Teeside.

The only thing better than catching a wave is witnessing someone experience the stoke of surfing for the first time. I had the privilege of being there, when my best friend's daughter, donned a dinky wet suit and took to the water - all after an otherwise very serious morning. 

Having got through a fairly daunting interview for the Occupational Therapy course I aspire to complete (which is a thinly veiled excuse to set up a business in surf therapy) at Teeside University, I got convinced (didn't take much) to change into a wet suit despite a full face of makeup and catch some waves in my favorite break. 

Turns out surfing in red lipstick is actually pretty rad, it made me feel bold and like I had every intention of surfing with such a statement lip! I even enjoyed the funny looks from other surfers - yeah I'm here! 

The little person loved the waves despite nearly getting hypothermia at one point, I think with warmer weather and a lot of encouragement she could really become a surfer girl. Here's some pictures courtesy of Jemima Stubbs from few days hanging out. 

No Mia's were harmed in the making of this picture! Turns out getting little people into wet suits is actually not that easy, this seemed to be the best and funnest method tried!

This was taken before we got in the water when we could feel our hands and feet and knew what warmth was. 

This is how we rocked up to my interview, child seat and surfboard in tow. We must have been doing something right because I got complimented on the coat and the lecturers chatted to me about surfing for a while. All good omens! 

Until next time, 

Stay strong and surf well 

Love

Greetings from the Sunshine Coast.

Much like the ocean is an ecosystem, blogging is a community of interconnecting relationships. The subject of surfing is both emotive and motivational spurring many conversations across the world. Imagine my joy when one grey afternoon I receive an email from Roy Byrne of the Analogue Project, requesting to submit photographs of surfer Tarnea O'Meara from the Sunshine Coast Australia onto RWHCS. 

This was the equivalent of having money raining down from the sky - gorgeous photographs and an up and coming surfer girl, err yes please! 

So without further ado I'd like to introduce you to The Analogue Project  and hope you lend your support to the lovely Miss O'Meara. 

WORDS AND IMAGES COURTESY OR ROY BYRNE 

www.theanalogueproject.com

Tarnea O’Meara

Age: 19

Home: Sunshine Coast

Sponsors: Rue Stiic, Changing Habits, 4D surfboards, stick it surf wax

Years Surfing: 4

Tarnea has been surfing since she was 16. Before then you would be lucky to see her on a board twice a year. Competitive surfing only started for her in 2011, which makes her a bit of a latecomer compared to other competitive surfers who have started at a much younger age. That doesn’t stop her from pursuing her goals as a professional surfer and being better than the boys in a male dominated sport.  While surfing has for a long time been seen as a care-free anything-goes lifestyle, with the level of professional surfing going to new heights its hard to ignore the need for training to be taken seriously. Not only for a competitive edge but to set the right example for the future surfing athletes.

“Recently I have noticed that the surfing world is becoming more influential than ever. You not only have to be a great surfer, but a positive role model, promote a healthier lifestyle and reach the younger generation of kids. I am chemical and drug free, I eat organic, clean foods, and spend my days working, cross training and surfing. Surfing and health have become my complete focus since 2010 and I believe in a healthier and more natural lifestyle is needed in the industry in order to reach the younger generation.” –Tarnea O’Meara

Following up a 2^nd place in an international event the Taiwan Open of Surfing 2013 she is currently competing for the first time on the 2014 WQS circuit. Her combination of skill, healthy lifestyle and personality make her a female surfer worth keeping a close eye on in the coming years.

Thank you Roy and Tarnea! 

Until next time, 

Stay strong and surf well 

Surfacing.

You know that feeling, ten minutes into a workout where the little voice in your head is screaming 'no I can't do this,' but somehow your legs are still moving (or in our case arms still paddling)? Well, this is a prime example of your head lying to you, the same way ten minutes into a new relationship that's going well you'll try to sabotage it by doubting your happiness. 

Well this is how not to ruin your love life and accept that you are a vessel capable of being filled to the brim with, unbridled, arm wide joy! 

TELL THOSE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS TO SHUT THE F*%K UP! 

It's easier to be miserable because there's nothing to lose BUT there's also nothing to gain. For me the quickest way to stop ten to a dozen thought processes, is to go do some exercise i.e. surfing to give myself a moments peace. Thoughts drift like the clouds when I'm paddling out and suddenly things get put into perspective. That or do a workout routine with HASFIT. Coach Kozak is my valium, I could listen to this guy all day, such a motivator! 




SCRIBBLE.

I wrote this post on a grubby notebook on a train into Birmingham city center. I did so because I was trying to get my head straight for a date. Its too early to be revealing identities or making declarations but this guy is special, I mean I'm with him and all I feel is bliss. Like I said its early days but I feel like he's going to help me be the best version of myself, whilst also being my best friend. And that my dears in Sophia world is terrifying because suddenly there is hope and possibility. Reducing things to words on paper can shrink those enormous fears. Writing to you dear readers helps me to stop worrying about mindless things and focus on the here and now. I am someone's girlfriend, he makes me feel happy and that is as complicated as it needs to be. 

DISTRACTION.

