Carving Nostalgia

For quite some time I have been a little bit disillusioned with surfing. I have mentioned this before and is part to do with the fact that I don't know how I fit in with it all, part because the world of surfing has changed beyond all comprehension, a lot to do with the fact that I live in a cold part of the world, and the fact that I am in my forties might be partly responsible too.  Okay, that las bit might be a lot to do with it.  But whatever the cause of my perceived despondency towards the very thing that has defined who I am and how I regard the world, for as long as I can remember, I have been very much at the sidelines of surfing, looking in at it.  Maybe a little too much. However, this has all changed, and I am very happy about that.  This shift in thinking is down to a number of different factors, principally a prolonged period of should searching has yielded many of the answers that I have been looking ...

This afternoon I was reunited with a very old friend. As a result my stoke levels are at an all time high. The friend I am referring to used to be very close to me, I grew up with them, they were there when times got tough and they inspired me. Sadly, in recent times I have neglected them.  Something that I now regret.  For having rediscovered just who special they are, I wish I had never let things drift as much as they had done. This afternoon, while enjoying quiet time at work I clicked on Surfer Magazine.  I cannot remember the last time I did this, but today I am so glad that I did.  I was instantly mesmerised by the photography and absorbed in the features.  Although I had been absent for a while, it didn't take long at all to become fully acquainted again. Also, having been a little bit disillusioned with the modern surfing world of late, I am thrilled to realise that this has now been dispelled, to a deg...

A life in surfing has given me many things.  For a start I know how to ride surfboards on waves.  This may sound fairly rudimentary but years of experience has equipped me with the knowledge that enables me to do something that is pretty unique.  For I have the ability to read the characteristics of a moving wall of water in such a way that I can move a board, pretty much exactly where I want it to go, using nothing but the momentum of the wave as a power source to propel me across its face.  I can look down the wave at the moment of take off, plan my route and know which moves the shape and features will permit, then execute the entire sequence accordingly.   This is quite something, when you stop to think about it.   Working out what a wave is going to do, making the calculations to plot a route, before carrying out my moves accordingly is something that has taken many years of practice.  And without really rea...

This mornings cycle was a dirty old business. Filthy. The recent rain has made the trails and tracks so muddy. Also the fact that most of the leaves have vacated their Summer residences upon the trees, and are now on the floor adds to the mess. Still, it was a good ride, different but heaps of fun none the less. There was plenty of wildlife around, loads of squirrels, most of which were running off with horse chestnuts. Jays causing a ruckus in the tree tops, and Herons chilling by the lake. Oh and a crazy assed dog running loose in a field. Not a wild animal, but worthy of a mention none the less, simply because of how nuts it was. The sea looked amazing, wild and booming, so different to the calm tranquil scene that I have become used too. The spray was being blown in shore by the stiff South Westerly breeze, so the air was damp with ocean, and incredibly salty too. The dust trails of Summer have gone, but I think I will get used to the muddy conditions, it's a case...

As I don't have a great deal of time to write anything today, I thought I would post some short clips instead. Here they are.

It is no secret that I have a real appreciation for German cars, particularly those from the Mercedes-Benz family.  The cars I really connect with tend to be those from the mid seventies to the mid eighties.  During this era the designs were pretty much as perfect as you can get,in my opinion. The build was solid and the over all look was synonymous with German (over) engineering.  However, these cars were not so utilitarian so as to lose any trace of personality, not at all for the models from this period have this in absolute abundance.  From nose to tail they have an incredible number of characteristics that are uniquely Mercedes and befitting of the era from which they hail.  These are just some of the things that provide them the appeal, but to be honest there are a whole host of ingredients that combine to give this car a set of qualities that never fails to make my head turn when I see one.   The models that I have a ...

T-Bones Early Bones Brigade era Ever since I entered the world of boardsports, some thirty years ago (I had to think then, is it really thirty years, scarily, it is), I have been drawn to skateboard hardware, in a big way.  There are many things that add to the appeal, I love the graphics, the imagery and the banding has always struck a chord with me. My being a young grom in the mid eighties coincided with the emergence of so many great things in skateboarding.  It was pre selling out, the brands were still relatively small and the boards still had unique shapes.  The videos that came out of the houses of Powell Peralta, H-Street and Santa Cruz defined the era, perfectly.  While my first love was surfing, I always did prefer the skate aesthetic. I really like the level of detail that was applied at this time, as well as the authenticity of the products.  There was also something about the quality that made each item seem as though...