Music, Mayhem, and Mud – a Guide to Surviving Glastonbury

Hello lovelies!

It’s that time of year again! Tents poles are being untangled, wellies still coated in mud from last year are being dusted off, and the country’s baby wipe supply is rapidly depleting. Which can only mean one thing: it’s festival season once more!

Up until last summer I had only watched the festivals on TV, envious of all the tanned, euphoric (probably totally spannered) people loving life at Download, V, Run to the Sun, and Isle of Wight. But then, twelve months ago, I got the chance I’d been waiting for: tickets to the biggest and best festival of them all – Glastonbury.

And it was mental. Like absolutely nothing I’d ever experienced before. So many people had shared nuggets of info and advice prior to setting off, but nothing anyone says can prepare you for the sheer awesomeness of Glasto. Picture a city made entirely of canvas and mud, add in streets of food and handmade jewellery stalls interspersed with huge open-air stages, and that’s roughly it. Oh, plus an average of 100,000 people on-site at any given time. A far cry from the tame familiarity of Brownie Camp for little ol’ me…

As a total festival virgin amongst many Glastonbury old-hands last year, I learnt lots of useful tips for surviving the weekend at Worthy Farm. So this year I’ve put together a little guide which might help anyone popping their Glasto cherry. Even if you’re a seasoned festival-goer – or, to use a term coined on the office Twitter lately, a #GlastoGeek – feel free to have a nose. You never know, you might even get a couple of ideas!

Wet wipes and dry shampoo

These two are first and foremost on the list because god knows you’re going to need them at Glasto, and woe betide you if you’ve only brought a travel size Batiste.

Baby wipes are ridiculously cheap in high street chemists and supermarkets, and a decent-size pack ought to see you through the weekend. If you can, try and find a small packet to carry around with you during the day as well as a big one which can live in your tent. They’re lightweight and ideal for a quick cleanse when needs be – though you’ll still have a solid layer of grime come Monday!

Dry shampoo is a godsend on most days, but it’s never needed more than when at a festival. Don’t bother attempting to wash your hair in the communal running water troughs – it’s pretty annoying for everyone having to wait, and at the end of the day everyone will be in the same greasy, slightly whiffy boat (I’m really selling it here, aren’t I…). Dry shampoo will end up making your hair stick out at all angles and it’ll be a dry, unruly bird’s nest by the end, but it does help manage the grease situation and masks some of the old, unwashed hair smell which becomes inevitable for guys and girls alike!

Hand sanitiser

This was a bit of a spur-of-the-moment purchase just before leaving last year, but it turned out to be really useful to have when out and about on-site. You can get tiny bottles of antibacterial hand sanitiser gel for pennies from places like Boots or Superdrug – I picked this one up at Wilkos for a grand total of 50p, and it smells delicious as well as keeps your mitts nice and clean! When the hand-washing facilities become a bit mud-encrusted, or there’s a massive queue, or the soap has gone AWOL, this stuff is perfect and doesn’t take up your entire bag.

Pro Plus

When the weekend starts you’ll be on a natural high from the festival atmosphere and the tasty food and amazing music, but as the nights wear on and you end up crawling into bed later and later only to not be able to sleep because the sun has already risen, caffeine will quickly become your best friend. There are numerous coffee/tea outlets around the site, but a quick buzz from Pro Plus will do you wonders (though don’t, whatever you do, wash down a tablet with coffee. Take it from me, the crash from that combo is worse than any lack of sleep!).

Sunhat

Not wanting to sound like your mother here, but if you’re going to be out in the sunshine (it’s not entirely unknown for the sun to make an appearance at Glastonbury, believe it or not) then don’t forget a hat. Heatstroke is a horrible thing to have and will ruin your day if not your whole weekend if you’re unlucky enough to come down with it. Go for a pretty, flowery straw hat (I'm a bit in love with this one) for a really chilled festival vibe or a more retro baseball cap so you can be bang on trend and sun-savvy all at once!

Snacks and water

Instead of having spent your entire budget on food and/or cider by the Friday morning, take along some lightweight snacks to keep you going through the day. Cereal bars are ideal for a bit of a sweet energy hit, and the odd apple once in a while will make you feel better for the inevitable pizza/burger/pasta/Chinese take-out diet you’ll be surviving on over the weekend.

Bring a decent size water bottle with you to sip from – it’s common sense really, but if the sun does happen to come out you’ll be thankful for a drink of water after pints of the local cider which, although tasty, will dehydrate you even more. WaterAid stands around the site will fill up water bottles for free so it’s definitely worth making the most of one if you happen to be stumbling by.

