Hasn't the weather been strange lately?

After a magnificent sunset yesterday,

it's gone back to cold, bleak and rainy.

Need some colour.

Live at the Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a long way from Brinetopia and I have never been there. My only experience of the place has been through my ears with the Isle's 1970 Live Concert tunes of old geezers like The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, The Doors, Ten Years After, Joni Mitchell, The Moody Blues, Melanie, Donovan, Free, Chicago, Richie Havens, John Sebastian, Leonard Cohen and Jethro Tull.

There would be some companies on this spinning blob of brine shared by a few billion of us carbon based bi-peds, who are happy to cut down, kill off, desecrate or burn off everything in pursuit of a profit.

Not so for Rapanui, a small eco fashion brand from the Isle of Wight founded by brothers Martin and Rob Drake-Knight in early 2008. These guys must be doing something right as they have won a couple of  Business Awards for their commitment to sustainability and passion for doing business the right way.  

Image courtesy: Rapanui 2010

According to their web site, "Rapanui make clothes out of organic natural fabrics in a wind powered factory audited by the Fairwear Foundation. The brand promotes local economic and social sustainability by using local businesses and running charity events. Rapanui make it easy and convenient for customers to find out where their clothing comes from and how it is made using interactive maps and a Wikipedia style encyclopaedia of their product life cycle on their website; traceability that is years ahead of the industry. " 

And being on the other side of the planet, where nobody stocks these eco-goodies, I was taken by their Free Post Globally policy. Over to you Rip Curl, Quicksilver and Billabong.

Three Marble Surf

Received some evocative winter shots of Sunshine Beach at sunset from Corey Wilkie last night and just had to share them. Presented on this cold MOONday morning with a bit of a mash up of wordage I found in my little art pad - something I wrote while staying at Corey's Sunshine Beach shack four winters back:

"My wife is asleep beside the fish.

The One

with the air spray of an octopus.

The One

made by Puffer's father.

The One

with the broken fin.

---

I grab $5 out of her purse

and try and heave my ancient body

in the direction

of the Sunshine Beach bakery.

---

Yesterday was  a three-marble-surf.

4 Squared

Loggin Days

Some days

you need to ride

a long long board

No Goats - No Glory

Got an email the other day (slight editing to prevent lawsuits) from goofyfooter Mark (above) who is currently on a solo surfari south with his Southcoast Longboard quiver - 

"Monday - A cracker though very weird. Only 8 waves in two and a half hours, but they were some of the best I have had there. Not much of a crowd, but the sets were rare and only two waves to the set. Me and this other old coot sat way outside and waited ages for these monster sets that came through very infrequently. The old coot actually talked me into sitting out there with him. He was right - the wait was endless but when the waves came they were steep and hollow all the way to the fish trap marker."

Goofyfooter Mark 23 June 2010

(no idea)

Little Pink Houses

Took a big road trip to Nana Brine's country yesterday.

By the time I got there

the weather had turned

bleak and surfer unfriendly

I found a nice rocky ledge

with only two out

and managed a few nice rides

Before leg cramps set in.

After lunch I took Nana for a drive

and she showed me this 

little pink house

that just sold for $1.5 Million

It has a view of the rocky ledge

I Used to Skate

This post is for my brine brother H who spent a cold night in a swag somewhere near Gilgandra, 1000 kilometers from his shack at Noosa. Safe travels. I dreamt of skateboarding an empty swimming pool last night. I used to skate. One of the decks I made below - a translucent sandwich of perspex and fibreglass.

"I Used To Skate Once"
is also the annual skate-art-music event
by fashion place called
The Outpost
24th June 2010
The Zoo 
Brisbane.

Lots of local, interstate and international creative people who’ve turned their artistic genius to the skate deck as a canvas - Marcus Oakley (UK), Andrew Gordon, Porous Walker, Carmela Ruffino, Abigael Whittaker, Sasha Jooste, Liam Bhats, and Pedestrian’s good pal Claudio Kirac.
Live Music by
The Deadnotes feat The Legend (Everett True)
Per Purpose
Community (formerly Stemford Hiss)
Swede Tooth

25 Hours from Nowhere

A couple of weeks ago, after a nice slidey session on a cold sunny morning, I had a yarn with a fella who was excited just to get sand in between his toes, let alone enjoy the small clean peelers that were happening. He told me he works in the mines six hours west of here. He gets to see the sea for three weeks and then has to go back to the dust of the mines for three weeks. On and off, over and over whether it's pumping or not, so he can put a roof over his kids' heads. This post is for you, buddy. Two different angles of the same spot taken 25 hours apart.

Backslider

6:30 am  

only a faint glow of dawn on the horizon. 

Today even the birds are sleeping in, 

the cows are huffing and 

the dawn patrol sand is icy.

Welcome to Winter Solstice.

the shortest day of the year. 

Complete with low soft light.

and waves perfect for sliding

on your back.

Zen Contemplation

Blue Beast

Friday Frolics

Hello weekend.

Time to strap on the rods

and the boards

and the tent

and hit it up the beach

past that spot

with the wicked shore dump

along the track to 

the protected pointbreak

not That One

the one without crowds

and then to rest our salty bones 

under a million stars

while that epic ride

replays 

on our pillow of dreams

Luddite x 3

Woodcut print by Alex Gillies 2010

Luddite 1:  member of the social movement of British textile artisans in the nineteenth century who protested – often by destroying mechanized looms – against the harsh economic climate and changes produced by the Industrial Revolution including degrading working conditions in the new textile factories. The principal objection of the Luddites was to the introduction of new wide-framed automated looms that could be operated by cheap, relatively unskilled labour, resulting in the loss of jobs for many skilled textile workers.

