Poolside Percy

Water temp: 16 degrees Numbers. My chest feels tight and wheezy as I sit at the deep end soaking up some early Friday evening rain. It took me a long while to finally get my act together, I'll be lucky if I manage 15 lengths today I thought to myself. After 15 laborious, but sort of enjoyable lengths I decided that I could manage 5 more. Twenty? If I can do 20 then I might as well swim 27, a mile. Twenty-seven? That's almost twice as many as I've done already, let's see how we get on. Puffing and panting I reach 27 lengths and leave the pool. Numbers. When I grab my shower stuff and turn to walk to the shower there is only one important number, zero, the number of swimmers in the pool. The pool is empty with 15 minutes till closing time. I jumped back in and swam some more and thought about more numbers. Photo: nikvestberg

Water temp: 16 degrees Hmmm, this summer thing is a bit overrated if you ask me. Tuesday morning pre-work swim. I'm feeling a bit wheezy, need to take it easy. I get a touch of hayfever induced asthma in the summer, not as bad as I used to, oh by Amphitrite , not as bad as I used to. However, it's enough to affect my swimming, you need a good breathing strategy when you're swimming cos I aint swimming breaststroke, I'd rather walk. I aimed for 10 lengths and made it a round 12. Job done. One super hot shower and went about my business.

Brighton Beach It's Father's Day, I'm on Brighton beach with my son and my mates, the sun is out. We just rode 67 miles from London with about 28,000 other cyclists, it's taken us all day, we conquered Ditchling Beacon for the sixth year running on our trusty tandem, GF and sis cheered us in. I'm hot, tired and extremely elated, it's time for a swim in the sea and a cold fizzy lager... I can smell fish and chips... Happy, happy, joy, joy

Water temp: 16 degrees Post Parkrun Saturday morning swim. Pond is almost deserted, a couple of the regular faces say hello, one man attempts to have a conversation with me about replacing smoking with swimming, we don't get very far, it's all a bit of a drag. I swim a couple of laps. I pass what looks like a couple of screeching baby seagulls plotted up on a life buoy, I'm probably wrong, you could write what I know about nature on a blade of grass. I perform three average but perfectly respectable dives before heading off for important bike matters.

Water temp: 16 degrees Beautiful Friday early evening. I feel a visit to The Lido is in order. The water looks absolutely stunning, I swim a powerful 28 lengths. I spend a peaceful 15 minutes dozing in the sunshine before heading off for inter-galactic duties.  Big, big day on Sunday.

Water temp: 15 degrees A drizzly Tuesday morning, a watery sun skulks behind a grey cloud. This summer isn't much fun is it. Anyway, undeterred I went swimming before work. My head felt a liitle out of sorts, like I'd picked up the wrong one as I rushed out the door this morning. I had an hour and 45 minutes to cycle to the Lido, swim, get to work, eat breakfast and arrive at my 10 o'clock meeting looking keen and clean. I love the anticipation when I'm about to enter the water, the rejuvenating Lido waters. Job done, feel sparkly new again. The famous actor bloke was in the showers again, I never see him swimming, maybe he just acting, that's what actors do I guess, all the world's a pool I reckon.

Synopsis A short run through the city to Jesus Green Lido, then a 4 to 5 mile trot to the world famous Orchard Green Tea Rooms. Quick break for tea, cake and a spot of poetry reading, followed by a 2K swim back to Grantchester Meadows and the chance to recline by the river. Critical reaction OK, it didn't quite happen like that, I was late, Jesus Green Lido was closed, but the rest of the day was great. The 2Kswim up the Cam was probably my best swim of 2013. However, swimming anywhere near a swan freaks me out, I managed to sneak pass 'before the indifferent beak', I anticipated 'a sudden blow: the great wings beating still', but I swam on unabused down the winding river. I recalled halcyon days of night punting back from Granchester. We even spied a kingfisher. Talking of Kingfishers @Kingwellfish recounts the day on her blog: entirelysurroundedbywater.blogspot.co.uk   Famous quotes Quote of the day, sitting in Granchester: 'This is where R...

Water temp: 17 degrees Here we are, here I am, back again. Another pre-work swim. I felt rather sociable this morning, even said hello to a few friendly faces and at least one unfriendly one. I guess I'm quite unsociable at heart, swimming is perfect for me. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Swimmer. Rather laid back 12 lengths, never really got warmed up, need to get here earlier, can't see that ever happening. Pedalled off to work. Started wearing a cycle helmet again, makes sense.

Water temp: 17 degrees It's all going on at the lido today, well not really, the lucky people are making the most of the sunshine, bit of tai chi or lounging around, that sort of thing. Swam 27 lovely lunchtime lengths, that's a mile. A kind lady complimented me on my stroke. All good.

Water temp: 16 degrees Tuesday morning pre-work swim, still tired after a good sleep. Nice to be back at The Lido again after a couple of weeks absence. Set myself a target of 10 lengths but decided to doze on a bench for 10 minutes instead. The arrival of G got me off my feet and in to the water, divine stuff is Lido water. Managed to do 12 lengths, again wished I had more time. Promised myself that I'd come here tomorrow lunchtime to swim a mile, I need the practice as I'm doing a mile river swim on Saturday, more to follow. Pedalled off to work via the 'old house' on Grafton Road. Not my photo.

I'm cream crackered. I've been cycling, running, meeting, working all day. Thankfully it's a gorgeous evening and I've got the ponds to visit on the way home. The sign in the changing room says water temperature is 15 degrees, that's two better than 13. I'm sat on a wooden bench too tired to get changed, let alone swim. I listen to all the chatter and all the blah, I never join in. I can't move, must have run too far, I never lose any weight, five more minutes. Enter lifeguard stage right, he only goes and changes the temperature on the blackboard from 15 to 17 degrees. Result. I'm glad I waited, the change gives me the energy to stumble in to action. Lovely evening swim, I was in a world of my own making. I can't remember seeing another swimmer. Two laps and three dives. Water is absolutely perfect, although I do miss the tingle you get with cold water, and the numb fingers, not. Got that Daft Punk tune going round and round in my head. We...

Hi folks. I'm in a field in Sussex on a camping trip with my family and other people. I'm lying half in/half out of my sister's tent feeling a bit hungover. I'm waiting for a can of coke to be delivered. I've had about four hours sleep. Why am I always the last one to go to bed? The only thing that can sort me out is a swim, I am becoming obsessed with this fact. Luckily I have the legendary GF with me. A quick drive down some A roads and some incredibly beautiful country lanes and we're at my destination in life. Barcombe Mills is very pretty, the River Ouse winds it's way from somewhere to end up in the sea somewhere near Brighton. Olivia Laing walks the length of the Ouse in ' To the River (great if you like Virginia Woolf). Anyway, the river is full of spring debris, pollen, blossom etc. After quite a lot of hesitation I finally summon the courage to leap in. Whoosh, I see the world bubbling above my head, rebirth. Maybe I will come to my sen...