Poolside Percy

Score:   ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ ۞ I'm in France visiting relatives. I'm not very good at speaking French, I'd blame my French teacher Mr. Goodwin but it's not really his fault, well it is un petit peu. We didn't do exotic holidays abroad when we were kids, we went to every Butlin's in the UK. Now, this is one of my favourite swimming pools in the world (not including Butlin's), so I was fairly excited. I managed to negotiate the de rigour of French changing rooms until I was stopped in my tracks by the attendant who pointed at my Fred Perry swimming shorts and said a lot of unfamiliar sounding words. Realising the blanc expression on my visage, she pointed at a poster on the wall which said that bermudas are 'interdit' (I know that word), I must wear le trunks. There was no point in arguing, it would have been pointless as our common tongue was the picture of the offending bermudas. Besides, I've never been to Bermuda, Butlins Ayr was the furthest we

Sunday afternoon swim. Grey and overcast. After yesterday's madness/heroics it's back to normality in central London. The water is cold but the pool is virtually empty. It starts to rain as I push off in lane three, my very own lane, the slow lane all to myself, luxury. The water is even colder at the deep-end, I quicken my stroke on the way back. Some potential swimmers brave the chilly west end air, I growl at them, keep out of my lane. Most of them dip their piggies in the cold water and scurry off to the tropical oasis of the indoor pool. At length 31, the mid-way length, the middle lane is free. I'm free, a whole lane to myself. I swim on and on and on, in no particular hurry. The water gets pumped in to the pool in the shallow end of the middle lane. I peddle to the rainy north for home-made curry.

Graham and Carl Three degrees, givin up, gettin' in 'No way, it's too cold for me, you go in first'. Cold, rainy, blustery day in London. I got kidnapped by a couple of chaps on the way home from Saturday morning Parkrun. They were on their way to the ponds, it seemed an opportunity too good to miss. I swam round the jetty in the near freezing water cheered on by these two. Thanks boys, it was fun. Lots of people in the Highgate Lifebuoys' hut drinking tea and coffee making loads of noise. Still buzzing hours later.

Great of Ideas of March: go for a swim on Sunday morning Met up with GF and French visitors in Covent Garden afterwards.  All bien.