Making Friends With The Neighbours

Christmas day in Byron Bay includes surfing. It just does. For me, that means either my beach (which is a usually quite dangerous beach that is always oddly gentle for christmas) or Wategos. This year, it was a double showing at Wategos - morning, then afternoon. Beautiful, gorgeous, picturesque, lovely, ideal-beyond-belief Wategos is usually packed with people for christmas day, but this year it was raining so the crowds mostly stayed indoors, leaving the waves empty of that fair-weather crew. The morning waves were nothing much to talk about. They were lovely but slightly, well, meh. But the evening was different. Izzy collected Jessie and I from our respective homes. We stacked our mals on the roof of her car, bid farewell to our snoozing, post-lunch families and drove into town. When we arrived, we were far from inspired by the small waves, which also seemed slightly busier than we had expected. But we were there, and we are frothers, so in we went. At first there was a weird vibe ...

Yeah, yeah, I know. But indulge me. Wham - Last Christmas Uploaded by hushhush112 . - See the latest featured music videos.

I have grown on sands, soft and white; in waters, blue and warm. I have grown on the coast by the sea, safe and sound and quiet. It is my place to play and laugh, to sit and think, to love and mourn. It is the place that offers me comfort. I have never felt fear there. I have never wailed, nor felt the sting of of its thieving violence. I have never been asked to know the ocean when it plays so black and blue, so sharp and hard so callous. So oceanic. I have never been asked to pay for my passage, for my escape. For me the water is; welcoming soft blue warm safe white home endless… A beginning. An embrace. I have never faced the ocean as a barrier; ghostly unforgiving dry threatening unfamiliar potential treacherous endless… An ending. A drowning. It has never offered me so much yet taken so much more away. It has never lied to me (The fiend!) The sand, whit...

The art folk of the surfing world have developed some pretty cool and supportive opportunities over the years. The latest one I have just seen is two newly created 4-6 weeks artist residencies in Byron Bay. Excellent! I have pasted some of the details below, but trot off to the Art Park website for all the info and application forms. And good luck! Art Park/Atlantic Guesthouse artist residency This residency program commences in February 2011. Each residency is held in conjunction with Atlantic Guest House Byron Bay, who provide the artist with accommodation and studio space. We are happy to consider artists who work with wall mounted works, sculpture, photography, new technologies and installation. Residency length is four to six weeks long. In consultation with Art Park, each residency may incorporate a solo exhibition and a floor talk. The Art Park/Atlantic Artist Residency Program will supply and fund: Fully furnished accommodation for a period of up to 6 weeks. The apartme...