It's not the size of it it's what you do with it that counts.

Tonight I attended another evening surf class with the lovely guys at the Offshore surf school in Newquay but with small waves with not much power the instructors had a plan for the session.

Tonight we were practising tricks on our boards, from switching direction whilst on the board, forwards rolls on boards, sitting cross legged in a budda position and even laying back the wrong way on the board and assuming a praying position, not to mention walking the board and attempting to hang five!

The waves were small, and we were all on swell boards but we all had an absolute blast, party waves where everyone was riding the same wave and  even two instructors surfing on the same board at once! It really was brilliant fun and took away the seriousness that i've recently been experiencing with my surfing progression. Week after week i've been going out back on my lessons and facing the wall when taking drop in's and getting frustrated each time when i don't proceed with my surfing but tonight was all about the sheer fun and why i love going in the water.

Thank you to the instructors at the surf school for putting together such a brilliant club and thank you to all the guys on the lessons that give so much encouragement each week on our journeys through learning to surf.

Full moon photographs over Cornwall

Wednesday saw a full moon over Cornwall and when I got home in the evening I couldn't resist taking a few pictures.

I live in a small village opposite a converted church, sadly the church is a holiday home so lies empty for most of the year but when there school holidays arrive so do the people and on go the lights in the church. It always looks so lovely with the light pouring out through the original windows and looks so much better than the dark building that so often sits empty in the village.

On wednesday night the moon was full and sitting right above the church and i couldn't resist getting out with the camera and tripod and getting some night time photos of the church lit by moon light.

Why I don't like the tourism industry!

Anyone that lives in Cornwall will have noticed the massive increase in cars on the roads lately, With the summer holidays in full swing and the bank holiday upon us people are flocking down to enjoy Cornwall and i don't blame them. Cornwall really is beautiful it's why i live and work here. I love the lifestyle, the beaches, the surf and even the people. Cornwall offers a slower pass of life that the rest of the country doesn't have.

No big cities, town centres that still have individual shops and no massive motorways, I love Cornwall.

But right now after 5 weeks of grinning and baring the tourists I have had enough. I am fed up of sitting behind cars that proceed to drive along main roads, main roads that have a speed limit of 60 mph but driving at 30! I'm fed up of the sheer volume of traffic on the roads, having to double my journey times to get anywhere. I went into Newquay at the weekend and my usual 15 minute drive of 7 miles took over an hour sitting in queuing traffic.

Now i don't want to sound like a miserable Scrooge and i do understand that tourism brings a lot of money to Cornwall but equally that the same tourism ruins communities. Villages where half the houses are owned as holiday homes where people are only in these homes a few weeks of the year. There's so many young people screaming out to buy or rent a home but there just isn't many available due to many being winter let only or sold for occupation for only 50% of the year. This then has a knock on effect for local businesses, pubs that have to shut for half the year because when the second home owners aren't about the pubs can't survive, but if these second homes had local people in them there would be locals to visit the pub all year round.

Lastly my rant is about tourists that litter, I recently went for a walk on the beach and there were broken body boards, broken spades, left BBQ's, beer cans, babies dummies, and bags of rubbish left on the beach. Now I can't prove that the rubbish was left by tourists and not locals but it does get ten times worse in the summer months. And you know that it will be the local surfers against sewage that organise beach cleans once the tourism season is over to return the beaches back to normal.

To ease my pain of the volume of tourists right now I can just look at this picture and laugh!

What Determines A Car’s Resale Value?

One of the main deciding factors on the car you’ll drive is the resale value. The only thing better than getting a fair price for your new vehicle is getting a fair price on it when you decide to sell it. If you’re a driver who likes getting a new car every two or three years, you’ll most definitely want to pay attention to the car’s resale value. But what factors determine how high or how low the resale value will be on your car?

