Sailing and Surfing Dude
I passed my RYA Level 2 dinghy sailing course at Attenborough Sailing Club, which felt like learning a completely new language and something I have wanted to do for such a long time. Wind direction, points of sail, tacking without capsizing, mostly. They do make you do a capsize drill as part of passing which is exactly as undignified as it sounds but also kind of brilliant. There is something incredibly satisfying about learning to work with the wind rather than fighting it. I really want to get a sailing boat eventually, it has been a dream for a long time and this felt like a proper step towards it.
On the photography front I also treated myself to a new wide angle lens after shooting a wedding last month. New kit is always exciting and it has already completely changed how I am seeing and framing things. More of that to come.
Then a trip to Devon with Mum to visit her old friend Emily, a trip we have been doing since our teenage years really as Emily has lived down there for a long time. Big cliffs, salty wind, that dramatic North Devon coastline. Sea air but wilder this time. I went surfing in Croyde for a few days which I try to do every time I am down here. I wish I did it more but it is hard when you do not live near the sea. We ate scones with cream tea, walked along the beach and sand dunes and just breathed it all in.
We also made our way over to Ilfracombe, great charity shops, delicious seafood and the famous Verity statue by Damien Hirst. The bronze figure depicts a pregnant woman holding a sword aloft, with one side of her body anatomically exposed to reveal muscle and the unborn child. It is both striking and slightly unsettling depending on your perspective.
Speaking of seafood, I am completely obsessed at the moment. It started in Croyde, carried on with the most incredible avgotaracho I brought back from Greece, and has now settled into a very regular oyster habit. Mum and I have been getting them at home and I am delighted to report that the Morrisons fishmonger in Bulwell of all places sells them. Bulwell! Oysters! Who knew.