Sometimes the best thing for you to do is to just distract yourself. I'm a sucker for getting stuck on a point and agonizing over it. Its hard to understand what it is your actually worrying about when your so close to the problem. For me I procrastinate on youtube or Epic TV. Here's a prime example of something that will suck me in long enough to stop thinking about whatever it was I was agonizing over. 

VALUE YOUR VALUABLES.

Its scary valuing people because there is something to lose if this person goes away. This is an inevitable part of life however and attempting to ignore this fact is like trying to contain water in your palms by grabbing at it. Better you accept that people change and hold your palm out ready for the possibilities. 
I'm putting this into practice for my new relationship, I'm starting to get really get attached to him and finding myself fighting this inevitable inertia. Falling in love actually releases the same chemicals as being on cocaine. Its going to get a little crazy so you may as well enjoy the buzz!! 

Anyway. 

Here's photos from said date, we walked around the Birmingham Botanical gardens in a rare bit of February sunshine. The word is bliss :) 

   

Until next time, 

Stay strong and surf well 
Love

For the love of cacti.

I've got a bit of a 'thing' for cacti, contrary to being an ocean loving water girl, desert fauna and flora intrigues me in the same way the sea draws me in, both are pure, unbridled wilderness. For me I love cacti's alien like appearance and their resilience, cacti can even survive forgetful, sometimes too busy for her own good, hippie chicks! 

On this here day (that would be Valentines) I'm not ready to declare my love for anyone yet so I'll say it to my city instead. Whilst out in the city center I came across dancing as I was walking to the train station, here are people making the recent floods in the UK seem like an opportunity to party in the rain. 

The lovely ladies at Moor Street Train Station, Birmingham, go get a cactus and a nice chat!

Later whilst buying cacti (my version of getting flowers for my sweetheart), I met the lovely shop owner when a cacti spike went into my finger and she came to check I was ok.
We ended up chatting and was joined by another commuter as I began explaining why I was buying cacti in the first place, you see a cactus can even make you social! 

During my Birmingham city visit, I also went to my local Lush store in a continuing attempt to live more ethically. I've been replacing all my toiletries with environmentally friendly, cruelty free products and have been feel pretty super about the whole process, not to mention my hair and body is loving the chemical free change over. 

Lush can be a little overwhelming at the best of times so here's a short round up of the products this surfer girl fully recommends. 

1. Seanik hard Shampoo bar. 

Two reasons lasts forever and can deal with sea ravaged locks. Win. 

2. Dark Yellow Colour supplement. 

Like a foundation but better, the stuff comes in a tiny tub and at £8.95 you think its barely going to cover a pore but it lasts. It manages to cover uneven skin tone and my stressed city skin like I'm putting on a new face each day. 

3. Sea Vegetable Soap

Smells lovely and has the word 'sea' in it, so even though I'm living in the worlds most land locked city I still feel like a little bit of coast everyday when I take a shower. Simple pleasures! 

4. Big Blue Bath bomb. 

Occasionally I have time to soak in a bath and this is my go to bath bomb. I light some candles, grab my favorite book and luxuriate in the pleasure of doing absolutely nothing. 

5. Soft Coer. 

Fun with or without a friend! This stuff is a massage bar that smells amazing and glides on the skin leaving you smooth and smelling divine. 

On a different note, I've decided should I get into Uni on an occupational therapy course, (which means independent living), then this is the year I get a dog. Maybe two. I've found a UK charity which rescues Spanish dogs, many beautiful long legged hound things and small scruffy mutts. 

I've randomly kept repeating in my head Kozak & Vega, which I'm taking as a sign that these shall be the names of my dogs. Why not? It's a nice (possible) dream isn't it?! Even if it doesn't happen this year I like the sound of it so will work towards making it real. 

Well that's enough random musing for one day I gotta hot foot it to a date! 
Before I go here's some pictures of cacti! 

Until next time, 

Stay strong and surf well 
Love

Letting Go.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. 

The Desiderata 

There is a moment just before standing up, that the roar off the ocean behind you feels overwhelming and you know that unless you commit your going to take a fall. That fear and overcoming it is the difference between riding a wave and wiping out. 

Fear is instinctive and can often be for protective purposes, it is however debilitating and in a non dangerous context problematic. When allowed to, fear can reign over all aspects of your life leaving you cloistered and on the fringes of living. 

I say this knowing fully the depths of my own fear. Generally I wear my soul on my sleeve and have a transparency with my thoughts and actions, I find being open allows me to connect on a much deeper level, strengthening relationships. This occurs in almost all social interactions bar romantic ones. Experience has made graffiti over that transparency and I find myself living in a walled existence. 

Presently I find myself getting to know someone, progressing slowly from first nervous meetings to dating. I'm becoming overwhelmed by the first flushes of romance and more fearful as I start to like this guy. 

In the same way learning to surf is a gradual process, falling for someone is the same slow meandering, 'try as you might' situation. 

So I'm trying to reflect on my surfing and use it as a metaphor in this instance to help me overcome the frustrations with myself. Often I have seen a glimmer of potential in a person and recklessly thrown myself into unsuitable partnerships. This time I'm going to paddle out, learn the way of the water before I take the drop, because once I do I know I'll commit and hopefully ride the wave in... 

Pretty things I saw.

   

 

Until next time, 

Stay strong and surf well 
Love