A feast of a fest!

Crossing the county border, into Cornwall, can be a bit of a stressful time for me...I truly hate heights!

Having overcome this and been fully assured that no train has ever fallen into the River Tamar (LOL), we quickly found ourselves at St Germans and soon realised that the day which lay ahead, was going to be a cracker!

The Port Eliot Festival (which was born out of the famous Elephant Fair ) has to be the most colourful festival I've ever attended! We booked a day ticket but I could have gladly done the three days, it was like an escape into another world ...and we all need that from time to time, don't we?

The setting for the festival is stunning!

As well as the beautiful house and church,you can stray off the beaten track and walk through glorious woodland, the shade of which was very welcome at times! Without a doubt, it's the setting that brings out the creativity in everyone and it's a setting where you can let your imagination roam freely . I am all for that!

This caravan houses the Museum of British Folklore...artefacts, ephemera, costumes,witchcraft, legends...you name it..all in that little van!

Take along a tepee and you were set for the three days.

How I'd love one of those! (To alter!! Mine would never stay plain white,would it?!)

There were plenty of places to take a refreshment, some whacky, naturally.

This is the Boat house, where various art/music events were taking place, although sadly we did not reach this part, there were so many things to pack in.

But we did spend a long while in the cabaret tent, listening to a band called 'Black Friday'..a local group with a tin whistle, fiddle, guitars and drums. Their finale of, 'What shall we do with the Drunken Sailor' whipped up the audience good and proper, as it was played faster and faster until the sailor didn't really care what was done with him and neither did we. ;-)

Live music...you can't beat it and I firmly believe that the local talent, out there, is so much better than that rubbish in the charts! ;-)

I loved the way that children were made to feel part of the whole experience.

There was plenty for the them to get stuck into.

The House of Fairy Tales was a place where you could escape into a magical world.

Enchantment was the name of the game here and whether you were young or older, you could take part. So many eager little faces were here, there and everywhere...creating!

That's how it should be!

Costume making..ah now that was fascinating and querky!

In the walled garden, I found..

Persephone books !

My favourite books. Such class. Enough said.

We listened to a number of talks and interviews, the best for me was Mick Brown (from the Telegraph) interviewing Sean Langan, journalist and filmmaker,who talked about his experiences in some of the most dangerous place in the world.

But this (above) was the one that I really wanted to listen to and see :

Barbara Hulanicki

'Who?' you might well ask..but if you are like me and frequented Biba in your student days,then you'll know exactly her impact on the fashion industry.

She was interviewed by Emma Soames and seated to her left is a famous hat designer, Steven Jones.

I also had a brief chat with this lady.. Kit Berry

And...

I earmarked one like this (above) for my garden!

(But need to consult with dear Mr S... about planning permission!)

So that's it...The Port Eliot Festival ...ah well almost but not quite!

You see there was one stall there which caught my eye!

And it was so deliciously colourful that

it caught everyone's eye...even the BBC, who took some of Amanda's goodies to use in their programme on Weds...WOW! How about that?!

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On Weds 29 July The Culture Show comes from The Port Eliot Festival!

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Meanwhile, I'm saving Amanda until tomorrow...when her goodies will be on show on this blog...but there's a sneak preview on the header! ;-)

(And I have never seen her stall look so good as it did yesterday!)

;-)