A couple of times, I adjusted myself and my wares. The box was really starting to feel quite heavy now, so it occurred to me to put some of the bags in the shoulder bag I had on me. It was a bit of an operation – putting down the umbrella, finding a suitable place out of the rain to rest the box, etc. – but it did help a little bit. It did mean the box was now less secure, which was a worry. But I was still hopeful that the magazines themselves were not damaged.
Further on, I finally saw the large tents at the main Eisteddfod site. I crossed a bridge over the high, fast flowing river, and it was there before me. I had one more stop before reaching the main entrance, this time to put the umbrella down. It had finally stopped raining, and although I now wanted to throw the thing away, it had stayed with me this far, so it was now going to stay with me to the end. I was assisted by two boys, who despite the scowls on their faces, I don’t think were going to consider not helping.
And I was in. I dumped the box, which was now more like a mush of cardboard on the first dry seat I could see at the entrance. I checked the magazines, and miraculously, they all seemed fine – even the bottom one which for the last few hundred yards, I’d basically been holding, rather than the bottom of the box. And then I turned to the bored looking assistants at the entrance. I explained I had a delivery for the Books Council, but they were having none of it – I was still going to have to pay the £12 entry fee.
Well, there was absolutely no way I was going to do this, so I rang up someone at the Council in Aberystwyth, who then rung the people at the festival site, then rang me back to confirm someone would come to meet me at Entrance 2 (the entrance further away from where I’d started, which I’d somehow found myself at), along with a box.
Within a minute or two, someone was there. The exchange happened in seconds. And that was it. I walked out, umbrella in hand, back to the path, away from the exit, now just light very drizzle in the air, and began my walk back.
The walk back was quite easy, even though it was still a long way, and I was quite tired now, and even the umbrella felt heavy now. I managed at one point to loop round the campsite and come back to where I’d been about 15 minutes before, but I didn’t really mind about this, I was on my way back. I saw about 6 men in fluorescent jackets appearing to study the chances of the river flooding, and I wondered how they could justify this being a 6 man job. I continued walking, my shoes and jeans half covered in mud, knowing all I had to do now was get over to Canton to drop off some flyers, before calling over to John’s in Grangetown, before heading back home in Roath. That wouldn’t take long, I thought.
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