I got back from Bungay 2022 yesterday. My last festival was Bungay 2019, I've worked through the entire pandemic & was in desperate need of a break. Bungay is the perfect festival to wind down at.
I set off from East Sussex at about 1pm guided by my new (genuine, not printed) sat nav. I know that to get to Bungay I have to travel north so I was confused when it told me to start off by going south. I ignored this thinking it would recalculate correctly once I got going, but half an hour later it was still telling me to turn around no matter how much I argued with it. We kept arguing until I realised I hadn't cleared the destination from my test drive the day before.
I got caught in the traditional M25 stand still where I witnessed an ice cream van serve an ice cream across two lanes of traffic by passing it through the cab of another truck. There was also some roadworks on the A12 but other than that it was an uneventful journey.
I arrived onsite at just after 6pm. There were only 8 other cars in the car park at this time, but already many tents & caravans were set up in the field. I was heartily welcomed by Abbi, Sam, Kat, Richard, Kayleigh & Ron in particular. It was fantastic to see friends again.
Highlights in no particular order include but are certainly not limited to:
Going on a bike ride with Kat, Paul, Mark & Charlie into Halesworth. Kat asking how my arse was for the following 3 days.
Teaming up with Kayleigh & Tarim to mercilessly inflict the worst kubb massacre I have ever experienced on Sandra, Kate & Russell. We played 2 games both of which we managed to finish without losing a single block from our back row.
Taking a tour of Kat's new mobile palace.
Putting on my tea towel for lots of Bungay rules croquet including a single 4 hour game which included I think 17 separate postings. This game saw Andy play a long shot which stopped less than an inch short of Kat's ball on the edge of the lawn, he used a golf swing for his next shot to propel Kat deep into the buttercups. He then bounded into the field like an excited puppy & used his roquet shot to launch Kat's ball deeper into the field than I've ever seen before. I managed 2 wins over the festival. The second win was in a game limited to 1.5 hours because of the show & I satisfyingly managed to hit the final post at 1:29.
Games of Black Fleet with Fak, Andy & Mark, also Richard, Rob & Sam. The simple act of saying Bang! to fire your cannon was very satisfying.
Deep fried halloumi & chips, art galleries, museums, fudge & pleasingly wonky houses in Southwold.
A 5.5 hour long session playing Nemesis with Sam, Rob & Richard & his beautifully painted not so miniature miniatures.
Saucepan gazing with Polly-Anna.
Petting 4 year old husky Sasha while she was missing her owner.
A fun & useful pilates workshop hosted by Richard.
Helen's epic needle felted cow.
A hilarious game of Love Letter with Andy, Paul & Jon "Princess Magnet" Peat.
Talking without showing your teeth with Sam.
The huge relief when Alex & Mark correctly guessed "Pan" & "Pirate" for my clue of "Tinkerbell" in codenames after spending an age deliberating how "shopkeeper" fit the clue.
Some seriously impressive cold reading from Rob during the show.
Waving to Queen Eve.
Finding out that Jon Peat has been shamelessly spreading juggling misinformation by running workshops teaching Olas but calling it Grace.
Sorry to everyone who was either sleeping or otherwise unavailable yesterday morning that I didn't get to say goodbye to. Thank you all for your company & it was wonderful to see you all again. I really needed this.
#bbu2022
... Don't you hate it when some smartarse rocks up halfway through your workshop and tells you that you are wrong... I don't, it happens so regularly that I worry when it doesn't happen! XD
Thank you for the correction.
In the spirit of 'tit for tat', we played love letters with Richard, not Andy. ;-)
Heh heh heh.
I enjoyed:
Seeing everyone again.
Not caring what time of day it was at any point.
Playing Tichu.
Playing Love Letters.
Cycle trip to Southwold.
Whole milk vending machine.
Crazy Golf Trip.
Bounce Passing.
Table Tennis.
The Cafe.
The Showers.
Club passing with everyone whom I passed clubs with.
I did not enjoy:
Camping.
Forgetting my Crocs.
Forgetting my gel bike seat cover.
The journey home (I mis-remembered the trip to Leicestershire as being 2hrs, not 3hrs).
Thank you for a lovely holiday just when I needed it. I look forward to seeing you at other events soon!
Well then, #BBU2022, some moments...
Simply being there. My first event since the pandemic.
Friends. Laughing.
Crosswording, both alone and in company. And all on paper (mostly a book of Brummies), none on screen. Writing no clues at all. Hearing I should be back in the Indy soon.
Doing a little bit of actual juggling (to the extent that my shoulders would let me). Relearning what-I-remember-being-called-Grace-in-the-Fliktrik, after 20 years or so. And being reminded of "6 balls, with the feet" by Andy. That one's clearly not coming back...
The trip to Southwold entirely for a nice ice-cream (and to look at a model boat). Worth it.
An ice cream van turning up on site the very next day.
Watching all the bounce juggling shenanigans in Molesey corner.
Almost running gadgets entirely off solar power all week.
Everyone politely observing the quiet camping area, once theyd been told that, no, actually, it definitely is NOT "the party corner". (Whoever told them that is in my bad books.)
The bees, the birds, and other wildlife. (Nice to meet you, Raedwald.)
Doing okay, and having fun in various poker games. Coming second to Andy in the tournament, after the opposite result a few years ago was, in one way, pleasing. :-)
Not (fingers crossed, touch wood, and other apotropaic gestures) catching covid. Best wishes to the 3 (we know of) who did. (Conjectured to have happened off-site.) Felt both awkward and sensible to be masking in the big top and games tent, but overall, I'm glad I did. Sorry folks, but it's not over yet, alas.
Not speaking to the anti-vaxxer.
Watching people club-pass. There was one session between Jason & Robin that made me smile, for no especial reason.
"We're so old!" *side-eye*
The addition of a gazebo to our set-up is to be deemed a success. Separate kitchen with a view. :-)
"You're younger than Bungay!"
Getting to 15-15 in my first game of table tennis with Monte. Never mind what happened after that. :-P
Croquet. I played one game, and hit the post more than amyone else, so I'm pretty sure that means I won.
"Did he just put on the shit music, then leave the big top?"
Finding out we've been playing (Shock! Horror!) American croquet rules. (Which may have unwittingly been my fault.) We need to sort that out.
Charity shopping in Beccles.
Reading corner. With coffee.
I think I've lost my pass. :-( Pending further unpacking...
Knowing where my towel was.
All the other small moments that have already leaked away.
Thanks to all who made it happen.
Subscribe to this forum via RSS
1 article per branch
1 article per post