Muddy questions (and link to muddy pics, too)

[Splosh me up]

Hi, mudders of the world.
My favourite messy substance is mud.
It' s just a pity that my area is, geologically speaking, less than ideal for a mudder, as soil is mostly based on stones and gravel, and the very few clay quarries closed many years ago as there was no more clay to extract.
Last year, in the order of receive the correct muding, I went to Rock Otocec, a rock event held yearly in Slovenia, south central Europe, convenientely sited at six hours drive from my home.

Here http://www.rock-otocec.com/foto.asp you can see lot of pictures (both clean and muddy) from last year. If you are interested in my muddy face, look at http://www.rock-otocec.com/arhiv/2007/foto/Janipintar/v/DSC06785-p7.jpg or at http://www.rock-otocec.com/arhiv/2007/foto/Urbanbabnik/v/IMG_7195.JPG. I provide just the links and not pics, as pics are property of photographers.

OK, now I have some questions for deep mudders.
Firstly, how in the hell get rid of mud in inner ears ?
In the last day, some chunk of semi solid mud got inside my right ear, and I was half deafened for days, altought lots of showers and ear "exploration" with earsticks. All in all, I got rid of mud in ears only at the end of February, when a chunk of dried mud got off of my ear during a work meeting. LOL ! Simplest solution would be to use earcaps while mudding, but I think that would not be a fair system, LOL.
Another question: mud and health. At the end of the event, while dimounting my tent, I discovered that lymphonodes, both at neck and under armpits were swollen and aching. It lasted a couple of days, then disappeared for 3-4 days, then reappaeared for other 2-3 days. In the meantime I went at my physician and told my problem (not talkin about mud). He ordered me usual blood and urine exams, in the meantime symptoms disappeared and reappeared one last time. Exams proved that my health was OK and, since the symptoms disappeared forever, physician just recmmend me to hurry at his studio should sympoms reappear.
Any other had similar troubles ? I just wonder what happened to me. I put the trouble in relationship with mud, as, in three days, I spent at least six hours daily in mud or covered head to toe in mud. I also have to add that my skin got lot of scratches while sliding in mud, so that allowed/eased entry of little nasties in my body.

Third questions: how about "agricolture" mud ?
I live in an area well known, at least here in Italy, for rice growing.
Rice is usually grown in flooded field that, when in better season, have a thin layer of water (from nothing to 5 centimeters) covering a tigh deep layer of mud.
Fields like these are spread for kilometers around my house (so, technically speaking I HAVE lot of mud at short distance), but I never did anything muddy than a walk with rubber boots on foot, and never touched mud as I fear for chemical nasties added to the soil for growing pourposes, as ferts (ouch), pesticides (OUCH), phytohormones (OUCH !!!) and so on.
Did anyone got mud in grown fields ? Any troubles, except troubles with farmer LOL, after ?

Thank you for any advice.

[mudroller]

would'nt use fields where there are livestock about , best things to ask Cede lol

[messymercedes]

What makes everyone think i'm an expert on mud then

cede xx

[moddermonster]

Hi there, Splosh me up,

Are you going to Rock Otocec this year?
I was there in 2006 but I'll be back this year.
And I have to come from a bit further.
From Belgium.
I don't think it's dangerous to play in that muddy rice field as long as you don't wallow in there for houres and you can wash or take a shower afterwards.
Of course, some people can have an alergic reaction, you never know beforehand.

Keep on mudding

[Splosh me up]

What makes everyone think i'm an expert on mud then

cede xx

Just had that impression
Can you tell me if you use any protection for you ears when diving headfirst in mud ?

[Splosh me up]

Are you going to Rock Otocec this year?
I was there in 2006 but I'll be back this year.
And I have to come from a bit further.
From Belgium.
I don't think it's dangerous to play in that muddy rice field as long as you don't wallow in there for houres and you can wash or take a shower afterwards.
Of course, some people can have an alergic reaction, you never know beforehand.

Keep on mudding

Thanks for your suggestion, moddermonster.
Yes, this year I will be at Rock Otocec.
At least, I hope so, as I first found about this event in 2004, courtesy of Leonmoomin, planned to join it for 2005 and 2006 and both year I had last minute troubles.
About rice fields, yeasterday had a walk, found a secluded field, half wet and half covered with a layer of water. I did a walk in it, but it stank unbelively. Seems that farmer irrigated (is it right ?) fields with sewer water. Definitely a no-no.

[Invicta]

What makes everyone think i'm an expert on mud then

cede xx

Can't imagine how anyone might have got that impression

That's a great pic Cede