I duck under a tree, wondering what to do, realising I’d got the wrong site for the Eisteddfod, but still had a fairly heavy box of mags with me. I put the box down on part of the tree, and put the umbrella up, sheltering me and the box. Just then, my mum called on my mobile. I told her my situation. She put me on to my dad, who’d just got back from the Eisteddfod, where’d he’d had an enjoyable enough time, until it started raining on his way back. It was £12 to enter, and it was all the way over on Pontcanna Fields, ie. right the way the other side of the park from where I was. Thanks, dad.
I lit up a cigarette and watched a couple of squirrels scuttling about, wondering what to do. It was kind of a “I’ve come this far” situation. I managed to figure out a way of carrying both the box, and the umbrella (up, by necessity), so I thought, what the hell, I might as well carry on to the festival site.
Now, the cap I was wearing didn’t seem so cool. I must’ve looked a bit of an idiot to the people who passed me, awkwardly carrying the box and the brolly. But there weren’t that many – it really was bucketing down now, and most Eisteddfod visitors and park goers were now probably sheltering elsewhere.
I generally have an appalling sense of direction, and wasn’t totally sure I was going the right way. I eventually reached the cricket stadium (at least half a mile from where I’d started), and here, wasn’t sure whether to cross the river or not. Something told me not to (it was my bad sense of direction).
On I walked. There really was no funny side to be seen. I thought about how all I would’ve needed to do was check exactly where the site was, and Rob could have dropped me off at the entrance. I thought about how I could possibly have got my mum or dad to pick me up after I’d spoken to them and got them to drop me off. But I suppose I was determined now. My arms were starting to ache. I was worried that the box was going to give way. And it still continued to rain. It also crossed my mind that if I didn’t have the umbrella, I wouldn’t even have contemplated this walk as the box would’ve got too wet…
After probably another mile from the cricket club, I reached a camping site. This gave me some hope. Where there were tents, there must be an Eisteddfod. On I walked. I asked two people if I was going the right way, and they kind of said yes, although by the sound of things the main site was still a little way. I didn’t even consider attempting to speak Welsh. I think even the most diehard Welsh language activist would have replied in English if they’d seen the state of me.
30
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