Photo: Shorty

I got the phone call in France. I was sleeping downstairs and I woke up to a dozen missed calls from Monica back at home. I’ve eventually woken up late, typical France time, grabbed my phone and there are all these missed calls. I called back and Mon goes, “Joel, are you sitting down? I’m pregnant.” I’m still half asleep at this stage and I go, “Pregnant? With a baby?” For two weeks I didn’t say anything to anyone. For two weeks. I went to Mundaka and then flew to Brazil still without telling anyone, and it was eating me up the whole time. I’m sitting with Mick in Brazil, been there a few days, and out of the blue he goes, “So when do you reckon you and Mon will have kids?” I’m like, “Well, I dunno Mick. Why do ya ask?” He looked at my face and he knew.

“She’s pregnant, isn’t she?”

And I go, “Yep, she’s pregnant.” He gave me a big hug and we both cracked up, even though at the time I wasn’t quite sure why I was laughing – I was 22 and it was our first child. But you look back now, years later, and you would never have it any other way. – Joel

Excerpt from Parko+Friends

Belly taking a dip out the front of his place in France, commiserating Collingwood's loss yesterday in the AFL grand final.

Yeah, my house here in France is more or less the Australian embassy when the boys get here from home. It’s always football finals weekend when they’re here in France every year and my place is the only place that gets the games broadcast live, so it makes for pretty interesting viewing and some interesting wagers. I’m still not sure why we let Monica Parkinson into our football tipping comp. Halfway through the year I opened my big mouth and said if I got beaten by a woman in the tipping comp I’d cook a barbecue for everyone in the nude at my place when they came to France. Mick Fanning has the evidence on his telephone of that and it’s not a pretty sight, believe you me. Monica’s not in our tipping comp anymore. I put a new rule in – no chicks allowed. We can’t get beaten by a woman at our own game. But it’s always fun and games at my place, and it breaks the ice of the serious side of it. – Stephen “Belly” Bell

Excerpt from Parko+Friends

The little bloke.

Here he is. Mahli Leslie Parkinson, 7lb 8oz of future Snapper Rocks club champion. So stoked. Monica was incredible… she was up and walking around only a few hours later. Mahli has massive feet and skinny legs, so he’s a surfer in the making. While ‘s sleeping I’ve been whispering to him, “Surfing, fishing, surfing, fishing…” just so he gets used to it.

Thanks to everyone for all the kind wishes.

Joel

15 foot shoreys today... 35 foot on the way. //Shorty

Whoah, here it comes. A pretty radical day on the North Shore… too big for Sunset this morning so the contest was called off, so the only place left was The Bay. There was a huge pack of guys on it, and you know why. Monday is supposed to be huge. Eddie huge. Maybe even too huge for the Eddie. Guys are calling it the biggest swell since 1969, and the way the buoys are looking they might be right… I wasn’t there in ’69 to compare. I’d be so stoked to watch the Eddie run… post up for the day and watch the whole thing. In the meantime I still got to surf my quarter at Sunset, which they’ll have to run tomorrow I guess cause Sunset will be 30 feet on Monday. A massive week of swell coming up… this is why we’re here in Hawaii.

And finally happy birthday to my beautiful wife. I’m so glad you’re here.