From Buddhafield to Farm Fest -
Farmfest set in Bruton in Somerset is a very different festival to previous Tuffeteer experiences, filled with young party goers and many DJ tents. By far the best tent for me was the dub tent featuring The High Grade Rockers - great music, great company - a festival atmosphere all of it's own - we loved them!
The craft area was set above the music area and distracted quite a few revellers away from the music to attempt tuffet making and also mask making workshops!

I had the lovely Jaz (in the bright sari) to help and support the apprentice tuffetees and a very fine job she did. It was her first time and certainly won't be her last!! The folk above are selecting their fleece to begin their own tuffets. The weather was great on the Saturday but unfortunately became quite wet on the Sunday but this did not deter the music fans! 

Great masks to construct and colour to your own design

 One of the highlights of the festival is the annual hat competition - this is so important that it was monitored by the hat police - no hat then you were issued with the badge of shame! I particularly liked Farmer Giles and Farmer Gill complete with the model calf!!

A great festival for cider lovers and party animals!
The downside? - I was deeply saddened to see the amount of rubbish and waste left behind, the fields were littered with abandoned tents, ground mats, sleeping bags, airbeds, cans and bottles plus general litter everywhere. Many people were collecting things to avoid them going into ground fill - a lot of education is needed for these festival goers - anyone out there up for the challenge to design a fun anti-litter campaign that draws people in rather than pointing the finger?

Buddhafield Festival - the fire in the heart!

Each year Buddhafield has a theme and this year it was ' A Fire in the Heart'. Throughout the rituals many people wore something red to fit with the theme. 

I love this festival, and am not alone - check out the testimonials, due to the absence of drugs and alcohol, 3000 people enjoying each others company in discussion, music, chanting, song and lots of great veggie food and superb Chai tea!! 

I was fortunate to run my tuffet making workshops in a beautiful open yurt that provided a very comfortable, natural space that was shaded perfectly from the beautifully intense rays of the sun, which was very fitting with the theme for this year!

It's really great to have men and women of all ages tuffeting together!

I was lucky to have my beautiful assistant, Hazel, to help me this year - brilliant to be working together with someone to thread the looms, help all you lovely people when things appear to go wrong - but they don't really as every tuffet is unique yet still creates that perfect 'Bottom Heaven'! Workshops were overflowing with budding tuffetees sharing the love of true eco-friendly woolly goodness!

Get into the Spirit ... but Leave the Spirits at Home

'Buddhism is about getting out of our head. Into the body. Into the abundance of the present moment. Away from stale thought loops that regret the past or worry about the future; away from a dulled, dumbed down experience; away from avoiding parts of ourselves, into the full vividness and beauty of now'.

Gift vouchers available!

Ground-breaking news - I now have festival vouchers available for £5 or £10 -so if you have the overwhelming desire to make your friends/family exceedingly happy and extremely comfortable as you introduce them to the world of 'bottom heaven' with an eco-friendly sheepy tuffet, then do come and find me at one of the forthcoming events!