Making Friends With The Neighbours

1. It's impossible to feel sad while listening to Nat King Cole chirpily sing about love. 2. In my experience, this tune is best served with champagne.

Since I found out about it a few years ago, the World Bellyboard Championships have been high on my 'to do' list. The whole event looks like so much fun, and, for me anyway, really captures all the things I love about surfing - being in the ocean, catching waves, spending time with people, having fun and not taking yourself too seriously. And now that I have been in touch with the lovely Sue  (that's her riding the wave in the picture above), I'm even more excited to (eventually) get there. Check out the bellyboards she made for the event! Aren't they fun! Sue's so clever with her designs - from what I can see she really captures the Cornish spirit of the event! This design reminds me so much of my summer living in Mawgan Porth, a village a little farther north from where this event takes place. I ate many, many clotted cream teas (which are entirely delicious) and got terribly (and happily) fat from doing so! You can see a heap more images here a...

If you read any surf blogs then you have probably already seen this clip for Nathan Oldfield 's new film, The Heart and The Sea . It's everywhere! But, well, what do you do? Because I can't deny that this film looks lovely. The Heart & The Sea: Official Trailer from Nathan Oldfield on Vimeo . A while ago I was talking about music with a friend who described the tunes we were listening to as 'insincere'. He explained that his cynicism for any tune (or film, or etc) is always tempered by sincerity. Like, if he feels that the sentiment of the piece is 'sincere' and true to the person making it, then that cuts through any kind of uncertainty for them. And no matter how good a tune is, if he feels that the musician is trading on a fad or trying too hard to fit an image, that insincerity ruins it for him. And he doesn't just mean that they like it. He means that they believe what they are saying, rather than they are trying to fit into some idea or ...

Yesterday I got home to a package all the way from Cornwall! It was a print from Sue, who has the blog, Studio Window . Sue makes great art and prints, that reflect some of the rich beach and surfing culture in her gorgeous part of the world. Her work is really lovely and I've admired it for a while now . My package contained a print from a wood engraving that she made (if you scroll back through her blog you can check out the process of her making it , as well as a clearer image of the print). The next thing I would like is to get one of the bellyboards that she beautifies ! Maybe when I'm over that way next... Thanks you so very much, Sue. I'm stoked!

(gif via  El verano sin fin )

When I have time I love going through the rabbit hole of following hyperlinks on blogs. It's fun and I always come across a heap of new sites that get instantly linked into my reader. crying never solved a damn thing is one of those finds that I can't even remember how or when I stumbled across, but which has become a bit of a favourite. Checking it today, this image really looks like a lazy Saturday when you wander on the beach, catch a few lazy waves and have time to look at the details.

Oh! And I lifted this great photo by Cedric Nunn from the Otelo Burning Facebook page . I love this photo. It's basically everything I like about surfing - being in the ocean, catching waves however I want, being with friends and having fun. It's the best surfing image I've seen in ages. Cedric Nunn sounds like a pretty cool guy who is talented and has interesting ideas. You should definitely check out his website . 'I am committed through my photographs, to contributing to societal change that will leave a positive legacy for the children of Africa'. Born in 1957 in Nongoma, KwaZulu, and raised in Hluhluwe, Mangete and Baynesfield. I began photography in Durban in the early eighties, my initial impetus being to document the realities of apartheid that I thought were being ignored by the mainstream media.

So, I just heard about this film, Otelo Burning , today; From the Otelo Burning website : Shot in Durban and directed by Sara Blecher (Surfing Soweto), the film tells the story of a group of township kids who discover the joy of surfing. It's set in 1989, against a backdrop of brewing conflict between two political groups in Lamontville. When 16-year-old Otelo Buthelezi takes to the water for the first time, it's clear that he was born to surf. But then tragedy strikes. On the day that Nelson Mandela is released from prison, Otelo is forced to choose between surfing success and justice. This is a beautifully made, insightful and entertaining film that captures a turbulent time in the history of South Africa. I'm one of those terrible people who is sceptical about anything that makes grand claims in terms of 'surfing is freedom' or 'surfing for peace', but considering the historical and political context of this story, it could be really interestin...

Despite being filmed in north Florida, this fun little film made me oddly homesick. (via,  mersea beaucoup ) Or maybe I'm just longing for some summer surf action myself. Happy Monday!

So, the Royal Australian Mint has just collaborated with Surfing Australia  to release a commemorative coin in celebration of Surfing Australia's 50th anniversary in 2013. Surfing Australia is a not-for-profit "National Sporting Organisation that was formed in 1963 to establish, guide and promote the development of surfing in Australia". To clarify, by the development of surfing, they mean the development of the sport of surfing, which is fine, but I think that it's an important distinction, especially since their vision is to "become a mainstream commercially sustainable sport, and to promote surfing as an iconic Australian lifestyle". From the Royal Australian Mint press release : The uncirculated coins are each packaged in their own unique surfboard shaped coin holder. The holder features an image of five-time World Champion Stephanie Gilmore. Some things to note: 1. The crappy punctuation in that sentence is the Royal Mint's own. 2. The...