Can't complain

Jumping on my bike this morning to cycle down to work I said to my neighbour (we have brilliant neighbours), "Off to the Coal face!" She laughed. "Off to the beach more like!" she replied. Fair point.

What a stunning day. Surf 1 - 2ft, wind fresh S-E.

As lovely as it is today - we're all frothing on tomorrow's surf forecast with 3-4ft expected. Might just save the old shoulders for then!

September Wave

What's it like surfing in September? For the lucky few - this is what it's like. Instructor Dee makes the most of the gap between lessons. Dee has done a fantastic job for us this summer - very popular amongst both staff and clients. She's off to Costa Rica with some of the other crew for the winter - hope she comes back for another season next year.

It's all gone a bit Ed Milliband

The surf has all gone a bit Ed Milliband this morning. You know, you want it to be good and all the ingredients are there but it's just a bit grey and lacking any sort of real impact. And, of course, we know that there's something around the corner, very similiar in appearance, but altogether more upstanding and carrying more gravitas. So we'll sit tight, let this moment pass and look forward to the days ahead.

That's political satire dealt with this morning - my, 'of the moment' joke.

The reality is the surf has dropped off - in the 1 -2ft range. Great for beginners and improvers.

There is one thing that I cannot and will not leave home without. Sunglasses. For years I taught surfing without wearing them, the instructor code being that you need eye contact with your clients - naturally. But without any eye protection, over a long period, damage will occur. And that's where I'm at - my eyes are very, very sensitive to light and I can get a bit panicky if I find myself misplacing them. In our 'Instructors Bible' we advise our own instructors to wear sunglasses, but remove them when talking to clients. A wide brimmed hat will improve things, but it's the reflection off the water that I think does the damage. So even on a day like today, when it's overcast, the sunglasses are never far away. I don't suppose that's interesting in the slightest!

Great to see Argyle win on the weekend!! Come on you Greens! Green Army!

Magic Monday

"Today I don't feel like doing anything, I just wanna go for a surf, 2 to 3ft on the sets, tuck inside a sucky left, 'cause today I swear I'm not doing anything - except go for a surf! No, no no, no no no ... go for a surf!" Thanks Bruno.

Oh here comes Janey, back on your balls! I can't lie, I've been in for a few this morning. Having missed the weekend because of paintballing (when you get hit on the head from close range it feels like someones trying to break your skull open with a small hammer) and other stuff, it was only right that the rubber was donned and I tickled into a few first thing. Jolly good it was too, the magic was flowing through the turns, it's hard to hold class back - well that's the adage my very old latin teacher used to use when the bell went.

So here I am in the office and there's no-one in! I'm all on my lonesome. Kelly and Wailin are on the front line giving some tuition from the top drawer, Sarah and Rach are days off. And Janey's gone up to the house. So it's just you and me! And you know what that means - we go crazy!

Okay Crazy Monday - but this is just between you and me okay, don't tell Sarah who's back in the shop on Thursday. If you buy anything from our on-line shop over the next couple of days (ie before Sarah comes back in) you can have a 10% discount - all you have to do is pop in this code Loyal1b2011. So think Christmas, think hoodies, think calendars - it's all here for you. I'll leave that with you - and don't forget, it's your own time your wasting!

Surf's Up! Shorts..... heatwave on the way this week and the surf forecast is as follows;

Monday 2ft, Tuesday 2ft, Wednesday 2ft, Thursday 3ft, Friday 3ft

- light South-easterly winds from tomorrow for the rest of the week, wave period between 9 and 11 seconds.

What's the wave period? The gap between the wave... the bigger the gap, the better the wave. For example, 5 seconds = locally generated wind swell, rubbish. 14 seconds = long distance travelled swell, bonza! NB. Local wind affects the shape and quality of the wave, not neccessarily the size. A wind with a bit of Easterly is generally accepted as the best at Polzy to hold the face up. If you get the combo of long travelled swell and offshore breezes, the only other determining factor on how good the waves will be, is how the sand is lying on the sea bed ie the sand banks over which the waves break. And at the moment.. the sand is lying good, real good. Here endeth today's surfing lethon.

Hang on, phone's ringing..... chap from India want's to know if I'm keen to sell Homer Park?! Sold that about four years ago! Onwards....

Other shorts... little article in this month's Wavelength about yours truly.. although we could go mad on publicity, we actually quite like just working on recommendation, I think there's long term strength in that, so the article is a bit of a one off. Oh and thanks for the Olympic Flame nomination re. Boardriders. I'm not one for awards and stuff but that one is actually pretty cool. It's a bit like the X factor with a further cull towards the new year, so I don't actually know yet whether I'm going to have to train for the 200 yds!

Hang on, another call... what's up with Mumbai today.. grr, they're driving me nuts!!

"No I ain't gonna to comb my hair, 'cause I ain't going anywhere. No, no, no. No, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no..

Hugs and kisses.

