Surfing White Butts

We've all seen guys with shorts hanging half way down their arses. Some of us have even been those guys I'm sure. But I've seen a whole new trend, one I'm hoping will catch on through the southern summer. Swimming in the surf I noticed a white flash surfing the wave next to me. I thought I was mistaken but a tanned blonde surfer was catching a wave with his board shorts exposing the entirety of his extremely white hot butt. He was laughing all the way, and paddling back out into the surf with the same white beacon beckoning. Again and again. He was trying to get a little attention from some people on the beach and achieved success beyond his expectations.

The water was crystal clear, the waves divine and I'm going back for more. Regularly.

(photo sourced from L'HOMME EST UN CONCEpt)

Awesome Weekend

So I've woken up at 7am, at the latest, every day (including Friday) this weekend, and it has been such an intensely FULL weekend. I love it. I absolutely loved it, not all aspects mind you, but the overall rating is certainly way up there. The not so fab bits, well, they weren't all that bad in the grand scheme of things. The fab, oh so good.

I feel like I need a shower, though I've only recently had one. It's that feeling you get when you've been at the beach much of the day, a little bit of sun and wind making the skin feel that little bit, hmm, summerised. It was my first ocean swim for the year, and I powered through it and surprised myself with a placing. Big smile from me the rest of the afternoon. And what an afternoon. Weather they pick out for postcards and travel ads. Cocktails on the deck watching the waves, the setting sun, and a summer barbecue to finish it all off. The Frenchman managed to find the solitary blue bottle in the whole of the ocean on this perfect day today, and it attacked him like a frenzied shark (well, ok , it hurt). But he made it through like a trooper, finished the race and achieved a lot more.

Saturday night I escaped to see Jay Brannan in concert. He was fantastic. The warm up act was so so, and everyone was chatting like it was just background music at a bar (and in that time I caught up with friends and met someone from way back who quite surprised me). Then Jay came on and he had everyone's complete attention. There were no conversations happening, full on focus on the man of the moment on the last performance in his world "I suck at life" tour. I love his humour, though some may not. His music is a lot of fun, sometimes moving, some times hilarious, and the live performance was sensational, a natural and easygoing performer with stunning vocal ability. I'm so glad I managed to get there and had some friends who took me in.

Amélie had her first sleep over without her mum on the weekend. Stressful for her mum, but exciting for her dads! It was a lot of fun. She's always a lot of fun and so easy. It's so easy in fact it feels like I'm not really being a dad at all, it's supposed to be hard work isn't it? I mean there's a lot to do, but once I'm awake, it's not so hard.

I'm voting for more of these weekends, and more of the people who take them that step above the ordinary.

photos from the bondi to bronte ocean swim site

Surf's Up

I live by the beach here in Coalcliff but on Sunday, almost 2 hours away, I go surfing at Palm Beach in Sydney's far north with friends. It's a 35 degree day (95F) and being in the water feels just perfect. The fact that the men in the water distract me from catching a few waves is just icing. I'm surfing on a friend's malibu board, and it's so much fun I don't want to get out. The Frenchman is out in the water too catching some waves. When we do eventually pack up, a southerly change (ie cold wind) storms in and blows most people off the beach anyway. It's the formula of our perfect summer day - and this is early spring. I'm so looking forward to summer I can feel it pulsing though my veins already. 

Earlier in the day we're at a birthday party, and it's a sports themed birthday so the name of the game is being active (in this 35 degree heat remember). What do we have to do? Well, thankfully it's the 5th birthday of our niece and so it's the kids who are being active, the adults are standing by. Some dads are quite competitive though and they're giving their sons technique tips for the tug-of-war, and high fiving them when they lose "you gotta make him feel good". There are 2 boys who didn't get such support - and when their team loses, they're crying on the grass and don't want to play any more.

I'm glad I'm not 5 yrs old, although I will take the high fiving dad, he's gorgeous. 

Chillaxed in Byron

The Frenchman catches a wave.

Bathing in the Kitchen Sink

Guess who built pyramids... (click to enlarge)

I never tire of Byron Bay. We spent this weekend there. A weekend of a bit of this and a bit of that. Some home cooked food, some dining out, some beaching, some running, some playing in the surf, some afternoon siestas and playing with our nephew. Sure there was some pouring rain and there was me too slowly getting through my first ever sinusitis, but they were mere hiccups. (in fact I love nothing more than rain belting onto the roof when you're in bed!!) The weekend was divine. I'll do it again - or maybe The Frenchman and I really will do it one day - and just move there... now wouldn't THAT be nice!

