Swing that paddle

Boy, do I ache all over this morning from yesterday's paddling. It has been such a long time and, given the break, I think we went way further than was really sensible...

Yes, I know, you've guessed that I'm not talking about THAT sort of paddling. I'm talking about kayaking, or paddle sport as practitioners tend to call it.

I wonder how much cross-over there is between the kayak brigade and those of us with an interest in bottom-paddling? There must be a bit, we spankos have got to be everywhere haven't we?

So, I'm possibly not alone in encountering what I think of as the beach startle. When I'm stood there in my wetsuit trying to supress a smirk while a conversation about paddle design, paddle use and the joys of paddling happens around me.

Yesterday was a club outing, one of the first of the season, and the gear-addicts were showing off their latest purchases. As a result I spent quite a long time in grin-suppression mode while two of the club elders argued the pros and cons of their new paddles.

A and B looked like they might come to blows because A wouldn't accept B's suggestion that his new £300 carbon fibre paddle wasn't the best thing since sliced bread. Lighter means less strain on the shoulders, apparently.

From my p.o.v lighter generally makes for disappointment, when it comes to 'that' sort of paddle anyway. I think you need something with a bit more weight in it to really make the point.

Anyway, it was good to get out onto the water, the sea was kind and the company was good (and, unintentionally, very funny). The only downsides from the day were that my wetsuit seems to have shrunk and that I've gone a bit soft over the winter - today all my back and shoulders muscles really ache.

Lots of good news then, hopefully the muscles will all tone up with use and, with a bit of work, I'll fit into the wetsuit again soon. Plus SO has promised a thorough massage later - can't be bad.

Crime and punishment, Benson style

Actions result in reactions. Wrong-doing should result in a well-smacked behind.
I'm enoying a little time looking at some great Roger Benson images - all spanking art masterpieces - and trying to make connections between them. It's as though they deserve to be put one after another and to have speech bubbles added like a cartoon strip.
This top one looked to me like it would add up to a serious misdemeanour in Benson's 1950s play park for spankos. What on earth does this young lady think she's doing? And it's 12.45, presumbly in the morning not in the afternoon. 
That has to be well after curfew, hasn't it? She should have been home hours ago, but instead she's in the kitchen making out.
Whose kitchen is it? His? Or are they at a party?
And I think the picture below looks like the outcome. Or something like it. Mum, aunt or perhaps a dorm mom and she looks very unhapy. 
Personally I'd think this was a situation that called for the hairbrush or the paddle. Something with a bit more bite than a ruler. 
But perhaps the ruler is just a warm-up for the top of the bill act. Anyway, hours of fun (when you should be working on a project that is horribly close to deadline...)

Our present difficulties

How subtle should a Christmas present hint be? From time to time we've talked about the sort of hairbrush I need. And I mean NEED.

Classic, made of wood, not too big, not too small. You know the thing otherwise you wouldn't be here.
But my mostly-vanilla Significant Other doesn't seem to get the message. A tacky plastic supermarket hairbrush may do the job but it spoils the moment if you're obsessed with period detail.
Yes, I could buy my own I know. But that would miss the point - it's the thought that counts, isn't it? Just the right brush all wrapped up in Christmas paper with a little bow on it would be the best present ever.
Another hint will have to be pinged in SO's direction and I think I've just found the perfect thing. In all the Love our Lurkers excitement I missed Dioneo's great post 25 Reasons Why Spankos are So Awesome over at Ecco Spanko. It's wry, witty and made me laugh.
As a sometime kayaker I like number 13, 'If one of us is up a creek, there's probably a paddle around.' From experience I'd recommend taking a spare paddle just in case, but I digress. Dioneo's reason  number 2 is the one I'm hoping SO will pick up on: 'We're the reason antique shops sell hairbrushes.'