Go with the flow

On entry to the festival you’ll be given a little booklet detailing all the acts on all the stages over the weekend, as well as tips on what non-music-based things are going on at the same time. My advice in this respect, though, would be to not plan what you’re going to do in minute detail– just try and see where the day takes you. Obviously make time for the acts you’re desperate to see, and it’s okay to basically plan around them, but it’s fun to sometimes go off agenda and find something new. By exploring a bit you could come across a new band to fall in love with, or see some cool circus act, or discover something to eat you’ve never tried before. There’s so much to see and do at Glastonbury there’s not really much point in making hour-by-hour plans. Just go off with a couple of mates for a wander and see where you end up. It’s the best place to just relax and soak up the atmosphere.

Thick skin

Seriously, take everything with a pinch of salt at festivals – you might find you’ll struggle a bit if you start letting things like dirt, drunk people, and deplorable toilets get to you. There are no airs and graces to be had at Glastonbury, so don’t start panicking that you’ve got a speck of mud on your pristine shorts or that the smell from the long drop is too much for your delicate nostrils to bear. No-one else will care, and neither should you: there are way more important things to consider, and most important of all is making sure you’re having the best fun and making the most of everything.

Even though the Foo Fighters are no longer headlining (excuse me whilst I traverse a lake of tears in a boat of broken dreams), I’m so excited for this time next week when we’ll have set up camp and gone exploring whilst it’s still relatively quiet.

Are you going to a festival this year, Glastonbury or otherwise? Have you got any advice to add to my list? Stick it in a comment – I’d love to hear any pearls of wisdom from Glasto veterans!
x

June Favourites

Source

Hello lovelies!

As summer is just peeking its way around the corner and the sun has been making a (very welcome) appearance in our skies these last few days, I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the almost-summertime than with a Favourites blog. The shops are brimming with treats and all things cute and colourful at the moment, and the thought of long clear days and lazy hazy evenings is getting me all excited! With Glastonbury at the end of the month to prepare for (and hopefully a couple of ill well-spent evenings spent nursing a cold cider in a little pub garden somewhere), I hope this post brings a bit of early summer sunshine for you too =)

Book

Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett

I know, I know. This was a party which started a good while ago now, and I'm only just turning up with hair like a bird's nest and a different shoe on each foot. Most people have already left by now, and there are two kinds of people remaining: the latecomers (ie yours truly), and those who have passed out on a sofa with their half-finished can of Carlsberg slowly soaking into the carpet.

But oh buddy boy, am I glad I finally got here. This book is special, and is nothing quite like I've ever read before. It's not a fantasy, despite the time period giving it a distinctly Game of Thrones-esque atmosphere. It is a history novel, set in the simple times of early England, but Follett doesn't force the facts down your throat and choke you with truth. The realism within it makes the novel extremely human: accessible to the reader whilst encouraging empathy, rage, and honest laughter in quick succession, all the while unwittingly learning the trials endured whilst faced with the task of building the cathedrals we still know today.  

Song

New York Raining - Charles Hamilton feat. Rita Ora

This song, oh wow. It hearkens to Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind Pt. II, in that it's slightly bittersweet or even melancholic: that bleak image of Manhattan in the pouring rain is all too easy to picture. But at its heart it's a love song - quite an elegant, charming kind of love song - and that's all you want sometimes.All over my Spotify, this one is. 

Perfume

 Fleur de Figuier - Roger & Gallet (Marks and Spencer)

Obviously relatively difficult trying to describe a smell...Can I just put 'gorgeous'? 'Cos this is just that. This scent smells exactly like sun-warmed blackberries (at least, it does to me. Given it's meant to smell more like fig leaves that could be well off, but y'know. Each to their own). With pretty, pastel-coloured packaging, this is the sort of perfume you'd use on a sultry summer's evening, probably in your best friend's garden whilst the barbecue is being fired up and everyone's all barefoot and relaxed. 

Treats for the nose, eyes, and tongue!

Fruit

Honestly, I'm not sure why I'm into Pink Lady apples so much recently. Having never really tried them before, and only having one by accident, I've really taken a shine to these little delights. 

It being fresh fruit season in general, I'm loving the variety of all the tasty fruits on offer atm. Mangoes, strawbs, blueberries, raspberries, watermelon...Summer tastes so damn good!

And speaking of good-tasting things...

Drink

Twinings Salted Caramel green tea

Having never really been much of a green tea drinker in the past, but being a perpetual lover of salted caramel, I was a little cautious when first trying this. But when I did, it blew my little mind.

In the UK we've got hard toffee sweets called Werthers Originals (a staple of grannies nation-wide), and this tastes exactly like them. It's like drinking liquid caramel and is utterly delicious. Then you remember that, whilst it tastes like the nectar of the gods, it's also green tea and therefore über good for you, so you can be a little bit smug as you sip. "Had my green tea fix for the day, win! What's that? Spinach wrap yoga followed by meditative quinoa salad? Don't mind if I do!"

