Poolside Percy

Score:   ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞۞ Welcome to Hackney on a Monday. Well, it's that part of Hackney called Stoke Newington, not a stones throw away from sunny Dalston. Geography lesson over. Notice says no shoes in the changing rooms. now that's a great idea, take note. The changing room floors are cold, wet and slippery. Now where's the pool? Can't fail to notice the young urban professionals, the trendy sort, the ones that live in Stokey and ride colourful bikes with funny brakes. Beautiful youth. Big wide pool with lots of lanes, two for fast swimmers. Cool, but how fast? Then I notice the flippers and hand paddle things, loads of people have got them, cheats. This pool says serious, there's a massive electronic scoreboard, seats for cheering from, no shallow or deep end, the pool is 2.0m all the way down. I made hard work of my mile this evening. I enjoyed the last 20 lengths. This is a great sports centre. It's run by GLL. So why is Finchley Lido such a soulless ...

Rather than learning from Monday's mistake of turning up at 6.30 and being dismayed at the amount of people in the pool, I returned on Friday at 6.30pm hoping that people still went to the boozer after work. Spot on, half as many people, the hairy bloke in the middle lane stank of booze, maybe he had a little bottle of something stuffed down his speedos, mixing pleasure with pleasure. I've run out of photos of the building, I should really take some of my own, here's a photo of the lockers, inspiring stuff. Oh yes, I did swim, I swam a mile again. My body felt really stiff, I went back to doing bootcamp again yesterday. The middle lane was a bit macho so I ended up swimming in the slow lane. I always do a couple of lengths of breaststroke in the slow lane, unless it's a quiet pool and someone new comes in. Then I feel obliged to show them I'm actually a half decent swimmer and swim a bit of frontcrawl, just so they know. It's been raining a lot. Quack.

Blue Monday. I find myself in Kentish Town on Monday at 6.30pm. Whilst being in Kentish Town is nothing new, 'tis uncommon because I don't usually leave the house on Mondays, the joy of working from home. But anyway. I'm hoping the spell of shite weather is putting of punters from leaving the house and visiting the pool. I pull open the heavy door to reveal the horrors of the flesh mob before me. Pool is heaving. Must be thirty odd people. I will have to fight off the weak urge to turn around and go home. Through some questionable tactics and good timing I have completed 56 lengths. The pool has emptied out quite a bit. There is a lesson to be learned here, stay away on Mondays at 6:30pm. It's nearly May. It's the Lido summer season next weekend. It's been a long, cold, lonely winter. Well, it hasn't really, but it feels like years since it's been here. I'm still reading 'Waterlog'. Roger Deakin, he swam at the Lido, more to follow.....

Arrived back in Waterloo on Sunday afternoon from yesterday's trip to Gorgeous Guildford - seemed rude not to pop in to the Oasis for a swim. Quick visit to the model shop in Holborn, bought my son a Sunbeam Alpine 5 car, apparently used in Dr. No. It was only a quid. Anyway, blagged a free swim 'cos I is well cheeky. Started pouring with rain when when I arrived so the pool was deserted apart from one other person. That soon changed when I started grabbed the whole middle lane for myself, that soon changed when a few more late Sunday afternoon swimmers realised the sun was back out. I'll count this as a belated birthday swim. That means I swam 45 lengths. It was at this pool I started swimming birthday related lengths. Whatever. Huffed and puffed, got there in the end. Thoroughly enjoyable. Went home and watched Chelsea thrash Tottenham. Blue is the colour. Started reading 'Waterlog' again, more to follow...

Score: ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞۞ Happy Birthday present to me. Night in a hotel, three course dinner, breakfast and 'cos she loves me the hotel has a pool, not the biggest pool in the world , 15 metres, but who's complaining. Fuelled by a lunchtime bottle of cava and some hotel chocolate chip biscuits I entered the pool. Nice and empty apart from a couple in the jacuzzi, they're definitely having sex when they get back to their room. Quick mental arithmetic time, 107 lengths makes a mile. If I'm going to take any benefit from this I won't push when I start a new length. Good idea, I crashed my push bike last night and my leg still hurts (my ear is starting to go purple sprouting broccoli colour, don't ask). Place is as hot as hell, I swim on the left side of the pool, the water is well cloudy, I can't see my hands in front of me, I like to see my hands when I swim, I can't even see my girlfriend. After about 40 I'm not really enjoying this, but I should cos...

Last gasp Easter Sunday swim. Back for more late night business. Nice chilled atmosphere at the pool this evening. A no-show for the swimming lesson left me with a lane to myself. I dutifully swam a mile and four for luck. The ever so precise scales tell me that I've put on 2KG since my last visit, must have been all that good living up in lovely Norfolk. Dined at the Indian Veg place on Chapel Street Market, two platefuls left me beyond bloated and in a state of nausea. Lots of drunken Arsenal fans still out on the Holloway Road.

Score: ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞۞ Fun, fun, fun in Hun-stan-ton.  Afternoon family swim with DW, David G and DD. Forgot goggles and thought twice about paying the £4.75 to get in. Looks well shabby from the outside. I'm glad we drove back to our cottage to get our Speedos. Family pool with slides, cafe, ice rink. Cafe looks over the sea front. Lots and lots of fun. I've just finished Oliver Twist so we sang lots of songs in the jacuzzi and embarrassed DW. David beat me hands down in a 50m race, well he is a London schools champion.  Dined on a Marmite and watercress sandwich in the car park overlooking the overcast and very brown looking Norfolk sea. View Larger Map