Today was one of those days. I pushed myself to go out for a surf. I looked at the cams and they looked ok, but the SE was blowing a bit, I said to myself - you will kick yourself in the morning if you don’t get out there.

I think it cost me $20 in petrol and two hours drive and for what? Sloppy, cold, south easterly 0.5 foot crap.

I should have just stayed home and watched repeats of Everyone Loves Raymond - and I hate that show, and that guys voice.

Thinking about my experience today - it wasn’t really that terrible getting out there today.

Apart from getting in my ill fitting wetsuit, pulling the board off the roof racks lurching  into the freezing winter bass strait water. Then floundering around for half an hour on my board, catching the odd bit of slop. Then paddling to shore, disappointed. Taking off my ill fitting wetsuit and getting into wet clothes (my car still leaks water - different story) and putting my board back on the roof.

The great thing today was the drive home. I took a bit of a detour and looked around Shoreham this afternoon. A little seaside town on Westernport Bay, just before Flinders. The place had changed since I remembered growing up in the area.

I remember camping at the beach one Summer with some friends and bought 12 bottles of Brandavino. At the time guys drank Brandivino and girls drank Blackberry Nip - I didn’t make the rules. By the end of our camping trip we were mixing the stuff with sea water. I don’t think I drank Brandavino ever again. Come to think of it - I never see it in shops now.

The caravan park in Shoreham is still there, and looks the same - probably better, the trees have all grown. The little township looks very similar in that it hasn’t expanded much.

What changed is the one or two shops in the town had now closed (one had a for sale sign on the front). The big change was that in between the fibro holiday houses, were some of the most beautiful, architect designed homes with tennis courts, pools, sculptures, private vineyards, complete with long winding tree lined driveways with long views to Philip Island in the East to sweeping paddocks and bushland in the South.

I’d love to live in one of those places one day.