It’s summer in London. And the reason you know it’s summer is because sometimes it’s too hot to sleep with your duvet on, and you don’t get too cold if you forget your coat + walk outside in just a cardigan. To delight in this summery weather, Liz + Rob came down to London to meet me, and then we went down to Bournemouth for a long weekend. And I had my first series of kitesurfing lessons. Conveniently Number 2 on The List.
And it was BRILLIANT.
The weather was gorgeous (sun, blue skies, warm water, wind) for it. It was addictive, and fun and just amazing. Having a kite propel you through the water? A stupid amount of fun. I learnt how to body drag downwind and upwind, I learnt how to control a kite, and I learnt how to get up on a board and propel myself down the beach. Best fun ever.
One thing they don’t tell you, though, is what you’re really doing is learning to NOT faceplant in the water. The kite is a pretty powerful thing and you’re forever adjusting it to suit the variable wind speed. And when you don’t get it quite right? Well, if you’re like me you’ll go flying through the air and faceplant. True Story. I have the whiplash to prove it. My legs + feet are all cut up from landing on and walking into various shells and underwater hidden nasty things, and I even have a scrape on my face from when I faceplanted head first into sand. Awesome.
Still, I’m stoked enough with this to cross it off: I can get up, I can kitesurf down the beach + up the beach, I can stop in a manner that’s safe, and if I lose my board I know how to use my kite to body drag through the water to pick it up. It’s an amazing sport, and I’m ecstatic that I gave it a go. There will be more kitesurfing in the future. In the next few weeks, if I get my way. Brilliant, I can’t wait!
Number 2. Done!
