This has been a long time coming, I have been on my way to blog something for years now and here I am.. It's been a wonderful few weeks, Wellington was lovely and it was nice to catch up with some old friends there too. The main divide concert was very memorable.. it rained almost the whole time but stayed warm.. (you can see the drops of rain in the picture.. even my guitar got wet..) It's nice to know in these extreme weather conditions, that the people who are there - really want to be there ;)
Here are a few others I remember;
Iceland - close to christmas time a few years ago, I played outside in the 'christmas village' in Hafnarfjordur.. There was a blizzard and no heating on the stage.. My guitar wouldn't stay in tune and the strings were cutting into my fingers... It was a guest spot so I was only there to play three songs or so but it was sooo cold.. (I actually tried to play with leather gloves on) But I remember the crowd so well.. everyone was huddled together with hats and scarves on and pink faces.. it was wonderful..
Greenland at the Arctic team Challenge 2006 The arctic team challenge is a multisport competition where teams from all over the world race in east Greenland, climbing mountains, kayaking between glaciers, biking and running in the extreme conditions.. I played on a beach in the middle of nowhere, it was basecamp where the teams got to rest for a little while. It was beautiful.. I sat on a rock with the water and glaciers behind in the evening sun.. It was cold but I played there for about 20 minutes before we moved the entire concert inside the big orange tent.. (also playing in thermal underwear, rain pants and hiking boots is not something I do very often) You may not believe me (I did not believe it when I was told) but the mosquitos in Greenland are very hard core (not sure how they survive in the middle of nowhere but there they are...)
Glastonbury festival 2005.. it was the year of the giant mud-bath.. Lightning struck the main stage and it rained so much.. I had to play with no shoes on because there was an acrobatic act on after and it would have been very dangerous with mud on the stage.. (although on the outdoor stage I was fine in my gumboots - that were one size too small because they had sold out.. squished my toes in for a few days..) I was standing only 10 meters from our tent when lightning struck right by the entrance.. THAT was scary! (I dived in and screamed.. it was a big loud boom)
I want to say one thing here. Some of you may know that Arabella Churchill passed away recently. She played a huge role in the development of the Glastonbury festival, and was a wonderful woman and friend. All my love to you Jess and Haggis...
And then there is the complete opposite of the scale.. New Zealand in the summer time - And there have been a few of these.. when it's almost been too hot to play, I've been sunburned just on one side from standing in one spot for an hour..
This blog is so new to me, there are a lot of things I want to tell you about and at the same time I don't know what to say.. So please do send me your comments (through the contact page) and feel free to ask any questions
xox Hera