John 'Lofty' Wiseman & Me

Back in 1986 my paper round money went on a copy of John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman’s SAS Survival Handbook. I still have it.
I’d managed to get a copy just before it was banned. Shortly after it was revised without the mantraps and chemical concoctions. All the bits we would talk about at school.

I had spent a good chunk of my childhood living in and around woodland and to say this book changed me is an understatement. My dens soon became sturdy shelters with some still standing 15 years later. I had always had a knife, ever since I was five. My Granddad had taught me how to respect it and Lofty had taught me how to use it. His book not just gave me new skills, it gave me a new understanding of the wilderness and how to survive in it.

While others my age were doing their homework or playing football, I was trapping, whittling, building and foraging. As I explored the book I explored my surroundings and fell in love with nature and all the secrets it looked after.

On the 4th of June 2011, 25 years later, I finally got to meet Lofty Wiseman at the Bushcraft Show on the banks of Lake Windermere.

In a large tent surrounded by likeminded outdoors folk & Bushcrafters, we all sat and listened as he told us a little about his own journey and what he had learned while serving 26 years in the SAS.

I sat cross-legged at the front and without thinking clicked record on a small digital recorder. I am not sure there is another audio record of this talk.

Due to the number of mobile phones in close proximity, the recording was close to inaudible in places. I had @MCFontaine (Mark Cotton – audio wrangler) take a look at it and he has tweaked and restored it so that all three 30 minute parts can be comfortably listened too below. I’m amazed at how well he has cleaned it up. There’s still a little distortion in a couple of spots but hang in there, Lofty tells a great story and shares some unique insight.

I have been testing it with the Mac Book Air and it all works splendidly. I am looking forward to testing it further at the Larmer Tree Festival and of course my own festival Geeknbury.

This is what technology should be doing, liberating us. Check out the Qik posts below.

Update: Unfortunately the quick video linked here http://qik.com/video/120076 does not seem to work any more. Sorry.

On the 24th to the 27th of July I will be in a field near Hambledon in Surrey whether you guys want to join in or not.
I will most likely have a T-shirt on saying ‘Geeknbury 2008′ and although I don’t know exactly how many people are required to make a festival, I will be proudly stating that this is the first ever Geeknbury.. and history will note it so.

The idea for a Geeknbury is a few years old in my mind but up until a few weeks ago I had no idea how to make it happen. It was already the summer when I had decided to actually do something and bumping into Rachel Clarke and then being introduced to Rebecca Caroe turned the idea into a possibility.

Rebecca already has a private party/festival (Vann) she puts on every year and was happy to have Geeknbury as a bolt on to her event. All we need to make this happen is find bands, activities, events, inspiration and most importantly of all Geeks!

The existing festival runs from Saturday till Sunday but the Geeknbury Geeks can arrive on Thursday night and have a little extra time to strum guitars, tweet around the camp fire and burn marshmallows.

So I guess this is a rallying cry for all those people who are really interested in being a part of Geeknbury 2008 to put their hands up and minds together so we can make this happen.

It is a family (and geek) friendly festival with limited 2 meg wifi but openings for all imaginations to run riot and get creative.

Tickets are £50 for adults and £20 for all kids over 4 years old.

For this you get entry for the festival, camping, access to all the music amenities and activities and a certain amount of food and beer (Saturday night dinner, beer/cider/soft drinks and Sunday morning bacon butties plus tea and coffee.) Not to mention the good times, connections made and great memories to take away.

(There are four staff/helper positions available that will pay £50 and all the above for free.)

If you look at the Wiki at http://geeknbury.pbwiki.com/ you will see a more up to date progress list..

But In A nut.. what we have sorted so far:

Large field – 6 acres
Loos – 5 portable
Tents – 2 – one large 40 foot by 20 foot and one 20×20 foot
Food & Beer – provided for Saturday night dinner, beer/cider/soft drinks and Sunday morning bacon butties, Coffee and tea (all covered by paid for ticket holders)
Electricity – a wired spur from the main house
Hot tubs – 2 x 8 person (one for kids, one for adults) Bring your swimmers!
Wifi – is available but currently low, probably about 2 mb
Fire pit

Entertainment
Making water rockets from empty plastic bottles (they fire 60 foot into the air!)
Team games – non-stop cricket, rounders, football
Garden tours – Gertrude Jeykll water garden
Band(s) for Saturday night. Main evening act (jazz/blues/soul review with singer Gwyn Allen fronting), and I think main afternoon act, Isadore & Clay (folk rock) & a classical octet.
Yoga
Tai Chi
Casper the Rocket Man (with two helicopters.)
a Monster truck that runs on rocket fuel.
Childrens activities eg play, mask making.

..and here are some ideas for things we may need:

Films, a projector and screen
More music/bands and an open mic stage perhaps?
More accessible power to charge laptops and mobiles (Solar power?)
Better wifi and a mobile booster aerial
A Silent Disco
Massage
Meditation
..and so on..

So can you help? If you have any ideas for features, shows, acts or classes leave a comment below or DM me on Twitter

Colin Rogal is the Music Coordinator but is abroad filming a documentary till the 7th of July so please bat all ideas and suggestions in my direction. (leave a comment below)

Tickets can be purchased by sending your request with an address via paypal to.. rebecca@caroe.com

..You can also guarantee yourself tickets by making a cheque out for the full amount payable to ‘Vann Summer Fest‘ and sending it to:

Rebecca Caroe
7 Vicarage Close
Waterbeach
Camebridge
CB25 9QG

So if you can help out in any way, be it with the organising, funding, sponsorship, performing, teaching or supplying of anything that can be put to good festival use.. please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

(p.s Big thanks to Derek Mantle for making a logo for the festival at super short notice.)

Check out the GEEKNBURY PHREADZ CHANNEL to see some of the action.