Well just come back from the Extreme Academy at Watergate Bay from my Kite Surfing lessons. 

So – did I look like this?

Sadly not.

Carl my instructor was a top bloke and did all he could, and alas even despite is hot air (not aimed at me most of the time ) the wind wasn’t strong enough to really get going on the boards.

So the best we could do was to practice kite control, body dragging, and just about managed a few board starts when the wind was just teatering on being strong enough.  But sadly, not enough wind to progress further.

Overall though, the extreme academy at watergate bay in Cornwall is an excellent facility and the equipment was top notch with new 2010 harnesses and gear.  The staff were friendly and the tuition was good.  On paper its one of the more expensive places to learn, but considering that the equipment was new and I was charged fairly for the progression I made due to the conditions so you can’t say fairer than that.  I wonder if the “cheaper” alternatives would have done the same?  Worth considering.

And when the wind wasn’t strong enough I was able to join Mel “surfing” (or more realisitically – being pummeled by some massive waves!)

An excellent time, and I hope to continue my training later.

If you are considering kite-surfing, I would strongly suggest you become a competent kite flyer on a normal land power kite first as kite control is critical to progress.  As I’ve been fortunate to spend many hours power kiting on the beach I had a huge advantage over those that didn’t.

After some successful eBay bidding, we bought two wakeboards in superb conditon (thanks Mike!) and collected them last night from Oxfordshire and then found a pub where they were more than happy for us to have a few beers and stay on their land.  So today in glorious sunshine we went to Wmski again in the Cotswolds and had another outing.  Boards are great, and the guys there couldn’t believe the price I paid (sorry Mike!) and they reckon they could resell one for almost the price I paid for both

So now we have our own boards, it means we can play on the ramps.

Ah.

They aren’t as easy as the regulars make them look and I had a bit of a fall (pre face-plant) and bruised and sliced my knee.   Oops.  didn’t stop the fun though and I got better at some Ollie 180′s and riding in switch.  I also did a few more ups onto the ramp (gently) and only managed one more face plant.

Wild camping just outside Gloucester tonight in a glorious spot with stunning views and of to Wales kayaking for the weekend.  Glorious!  Hopefully find somewhere to wild camp there as we’ve got nothing booked….

Whilst waiting for big things to happen, we’re still out having fun.  Cue a few days testing the van in the Cotswolds both Wakeboarding and catching up with friends who we met previously on our travels.

So at WMSki we had some cable wakeboarding practice and we both managed to learn a few new (very basic!) tricks.

An excellent time, and it was good to see the old team up there still running it smoothly.  The ladies morning was especially fun (for Mel of course, not for me watching!

We’re off to see “StarWars in Concert” at the O2 on Saturday.  However, some of the comments people have said to us are “Didn’t know you were Trekkies!” etc etc.  DOH!  WRONG FILM GUYS

When we got married, Mel actually walked down the isle to some classical music from Star Wars when she entered the ceremony….  It wasn’t a standard wedding, but the tune (from the SW Awards Ceremony) actually started off very very similar to the traditional bridle march. 

Anyway – I digress – we’ll report back after the show….

Till then – here is a YouTube  preview so you can see what its about

Seems we have an excellent show near us.

We’ll be popping along to look on the Sunday, and also I’ll be working on the Saturday with Roy Wood Transits helping them with their Westfalia and Horizons Unlimited van display.  So feel free to say hi!

Details HERE

I decided I’ve been working so hard I deserve a new toy. Okay – that may be open to some debate considering I’ve only done around 15 days in the last year – but even so – Mel agreed! Most excellent toy – half the fun is repairing it!

Its a eSky HoneyBee FP LiPo 4-channel radio controlled helicopter. Really is a good piece of kit!

Yet again, we had an excellent long weekend at the WMSki cable wakeboarding lake in the Cotswolds. But for a change we went in a heatwave rather than constant rain.

We went with friends, Gowry & Tim, and pushed each other to do some new things. Mel completed a whole lap and vastly improved in the corners. She does need to hold tighter with bent knees on launch though – nag nag nag. The boys were all learning to do a “surface 180” and ride in switch, with us all completing at least half of the corners in switch. Next time it’ll be a whole lap in switch!

It was good to see the old gang there too – they really do try and look after you. We heard other people comment “There is no one-upmanship here” “Everyone is happy to share knowledge” – so keep it up guys – it makes you the friendliest boarding place we’ve been to.

Till next time….

Video below:- http://www.doyourdream.co.uk/wmski.php

We’re not art lovers. But we went to see the Banksy Exhibition at the Bristol Museum. We had to queue over an hour to get in, and another 45 mins to get into his exhibition room. But what was there was superb and worth the queue.

In addition to his fantastic art in his one room, he “vandalised” the rest of the museum which meant you just had to walk around the entire place and see what other art/changes he made. Excellent idea – meant a probably quiet museum was heaving, and it was so funny everyone was buzzing. How rare is that?

Absolutely 10/10!