Little adventures present themselves occasionally, and should be treasured when they land thudding in your lap.

On Friday a lunchtime phone call offering a chance to surf a not so secret but very hard to access wave that I'd last surfed maybe thirty five years back was not to be sniffed at. 

The winds were not quite right, with the anticipated crowds far different to those encountered when we'd sneak in through an army base risking arrest and board confiscation way back when... but I still said yes.

How was it? Not perfect, but still pretty epic. The crowd was testy, the wind was up, and most surfers were way more at ease with it even though I will guarantee I first surfed it well before many of them were born. 

How did I go? Not as well as I'd have liked, and not as bad as I might have, though if I am brutally honest with myself you could say I copped a flogging but kept a smile.

It was so beautiful just to be there it was worth the submarine tours of the sandbank.

I need to go back, re-acquaint myself with the place, perhaps earn a place in the youthful lineup and learn how to pig-dog with more finesse.

Pics. Into the glare. Had no clue what I was shooting until I got home. Thanks for the ride Marky.

It's been a bit of a busy week in Reef Land as both Liquid Notes, the Making of The Reef, and the ABC's broadcast of the Opera House performance have hit the airwaves, and we've been in the edit suite revisiting a few bits, just because we can, and we have the time. 

I've been working with Jonny Frank and Ed Saltau (check his site for some great stuff from the Reef), sitting in our little room, improving on some dreams...after all a good painting is rarely ever completely finished. 

Naturally all this with a view to a near Reef Redux in time for the February East Coast Tour.

Watching the broadcast of the performance I found particularly difficult as I am very close to it, know every moment and so when the cameras cut away from the vision to show the orchestra it was doing my head in, as, naturally, there is meaning invested in every visual and to have it missed was killing me.

Not that I didn't watch it through to the end as catching close up Richard and the rest of the orchestra do their thing gave me other insights that were precious in themselves.

The morning of the Opera House broadcast I spent half an hour on Radio Marinara having a chat with Bron and the team, which was a lot of fun. On hearing the podcast later I had at least managed to sound relaxed, which is a good thing, as sometimes I get a bit tongue tied with a microphone under my nose.

Other than that, very little surf to report, apart from a session at Phillip Island a couple of weeks back that was rewarded with the shot below, and a couple less flattering as my 58 year old tummy is not a six pack any more.. probably because of too many similarly named beverages.

Life. If you can't laugh....

Yesterday saw the end of a long run of great waves and balmy weather.

I'd had things to do most of the day, thankfully, but the late evening check of the water surprised me. Not many out, quite small, but glassy and beautiful too. 'Why not!' I thought, so a quick hour before dark delighted.

I'd taken out my hull, a 6'6" trimming machine. It sort of takes the pressure off. You really just have to go with what the wave dishes up, fly around sections, style a bit, (pause while I stop laughing) and relax. 

The light as the sun shot occasionally through the low clouds was just short of divine, though on one wave the divinity factor shot through the roof, that or someone had slipped me something mildly psychedelic. Trimming along with fingers tracing the chest high lip line, wafts of spot lit spray were coming off the wall ahead. Embedded in them were little saturated rainbows, bright and proud agains the dark blue grey of the cloud reflected water.

As I said in a post a way back... 'the things I see, the things I see'.

A magic dusk, perfect for the festoon of grommits who'd paddled out for afterschool confections far sweeter than a bag of lollies. 

Pics: One lucky guy's solo session further up the reef past Bells, and what was on offer at Winki.