Some good news, some bad

As well as our first request for festival tickets I've personally had some very good news. We might have to buy a van. It might be unavoidable, in fact it is probably necessary. I can feel the envy as you read.

I'm sure I'm not the only fella who feels a sense of legitimacy and belonging behind the wheel of a Ford Transit. The feeling that one might be doing a proper useful job, like building a house or delivering paint. That someone might not realise you are a middle class pen pushing, keyboard poking idiot.

I used to have an old red Astra van which I inherited from my mother-in-law's business. It was great, not as great as a transit but still a van. I drove it to work in Leeds in my new job as an IT technical consultant, the managing director was not too happy about having given a customer facing role to someone who couldn't of chosen a more inappropriate vehicle for client meetings. His name was Guy Hodges, I always thought he should be in a band called Guy Hodges and the Hedges. He once got my name wrong twice, calling me Paul before correcting himself and calling me Martin, such was the impact I made in that job. I once went up to Perth council and gave the 'worst training session we've ever had'. My hostile views of the public sector started here.

The red van used to go with me down to London when we were reletting our flat and I used to have to go into various builders and plumbing merchants. I tried to make it through an entire visit to the plumming shop without getting found out. It started well, I got out of van outside the shop, pencil behind ear tape measure in pocket, essentially I looked like a plumber. I asked the fella behind the counter if he knew any good plummers, he assumes that mean to install some hi-tech central heating system. What's the job he asks? Changing some taps I say. Much chortling behind trade counter - it's not rocket science says one - not unless your rocket has got taps on it, says another. Huff.

Anyway I aspire to owning a van, useful for general festival humping and mountain biking trips. Kate says it will have to be parked at the back of the house, I've yet to tackle her properly on this. Presumably so it doesn't intimidate the Volvo. Girls don't understand.

In other festival news, a terrible start to the PR campaign to get the local villagers onside as our highways contractor (who is putting in the new festival entrance) diggers through the village's main BT phone line cable. No less than 4 BT vans turn up and work into the night to fix it. Such are the unforeseeables. I can already hear the mumblings in the pubs. Might have to go on the PR offensive and call in Max what's his face.

I've put up a simple festival holding page at www.deershedfestival.com. It doesn't say much but it will serve to get the site onto Google's listings and as high up a search for 'Yorkshire festival' as possible.