapple outside the pineapple bar Men playing frisbee Men playing frisbee The workshop area The largest float at Woodford, the Hare Krsna float I have no idea, but it has arrows shot into it, so that’s cool A caravan snail A caravan snail A “random member of the audience” and her freshly bent spoon The Space Cowboy bending spoons A rather scary character

7:30am

I got up, showered, and headed to the Festival Shop, via the General Store for an iced coffee, before working for the next few hours. I had a langos for lunch, and bought some $30 gumboots.

Afternoon

I am now trying gumboots—so far, no blood. And now, off to Vollywood for some coffee. Also the first time I’ve seen security with dogs and hardcore armed police.

Night

Gumboots seem to work ok—I’m not sure if I’m just hurting my feet in other ways, but at least the ways they were hurting aren’t hurting now. I met Kelly and Chris from the Festival Shop and watched a few acts with them, before heading to bed sometime after midnight.

Thursday 30th December – Woodford

A talking tree, even when you’re not on drugs Lots of mud, being moved from underfoot to elsewhere A tranquil scene amongst the mayhem “The Game” again A glowing Woodfordia heart of fire Amusing street signs from around the festival, for sale at the Festival Shop Bronwen at the Festival Shop, pretending to be a feral

9am

I was woken by Bronwen getting a phone call from the Festival Shop, to find out why she hadn’t turned up for her 8:30 AM shift. This was a little worrying as both of us had been given our shifts as 8:30 PM today. As it turns out, my shift was this evening, Bronwen’s was this morning.

Breakfast

I had breakfast at Spaghetti Junction, then met Bronwen after her shift, then Kelly and Chris at the little Dutch pancake place, and we spent the afternoon slowly melting, and enjoying the festival. It has not only not rained all day, but it’s actually clearing up, with blue skies and fierce humidity setting in.

8:30pm

I worked at the shop, as it slowly descended into insanity.

12:30am

I shut the shop, and Bronwen, Kelly, Chris and I wandered around the festival, with Bronwen and I getting to bed around half past three.

Friday 31st December 2010 – Woodford

“erections ‘r’ us – Go Hard or Go Home”–the Signology car “No walking on the water” The Woodford film crew The gremlins “rokit” “Beware! Trespassers will be incorporated using power tools”–sign at the gremlins “rokit” The queen of smudge, all part of “The Game” A mudslide, before authorities shut it down More insanity, all part of “The Game” A CD horse

Morning

It hasn’t rained, and is very hot. Bronwen went off to partake in “the game“ early, at 9 o’clock, and I tried sleeping in but it got too hot so I wandered around the festival until Bronwen had finished. We went and saw the talent judging part of “the game“, which was quite hilarious, amongst several other acts, and general Woodford-ness.

Afternoon

I headed up to shower before work, get some things for Bronwen, had a quick lunch of nachos, and headed to work.

4:45pm

I went to work at the Festival Shop, and had an uneventful, if slightly insane, shift. It has been getting busier and busier, and is still quite hot.

9:20pm

I stayed at work a little late to fix a till problem and fix one of the gallery tills so Jade could go get dinner. I then called Bronwen, and sadly had a big argument. Bronwen was off in volunteer’s camping with Kelly and Kris, which is very far away, so I caught a bus there, tracked her down, had a chat, caught the bus back, held a candle for the three minutes’ silence, and went to bed.

Saturday 1st January 2011 – New Year’s Day

The closest we got to a sunrise at dawn The closing ceremony What happens when your lighter runs out… The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony The closing ceremony Lasers over the closing ceremony

4am

At some time overnight it started raining again. I got up at 4 AM, called Bronwen—who answered from the Chai tent by the sounds of the drumming—to find out what her plans were, and had a shower. Bronwen said she didn’t want to see me, so I walked up to the Hilltop by myself. The rain managed to hold off and only sprinkle lightly until I got to the top of the hill, when it got heavier. I found Bronwen sitting on the Woodfordia sign, but she didn’t want to talk, so I squatted up the back for a while, then left. It was too wet and overcast to see a sunrise.

Morning

On the way back from the Hilltop I met Bronwen waiting for the bus to overnight camping. We had a chat, and I headed up to the tent and went to bed.

1pm

I went to work, where I worked hectically. It rained in little, sharp downpours. After work I went and had a shower, met Bronwen, got some stuff out of the car, then headed back to the festival, only to turn around and go back up to the car—which is up a large hill and my feet are very hurty—to get a chair and my camera gear, and then walk up to the Amphitheatre to watch the closing ceremony. Thousands of additional painful footsteps I didn’t need to do if I thought things through!

8pm

There was quite a fair bit of space available. I’m not sure if that’s because I’ve worked out that I should go up the hill further for a better view, or if there’s not that many people here due to the weather. The closing ceremony was a typical Woodford one—it sort of seemed like it probably made sense from time to time, and lots of things exploded or burnt or exploded and then burnt or burnt and then exploded...

10pm

After the closing ceremony I limped back to the festival and watched the end of Mr Percival—who is fantastic, really fantastic.

Sunday 2nd January – Brisbane

The mud at the tent site Our tent at the end of the festival, after a few of the surrounding people left Our tent at the end of the festival, after a few of the surrounding people left The front entrance, quiet at the end of the festival A few weary festival-goers left over after the festival

Morning

Bronwen called me to get a lift home. Unfortunately, after packing up the tent, we weren’t able to get the car out. After wandering around the festival for a while, getting extremely hot, we called the RACQ, but shortly after the owners of the car which was blocking us in arrived, moved their car, and we were able to drive home.

Evening

We got home quite late in the afternoon, and were both quite stupid from lack of sleep. For example, I went to wash my hair in the shower, but instead of wetting my hair, I held up the shampoo and started to pour it onto my face. Fortunately, as the first drop just missed my eye, I realised the error of my ways and instead poured it into my hand. Unfortunately, I still didn’t realise the absurd lack of water, and it wasn’t until after I splattered shampoo all over my head that I remembered to turn the water on.

Night

Bronwen and I had a biryani from Halim’s, and continued our rather absurd insanity, before having a reasonably early night.

A gremlin at Woodford