Tuesday 29 April 2014

For there is nothing heavier than compassion. Not even one's own pain weighs so heavy as the pain one feels with someone, for someone, a pain intensified by the imagination and prolonged by a hundred echoes. 

 Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being






I was skeptical when I first heard Ricky Gervais had a new show about a man with learning difficulties. I thought the usually acerbic Gervais would take the subject of care within a nursing home and make fun of the people who call it their everyday life. 
I'm glad to say I was 100% wrong, Derek, is a sensitive and wonderful depiction of the ups and downs of a nursing home and Gervais plays a fantastic lead character (Derek). Being a care worker myself I'm not allowed to discuss the role greatly due to privacy issues, but I can elaborate about how I feel as a care worker. 

Much like surfing isn't just a hobby, care work isn't just a job. The people I have the privilege of working for get under your skin in a way which makes them feel like family. Its not professional to admit this but I don't see how you can possibly do a good job without working with your heart as well as your head. I wake up worrying about them, I spend my day trying to think of new ways of helping them live a life as individuals and my heart breaks every time someone gets ill or passes away. 

The care industry is a sinking ship, its undervalued, grossly under funded and vulnerable to abuse. I am often witness to the raised eyebrow expressions when I say what I do, the low wages and the nature of the job (I have to assist with personal care), seem to provoke feelings of revulsion in people. 

Don't feel sorry for me, I am the luckiest girl alive to do what I do. 

I consider it an honor to get up and go try to make someone else's day meaningful. Regardless of how tired I am or whats going on in my life I make it my mission to treat that person with respect and give them the dignity they deserve. Whilst the wages certainly don't reflect the level of responsibility I have during the day and the hours are ridiculously long (14 hours), I feel a great sense of accomplishment doing what I do. 

I need and appreciate my holidays but I never feel dread going into work (okay, some mornings I'd like a bit of extra time snuggling Mr Sunny but hey)! There are at times very frustrating aspects of the job- apathetic family members, budget cuts, the disrespect shown by passersby, but these are greatly outweighed by service users's smiles, walks in the park, day trips and the wonderful staff I work with. I think everybody should try for a time working in care either through volunteering or employment, its honestly the best education I've ever had.

Funnily enough quite a few surfers I have encountered are also care workers...correlation? 





[Above] Shift dress and bag are for sale in the up and coming online vintage boutique I'm establishing in collaboration with Jemima Stubbs Photography. 

Until next time, 

Stay strong and surf well 
Love



Saturday 26 April 2014

The Poor Surfer.

 Ever noticed how expensive surfing is when you don't live by the ocean? Alongside the problem of logistics there is also numerous pieces of equipment needed when the ocean you play in happens to be cold water. For a land locked surfer there are various fiscal challenges to overcome before a toe even steps onto plank. 

At the end of summer I'll ascend northwards to be a mere 20 minutes away from a beach break, thus cutting in half my travel expenses. I will however be a student at 25 years old, living independently off peanuts, there is a distinct lack of money being a student for the second time round and while I plan to work around my studies, things will be tight to say the least. 

Impending thrift has been the inspiration behind this post, as budgeting doesn't have to spell depressing nights in spent without heating, eating 1/4 of a tin of beans and saving the rest. 
The first time I went to university I was a budget goddess, I managed to save like it was a new trend and felt happy living off very little. 

Now I'm a full time earner (this is laughable when considering what the care industry thinks is adequate for a full time wage but oh well, that's a different story). I've been used to a disposable income so the transition to scrimping and saving is going to be felt but shouldn't be impossible. 

The act of surfing originated as a free recreation and can be significantly cost effective if you do the following. 

1. TRAVEL
If you live far from the ocean, car share, use megabus or find the unpopular train ticket times to save money on travel. 

2. SUITED AND BOOTED. 
Invest in a wetsuit. Even if you don't have a board, a good quality wetsuit is something you'll always need (if you surf in Britain) and will last you forever if you take good care of it. A wetsuit you can also fold into a suitcase and take on public transport. 

3. GOOD MORNING CAMPERS.
 What makes surfing expensive is the accommodation you use when your at the coast. If you go in a big group camping for several days can be a very cost effective way to live. Camp sites nowadays aren't literally just a piece of grass, often they have beautiful facilities, warm cafes and showers which don't make you shudder. Go be adventurous! 

4. PACKED LUNCH. 
Ok I admit lugging a bag full of food alongside, rucksacks, heavy wetsuits and whatever else you need on public transport isn't fun but its amazing how much money you save when you bring a packed lunch and a flask of tea. £3 here and there might not seem much but it does add up! 

5. BORROW & STEAL 
I'm not advocating theft but I do think you should pester your surfer friends to borrow boards or share one when you hire. When you make an effort to talk to the surf shop owners sometimes luck and cheek will allow you a few extra hours with a hire board at no extra cost. If you don't ask you don't know! 






































In preparation for university I'm starting to immerse myself in thriftiness, my mantra being 

THRIFT RADIATES HAPPINESS. 

I've always loved charity shops and jumble sales but now I'm using them like supermarkets and trying to source pretty much everything from them (bar underwear and food)! The best bit of all being that my darling Mr Sunny has got bitten by the charity shop bug and was chuffed to purchase a gorgeous shirt for a mere £1! 

