Month: June 2021

Glastonbury Tales Part 4 (Final)

Other, Peel and Park stages rock us to the core.

Completely blissed out but somehow, we want more.

The fields of fun swell our hearts. We hit the disco of silence.

All shimmied out, we head for our tent as sleep begins to make sense.

Monday morning blues as our tribe dissipates.

Another year to dream of Glastonbury, another year to wait.

We feel like we all belong in this place.

It is our vibe, our spirit, our sacred space.

Nowhere on earth can you be so indulged and filled with so much light.

This field of dreams is a treasure as we all replenish our might

Michael and Emily, your generous spirit will always capture our hearts.

You bring bliss way beyond measure with your music and your art.

It’s not about music, the arts or sentiments.

It’s about how we live with one another, our enlightened soul advent.

See the love, pay it forward, with random acts of kindness.

We all help to dissipate daily stress and blindness.

What a privilege to walk the Glastonbury land.

To witness one man’s vision and join all our hands.

To celebrate, to give, to unite, and to live.

To join our hearts in gratitude for this weekend full of love.

    I met you once Mr.Eavis I was three sheets to the wind

        You are our greatest ambassador for mankind.

 

 

By Adele Leahy

 

 

 

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

 

Glastonbury Tales Part 3

Then over to Left field for some pop and politics.

Debates are flowing and the atmos is sick.

We get down to the nitty gritty.

Chat, disagree, enchant and enjoy being witty.

We race to Kidzfield for some much-needed innocence.

As I am chased by a giant beach ball, I lose all my sense.

Police with fairy wings helping parents with kids.

Basil Brush, Helter skelter, our laughter in fits.

Arcadia gathers us to its web as we dance to our hearts content.

With pulsating rhythm our energy will never be spent.

The light shows, the spectacle the earth beneath our feet.

What a day, what a place. I feel ultimately complete.

Waking to the rain that has poured overnight.

Wellies on we brave Sunday the mud is such a sight.

Yet everyone is nonchalant isn’t this part of Glastonbury.

Playing human mud skittles is all part of the melee.

Sliding to the park we aim for Cosmic Disco Base camp.

Sculpture garden is a mud fest am beginning to feel quite damp.

The clouds disappear as the crowds’ roar and cheer.

We head for the legend and get some beer.

Sunday afternoon is bittersweet as always.

Knowing that the festival’s end is only hours away.

The legends are always awesome as they sing with all their glory.

Our hearts soar as thankfully the melancholy is transitory.

As the sun re appears Shangri la beckons.

     The mud is relentless onto The Rabbit hole we reckon.

Shakespeare in the woods

Forsooth I think I should.

  The miniscule of sound.

     Where the minutia abounds.

           To miss it would be obscene.

        You know what I mean.

 

More tomorrow.

 

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

 

Glastonbury Tales Part 2

Woodwork, sculpting, reed art and mosaics.

Everything is unique, nothing is prosaic.

Wonderful workshops for every whim.

Where to go? who cares? Exploring, hearts soaring, to the brim.

DJs in a tree, skaters on boards, mystical characters 10 feet tall.

Kids in carts, lovingly pulled by their folks and the magician with a floating glass ball.

Acrobats and comedy, fire eating, flash mobs and puppets.

Mad Max on stilts, giant kangaroos, Cabaret Tea crew for a cuppa.

The Guardian tent calls to replenish and reflect.

More fab bands playing, more tea offered I don’t object.

Then off to Shangri La for some moshing in a tube carriage.

Followed by 360-degree cinema illuminating our earth and its damage.

The Pyramid stage calls and I witness its sacred presence.

Crowd’s waving flags as we bathe in the field’s essence.

Followed by John Peel Tent to adore the new and up and coming.

Then onto the train tracks as to Block 9 we are summoned.

The choons are electric as fetish meets underground funk.

More mind-blowing art, from the surreal to the punk.

With reticence we decide to hit back to our tent.

Filled full of wonder for our dreams and the day spent.

Saturday sunshine has us giddy with anticipation.

Park Life in The Park for sustenance and a welcome libation.

The Free University challenges our thoughts to get us thinking.

Then hear the rumor of a secret set as everyone is tweeting.

We make merry in Parlay Parlor enjoying the chaos knowing we are blessed.

Then off to West Holts to put Wellness Wonderland to the test.

Sound healing, gong baths and laughter yoga replenish our energy.

The Unfairground enthralls us as we absorb the weird and the wacky.

We dance to the Glade stage for everything that is all the rave.

Then a round table pint in The Avalon Inn is what we crave.

We see a Knight brandishing coconut making a helluva a din.

From afar I witness the flags blowing in the wind.

The Other stage is bathed in the evening sunshine

Folk are laughing, giddy, dancing, drinking beer and coiffing wine.

Revelers in fancy dress happy to pose for passers-by.

