Carving Nostalgia

With it fast approaching mid September it is safe to say that Summer is pretty much over. But it's been a good one, weather wise at least, could have done with more surf, but you can't have it all, plus any waves would have been absolutely mobbed by the hoards that descend on Cornwall during the Summer. I have mixed emotions about the passing of Summer, for on the one hand the temperature is dropping, the days are shortening and while it is sunny at the moment, the rain and wind is probably just around the corner.  That said, there is something comforting about the transition from Summer into Autumn, which is probably instinctive and related to the notion of preparing for Winter.  Plus the tourists have pretty much all departed, that alone is something to be thankful for. Also, the Autumn swells should beginning to hit us any time now, beyond that there should be surf throughout the Winter months.  This year I am going to make the most of it.  For ...

When it comes to Winter surfing, I have little or no interest, not any more. There, I've said it, it's out there. I have always preferred the Summer for surfing, as well as everything else for that matter, but I know that I am more suited to surfing in warm(er) water.  That said, I always felt duty bound to surf through the cold months, besides, that's when the best swells hit, isn't it?  The first few Winters were fine, I think, for the stoke of surfing and just wanting to be in the sea doing what I love took the pain of the cold away, plus I was a youth and as such I probably didn't feel it. I certainly don't recall complaining too much, OK, that last statement might not be wholly true, I've always complained, about most things cold or otherwise! But gradually, with each Winter I would find it just that little bit more difficult to go in, I would go through the motions, but in my heart I was beginning to resent the cold. Weighing up just how much...