Place

At the end of last month, J and I moved to a new flat in a completely different part of the city and have spent the last couple of weeks making it feel more like home. So, this month, my favourite place to be is the sitting room! An article from Pinterest mentioned dedicating one particular room to being as cosy and snug as possible, so you always have a place where you’re able to fully relax even if everything around you is still full of faff and hassle. It’s an oddly triumphant feeling when you look around and just see your things, your life’s collection of bits and pieces, instead of everything being mixed with the possessions of others.

It’s snug/bijoux/a smidgen bit weeny, but it’s also warm, comfortable, and safe. Somewhere I’m genuinely happy to be. There are flowers, and the sun comes in first thing in the morning, and my books are in pride of place. There’s always tea in the pot. More to the point, there’s actually a teapot! I’ve always wanted a teapot of my own to use and love! It even has a tea cosy!!

Getting a bit carried away here. It’s the little things, isn’t it…

What are your favourites this month? Are you just as excited for the sunshine?

x

The beginning of an era...

Hello, and welcome to my blog and my First Ever Blog Post! (Warning: it's gonna be a bit of a long 'un...)

Never one to turn down a good selfie op

This is ever-so-slightly daunting, if I'm being honest. Far too much time has been spent pondering what to write for this maiden post, and even more time has been passed consumed with worry and concern that no-one will care about my little corner of internet space, and it will tarnish and fade into oblivion with barely any 
time to have gotten itself remembered at all.

And then I thought, 'Emma...Instead of nearly having an emotional breakdown about what could potentially happen (or, as the case may be, not happen), why don't you pipe down and just do it?'.

So here I am, just doing it!

Right, here we go. My name, as the more astute amongst you have no doubt noticed, is Emma. I am currently twenty-three years old, and live in Bristol in the UK but originally hail from Cornwall (which in my obviously completely unbiased opinion is the most stunning and wonderful place ever in the history of places).
Now, honestly, as a result of living a relatively sheltered existence in Cornwall up until January 2014, city living is utterly terrifying to me. I've nothing against cities as places to visit and see the sights of, but living in one is a different kettle of fish altogether. It's busy, scary, dirty, claustrophobic, and all just a little bit too much to a country bumpkin such as myself - someone who is very used to looking out the window and seeing rolling green fields, and never being more than a few miles from the seaside, and peace and birdsong instead of sirens and drunk people rolling out of the bar downstairs at two in the morning.

So for a while I've been wanting, craving, an outlet. Somewhere I can unleash all my thoughts and feelings, somewhere I can be comfortable and safe when writing down everything in my head. Somewhere for reviews, opinions, recipes, stories, photos, adventures and ideas.
And, after a fair amount of umming and ahhing, Dream Between the Daisies was born! I'm so excited to start this little endeavour - to go on a adventure, and maybe even learn a few things along the way.

Now, enough of my background for the time being. I'm sure more personal bits and pieces will come to light as things go on. Let's get on to what you can expect from this blog:

• Books I am a huge bookworm, and immensely proud of it! At university I studied English Literature, and fulfilled a lifelong dream in doing so. Books are my world, and my literary collection is my most prized possession. As part of this project I want to include reviews of some of my all-time faves and brand spanking new discoveries after a good Waterstones browse.
• Recipes Under no circumstances am I the new Nigella or Delia, but cooking and baking are quite important elements of my life as a developing adult. Spending hours on Pinterest finding new things to try is a boring interest of mine, and anything food-related which turns out especially well might just being shared with you lovely lot.
• Favourites A bit of a guilty pleasure of mine is spending an inordinate amount of time poring over bloggers and their 'monthly favourites': a sample of particular things a person has been really into that month. I'd love to try something like that on here, a list of bits and bobs that have floated my boat of late.
• Hair and beauty Not the girliest girl by any means, but there's something about pretty eye palettes, summery plaits, and nail polish designs which I enjoy on a very simple level. Here I might write a few tips and tricks, and take a few photos of things that turn out especially nicely. 
• Cats I love cats. Well, all animals really, but I'm very much a cat person at heart. Cats.
• Life bits and tips Sometimes I want to be able to share opinions or life hacks, or just give you a little insight into what's going on on Planet Emma. This next year is looking set to be a pretty exciting one already (#nospoiler), and if this blog is going to develop, I want it to be like going on a journey - a journey I'd love for you to come along on! 

Phew. That's a lot of writing up there, isn't it. Let's bring this First Blog Post to an end for now.

Thank you very much for checking out my internet corner - I'm aiming to be writing a couple of posts a week for now, so will be back very soon!
In the meantime, have a peep at my other internet abodes: Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Love, me x