AUTUMN WEEKEND
Each year as the
nights develop their chill and the days are blessed with the warmth of
Autumn sunshine, I head off to a little bush festival in rural NSW. It
started off years ago with a few friends gathering annually, to sit
around campfires sharing their tunes. Not much has changed, thankfully.
People roll in on the Friday afternoon, keen to set up camp before darkness hits. The chill is in the air from the second the sun disappears beyond the horizon. With a huge fire and warm soup on offer, it doesn't take long for people to relax. A welcome circle is done where we all share a little about ourselves, then the music kicks in, pretty much until sunrise.
Each year new faces show up. One couple saw the signs on the road, had no idea what was really on, but decided to have a look anyway and loved it. Another couple came down from Sydney with only a slightly vague idea that there was music happening down that way. Last year some folks were visiting friends on a nearby farm and heard the sounds of guitars and banjos, so followed the sounds until they arrived at our little gathering.
Saturday rolls around and a concert is put on in the shed, with artists having half an hour spots, myself included. It is all very casual, very welcoming and enjoyable. Having learned the hard way the year before, I ensured I had a relatively decent sleep on the Friday night this time, to last well for the whole weekend. Last year I played music until sunrise on the Friday night and only just woke in time for my 2pm gig. It wasn't the best gig I have ever done, not by a long shot, but it didn't matter. It was all fun.
Music continues around a few fires on the Saturday evening, as well as laughter and conversation. This year saw many new people coming along, to the point where Carolyn and Bruce are wondering if things are getting too big now. That's what happens with good things, they are shared and attract more and more people in the right spirit, but as a result, certain quirks and elements are lost forever. Watching their annual back-to-basics weekend grow in the last few years, I can only count my blessings that I saw it before it grew too big.
This is a non-profit event. The local bush fire brigade come down and serve some of the meals, benefitting from all of the weekends proceeds. The soup and BBQ keep most people happy, while I cooked up a lovely meal for the veggie heads amongst us this year.
The folk family is a wonderful collection of people who I love to see at festivals. I don't stay in touch with many people in between, yet we are reunited regularly throughout the festival calendar to enjoy our continued friendships. This was equally the case last weekend.
So with sadness I say fare well for another year to a wonderful gathering of good hearted people and fabulous music around the fires. I know everything must pass, but I savour every single minute of this occasion each year and am always rather reluctant to accept its completion for yet another year. But accept it I must. The outdoor fires will continue in my life throughout the cooler months, as they always do, and there will be plenty of tunes shared, but none are so welcome as the friendly faces around the fire each year at this little gathering.
Everything passes, the great guarantee of impermanence ensures this. But sometimes, just sometimes, don't you wish you could slow it all down for just a little bit longer! If only, if only!! I'd still be sitting around the fire drinking lemon and ginger tea right now if that were the case. Still, life is certainly ok where I am now too, looking out at the rain falling on the creek in front of the house, hearing it gently fall on the tin roof. Yes it is always lovely to come home too. But how I wish we could have had just one more day or two down there. Twelve more months and I'll be back there for more, guaranteed.
Thank you to folk musicians everywhere, for keeping the people together through the gift of music. What an amazing language it is. And thank you to Carolyn and Bruce for putting a great idea into motion, so that we may enjoy the reality of it.
People roll in on the Friday afternoon, keen to set up camp before darkness hits. The chill is in the air from the second the sun disappears beyond the horizon. With a huge fire and warm soup on offer, it doesn't take long for people to relax. A welcome circle is done where we all share a little about ourselves, then the music kicks in, pretty much until sunrise.
Each year new faces show up. One couple saw the signs on the road, had no idea what was really on, but decided to have a look anyway and loved it. Another couple came down from Sydney with only a slightly vague idea that there was music happening down that way. Last year some folks were visiting friends on a nearby farm and heard the sounds of guitars and banjos, so followed the sounds until they arrived at our little gathering.
Saturday rolls around and a concert is put on in the shed, with artists having half an hour spots, myself included. It is all very casual, very welcoming and enjoyable. Having learned the hard way the year before, I ensured I had a relatively decent sleep on the Friday night this time, to last well for the whole weekend. Last year I played music until sunrise on the Friday night and only just woke in time for my 2pm gig. It wasn't the best gig I have ever done, not by a long shot, but it didn't matter. It was all fun.
Music continues around a few fires on the Saturday evening, as well as laughter and conversation. This year saw many new people coming along, to the point where Carolyn and Bruce are wondering if things are getting too big now. That's what happens with good things, they are shared and attract more and more people in the right spirit, but as a result, certain quirks and elements are lost forever. Watching their annual back-to-basics weekend grow in the last few years, I can only count my blessings that I saw it before it grew too big.
This is a non-profit event. The local bush fire brigade come down and serve some of the meals, benefitting from all of the weekends proceeds. The soup and BBQ keep most people happy, while I cooked up a lovely meal for the veggie heads amongst us this year.
The folk family is a wonderful collection of people who I love to see at festivals. I don't stay in touch with many people in between, yet we are reunited regularly throughout the festival calendar to enjoy our continued friendships. This was equally the case last weekend.
So with sadness I say fare well for another year to a wonderful gathering of good hearted people and fabulous music around the fires. I know everything must pass, but I savour every single minute of this occasion each year and am always rather reluctant to accept its completion for yet another year. But accept it I must. The outdoor fires will continue in my life throughout the cooler months, as they always do, and there will be plenty of tunes shared, but none are so welcome as the friendly faces around the fire each year at this little gathering.
Everything passes, the great guarantee of impermanence ensures this. But sometimes, just sometimes, don't you wish you could slow it all down for just a little bit longer! If only, if only!! I'd still be sitting around the fire drinking lemon and ginger tea right now if that were the case. Still, life is certainly ok where I am now too, looking out at the rain falling on the creek in front of the house, hearing it gently fall on the tin roof. Yes it is always lovely to come home too. But how I wish we could have had just one more day or two down there. Twelve more months and I'll be back there for more, guaranteed.
Thank you to folk musicians everywhere, for keeping the people together through the gift of music. What an amazing language it is. And thank you to Carolyn and Bruce for putting a great idea into motion, so that we may enjoy the reality of it.
