As sunset came on, I went down to the arcobalena stall and had my face painted. I had asked the woman there a few days earlier to think about how to do a phoenix, full upper body, and she did swirls of yellow, orange, red and burgundy up my arms and wings on my back. It was wonderful and I was stopped many times during the night by people complimenting me.
I went to the Ember Swift gig in the Big Top, right down the front in front of Lyndell as always and she spotted me dressed in my phoenix finery, wished me happy new year and high-fived me. Wished Ember happy new year too, and I made plans with Lyndell for ten pin bowling at Northcote bowls… [EDIT: it now seems they will be in Melbourne before I get back so this may not eventuate…] They have a new song about ten pin which is a little rude… “I put my fingers in… I like the holes wide…”
From there went up to the ampitheatre for the percussion festival… managed to find Tien (jonckher) and his crew and some of the rest of our crew too but couldn’t find Toby and Lily. Jackie said she saw them earlier… but never mind.
The line-up for the night was awesome: Wild Marmalade, the Bird, Blue King Brown, Bomba… the only one I wasn’t as impressed with was LABJACD, so I went up the hill during their set, grabbed a cider from the Outpost Bar and called Matt to have an amusing shouted conversation where we each heard approximately half of what the other was saying. Ah, well, the important bit, the happy new year and I care for you which is why we’re speaking, were loud and clear.
Back down the hill to dance to Blue King Brown, funk and guitar and politics, what more could I ask for? Into the countdown, having fun counting to zero and then counting ‘leap!’ for the leap second they added to 2005 to even up the cosmic clock, then hard back into the riff… phoned daisynerd in Holland and left an insane message on her answering machine filled with percussion and cheering.
Bomba went right off… and then finally when they finished at 1, found Jonathan S, stumbled down to the Bazaar where Red Eyes were playing sultry reggae, then from there to the chai tent for more jamming and percussion. Finally back to the hammock at 3.30 to try to catch some snooze before the sunrise ceremony…
The long walk up the path to the hilltop stage as the light begins, crowds of people in their blankets and then the glorious first sunrise of the year as Tibetan monks chant and someone reads the heart sutra…
Breakfast and great conversations, shower all my beautiful colour away, choir rehearsal and then finally collapse into the hammock in the shade (tent far too hot in the Queensland sun) ready for the fire event…