Gifts of Aloha.

Joel puts a heart on top of every coffee he makes and in the process spreads his own magnificent variety of love and aloha. Even with the knowledge that my coffee will be given (what feels like) extra special attention, I still anticipate the little upwelling of joy it gives me.

Having placed his order, Rover patiently awaits his double shot skinny soy latte with a extra foam (and heart).

For cheap entertainment I shared my peanut butter and honey sandwich with the birds. This greedy little Myna got a bit more than he bargained for!

Our Cardinal here wasn't so lucky in the lunch department but with looks like these, he probably doesn't care.

Talking of good looks, here is the lovely and talented Phoebe Lane who just turned seven and is the owner of her very first windsurf harness! Go Phoebe Go! Unfortunately, after three weeks holiday on Maui she has to take her parents back to Australia, but not before we all hung out and had a fantastic dinner together.

As a funny aside the prized and much appreciated gift of Tim Tams that were transported all the way from Adelaide were first breached that evening by Giampaolo. Next day my friend and IT Guru was over at the house sorting out my new MAC (another story) and knowing there was Baci from Italy and Lindt from Switzerland in the fridge I told him "help yourself to the chocolate". As I walked in the house and we chatted about computers he suddenly interrupted me "Oh my god those biscuits", "what biscuits?" I asked, "that open packet in the fridge - they're amazing". "AHHHHHHHHHHHH, NO how many did you eat?" I yelled frantically, alarm clearly registering in my voice. His eyes widened "well it was almost three, but I stopped myself at two"! As there are just nine to a packet and I promised to share with Meesh....I savoured my one and duct taped the rest closed for safe delivery!

Here's Meesh and her bro Mark blissfully unaware of the Tim Tam drama up the hill, praps if I delivery them once Mark returns to the UK (tomorrow) I can scarf his? Mchumbie.....this one's for you!

Two Oahu.

Hand stands are what he did whilst waiting for the wave to come barrelling along the side of the cliff. Then he dove confidently into the belly of the swell, getting caught (fish like) in its undulation.

He wisely avoided the waves that would spit him out like a snapped twig, back onto the rocks.

My soles view of a passing squall.

"Look right!" I wanted to say as these ever so serious Segway riders glided by. These things are super fun, praps the collective gravity was due to the herd like mentality required of such tours?. Or maybe they just didn't appreciate being 'papped'?.....

...no matter, this was the gorgeous view to the right.

'Captivated' would be a good way to describe how this little one made me feel. Yes, she was at a pirates birthday party, yes, there were other kids her age to play with, but what she really liked to do was run along this tree branch, jump off, climb back on and start all over again. She was a fearless little warrier who was fully engaged in the moment and allowed that freedom by a Mum that let her roam, explore, fall and play at her own speed. Intuition and individuality perfectly balanced.

I mostly see these Cattle Egrets on Maui when I'm at the green waste section of the dump! It's an easy revolving buffet of fresh grubs and insects for these elegant birds to snack on. It took going to Oahu to finally get a pici and this little chap was working his tail off looking for bug grub.

It's so rewarding to step out into unfamiliar territory and see what's out there. Sure I've been to Oahu a bunch of times before, but there's always an adventure to be had or a new magical spot to find. I also enjoy the exercise of my own inner world, being more awake to my own desires and wishes, surrendering to the flow of the moment and knowing when enough is enough.

I was driving to work this morning and realized (disappointingly) I was back on automatic pilot, it must be time to shake up my routine at home a bit too. Hmmmmmm old habits die hard though and I'll mull it over with a Fernet-Branca.....

Oahu Northshore Tour.

"I can see Pipeline breaking on the webcam", said GP. Nuff said, we packed gear and lunch and hopped in the truck heading for the Northshore (cue theme to Endless Summer ).

But I'm getting ahead of myself.... welcome to Oahu. The contrast between the North and South shores is insane and it felt good to leave the 6 lane H2 Freeway and at Haleiwa be back on a single lane road. Launiakai was our first stop and from street the water looked tempting. It was a different perspective from the rocks however and I wouldn't have even wanted to wade in for a dip. Ufff, you just know there's a bomb over that peak!



Another Island, another gorgeous cove. As we headed up the hillside after a failed attempt to park at Waimea Bay GP exclaimed "look it's breaking", and it was! A deceiving little wrap around wave at the point jacked up out of no where and my eyes caught someone catching the substantial swell as we continued Northward.

Score! Pipeline was putting on a 'small' out of season show and what an impressive sight, but not nearly as impressive as this.....

.....total respect.

....ditto.

"Hey are you kids actually gonna go out , or just stand around looking pretty"?

Well, there's your answer. Still....it's probably a good idea to do a whole yoga class before before having a close encounter of the Pipeline kine. We instead grabbed a couple of $3 Veggie Burritos from the back of some dude's truck, threw lunch on the dashboard and headed onward (all of 5 minutes down the road) to Sunset Beach.

