The generous nature of fabulous friends and family

This weekend just gone has been a HUGE one for us. As a White Ribbon Ambassador (https://www.whiteribbon.org.au) I had the opportunity to host a house party to raise funds for this very important cause. The generosity of friends and family as well as local businesses has been truly astounding.

I am extremely pleased to say that with the massive efforts of my beautiful wife and all the support I have around me we managed to smash our fundraiser target and we still have even more donations coming through. Such a great night, such an important cause. Looking forward to November now and the opportunity to round up the men to make a strong statement when we all shout "NO!" we will not be silent when we witness violence against women or children and "NO!" we will not be violent.

Changing the mindset of a community is challenging but if we all do our little bit it is possible.

What a ride - A short story

The golden sand was hot to touch and the ocean so soothingly cool. Simon felt the snug fit of his billabong wetty as with board under his arm he dashed confidently into the mad surf. With a crash he flew through wave after wave until he left the break far behind him. Sliding serpently upon the buoyant board Simo then paddled leisurely across the flat in search of the big waves. Fellow surfers bobbed on the surface before the great sea rose up in answer to their simple prayer and three or four of the seal-like figures peeled off and flew down the great wall of ocean, entering the guts of the barrel as it curled over itself and then ripped the sheet of water to shreds as they cut up, down and then back across it in a display of unrivalled skill. Some drifted with poise and agility beating the cruel ocean and turning its waves into works of agile art. Others just lucked out and were knocked free from their board to suck up sea and sand and anything that lurked beneath the surface.

Simon hung out with the others, grommets and pros. Everyone was equal out on the waves. Everyone waited, no surfer had seniority, no skipping ahead and riding an extra wave based on skill or experience. No one dropped in, or if they did they made sure they acknowledged their mistake. That was the code. From where he was he could see the beach and its city of pretty umbrellas. Beneath each and every one there lounged mas and pas with their little ones, beach babes in bikinis and bathing suits that left little to the imagination and young men baring their back to the sun as they wore boardies or that sinful fashion statement the speedo. A immediate audience brought out by a glorious summer day. As Simon's number came up and the water rose up monstrously behind him he gritted his teeth and began to paddle. It was time to put on a show.

Then it was Simo and the wave. It roared around him and threatened to bowl him off his board. Through the tunnel he held his nerve until with uncanny force he was spat out the other side. Like a ramp Simo steered his board straight up and then he flew, the sun and the sky his friends for the briefest of moments until the board steered out of the nothing and smoothly back down the wave again. A jig, a jag and then across the face Simon flew before he sent his board with a swivel back up the face and into the open blue once more. This time as the board sent him back down again his flight was too long and his angle of decent too shallow. His board's nose slid sideways unexpectedly and the surfer was unceremoniously dismounted. With a big grin he paddled the rest of the way to shore.
"That was truly epic, mate!" yelled one of the shore dwellers as Simon shook the salt water from his hair.
"Yeah... I know..." Simon replied, "What a wild ride..."

Busy times ahead

Looking forward to some great events at work coming up. We have Wendy Altschwager next month followed by Tricia Stringer in October... Hopefully the end of this month will see us busy too celebrating the amazing talents of Australian authors and illustrators as Book Week kicks in. I love the theme this year of 'Escape to Everywhere'... It always helps me imagine dream holidays to take my gorgeous girl on, maybe with our trio of munchkins... Thinking about escaping to everywhere gives me ideas of places like a famous chocolate factory run by a zany genius... A neat little hole in Hobbiton... Visiting far off planets... The options of everywhere literally could lead to... anywhere...

I am also very excited that we have been in touch with a well known South Australian gardener who has not visited the Murray Bridge Library since 2013... Fingers crossed some busy months ahead...

So pop on down to the Murray Bridge Library and check out just what is going on...

Rock hunter

Had an extra day off today with my darling wife and our three crazy kids. This afternoon we decided to enjoy the winter sunshine and hit the local playgrounds hunting rocks. There is a fantastic trend where talented people are painting rocks and then hiding them at local playgrounds.

We founds rocks at The Bunyip, Spiderweb playground and nature play area. A fun filled family afternoon.

Caught ninja fever

Sitting on the couch I am amazed by all those brave souls attempting to conquer the Ninja Warrior Australia course... Not even in my wildest dreams could I even begin to take on such a physical challenge. Those competitors are strong, both physically and mentally... Truly amazing...

Smurfs tops the Boss and Spiderman thoroughly entertains

Master 11 has a mate over tonight and what better way to celebrate a sleepover than with homemade hotdogs for tea and a family movie night helping Smurfette find the Lost Village. Not too sure what to expect from the latest smurf adventure but after sitting through the (approx.) hour and a half expecting our ears to be bombarded by 'la la lalala la' I was pleasantly surprised that I was engaged, at times moved and giggled often throughout this flick. Enjoyed this somewhat more than Boss Baby... A very blue 3 and a half stars...

What about Spiderman Homecoming though... We picked up a mate and then with Master 11 (all things seem to be going his way at the moment), my darling and I we all hit our local cinema for a great night out. Before I mention anything about the movie it was great to see so much support for a local company. A large number attended the film showing before Spiderman and there was a fairly strong attendance for our movie session too (cinema maybe 3/4 full).

Now on to Spiderman...

Without giving anything away (I promise)... What a film!! Great gadgets, actor playing Peter is a great pick... Kick arse bad guy and sooooooooooooooooooo much teen angst... And of course the icing on the cake was Tony Stark in his finest moments (a great mixture of awkwardly delivered wisdom and lightly disguised sarcasm)... The friendly, neighbourhood Spiderman is back and I could not be happier... I wonder if he will be making an appearance in the up and coming Thor movie?

Who's the Boss? And The Spider Comes Home

Last night we had family movie night... Boss Baby was our choice of DVD and I'm still wondering if it was the right choice. We (my wife and I) found it to be an odd film, it was certainly not what I expected it to be. An interesting concept done reasonably well I suppose but I cannot help but feel like I've seen the idea before (and done better) and there was potential for the film to be completely different and utterly more entertaining. The kids must have enjoyed it though because they plan to watch it all over again this afternoon. I love family movie night with my four favourite people though so as an experience I would still rate the night three stars...

Hoping that Spiderman Homecoming will be better... My wife and I are taking Master 11 along tonight to see it at our local cinema. At $8 a ticket we can't resist. Hoping that what promises to be an action packed entertaining romp is not a let down thanks to all the awesomeness having already been shown on the ads on TV (I hate films like that). Looking forward to what should anyway be a good night out... Spiderman and Ironman in one sitting should fill the superhero appetite of everyone...