Deciding Factors
The very first thing you’ll want to pay attention to when shopping for a Scion or any other type of vehicle is a proven history of low depreciation rates, or at least lower than a majority of other car models.
The part of the country you live in is something else that will determine how much you’ll be able to sell your car for. Look up popular vehicles in your area before you buy a new car so that you can determine how easy it will be to sell it later and how much you’ll most likely be able to sell it for. For example, if you live in Cornwall you’ll probably have a harder time selling your sports car and an easier time of selling a camper van. Cornwall residents will have a harder time of selling their two-seater convertibles.
Automobiles with all-wheel and four-wheel drives will be more valuable in areas like Cornwall and other areas that are known for their countryside location. You’ll also probably have an easier time of selling a four-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicle in the winter than in the spring or summer. Timing is everything.
Pay attention to the color of a car while you’re shopping for a new one. Fad colors might look absolutely fabulous at the moment, but they might be all but undesirable in a few years when you’re ready to sell.

Upgrades
Before you go crazy with adding upgrades and extra options to your car, you’ll want to make sure they’re the ones that will add value to your vehicle rather than add to its depreciation. While you might be quite excited about the £1,000 you spend on your window-pulsing sound system, it might not fetch you very much extra money when you’re ready to take it off of your hands four or five years from now. Consider getting an automatic transmission instead of a manual one since automatic transmissions are the more popular option. Other options and upgrades that can add to your car’s resale value include CD changers, sunroofs and leather seating. Navigation systems are something else that you’ll want to leave out when you’re customizing your car as they won’t bring you much value when you’re ready to trade your car in or sell it.

Timing
Your timing will also play a part in how much your vehicle sells for. Don’t be too hasty and make sure that you check the used car market before you put out an ad. If the market is soft, you’ll want to wait at least six months before selling your vehicle when the demand will be higher. You’ll also want to take the current price of petrol into consideration. If petrol is high, wait until it’s lower before you sell or trade in your car.
The time of day you go to a dealership will also affect how much you can get for your trade in, so you’ll want to go when they aren’t busy and are more willing to bargain with you about the price. Think about going on Wednesday morning as opposed to Saturday afternoons when most people are off and have some free time on their hands to stop by the car dealership.  


Related Reading:
Edmunds.com Used Car Pricing Guide 
Scion Pure Pricing Model

Surfing injuries - Why I need more lessons!

I've been learning to surf for several years now, and yes it is as frustrating as it sounds but it also addictive.

When you first have lessons you are taught techniques on the sand and best practice and safety tips, all this is taken on board and you learn to stand up on broken white water. After doing this time and time again perfecting your ability to get to your feet it gets a little boring so you need to step up a level.

I'm stuck in this rut of boring white water but petrified of the next step. I've joined a local surf club in Newquay and have been growing in confidence ever since. I've been taken out back, i've learnt to turtle roll through the waves and learnt the theory of what I am doing right and wrong. But the biggest thing that troubles me with my surfing is the fear! Going to surf club with a bunch of like minded and equally fearful and not so fearful ladies has really encouraged me through. Trying hard, pushing harder and doing things that scare me, but push me, as I really want to be able to surf properly and not just stand up on a board chugging along white water.

But recently my surfing ended with a trip to the local hospital with an injury to my eye, i'm still not sure what happened, one minute I was out back, took a nice right, popped up, rode the wave I was loving life and finally getting the hang of surfing, the adrenaline rush was immense, the speed of the wave pounds through your thighs, I couldn't have been happier... Then bam smashed under by a wave, then smashed down again washing machined under the water. After these two waves I pulled my self onto the board and started to paddle back out, but when a fellow surfer pointed out that I was bleeding I had to catch a wave in and cut my session short.

I have been back in the waves three times since my slight injury but the fear that I was just managing to concur is back in full force. I'm really hoping that I can get over the fear and get back to where I was and maybe booking a few more intermediate lessons won't hurt

Boardmasters 2013 Photos

This year was the first year in many that I didn't attend the music event over at Watergate Bay. Now for many of you who follow my blog will know that Watergate Bay and live music are two of my favourite things but this year the music line up really didn't float my boat. Now I know that the event organisers put a lot of effort into putting on bands that everyone will enjoy but having seen Ben Howard before and not knowing who the vacines are these two headline acts did not encourage me to buy a ticket this year.

