It's a Weird World

A couple of very surreal experiences yesterday - went into a mobile phone shop to sort out an account issue and the assistant spent half an hour on the phone to Orange having a huge row.... he was the only assistant in the shop, customers came and went and listened to the conversation. Totally bizarre. And then as I walked up the High Street (Newquay) I passed the Games Workshop - Billy and Fin have started getting into Warhammer so I thought I'd take a look. Now that's a totally new world, all the kids in there deep in battle across tables strewn with little men, battlements and tanks. They seemed to be enjoying it. I nearly got the giggles when I asked the man behind the till for some advice. I'm 43 - I had no idea what he was going on about!!

Then it was off to Looe with the boys to throw long bits of nylon with weights and hooks on the end into a River. Some people call it fishing. This Bass is proving very elusive - we'll get one one day and when we do there will be much excitement. Even with the guidance of some helpful locals we pulled up empty lines, time and time again. Oh well, boys enjoyed it. Fish and chips in the minibus and then home.

 

One Hundred Dolphins in the Bay

Yes, so there were one hundred Dolphins in the Bay. One man in his boat tracked them and they swam around him ... a baby one even ventured towards the engine and the mum came and nudged him away. Another boatman caught so many mackerel he was throwing them all back in.

So that was their boating experience. I took brother in law out on the boat yesterday for a spin. We were out at the same time as the aforementioned seafarers, in the same place - and we neither saw dolphins nor caught any fish!!! Humph - only found out about all the activity when we returned to the pontoon!! Gutted. Within two hours were had the kids loaded on board to go in search of fish, big or small. Once again we found neither. Oh well, really cool to know that the Dolphins are around. I'm sure we'll get to see them soon.

New Shop stock flies

Target setting is an incredibly difficult thing to do. "What's your 5 year plan?" is the first question business consultants ask. Which is a tricky one. We've never been into spending any time on the question based on the fact that had we made any predictions over the past 15 years we would have been hopelessly wide of the mark! Ideas evolve and move in different directions, within days, weeks months.. let alone years! 

I went with Janey to pick up the latest shop stock yesterday. The shop continues to fly - yesterday was the busiest day by far - just short of 300% up on 'target'! I couldn't believe it when I came to lock up last night - we knew records were being set, but not to that extent. Very satisfying. I expect that most people would have thought we were mad to use a third of our shop floor for computers, particularly in one so small. But it works.

Popped down to Aggie yeterday to see Tom and Ernie - Ernie was in the middle of a photo shoot for Finisterre - a new underwear range! Apparently he loves nothing more than prancing around in his smalls - he was loving it. 

As is the Surf's Up! way, we're looking around for the next project. With amazing staff in place we're able to look at ventures perhaps further afield. I've been spending quite a bit of time looking at this - Janey's great. "Okay here's the plan...." "No" .. despite my disappointment, on reflection she's always right. Last night we were in tears laughing about some of the funny things that have happened in the surf school. The funniest of times.

I was chatting to Sam this morning about the season. We were discussing the impact that kids have on your life. You think you couldn't possibly be any busier or more tired than you already are and then along comes a little thing that just takes over. Billy was real challenge as a baby, the worst sleeper on the planet - I spent night after night driving around bumpy lanes just to 1) let Janey get some sleep and 2) to get him to sleep. Tough, tough days - but somehow so much easier being the Dad! I asked Janey the other day if she wanted any more kids, last chance saloon. Decision made - that's it, the jobs a goodun.

Great to see on the news that women prefer men with Moobs and Belly's as lifetime partners. Janey's very lucky to be going out with a man with such outstanding attributes!! Note to self - get fit! She has commented recently that I've started to walk like my Dad - my achilles have always caused me issues. Note to self - do some stretching!

  

Breaking Records in the Surf's Up! Surf Shop

A huge big up to Ellie and her supporting crew of Alice and Janey who worked so hard in the shop yesterday. 

As good as it gets

Surf's pumping - overhead glass! The early mist has cleared. It's going to be a good day!!

It's official - the sun is out!

12.30pm report

Hello - it's all gone a bit crazy! Bit of sun and it brings everyone out to play. Surf school buzzing, shop packed! Happy days!

We welcome the morning in with a big red ball hanging in the sky! Which is very exciting! And the surf is pumping - 4ft clean, Polzeath at it's best. I really need to get in the water more. Weighed myself the other day - must have been wearing heavy shoes!! The training starts here!

Out of the dog house

Here's Gabi ripping it up at South Fistral on the Boardriders Summer Camp - she's surfing so strong at the moment winning the Open Ladies division last weekend. Great future ahead.

