I love Halloween...not just because I was born on all Hallows eve, but because of the costumes, the frivolity and the excuse to eat lots of sweets. This year I'll be celebrating with some of the land locked surfers in Wales. We're due a storm to rival the storm of 1987 (which was supposed to have been an epic one in England) so I guess we'd better make the most of indoor activities!! Here's hoping the tail end of the storm will provide us with good waves. Until then here's this weeks inspiration...
Until next water babies, stay strong and scare well!
In the depth of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer... I dream of escaping the city of being the kind of surfer who lives the lifestyle not just the past time. It is within my grasp and every fiber of my being is dedicated to making it happen. The time is now, I must try and although I love my city, I hear her, the ocean she calls me. Love Sophia x
"Scarlet are you running to someone or just running?" Kehua! by Fay Weldon
The worst thing a writer can do is not write. Suppressing that instinct to explore the depths of ones thoughts is like leaving your fingers in a door frame waiting for it to inevitably shut. Now that I'm becoming more aware that people actually read my blog I've unwittingly begun censoring the things I have to say, worrying that perhaps I'm being too candid or too honest. I would like to think however, that it is precisely my honesty which attracted you here in the first place. Its not that brutish type of truth which is is thinly veiled disdain, it is the gentle meanderings of a twenty something trying to come to terms with her life and the destinations it takes her. Real women have curves and surfboards wouldn't have originated if I wasn't a land locked surfer trying to navigate love, career and city life with the burgeoning dream of flocking to the sea. So be it. I tentatively begin talking to you in the hope that expressing myself will not only alleviate my burdens but identify with you, you the person, someone who feels and dreams as vividly as I do.
If I've learnt anything this year it is to seize the day, I know its a scuffed and well worn cliche but having lost two dear friends of mine I see waiting around as a futile past time. Patience as they say is a virtue, so when I say 'waiting around' I think I mean in the same context as Jack Johnson's song 'sitting, waiting, wishing.' Try to avoid being stuck in limbo, treading water, waiting on someone, all these a purgatory of your own manufacture. Recently I began experimenting with dating again which is where this reflection derives from. I'll always be a glass half full kind of person so I can't say my experiences have been wholly negative but they have made me wistful. Allow me to digress... I believe my whole romantic system is based on two songs. Johnny Clegg & Savuka 'Dela'and Pete Townsend 'My love opens the door' (see below).
Your probably trying to remember where you've heard them before right? They play at the end of family/romantic movies nearly all the time because they beautifully and oh so artfully sum up how it is to love and feel about someone.
With lines like 'I'm a whale listening to some inner call, swimming blindly to throw myself against your shore' and 'let my love open the door to your heart,' they've helped mold me into the hopeless romantic person you see today. I might look normal and I'm even able to hold a perfectly sensible conversation, but under the parka and ethnic jewelry lives a woman who believes in finding 'the one' and living happily ever after.
Gosh admitting that feels like I've just confessed to having a fetish for nose sucking (I don't and nothing wrong with people who do, just not my cup of tea)!! And its not like I'm walking round with the romantic equivalent of a metal detector looking for life partner material...I still want to meet someone organically and in an uncomplicated manner without expectation, its just now I feel I've suddenly become aware of longevity.
What happened? For ages I was this girl...
I literally didn't give two hoots about romantic relationships and was happiest planning on becoming a vet and watching David Attenborough documentaries. Then all of a sudden I became acutely aware of my pituitary gland that stealth bomber who made it impossible for me to ignore cute surfer guys. I see a man looking paternal and my ovaries clap, I see a guy looking after animals my ovaries clap, I see an artist doing his thing my ovaries clap, I meet a guy with a sense of humor....you get the gist.