Being a festival bunny this did surprise me a lot, but I did spent the weekend down at Fistral with my camera catching up on the surfing action and the BMXing which I normally miss being over at the music event. Not to mention I got in the water myself both days so all in all a good weekend.

Here's my photos of the very talented BMX riders during the final on the SUnday as well as a few pictures of the crazy people jumping off scaffolding from a great height into a blow up mat....

Check out the rest of the pictures from Boardmasters this weekend at Fistral and don't forget to 'like' my facebook page to keep up to date with all my latest pics and reviews.

Land of the Giants at Watergate Bay

It will be hard for people in Cornwall not to be hearing about Watergate Bay this weekend with the ever popular Boardmasters surf and music event taking place. But just down the road from the main music event the Phoenix pub hosted an evening of live music with the wonderfully talented Land of the Giants playing.

Completely ignoring the festival going on at the top of the hill crowds of people still flocked to the phoenix. The band kicked off in true style and even with a band member missing got the crowd dancing and jumping straight away.

The band played a mix of rootsy, ska mixed with head banging bass which had the place bouncing. Unfortunately the slow ceilings were cramping the style for the tall ones ever so slightly but this did not stop the intimate electric atmosphere created by the band. Getting lost in the music and dancing the night away you really didn't notice the 'major' music festival going on metres away from you.

Even better still was as the place filled up and warmed up the lead guitarist and trumpet player decided it was time to remove their tops...... What can I say, Hot, tattooed, talented musicians with their muscles out playing into the crowd. Perfect night and can't wait to see the band again at over the hill festival in a few weeks.

Do you prefer English or European music festivals?

I've always been a lover of live music from the early days of attending V Festival in my home town of Chelmsford enjoying the thrill of my first big festival. I remember seeing the Stereophonics and Nickleback but soon my music tastes changed and I realised that there were lots of small music festivals with equally as good atmospheres of the big festivals but paying a quarter of the cost for a ticket. Not to mention the live gigs following around my favourite acts.

Over the years I've seen The Prodigy, Newton Faulkner, The Levellers, and even James Morrison at my local pub and that was a free gig! As well as many Willie and the Bandits gigs and even New Zealand band Fat Freddies drop.

But this year I attended my first European music festival, and was thoroughly impressed. This year I made the journey over to Amsterdam to attend the Pitch festival. It just happened that I was going to be in Belgium the weekend before so when I found out that Fat Freddies Drop and Dizzy Rascal were playing at the Pitch festival in Amsterdam and tickets were less than £30 each for over 13 hours of live music it was a no brainer.

Arriving early at the festival we were one of the first in to the venue. In true British style we are used to queuing to get every where but here it was a very simple process, a quick back check and we were in, not to mention each festival goer getting a festival zip up bag/blanket on entrance as well. With the weather so nice we bought some beer tokens unfolded our blanket and enjoyed the sunshine and DJ set coming from one of the smaller stages.  

Above is the inside of the main arena and below is in my opinion the best gig venue ever! The festival was split into several stages of different music and my favourite stage was in a converted gas building. I've never been up close to one of these gas cylinders let alone inside one with a stage and two bars.

As the evening went on the sun went down but the festival atmosphere continued with a silent disco until 4am. 

I've been to a lot of UK festivals across the country and I have to say I was really impressed with my first European music festival. Simple things like the cost of tickets being a lot less than UK festivals. I know this will sound an odd one to compare but the festival toilets at the Pitch festival were immaculate at all times with a team of cleaners on hand all night. Part of a UK festival is stinky porta loo's and no loo roll! Now maybe the good weather had a lot to do with the success of this festival for me, and I will admit that i've never been to Glastonbury festival which i'm sure is amazing it's just a pure cost factor which has stopped me from ever attending. 

