You and me

We still have time you and me
Time to grow, time to see
Time to be whatever we want to be

Written by Lloyd Burnard

The tree outside my window

In March you seemed old
Standing hard weathering the cold
Then Spring arrived and your life began to unfold
I've watched you grow and bare full fruit
I've watched winged friends help themselves and tend to you

Through Seasons and days untold
Through my window i have watched your windswept patrol
You have calmed me through my sleep
And helped me awake from slumbers so deep
You have kept my spirits bright
Aided me in fanciful adventures of flight

Now as Autumn moves to Winter you are there
Holding fort but standing bare
But please don't heed to worry my friend
For Spring is only around the bend

Then once again you shall be reborn
A beacon for life, a counsel for worry and strife

Written by Lloyd Burnard

Wilson

We grew up in Cornwall and we drank in the same town
We grew up apart but we both felt Brotherly bound
He was my friend, my confidant my Brother in arms
I grew to love his heavenly charm and his way to not give a damn
I know we'll never be alone because we both played our dual part
Wils and I
The best friendship from the start, a friendship from the heart.

We saw you off in style my friend, save me a stool at the bar up there xxx

A day at the Beach with Mickey

I had a good day helping Mickey out with some photos last week.

It mainly involved him shooting me acting like a Seal and the fool, both of which are hobbies of mine, so you can imagine I had good day. That coupled with the fact I haven't seen Mickey for almost eighteen Months. I literally smiled continuously for a good 12 hours!

Cheers for a good day Pard.

Flora Day, Helston Saturday May 7th 2011

Where i'm from once a Year a nice town called Helston goes flipping nuts!

It's called Flora Day and has been a tradition for centuries, well no one really knows but it is a very long time. The reason for Flora Day is to celebrate the coming of Spring and of new life.

To celebrate this there are five dances through the town. Starting with the 7 o'clock  Morning Dance, followed by The Hal an Tow at 0830, the Childrens Dance at 1000, then the Midday Dance followed by the final dance of the day the 5 o'clock Evening Dance.

I was fortunate enough to be educated at a Primary School in Helston which means I am a part of a privileged few that have danced the Childrens Dance on a few occasions.

That was years ago, twenty to be exact! So when I had the idea to dance this year, I was a little dubious to say the least as to whether I would be accepted. You see you can't just rock up and dance on Flora Day, you have to write in to the appropriate person and they decide whether you are Helston enough to dance and as this is such a privilege out of education i.e, other than the Children's Dance, it is pretty hard to be accepted.

Thankfully myself, Stephanie Goldsworthy, Scott Whitfield and my Sister Elly were all excepted to dance the Morning and Evening dance. A real privilege and one we were all proud to be part of.

The one highlight that sticks out for me is as the evening dance was coming to it's end we turned onto the bottom of Wendron Street. You could see the open line for the band and the dancers and on either side there were thousands of people screaming, clapping, hanging off of lampposts, out of windows waving flags and just going absolutely nuts for us.

I was overwhelmed by the turn out and the atmosphere and just how amazing the town looked and as we danced our final steps into the Corn Exchange the band banged out they're last beats for this years celebrations and the crowd reached it's crescendo the noise became unbelievable and one I will never forget. Once inside the Corn Exchange the traditional Flora Day Thunder was rang out with all of us dancers stamping our feet and shouting as load as we could.

Being a lover of attention seeking i never wanted that last 30 minutes to end, it i was certainly something i will never forget and something i hope to do again, with the right permissions of course.

Coming up Wendron Street toward the Corn Exchange
for the last leg of the evening dance

Being a bit flamboyant isn't really allowed but i really
couldn't help myself, the excitement got the better of me

Dancing with Steph on the wet but still exciting morning
dance

Having a well earned pint with from left to right Scott,
Steph, our dance leader, Fionn, myself, Elly and Sean

Dancing in the morning dance at the top of Meneage Street,
still a bit wet but still just as excited

Throwing some moves with my lovely Sister, Elly in the
evening dance

This is the Morning Dance, it was raining but i don't think any of us cared!

Kernow adventures

There are a few things i have missed about Cornwall, one being the randomness of home!

