Low Tide 02:59 (0.40m)
High Tide 09:27 (2.40m)
Low Tide 15:18 (0.70m)
High Tide 21:19 (2.50m)
Sea temperature: not taken
Sea conditions: Deep, calm, powerful - the best kind of sea, (and man for that matter)
Weather: Sunny, warm, glorious
Joined by: The Usual Suspects
Topics of conversation: 

TBC's birthday, we celebrated on the beach and then at The Deli, in style. The LE brought 'girly cake' to have after we'd swum and there was a candle to be blown out. We sang, in fact there was an awful lot of singing this morning from The Pirate and DK in particular. 

Afterwards she and her husband treated all the swimmers to breakfast at the newly re-opened Black Dog Deli, The Pirate's son's venture. It felt like summer had arrived early as the deli is a seasonal store, which closes for the winter. They have made some small changes, all of which we sampled or made use of; a meat slicer, a new bench outside made from a sleeper that came in with the floods on Christmas day and a wonderful new breakfast menu, including my new favourite deli dish - a kipper roll. The kipper fillets are served in a smart bun with dill and mustard mayo and some rocket - it almost felt healthy. There is also a supply of Norwegian Brown cheese, which Legs and I will appreciate all summer. (Legs joined the Boys' supper last night by way of Face Time, here she is commanding the attention of her husband, son and The Architect, even though she is very tiny and in a box propped up against a wine bottle.

At The Black Dog TBC declared her bacon roll (with bloody mary ketchup) "the best I've ever had". She also stood up and gave a short speech about being the new member of The Swimmers, and thanked us for welcoming her, it was very touching, especially as I'd really forgotten that she only started swimming with us last summer, it feels as if she always been part of the team. I was about to say that everyone is welcome, but that's not strictly true, I realise. We have rejected those who do not have the same appreciation of nature and community as we feel so deeply, there really isn't room for them and they've been sent away in the past. Our values may not be a written manifesto or openly discussed, but we know what they are.

We discussed the clock 'springing' forward and hope we will all remember, having spent the day singlehandedly moving around 2 tons of sand with a shovel and drunk half a bottle of unexpected Champagne, I'm preparing by going to bed very, very early in the hope that I won't wake up stiff as a board.