It's been about 3 months now since I came back to Japan after a 2 month trip home to South Australia.  After enduring 40 degree heat daily back home, returning to sub-zero temperatures was a ghastly feat, particulary considering I am a die hard surfer.  Bikinis to 5mm woolen suits, gloves and boots meant i chickened out this season, and stayed out of the water for a record 2 months!  Occasionally making the trip an hour and a half down south to the warmer waters of Wada, I really did become a hermit in my house only venturing outside to walk the dogs down the beach each afternoon.  Well, it was good news for my newly opened Travel Company, as I could focus a lot of my time on working!  

Over the past couple of weeks, the Cherry Blossoms have begun opening, and the water is warm enough to surf without boots and gloves, but still in a 5mm wettie.  Needless to say I've been back on it daily, and am enjoying the fitness and general stoke that surfers has to offer.  I am finding myself checking the weather report before I go to bed each night, and organising my work around my surfing sessions!  The dogs are loving it too, their little tails wag like crazy when they see me loading the car with wetsuit and board!  They really enjoy running around on the beach and catching up with all their local friends!

Unfortunately for my husband though, his work has called him to Hawaii, Okinawa and now Australia, leaving him barely enough time to scrape in a bit of sleep and meals!  Yeah, I'm sure you're thinking, what?? Poor thing??? Hawaii, Australia??? Well, yes, it may seem like the lavish life, but I assure you as a professional freelance photographer, overseas work is not all that it cracks up to be.  Especially as my husband's speciality is surfing....picture this, a week in Hawaii, weather is perfect every single day, surf is pumping, and you are there flipping around with camera and housing, desperately wanting to jump on a board yourself and get barelled, but knowing you didn't even bring your surfbaord because there is no chance in hell you are able to surf on a shooting trip!  For some of us, that kind of work would be impossible, I know I couldn't just take photos for a week whilst the North Shore was going off!  But for Kuni, well, he does get a lot of pleasure out of it, and when a surfer is tearing apart a perfect wave and he captures is all on still camera, the feels a sense of satisfaction which in fact amps him up for his own surfing.  Although I'm sure he wouldn't argue if he were allowed to sneak in a few days off between shoots to enjoy the waves too!

So today again, it's a lovely 15 degrees and sunny, the washing is drying nicely outside and the surf is promising to be great late-afternoon, early evening.  Kuni comes back from Australia tonight, so I have enough time to get some work done this arvo and then sneak in a surf before running off to Narita airport to pick him up.

I don't know how I lived without surfing for 2 months this winter, but I know I won't be doing that again....next year, Australia and Hawaii here I come!