Poolside Percy

Parliament Hill Fields Lido Sunday morning, far too early. Despite my gammy leg, I'm doing the Hampstead Heath Pondathon again today. I'm feeling a little bit nervous and a bit intimidated by all the fit young people around me. No, sod it, I'm doing this for me, doing this for fun. Before I know it I'm in the water and 3-2-1 we're off... The Lido is lean and mean and should be the easiest swim, after all I'm playing at home. However, I'm struggling, I feel like chucking in the towel at length two. I'm spurred on by the rousing cheers of the home fans GF and DW. At least I'm not last out of the pool, and by no means least. The run to the Men's Pond is like an Alan Sillitoe novel , long and lonely. I've not been overtaken yet. The Men's Pond greets me like an old friend. I manage to overtake two other swimmers in what seems like a never ending lap, good job I've been doing lots of swimming this week. Me in the Ladies Po

Water temp: 23 degrees There's a lot of after-school noise coming from The Lido today and the air is thick with the smell of sun cream and testosterone. The regulars have scarpered and the wetsuits, well who cares what happened to them. This is a day for bigger bellies and bags of multi-pack crisps, normality as been restored. The water is warm and cloudy and the atmosphere is a bit tense, apparently there was some trouble here yesterday. I'm plotted up with my middle sister and my nephew, sitting in the spot we used to sit with my my Mum when we were kids. Time for a dip.

Thursday morning pre-work swim. I had an interesting conversation with my sister t'other day, she felt her love of the Lido was waning. However, she went on to explain that her love returned when the sun shone and El Lido sparkled again, simple as that. Thursday morning pre-work swim, the sun is out and The Lido is sparkling, the sun is bouncing off the little bubbles that run off your fingers, the stainless steel lining is a big cauldron of sunny, sparkly love. Lido devoid of regulars this morning, very irregular. The Ladies In Hats chat so much that they have to stop swimming. Lovely and glorious.

Sunday morning insanity. I just can't help myself sometimes. And you may find yourself over the Lido in winter... It was actually 9 degrees when I arrived, I was bottling it already. I stood and stared at the water for about 20 minutes, the regulars were all there, I doubt they ever left since last October, that's what make them regulars I guess. Quite a few people in the water, few wetsuits, lots of rubber gloves and swimming socks, I felt inadequately equipped. The sun was shining but it was still pretty chilly. Not today I thought. And you may find yourself leaving the changing room wearing your trunks, tshirt, woolly hat and sun glasses, clutching your £2 entrance fee. They're only getting that if I actually get in the water. I sat on a bench at the shallow watching the brave souls, at least they weren't dead so the cold water probably wouldn't kill me either. I'm reading Oliver Twist, his childhood was a broken-hearted misery, whatever happened, m