Sunday March 30

The Red Eye from Perth last Tuesday was just fine thank you very much - Business class on a 747 is pretty nice (even though it's not international business class - more premium economy I guess) it was the crash landing into the new week that was hellish. Arrived to more work than I could possibly deal with, and then a rapidly developing laryngitis which took me right out of the work equation for a day or more, and then so far behind it was like picking up after a war. I still have a husky voice that makes men and women beg for more (and the more I give the less voice I have to give) deep deep down... Darth Vader eat your heart out.

Of course I then went racing today in the ocean blue - the race of all races - the one I've been training for all year right here at my home beach!!... and I'm sick, I'M BLOODY SICK, like I've not had much of an appetite for a few days, nose is digusting - we won't go there, but the muscle aches and pains are gone (or is that the aspirin I took for the headache this morning?) I still have my fitness, but there ain't no extra left for the surge to the beach. Mentally I'm not helped by the coughing along the course - not frequent - but a reminder that I'm not at my peak - even though I do try and ignore the reminder and push on - which I do - to finish a respectable 16th out of 'almost 300'. Can you complain? But I wanted top 10! I wanted to beat everyone in my age group! That run up the beach today felt like I hadn't been running at all, all year! Bloody hell, I deserved a medal just to get to the finishing line!

A cute guy from Tamarama surf club greeted me over a banana at the end - seriously - so I was pleasantly distracted from my aches and pains for a while. Then The Frenchman arrived, much later in the pack than he'd normally like - but he was sick too - so I was relieved that he actually finished (I think he wanted a cute lifesaver to bring him home). His family there to greet him - all the way from France - I don't think anything would stop him competing either.

It was the perfect day today too, warm and sunny with just a light breeze - we had a gathering for lunch at ours' and had the most chilled out day - with spectacular light a great group of people and a great birthday celebration for The Frenchman's dad. A sojourn to the beach here in the afternoon for some playing in the sand with the kids and swimming in the surf, the perfect end to the weekend.

Here we have The Frenchman's mum serving home made birthday cake with Champagne.

See, the light really was awesome!

Easter Long Weekend : Western Australia

Western Australia is right now the place to be, and not just for the gorgeous men. It is very much still summer over there and accordingly our Easter Long Weekend was spent along the coast from Perth to the far south, exploring beaches, wineries and diving right in.

First and second stop was Cottesloe Beach which, while not the best for catching waves, is a beautiful protected beach just south east of Perth. Good Friday it was jam-packed with people, from families having picnics to friends out for some fun in the sun. The water heated to just perfect degrees and painted bright blue we ventured in again and again. Sylvain managed to find a brightly coloured jellyfish, which I proceeded to spend 10 minutes photographing, and we both spotted a similarly beautiful beach bound beauty who looked like an ad for apple ipods… let me just click the home delivery box.

A little later on, something stung me on my last swim for the day - maybe an over photographed jellyfish...

Subiaco fed us dinner, Japanese in a flash, and we headed to the Camelot Outdoor Cinema in Mosman Park to watch Juno under the stars. The warm evening was just perfect for it. I laughed out loud a lot more than once - film and cinema recommended.

Afterwards we went for a late night run around the city and along the swan river. I could have kept running it was so good, but we were due to pick up The Frenchman’s family from the airport at midnight. And so Perth welcomed them in summery style. Our Nephew had cried pretty much all the way from France, so sleep was something they all needed. (and possibly the rest of the plane)

The Ibis hotel was fine for just that but we won’t be going back there any time soon by choice.

Saturday had me taking the girls out shopping as The Frenchman took his Brother and Dad to get their campervans (not as easy as it sounds). With all the logistics sorted we headed back to Cottesloe where the crowd had thinned, yet the day was even more spectacular. We all hit the water and played in the sand, the Frenchies looking especially stark in contrast to the deeply tanned locals. The atmosphere here so good we stayed and had lunch – Italian by the sea.

Convoy in tow we headed south, to Yallingup – great name – better place. The waves are huge, all shades of blue, green and white, and filled with surfers and body boarders who provide more eye candy than is probably safe for human consumption. My sunset swim here was probably the most spectacular in a long time – I watched as these suddenly huge waves crashed over me – with the tubes of water so incredible I was laughing out loud in this crazy surf. Colours, light, movement – I needed my underwater camera – but it was too late – and given how I was dumped by the first wave I caught – probably safer without it.

