Separated at birth

Here at Gul, we buy our Assistant Managers from the same Retail Accessory Wholesaler.
Fairly reasonably priced, fairly reliable - sure, they're not the top spec model but with careful guidance they seem to be able to do the job. C

Weymouth

Bude

Gul Bude's Staff

It's quiet today . . . We decided to keep busy!
E x

Mick Kavanagh

Mick is a really good photographer, his portfolio is stacked with shots from beautiful vistas to edgy war zones across the globe. There's a few wisened profiles in there too. I'm stoked that he's been teaching me some stuff of late. Mick is also for hire, just like the A-Team - if you need an event photographed by a pro, drop us a line here and we'll put you in touch.

In Bude he's been indulging his love of surf photography. Here's a few:

The shot above is of Bobby. Bobby has a bit of a reputation around Bude. Despite that, he's also known for shredding deep and hard, as shown here at our very own spot 'M'. After this session, he came in moaning about the cold water. Bobby now wears a Gul Viper.

I really like this shot. This shot is at my own local break, the surf was actually about 4ft and very hollow. I was walking the dog on this day, regretting the timing of a fresh tattoo, and saw Mick taking the shot. These are my friends, Olly and James. I have a few good snaps of my own of Olly in various barrels this day. Olly wears a Gul Vortex.

Here's Olly again, also at spot 'M'.

C

StringerBessant

No doubt we've mentioned StringerBessant before. We've certainly mentioned Reef in our blogs, the hit band from which Jack and Gary (above) originally heralded.

I've seen them play as Stringerbessant many times now and it's always a mellow, feel-good affair. Very intimate and friendly too. Myself and a number of friends on the Gul payroll are heading to the Koola Bar in Newquay tomorrow night to watch them play. Looking forward to it. Be great if you can join us. Mine's a Guinness. C

Shifty

We've temporarily closed our book swap. But fear not, it's for a good cause. You see, we're having a bit of a re-arrange instore.

Which reminds me - if you, or anyone you know happens to have any unwanted 'sixites' furniture or items hanging around their house or garage, please do let us know. It's all part of the new look we're gradually undergoing. Drop by and we'll explain more.

Meanwhile, we've still got a healthy amount of stock at 70% off, Winter wetsuits at 25% off, Boards at 25% off and many other deals to be had. We've also got an awful lot of the new seasons range in - we're rocking it ourselves. C

Tom, yesterday (n.b. not really...)

Gourmet Pizza. Gourmet Friends.

My friend Kate brought me in a slice of her homemade pizza, that she'd cooked last night. It's topped with chorizo, goats cheese, caramelised onion, garlic butter, mozzarella, cheddar, chilli and a healthy fistful of Rocket leaves.
Tom had to go out and buy a pasty (again).
Tom needs better friends.
Thanks Kate!
C

I know it's an oldie but it is a goonie

http://gul-bude.blogspot.com/2010/07/hey-you-guys.html

Just like "One Eyed Willy's" hidden fortune, our blog has a wealth of treasures in it's past!

Hips don't lie

I'm not a fan of Shakira.
Don't get me wrong - I appreciate she's loved by millions. It's just that I, personally, would rather hum and tap my feet to the gentle background gurgle of a sewage pipe than to a Shakira CD.
I accept my taste in music may not be everyone's cup of tea (quite why is unclear) so I allow the whole shop access to our instore music player. We have a limit - 10 tracks a day can be added, amongst the staff who are working. These tracks need to be generally upbeat, not anti-social, and in good taste.
So when a particularly galling Shakira track came on the player - forcing back the gag reflex - I stared into Emma's pop-loving soul and solemnly asked her if she'd mind me deleting this track. Wrongly, it turned out, assuming she was the culprit who'd soiled our beloved playlist.
But it wasn't. And she snitched: The culprit, bizarrely, was Tom.
Yes it turns out that Tom, whom I'm already aware is a big Dolly Parton fan (he has tickets for her upcoming Liverpool show) is also a zealous Shakira fan. Obsessed, apparently. He'd let Emma know. But he'd neglected to tell me.
See you Monday, Tom.... C

Weapon Of Choice

Tom leant me some of his Tiger spray.