OW!

Billy and his mates waited for what seemed like years to go Paint balling for the first time - you have to be in yr 7. But the day arrived and that day was yesterday. Joined up with a crew from Tintagel to do battle. I have to admit that when you get hit on the top of the head it feels like someone's trying to break open your skull with a small hammer. Body shots, not so bad, but anywhere that isn't protected such as bonce and hands... it really hurts!!

The Dads discussed beforehand that we'd take part, but go easy on the kids... it should have been the other way around!

Drop Everything

If you had any plans today, can I suggest that you change them! Polzy is firing - 3- 4ft, light wind from the South.

Sweet as

Sweet as this morning - head high on the sets, no wind. Definitely worth suiting up for and no horses in the line- up.

Eight eggs from the chickens this morning! They must be happy chickens. Got in a bit of a head spin when the flymo fired up.

King's Troop part 2

The King's Troop were back on the beach this morning - and apart from one of the riders breaking his leg, and a couple of horses bolting back to camp - one with jockey, one without - I think it went pretty well!

Surf's Up! shorts: Cat still missing : The chickens are doing well, I'm thinking of taking some photos to put in my albumen (you can have that one): I let them go free range yesterday, there was fantastic face off between Nugget and Libby, our black Lab... they were black nose, to yellow beak. Libby retreated gracefully giving it the old sideways white of the eyes worried look : surf today? head high, bit onshore, sun is out.. and the ice cream van has arrived, that'll be a Feast Original for me then.

Wellingtons are definitely going to catch on, loving them.. oh and an umbrella, the combo just works... is this an age thing? To be honest, it was wellies or Crocs. Shoes with holes in? Not for me : Two companies (one might be owned by the other) that I think are just the best example of what's possible in troubled times, Premier Inn and Costa, the Costa drive through, genius : Oh and postie Ken who's just been in for a chin wag asked how Billy's leg was. I've heard two Polzeath rumours recently, one was that Billy broke his leg and the second was that we're moving to Australia, neither are true or have any foundation whatsoever! I can only think that the local gossip mongers must be having a lean spell. You can't make it up,... actually you can and they do! Saddos!

Tinkling

Not a lot of people know this, but one of my great loves is the piano. And when we haven't got guests staying in our flat (not because I sound like Les Dawson, but because it's where the piano is kept) I play quite a lot. I was tinkling away only a short while ago and I was reminded of a funnyish story from a couple of years ago.

We took a group of local kids over to Brittany for a surf camp, where we stayed in this gothic mansion. It had three floors and a dungeon - great for scaring the kids on halloween (which it was). In the large lounge stood this white grand piano. Over the week, I'd sit down from time to time and play a few notes but not used to public performances kept it to a minimum. Anyway, I can't remember exactly how it happened, but one afternoon following a blinding morning surf, and gaining in confidence I let rip with a rendition of the Theme from Love Story. Mikey, who was in the next room, came and sat down on the long stool beside me to listen. Once I'd finished he was full of praise, seemed genuinely impressed and took it upon himself to gather the kids, so that I could give a repeat performance to them. I really, really didn't want to, but peer group pressure from the kids all sat behind me, was overwhelming. So I took a big deep breathe and gave it a go. It's funny how silly little things like this can make a grown man so nervous. It went well I thought - less Les Dawson than I'd imagined. And not bad considering my last outing would have been as an eight year old at a school concert.

Pleased with my performance and delighted to have finished, I turned to accept the justified praise, only to find that they'd all gone, tipped toed out of the room and left me to play all by myself. Oh yes, very funny. Very funny indeed. Textbook.

Mikey works for BT now - I might just remember that little episode when I next see him up a pole. Might have to take his ladder away when he's not looking - who'll be laughing then eh! "Say sorry Mikey? Say "please Petey, o great one, can I have my ladder back?""

That was one hell of a holiday - some of the best waves I've ever surfed, even got barrelled on a swelly. Solid overhead most days. Crozon Peninsula, don't say I didn't tell you.

ps horses gave it a miss today, but they're down on the beach again in the morning and on Sunday.

Kings Troop

The horses are back - The Kings Troop - they like a good canter around the beach, catching an early wave. I think it's the grooms that come down to ride them. Although one of the main men of the platoon (?) was there. I asked him whether these were the horses that were used for the Royal Wedding. Sadly not, but he went... as an usher! Also referred to I believe as a 'paid gentleman' .... one of a crew of ten from the military. That's the 'Fact of the Day'.

Now this is the sort of e-mail you like to get of a morning - and I quote -

"WOW – Just wanted to say a belated THANK YOU for not only the totally Stunning Calendar of Polzeath but the totally efficient way in which my order was taken and processed and sent out – a Wonder in a world where customer service is sometimes lacking, but not down with you."

We aim to please. If you haven't bought one of our calendars yet, then dive on in. One of the months shows a photos from when the horses came down last year.