Making Friends With The Neighbours

Where I'm from, we have a lighthouse that is a pretty central feature of the town. Built in 190, it sits above the town on the headland, shining it's light across the bay and the hinterland. The light spins methodically, flashing across the town every 15 seconds. It's mesmerising to sit and watch it wash for kilometres and kilometres out to sea and along the coast. Apparently, the light has a range of 50 kilometres ! It's also the most powerful light in Australia. The clean blue and white colours are striking, especially when the sky is as clear blue as it was this morning. When you drive into town from the north, it's the first thing you see of the town. The highway is a bit different now, but when I was a child, you would come over this one hill and the you would see the lighthouse and the town and the ocean in front of you. My family made a sport of being the first one the yell, 'I can see the lighthouse!' when we drove back from Brisbane or the Go...

I do love a sunny day in the water; when the sky and sea are cobalt, turquoise and clear. But sometimes I think I like being in the sea best when the sky is grey and rainy. Yesterday afternoon I surfed with Izzy at a favourite break. There was only one other person out, so although the waves were tiny and slow, it didn't really matter. Out to sea, the clouds were pale grey and we could see a squall pouring rain down just south of the rocks out in the bay. When I looked back to land, the clouds were dark, which made the water glow that soft green, like sea glass. It was beautiful. As we chatted between waves the rain kept falling, splashing the surface and dripping down our faces, collecting the salt in the corners of our mouths. By all standards, it was far from a good surf, but it was so quiet and easy and pretty that I left feeling much calmer than I had when I arrived. I don't think I'll ever get used to how beautiful the changing colours of the sea are.

I see footage like this - sunny and warm and carefree and smooth and calming - and I think to myself: what the hell am I doing? What. The hell. Am. I. Doing? (Via Toddy ) Travers Adler | Maui from Mollusk Surf Shop on Vimeo . And then I remember there's a time to work and a time to surf, and there are times when those times are not in sync with each other. So in a way, this makes me want to work a bit harder, so I can enjoy the surfy times even more. Either way, I'll be going surfing this weekend.

So, following the post below, I just found out about the newly announced,  Big Wave World Tour . You can read the full press release on the Big Wave World Tour website, here . The BWWT is going to be run by the ASP and according to ASP CEO Paul Speaker, The competitors on the BWWT are some of the fiercest and most-respected watermen on the planet and we are eager about the opportunity to take their tour to the next level. This arrangement also allows the world’s best surfers on the ASP World Championship Tour to compete in big-wave events moving forward. Kieren Perrow said that, It adds another dimension to the sport and will make it significantly easier for ASP Top 34 surfers to compete in big-wave events. So, I'm not clear (nor really interested) on the details but the way the tour will be run highlights renowned big wave surfers like Greg Long and Shane Dorian, while creating space for World Championship Tour surfers to compete; The new-found arrangement betwee...

This morning I opened my inbox to an email from Nathan Oldfield with a link to his latest clip. As always, it's pretty and fun. T.C.S.S. Presents: A Doc-umentary from Nathan Oldfield on Vimeo . But it had the added function of reminding me how annoyed I felt that there were, as ever, no women invited. And it wasn't just me! According to Facebook, there were quite a few crew commenting on how of the sixteen spots open, not one was offered to a woman. As far as I could tell, this was not officially a 'men's' comp so don't you think that is a problem? Of course, this is not an uncommon story. Big wave riding competitions rarely invite women, and when they have it's been as an 'exhibition' event . (Maybe something has changed recently. I haven't been following these kinds of events as they're not on my radar for now. I doubt it though.) This is usually argued on the basis that women are not as strong or involved in this kind of surfing a...

I'm so getting Star Wars V&VI out this weekend! (Thanks, Katie.)

I finished a big project recently, so I thought I'd have more free time.  But it turns out... I'm still busy! And I've been sick. Wah. Neil from over at  Modyssey is keeping me day-dreaming though.

I used to have a mailbox that was constantly filled with letters from friends. These days, we tend to send emails and texts more often than post, so my mailbox has become a repository of bills, statements and the odd fine. But there are still some fun deliveries. Yesterday I was lucky enough to come home to a package from the lovely Sarah at Gyspy Jacket . I have been surfing in Sarah's beautiful handmade creations since last January. They're basically the only swimmers I've worn in that entire time and they have never failed me. I know how hard it can be to find cute, functional, not-mass-produced swimmers to surf in, so if you're keen to get your own butt clad in a pair of these beauties (or if you're in the market for a new surf board cover) you can reach Sarah via her Gypsy Jacket website  or over on Instagram .

