Photo An Hour | July '19

Friday, July 26, 2019

Photo An Hour fell on the Saturday I attended Latitude Festival in Henham Park, Suffolk. It's the 5th year I've been, the 3rd year of camping for the whole weekend, and this was possibly the best one yet!

We opted for Pink Moon camping, which whilst expensive, offered a spacious pre-pitched tent, non-communal showers, vanity stations with hairdryers, nice(ish) portaloos, and it's own fenced off camping area with security guards (or at least people who checked your wristband and refused entry to anyone without one).

My friend came along for the day on Saturday and I met her in the morning, full of excitement for seeing the Stereophonics later that evening.

I didn't take many photos throughout the day, it's most unlike me not to take many more photos than is actually necessary, but I just didn't feel the need. I unplugged, not intentionally, I simply didn't think about reaching for my camera.

But this is how the day went, with photos were possible.

7am I was up and straight off to the showers, they were private and had plenty of warm water, and no queue! I washed my hair - at a festival this is unheard of.

8am Back at my tent I was tucking into a porridge pot, and was enjoying my first cuppa of the day, made with hot water kindly provided by Sophie.

9am I sat in the sunshine reading for a while, my friend wasn't due until 10:30am and, as the weather forecast was a bit grim, I made the most of the little sun we were going to get.


10am Gathering anything I'd need for the day ahead - waterproofs, sun cream, and a jumper for when the temperature cooled, I set off to meet my friend on the bridge, in the middle but to the side, near the Latitude sign (with the crowds I felt the need to be very specific).

11am My friend arrived! The time I spent waiting was used for people watching, and taking photos for people who wanted the obligatory Latitude sign photo. We made our way to the comedy arena, and sat in the (not forecast) blazing sunshine.

12pm After watching, chuckling and cheering to London Hughes (v. funny), and Katherine Ryan (even funnier), and applying a generous amount of factor 50, we headed off in search of food. We opted for pork carnitas which, whilst very small for the £8.50 pricetag, were utterly delicious! I could've eaten another portion, or four. We decided more food was required and chose pakora, and a Pukka three camomile tea (at £1.50 it was the cheapest tea I found on site).

1pm A short stop in the Speakeasy tent listening to a chap talk about his book (not very memorable and lost on me as he was talking a lot about Love Island - which I've never watched).

2pm With the savoury courses out of the way we found ourselves at an icecream van. We sat for a while watching the world go by, noticing the sky turn a very ominous shade of grey. The temperature dipped and the heavens opened. My large poncho came into it's own, allowing me to sit cross legged on the grass, completely covered as the rain lashed down. Some people hurried to find shelter, others carried on as if nothing much had happened. The downpour was short lived, the sun came out again, and I laid out my poncho to dry, within a few minutes it was as if nothing had happened.

3pm We settled ourselves in the Obelisk Arena (the main stage) and waited for Walking on Cars to start their set. Again the heavens opened for a short while, but it failed to dampen our spirits.


4pm I'm not really sure what I was doing at this time, possibly still listening to Walking on Cars and meandering a bit. We were approached by an Oxfam representative who asked us to join the Say No To New campaign, and give up new clothing for a month. I pointed out that the shoes on my feet, the bag I was carrying and the t-shirt I was wearing were all secondhand. He said 'you're the sort of person we need to sign up' ... surely they need people who don't shop secondhand to sign up. I signed up anyway, he clearly had a quota to fill, it was getting late, and it was hot.


5pm Maisie Peters had just finished her set and we'd grabbed a cheeky glass of Prosecco and wandered about in the woods looking at the art installations, before heading the the Lake Stage to see The Northern Ballet perform.

6pm With my friend still reeling from a brief encounter with Charlie Brooker, I bought her a cuppa, and admired the selfie she'd been brave enough to ask for. Could you do that? I wouldn't have the guts.


7pm We'd been watching Tom Greenan for a while. He was very entertaining and worked the crowd, promising to be back at Latitude as a headliner soon. I hadn't heard of him before but enjoyed his set and found his songs kinda catchy. He might just be added to my iTunes sometime soon.

We then went in search of food before the Stereophonics came on. The shortest queue was for Cajun chicken, with Cajun fries and Cajun slaw. It was tasty but could've done with an alternate flavour in there somewhere!


8pm Stereophonics time! They. Were. Awesome. My friend and I went to see them years ago at a charity concert in the Albert Hall and we both hoped they'd be as good as we remembered. They were! I sang and cheered until I almost lost my voice.

After this I walked my friend to the exit and she made her way home. I caught up with Sophie and her husband at the tents and sat under the stars drinking beer and chatting. I'm not sure what time I went to bed, but I knew I'd had a great day and was looking forward to the next...

I hope you had a lovely weekend. Thanks to Jane and Louisa for hosting #PhotoAnHour.   

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14 comments

  1. Whole Lotta Rosie26 July 2019 at 14:13

    Sounds ace! My friend goes to Latitude every year and keep trying to get me to go - they always stays in the tipis and have clean, non-communal showers too so I might be tempted one year as it's the only way I would ever dream of camping x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's definitely on the more luxurious side of camping.
      xx

      Delete
  2. That sounds like a great festival! I love camping, but do insist on only camping where there's a half decent shower block! I like the sound of the facilities at this festival!

    To answer the question you asked on my last books post (better late than never!) - The animal which doesn't have a head, brain, eyes or organs is....


    a jellyfish!


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A good shower block makes all the difference!

      Ah a jelly fish, thanks :)

      xx

      Delete
  3. Lovely to hear your experience. My step brother was there too. I can't imagine him doing any camping though yours sounds rather nice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been camping since I was a baby, so it's second nature, the simplicity of it is very freeing.
      x

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  4. I loved reading your acount of your Saturday at Latitude. That really sound like the most amazing festival. And Pink Moon camping sounds like the ultimate in luxury! I usualy take too many photographs, but sometimes switching off and living the moment without the need for photographic evidence, is the best way to unwind! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had the lower end of the luxury camping, they had Airstream vans available which looked wonderful!
      It was unlike me not to take loads of photographs, but not doing so allowed me to just be there.
      xx

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  5. It sounds like a great festival. I would definitely have to stay in the accommodation you booked if I went myself, I do like my creature comforts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a lovely festival, not that I've ever been to a different one to compare. But it does have a nice feel to it.
      xx

      Delete
  6. Loved reading about your festival experience, it's been ages since we went as festival goers rather than crew although with our own loos and security staff the living accommodation isn't unlike ours (minus the showers - wet wipes all the way!)
    Love the John Cooper Clarke quote - he's my hero. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have to say I much prefer to have the option of a shower, I love life under canvas but do like that luxury! I'd have managed with wet wipes (I found some compostable bamboo ones) if I had to, but this was preferable.
      I thought of you whilst I was there, I imagine meeting so many people must be excellent fun, but I wouldn't want to work on one of the food stalls - the heat!
      I've since Googled John Cooper Clarke and have liked what I've read so far, and he has a great website (but that's the designer in me talking).
      xx

      Delete
  7. I really enjoyed reading your account. More so with the lack of some photos because your writing was more detailed and you have a nice style!!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment x

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