surf mama

Miss Surf Mama at the Alternative Miss World

October 28, 2014 by Wilma Johnson

It had been a long time since I did any performance art…. I was organising my book tour, and had already decided that I wasn’t really a stand up and read aloud kind of author and planned events on beaches and riverbanks, in Irish bars and East London drinking clubs. How could I possibly resist an invitation to enter Andrew Logan’s Alternative Miss World at Shakespeare’s Globe???? It wasn’t really part of my book tour, it was more like joining […]

Categories: events, surf mama • Tags: Alternative Miss World, Andrew Logan, Globe Theatre, Shakespeare, surf mama, wilma johnson

Leave a comment

Indian Summertime

September 21, 2014 by Wilma Johnson

Autumn in Olatua isn’t so much the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness – it’s more the season of scorching sun, big swells and surf pros slashing across the waves. South winds ice the village with Sahara dust, thunderstorms like Hammer Horror special effects shake the house at night. You have to make the most of the Indian summer , because as anyone who lives here through the year will remind you, in ominous tones reminiscent of Game of Thrones…. ‘Winter […]

Categories: Blog, surf mama • Tags: beach, Biarritz, guethary, st jean de luz, surf, surf mama, surfing

Leave a comment

August in Olatua

September 8, 2014 by Wilma Johnson

‘August is party season. The village is packed, the bars are packed, the wave is packed. Apart from the usual crowd you have to negotiate swimmers, divers harpooning octopus,rubber dinghies and jet-skis.’ Some people leave the village for August, the crowds are insane compared to the rest of the year, but sometimes it’s more fun to just go with it, fiestas in Pamplona, Bayonne and every other town village or hamlet in Pays Basque. Parties every night in the […]

Categories: Blog, Photos, surf mama • Tags: August, Biarritz, Olatua Surf Mama, Summer, surf, surf mama

Leave a comment

Surf Mama Review in Trip Fiction

September 8, 2014 by Wilma Johnson

Wilma Johnson is living on the West Coast of Ireland with her husband and 3 small children. She is an artist and homemaker, whilst her husband takes to the waves and enjoys the surf. After 10 years and an increasingly wobbly marriage, the whole family decamps to Olatua, Biarritz in search of the Endless Summer Dream. Her surfing life at the age of 44 is just about to begin and she determines to learn to stand on a piece of […]

Categories: press • Tags: surf book, surf mama, travel writing, trip fiction, Womens surfing

Leave a comment

Surf Mama Selfie Movie for Psychologies

August 14, 2014 by Wilma Johnson

Psychologies magazine asked me to make a movie of my road trip round Ireland which ended up in Ballydavid/Baile na nGall, where I first started writing the diary that became Surf Mama 12 years ago. We had a great laugh filming, from the moving car, on windswept hillsides, in dark smokey bars…… Unfortunately most of the footage was unusable despite being filmed on my state of the art smart phone – partly because I had forgotten in […]

Categories: events, press • Tags: Ballydavid, Dingle, Ireland, Psychologies magazine, selfie movie, surf books, surf mama, Wild Atlantic Way

Leave a comment

Surf Mama in Psychologies Magazine

August 6, 2014 by Wilma Johnson

https://psychologies.co.uk/why-wilma-johnson-making-waves

Categories: press, surf mama • Tags: Biarritz, psychologies, surf, surf mama, surfbooks, wilma johnson, women surfing

Leave a comment

Surf Mama at To the Lighthouse in Ciboure

August 5, 2014 by Wilma Johnson

Back on the Cote Basque after the crazy tour round Ireland, London, Cornwall Liverpool. Surf Party book launch at To the Lighthouse fantastic new English language bookshop in Ciboure. Surf tips, aperitif, and I’ll be reading an exert about surfing in the bay of St Jean the day after the village beaujolais fest…. Dress code : Aloha Shirts 21 Quai Ravel Ciboure from 6.00

Categories: events, surf mama • Tags: Ciboure, cote basque aloha shirts, surf, surf mama, to the lighthouse

Leave a comment

Surf Mama at Port Eliot

July 31, 2014 by Wilma Johnson

The Port Eliot weekend turned into a bit of an epic roadtrip – starting with a nine hour journey to Cornwall, where we arrived at Maia’s place just in time for the open mike session at the fisherman’s bar. One thing led to another and we stayed up all night catching up, admiring her fine quiver of surf boards, fine cellar of wine, and adorable cat. As a result we didn’t arrive at Port Eliot until saturday night, and just […]

Categories: events, surf mama • Tags: Port Eliot festival, surf books, surf mama, wilma johnson

Leave a comment

Surf Mama in Clapham

July 25, 2014 by Wilma Johnson

Lovely evening at Clapham Books, aperitif and reading in the garden. Ray Gange star of cult Clash film Rude boy and Chris Salewicz author of Joe Strummer’s biography Redemption Song turned up, so when we’d finished swapping big wave stories we got into a bit of punk nostalgia. From Surf Mama . 1978. ‘Hello are you Joe Strummer? Do you want to buy me a drink?’ I asked. It was a pretty lame chat up line and unusually forward […]

Categories: events, Photos, surf mama • Tags: Clapham Books, surf mama, The Clash, wilma johnson

Leave a comment

One Womans Search for Love Happiness and the Perfect Wave

Tag: surf mama

Miss Surf Mama at the Alternative Miss World

Indian Summertime

August in Olatua

Surf Mama Review in Trip Fiction

Surf Mama Selfie Movie for Psychologies

Surf Mama in Psychologies Magazine

Surf Mama at To the Lighthouse in Ciboure

Surf Mama at Port Eliot

Surf Mama in Clapham