Are you doing what you love?

I love Kanaha, it's full of characters and kindness. Here's Phoebe with her impressive solo performance of the Isle of Man flag.

 Good call for a quick air dry - no one likes the second session in a wet wetsuit.

Some like it Hot, but if you need to cool off just head up the mountain.

Which is exactly what I did a few hours later, driving up a few thousand feet above sea level to Keokea Park. A soft rain fell and the fog hugged the trees as I took a seat opposite Pema to play with the band. Fred was on vocals and lead uke, Charles on bass guitar and Stuart on mandolin and fiddle. It was all very casual and using Pema as my mirror, I simply followed along feeling and flowing with the groove.  It was a complete joy to play with them and a total bonus to let it rip in the great outdoors.

The same can be said of the next days activities. 'Come as Ulli' was the remit on the downwinder invite for the big man's birthday. True to form the only people that did were Meesh (all that fur seems to be rubbing off)......

.......and me!

Mad dogs and Englishmen (all present and correct).

Ulli doing an impersonation of himself impersonating Mickey Eskimo.

1000 peaks has been blown out a lot lately so my new surfing spot is woodies. It's all very tropical - you just hop over the concrete barricades (yes that did used to be the road) and there you are.

Perfection.

I often ask myself "are you doing what you love"? Within the constraints work (which I like, but binds me to a desk) my answer is nearly always "yes". That being said, there's a lot room for improvement, it's an internal upping of the ante in regards to stepping out of my own personal comfort zone. If ever I need a little inspiration Kepa Acero is fully tapped in, turned on and tuned in to his life. In this clip he found a kindred spirit , so enjoy these two men who are reveling in the bliss of living lives that they love.

Inspire 'd'.

There's nothing like a bit of flower power to set my appreciation groove rolling.

Hello Iris.
All three were communing in the same garden, lovely stuff.

Morning dew.

One of the locals at Kanaha.

Her feathers will be smelling a bit smokey this morning after the fire on Stable Road. No one was hurt, but there'll be a lot of washing and cleaning going on for those affected by this yesterday.

When I pass this I always want to spray a 'd' on the end.......maybe I will..... and start a graffiti scrabble game.

January so far......

January 1st 2012 and I'm greeted with a little rainbow for the start of my early glassy Kanaha session.

Wave one, dry hair and looking a little unsure.

Now that's better, clearly a good mental enama washes away all that ego nonsense and makes way for pure unadulterated fun.

This was without a doubt my biggest wave of the day!

I must have been out longer than I thought as I've grown a beard!

When Kanaha is too big for me, I know the harbour will be perfect.....and so it was for January 2nd 2012.

The harbour wave has a very distinct personality. It's flat, flat, flat and then an upwelling of energy shows up like someone has flapped a piece of silk. The watery step builds rapidly and it doesn't take much paddling to feel the push. I try to stay high on the lip for as long as I can and then swoop down to the right and then back up to the shoulder where (with luck) I repeat the manouver twice. Technically they call that a cut-back, but mines more of a loose swervey thing that thrills the pants of me!

After you... turtle crossing.

Posing with my favourite #8 buoy.

Charging Paley style which in truth is terribly relaxed.

These last few days the sweet water energy has given lots of smiles, yelps of joy and uplifted the spirits.... and that's just the people around me. Now imagine my feelings, the Yorkshire girl who couldn't swim until she was 39, got her first surfboard at 43 and made her first (and so far only) windsurf jibe at 50 (and three quarters).

Life is full of surprises.

Transition.

"Can't speak, struck dumb, inspiration won't come".....that's how I've been feeling for a while now, hence the sporadic posts of the past six months. I'm in transition and with that comes a lot of introspection and re-calibration, so I just keep taking the high road and being good to myself......fark let's hope it pays off!

Luckily I know from prior experience all the emotions line up eventually. As I look at this picture of myself, I know I'm getting there as I see the twinkle of my new and improved vibrant self and I don't mind telling you.... I've missed me!

Now that's a cracking good downward dog.

I'm happy to report that my spiritual/mental/physical/emotional practice is not just in the yoga studio, but also on the water. My turbulent windsurfing journey thus far has given way to me and my gear consistently blowing and flowing. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a mediocre sailor, but I'm really enjoying my emotional shift which is now enthusiastic, willing and curious .....oh and the tea really helps!

Let me explain the tea bit.....this thermos is my new best friend. I am a woman with cold extremities, ridiculous in this hot climate I know, but there it is. This predisposes me to not like getting colder, but back in September Mel introduced me to the luxury of pre and post session tea. Ladies and gentlemen this has been nothing short of life changing! I take a quick nip before dawn patrol to brace myself and on the water I always know when it's time to come in as my mind turns to what's waiting....a piping hot cup of divine chai green.

Collective groan (ribbit).

And let me leave you with the latest edition to the back of my truck. With thanks to my mate Jules for the inspiration..... pass the salt and vinegar would ya?

Thursday.

6:20 am and despite the web saying 'calm' the wind was already on the surf.

Of course the cat's at Kanaha don't give a shit about the conditions, just the perch opportunities.

A higher vantage point seems to be the order of the day, rise above and get a new perspective.

These guys are dialed in seasoned veterans and can play in anything.

Exhibit A, something out of nothing.

It's the real thing.

As is this, which is not two trees, but one taking the concept of branching out to a whole new level.

Spoil sports.

That's more like it.

Peace, love, ease and flow. Over and out.

Chilling out.

Everyone needs a place where they can contemplate undisturbed, this is my friend Jana's reading, meditation, napping and general chill out shack.

In case this dude chills out too much and forgets where he's from.

Now that's a labor of love, I don't think I've once rinsed my sail off with fresh water, let alone scrubbed it properly.

Cleaning the head....

....down the luff...

...opppps missed a bit behind the ears.

Bet'cha this sail doesn't get the same love, but they certainly looked chilled out.

As opposed to these guys, chicken ruuuuun.

Phew-after all that I'm hungry and having always wanted to make homemade pasta, the opportunity arose last week. With Ian as head chef and Cheyenne with all the tools in his kitchen (God bless the kitchen aid) the spinach and ricotta ravioli effortlessly manifested.

As this was Ian dipping his toe back into his non existent Italian roots, he did a bloody good job. I can't wait for the next refinement of the same recipe.

And finally, a few months ago a friend made me a palette of colors to match my tones, they're as dull as dirt, but luckily I'm not!