The last week and a half has seen some of the best run of North coast swell i've seen for years, this resulted in myself, Rohan and Little Andy spending many hours driving around and surfing some of the best spots.

Whilst heading to a secluded spot we drove past a pile of toys on the side of the road, Rohan slammed on the brakes and what we found was some unwanted toys going for 20 pence a piece, bargain!

Cornwall is most definitely one unique place!

20 pence, what a bargain!

Our selection!

Rohan got a nice book about a little girl who
discovers Karma

Andy got a nice guitar! What a beauty, the guitar as well!

I treated myself to a Mickey Mouse keyring and a pack of
Super Heroe top trumps! Look how excited I am!

Bubbles and I and our day of destiny

Today was a good day for swell on the North coast of Cornwall but a bad day for my 6'4'' x 19'' x 2 3/8'' surfboard nicknamed, due to me getting drunk and drawing bubbles all over her deck, Bubbles.

Although I try to make a point of riding Leven surfboards, as they are the best I have ever ridden, I do have a few boards that I have purchased secondhand. I bought Bubbles about 3 years ago off of eBay for the bargain price of £150.

Her (I name her a her because it seems weird to imagine oneself riding a male surfboard), previous owner was a nice man from Bristol who with more money than sense, had bought her to go on holiday to the Canary Islands. He had only surfed Bubbles twice whilst away and on they're return his wife had put her foot down, telling him that the board goes or she does, lucky for me he chose the board, although his wife was very pretty and although I offered him the £150 for her, he declined, she did look a little to high maintenance to be honest.

I was very impressed with my purchase and myself and Bubbles have travelled together since. We've surfed together in Ireland, France, Fuerteventura and all over Cornwall and Wales many times. I have grown to learn Bubbles unique style and have grown fond of surfing with her, as with Humans boards can be just as individual, but today was to much for my mate Bubbles.

Myself and Ian Ridge paddled out at a certain spot somewhere on the North Coast of Cornwall at a very low tide. It was a bit windy but there were lines stacked to the horizon, it looked like a classic session with the added bonus that there was no one in and it looked solid.

After an hour or so in we had both scored some fun waves with the occasional barrel thrown in for good measure, all was going swimmingly until for about twenty minutes the tide turned and rips appeared everywhere, not necessarily a bad thing at this certain spot as it holds up the face a little longer for you to make it around sections or pull in.

As i paddled into position for the first wave of a set the rip went full steam and the face of the wave jumped, i dropped into the pocket getting a nice cover up instantly and stayed in a good position for what felt like a few seconds until the wave broke past the rip and raced ahead of me with no chance of pumping through the section, what followed was an almighty shut down and kicking.

When i finally surfaced I knew the board was snapped beyond repair, as i looked at Bubbles her nose was a full ninety degrees to her deck but before i had chance to grab her and check it out, I had the second set wave bearing down on me and with no chance to grab Bubbles, i hit the deck. When i surfaced from another good shoeing I grabbed what was left of Bubbles and made my way in looking for the other half.

Once in I said my farewells and collected the pieces and made my way back to the car, all be it amped for a good session I was a little disheartened that my good friend Bubbles had met her match.

Bubbles and I at Lev a few days ago

Bubbles and I on home turf, high tide Praa Sands 2009

Sorry old bean...

...you will be missed.

  

Happy Days

Just been sifting through some images and sorting out some video footage from the last few Months in Australia, i've got some good stuff coming up.

These two images stuck out though and brought a smile to my face. We had heard of this beach through friends and I was keen to get away from the crowds of Margaret River so we bought an off road map and headed South looking for the track off the main road.

After a few hours of looking around and dominating some pretty amazing off road tracks we found our slice of Heaven. A deserted beach with Dolphins riding the waves and the Sun beating down on us.

What a great few days that was, just hanging out all day doing pretty much as little as possible between surfs and thanks to a little ingenuity hooking up my laptop and having cinema club in the evenings.

Cheers for the good company Fionn, Jono it wouldn't have been half as much fun without you guys.