The atmosphere is electric. I am so happy I almost cry.

 

More tomorrow.

 

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

 

Glastonbury Tales (Part 1of 4)

       Our normal life prism shall be suspended for a while.

Whilst we are indulged, inspired, surprised and beguiled.

With our magic bands firmly attached to our wrists

We enter Nirvana, the home of The Knight and The Alchemist.

Michael and Emily create the field of our dreams.

Where everything is more and sometimes not what it seems.

Our thoughts are challenged, our minds in disarray.

With childlike wonder we love and we play.

The anticipation of the impending elation

Knowing I shall be blissed out by sensations

Blows my mind.

Everyone bathed in spirituality and oh so kind.

Thursday night William’s Green beckons.

The joy of being here pervades every second.

Best of the cheese at Club De Fromage

With a vintage set the DJ plays homage.

For ablutions the long drop is for those without a care

Less queues, no time to snooze, as I shimmy without flair.

Or perhaps for those inclined, a private toilette?

All needs catered for and you can play flushin roulette.

We watch the sunrise from The Stones, a brand-new day.

Glastonbury in its magnificence always takes my breath away.

The flags, the Tepee’s, the prospect of the joy to unfold.

Must quell the excitement to rest first and later behold.

The Friday Glastonbury feeling arrives as my senses are assaulted.

Backpack on, all geared up, plans for the day sorted.

Off into The Craft and Green fields where the festival reveals its essence.

The magnificence of Glastonbury adorned by its tribe is forever omnipresent.

 

 

More tomorrow

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

One of my Glastonbury trips was marred by an injury.  It began on a Thursday night. We went to a dance tent which was packed. The DJ was playing proper floor fillers.

Everyone went mental when ‘Song 2’ by Blur was played. There was moshing and pogo dancing galore.  It was very hard not to get carried away with the atmosphere (at least that’s my excuse and I am sticking to it.)

‘I bet you look good on the dancefloor’ by The Artic Monkeys came on. Just when I thought the atmosphere could not get better it did. The vibe seriously turned up a notch.

I decided to participate in the pogo dancing. I collided with someone else and landed on my knee.  It was knackered. Severely twisted. Looking good on the dance floor was no longer an option for me as I was in a serious amount of pain.

My sister and a few people helped me outside.   The reality of the situation hit me. My Glastonbury weekend was over. I was devastated.  Some passers-by asked me if I was ok and if they could help.

We got directions to the medical tent.   A taxi was booked to take me to a hospital for X Ray in Bristol. From there I lay up in a hotel in Bristol watching Glastonbury from my bed as tears rolled down my face feeling Oh so very sorry for myself.

All I could do was admonish myself for being so stupid and injuring myself.    My poor sister stayed for the festival on her own and made the most of it. Needless to say, I no longer pogo dance.

 

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

Glastonbury The Theatre & Circus Fields 2017 highlights – https://youtu.be/1A01IULMkPw

(That’s me second on the left looking chuffed – and very chaffed inside the costume – I jest)

On today the first day of the 2021 Glastonbury weekend BBC celebrate all things Glastonbury https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/em89hn (sadly only available to view in the UK)

Through 8 different themes the music and artists throughout Glastonbury’s 50-year history are revisited with everything from Live at Worthy Farm, Glastonbury in the 90’s, Glastonbury Rave, Glastonbury in the 21^st Century, Pop Royalty rules Worthy Farm to A Glastonbury shutdown (Rap and Grime).

Everything that makes Glastonbury legendary, Riff’s for your pleasure (Purely for Guitarophiles- just made that word up) and finally Glastonbury Chill out and relax.

Living in Ireland I am gutted that I was unable to watch any of it. Maybe I shall take a trip up North (to watch it) so that I can get my Glastonbury fix for 2021.

That’s me above in 2003 happy as glasto chick can be up to her knees in glasto mud. I have been a Glastonbury superfan for nigh on 20 years now (I even dream in Glastonbury twice a year).

The last weekend of June always fills me with both joy and sadness. Joy when I have a ticket and sadness when I do not.  My birthday is June 30^th and I have had the pleasure of visiting Glastonbury 8 times over the last 20 years.

At this point you may want to begin playing ‘Glastonbury Bingo’ where you can mark off on your card the number of times I mention ‘Glastonbury’.  When you reach 50 your prize will be to not have to hear about Glastonbury for another year.

I have decided to write ‘Glastonbury Tales’ in honor of the festivals second fallow year due to the pandemic.  It is in chronological order from Thursday through to Monday and visiting every area (30 in total) throughout the festival.

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

What do you call a dirty Fairy?

Stinkerbell.

