camping and pink flowers

I was with a large group of people, camping in a huge building. Our sleeping mats lined the floor forming a grid of bedding. I ventured outside onto the verandah, and sat on a high stool. A man, who last time I saw him was a teenage boy, ran his hand over me and I smiled at him, telling him that I had always allowed him to get away with too much. A second man, who I also knew in my teenage years, copied the first man's actions, but with him I felt angry. I told him never to touch me again, not to assume such intimacy. He appeared surprised, presented me with two long-stemmed yellow roses and justified his behaviour saying that we were on a date. I could not recall arranging a date with him and told him so. I went inside and took the flowers with me, but I forgot about them, later finding them on the ground under some clothes, their petals damaged and browned. I went into the next auditorium where hundreds more people were preparing to sleep. I found two close friends there, their beds next to one another, and I felt a little envious seeing as I was alone in the other room. They had arranged beautiful pink frangipanis in garlands around their heads. I wished that there were enough flowers so that I could wear a garland too.

festival

I was at a festival, camping with others. I sorted through my bag, finding the most suitable items of clothing to wear for an all-night concert and a chance of a swim. I put on layers of clothes, ready for anything. We lay on the grass, listening to music and later, in an arena with raked audience seating stretching right around the performance space, watched an amazing theatre piece. Toward the end of the show, two characters transformed into intricate wooden puppets - a boy and a girl - and the set turned to wood. The girl puppet - with no strings or obvious means of movement - ran up the wooden staircase, her wooden dress fanning behind her, away from the boy who stood below looking up at her. The stairs became the entrance to her palatial home and she continued running, the sound of wooden shoes tapping on wooden streets filling the space. As she passed through the rooms of the home, the set continued to change so that she ran through the house, out into the street, under street lamps, past towers and into the city, all the while running around the arena stage. I was mystified as to how the puppets moved and the set changed, seemingly without human interference. It was magic. The show over, the huge audience prepared to leave. I realised that I was utterly exhausted and found it difficult to keep my eyes open. I sorted through my bag, looking for something, but fell asleep, tumbling out of my chair and down the aisle. Though I was aware that I was lying on the stairs, I wanted to stay there and sleep, but because of the crowd, I stood and we left the arena. Next we went into a building where a security guard was checking ID on the way in. I noticed that everyone was wearing a festival badge with their name and photograph displayed. I found my badge in my bag, but the photograph was missing. I was worried about not being able to get in so sifted through my bag to find another photo or form of identification. The security guard reassured me that we would find matching ID and I would be able to enter.

camp, suitcase-car & giant sea eagle

I was camping with my brother and his partner in a tent that had two sections - one for me and one for them. We seemed to be on the outskirts of a large camp, at least one hundred or so tents spread across a field. I had packed enough clothing for a week or two. One evening, just on dusk, I left the camp to explore further afield. I took only the clothes I was wearing, a little money and my car, but instead of driving the car, I folded it up into itself so that it formed a compact suitcase. I ran along the road that curved around the bay next to the water. Darkness fell and soon I could see very little. Still I ran, enjoying the evening and the cooler climate - I believe we were in the southern regions of Australia. Suddenly I realised that I had run straight into the water; the road had disappeared and I had plunged, with my suitcase-car, into neck-deep water. I was very concerned for my car and hoped that it was airtight. I waded through the water back to the shore and resumed my walk along the road. Eventually I found another camp where people were settling in for the evening. I also found a tent that I was to share with another person who I barely knew. We settled ourselves inside the narrow tent, much like a child's first play-tent, and realised how uncomfortable we were. I asked him to move his sleeping bag over a little, which he was reluctant to do, but I insisted. The tent walls were terribly slack and dipped down in the middle. I hopped out to tighten them, pulling the pegs out and repositioning them. The pegs were not anchored in the earth, rather they were lodged in the soft wood of the jetty on which we seemed to be perched. Back in the tent, I read a wonderful book with black and white illustrations and photographs, until I fell asleep. The following morning, I continued walking around the bay. Strangely, I saw a giant sea eagle, brown and white, standing on the jetty, interacting with a woman. I was very surprised as I knew that I had dreamed about a huge brown eagle the night before. This eagle was, again, slightly bedraggled and quite old.