Washout...

This summer is the definition of the word washout, and unfortunately the majority of summer events that we look forward to all year have been blighted by the torrential, almost continual, rain. I hate it so much, and we're not even in one of the many badly flooded areas. We have running water and electricity, all of our belongings are safe and dry and we live ont he top of a hill, so I shouldn't even be complaining, but it's just so shitty, waiting 8 months for summer and it simply not coming.

This weekend we went to the Moor Music Festival in Ilkley. Taking a 6 week old to a festival for 3 days was surprisingly easy, in some ways. We desperately wanted to go, because it's where we met-one year ago. Returning 12 months later with our baby was just such a brilliant, circular thing, and what a perfect anniversary celebration! Seriously, whudda thunk that our pilled up drunken tent frolicks last year would lead to a life of such domesticity, parenthood and real love and friendship. Not me, that's for sure, I was determined to make it just a 2 night stand............

But we went back with our baby, and we all had lots of fun, despite the fact that it rained for pretty much the entire time, and the mud was deep and sticky and everywhere. It was a very very different experience from last time-the weather, the lack of drugs and the minimal amount of alcohol, retiring to the tent at midnight, and basically being Mr and Mrs Responsible, but we did have fun, and I realised that, no, things are never going to be the same, but I can enjoy bits of my old life in a moderate, altered form, and it will still be good. Although I did get really upset on the last night when we left a fast asleep Cara with Hayley (who I totally trust with her) outside a tent for 10 minutes so we could have a dance together to some filthy dubstep, and some random lady came up to me wagging her finger asking where my baby was...and I became paranoid that everyone thought I was a terrible mother and sat outside crying for the rest of the evening....

Anyway, Cara seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience, slept through most of it, and got ridiculous amounts of attention from everyone there. We bought some baby ear defenders for her, which are hilariously large and unbelievably cute, and meant that she became the youngest person ever to be dancing to High Pressure Soundsystem (in the sling, of course, she can't quite dance yet!). I didn't take the digicam cos I'm too paranoid about losing it, but I took a few photos on film that I'll get developed and put on CD soon-little baby in front of big sound system is very very cute.

I wonder if one day she'll just be embarassed by her childhood of festivals and dubstep and hip hop and sad old person music.....