Day by day the festival starts to take shape.

Marquees rise from the ground, tipis are sited, decoration goes up, radios switch on, surprises crawl out from the woodwork, teams form and get briefed, mile after mile of gaffer and tiger tape get deployed, rubbish gets cleared, venues prepared, stages built, big tops raised, paperwork finalised, tickets and meal vouchers sorted, lanyards prepared, loos serviced, water mains charged, computers networked, keys organised, signs erected, hazards controlled, campsites prepared, wind damage repaired, caterers open contributors arrive, art is created…a festival forms.

Gearing up for a Greenbelt panel discussing our approach to blogging. So far it features me, a grungy old maverick who just likes the look of his own words on a page, Maggi, whose blog has become a focus for serious discussion of ‘emerging church’ issues, Dave, the man responsible for the world-famous Dullest blog in the world and the vibrant online community focussed on The Wibsite, it will certainly be varied and potentially quite interesting, especially with Paul and Kester also involved.

I started theorising about blogging by returning to a lovely few lines in Kevin Kelly’s 10-year Web retrospective in Wired 13.08:

At [the] heart [of the revolution launched by Netscape’s IPO] was a new kind of participation that has since developed into an emerging culture based on sharing. And the ways of participating unleashed by hyperlinks are creating a new type of thinking - part human and part machine - found nowhere else on the planet or in history.

An emerging culture based on sharing. I like that. And it is something along those lines which appeals to me about doing this thing we do.

Still four days to go and so much still undone. Will the print arrive? Will the panels arrive? Will the painters get the painting done. What problems unforeseen are out there to ensnare us? At least in Visual Arts by the time that the gates are open most of the cock ups have cocked already and in private. In theory we can relax; in practice that means catching up on a fornight’s missed sleep.

Sitting quietly in a room with a client all day should be a time for reflection. But it isn’t.

I’ve chewed my knuckles down to my elbows.

So excited about this guy coming to Greenbelt. Been speaking on the phone with him just now and getting a feel for his life and commitments. With no manager or record deal or agent, he’s making real name for himself. And there’s just something about him on the phone that makes me know he’s the real deal. Bring on Make Poverty History Monday at Greenbelt! I just hope Emmanual and crew are in the the right place in Harrow when our driver goes to pick them up! It all feels a little precarious. Much as his life has been throughout. Click here for more.

A competition for 18-30 year-olds in conjunction with CMS

Competition Closed
We have a winner! Scott’s three blog entries won him a trip to a developing country - view his winning entries here. You can also view a complete set of all the competition entries.

The Prize
A trip to a developing country to see the impact of poverty first hand. You will go on a CMS Encounter programme or Praxis trip to somewhere like Ghana, Mozambique or Kenya in the summer of 2006*. All expenses will be covered.

The Deal
On the trip you will collect information on the impact of trade, debt and aid to report back to Greenbelters, CMS supporters and DFID. On your return you will write a piece to be published in DFID’s magazine or on its website.

How to enter
You will need to write three blog entries -- no longer than 200 words each -- about Greenbelt's main mission: faith, justice and the arts.

* Subject to references and you must own a valid passport.