Bank holiday weekend

I took Friday off work and headed down to a village near St Austell with Anne and James. We stayed with my aunt and uncle Margaret and Jim on my Dad's side of the family. They were extremely welcoming and made wonderful food for us all weekend.

As we were basically surfing a lot of the time, I didn't have my camera, so most of the pictures are of us sitting around! But check the shot of me actually standing up on the surfboard (damn hard)! Couldn't say with fairness that I showed a lot of natural talent, and Anne labelled our group 'remedial paddling', but I loved it. I will definitely be doing it again, possibly not before I leave but I hear the surfing is excellent in NZ.

We had lessons and went to Fistrall and Town beaches. It was certainly useful having lessons in surfing technique, although we did just seem a constant disappointment to our instructor Augusto, who would give us an extra push onto the wave, tell us to 'paddle, paddle, paddle', and then just give you a look when you fell off sideways. Now that's what I call helpful instruction. And he only told us on the second day how to protect your head from being whacked but your or another's board when you fall off. Too late for James who has an inch-long scar on his head! I have got an amazing bruise from someone's stray board as well, but on my thigh.