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kat dawes
: …surfing, writing, cymraeg, apple macs, iphones, tech+gadgets, rambles+rants, book reviews, charting the changing seasons on llangrannog beach, corgis and cute things, retail therapy, craft, the craft, inspirations, randoms… :-
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Perfect, but not
Finally the surf is back, in time for my birthday week! It looked good, but it wasn’t…
I will have been surfing the Nog for 20 years this summer…shame I’m still utterly rubbish! But that’s always how I feel at this time of year, when it’s so, so cold and the banks have been trashed by the winter sand-scouring action and the rips are arm-creakingly strong. Soon, soon, it’ll get better, and crappy surfers like me will have a bit more of a chance to catch something that’s not closing out or breaking into six inches of water.
Glorious sunshine came through a few times and there were about 12 diving birds putting on a show. I think they were gannets, though I couldn’t see any of that orange/beige they usually have on their heads. Whatever, they were stunning, splonking into the water to emerge empty-beaked as far as I could see, a quick shake of the head and soaring up again. Very, very skillful.
Sea-View Team
Coolest MPV I’ve ever seen. No, actually — the ONLY cool MPV I’ve ever seen. I’m such a child of the 80s!
happy birthday Furtle!
The best dog in the world, 12 years old today. A walk on her favourite beach, Cilborth, and a good big stick.
Wuff!
Tagged beach, birthday, dog, furtle, hipstamatic, llangrannog
rippy
An absolutely terrible surf today. While running I checked out the rolling swell — groundswell?! Really!? It looked about 2-3ft and while lumpy and not really lining up, it did have some clean, green faces.
I suited up as quickly as possible and headed down, but the wind had fucked it. In the space of an hour it went from decent to awful. The rip was hideous and I pulled something in my neck trying to get away from it; very sore now. The wind was a cross-shore howler and the peaks were a grey mess. So, so disappointing — this has been the worst summer I remember, after the worst winter I remember, and autumn (which I always so look forward to) is shaping up to be pants as well.
I am so hungry for some good waves, but with no car and no money I can’t even go down the road, let alone abroad! I have to stay off Facebook as my need to howl at people who have escaped to wave-rich places is so strong it’s scary.
Pass the ibuprofen…
surf toes
The lack of surf in Crannog since I scrapped my car has been extreme…sod’s law. I’m desperate for summer suits and endless warm days with waves, even small ones. I swear there was more swell last summer than all this winter! So I have done a few wave dances and prayers on the sand, and painted my toes to show what I want 
Silly I know, but it might work?!
vies
The other day I found a big piece of green sea-glass, a big piece of white, a tiny sliver of yellow and this small blue corner. Who knows what the whole word was, but what remains on this lovely bit of blue is ‘vies’.
1. to strive in competition or rivalry with another; contend for superiority: Swimmers from many nations were vying for the title.
Origin: 1525–35; by aphesis
Middle French envier to raise the stake (at cards), Old French: to challenge, provoke, Latin invītāre to entertain, invite
Synonyms
1. compete, contest, struggle.
A pretty cool find! This one I’ll be keeping for myself, to remind me to try my hardest. I have a lot of goals which mean a lot of work — finishing my novel, writing more poetry, getting a lot better at Welsh, getting some things published via competitions and in writing journals and so on, keeping up with my fitness programme (and getting back into my skinniest jeans), and earning some serious money, goddamit!
Better get on with it then…
Tagged beach, crannog, hipstamatic, llangrannog, Seaglass, wales
windblown
Warm enough to lift your head and sniff the air today, though the wind and rain were fierce. At the end of a hardcore run (almost took off a couple of times) I saw a surfer…
So of course I had to get in, even though it was really too windy. By the time I got out, I was thinking yes, I will give up for a couple of months now, this is no longer any fun! I caught sod all, just paddled against the rip and ducked icy grey water. The only thing going for it was that I wasn’t cold, and I can feel my fitness it better.
When I got out I could see that it wasn’t just me being crap, the waves were pretty blown out. Ho hum! At least I tried! A couple of months and things will ease up.
dizzy
Been ill for a couple of days, nothing bad but with dizzy spells and super tired — I couldn’t read or write, argh! My head was not my own. I felt like like one of those dull, negative people who have little curiosity in life, who are always whingeing, always ill, never get off their backsides. (I know a few people who think life owes them something. It doesn’t; you have to put in to get out, then wow, watch out.)
Then I woke up this morning as the moon began to wane, and my head was clear again, just like that. So I went for a run in the sunshine and saw…waves, oh!
There’s been no surf to speak of since Christmas Day, and I didn’t get in then. So despite thinking I might be pushing it, I ran home, suited up and walked back down (car is sick as well).
The storms razed the banks, then the last week of calm weather has seen a lot of the sand return. There’s a pool where the bank usually forms, and the waves are breaking further out. I didn’t catch anything at all, then it went flat and I gave up.
Around this time of year my surfing ability plummets totally, which is depressing, but it’s a beautiful day. And as I write there’s a wookpecker on the bird feeder — rare sight. I hope he’s not hungry because the boys have coppiced his favourite tree.
Back to my studies, and today I want to do loads of Welsh, because I was too dizzy to go to class on Tuesday. I have craving for cynghannedd…
Tagged beach, crannog, llangrannog, surf
llangrannog a lowri a’r YouTube
A video promoting Llangrannog as a tourist destination. Half in Welsh half in English. I’m on the front of Mickey’s boat ‘Lowri’ with Beechey at the helm! Fame at last…
nadolig llawen
Still been no surf…well, nothing I could stir myself into, for the uber keen only and that’s not quite me recently. The stormy weather has ripped the sand away from the beaches, so it looks like winter should. Here’s the seal rock on Cilborth; I think it looks like a hauled-out seal. It’s the first to appear as the sand retreats.
Mad rain going on, rivers full – here’s Penbryn looking wild.
I’m stuck in Crannog for Christmas due to the need for the vet and the car breaking down. So a nice quiet time, but no pressies! Never mind, happy the dog is okay…
There were some surfers around today, but I went home and did some writing, with a big Happy Christmas to Me gin and tonic.
