Some weeks I have lots to write about, and the blog post is written in a moment. Those ones require the most editing, because in my joyful outpouring of whatever junk was cluttering the archives of my mind there is usually a fair bit of drivel. Other weeks it feels like nothing has happened, not matter how much we have achieved, and each sentence has to be extracted by force and nailed to the page.
This week is one of those weeks. The Jabberwocky, long may he thunder, has sat on the driveway sulking under a layer of frost, while I have sat in the living room surfing under a layer of blankets; trying to find him entertainment for next year. The annual cycle of applications has begun once more, sending out hopeful emails to festival organisers and filling in applications with our measurements (5m x 2.5m – 1.5m hatch) our food (artisan toasties) and our certificates (too many to conveniently list anywhere). It’s a repetitive process, especially at this time of year when no one in their right minds it thinking about next summer and all I seem to have motivation for is the infinite supply of mildly amusing cat pictures the internet can provide.
At times like this I worry that the story of the Jabberwocky will just end up repeating itself as each season comes round again. The Soliloquy officially celebrated its second birthday on the 6th, and I was having an almost identical feeling of being overworked and under appreciated about a year ago. In street food terms this makes us experienced old-timers, which sounds crazy after only a year but there we are; people actually want our advice.
What with street food being the fashionable band wagon of the moment there has been a sudden surge in our numbers. There is also a steady stream of people we talk to who are planning to start a food van and just getting the funds together. Truly, the average festival goer will be spoilt for choice in 2013, and we will be quietly smug about having not only been there first, but having come to the idea without seeing Jamie Oliver try it first.
So, we’re pioneers. I’m good with that. Now we just need to be innovators as well and we can keep delivering you the quality 500 word product you expect on a Wednesday. Alternatively, if the internet has taught me anything it’s that cat pictures are quality, original entertainment that is nothing to do with just riding an existing comedy meme.
