Safetosea

Again, I feel like a man with one less arm.

This time because there are moments when you just wish you had that camera.

Since we shot Musica Surfica, one of the rituals that has developed is a concert tour Monday morning surf run with Richard Tognetti, Satu, and Julian Thompson, who was also down on King Island with us.

Dutifully, we trotted off and we were greeted by some lovely 3-4ft beachies at 13th, and everyone scored, amidst the frenzy of shifting peak barrels and a lot of fellow wave hunters. The joy of the shifty peak, naturally, is that sooner or later, one comes to YOU.

I managed to get 4 or five beauties and emerged a very happy chappie. Low wave count, high quality is not always a bad thing. Equally, I also had my mandatory couple on the head and flails down the face, but hey, I've just had a birthday that hurls me even further down the well of geriatric incompetence.

On returning to the car, though, I was greeted by a sight I never thought I'd ever encounter.

Standing in front of each other, bare chested and tensed, stood Richard, Lead Violin and Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, taking shots at the exposed six pack (and I use the term loosely) of one Julian Thompson, cellist.

Julian was in no danger, that's all I'll say.

Satu, wisely, was ignoring the shenanigans and reading a book.

Later that night Sue and I went to a sublime performance of the Orchestra, which, in typical ACO fashion, mixed Elgar with Radiohead. The events of earlier that day never quite left my head.

The shot is 13th, but from a carbon copy day sometime in the middle of last year.