It's a tough life!

Life here is hard. You have to understand that. Yesterday I took the girls to school and then decided to go down to a local beach and watch the first round of the Surfing World Championships. The sun was shining, the waves were big - it was tough I tell you.

I drove down there - no more traffic than normal, and immediately found a space in the car park - free. Walked to a great coffee bar and picked up a fab coffee - none of that rubbish Starbucks - this is real coffee, and walked along the beach to where the surfing was happening. All the marquees were set up with a road of smaller ones behind selling the usual merchandise and food and drink. (pretty damn good food and drink and no more expensive than anywhere else here but as always really good quality ingredients). Excellent sound system and commentary, big screen on the beach in case you couldn’t see properly, lots of people and it was free. I saw all the top surfers in the world - believe me some of those guys are very very attractive wearing not a lot but anyway……..and they were happy to mingle with the audience and give interviews etc etc. Very relaxed.

Now in the UK, firstly the event would either have been called off because of bad weather. You would have to drive for ages and then not find somewhere to park. If you did find somewhere to park you would pay the earth for the pleasure. You would be marshaled here there and everywhere and pay through the nose to get on to a public beach where if you were lucky you could buy a disgusting burger for 10 pounds.

Obviously that doesn’t happen all the time but some of it happens a lot and there really is no need. And just as obviously some things here are not run very well but they are few and far between and I am going by what I have experienced.

This event is on for a few more days so I might, on Friday, if they are being remotely pleasant, allow the girls to miss a day of school and take them down. It’s something well worth seeing and it might encourage them to actually learn to surf (they are going to anyway but it would be better if they were slightly keen) A couple of pictures of the day. I understand it was raining and chilly in the UK yesterday for Adrian’s birthday. It was great here!!!

Apparently we might have a cyclone heading our way - I guess that could be a downside to living here??? I hope the surfing finishes before it arrives - it’s making some excellent waves.