Where is your favourite festival? Do you go to European festivals? Let me know your favourites in the comments below and I will compile a top 10 festival list. 

Top Ten Cars to Look Out for in the Year 2022

When Jessica asked me to host a guest post by her on car's that will still be cool in 2022, I couldn't say no, especially as it featured the VW beetle in the list!

"Cars are a trend in technology and fashion as it were which cannot ever be extinct and this is as a result of the fact that cars provide you with the comfort that you deserve when you are someone who is always moving from one place to another most especially if such movements are work related. Car manufacturing companies churn out cars on a regular basis. It is on this note however that a look at some of the cars that can be trendy and fashionable by the year 2022 will be done through the help of this article.

Reasons why people buy cars:

There are many reasons that make people buy cars and some of such reasons are as follows:

a. To show off that they drive the latest car of a particular car manufacturing company;

b. Simply because of the love of the particular kind of car;

c. The aesthetic design of the car;

d. The last but not the least is as a result of its functionality and comfort ability.

Factors that were put into consideration before coming up with these cars:

It is to be stated here that the following reasons are a few of the factors that were put into consideration before the compilation of the list of the cars that can be used even till the year 2022:

i. Sturdiness: how strong a car is, is a very essential reason that was put into consideration especially when you are making up your mind on buying a car that can last you for at least a decade? The strength or sturdiness of the car will go a long way in helping you decide on which type of car to buy.

ii. Aesthetic Design: how a car looks should also be considered so that you can be sure of the fact that the car will still look great by the year 2012.

iii. Functionality: the functional ability of the car is also an added advantage when you are going for a car that will last you for the minimum of at least a decade.

iv. Comfort: how comfortable the car makes you feel when you are in it will also help you determine whether you will be able to make use of the car for a long term of at least a decade.

The List of Ten Cars that have been rated to still look great even till the year 2022:

The following are some of the cars that have been rated to still look great even up till the year 2022 which is at least about a decade:

1. Jeep Wrangler: this car is one of the cars that have been rated to still look great by the year 2022 and this is due to the comfort and functional abilities of the car.

2. Honda Civic: this is yet another great car that can be recommended to still look great even till the year 2022 and the major reason for this brand of car to be chosen is simply because it is a car that draws attention to its self and is therefore easily loved and noticed by people wherever you take it to.

3. Mercedes Benz G Class: this car will last and still look great in the year 2022 because it is especially designed for durability and it has the ability of functioning properly even when the terrain that the car is being driven on is rough.

4. Aston Martin Virage: the materials that were used to design this car makes it a durable car that will last till the year 2022 and still look the way it looks today and that is great.

5. McLaren MP4 -12C: this car will still be in vogue and still look great by the year 2022 because of the fact that it has been designed to function smoothly and properly on the race tracks.

6. Mini Cooper: this is a car that will look great by the next decade due to its ability to function properly at every point in time.

7. Chrysler 300: the fact that it was designed as a good combination of the Bentley and the Rolls Royce cars will make it last for at least a decade.

8. Volkswagen Beetle: this is a very sturdy car that was especially designed to be able to stand the test of time.

9. Dodge Challenger: this car is a very good car that is especially designed for the race tracks and this will still continue by the year 2022.

10. Rolls Royce Phantom: this is the last but not the least of the cars that will be mentioned here and the design of the car leaves one with no other conclusion than to state that it will last till the year 2022.

The above mentioned cars are cars that are sure to last for the next decade (till the year 2022). These cars will still look great despite the change in the trend of cars that are made and bought in the future."

Jessica Atlass is a mother of two and had previous experience working in Consumer Rights. She loves to blog about cars, finance and safety. Recently, she has published a guide on how to save money on car insurance in Cambridge, Ontario and Kitchener, Ontario.