December 25th 2025 Christmas spirit Christmas spirit The heat hangs like a blanket. The crickets are chirping, a summer sound. An early morning ocean swim to soothe gangled nerves and heated blood. I would have stayed there all day, if I had the option. Christmas in Australia is heat, sand and water. The coffee shop was buzzing. Our little surf community celebrating the morning. The best part of the day. Being surrounded by very old people, bodies and minds slowed by age, stubbornness holding...
1 day ago • 1 min read
December 24th 2025 Beauty outfoxes us always Beauty outfoxes us always When we allow beauty to be fully present, we are transformed. It really is that simple. Beauty is nature’s way of saying yes to divine order in chaos. To a harmony and frequency that transcends our comprehension. We humans try to reduce things to the explainable. To a scientific sequence. We rationalise. Measure. Seek to make sense of. But beauty outfoxes us always. To contemplate beauty is to invite the mysterious, the...
2 days ago • 1 min read
December 23rd 2025 A swamp of storms A swamp of storms It stormed all night. Heavy rain, thunder and lightning. A respite from the heat. We were at the beach after sunrise, later than usual. After gusty onshore winds for days, messing the surf up, we were surprised to see amazing surf conditions. Clearly not on anyone else’s radar, as there was no one out. But it was raining heavily, and there was lightning. We debated. Risk surfing in a lightning storm? Or stay safe. We took the risk. In...
3 days ago • 1 min read
December 22nd 2025 The context for our existence The context for our existence The solstice is here. I love the mathematics of nature’s cycles. There is a certainty to it that is missing from so many other areas of our lives. We know that on this day, for half of the world, it is the shortest day, and for the other half, those of us in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the longest. Just like the sunrise and sunset happen with mathematical precision. Yet we humans, and all of life, refuse to...
4 days ago • 1 min read
December 21st 2025 Let the storm blow through Let the storm blow through I read this quote earlier today. My mother taught me that the longer you keep that howl trapped inside your body, the more wolf you become, but she never showed me how to let the howl out. Womanhood is also this: a violence louder on the inside than it is on the outside. Smiling when truly all you are doing is baring your teeth. Nikita Gill, This Wild Violence Visits Again I have never been good at smiling. My rage comes...
5 days ago • 2 min read
December 20th 2025 The brilliance of another’s light The brilliance of another’s light The beauty of this photo is that the sun is hidden behind the clouds. The moment it rises above the clouds, the definition and dimension of the clouds will be lost. As the observer of many dawns, I see the patterns of the clouds on the dawn horizon. Each day unique. Occasionally absent. Several hours into the day, if I look closely, I might still be able to discern the same clouds. Yet their features have...
6 days ago • 1 min read
December 19th 2025 Hope and her two daughters Hope and her two daughters “Hope has two daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” St. Augustine of Hippo Oh, I know anger so well. Almost every time I turn on news radio, listening to the hypocrisy. I want to scream. All deaths are worthy of being humanised. All. All forms of hate towards others must be stamped out to stop any one form of hate. All acts of...
7 days ago • 1 min read
December 18th 2025 Pause, breathe and step back onto the fray Pause, breathe and step back onto the fray My emotions are a jumble. I watched myself in the surf this morning, as tears surfaced. The requirement for release clearly evident. I watched my frustration peak as I struggled to catch a wave. I noticed how I loaded this frustration on me, my fault, my inability. I went back to that old mantra – what is wrong with me? Hello, old friend. Here you are. Back when I am vulnerable. My beat...
8 days ago • 1 min read
December 17th 2025 Embracing, Editing, Removing, Ending Embracing, Editing, Removing, Ending I invite you to consider this process as we end 2025. For each category, pick one, two or three only. Embracing Before each surf session, a dedication to having fun no matter what. Anger as fuel, laughter as the ground, and kindness as the aspiration. What life presents with acceptance. All of it. Which means even the stuff that is hard, painful and not desired. Editing Where I spend my time, towards...
9 days ago • 1 min read