Wednesday, September 07, 2005
In-tent Recollections, finally
Greenbelt - not dreaming spires, nor perspiring dreamers, but instead a township of inspired domes. Coming home from Greenbelt and Cheltenham racecourse is like awakening from a dream. A vision of heaven, a dream of difference, a taste of the Undiscovered Country, whose citizens owe allegience to a higher power than Her Majesty or Mr President.
The time has passed for a detailed account, and others have done it well. Thus still might turn into one, but it may not.
Unfortunately coming back home was like awakening to the morning after the night before. On the domestic front it was like returning to a disaster zone, having left the house in a state, and with no elves to come and tidy up for us, and then with the real disaster zone in the Statess, and all the news from there. (For a personal view, go and read St.Casserole's blog.)
Suffice to say that I am now back in the fray, not to mention asking the questions that Greenbelt provokes just about every year. Questions about how I "do" church and faith, but supplemented by questions of lifestyle and materialism. Do I really need all those videos I never watch, for example? I think it's partly a reflection of seminars, panels and conversations, partly my annual encounters with my Franciscan friends, and partly a response to living in a tent, even if the one we used this year was dubbed the "plastic palace" on account of it's size.
Once again the weather was glorious, and this time LM was old enough to be left in the children's area, leaving GLW and I some time together, during the day for the first time in months. (Although that was a taster, LM starts pre-school two mornings a week next week!)
I don't know if the seminar program was much different from usual, for better or worse. It was good to meet Maggi, Good in Parts and hear the opinions of other blogging luminaries. I enjoyed hearing Richard Giles' take on how we do worship (even though I've heard it before). It was nice to catch the first 10 minutes of "The Magic Roundabout" in the Solar cinema (but less so to extract the pushchair GLW had insisted we brought for LM, especially after LM was scared silly and had to be removed at speed). It was great, as ever, to see the old friends I only ever meet at GB, not to mention being able to drink Hobgoblin with some of them.
I wasn't so taken with the morning service, though. The content was fine, and the words to the "story" that acted as an extended Eucharistic Prayer were excellent. Unfortunately the "stage directions" we're too hot, meaning we all started our bring and share communion before the eucharistic prayer... The fact that GLW was tired and feeling sick didn't help very much. I don't think using the Big Top as a mega-market was a good call either - too crowded, too dim, rather noisy and oppressive.
All told (or rather, some told) a good Greenbelt, with a mix of highs and lows. Next year, although LM would enjoy it more, I shall be going solo. GLW will, God-willing, have produced Mosling v2.0. My wonderful Franciscan friends have offered a sort fo on-site child-minding facility and instant community if I bring LM and camp with them. At the one level it's a highly appealing Father-Daughter thing, but I strongly suspect it won't happen. Doing GB solo can be a brilliant experience, and no matter what Maggi and others have said about structuring Greenbelt around your children, I think I'll give it a miss. At least the next time.
Which reminds me - I have a Greenbelt ticket to purchase! See some of you next year. ¶ 4:12 pm
The time has passed for a detailed account, and others have done it well. Thus still might turn into one, but it may not.
Unfortunately coming back home was like awakening to the morning after the night before. On the domestic front it was like returning to a disaster zone, having left the house in a state, and with no elves to come and tidy up for us, and then with the real disaster zone in the Statess, and all the news from there. (For a personal view, go and read St.Casserole's blog.)
Suffice to say that I am now back in the fray, not to mention asking the questions that Greenbelt provokes just about every year. Questions about how I "do" church and faith, but supplemented by questions of lifestyle and materialism. Do I really need all those videos I never watch, for example? I think it's partly a reflection of seminars, panels and conversations, partly my annual encounters with my Franciscan friends, and partly a response to living in a tent, even if the one we used this year was dubbed the "plastic palace" on account of it's size.
Once again the weather was glorious, and this time LM was old enough to be left in the children's area, leaving GLW and I some time together, during the day for the first time in months. (Although that was a taster, LM starts pre-school two mornings a week next week!)
I don't know if the seminar program was much different from usual, for better or worse. It was good to meet Maggi, Good in Parts and hear the opinions of other blogging luminaries. I enjoyed hearing Richard Giles' take on how we do worship (even though I've heard it before). It was nice to catch the first 10 minutes of "The Magic Roundabout" in the Solar cinema (but less so to extract the pushchair GLW had insisted we brought for LM, especially after LM was scared silly and had to be removed at speed). It was great, as ever, to see the old friends I only ever meet at GB, not to mention being able to drink Hobgoblin with some of them.
I wasn't so taken with the morning service, though. The content was fine, and the words to the "story" that acted as an extended Eucharistic Prayer were excellent. Unfortunately the "stage directions" we're too hot, meaning we all started our bring and share communion before the eucharistic prayer... The fact that GLW was tired and feeling sick didn't help very much. I don't think using the Big Top as a mega-market was a good call either - too crowded, too dim, rather noisy and oppressive.
All told (or rather, some told) a good Greenbelt, with a mix of highs and lows. Next year, although LM would enjoy it more, I shall be going solo. GLW will, God-willing, have produced Mosling v2.0. My wonderful Franciscan friends have offered a sort fo on-site child-minding facility and instant community if I bring LM and camp with them. At the one level it's a highly appealing Father-Daughter thing, but I strongly suspect it won't happen. Doing GB solo can be a brilliant experience, and no matter what Maggi and others have said about structuring Greenbelt around your children, I think I'll give it a miss. At least the next time.
Which reminds me - I have a Greenbelt ticket to purchase! See some of you next year. ¶ 4:12 pm
