Downtime and Daydreaming

January 27th finds me unable to shift out of daydreams of glittering days past and hopeful anticipation of lovely treats to come.

It's just that tough barren spell over the next couple of months to get through...

...still, we have vital signs here - snowdrops, aconites and birdsong are all here to gladden a sad heart.

Funding Update

The boxes are in and counted and the tally is £111.86. Thank you from the Leicester Children's Holiday Home.

Saturday 15h January - 27.7 Degrees Centigrade

C'est Tropique! Waterblogged Swimmers Nic and Lesley rendez-vu for a warm swim outdoors in London's Oasis Swimming Pool. Adrian the Lifeguard informs us that the water is 27.7 Degrees C - very precise and a damn site warmer than the 3 Degrees of the North Sea at New Year's.

Up from the provinces (Kent and Lincolnshire) we then swim the wrong way round in the slow (clockwise) lane and then move to the middle lane only to find that is anti-clockwise - more information from Adrian the Lifeguard.

A bit of incident with Nic's goggles falling off and landing in the deep - very deep 12 foot - deep end. Attempts to surface dive and a helpful swimmer who jumped in feet first (?!) to try to rescue them for me. Adrian informed us that vertical dives are not allowed - only shallow dives (What!!!! in 12 foot of water?). I was tempted to tell him that we used to dive in 6 feet of water standing on a chair, on top of a table - but that was Billinghay we do things differently there. Anyway, Adrian and his rod saved the day and the goggles were rescued and a secure knot tied in them.

Fab day out so nice to swim outdoors - in warm water - in the middle of London. You can't miss this one!


Doesn't look much from the outside .....













High carb breakfast on the train.

1,1,11 !!!!!

Auspicious day for a bracing North Sea dip - very bloody bracing at only 3 degrees!! Strong incoming waves and downcoast pull prevented the long swim we were hoping for to break the inertia of frozen December, but....we DID IT! Thanks to Mum and Dad for beach side support and hot soup after - PERFECT x.

2010 was bloody brilliant (on the whole!) - what delights await the waterblogged sisters in 2011?....