Festival Experiences It was the weekend my mother and father had been preparing for all month.

Authors Avatar

Original writing coursework

Festival Experiences

It was the weekend my mother and father had been preparing for all month.

It was a hot May Friday afternoon in 1993 and we are all stationary on a road in Derbyshire. Ahead of us, a queue of cars stretches out of sight around the corner, we haven’t moved for twenty minutes. Most people have turned their engines off, and now my father does too. In the sudden silence we can hear the sound of rock music of what must be the sound of the first band of the ‘monsters of rock’ festival. It was half past three. My younger sister was beginning to whine. My older brother needed the toilet. My father does not like waiting in queues. He has always loved rock music and believes in sharing his love of music with his family, which is why we are stuck in this country lane with hundreds of other cars.

My father does not like waiting in queues, he is used to people queuing to see his work. He is a painter, and artist, whose tranquil landscapes hang in galleries throughout England. A queue to him means not been able to get where you want to be. The sunroof of our transit is open. He climbed on his seat and stuck his head out of the sunroof to see what was happening ahead. He appeared to be quite agitated, swearing under his breath. 30 minutes has passed; my mother suggested that we should get out the picnic things and a can of beer, but this just seemed to agitate my father more.

In the cars ahead people are laughing and enjoying the sunshine.

“Just relax and appreciate the beauty of the countryside. Take a breath in Keith” my mother says.

The dog is leaning half way out of the window over my fathers shoulder. He doesn’t look relaxed with Beauty out large German shepherd draped over him.

Join now!

“Why don’t we all go for a walk with Beauty?” my mother suggests.

This really did wind my father up.

I heard a familiar roar of a Triumph Bonneville coming up behind us. Thankfully my father’s friend Bruce appeared alongside us. The tension eased as Bruce and my father greeted each other. The beers came out for them. We have our sandwiches and the queue is moving ever so slightly. My father decides to take off with Bruce on the back of his motorbike, leaving my mother to get on with it. I watched them; as Bruce accelerated down ...

This is a preview of the whole essay