New Years Day!

Happy New Year to all and sundry!
We did not have a late night and were in bed sometime after 11pm and was only slightly disturbed by the fireworks. We had a very pleasant BBQ around at Michelle's Mum's place which Amy came along to aswell. After being pretty good throughout the Christmas/Boxing Day period I have to admit I overindulged a bit last night.
No surfing today the wind is pretty Southerly but tomorrow is looking good. Mutton Bird should have settled down by then as it was a bit out of control yesterday and only the corner was really surfable and that was not too flash and very crowded!
The gig two nights ago was a little like the Curates Egg - some parts excellent while others were rotten! Neighbours complained - so Kim had to pull bass out of the sound and that made it difficult to hear ourselves plus the punters never got up and danced which always makes it hard. Hearsay indicated they really enjoyed the music though. Not keen on party gigs, pubs are better with more of a chance of audience participation in the process. There are still issues re the drummer and his equipment that need to be addressed before the next gig. which may be an interesting process.
Fixed my drivers side electric window on the Feroza this morning, which was pleasing. A couple of crucial bolts had dropped out of the opening/closing mechanism and after a bit of head scratching I worked out how I was going to get them back in again. Works beautifully now!
Off to get a coffee

Floodgates gig tonight

Tonite Floodgates play at someones 50th birthday party! Unsure who as the drummer Brad has organised this gig.
The bands fifth member Kim will be there doing the sound which is fantastic as I usually have to do it. Our little practise PA is really not up to it and it generally destroys the pleasure of the gig for me as I am constantly concerned about levels and sound quality etc.
Michelle plays bass and sings, Simon plays keyboards, guitar, bass and blues harp and I sing, play guitar, bass and drums and as I mentioned above Brad is the drummer.
We play a wide range of music including some originals so I think we can cater to a wide audience at any gig we do especially as we have three different voices which makes a huge difference in my mind. We have a common connection as we all surf and the band was formed primarily with personalities in mind rather than musical expertise. IE The drummer had never played the drums before! and Michelle learnt the bass in order to join the band! They have both done so well! Simon was already pretty experienced.
Mids was working yesterday and both Michelle and I went out following Roland's txt that there was a little left there.
Well, did I get a wave - Nuh! it was pretty fast and the shape was not fantastic and being on the new board did not help.

My new board is a conventional shape and works quite differently to the Nugget that I have been using for the past year.
The nugget requires you to put in the final big paddle actions as soon as the power of the wave hits the back of the board due to the volume in the tail.
The new board does not pick up the wave pressure until the power of the wave gets under the board to the area around the chest. So I am having to relearn the take off and that will take a little time. I have got on to a reasonable wave recently and gained some idea of how the board will perform and I am really looking forward to a day when the swell is a bigger, cleaner and a good shape so as I can really learn more about how to ride this new board.




Getting Aido to make the new board is part of a threefold strategy to improve my surfing.
The next stage is to sell the 10' Bic and get a custom built high performance 9' longboard either or a Surftech Epoxy, I am yet to decide.









Before Summer next year, both Michelle and I plan to get Laird Hamilton 12' Stand up paddle boards which should be available here in Australia by then. They are going to be such a lot of fun as if it is flat we can just go for a long paddle picking up the little swells as we go or we can use them to get on waves way before anyone else if there are wave hogs out there pissing us off. Ha Ha!




And Laird rides the bloody thing in a big wave - So we will have boards for all conditions then which will be fantastic!

Another beautiful day!

Well, what a day we had yesterday, I was totalled by the end of it - straight to bed as soon as the sun went down!
Got a cracker of a surf at the Nanarup point as the easterly swell was running and it loves an easterly swell. I took my 10' board and sat out the back waiting for the biggest waves. I am proud to say I caught the wave of the day (even Michelle admitted to that); a ripper that went for a good 100 metres with a nice face on it all the way. It was certainly the best wave that came through during the time we were out there and it was going off when we left. Shame we didn't get there a little earlier but we checked Mutton Bird out first which was flat!

Following that great surfing session we then headed out for the GBDTM (Great boxing day test match) at the Sims ans yes we were a little later than usual. Man it was hot when we got there! so the actual match was put off for awhile to take lunch first.
We eventuallt ventured out to the pitch having chosen sides. I was elected Captain of one team and John Maddison the other who won the toss and sent us in to bat.
It was a very quick innings - 40 runs. The smallest total I can remember mostly due to the lack of people who turned up this year. I was the last player to bat and had barely got out there before my partner was out. So that was the end of that.
The other team went out to bat very confident that they could get the measely 40 runs set for them - and easy it was with the match completed and us returning to the main house for dessert in record time. Oh Well! Hopefully a few more punters will turn up next year.
Usually we would take out some instruments to make music in the evening but this year we decided not too as we have to lug out a fair bit of gear so I took a cajon (Drum) and my voice and Michelle took her voice. In the end we did not end up making any music and those that had chosen to were having a good time.
I have to say that now that it is the next day I am happy to have a few days off before the band's gig on Saturday night!

Boxing Day!

Probably my favourite day of the festive season as it is the day we play the Great Boxing Day Test Match at David and Sheila Sims beautiful property.


