Making Friends With The Neighbours

If you're a surfer living in Brisbane - and I am - then this year's Brisbane International Film Festival has a whole category of films called 'Let's Go Surfing '. Including surf films including Crystal Voyager, The Fantastic Plastic Machine and High on a Cool Wave, more recent films like First Love , a retrospective of Albie Thomas, and a series of silent films accompanied by live music, there is a whole range of surf-related films that have been curated for your viewing pleasure. Seriously, you should check it out - it's pretty amazing! Maybe I'll see you there...

This beach-side footpath must have been laid some years ago. The 80s? The 90s? Either way, the times, they have a-changed and this sentiment would probably no longer be so concretely expressed* in this small coastal town, where mals and a variety of other boards abound. It gave me an unexpected laugh as I got out of the longboard-laden car though. NO MALS. Hahahaa!!! *Pretty stoked with myself there.

This is my new favourite photo. My niece and nephew love the beach and the sand and the water and the waves. They are used to seeing my boards and always ask me about surfing. My 2 1/2 year old niece will run after me as I walk about the door: Surfing? Surfing? Yesterday, my sister and I took them to the beach where we grew up. We walked out the back gate of our parents' house and along the scruffy beach-track. The kids fought over who got to carry their surfboard, but feisty little MD won. I didn't realise, but she watched the way I was carrying my mal, and copied me as she followed us along the path. As soon as we dumped our stuff in the dunes, my nephew ran into the shorebreak and focused on catching the biggest waves! He would wait and wait until one arrived that he thought was big enough and would throw himself into the foaming white-water, flying along until he slid up along the sand and then running straight back out. He was picking them well. Best Sunday in a long time.

(I'd credit this image if I could, but it's just one of those wonderful, joyful images that someone sees and says, 'this made me think of you'!)

So, last year Kelly Slater went au natural for the 'ESPN 2010 Body Issue: Bodies we want'. It's a great image. Included in ESPN's 'Bodies we want' this year, was Steph Gilmore: Before you assume what I am thinking, you should know that I reckon both images are beautiful and indeed, on many levels (youthful, ageing, fit, athletic, desirable, healthy, aspirational, sexual) these are certainly bodies to want! I do, for sure. But, of course, sometimes it is useful and interesting to think beyond the surface, beyond the desire and beauty... While it is hard to access Kelly's shoot and interview from last year (it seems I have to pay to enter the ESPN archive, which is fine but not today), Steph's interview is up and available for now. You know what else is available? Her body stats (height and weight!) and some comments on which parts of her perfect young body are her favourites. These are the bits where the ESPN thing starts to fall apart for me. And yes, I...