I didn’t manage to blog last year in the end. Our full schedules and little whirlwind kind of slowed my writing and eventually, the draft blog got put in the junk folder, it being just too late to post.

So here are some reflections on Greenbelt 2023, with a touch of 2022 as well. These are thoughts on Greenbelt post pandemic, with a small person, with different timings to normal and as en ever evolving Poppy!

Firstly, the car is way more full than it ever has been before. We used to just throw some stuff into a bag and glamp, but no more! The packing list is several columns long and getting set up is a minor military operation.

We also now spend lots of time in the children’s area. I didn’t even know this existed a few years ago, but it’s brilliant! There’s a marquee full of crafts as well as lots of things to sit on, play with and ride. I also found myself in the Ta-Dah tent for the first time this year. I missed Family Welcome do an unusually early nap, but Soph and I went to the Family Worship led by Fishy Music later on. We both loved the singing and the dancing, and like all good kids events do, there was some funny stuff hidden in there for the grownups.

It is, of course, such a joy to even have Greenbelt after the last few years of uncertainty and avoiding mixing. Being outside on such a green site helps, I think, blow any remaining anxieties away for me. I never felt unsafe at Greenbelt in that way, but it’s great to know that there are so many spaces to go if you need a bit of distance.

We didn’t make the 2021 Greenbelt, Prospect Farm. Sophia was a few weeks old and I was still recovering from surgery. But it was, apparently, a more stripped back, chilled out, community feel, mini-festival. For a change this year, Greenbelt began on Thursday evening and ran to Sunday evening. The idea was, I think, to make Thursday night a bit more like Prospect Farm. I have to say, I really liked it! The relaxed vibe, with nobody on mainstage, but groups of people with similar interests meeting all over the field.

Me and Soph found ourselves listening to a group of ukulele players. I don’t know much about ukuleles, but I imagine that everyone from beginners to life-long players was welcome. Soph loved the music and was dancing away. At the end of one song, she said loudly ‘baa baa rack seep!’ (Baa baa black sheep!), I think, hoping that they were taking requests! Sadly, they weren’t, but we enjoyed it all the same.

The next day, we heard Gordon Brown, which was really powerful, and other highlights included Folk On, Mr Bubbles and communion yesterday morning. I also loved the female urinals on site, the 24-hour cafe when Soph was up at 5.30 one morning and the new Orchard Stage venue. My favourite food this year was the rotisserie chicken and potatoes, shared with Nathan during 10 minutes of peace, overlooking the house and meadow.

Greenbelt for me is very different now to what it was. Nathan and I always have very chilled holidays. There’s rarely any plan. We have down days and slow days where we mooch and meander like a lazy brook. The phones get turned down and reconnecting with each other and with God goes up.

Greenbelt doesn’t quite fit into that category in the same way as it used to. Yes, I get to turn off the pings on my phone, but managing camping with a little one becomes a huge focus. Some people are great at this, I know, but me, not so much. Making sure she’s warm, dry, fed, safe and entertained takes up a lot of my time and brain space. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t have it any other way! But with my desire to switch everything off, and needing to see to Sophia, I don’t get to see or listen to a huge amount. We perch on the edges of the crowds so we can move on quickly if we need to. We pick child-friendly food so she can share. We pack everything into the wagon at the beginning of the day so we are equipped for when the weather changes. We are back at camp by 8, listening to the music and laughter hum across the field.

We aren’t at the heart of it any more, we are on the edges, we catch glimpses of what’s happening. But this does not diminish the brightness of Greenbelt for me. It’s just us, doing it how we do it, in this phase of our busy, chaotic and wonderful lives.