Your Mom's Surf Gang

*whispering...Helloooooo is there anyone out there-It's certainly been a while! 

Please forgive my blogland tardiness, it's been a hell of a few weeks. 

I'm at a point where I can *just* about talk about the events of late without crying, IF, I keep it super brief and to the point. In a nutshell, my eldest daughter was rushed to hospital after having had a seizure. She then had another seizure whilst we were waiting in Children's A&E, which lasted almost ten minutes. She was unresponsive for what felt like an eternity and when she did eventually come round, her behaviour was so odd and uncharacteristic the Doctors wanted to keep her in to monitor her, so they could rule out inflammation on the brain or meningitis. In the end it was concluded that her seizures were provoked by a rapid rise in temperature, otherwise known as fibril convulsions, a very scary but very common phenomenon for children between 2-6 years of age. 

It's a tiresome cliché, but I can't think of anything more apt than the saying, 'your heart exists outside of your body,' when you have kids. Seeing my two year old on that gurney with what felt like hundreds of medical professionals around her is seared into my mind, its the most frightened I've ever been. 

As we were basically in emergency mode for those 3 days in hospital, eating whatever we could, sleeping fitfully (if at all) and being on constant adrenaline, my poor body has just given up now that we're home and she's safe. I was actually feverish at the time of her hospitalisation but obviously she took priority. I'm approaching week three of a persistent cough or as my friend Jem calls it, my 'plague cough' and a fever that comes and goes. What I've deduced is that I'm rubbish at resting and that radical self care is absolutely necessary now that we're almost back to normal. I'll be functional where I have to be because I'm a mom and you don't really get off days, but I am trying to recuperate as much as possible. 

Being a rubbish patient has meant I've needed something distracting to help me to actually rest and nothing has been more pervasive than 'Make or Break on Apple TV, which my friend Rosie thoroughly recommended. It centres around the pro surfers of the WSL (World Surf League), following them around iconic breaks of the world and charting the drama of what it takes to be a champion on tour. As a surf enthusiast I was obviously hooked from episode one but I really don't think you need to be a surf rat to be enthralled. Like most sports, there are the heroes and villains and what's utterly captivating is the human stories behind the sport. I've watched all of season 1 in 2 days- that's how good it is. 

Many moons ago I used to write a blog in the mid 2000's about being a land locked surfer. It's aged horribly both in terms of it's name, my god awful dress sense and the moaning about not surfing! It did however become the catalyst for the Land Locked Surfers Club, which I set up to connect like minded individuals across the UK who had a desire to learn how to surf. It facilitated a little community to emerge which got out surfing as much as we could and went everywhere from Cornwall to Sri Lanka. This part of myself has been dormant for so long, both because of saving for a wedding, then the pandemic and subsequent two pregnancies, but the surfer in me is starting to wake up and I'm excited to begin planning adventures again. 

I have to be careful about surfing as it creates a wanderlust in me that starts to make me ungrateful for my land locked living arrangements. I've realised having not being able to surf for so long that there is an abundance of loveliness in my life and you don't need to be living in your perfect location to live your dreams, adventure is everywhere if you just look around you and cultivate a gratitude mindset. That being said I'm excited to start having something for me again, with the added bonus of potentially enticing my girls! 

So during days of being immobile, unhealthy and riddled with germs, I've been slowly plotting some surf adventures. Before I do anything I need to invest in a new wetsuit, a surfboard (I've always just hired because I didn't have a car for much of my surf adventuring) and I want to get some foamies (beginner boards) for my girls. I've no inclination to be a pro surfer but based on how physical and fearless my eldest is, there might be a Steph Gilmore or Sally Fitzgibbons in the making! I think the world tour could do with a Nigerian English pro surfer! 

With this savings goal in mind I've been busily uploading new garb on Vinted in the hope it'll accelerate my project. Here's what I've recently uploaded: 

This All about Audrey Indian dress has sold already, I put it on Vinted for a tenner and it got snapped up straight away. I hope the lady who bought it has as many happy memories wearing it as I did. Whilst I love this dress and have had a little pang of regret selling it, I know ultimately it's not one I'm wearing that often and I've always thought the chest section doesn't fit my itty bitty titties very well!! 

The kaftan dress is another All About Audrey purchase that I'm selling on. Again I love it but it's not one I'm going to that often. I buy a lot of clothes but surprisingly I have less than my husband because I'm very brutal about what stays and what goes. 

I bought this last dress off Vinted recently but it was for a specific event and although I think it photographs beautifully it just doesn't suit my skin tone, it's another gorgeous dress I just don't love enough to keep. Hopefully it'll find it's hippie spirit who can love it and wear it everywhere! 

Well folks it's time for me to go and get some rest/watch more Make or Break! 

Speak soon! 

x