Musing on adventures had and contemplating ones to come

Yes i've been musing, again, over some of the amazing things i have seen and done over the last year and how I got to making that decision to leave my well paid job, the company car, my  house, my home and the security of Family and Friends and constant money coming in just for the sake of adventure.

Leaving that all behind was not an easy decision some of those are the things I cherish more than anything. In fact i'd go as far as to say that it was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made.

But I made it and I know now that that decision was one of those decisions that has been the making of me.

I've had a nice day today with my Cousin Gemma, we are close having grown up together as best friends and like Brother and Sister we always used to hang out. We reminisced of our adventures as children and how we grew up in those times together when it always seemed sunny and neither of us could remember a day when it was raining. She now has a beautiful daughter Amelia who is her light and driving force in life and i am so proud of the strong Women she has become.

Gemma asked me the question in a roundabout way as to when I was likely to grow up, to which i stated, 'I have, I now know what I want and I want to be happy'.

She laughed and quoted me with what used to be my favourite saying as a young cocky teenager, 'I'm the real Peter Pan, I'm going to stay young forever!'.

As she was leaving I gave her my new mobile number and, much to my amusement, she created a contact under the name 'Peter Pan'.

I know that sometimes life can seem like an endless struggle and somethings can sometimes seem like they are taking control, just remember it is your life, those situations you think may be controlling you are only controlled by you.

Here's a couple of my videos for you to look at. I hope that at some point in the last year and in the future this blog has made and will continue to make you think and has more than anything put a smile on your face, because a Peter Pan who can't make you smile and seek adventure is more like a grumpy Captain Hook!

Catching some Rays


Whale Fish


When Whales meet

Home comings and goings!

Well, i've been home for about two weeks now. It's been a shock to the system but i'm finally settling back into the ebb and flow of life in Cornwall.

My flight back was hardly as adventurous as i hoped just a dull 26 hours of sitting, waiting, watching and every now and then drinking. When I did land in Heathrow i was greeted by typical English weather, a barmy 1 degree with cold winds from the North plus a little drizzle thrown in for good measure. Seeing as i hadn't been below 30 degrees for a whole year, it was hard to grasp at first and i had to be asked to leave the plane!

I was so shocked and brain dead that i didn't even notice my Dad, who had come to pick me up, sneaking up on me at Heathrows terminal 3 arrivals lounge, he literally scared the shit out of me. But as it had been exactly a whole year since we last saw each other it was so good to see him again. I didn't cry but I like to think my Dad and I are very close and it was nice to be back in his company. We drove the 4 hours or so South West to Cornwall, reminiscing along the way of times past and with me giving great detail on my adventures, although he had heard them a hundred times before, over the phone and reading this blog, he listened intently  and nodded in all the right places.

When we arrived home to surprise my Mum, who had no idea i was coming back, had decided to go shopping or something along those lines. With my ballon a little deflated I had to kick around for an hour waiting for her to return. When she did I hid in a spare room and snuck out on her whilst she had her back turned. I made no sound as I stood right behind her and as she turned around she was greeted by her youngest Son, who was meant to be 12,000 miles away in North West Australia, stood there all brown and blue eyed smiling from ear to ear. She obviously screamed and we had a good old hug and kiss, i had missed my Mum a lot as well. And over the next few hours I again went through my adventures of the last year and again even though she had heard them all before she listened intently and nodded in the right places, it was good to be home.

Since then it has been a roller coaster of fun and misadventure. I know one fact for sure, way to much alcohol has been consumed in the last two weeks and my body is craving warm waters and days of sun kissed paradise. That said it has been great coming home and seeing all my Friends and Family and having some classic catch ups along the way.

But I have been a bit melancholy today and have been watching some of my films that I put together over the last year.

Liquid LIfe is one of my favourites as it highlights the possibilities you find yourself in if you only carry out the adventures you seek. I remember every minute of filming all these amazing moments in the first few months of being in Exmouth WA and the people I was with and all of whom I miss very much and look forward to seeing you all again very soon.

Here's to you my Friends. x

The day metal met meat!

