Poolside Percy

Gorgeous George Water temp: 17 degrees

Water temp: 16 degrees Bell's palsy: week 3 Thursday lunchtime dip. Swimming without swimming aids today, I realise that I'm not even using them. Well that's progress folks. I'm still wearing goggles at the ponds tho' as I can't quite close my right eye properly. I'm wearing swimming hat 'cos I'm a massive wuss. Bell's bollocks is now measured in weeks rather than days.   Photo: Cold Pond Water

Water temp: 16 degrees Bell's palsy: day 20 Thursday morning pre-work swim. Managed to swim 10 lengths without snorkel or noseclip. Almost smiling properly again.

View from Serpentine Bridge Water temp: 62.0F / 16.7C Air: 52.0F / 11.1C Bell's palsy: day 18 It's far too early on Tuesday morning and I'm cycling across London to swim in The Serpentine. I happily ride around Regent's Park and merrily meander past the crowds snaking their way out of Marylebone Station. I cross the Bayswater Road and enter a dreamy, mist-filled Hyde Park. The sun has barely risen from it's slumber. Is the sun male or female I ponder as I stand upon Serpentine Bridge. This is no morning for prejudice, let's go swimming. I've arranged to meet GB at 7.45, I need him to show me the ropes, apart from visits with the swimmer faithful, I've never done an early morning swim here. He arrives pretty much on time, big smile on his mush. We're in and out of the members' intimate mixed changing room before you can say Peter Pan . I'm a member of The Serpentine Swimming Club, I just don't have a membership card, honest

Water temp: 16 degrees Bell's palsy: day 15 Saturday morning post-Parkun swim. I'm off the steroids, nasty drug. I feel like I drank 25 cups of coffee yesterday and just downed a can of Coke for breakfast. Do you know that feeling? The post steroid buzz is probably the reason I just ran my second fastest ever Parkrun, on route b'stard as well. Still determined to get a personal b'stard on route b'stard. Very quick dip today because I have to be somewhere else which is not here. There's just enough time to swim a couple of lengths and swap pleasantries with some vagrant Brockwell Icicles, they must have drifted off their migratory path, I hope they make it home OK. One of them made this video:

Water temp: 19 degrees Bell's palsy: day 14 Friday afternoon swim. I gonna try to swim frontcrawl without snorkel and noseclip. OK, that's still not working properly, I'm still getting too much water in my lopsided mouth. Hell's Bell's. Back to the snorkel and noseclip, 27 lovely late summer lengths with my swimming aids. Indian sunbathe disrupted by English downpour, sought shelter in the café. Almost the end of The Lido summer season, two days to go, so this is probably my last Lido afternoon swim of the year.