I went and saw Drift on the weekend.  I wasn’t going to, but a few trusted people had told me it was surprisingly good, so I thought I’d push through my reservations about the film and check it out. Let me show you why I wasn’t interested in going (from the director's Vimeo account); Based on true events, Drift is a story set on Australia's spectacular and rugged coastline in the early 1970s. It begins in a remote coastal town with the two Kelly brothers, who spend their youth searching for the perfect wave. Out of necessity the family launch a backyard surf business; re ‐ thinking board design, crafting homemade wetsuits and selling their new surf gear out of their van. Battling killer waves, small town conservatism and hard-core criminals, the brothers persevere, daring to dream of a world where they can surf to live and live to surf. A story of passion and corruption, deadly addictions and fractured relationships, Drift tells a tale of courage a...

Wearing shoes to the beach cracks me up. Usually, when I'm at the beach I'm barefoot and since it doesn't get too cold around these parts, rare is the day that too many clothes are required. When I see people on the beach fully dressed and shod I generally assume they're not from these parts. Or going to a wedding... Image Edward Steichen, 1925  ( via A Vanished Time ) But of course, there are always those times when you want to go for a walk and it's too cold to leave your toes bare. It's not often, but it happens. And on those days I feel so weird and uncomfortable. It feels wrong. But at least my feet are warm.

Sure, I'd surf it differently - I'd be further out in front and on a longboard - but this is certainly a pretty looking wave. (via Surfbird )

I happened upon some of these awesome illustrations by Leo Greenfield , over at  Not Without My Do-Rag .      Aren't they lovely. Leo Greenfield's illustrations apparently tend to be fashion and style based. They capture people wearing clothes in context, rather than being about the clothes themselves. Does that make any sense? It's kind of like an illustrated version of The Sartorialist . From Greenfield's blog : Leo Greenfield is a journalist trapped in the body of an illustrator. His drawings concentrate on documentation and communication, as he illustrates from memory the ever-changing space of street life and culture. On paper Greenfield impresses the silhouette and patterns of contemporary dressing, subsequently creating intimate social portraits of places and their communities.  See? I particularly love the ones I posted here, because you know they're from the beach. You know that is where they were headed or where they had been. Sometimes ...

They certainly can't compete with being in the water, but post-surf rituals are a pretty awesome part of surfing. (Well, they are when they involve golden sunlight and croissants anyway.) April 2013 January 2013

One of the many things that to confuse me about the Australian Government, is their continuing refusal to recognise the relationships of same-sex couples and to allow them to get legally married. It defies logic. It denies human rights. It is small-minded and out-of-date, and sings to the increasingly small choir of voices that play on fear about the 'institution of marriage'. The issue isn't about whether or not same sex couples can get married in the eyes of various religions - that is something for those religions to sort out - the issue is about whether their relationships are recognised in terms of Australian law. Which they totally should be, because the current laws are outdated and discriminatory. So I was heartened when a couple of days ago the Aotearoa/New Zealand parliament passed a bill to change marriage laws there, thus becoming one of 14 countries in the world to do so.* And although I am not one prone to crying, this clip of the moment when the...

Cutest shit ever. Seriously, my housemate and I just sat on the couch cheering and cooing at this from beginning to end. (Also, this is pretty much  exactly  what learning to surf looks/feels like.) Thanks for the adorable find, Clif .

I have been completely obsessed with Max Richter's, 'Recomposed' versions of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. They're so beautiful. This version of Autumn sums up my day and, to be honest, the way I feel at the moment. Autumn is by far my favourite season. For me it is filled with welcome relief from the relentless summer heat and intensity. The temperature drops, the light softens and everything seems to slow down somehow. I know that makes me sound like a spoiled brat, but summer never really finds me at my best and I am much more at home in the in-between seasons. I love spring too, but the crisp coolness and colours of autumn really take pole position for me. I know it's followed by winter, and I know that means something, but autumn is like a last respite and rest and promise before we hurtle head-long into the cold (which, to be fair, is not exactly extreme nor even unpleasant here in Brisbane). Anyway, you should check out the other seasons as well. (This...

Despite all the amazing images of crew surfing epic waves, this is my absolute favourite photo from the Noosa Festival of Surfing last month. I couldn't make it up there to cheer on Brisbane Boardrider(er)s in the team challenge, but Huon, Tony and all the other guys made up for it! You guys are the best! (Photo by Neil Griffith over at Modyssey .)

Images by Keegan Gibbs , via el verano sin fin .