What's next for 2023?

A year ago I started writing under this new banner of 'The Radius'. I felt I needed a bit of a boost to my creative self, so I did away with the old 'Chunky Brother', which seemed to restrict me in many ways and decided to start a new platform and let it develop, organically, without the pressure that I totally place on myself and really stick with it and see where it goes. The Radius began as a platform to just write what I want, when I want, about anything I want, and just for myself and it still is. I've never had to write for anyone else but myself, the occasional article accompanied by photos, and that was surf media,  but I've often felt like I was never sure who I was writing for, or whether someone would read it or not. Now I don't care, because I've finally realised after so many years that I just love to write, and it's important to just write for myself and it's about doing something creative.
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I think personal ego got in the way of why I was writing until I decided to do 'The Radius', and I even wonder why I'm penning this little reflection. I wonder why I'm trying to write a book sometimes, because when I read back over the current thirty thousand words, 'The Trailhead Project', I was a little bit like, "what am I thinking", or "what the hell".   So I decided to press pause for a bit and regather my thoughts and start again in the New Year with some clarity and structure, but I do know that it will be something I finish and I believe it's a good message that would make a difference.  My passions, for surfing, cycling and being outdoors, mean that I can endlessly write about these on the Radius and yes, it's a personal pursuit, but if I'm out surfing and one of my peers says they enjoyed my latest post, or someone leaves me a comment on Social Media, that means the world, so thank you. 

As ‘The Radius’ found its feet in 2022, I managed to achieve my goal to write consistently each month, in between work, even at work, at weekends, as topics came up, or just when I could. Now my focus is progressing and this platform is going to develop further. I’m writing this not even knowing if anyone is reading this, or if anyone cares, but I’m writing it anyway because it’s like a journal exercise. Writing down and publishing my aspirations for the coming year, feels like there is some kind of accountability on my part to achieve them. They're certainly not a New Year's Resolution, but just a commitment to myself to get things done. 

To always have Surfing and Cycling at the forefront of my passions means I have two amazing pursuits that I’m sure will allow me to produce some interesting content both written and recorded. I’ve got no skills in editing or filmmaking so I’m not about to start vlogging or dedicating my life to visual content creation, but there are so many people I'd like to sit down with and have a chat with, so many interesting stories to be told, and to find out more about their lives, their well-being, and their inspirations to make a difference in our world, would be a lot of fun. So in 2023 I’m going to start recording a few interviews and see if I can't throw my hand into the podcast world on a very small and low tech scale. Starting with Season 1 in the New Year I can guarantee that this will not be pristine sound, perfectly editied and mistake free. I do believe it will be interesting .  I’ve invested a little cash into some very basic equipment, but now I just need to build up some confidence to press record, then a little more to just put it out there and see what comes back.  

I’m planning a few little trips too, nothing written in stone, but combined with recording a few interviews, this will be weekend warrior kind of stuff, to places I’d like to visit and ride. I really would like to ride some more gravel, and not just dirty lanes with ‘grass up the middle’, and finally indulge into this bikepacking phenomena, after all I did buy a bike designed for that reason. So the odd, weekend sortie into Dartmoor or Exmoor could be on the cards. and I'm going to tag onto some club rides this year.  I also bought a bike trailer many years ago and never used it, so I might just put the trailer on the back of my bike, strap a surfboard on top and head up the coast, take the camping gear, the Kelly Kettle and create something different. The odd MTB Enduro might get entered again just for the fun of it, but I can also feel a few bike park trips coming on with a few goals I'd like to achieve, and see how my skills can develop further, along with some more coaching.  

I’m also keen to surf a couple of spots that I’ve not been back to for a while, and put pen to paper in some form. There are some spots further up in North Cornwall, and across into the shire of North Devon that I’ve not been back to for a few years. I might argue that when you get older your search narrows a little, and you become content with your local radius, so a few trips beyond the norm are guaranteed in 2023.  A place I have been meaning to go back to for years, is Saunton Sands, but whenever I’ve gone North I end up at Woolacombe, just because it's a little more juicy. The last time I surfed Saunton Sands, it was £5 to park for the day, and it's now in double figures, and I was also competing, and on that visit I was stoked to win the over 40’s division of the British Longboard Union. It’s always been one of the busier surf breaks, being so close to Bristol and London, and although it was always busy, but I’ve heard that the crowds are now so ridiculous I’m intrigued. I’ve also heard amusing reports of aggressive ‘old men’ in the lineups, who frequent and control the main break at ‘The Cave’, and I'd love to see first hand how this great longboard wave is now under the control of a few retired, greedy and grumpy old men, and a place I’ve also heard is infested with a variety of surf craft including electric surfboards, it should be hilarious. I might even enter a surf comp again and let you know what that's like, in fact my return to Saunton could coincide with the Saunton Longboard Classic and enter the Grandmasters!! 

2022 has been a fun year, frustrating in places, but so much fun in others. Now 2023 is upon us, I’m stoked to get amongst it on Wheels and Waves and I hope I can drag the odd reader and new listener with me.  If not, I don't mind, I’m doing it anyway.  A Happy and Prosperous  New Year to all. See you out there.