The picture had suffered a mishap during ablutions - it's hard to manage a rolled-up cylinder of cartridge paper in camp conditions.
The girl is Jess. I find her eating noodles in the busy welfare tent which welcomes homeless people drawn to the camaraderie, free food and non-judgemental atmosphere. 'I'm going to get the picture scanned and send it to my future husband to show him what I look like,' she says. I think of portraits sent to Henry VIII on behalf of prospective wives. Someone gives her a box of fat pavement chalks. 'I'll do hopscotch,' she says.
I go to a lunch reception nearby and three of us carry the leftover food back to the camp. The professional chef running the kitchen tent makes a huge fuss of us, embracing us and lifting us off the ground. 'LOVE' is spelt out in tea lights on the food counter. A drunk rushes into the tent and pretends to vomit over the counter. He is tolerated.
Two volunteers unpack the food that we brought:
'Oh dear, pork pies.'
'YESSSSS!!!!!'
Outside, Dame Vivienne Westwood looks cold but is cheered when she warns the crowd not to reject the artists of the past.
Outside, Dame Vivienne Westwood looks cold but is cheered when she warns the crowd not to reject the artists of the past.
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