Last night of Reading Festival
a few years ago. Having accepted an offer of a ticket from my ex girlfriend the weekend had been an exercise in smoking too much gear with her friends and avoiding her late nights advances... I was kept on my toes mentally and physically - I was in the Zone...

So, having enjoyed the last nights bands, I came back to our campsite to find that the power had died and the floodlighting was down. The scene was reminiscent of pre battle night during a medieval war... thick smoke hung all round, the clashing of drunken warriors and wailing of women, the flying baked bean cans and burning tents fuelling the atmosphere...

On finding my tent intact I wandered down the way and found about 50 people crowded around one of the telegraph poles, with a half naked youth trying his damnedest to reach the top. An fail. Another... failed.

I approached and was grabbed by the arms and led to the totem. Cries of derision rang in my ears as I was tarred with the brush of previous failures. And then I started to climb.

Now. I was 35 at the time and to be honest, haven't stopped climbing trees for more than a winter since I was about 5 years old. So I promptly got halfway up before the chants started...

"Steve, Steve, Steve, Steve", the cries rang out over the campsite like I was a prima gladiator having slain the latest victim. I reached the top and victoriously slapped my hand on the top of the pole before I descended at a rate of knots, and left the pole behind at about 10 ft.

I threw myself backwards and the crowd caught me, and started throwing me up and down - I was finally hoisted onto the shoulders of the nearest giant and paraded around my new circles of admirers, cries of "Steve" still filling the heady nightime air...

I didn't have the heart to tell them my name is not Steve.
(hengushrh is found at the Dole office every second thursday, Mon 18 Jan 2010, 18:54, 3 replies)

I really rather like this...
*click*
( TheMattInAHat has a particular... odour..., Mon 18 Jan 2010, 19:54, closed)

Me too.
*click*
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Tue 19 Jan 2010, 9:43, closed)

I too, have clicked
As I most definately like this!
( Blind Meach Cautiously optimistic, Tue 19 Jan 2010, 12:35, closed)