The weekend continued with exploration of the Margaret River region, wine tasting, late night dinners and chocolate in so many guises.. Easter eggs, brownies, milkshakes, hot chocolate (just heavenly - from a gourmet vendor at the beach after my early morning swims) home made choc chip cookies, chocolate tasting at the chocolate factory… I think I’ve found my limit. We left the Frenchies at Cape Leeuwin as we headed back to Perth for our Red Eye back to reality.

I hope you all managed a great Easter break.

WA Full Report : Coming Soon

I'm just back from an Easter trip to Western Australia.

Full post to come in the next 24 hours... (I'm playing with the pictures - like this one above) and, quite happily, I have quite a few to choose from. In the meantime you can work on your wild wednesday challenge... (below)

Race Day

So on Saturday night I get some good sleep - though my dreams are vivid, in one a bunch of guys from a big ute are attacking The Frenchman, in another I'm supposed to jump from this insanely high waterfall off a mountain basically and glide to the river at the base in some raft. Both are disturbing and both wake me up. But I get back to sleep and wake in time to prepare for THE SWIM. Today's focus. Well, one of them.

I have a bit of a routine for pre-race mornings, and I follow the plan. Butterflies have started and I'm visiting the mens' room more than I'd like - but this is normal, so I go with it, no choice really. We arrive in Cronulla ahead of schedule and find our way to the beach past scores of cute fit men, (I'm sure there were others too, but I don't recall them so well.) They give us these new Powerade pre-race drinks - complete with added caffeine as we register. The sun is out in force and the day sparkling. We're surrounded by cuteness, and the world is a beautiful place.

I test the water - there is a lot of shallow water here today so I figure I'm going to have to use that running practice I've been doing at the beginning and the end of the race. I'm braced and ready - and bang we're off and running... and running... and finally swimming, and I manage to keep in the front pack - but some of them do slip by - I'm doing my best, any faster and I'm going to be too lactic for the guts of the race - so I settle into race mode and gradually pick up pace through the 2.3km. In the final - and longest leg - there are 2 competitors right behind me and I have to pick up my pace progressively right through to the finish - I'm actually sprinting by the time I get to the beach and then I have to run to the finish line, and run and run... beating them both and managing to take out 3rd place in my age category.

I can't breathe and take a minute or two before I can move again- I'm stoked - although not as stoked as when I was told I was 2nd, but they later found out there was a technical glitch... So I manage my aim - a podium finish - and get a prize to boot. The Frenchman has a great swim - his first for the season - and I manage to photograph him (kind of) as he finishes... as you can see below...

I've obviously used all my reflexes for the race... but he still looks cute.

In the afternoon we head to the everpopular diggies to catch up with good friends. It feels like home there and cocktails / food / more is accompanied by a most excellend DJ on the deck watching the waves (and men) roll in on North Beach. I envisage the DJ at the launch of their new CD series Cafe Del Diggies, but figure they'll have to find a better name.

I can't think of a better way to spend the afternoon quite frankly - heaven- so we stay a while longer. We all decide to buy the house across the road and then we leave to go and sell our houses and prepare for the move.

Thursday Morning

It's my morning off, and I awake to a day they say is going to be 27 degrees and sunny. I look outside, I feel outside, and I think they're right. After downing breakfast - a mix of cereals and some peach slices on top, I head to the national park beach where I strip naked and jump into the surf that looks like this:

to float around a while. I eventually get out and rinse off in the freshwater creek that trickles down from the mountain and then in the shade I read "The Swimming Machine" which, contrary to popular opinion is not autobiographical. There's not a lot of people around, which is surprising for such a fantastic day, but I'm enjoying my solitude and I when I get hot again I dive back into the water and wonder what would happen if I swim too far from shore.

I treck back up the mountain and pass 8 people heading down, one guy swears at how steep it is... but he's going down, and I don't mention that he has to go back up some time, and it's getting hotter.

I get home and Norten, who looks like this:

has dug a few holes in the lawn, so he gets solitary confinement for a while. Once I think he understands what it's all about I take him for a walk to my nearby beach which is also looking pretty brilliant, and as I stand there watching the waves roll in (with Norten dragging me too and fro like a buoy in the swell), a surfer, who looks like this:

(only cuter and blonder) walks up from the beach and stands right next to me where he proceeds to takes off his full body wetsuit. I can't say he's the cutest thing since Brad Pitt was a young adult, but in fact, he is. It confirms another reason I like living near the beach, and while I could easily hang around a bit longer I take Norten back home because I have to go to work. And then I post this, making myself even later to work than I really should be. But the story had to be told.