Thursday 12 September 2013

A Solar A Fayre - Daisy's first festival

A few years back I used to go to a lot of festivals, I was very lucky to do Glastonbury on my birthday once, and have done smaller ones, Sunrise (my favourite) Off the Tracks, Waveform and Glade which one year had 24 hours solid of pouring rain, that was an experience I wont forget!
The good friends of mine I used to go with are in a band called 'zubzub' and whenever they have a local gig which isn't very often I try and go, well I used to, the last time I saw them play was at another festival called Out of the Ordinary when I was around 35 weeks pregnant! So it's not really Daisy's first one.

They told me about this little family friendly solarpowered festival called Solarafayre, (previously Kaplick) in a place called Boughton Monchelsea in Kent, not too far from us, I really wanted Daisy to experience different things, and knowing how much I loved going to festivals hoped she would too, we decided to go along just for the day, I didn't feel confident camping with her just yet!
Luckily the sun was shining when we got there, and the sky was blue with only a few fluffy clouds, we went off exploring which didnt take very long as this is a small but perfectly formed festival, I just love these intimate festivals, there is a real spirit of community and an amazing energy, everyone you meet is friendly and smiley. I dont think I saw anyone not having a good time.




We found a real coffee van, I love my espresso! We sat and drank our coffee and did some people watching.


There were three music areas, one called woodland space, playing dance and chill out which was away from the main area, the tipi stage, eclectic and poetry, and the main kaplick solar stage where my friends were playing. There was a kids area, and a healing area offering massage, sound therapy and yoga. There were food stalls and stalls selling wonderful things, there was also a tattoo van! I have to mention the toilets, if anyone has been to a festival you know they can be pretty unpleasant, but these were the best toilets at a festival I have ever used! They were clean, they had air fresheners in, a real toilet seat, plenty of loo roll being replaced constantly throughout the day, they were lit at night, and outside an actual kitchen sink on branches with running water and antibacterial handwash!



We had Daisy in the ergo carrier, she is very happy in there, and it lets her observe from our level which is different from viewing the world from a buggy.



She was taking it all in, we walked around, I took A LOT of photos! Then found a little spot near the main stage to put the picnic blanket down on, and we stayed there for a few hours, Daisy really enjoyed being free(ish) to roam around, eat some grass, and meet lots of new people, and listen to some music, it didnt seem to phase her at all.



We gave her her dinner there and as it got a bit chilly in the evening took her back to the car to change her and wrap her up warm in a woolly jacket and put her in her buggy so she could go to sleep at her usual time. I brought some ear defenders for her as the music got quite loud as the night went on. She went to sleep with no problems. My friends band came on, and I even had a little dance, my how much I had missed that, although I get out of breath a lot quicker these days! I thought we might get tired fairly early as we really dont go out much anymore, but we were having such a good time, and the energy in the place was incredible I could have stayed for longer but Daisy woke up and I was aware of her realising she wasnt in bed and being a bit unhappy, the worst part was moving her from the buggy into the car seat, it was chilly and the lights in the car were bright, but as soon as we moved off she went back to sleep, when we got home around 11pm she stayed asleep while I changed her nappy and I fed her and she went back to sleep again and slept through till morning, unfortunately she didnt let us have a lie in!

I didnt really know what to expect, but it was miles better than I could have imagined, and maybe not as stressful as I thought it might be, though priorities have changed, and we went hungry for a while to make sure Daisy was fed, changed warm and happy. The friends I see at these events I sometimes dont see for months, years at a time, but when we do its like I saw them yesterday, I love them to bits.
I am so glad we went, and Daisy could experience it and enjoy it, already cant wait to go again next year, she will be almost 2! And maybe this time we will camp.


1 comment:

  1. Aw, lovely review! I was at Solarafayre too (I was doing the sound therapy in the healing area)
    Best festival around in my book!
    Are you coming again this year? Bet Daisy would love camping, so nice to snuggle up in a tent.
    All the best

    Elayne

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