Luddite 2: An exhibition of woodcuts and prints by skilled artisan Alex Gillies. "The medium of woodcuts hasn’t really changed in more than 500 years; it works, so why mess with it? A lot of my pieces focus around old forms of technology that I dearly love – my typewriter, old hot rods from my grandparents’ generation, bicycles – stuff that doesn’t need replacing every 12 months." Alex Gillies More info here.

Luddite 3: One who wants to take a lo-fi approach to their Brine Time by enjoying hand made boards and hand-planes created using eco friendly materials and ancient, traditional processes eg wooden handplanes, alaia. More info from Handplane Goodness and Tom Wegener Surfboards and the Wooden Surfboard splinter group!

3 x 3 x 3

Continuing our hand made and musical themes, here's a couple of handmade watercraft and musical instruments at Noosa Longboards surfshop, where I shot Gidget. Top left is a modern interpretation of an ancient wooden beast - the hollow toothpick - by Parrish Watts. Next is a 70's inspired carving device by Dick Van Straalen (or is it Dirk?). Last a 21st century fish with glassed on wooden keels by DVS as well.

Below, Parrish and the NLB boys sliding old style on Parrish's Vintage Pacific Surfcraft at the Noosa Rivermouth. Watch out for the bull sharks.

Image courtesy of Vintage Pacific Surfcraft

Have a Cigar

Somewhere amongst the accumulated detritus of the Brinecave is a 70 year old wooden cigar box that has survived three break and enters by persons unknown. It belonged to my grandfather who loved a nice Cuban cigar. With a broken lid, it's a container of memories more than a work of art. 

This morning I re-discovered the following items shoved in there - a Coca-Cola Russell yo-yo (with "Special Spin"), a Von Weirdo's business card, a selection of fountain pens, an extract from my late Dad's birth certificate, the original mirror from our twin lens reflex art deco Rolleicord camera dated 16/03/35, a small pocket knife that belonged to my other grandfather and serendipitously, a hand scribbled note of the set list that Roger Waters' Pink Floyd band played (written at 11:20 pm while waiting for the concert traffic to unjam). And yes they played "Have a Cigar"

A few weeks ago I saw and heard cigar box guitars for the first time. Most were fretless and were being played in a low-fi stomping, slidey style. The sound intrigued me, especially when played through a wah-wah peddle like Nigel McTrusty(?) above. So now I know what to do with that old cigar box keepsake - gonna turn it into a home made blues guitar. 

 I just love the touristy tea strainer from Natural Bridge at the back of the Gold Coast used as a sound hole on the fretless cigar box guitar above. Guitars by Gary Martin from Hoodoo Hand. If you don't quite embrace the do-it-yourself approach then contact him on: gblues@y7mail.com (no webbie spot).

Casual Friday

Casual Friday + Surf =

Avagoodweekend

The sound of one Bob smiling

L-R Thomas Meyerhoffer, Micky Munoz, Bob McTavish, Scott Dillon and Tom Wegener (wearing a Seaworthy tee by Nathan Oldfield) spotted in Noosa back in March.

Bottom pic Bob and a replica of the Fantastic Plastic board that some would argue ignited a revolution of vert surfing - or at least promoted the idea that you can ride a wave in many ways like Mr Greenough.

"There are no bad waves, only a poor choice of equipment and a lousy attitude."

Mickey Munoz 2003

Scotland the Brave

Tears and laughter

Winter sunshine and airline vapour trails

Funeral in the country

In the foothills of Ngungun and Beerwah

Not far from Irwin's Zoo

We talked story about Irene

Born in Tasmania

Raised in Scotland

Passed away in Australia

Farewell bonnie lassie.

Red Is the Colour

"Short ride from here to where the beast resides
Fine line that separates the shadows inside"

from Steve Earl Red Is the Colour 2007

Surf Check #725000

Beannie? Check. Uggh boots? Check. Long corduroy trousers? Check Warm coat? Check. Winter? Check. All over the country, a million of us are doing the daily surf check. And in Brinetopia it is really really cold today. It always seems colder just after the sun comes over the horizon and the first zephyrs for the day start stirring the air - soft offshores, holding up the faces of the waves and shaking up my already shakey hands.

I was a toiler on the sea

Continuing the nautical theme, the Sunshine Coast will welcome home Jessica Watson today after her record breaking solo circumnavigation of the planet. There were plenty of naysayers early on but the 16 year old has proven them all wrong. She is scheduled to sail past Caloundra at 10.00am EST today, then Point Cartwright and on to Alexandra Headland by 12.30pm, before sailing into Mooloolaba Harbour.  Go Jessica! 

wrecks and Relics II

Smallish waves at the Wrecks Comp.

After recovering from his eye operation, 

The Bazzmeister tore it up 

in his Over 60's heat 

on his fave yellow and blue Hayden.

 

GPS + sleep = wreck

Wrecks and Relics

The dinosaurs of surf return to the briney sliding grounds off Hastings Street this weekend for the 2010 Noosa Malibu Club Over 50's Wrecks and Relics longboard comp.

Your diligent blogger plans to trap the antics of our surfing elders in a few camera boxes for later display on phosphorescent screens around the world. Or at least get a world class mocha. Over to you Hughie.

"The older we get

the better it was."

Winter = Wonder

Winter is when the light is soft and manageable.

the UV radiation way more gentle
and when you get those crisp days
with blues skies and no wind at all 

and sometimes a little bit of peeling swell 

on well sculpted sandbanks. 

Wonder and bliss.