An invitation only event extended to local cricketers acknowledged as excellent and committed to the great game! Ummm! A slight but engaging exaggeration, I know to those of you who know this event well. In fact, it is invitation only, but many who play may never have done so before as the two teams are chosen by the allotted Captains from amongst the whole gathering, which may include small children, grandparents, sporty chaps and gals, pets etc etc.
Play commences around 1pm when the assembled multitude move to the specially constructed pavilion next to the field of play. Here the freshly mown pitch with it's 44 gallon stumps lies waiting for the first batsmen/women/children/grannys/grandads/pets to enter the arena of combat.
The first innings is played with great enthusiasm and general hilarity. When over the first course of a superb lunch is taken back up at the main house before the second innings is played again with enthusiasm and general hilarity. Following the completion of the second innings the AM (assembled multitude) return for the final course of the SL (superb lunch) to partake of the delicious looking deserts that are prepared each year by Sheila.
Following lunch, finally completed around 5pm, musical instruments generally come out and a relaxing evening is enjoyed by all.

A truly great day and looked forward to every year of the 10+ years I have been going to the event!

Off for a surf before we go, hope you had a great day yesterday?

'xmas Morning!

Merry Christmas everybody! All the best for the festive season.

Yesterday's surfing you ask? No! it was not good - scrabbled around on the longboard in the corner at Mutton Bird and Michelle had a windy in the afternoon at Nanarup.
But today, the wind is definitely more in the north! so we will do the rounds and hopefully get a wave or two before picking up Mum for Chrsitmas lunch.

Last night Tim (oldest son), Kelly (Tim's girlfreind) and Oscar (middle son) and my Mum came over for a curry (rogan josh) that I had prepared. We exchanged pressies as the boys are off to Kellys folks place today. We had a great night which included:

1. Watching a video of Tim driving a V8 supercar - a birthday present from Kelly.
2. Watching a video of Kelly's womens Cottesloe Rugby Club Grand Final which they won.
3. Watching some footage of the recent air race in Perth.
4. Observing Tim flying his little electric remote control helicopter in the lounge room much to the consternation of the dogs.
5. Worked out what Kelly and Tim's astrological north node and observing their amazement at the accuracy of the explanations - hence their desire to photocopy the sections of the book.
6. Oscar actually hanging around for the whole evening! - which was great.

After lunch today we are invited over to our mate Anna's place from some port wine jelly and I suspect a delicious cake of some sort. Apart from being a writer and an artist she is also a very enthusiastic and capable cook.
Surfer dude Roland may also roll up for that if he has not gone to Parry's surfing for the day as he had planned which I suspect not as he slit his thumb open yesterday apparently and claims he will not b eable to surf!!!!!!!!!!
This is a guy who was out of the water for months this year following a botched hernia operation that required a further two operations to resolve! He went through the most unbelievable pain and frustration during that period. We have banned him from lifting heavy weights!.............and now we may have to ban him from using anything remotely sharp!

On with the day!

The wind is in the north!

Yep! finally the wind is in the north and a trip out to Mutton Bird for a surf is on this morning. Hooray - I hope the swell is OK.
I think it is going to be packed with surfers as this is the first reasonable day of surfing conditions for quite sometime.
Michelle is going to hate that, as she likes to have her own peak - especially as she has borrowed a board off our band's (more about the band in another post) keyboard player Simon to try out - whereas I am a more social animal and enjoy chatting away to friends out there aswell as getting waves.

We went out for dinner last night at good friend Beth's place to meet her new cat Penny, who had arrived the day before on a plane. Nice cat and I think she will settle in very nicely. Beth cooked a couple of great curries and we had a very pleasant evening.

Been stumbling again this morning - IE using one of my favourite Firefox Add-ons called "StumbleUpon".
http://www.stumbleupon.com
This fantastic little tool pulls up websites based on your indicated interests and I have bookmarked heaps of terrific sites I would never have found on my own.
As I am studying internet computing, I am interested in webpage design and this morning stumbled upon a great site relating to Web 2.0 design parameters. http://www.webdesignfromscratch.com/web-2.0-design-style-guide.cfm whcih I have added to my webcoding bookmark folder.
Off to rouse Michelle from deep within one of her heavy duty philosophy books and go for a surf!

My mother is possibly not well

My Mum, Amy, has been going through it a bit lately having discovered she has some issue with one of her lungs which after an X-ray, CT scan and Biopsy is still inconclusive! So it looks as if a trip to Perth is on the cards and more tests. I am not looking forward to that as I am not too keen on Perth especially at this time of year when it can be b----y hot! and......... no surf!
Still it has to be done if necessary. She has had a bit of bad luck before at Christmas time having had to have treatment for breast cancer five years ago spending Christmas in hospital!
Anyway, tomorrow she comes over for dinner and both of her grandsons and Kelly oldest son Tim's girlfriend will be coming over also and Mum will really enjoy seeing them particularly as it has been sometime as they are at Uni in Perth.

First Post

Well. the wind is wrong again! I was really hoping to get some nice clean waves at Mutton Bird to day but it looks like another Windy at Nanarup.
This has been going for some days now - and strangely enough there is a reason although you may find it difficult to believe. It is because I have a new board - yep Aido has built me a beautiful 7' 4" thruster which I hangin' to try in some clean swell but!!!!!!! Oh Well!
As far as I can tell it has addressed all the issues that were concerning me about the 7' Nugget that has served me so well for a year or so now. I can take off in a much steeper quicker wave and it looks like it will hang in to the face better than the Nugget.
So it looks like the Nugget is to be sold - just needs cleaning up and I have a buyer for it which is great.
The next stage in the big board changeover is a high performance longboard to replace the Big BIC 10' single fin. I am unsure whether to get a Surftech again - looking at a 9' Randall French or to go with a local maker and get Warren Thompson to build it for me. Following the succes of Aido's board, I am leaning towards the latter.