Whilst in Bali the other week it was decided that our whole crew should venture out of Kuta and head to Bali's Lotus Pond staging area, basically an absolutely beautiful location that was hundreds if not thousands of years old, to watch non other than Iron Maiden rock out on their Final Frontier World tour.

It was crazy from the moment we left the Hotel Arena in central Kuta with two taxis full to the brim with Kernows finest boozing it up and racing the streets to get us all there before we caused damage to the taxi and/or passing pedestrians.

As soon as we arrived it was full on Iron Maiden/Bali mayhem, with people bustling to get in and sell everything and anything even remotely Iron Maidenish. We sat and chilled to finish our beers and stick some Slut cock stickers on the massive Iron Maiden motif outside, much to the disappointment of the real fans, once finished defacing everything in sight we then headed in.

As soon as we entered there was an issue with Little Andy mumbling that he didn't have a ticket, this caused a bit of a problem as he would more than likely be raped if we left him outside, he's very cute. So Flea offered him his ticket with the idea that myself and Flea being cheeky little chappies and full of Worldly ways would blag Flea in. Andy didn't hang around to see if it did, as soon as he was through the gate he was off leaving Flea stranded with his only hope of entry being left with the blag and a silver tongued Lloyd.

After a repetitive argument with a huge bouncer that was at the same time as arguing with us trying to hold back an onslaught of free loading locals forcing entry through a massive side gate, there must have been a few hundred on the other side all pushing through. I saw my opportunity and lent in and said in the nicest tone i could muster over the din of screaming Balinese,

'Look mate, i can see your busy, i'm not being a blag but my mates a complete tit and he's lost his ticket, just give us a break!'

He looked over my shoulder at the lanky cute faced Flea and replied 'Go on then just fuck off!'

As we walked away high fiving, we heard the gate give way and god knows how many locals overran the poor bloke, maybe two blaggin Cornishman was just to much for him or maybe it was just one to many blaggin bastards before the levi broke!

Knowing we would all lose each other it was prearranged that we would all meet up as close to the front and middle of the stage as possible. This turned out to be very easy as Kernow folk, who are generally stumpy looking compared to most other races, are actually really tall compared to the Balinese!

Once together we caused mayhem up front. One thing that really struck me was that no one wanted to mosh, no one, no shit! No one! Iron Maiden and no mass mosh pit! Everyone other than us lot were more interested in taking pictures with cameras and phones and standing there nodding! Well that was until team Kernow got busy with the moshing!

It got out of hand pretty quick and everyone around us bailed out of the way and left the harder ones standing there getting a little teasy with us, which only heightened the feelings of carnage pumping through our veins!

On more than one occasion whilst having a breather i was pushed hard from behind by a persistent local, after the seventh push i didn't think twice i just picked him up and threw him into the middle of the pit with the boys leaping on him like hungry hyenas thirsty for new blood, god help him i thought, i hope he didn't have a camera, cause he won't now! I think i saw him awhile later crawl out of the middle somewhere to the left looking a little confused!

It did at some points though feel like we were moshing full on, throwing each other around and acting like complete idiots, going as hard as you can but at a Britney Spears Charity gig! Iron Maiden just couldn't pull it off in Bali.

It was an awesome night of carnage and good times with good mates, i don't reckon i would go to another Iron Maiden concert as it was a little disappointing, music and performance wise. It was like watching a load of Grandads trying to rock it out and leap around but unable to move to much in case a hip popped out or they dislocated a finger!

The band and the performance to a certain degree did remind me a lot of 'This is Spinal Tap'.

Iron Maiden TV advert... (hit full screen, bottom right)



This is Spinal Tap preview... (hit full screen, bottom right)



If you haven't seen 'This is Spinal Tap', you need to!

Trans 7 - Koki Cilic (Junior Chef)

I've just got back from Sumatra and as well scoring some really fun waves and having some amazing adventures to Jennys and Banana Island I was luckily enough get invited to go on Trans 7's TV show, Koki Cilic (Junior Chef), a famous Indonesian Children's cooking show.

The show is massive in Indo and the presenter seems to be like a right Celebrity with everyone bussling to take photos of her, well it is Indo after all and the same thing happened to us lot on many occasion, most nights actually sitting on the beach when the local village would turn out with phones at the ready to take pictures of the crazy White people on their beach.

