Evening Of The Earth. By Tim Baker.

While in Sydney for the Manly Surf Festival recently, I managed to catch the Morning of the Earth concert at North Head. For those unfamiliar with the nostalgic MOTE cult, this involves a screening of the seminal 70’s, country soul surf flick, with a live performance of the soundtrack by many of the original musicians, joined by some contemporary ones.

The fragrant aroma of the North Head sewage works mingled with the distinct hint of herbal cigarettes wafting in the evening breeze, as storm clouds gave way to a starry night. The Break, a hard rocking surf guitar ensemble made up of members of Midnight Oil and the Violent Femmes, opened the show in fine style – with the pure enjoyment of mature gentlemen doing exactly as they please. Thoughtfully, there were deck chairs and banana lounges for hire for the more senior members of the crowd, who might have found standing or sitting on the grass a physical challenge.

And we joked that the obligatory St Johns volunteers were probably dealing with fewer ecstasy overdoses and more slipped discs than your average outdoor music event. The experience of seeing this classic old surf film on the big screen, with the stirring folky soundtrack played live, feels a bit like a hippied out, revivalist church gathering, Hillsong on weed. I was surprised and quietly pleased to see lots of groovy young 20-somethings bounding about in front of the stage, as the shows most anthemic number, Simple Ben, got everyone up on their feet.

The films creator, Albe Falzon, is revered as something of a high priest of surfing soul and continues to live the simple, stripped back surfing lifestyle so lovingly portrayed in MOTE, from his country cottage on the mid-north coast. I wondered how many career-focussed city dwellers were contemplating chucking in their jobs and heading up the coast the next morning.

My Surf Movie Binge. By Tim Baker.

In the past couple of weeks I have sat through over 20 hours of surf movies. What madness is this, you may ask?  Well, its part of the deal when you foolishly sign up to the selection panel for the first Yallingup Surf Film festival in WA in January.

Climate Change- Good For Surfers? By Tim Baker.

I was recently invited to take part in a debate on the above question, as part of the Surfrider Foundation’s annual conference on the Gold Coast. Thankfully, I was on the negative team.  Surfrider is surfing’s peak environmental body, with chapters all over the world. The conference and debate was held at Southern Cross Uni and while a lot of the issues at hand are serious and sobering, the debate itself was a light-hearted affair, with the inimitable Wendy Harmer as moderator setting the tone. I was feeling pretty smug on our side of the debate and wondering how the other mob was going to gain any traction with a crowd of surfing environmentalists.  

The Publicity Trail. By Tim Baker.

It was amazing to see the response to Mick Fanning’s new book Surf For Your Life at his signing at the Rip Curl store on Manly Corso last week, during the Manly Surf Festival. There was a queue halfway up the Corso and we were signing books for an hour and a half solid before we had to shut it down because Mick had to leave, with nearly 200 books sold and the punters still lined up. A couple of guys bought brand new Fanning model surfboards for around $700 a pop to get him to sign them. It was a very multi-cultural crowd too, with surfers from Argentina, Peru, Japan, Germany, the US, as well as plenty of locals lining up. Mick was patient and gracious with everyone, but I really noticed how he lit up when a young grommet got to the front of the line.

The Best Roast Beef. By Janelle Bloom.

Standing rib roast is not for every day, but it’s by far the best beef roast. Cooking on the bone gives it a depth of flavour.

My New Favourite Shortbread. By Janelle Bloom.

My friend Naomi made a version of these last year. Her recipe inspired me to combine two of my recipes to create this, my new favourite shortbread. Naomi ices hers with rose pink and chocolate icing, which reminds her of her childhood.