Ah, the best-laid plans can sometimes go awry... This morning was a fine example. Funny now to look back on. It all started the night before - seeing the five-star surf forecast, which is a very rare thing indeed in Wales. After checking the tides and times, we decided that we had just enough time to fit a surf in at dawn before the morning's work began in earnest. What could possibly go wrong?...
Got the van packed and went to bed early, dreaming of catching green glassy waves as the sun bursts over the horizon on a deserted beach.
In reality, it all turned out a little different. It was still very much night time when we left The Cottage, with no sign of the moon, stars or golden dawn. On the drive to the island, the mist was thick and by the time we reached the beach, it was actually drizzling. In the gloom of the murky morning, we peered out to sea. There were waves at least. Big ones. But far from being green and glassy, they were arriving thick and fast, with white water covering the beach.
By the time I'd got into my (wet) wetsuit and locked the van, it was just about light enough to be called dawn. We scurried down to the water and got in. Currents and tides were pulling us in unusual directions and the waves seemed to come from all angles. Clare dropped into some big faces and got some fast rides, while I struggled to paddle through to 'out-back'. It was exhausting work, without much reward for me. Soon enough, I timed out and was about to head to shore, when somehow I got tossed from my board. The waves rolled me around and slammed the board across my head, giving the feeling of having been hit full whack across the ear with a cricket bat. I was momentarily stunned. I caught the following wave and rode it to the beach, where I arrived with blood pouring from my left ear. Not quite the start to the day I'd had in mind...
I trotted up to the van and washed off with a warm shower, but the bleeding refused to stop. Out of my wetsuit, I reached into the van to pull out my work clothes, only to discover that my water bottle had leaked into the bag that they shared and that they were all drenched. Things got worse, when I discovered my pre-made breakfast also swimming in the bottom of the same bag!
I found an old t-shirt that was at least dry, so sped off to my first meeting of the day with Clare driving and me looking somewhat disheveled, holding my ear.
The school nurse patched me up between meetings and then sent me off to hospital, where I got my ear glued and steri-stripped. I was told to rest, so pulled in for a coffee at Heartland and resolved to start the day over again! What a morning...
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