Country drive

I have a few mates living in Essex. So a roadtrip was had, taking in the sea and of course endless chats over cream tea.

Pebbles and stones

Country lanes and endless afternoon sunshine

Another cream tea demolished. Clotted cream is a dream.

The higgly-piggly 15th century cottages of Levenham. The eaves lurch and lean towards the centre of the high street, the walls wallow and lazily lean on their foundations.

flora

Endless Summer

[First Love]

The last weekend of summer is fast approaching and the opportunities to laze at the beach are fast receding; soon it'll be frosty toes, runny noses and the end of daylight savings.Though it seems that summer wants to go off with a bang as the forecast is 27-33 degrees over the weekend.

But fear not! Don't start pulling on the overcoats and clutching your box of tissues - there's a new film called "First Love" coming out and it's about surfing and all things beachy. With a soundtrack featuring the likes of Tim & Jean, The Beautiful Girls, M-Phazes and Seth Sentry, it already sounds like a winner.

Australia Day

Australia Day is by far my favourite holiday; it leaves Christmas and New Year's for dust. This year was no different.

I would be more than happy to hang out with my mates poolside, eating lamingtons and guessing what song will be

number one in the hottest 100, but to get paid for it just puts icing on the cake.

There are so many reasons why I get misty eyed over how gorgeous this sunburnt country is, but it is much nicer (ie.

eloquent) just to read this poem by Henry Lawson.

[image via: State Library of Queensland]

Sweet Sydney

[beach time]

Two consecutive days of swimming, snoozing and running at the beach.

The rain of Brisbane feels a million miles away.

Sydney I could hug you and smother you in kisses, unfortunately you're going to rain on my parade this week ahead.

Ping!

Call it what you will – tennis de salon, Gossima, Parlour Tennis, Pom-pom, Netto, Whiff Waff – ping pong is immensely addictive.

The beach house we stayed at over Christmas came equipped with a ping-pong table in the garage. Despite a white sandy beach just outside the front door, I was manning the table for at least two hours a day, playing with the intensity and vigour of a 98 year old vying for a Masters Game Title.

[the music for champions]

I’ve proven on numerous occasions that I have sub-par reflexes (most recently evident with spectacularly tragic attempts to play Guitar Hero). However I felt like I found my sport when I picked up a table tennis racket.

We didn’t let the ball bouncing off walls or ricocheting off chairs disrupt a rally. No one kept score. Besides no one could hear over the beats of Little Dragon or Daft Punk.

The only rule laid down was no one was allowed to lean on the table. It’s rickety legs groaning with slightest sea breeze. Luckily for our bond our pong skills didn’t progress into proper pong rallies.

Perhaps if we had spent the summer in London our skills would stepped it up a notch

“Ping! Is an innovative 3 year project that will provide new opportunities for the public to participate in social and competitive Table Tennis free of charge.”

These crafty creatures devised the following events:

- Sing n Ping

- Singles for Singles (dating pong style)

- The Ping Pong Parlour (a pop up lounge with DJ’s, a bar and of course ping pong)

- Late Night Natural History Museum Ping Quiz

- Public Ping Pong (100 ping pong tables were set up in public spaces around London for 4 weeks over the summer including the Tate Modern, train stations, shopping centers and Heathrow Airport)

...which is probably more suited for an Australian Summer