Anyway, whilst standing on the sidelines for sometime waiting for the cooking to finish so i can get a free feed and some attention the boys all seem to notice that i was up to something and that me being me a free feed and some attention was no doubt on the line, within minutes my solo attention spree had turned into a Kernow boys day out with Flea, Orch, Alex and Chris all jumping on the band wagon, i didn't mind though it made it all the more funnier that i wasn't the only non-speaking Indo person about to be asked my opinion on the cooking.

After the show was done the cameras were turned to us and as we all stood there, proud as punch in our Slut Clothing attire, we were offered crispy fried fish with chilli sauce. It wasn't to bad to be honest and i went back for seconds and even thirds when no one was looking!

After being served our food whilst all mumbling Bagus (Indo for good) with the cameras trained on us, they asked us to all stand in line with the presenter in front and shout the shows end strap line whilst waving our hands in the air, problem being none of us speak Indonesian and with twenty people screaming the strap line at us from all angles it was hard to work out what the hell they were on about!

After awhile it was worked out they should write it down and we could then pronounce it, Indonesian is pretty easy you basically speak what you read no silent letters, so with the words written down we all got into position and with cameras rolling we all screamed the amazing strap line, which i can't remember what it is in Indo but it translates to Good Kids Eat Well, or something along those lines. Pretty funny seeing as all the crazy White men they got to shout it were all wearing Slut t'shirts and holding Bintang beers behind their backs!

With our five minutes of fame done we were then grabbed as everyone wanted photos of us with the presenter, which to be honest being Cornwalls most attention seeking Male I was more than happy to oblige as to were the other boys.

We were all pretty amped about it after but even more so when we were recognised in Kuta, Bali about a week later for our five minutes of Indo fame!

If you like the t'shirts above, go get some at Slut Clothing, with free World wide delivery and some awesome tales of debauchery and mayhem they truly are a Clothing company for the future, go get yourself some bargains!

No doubt they will bring you lots of hard earned attention!

30 years in the brewing, now i'm ready for a sip!

I made it!

There have been some serious times when i have genuinely thought "you know what, i'm never gonna make it to 30 if i carry on like this!"

Times like when i got washed all the way down Anchor Point in Morocco without a breath, when i got PE in my right lung, when i overdosed on Viagra, when i've run into a 20 man fight to help a mate, when i was bottled, when i jumped Castle Rock at low tide, when i swam with sharks, when my Dad found cigarettes on me, when i crashed cars, when i shouted at my Mum, when myself, Dan and Adam had a sink the boat fight in the middle of a Shark filled Caribbean Ocean at night, the numerous times when i've paddled out when normal people would have stayed in, when my Sister punched me in the head and the many times when i've just gone too far!

It's always been in the back of my mind from a very young age that i probably won't make it to far, i've always had something in me that pushes the line and thankfully that line is very flexible. I have shocked myself and somehow i have scraped through to the big 30!

There isn't much i've done in my life so far that i regret, actually there's nothing, what ever i've done it's for a reason. Sometimes a selfish stupid reason but i think it's panned out alright.

At 30 i've...

loved and lost

lived and gained

cried and laughed

jumped and skipt

run and walked

drunk and drank

shouted and whispered

talked and stalked

shagged and gagged

fought and taught

missed and hit

grown and shrunk


30 years in the brewing, now i'm ready for a sip! from lloyd burnard on Vimeo.

Another November

November has always been a big Month for me with life changing decisions and circumstances presenting themselves throughout the Month.

Not only is it my Birthday Month but i've always noticed that November has always greeted me with something different than the other 11 Months and they are always situations unrelated to the Birthday experience.

I remember passing my Driving test in November, breaking up with girlfriends, coming across money, travelling, meeting inspiring people, moving in with girlfriends, moving out, starting jobs i actually want, being diagnosed with multiple Pulmonary Embolism, having operations and spending time in Hospitals to name only a few examples.

All of them have been trying and have grafted me to the person I am now, i'm not saying that nothing ever happens to me in the other Months of the year but it just seems more noticeable in November.