Being alone is what all human beings are fundamentally afraid of. Even if your sated with casual affairs the striving for brief encounters is your way of alleviating the anxiety of being alone . The funny thing is I used to relish solitude, whilst my household growing up was never quiet, I could often steal moments away (mostly to the garden) and simply be. My message isn't law but I do think I'm right. Everybody wants to love and be loved in return. Dating in your mid twenties 'should' be carefree and effortless but alas it is not. With both partners trying to carve out careers, being in or just out of the wrong relationships and/or living in the wrong place (ahem Birmingham city)? There seem a whole host of landmines ready to trip you up. I've sampled the exquisite pain of not being the right person, of being the completely wrong person, of being the right person at the wrong time and for being just hell no but alas I regret nothing. Although sat in my room listening to the rain pelt down makes me feel excruciatingly single I am not unhappy. I'm actually pretty darn happy, because with every stupid declaration, trip up and wrong turn I get closer to finding the person who 'opens the door to my heart...' Too cheesy?? Yeah your right that was a bit much. I've always felt the Angelina Jolie approach to life seems a good one...live how you mean to live, in a way that is unique to you because if you are nothing but yourself, the great love and beautiful family can happen anyway, in a tune better suited to your rhythm...
Until next time water babies love strong, surf well... Sophia x
Buying a wet-suit is a rite of passage. Much like getting a tattoo on your face it's potentially uncomfortable, expensive and a big commitment. A good wet-suit will slip on like cocoa butter and enhance your surfing. A bad wet-suit will give you rashes which look like you might be into strangulation and help you wipe out. It is therefore with trepidation one embarks on purchasing my mermaid skin. Being a UK surfer presents a new set of problems in that my wet-suit needs to have a level of thickness which prevents our cold waters penetrating through. My skin has that kind of transparency which turns me smurf blue when I get cold, I therefore have to find a particularly toastie suit. Luckily for me I have a lovely group of surf experts who are able to point me in the right direction, here is the suit I'm currently lusting over, the Ripcurl 2014 Flashbomb 5/3mm chest zip steamer wet-suit a mere £280?!!
As someone fairly clueless about wet-suit specifications, I've gleaned as much knowledge off others as possible so here's a breakdown of the things you need to know when buying a winter wet-suit. 1. Thickness When you see things like 5/4/3mm all that's pertaining to is the thickness of the neoprene in different areas of the suit, usually chest, legs and arms. You don't need GCSE science qualifications to get that the thicker the suit the warmer your going to be!! Look for the higher numbers because that's going to keep you toastie when the North Sea is crashing on your head. 2. Stitching This is when it starts to sound a bit complicated 'flat lock stitching' 'blind stitched' 'liquid taped.' From what I can gather 'flat lock' = bad everything else is good. The stitching is highly important because if you material isn't joined together in a steadfast and waterproof way well your going to get cold. Very cold. I've had surfers get highly passionate on my facebook wall around the subject of what stitching, take it seriously people! 3. Brand Like everything certain brands have certain reputations. Not long ago Ripcurl wasn't known for its wet-suits longevity but since the appearance of the flashbomb (i.e. dries quicker) they've made something of a comeback. A friend of mine has nothing but praise for his quoting that its super stretchy, easy to get on and off and gives him freedom in the water. I have yet to hear about billabong/roxy wetsuits but Gul is another name which seems to crop up for positive reasons. I think like anything its a case of try before you buy, ask at surf hire shops about their wet-suits and get second opinions. I've bugged everyone I know about what to buy so feel a little more confident with parting with my well earned pounds! In terms of where to buy wet-suits I have two places which have a good selection at reasonable prices. The first is my beloved Surfdome which have a really good variety, they also have literally every accessory under the sun so you can find everything your going to need in the line up. The other place I've been told is worth a gander is Wetsuit Outlet which have a huge amount of stock. 4. Style Entrepreneur You HAVE to be practical, there's no point getting a pretty suit that will deliver you back to the shore as a human ice cube. That being said once you've ensured you've ticked all the practicalities off the list, it is something you should definitely play with. For summer suits I think the more experimental the better, invest in handmade local businesses like Slynk Suits or check out Salt Gypsy for new and innovative styles from around the world. Who says you can't have style in the lineup?!
I hope this meandering post is of some relevancy to you. Happy Winter surfing!
