The one where my dad and I go up the creek.

I spoke to my dad last night. He still lives in our hometown, Empangeni in Kwa-Zulu Natal. He is not a complainer at all, he is very much a positive -you can do anything you want kind of dude. I could just hear that he was tired, and he said that he isn't able to take leave this year and he is working up till 24 December. He runs a factory and some new business has come in that he can't turn down as he needs the project. There isn't a lot of work in the area he is in, so if something comes in you sort of need to take it. As it is he works  late every night and most weekends. He turns fifty eight this month and it kills me that he works so hard. It really does. He loves his industry, he is so good at what he does but man. It's too much.

We see him about once a year and it's always chaotic with the kids and his wife and Graeme and our friends and I hardly get to talk to him when he visits. I miss the old days when we could just go to dinner and chat without interruptions and obligations. I could really use some good dad-time and wisdom and fun round about now. My dad is a lot of fun.

He lives in this little town with not much going on for most of the time. Not that Empangeni is a sleepy down, but it's not mainstream, and the nearest city is two hours away. It's a nice place, it's still home.

Up the Creek is happening from 31 Jan to 3 Feb near Cape Town. I am beyond giddy. I didn't go last year, but I am NOT missing it this time. Yesterday I bought tickets for my dad and I to go. I'm flying him in from Richardsbay, and buying 'that' ticket as soon as my December salary is sitting nice and shiny in my bank account. I am totally flying my dad down for a music festival and it is going to be such fun, just us for a nice father-daughter weekend in the sun. Man I'm excited.

This year, the line up includes Karen Zoid, ISO, YOAV, Jeremy Loops, BEAST, Dave Ferguson, Goodnight Wembley, Machineri, Tailor, Tombstone Pete, Piet Botha & Liz, Peachy Keen, Lucy Kruger, The Mysticcs, No One`s Arc, Black Cat Bones, Nomadic Orchestra, Grassy Spark, Dirty Bounce, December Streets, Woodstock Mafia, Trenton & the Radicals, Saint Fearless, Desmond & The Tutus, Taxi and Friends, Janie and the Beard, Shotgun Tori, Akkedis, Nik Rabinowitz, Peter Mitchell and DJ Dirtroad. 

Now I really have no idea who about seventy percent of those bands / artists are, but man I'm excited. I can't wait for my dad to see Desmond & The Tutus, and I used to play him a LOT of Karen Zoid songs in varsity, so it's going to be so cool for us to see her live together. I really am so excited for this, and to have some one on one chilling out time with my dad!

I'm going to make this little book out of nice paper and stick in pictures of Woodstock (his era) and then pictures of Up The Creek and pictures or the artists and the vibe and then I'm going to put in his concert ticket and his flight ticket. I'm going to put it all in a little back pack with a lilo and a sun hat and some fun shades and sunblock and he is going to be like "What is this" until he opens the card. Then he'll phone me on Christmas day from KZN and it is going to be so special. He doesn't read my blog (technologically challenged to say the least) so I can totally be excited about it all over here. I'm going to ask his wife to take pictures as he opens all of it and post it here after the holidays. 

Nicholas Jonathan Jordain Clark - Nobby, my dad! xxx