Can it really be 30 years since this all began?

How many hours have I enjoyed the entertainment provided on this hallowed field?

For 51 weeks a year Cropredy is just another small unassuming north Oxfordshire village. But for one week each summer it is invaded by a mass of brightly coloured tents and an army of 20,000 festival-goers armed only with waterproofs, brightly patterned wellies, and with flowers in their hair.

Some first came as children - and now bring their own kids, or even grandchildren.

DAY ONE: starting hopefully

Entering the field I am joined by a legion of folk fans, carrying tarpaulins, deckchairs, and umbrellas to lay claim to a small area of ground - just as those soldiers of opposing armies did in the only other event of note to have taken place here - the English Civil War battle of Cropredy Bridge in 1642.

This year the only battle to take place was with the elements - sunshine, wind and torrential rain.

Thursday saw a Cropredy debut for a band that had for many years played the fringe in the local pubs - Leatherat.

A strong rock-based folk band, they gave their all with witty and powerful songs sung with passion and great craft - and they succeeded in rocking the dark clouds away.

The next highlight was Pauline Black of 2-tone band The Selecter. Her voice remains one of British pop's best, and is still soulful - bringing her songs to life.

The air of anticipation was palpable for the last act of Thursday.

The mighty Status Quo playing Cropredy? I moved closer to the front of the stage and watched the team of roadies makeover the stage, carting on a bank of Marshall amps - and vacuum cleaning the floor!

The lights dimmed and the mighty Quo burst into life, with a wave of banter and hits. And they soon had the crowd 'rocking all over the world'.

As the first day drew to a close, and with the Quo ringing in my ears, I crawled into my bed. Yes, bed. The beauty of living within three miles of the festival is that you can return home and have all the pleasure of Cropredy and none of the discomfort of camping.

So it was with a tinge of smugness that I looked out of the bedroom window on Friday morning to see wet pavements -0 and all the evidence of an overnight deluge.

DAY TWO: Getting soggy

Among the highlights for me on Friday were 3 Daft Monkeys - a three piece band who hail from Cornwall.

With their varied styles they are a band that is hard to pigeon-hole - with frenetic fiddles combined with dance beats to lift the spirits. Afterall, there’s nothing like a jig to warm the cockles.

A change of pace came from The Dixie Bee-liners, a six-piece bluegrass band from the USA, who were voted best bluegrass artists of the year in 2009.

With their tight mix of slide guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo it was easy to see why.

This was there first tour of the uk; hopefully the will tour again soon.

But the best was left to last.

Probably the best live band at the moment, the amazing Bellowhead are a big band with an even bigger sound.

They dip in out of folk-inspired songs adding hits of funk and a dash of punked-up jazz.

Jon Boden's presence on stage can be electrifying, and the performance of the 11 piece band builds to a crescendo - which at one point saw Benji Kirpatrick leaping from the stage into the pit.

If there was one must-see band at this year's festival this was it.

Like Cinderella, I didn't want midnight to arrive, but, as Fairport might sing, who knows where the time goes!

DAY THREE: Help, I'm drowning

Saturday wet wet Saturday!

There’s an old saying that claims rain is good for the complexion. if that’s true I must have really smooth skin.

To be honest, I couldn't face the rain in the morning - which came down like stair rods.

Very heavy showers continued, interspaced with just enough sunshine to tease - but not enough to dry you out.

My afternoon was brightened-up by a little piece of sunshine on stage lifting the sprits.

For 40 minutes I danced in the now-liquid mud with a bunch of brightly-coloured fairies - to the sound of the fantastic reggae covers band Easy Star Allstars.

And with dub versions of Radiohead and The Beatles, I soon forgot about the rain.

The person with the hardest job of the day is always Fairport Convention's warm-up act... and this year that fell to Martyn Joseph

A gem of a singer-songwriter from Wales, his set was full of powerful songs like, Cardiff Bay and Somewhere in America.

Finally, it was time for Fairport - and their now-standard three-hours set.

Dipping into songs form the past and their forcoming album they wer as on form as ever. and it was great to see Dave Swarbrick (who once was reported as dead) look so well as he joined the band on stage for a tune or two.

The heavens opened once more - this time with the addition of thunder and lightning; standing holding an umberella was proberly not a great idea!

All to soon, though, the band were playing traditional closer Meet on The Ledge and another Cropedy Festival came to an end - and with it some fantastic music, foul weather and a few smiles.