Summer masterpost (because I forget to write on here ever)

So I've actually had a pretty good summer this year! Normally, I say at the start, "this is gonna be crap", and it is. This year was a little different.

Firstly, there was Secret Garden Party. I've never been to SGP before, and getting there took a while. I got there on Wednesday so I didn't get ultra-crap shifts for stewarding, but it did mean I was camping by myself for a night. The whole thing was really different to anything I've ever been to before, and I had a really great time. If you ever go to SGP, DO NOT IGNORE THE SECRET ACTS / TBAs. This year they were not crappy last-minute bookings. They were people like Chase & Status. (Fun story, I had to do a 3AM til 9AM shift on the entrance to boutique camping. Pretty Mr Chase / Mr Status persuaded me and the security man to let him and his friends in at around 6AM saying they would be no trouble. A while later, a radio call came through saying one of his friends had gone AWOL on a ketamine-fuelled adventure. Thanks for being no trouble, pretty man.)

Next, I went to Bruges, then France with my parents. It was actually okay! Parental holidays get pretty repetitive, but I don't have to pay my own travelling fees so thank you parents, I hope I have repaid you through my lying around at home. I've never been to Bruges before, and we saw the historical touristy stuff. Also architecture, sooooo much nice architecture.
My aunt's house in France was the same as ever, super nice. We've been to visit her most years since I was born which has helped with my French and our general keeping-in-touch. My aunt is really musical; I love how often she just walks around the house singing or sits down to play a song from Amelie in the middle of the afternoon. My aunt and uncle have an amazing house and it makes me feel like I'm staying in a design magazine.

The most recent thing I did was go to Green Man festival on the day I got my AS level results. It's a lot more chilled out than SGP, a little more middle-class, and super child-friendly. (I envy those kids who can say they went to their first festival aged 3. Such cool parents.) At this one I chose to do litter-picking - I know, sounds awful - because it was that or stewarding and I wanted to know what it'd be like. It was actually not as bad as I thought it'd be! You still get to walk around and see the festival, as well as some of your favourite bands if you're lucky (assigned to be at the main stage on Sunday night, whuuuuuuuuut). I think if I volunteer again, it'll be stewarding, because some of the things I've heard people having to pick up was so grim. The worst it got for me was nappies.

I'm glad to have actually done stuff this year. I always worry about missing out on stuff, and I think it's better to be able to say "yeah I've done that, it was crap" than to just have to say "I don't know, I hear it's okay...." I recently read a post by Gina that sums up the idea of missing out and the summer break:

"I remember before I started uni I posted loads on here about how I’d go out all the time and get off my face and spend loads of time in cute cafes reading and sitting in parks with my friends and an anon was like “omg uni isn’t like that!!” and IT WAS. If you want to have a romantic, twee or exciting life YOU CAN but YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!!! Sitting on Tumblr reblogging what you wish ur life was like and actually doing it are two v different things and I promise it’s worth the hassle because it ends up you’re two weeks away from moving back and you wanna cry every time you think about it because it’s going to be so great."

Hope you had a good summer~
-Alice