I was given a reprieve!! Janey succumbed to my charm! By the end of the day I was driving the whole family (that's mine and my sisters) out in the boat, trying to catch mackerel. Bit rough to go beyond Stepper so we went for the long shot of dragging a line in the estuary. You can get lucky, but sadly not yesterday. Was fun though. It was first time that Charlie, Alice and Jamie had been in the boat. I 'm sure my sis will wear more waterproof clothing next time!

Today is a back to beach day - busy shop, lots of arrivals. The sun is out and everyone's happy. 

Latte didn't swing it!

That's the last time I take Janey up a Latte!! Not enough appreciation! And she's made me work today! Shucks!

I think I'm in trouble

Firstly, hold the press. The surf school was busier on Thursday and Friday than last year - didn't quite make up for Tuesday and Wednesday, but at least it moved in the right direction. And the shop has had an awesome week. Mikey's come back into the shop full-time and has been rocking and rolling it, has got the team of Ellie, Polly, Jenny and Alice all fired up and they're working so well. 

So this business of being in trouble - I'm not quite sure the depth of trouble I'm in. I shall find out probably in the next hour or so. Yesterday, at 2pm I said to Janey that I'd take the boys off to do something - the something turned into a smorgesbord of activity and fun. Go-Karting in the rain, followed by a meal out in Newquay and then off to the circus. No problems with that except for the fact that I'd taken the office and shop keys with me! Which I didn't realise until I phoned from outside the circus at 10.30pm ( I'd wrongly worked out it would finish by 9.15pm) to inform her that we'd be back soon. The conversation went a bit like this....

"Have you got all the keys?" (shop and office)

"Erm, yes I have. They're in my pocket!"

Click! This wasn't Janey putting the phone down, this was sound of my phone battery running out. But she didn't know that. So it was a triple whammy - we were very late, I'd got all the keys (including the spares) and then she thought I'd put the phone down on her! Ooops. When we got home I dropped the boys outside the house and went down to the beach to lock everything up. By the time I got back the house was dark and everyone was tucked in. As of this moment, I've only seen Janey in her sleeping beauty state. Don't fear though - I'll bring her around with a nice cup of take-away Latte!! 

The circus was brilliant. Absolutely fantastic - highly recommended. And the go-karting great too. "Look and learn boys" I joked as I eased into kart number eight and lowered my visor in preparation of the race. How they laughed when I was the first one to stack it - into the tyre wall on the first corner, right in front of the viewing area. I could see them bent over double!! I had my revenge - by the time they got on it was pouring with rain and the track was like a ice rink.

Happy days.

Thanks Met Office

Looking forward to the impending heat wave? The Met Office have just declared that August will be unsettled, so we can assume that means we can now fire up the BBQ's!! 

Yesterday was a wet day! Took the boys to the RNAS Culdrose air day - rubbish! You'd think they'd be a plan B. But no we stood there for the best part of six hours in the pouring rain waiting to see some action. The best action was a police dog show that reminded me of a school drama lesson. "Okay, I want you to go off in groups of four and prepare a two minute routine that you'll then perform in front of the class." This invariably involved a lot of running around chasing baddies and firing pretend guns. But hand on - over the tannoy we've just been informed that a plane is 14 miles away, is travelling at 342 knots and that there's every chance that it'll be able to crack on with it's display. 9 miles and counting down - anyone guessed what it is? You feel the excitement build. And then there it was ... a Tornado. Just like a plane from Top Gun. It swooped in low and touched the runway .............. and then parked up. Oh .. that's disappointing then. And so it was that planes and helicopters sort of arrived and went - some you caught fleeting glimpses through the low cloud, others you just had to work out what they were by the sense of hearing. By 4pm the boys had had enough - they left with their grandma. Ten minutes later and the show began!! But it was all too late.

My blog has been bare for a few days. No reason - just been out and about doing stuff. Took the boys fishing on a boat trip out of Newquay. Sea sickness kicked in pretty early as did the rain. It was miserable. I thought it was a two hour trip and consoled myself with this thought until I was informed that it was actually a four hour trip - deep joy. I suffered from Biggus Vomitus Over-Sidious for the best part of the entire trip. The boys loved it!

On the beach the last two weeks in July have been a challenge. Which has come as somewhat of a surprise, particularly as up to then the season was looking so positive. Well down on numbers compared to even last year. But hey ho, it's tough for everyone out there, no reason why we should be any different. The surf shop has been the saving grace proving to be 50% up on original targets and that's going to make a big difference come the end of the year. I'm pretty sure the investments we've made in the beach house - ie shop and office, have come at the right time. And I'm also sure that Surf's Up! will change and evolve next year into a slightly different beast. Of course we could go out and chase more business, but that's never been the Surf's Up! way. I left a life of hard sell behind many years ago and that's not going to start again now we're a bit quieter than last year. Just got to tweak the business a bit. To be honest the margins at the surf school at so tight that the fact we're quieter is the catalyst for change that we need.