My littlest sister has recently started a blog called 'Lipstick and Lashes' which is an ode to all things beauty. Unlike my two sisters I have never been particularly glamorous and whilst they positively love getting glammed up, I approach the task with the same level of enthusiasm one approaches algebra. I was however infinitely, proud/inspired/impressed by Laura's professional looking blog and the way she reviews beauty products, so much so its inspired me to do a beauty feature with a surfers spin on it. There's mixed reviews about surfer girls wearing make up in the ocean, men it seems positively detest the idea and go as far as saying they don't take surfer girls with make up on seriously. On the flip side women it appears see no harm in a little water proof mascara and lip gloss! Here's my take on it. For much of my teenage years I was blighted by blemished skin so much so make up became a comfort blanket against the world. I'd wear it all the time purely because it made me feel that little bit better about my spots. Initially I wore it surfing too until I began to realize salt water and make up don't really mix, it almost immediately washes it off and then you get the panda look. Not cute. So I started to go commando (so to speak) and something miraculous happened, my skin gradually began to clear up (sans Doctors trips) and I began to feel really confident not wearing make up. I was so busy concentrating on not wiping out that I didn't have time to worry about the state of my face!! It helped me so much that nowadays I can go out without make up and still feel like me. I'd like to discuss some of the products I use which protect my skin against harsh North Sea conditions and make me surf ready.
1. Hemp I wouldn't be a proper hippie if I didn't say something about hemp and tea tree. I LOVE the body shops hemp range purely because post surf its the most hydrating moisturizer I can give my skin. I've also just begun using the tea tree cool & cream wash which makes your skin really feel tingly and clean after using. It manages to remove make up really well and so far seems to be keeping my skin blemish free.
2. Cocoa Butter I will be forever loyal to Palmers Coco Butter, not only because it is a wonderful moisturizer but also because it doesn't test on animals. I tend to get tanned from wind burn, surfing out in the North Sea so I use the gradual tanner to keep that post surf glow when I'm back in Birmingham. Original Source shower gel is my soap of choice, it always smells amazing and stops me smelling like a flip flop!!
3. Salt of the Earth As I'm very aware of the increase of cancer in society, I've started to pay attention to the chemicals I douse my body in. Salt of the earth is a natural deodorant which has no nasties in it, as far as I can tell (my friends haven't told me otherwise) it seems to work just as well as an anti antiperspirant and keeps me smelling fresh. I do use antiperspirant on big nights out(purely because nothing can protect me from the amount of dancing I do) but generally I stick to this stuff.
4. Do it with an Aussie. My hair nearly reaches my butt and has a tendency to make me look like the wild woman of Borneo, so for these reasons, I have to pay particular attention to what I put on it. Weirdly it was a surfer boy who got me into using the Aussie organics range but my gosh does it work! (Sorry Jonny naming and shaming you here)!
Jonny's hair is absolutely gorgeous, largely due to his surfing lifestyle but also because he uses the Aussie conditioner which stops it knotting up like a bitch! If its good enough for him its good enough for me.
6. The Big Reveal. I'm going to let you in on a secret...the product I swear by, which is undoubtedly my secret weapon is a £1.25 KTC pure coconut oil I get in the Asian section of a local market in Handsworth. It comes as a solid but when heated turns to a liquid which can be used on hair, face and body. It is literally miraculous getting rid of blemishes (use a small amount on face as its very greasy), smooths dimpled thighs and is a great after balm for shaving/waxing/epilating etc. Now shhhh, keep it to yourself! Whilst all these products play their part the most effective protection a surfer can use in maintaining health and beauty is sun cream, it goes a long way and makes a big difference to skin. I hope my little meandering into beauty has been entertaining if not informative. If you have any questions or any of your own recommendations then please don't hesitate to get in touch I love your messages! In the next post I will be reviewing wet-suits and swim wear so comment on any suggestions you have or any designers you think deserve a mention :) Until next time water babies... Stay strong & Surf Well Love Sophia
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