Here I am with Gene - my 1982 VW campervan. A "pop top" is useful for lost friends.

So this my 1982 VW campervan, Gene Pitney (“24 hours from Tulsa” because the number plate is PTN 316Y), at the most recent summer adventure with the band (Barulho).

After stocking up with food, drink and various ridiculous festival outfits Gene, Lisa (fellow band member) and I set off for a weekend to play at a nearby festival.

According to the AA route planner the journey should’ve taken a mere 45 mins but a diversion in Lewes sent us whizzing precariously along country lanes with only room for a shopping trolley, let alone a van piled high with essential outdoor living equipment.

Two hours later we joined the queue of fellow festival goers and waited patiently for our turn to enter the site. We heard a rumour that the campervan passes had run out so it was a relief when we were confronted with a series of flaky car park attendants and managed to drive straight into the crew field to join the rest of the band who were camping.

That’s the joy of having a van which is so bright it seems to dazzle people into momentarily forgetting whatever it is they are meant to be doing. Safely in the field with familiar faces I was then aware of becoming fenced in by tents which in turn made me feel slightly claustrophobic. So after some gentle manoeuvring I strategically parked Gene at an angle
through which we could escape if needed.

Since having Gene I have become more aware of the amount of money I’m spending on overly priced festival food so I made a conscious effort this weekend to cook. I proudly took with me wholewheat pasta, tomato sauce, mushrooms, runner beans and baby sweetcorn – how sophisticated! So before the gig I just had time to make this and scoff it down before getting dressed up as a ladybird.

Looks like Fox is shouting in my ear.

The theme for this particular festival was Woodland animals. Well, I had literally got back from holiday at midnight the day before and had no time to prepare. Luckily I had a ladybird top and wings which I still had in my van from last summer but I remembered this being rather chilly so before leaving I dug out a penguin suit which I had bought during the winter for another fancy dress occasion. I wore this following evening with a sign saying LOST.

Some people were confused as to why I was lost so I got used to saying that I was lost in the woodland and couldn’t find the Antarctic. This seemed to satisfy people’s curiosity and I was inundated by elaborate suggestions as to how I was going to make it back to the Antarctic.

The next day I wore the penguin suit in the evening as it’s so cosy but I had lost the LOST sign which seemed to cause another flurry of amusing comments from passing woodland animals as they said “Weren’t you the penguin who was lost yesterday?” I replied that yes I was lost yesterday but I had lost the LOST sign which invited the answer that I had been found.

As much as I loved being amongst a medley of woodland folk I was glad to retreat to the comfort of the van, curl up in a snug bed and dream up ways to negotiate my way back to the Antarctic with an entourage of new found woodland friends including a wolf, badger and a fox.