I LOVE vintage clothing and wanted to share with you a few pictures of recent purchases. 

 Ethel my new classic bike was a junk shop purchase for a mere £20 and the shirt I'm wearing was a hand me down from my mom. Sunglasses were free and the trousers are relics I've had for years, I can't even remember where I got them from! 

  Ahhhh what surfer doesn't love a Hawaiian print?! These trousers were a mere £3.95 from an age concern charity shop. I love them with the power of a thousand suns! 

 This outfit is actual an all in one dress separated by a belt, the dress was one of my pricier vintage buys at £15 but it transcends summer and winter (I'm wearing it with tights for a warmer look). The belt was another hand me down from Haus of Mom! 






































I realize that there is nothing flattering about the jacket I'm wearing but I love it irrevocably! It kept me warm during the surf trip to Newquay and has that Woodstock vibe you know I adore. It was slightly pricier as it was from a dedicated vintage store but do you think you could get a quality well made jumper that would last several decades for a mere £10. I'm raking my brains too!! 

What this rambling post is trying to highlight is that budgeting needn't be a dour experience. Yes a few liberties will have to go but this doesn't mean poverty like those less fortunate experience in developing countries. I know I'm incredibly fortunate and my version of thrift is a very luxurious one at least. When I feel down about money I'm going to remind myself that its like water through your hands, it will come and go, sometimes it'll pool other times it will flow, the point being one shouldn't grasp at it. 

Do something for free like going for a walk, if you live by the ocean then go see that, you'll be amazed at how much joy can be sought using non or very little money. 

Stay strong surf well 
Love

Friday 25 April 2014

Watergate Bay.

The waves tell of ocean spaces,
Of hearts that are wild and brave,
Of populous city places,
Of desolate shores they lave,
Of men who sally in quest of gold
To sink in an ocean grave.

From 'The Three Voices' by Robert. W. Service


Words and beautiful images courtesy of Jemima Stubbs Photography

The beauty of having photographer friends is that they make you do things out of your comfort zone (like wearing a giant Native American head dress). This was a lot of fun! 

Community life with the Land Locked Surfers has made coming back to a house seem detached and lonely. We drank tea (and perhaps a few beers) made fires on the beach, sang, practised yoga and enjoyed all the aspects of living with a  bunch of awesome like  minded surfers! 

  


     



































Now for an exclusive on the blog...Mr Sunny (the wonderful boyfriend) has given me permission to include him in some of the photos. Here he is dragging me at the speed of light on a skateboard- true romance!



The above photo is actually taken by my friend TC, I've included it along with Jem's because I think Mr Sunny looks like a movie star and I look like a bag lady come to ask him something. Makes me laugh every time I look at it!

 This was a beautiful night we spent at Watergate Bay playing music and trying not to let the cold get to us! 

 This is Jem's beautiful little girl being a wild young thing (exactly how childhood should be)! 
























The Land Locked Surfers stayed at beautiful Watergate Bay, Cornwall (UK) at Watergate Bay camping park. Join our facebook page to pop along to any of our other trips, as you can see we have a pretty rad time! 

Until next time... 

Stay strong and Surf well.
Love

Tuesday 15 April 2014

Because how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. 
                                                                      
                                                                                                   - Annie Dillard 

Forgive me my dears for being so tardy, you see the things is, I've being working hard and falling in love which are two very time consuming things- I can't believe its been over a week since my last confession! 

So I came across the above quote whilst slowly devouring Steven Kotler's 'A small furry hope,' a book about dog rescue and the meaning of life. I thought it beautifully encapsulated how we should cherish our here and now moments which inspired me to create this post. My instagram feed is a snapshot of my everyday life so I thought I'd share with you a collage of moments. You'll notice I morph into a real vain cat when it comes to instagram but I like to think it gives you a flavor of my style. 

Give me a heads up at sophia_cant_surf!  

The dress is a 1970's vintage piece from Leamington Spa 'Vintage Bizar.' The dress cost £35, the look on Jack's face-priceless...

 

LOVE me some 70's print! 

Meet Ethel my vintage bike I rescued today for a mere £20 I cannot believe this beauty is mine! 

 

This vintage dress I found in a charity shop for a couple of pounds, it was the kind of find that made my hands tremble and it difficult to keep a goofy smile from spreading across my face. The boots are ebay purchases and possibly the only mocassins not made from leather. WIN. 



























I found this vintage booty in a charity shop in my local town, so kitsch it hurts! 

I'm finding new and inventive ways to take pervy photos of my lovely Mr Sunny. As aforementioned the new fella is a tad shy and doesn't want to be featured so you'll find photos like this where I bend the rules and try to get away with it...

Here's a good representation of my clothing schizophrenia I jump from being a vintage darling to a skater girl and back again! Variety is the spice of life as they say!

    




 
  
 Now for some of my favorite surf shots...

 I can't believe in a mere few months I'll live twenty minutes away from here...








Right that's enough show and tell for one day, I'm sure you must be bored as hell right now! 
I'm off to Newquay this weekend with the Land Locked Surfers so pictures and words to follow shortly. Pray for waves! 

Stay strong, surf well 
Love