Monochrome Monday (Name Withheld)

Got this message from a mate as I nursed a chest cold which is keeping me out of the water

"Got a good little wave at NAME WITHHELD yesterday morning 2-3 ft wrapping around the point and offshore really long rides had to go in and walk back up the point rather than paddle back I was the only one out for about half an hour then two guys on a yacht pulled up and came over on SUPs I felt a little better then as the odds of me being taken by a great white decreased with two others out in the water - will post some pics when I get home"

Deep Winter Six

mmmmm

Rods, reefs and reefer$

Goofy x grainy

Phil x McTavish

Friends x Zeppelin

I'm slowly getting my act together as dawn creeps over the horizon to my right. Just me and the stars and the coffee percolator. I'm listening to "Friends" by Led Zeppelin, a track they rarely played live. As a guitar puppy, I find the lyrics and open C-6 tuning captivating.

I can't even begin to conceptualise a life devoid of friends like my mates Mark above and Phil below, who took me to the Maldives last year. They hoot at my poor attempts to ride a longboard. (Being a shortboarder who occasionally goes long when the waves demand it). They laugh at my anecdotes, even though I have probably repeated the same yarns a few times during our decades together. They lift me up and point me at the light when all looks grim. BIG Thanks. You are my heroes!

"Bright light almost blinding, 

black night still there shining,
I can't stop, keep on climbing, 

looking for what I knew. "

from Friends by Led Zeppelin 1970

"Is that me?"

As the dude with the camera, I often get asked, when it comes to the show and tell stage of surf imagery, "Is that me?" or "Did you get that tube of mine?" or "God, I look like kook!"

After decades of surfing I had one colour snap of me cutting back at Noosa on a MP inspired pintail flyer back in the 70's. When it's good, nobody wants to shoot.

Now, thanks to my mate Rimmo, I have a couple of happy snaps from  a small session at Cokes (or in my case Kooks). Oh the temptation to make the wave more heroic and my good self more buff using Photoshop. But no, I don't have enough time! So here they are, sensible equatorial sun gear and all. The board is a four channel Simon Jones "Mr Freedom", which is brilliant.

Monochrome Monday (Maldivians)

A couple of shots from last weekend's catchup slide night (well, using a data projector) with my shipmates from the 2011 Maldives boat trip.

BIG Thanks to our hosts Jackie, Phil, Matt and Tim.

And not forgetting she with the Boadicea-like leadership qualities critical to any campaign involving the organisation of diverse and disorganised "talent" - Lynette Lori-Ling. BIG thanks for getting us all there (and back)!