I am a Fairy.  My name is Nuff.  Fairy Nuff (Fair enough) Is one of my favorite Irish (lesser well known) expressions.  I have mentioned it in a previous blog.

http://adeleleahy.ie/im-a-fairy-my-name-is-nuff-fairy-nuff/

It was so lovely today to see some of the school kids dressed as Fairies as they came home from school for World Fairy Day.  One of my neighbors has a lovely little Fairy Garden which attracts a lot of attention.

They seem to be all the rage now.  From parks having ‘Fairy Spaces’ to houses devoting their front gardens to the little pixies.  And of course, ‘Fairy Liquid’ which is not actually anything whatsoever to do with fairies unless it is made from their souls once they die. Which I sincerely doubt.  I might consider emailing Proctor & Gamble to clarify this fact.

Although I did tell two of my nieces when they were much younger that ‘Coca Cola’ was made from Koala bears and that they had to change the names to ‘Coca Cola’ as no one would buy it if it was ‘Coca Koala’. They believed it for a while. And then they grew up.

I have arranged shells outside my front door in a meandering curve fashion.  Following the line of the rim of the external garden. My neighbor has a gorgeous little 4-year-old girl whom I have asked to watch out for the Fairies.  I told her that I think the Fairies from my neighbor around the corner have re arranged the shells. She is happy to be on Fairy watch for now. I will however refrain from telling her that Fairy Liquid is made from the souls of the fairies.

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

Buzz and Finn are quite playful little pooches. Their nature allows them to get petted and cuddles wherever they go as they are always wagging their tails at strangers. I have mentioned in another blog how Buzz and his barking had been an issue and how I was glad to announce that his barking had diminished greatly.

However, it appears that his barking indoors has diminished and that his barking on occasions outdoors has increased.  I can only imagine that perhaps he has decided on a daily quotient of barking and that if he can’t reach it indoors, he will do so outdoors.  Anyhoo I am still working on it.

A few weeks ago, I was walking them on Malahide beach and a little girl was building a beautiful sandcastle. Finn (in his unfathomable canine wisdom) decided to go up and piss on this little girl’s castle. I was mortified and apologized profusely.   There was nothing that I could do.   Her poor little face. I will never forget it.

Last week I was walking with a friend along Velvet Strand in Portmarnock and we walked past a group of 30 or so people doing a yoga class on the beach. Their Zen was infectious.

Buzz and Finn were playing in and out of the sea. The yoga instructor had a small sandwich board on the sand with the name of her class and her Facebook details.

Before I could do anything, Finn went over to it and pissed on it. Buzz then followed his lead. More mortification. Thank God everyone in the class was laughing.

I offered to take it into the sea and wash it off but the instructor said it was fine. Like Buzz and Finn, I had my tail between my legs as I walked away.

 

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

I had the privilege of working with the elderly for some time and met some great characters. There is one in particular that I will always remember fondly.

For confidentiality purposes I will call him ‘Paddy’.  As he used to be a postman, he loved walking up and down the corridor in between mealtimes and greeting everyone that walked past.  From nurses, to carers, facilities staff, and catering to the visitors and facilities staff.

The priest came in to say Mass every Sunday and Paddy always referred to him as Father Ted much to the priests’ delight as they always had a giggle.  Paddy had dementia and the sweetest of natures to go with it.   The night staff would prepare letters with old stamps for him the next day so that he would have a postal round to attend to within the wards.

One day we were in the Day Room after the musician had been singing for a few hours and getting everyone dancing.  He had asked a few ladies to dance but had been politely declined. Two of the carers danced with him.

When the dance was over, he came over to me. I am quite tall, about 5ft 9 inches and Paddy was about 5ft 5 inches.  He was chest height when he came up to me.   On this occasion he decided to put his face between my boobs and motor boat me. I was in shock and took a fit of the giggles.   As did the rest of the staff.  It was one of those moments that you can never quite be prepared for.

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

Summer Solstice 2021

May you have a very Happy one.

Come what may.

May the stars align and make your dreams come true.

May you be filled full of joy and never blue.

May your heart be pure and your spirit golden.

May your soul flourish and become emboldened.

May your troubles dissipate. May you be free of worry.

May you cherish each moment and not be in a hurry.

May you sing your song and dance your dance.

May your laughter fill a room as you twinkle and you glance.

May your arms embrace another with kindness, love and caring.

May your days be filled with peace, joy and daring.

 

 

What a day. I always love the Summer and Winter Solstice. There is something so magical about new beginnings. I enjoy imagining our ancestors rejoicing at this special time of year thousands of years ago when only the sun and the moon guided their days.

Myself and two friends did a sunrise swim for Simon Community this morning- the homeless in Dublin. Their tagline is ‘On the longest day of the year, help the homeless. Because for them every day is the longest day of the year’. So true and poignant #simoncommunity.

Their plight is seriously underrepresented as we focus on the pandemic and continue to consider how the world will reset itself. Hopefully for the better.

All the best

Stay fab

Adele