Just another super sunday...

Novocastrian's once again were blessed with a warm and wonderful weekend. There were plenty of waves to be had if you looked in the right places and the warm spring sunshine was a welcome relief from last Sunday's howling southerly. It concluded with a bang last night when this beautiful storm rolled through. Expertly captured by TBird, it was a nice view from the front veranda of the Beach Cottage and a nearby lookout! PH.

Fond Memories

I often find myself daydreaming about the five days the beach cottage crew spent in Noosa earlier in the year. The other day I was lying in bed thinking about that first magical day and it occurred to me that Tom Wegener and his apprentice were filming for the greater part of our last session. After nearly an hour of searching I found the footage. While none of us are actually surfing in the clip, its beautiful to watch as a reminder of how perfect it was. Enjoy PH

Weekend Escape

...A few weeks ago we assembled an all star team and got out of Newcastle for the day. The logs got a serious workout for an hour or two followed by some carpark soccer and photography...

Walking the morning plank

Envy is something I experienced first hand when I was on my internship. Driving past the beach on the way to work every morning and watching clean lines peeling through made it really difficult to motivate myself for a productive day. Fortunately that is behind me for the moment and I have had the freedom to spend every morning for the past three days in the water. A small part of me feels for unfortunate souls who I watch ramble past with long faces on their way to work. A larger part perhaps to my mates who have to put up with me gloating about how good the surf has been in the mornings. But for the moment I'm going to ignore my bleeding heart and enjoy the uncrowded tranquil conditions.

Yellow Fever!

A word of warning for those planning starting up a tropical fish tank. The beach cottage has been inundated with babies in the last couple of month and while I admit the little guys are pretty they need to go. The novelty has well and truly worn off so if anyone wants some little fishies let us know!

We're rolling...

Talking tactics, above the blue line???

Big Z, a very happy boy

Rob put the old 'duck bill' to work

Exiting times at the beach cottage as some little projects finally come together. Weekends spent out in the shed and many trips to the strange and wonderful 'bike man' have paid off and some lovely, fixed gear bliss is ahead. To celebrate Zubu and I met up with JZ , El, Rob and Kwaku for a test run at the velodrome...

T-bird

The wait is over!

After almost a fortnight of onshore winds and lumpy swell, Newcastle finally dished up something nice for the board riders. When you sneak in two surfs before lunch you know your having a good day. The fact that the school holidays are over just added to beauty of the day. Stoked!
PH

Newcastle Loggers

JZ with 5 over!

Nice view!

 JZ looking very pleased with himself.

 

T Bird perched with 5 over!

Novocastrians are somewhat limited for choice when it comes to good waves for longboarding. The beach breaks are inconsistent, there are no decent point breaks within range and when it is good things get very competitive. So how do we manage to sustain any sanity in this god forsaken place? A high tide, decent period, some local know-how and a little place we call the 'Cowrie Hole'.

PH.

New boards the order of the day...

...the beach cottage will be expanding its quiver in the coming months. T-Bird placed an order today for his new Valla fish that I'm sure he will elaborate on in later posts'. I've got a deposit down on a new log and Dale, who recently injured his shoulder and cannot surf for another few weeks, is finalising designs for an Outer Island thruster. It's really shaping up (excuse the pun) to be an exciting summer in the water! And this is why we love it.
PH

Another long wait...

Frustration is starting to set in at the Beach Cottage. A week of onshore rubbish leaves you with three option:
a). Travel-Unfortunately everywhere else within range is suffering the same fate.
b). Sit it out- Not a real option.
c). Hit the pavement...

Beach Cottage Boys in tree barrels and BBCP

Spaghetti Pete

Sidewinder Fishburn

Tight Trim T-Bird

End chapter three...what's next?

Today I attended my last ever uni class. While I still have one last assignment in a few weeks, its pretty safe to say I have finished. Let's face it I've already been telling people I'm a teacher, it sounds a whole lot more glamorous than a shelf packer! Five years, twenty thousand dollars and countless hours of my life later I find myself asking myself if am I any more qualified to sculpt the minds of the future generations? Probably not but if I manage to instill anything in my students', I hope to give them an appreciation of all things beautiful. Newcastle, arguably the dirtiest city in Australia still manages to tun on a pretty delicious sunset...

Welcoming The Summer

...Every day for the past two weeks has been a celebration of the end of winter. The dreary weather that has kept us all bundled up in our houses is giving way to warmth. For some it means an end to social hibernation, for others a chance to enjoy the outdoors and the simple pleasure of roaming the streets barefoot and free. The change in season had inspired me to begin this blog that documents the life and times of the beach cottage. Surfing, skating, scenery and shenanigans. Here's a taste from last summer...