In comparison to Pipeline, Sunset breaks quite a distance from the beach, so I sat in the shade eating my tasty lunch and watched the surfers to my right. When I looked left I thought "now here's something you don't see everyday", a nice beach vase arrangement.

A birds eye view of Backyards.

The maps says "Sandy Beach -Body boarding for experts only".

They're not kidding...that lip is gonna land right on his head and so it is for all these waves. There's no escape and each ride ends in a monumental pummeling. This place was intense, not just for the power and ferocity of the shore break, but the vertical drops these guys took seemed impossible, plus as it was crowded as hell!

After watching everyone else on the water it was my turn. I hopped on the SeaLion and with the wind on my right paddled left for twenty minutes! Easy peasy, simple, beginner fun, a perfect end to a great day.

Southside Sunday.

On the return journey from the South side, I like to stop by Maleaa Harbor and see wazup. My meanderings are accompanied by a score of ropes rhythmically clanging on masts which (while on land) I find soothing. It's a fertile environment of birds, seaweed and ocean activity that provides me endless viewfinder entertainment.

I like the contrast of the lush plumeria above and the withering... what ever it is... below.

Both glorious and beautiful in their own right.

As is the coastline of this lovely little Island.

Manu, doing a manoeuvre.

Sunday afternoon a group of us organically convened at the beach and alternated between the bliss of the water and the sweltering heat on land. The English sat single file lathering on sun screen in what little shade the three leaves of an anorexic kiawe tree could provide. Meanwhile the French and the Aussies seemed to barely notice it was warm. Damn them!

And talking of the French, Manu and Pascal are both great water men and terrific hands-on froggy Dads. Their daughters Lulu and Mia (now both three'ish) were born 6 months apart and are not only the bestest of friends but also being brought up bilingual. Fantastique!

Matilda (an Aussie) napping....it's hard work being alive for four months.

Just ask Wixie, he's been alive for 32 years and is English! He's also vegetarian and that delicious looking veggie burger in his hand (no bun, no plate no condiments) was the combined culinary birthday offering from six of his closest mates. Our generosity knows no bounds!

Sea, surf, sky and cabbage.

I sit at a desk all day in front of a computer, so it's an amazing antidote to step out after work and get some fresh air. What's more extraordinary though, is that I don't do it more often. However, as the summer nights grow longer, my play gene has grown and requires more indulgence. So with my bike stowed in the bed of my truck, there were no excuses.

I confess to feeling a bit of a pillock clunking along the pebbles in my bike shoes, helmet and spandex (I'd ditched the bike further back), but what the hell - it's not like I'm going to run into anyone I know. "Hey you!" said Jenna, a fab woman from my book club "wotcha doing mountain biking out here?"! "Looking like a twat and not wanting to get noticed" I thought....but too late.

The south swell wasn't all it was forecast to be, but at 5:45pm the light and waves were entwined in their magical dance and I was captivated.

Let's hope duck diver boy doesn't have a bulls eye on his shorts!

Did I work today?

Rewinding back to the weekend and I was in the mountains again (no that's not me!) riding my bike part way up Waipoli Road toward Poli Poli. I say part way because the start is so steep I've convinced myself I could never make it, so I cheat and park at Frisbee Golf forest. It's a peaceful ride with just the bird song and para gliders for company. My time, 40 minutes up and 8 minutes down! "You've got legs of steel" said golf frisbee girl as she passed me post ride loading up my bike, was it wrong of me to not burst her bubble by telling her I'd had to stop twice on the accent?!

Coming back home though Kula there are many local small farms and I was caught by the symmetry of this humble cabbage patch.

Enough, enough, lets all paws for a tranquil thought or two.

Early bird.

My latest sleep pattern is to awake around 5:30am (waaaaaaaaaaay to early) but as I'm all sleeped out, there's nothing to be but get up. The tide was low at 7:00am this morning so a SUP sesh was crossed of the list and replaced happily by a bike ride.

I might have been up early, but as I strapped on my helmet and looked up, it was apparent this person was up much earlier.

"Blimey mate, you might wanna cut back on the sunflower seeds, you're looking mighty porky around the petals" I thought, as I'd peddled barely 2 minutes before dismounting to stop and snap this swollen sunflower. It's a stunning route from Rice Park to the end of Thompson Road that greets you with the incredible smells of eucalyptus trees and doesn't stop feeding the senses, including the sense of humor.......

.....quick, quick, somebody distract him!

Oh deer.

I stopped to feed the horses and was drawn to this one because of his long fringe and one empty socket. It made me think of a scene from The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, which is an extraordinary must see movie.

As I was in the neighborhood. I decided to pop in and see the ducklings and like any good Auntie my first thought was "my, haven't you grown?" .

Goodness gracious me.........having freckles I can relate to this one. And now for a duck joke: A duck walks into his local 7-11 and says "give me some chap stick and put it on my bill"!

My end.