I know something will happen in the next four weeks that will change my prospective, situation and no doubt bring about change. I just wonder what the hell it's going to be and i just hope that it's a good thing!

On another note, i've started growing my Movember moustache, i've gone for the Mexican/Monga approach, maybe it'll be my lucky charm!

Off the beaten track!

Now the Poo Log is up in Exmouth i thought it was appropriate to take it for an off road adventure. Myself, Luke, Dan and Katy decided a day driving through gorges and beaches was to be had.

Off the beaten track! from lloyd burnard on Vimeo.

Warroora Station

After being back in Exmouth for only a few days since my jaunt to Perth I decided to try out my new friend, Poo Log, at Warroora (pronounced Warra) homestead station a few hours South. There is tale of a few amazing surf breaks there so i was hoping for a good couple of days in the water as the charts all be it a bit small showed some potential.

I tried to round up a couple of mates to join me but everyone was working or to busy to jump town for a couple of days. So it was just me and Poo Log, who if you haven't been keeping track of this blog is a 1985 HJ60 Toyota Land Cruiser.

I left Exmouth at 0630 and arrived in good time to pay the not so hefty price tag of $15, $7.50 a night. I did have one worry though to stay at some homesteads in WA you have to have a portable chemical toilet as there are no facilities what so ever, no toilets, no water, no electricity nothing at all. Well this was a bit of problem as i don't own a chemical toilet and because my plan to leave town was so last minute, the night before, i had no chance to borrow one. So i had to blag it which turned out pretty easy.

I pulled up at the homestead office and was greeted by a bewildered old bush man who was staring at his makeshift reception table and to be honest had the look about him that he wasn't quite sure how he got there or why the hell i was there. After a hardy handshake he asked if i had a toilet i just laughed and said of course what idiot goes to a homestead and doesn't. He didn't laugh he just grumbled away and demanded $15 which i was more than happy to hand over in exchange for two nights and a mud map of the homestead so i wouldn't get lost. I asked if there was any other campers on site to which he replied no and carried on staring at the table with the upmost interest.

So i was off, i drove along for some time just darting around the 4x4 tracks having a great time and putting Poo Log through it's paces. I wasn't to sure where i was going or where i wanted to camp that was until i stumbled across "The Lagoon'. A white sand beach with crystal clear water, i lowered the pressure in Poo Logs tyres and drove down the beach till i got to the far point where there was evidence of previous camp activity. I decided that i would camp here for the first night as i was able to park up about 5 metres from the Indian Ocean and it was the most idilic and peaceful place i have ever stumbled across.

I adventured around a bit more doing some pretty steep and serious off road tracks which Poo Log just ate up and relished, i found beaches covered in bright yellow crabs that were as camera shy as big foot and reef/beach breaks that showed some good potential even in the small swell.

I camped out that night and was joined late in the evening by a nice couple Peter and Liz Upton who were nice enough to cook me dinner and share some funny stories with. The next morning the swell had started to hit so i went exploring and found a couple of good reef breaks that looked near impossible to access without a boat or a bloody great fall off a cliff, i scored a small left hander but not for long as the wind picked up and WA being WA made a bit of a mess of it. I decided to do a bit more exploring further North of where i was and found some seriously good breaks and some beautiful beaches that were completely untouched. I found some amazing 4x4 off road tracks through soft massive sand dunes which Poo Log again lapped up and i only got bogged two or three times, which was my own fault and not the Poo Logs but it was easy enough to get out and carry on.

I set up camp for the second night at another beautiful beach called 14 mile, there were a few old couples down there all with their caravans and all the gear, but i found a secluded spot no more than 10 metres from the ocean and settled in. After a few hours though the wind hadn't dropped off and was almost gale force and i made the decision to head back to Exmouth before it got dark.

I can hand on heart say that Warroora is one of the most amazing places i have ever been to and i will be heading back there as soon as possible. The potential for good waves and good times is very evident and i can't wait to spend some more quality time there soon.

Here's a few photos...

The Lagoon, the bottom right corner is where i camped.















Exploring Warroora





















14 Mile Beach