At £1.50 a can, I should have been more wary.

I'm going home for a bath. C

Nearly a year old - Youngsters snapping at our heels.

Well, come the 13th of March, we'll be a whole year old. Sure, we got plans to celebrate our birthday, cupcakes most certainly playing a part, but one thing we thought needed a bit of a Spring Spruce was our beloved blog. We've been tapping away at keys for almost a year now, filling these pages with observations, offers and embarassing pictures of each other and other members of the Gul team, so it was high time. More importantly though, we spotted the new blog by our latest sister store, Yeovil, and realised theirs far out-shone ours.
Not gonna happen Yeovil.
So here we have our new, improved Gul Bude Blog.... do enjoy!

Can I get a WOOT WOOT?

Polzeath Surf Report and Forecast

When Mizzle Parts...

It was mizzly yesterday at home. I'd sat around waiting for it to clear and it didn't and it came time to walk the dog or I'd miss the last light, so I decided to head to the beach. At least there I could watch the grand swell that had arrived, watch it tearing up a secret little bay I like to head to when I need to clear my head. I left my SLR at home, assuming it'd be wet at the beach too. Frustratingly, not only did the rain and cloud stop within metres of the beach, revealing a certain amount of blue sky, but the light was also fantastic: perfect photographic conditions even. It was annoying, but with my trusty iPhone and one of the little cheater apps, I got this nice shot from the shore. The original itself is pretty special. The clouds were dramatic right up until the dark set in and we headed up the hill to home. Goes to show though, I need to be carrying that camera everywhere. Lesson learnt. C

Mid-Feb Feelgood

It's been a good day.
The sun is out, the surf is up and Bude feels like life has once again returned. The tills have been ringing and we've had some good friends drop by to visit, including the lovely Sam and Glen and Martin Dorey and his family.
I also got this in the post....

Very sweet of you Mum, thankyou.

C

Check it out

My Bobby Dazzler camera is, frankly, my new love affair.

Sadly, now the rains come back in, I can only take indoor shots. So here's a little snap of me modelling the new Diggory shirt, fresh through the doors of Gul Bude.

Nice isn't it. C

25% Off Winter Wetsuits!

It's 25% Off our winter wetsuit range....

Save a bundle and surf your wave of cash!

Seasons greetings.

Well we're pretty happy right now. New dresses, skirts, tees, hoodies, polos and....mmmmmm... check shirts. That's right, the start of our new seasons range is now instore and looking just dandy. Come by and we'll model some for you. Tom is particularly fond of the Maxi-dress.

One Man (Martin) and his Campervan

We've mentioned our friend Martin Dorey and his excellent book 'The Campervan Cookbook' before, several times. It's been out for some time now, having been very well received by critics, foodies and surf shop managers along the way. Copies of the book made up about 40% of my entire Christmas shopping list, and were a hit with those who received it. And about 40% of them know (knew) nothing about camper vans, which proves how versatile and enjoyable the book itself is.
Which is why you want to make sure you're in with the telly this Monday.
Because this Monday evening, Martin's TV series, 'One Man and his Campervan' begins on BBC2, at 6.30pm. It's then showing every weekday night at the same time for 2 whole weeks. Jamie, Rick, Hugh... yesterdays roaming television cooks: We like ours in a dapper check shirt and carrying a surfboard that isn't just a prop.
Here's a few links to whet your appetite...

www.hattrick.co.uk/hattrick-international/int_shows/show-detail/?show_id=70

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yndpc

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yltdc

Winter licks

I took this shot the other day - a reminder that, although it's returned to quite milder air these last couple of days, Winter still hides in the wings. These ice-coated pebbles were below a very cold waterfall. It was only the thought of being drenched by the freezing water flowing from above that stopped me from having one of these as a novelty lolly. In the meantime, as Winter plods on, we've just reduced the price of our most popular ladies jacket, the Stratus, by 25%. Just for a few weeks until Spring properly starts.