Thanks to Rob B who emailed me with such supportive words at what is a difficult time for me personally. Far more difficult than I ever thought possible.

Well Ben and I did break the sequence and get in on Weds evening at Sandilands. With the concern that this maybe our only window of opportunity, the inflatable roof rack was deployed on the Fiesta and off we went....though not without doing so under a cloud.

Maybe it's as a consequence of recent events, but there appears to be an air of change looming that isn't of a positive nature. I can't...won't go into any details as I see them, but even allowing for the emotions of the time, this is not imaginary.

Just when I began to see a ray of hope a week ago; or even further back to that Halcyon day at Twickenham in April when the future seemed very exciting; so now I sense that one or two people close to me are about to take some very foolish and ill advised steps in the short term at best!!!

Thanks heavens Suz isn't one of them......

Oh the surf?........well...even though we got in at slack water and the beginning of the ebb, it was still do-able despite an often pesky cross-off NW breeze. That said, to bob about and paddle around for the best part of two hours and only get a couple of mistimed and unsatisfying rides of sorts; the sort that end like a damp squib as the wave speeds off without you to shore; was an anti climax.

It's not often I return home from the sea in a worse frame of mind than when I left, but this was one of them. Now, a day or so after the event, and with a clearer view of the overall picture of things, I can at least content myself in the knowledge that it cannot get any worse. I will not let it, or anyone for that matter, come between me an activity that is so special.
posted by wollocks at 9:58 AM