Random thoughts from meeting 2

Smithy and Kate whitter on as I'm writing this. I let go of the bull's horns, no one notices. It is our second festival meeting, the aforementioned 'project footing'. It has been the hottest day here I can remember.

I'm sure that when Michael Eaves started Glastonbury that he didn't have 3 laptops on the table. I'm sure that he didn't have trouble getting an excel document off OpenOffice on Linux onto Windows either.

We are at the moment doing the organising quite formally, and rather business like. We're writing down all the areas of festival organising activity, the 'workstreams'. I suppose it's better to have a list of jobs now, a year before F-day and slowly add to it as new tasks occur to you.

Sand pits, graffiti walls, men's urinals, business link - more public sector. Lots of brain storming. I couldn't remember the phrase 'brain storming' (doh!) and ask. Smithy tells me that the phrase is no longer politically correct due to offending people with epilepsy...

Surely if you put on a second festival it will be SO much easier. We put on small shows at a local art centre style venue in Thirsk. They are now pretty slick, we're into double figures, everyone knows their roles and they are SMOOOOOTH. We've had artists like Boo Hewerdine, Miles Hunt, The GroanBox boys. We're hoping to get some of these guys back for the Deer Shed to play the second acoustic stage. We're having two stages we think. Our friend Claire is a live music agent and has agreed to help us book the main stage, especially if we take some of her bands. This is the big coup from Kate's trip down to London last week - as it is a new festival having someone with some clout booking bands brilliant.

I'm starting to feel ill, could be the plastic chocolate swiss roll that Smithy has brought.

Another friend Chrissie and I were talking about how at some festivals the best and most memorable moments are in the camping areas after hours. Certainly the music itself is taking up 1% of head space at the moment.

We discuss wine tasting, celebrity talks, tugs of war and creating lanes in the fields by mowing the grasses just prior to F-day.

Smithy is in charge of the Health and Safety plan. I wonder how long he can keep up this level of enthusiam and usefulness.