Low Tide	00:22 (1.20m)
High Tide	06:41 (2.40m)
Low Tide	13:04 (0.70m)
High Tide	19:48 (2.40m)

Sea temperature: 10.4/10.6
Sea conditions: "SCARY" according to DK! 
Weather: Grey
Joined by: Sara and The Poet and The Brave Boy
Topics of conversation:
The Brave Boy is staying with The Pirate and has not been in the sea here, although being from Cornwall he knew what to expect. It's not easy getting in on a good day when it's chilly and today was really rough, with a strong current as the tide was just turning. It was too rough for The Pirate but The Brave Boy went straight in. The Pirate looked longingly but we all agreed it wasn't safe. He was almost affronted when I told him to put his trousers back on and Sara said she'd get him in, but it's the getting out that is hard and when DK came out saying "scary" he sensibly decided against it. We'd had a bit of a scare a couple of days ago when he drifted out of his dept and The Poet and I swam him back in so we are all extra wary.
I didn't hang about much after I'd got out as the the sauna was calling and I spent an hour thawing out, reading the paper and preparing myself for moving a couple of tons of earth for reseeding. The weather was not conducive to much else this morning although Mertz and DK's son played golf in the drizzle. He beat him again.

High Tide	05:34 (2.30m)
Low Tide	12:10 (0.80m)
High Tide	19:00 (2.30m)

Sea temperature: not taken nut we all agreed that it did feel as if it had dropped overnight.
Sea conditions: Still dragging north with strong waves
Weather: Bright but not sunny 
Joined by Sara and The Poet and The Man on the Beach
Topics of conversation:
manonabeach.com Over the last 2 days we've been joined by The Man on a Beach, who hails from Cornwall but is currently The Man on the East Coast. He blogs about the sea, the beach and the local environment, asking people from all walks of life what the beach means to them and then uploads little clips and images for each location. He started doing it just over a year ago and it has already taken over from his 'proper job' so now he is a professional blogger. I got the impression that he rather enjoys his new job! He very kindly linked to The Swimmers blog and he seems to have found a local reprobate to ask "what does the beach mean to you?"

Alfa Romeos - we are a 2 Alfa household now and as The Poet grew up with them he was very understanding when I couldn't start the new one outside their house late the other night. The very nice man from The AA (do they still run that line I wonder?) had diagnosed a battery fault, which had actually been impacting on the whole car since Mertz had picked it up. Although it meant a day of total chaos as he wouldn't let me switch the ignition off and I had to drive my student around with me all day he was right and now I have the new, new car (also fully shined and valeted) for the foreseeable future as Mertz doesn't trust it, result! The Poet's mother had a similar experience with one of their Alfas, its brakes would stick on for no reason but the garage wouldn't believe her as it never happened when she took it in. After a while she developed a second sense or the ability to tune into the sound of the car that enabled her to predict when it would happen. One day this feeling took hold so she raced down to the garage where the brakes seized as she pulled onto the forecourt and screeched to a halt right outside the doors. This caught their attention. 
The Inventor is unwell, my student's father was rushed into hospital last night with what his daughter thought might have been a stroke, due to some memory loss, but the signs are now that it is less serious but that his gall bladder needs removing. The pain had caused him to become confused but the hospital were brilliant and had him straight in for scans etc. There were deep mutterings from the assembled group about memory loss, and how it didn't necessarily mean a stroke... did it?! Most of The Swimmers know The Inventor as he is a fair weather super-swimmer and so we are all concerned for him as he has had serious health problems in the past and we are wishing him well. As his father was a Proper Actor (capital P, capital A) this led to a long conversation between The Poet and The Pirate about The Wasteland - T.S. Eliot, which The Inventor's father had recorded. I've never heard the whole thing read, in fact I'm ashamed to say I've never had the strength to read the whole thing, perhaps listening to him read it would be my way in. I shall put my name down on the list to borrow Sara's copy or listen to it on her poetry app.
Wet suits and other swimming expenses - folowing on from our previous retail therapy splurge Sara had taken delivery of an extreme O'Niell suit, full length with a detachable hood, seriously thick and seriously cool but she couldn't find a zip... it didn't have one! Apparently you are supposed to squeeze into it from the top. Squeezing out of it on the beach was never going to happen so Sara had tried the concept of walking home in her other wetsuit, to see if this would be a possibility with the new one. It won't be. Apart from feeling awkward she found that after a while all the water held in the suit dripped down and filled her boots, so the new suit has been sent back. I'm thinking we should be a test bed for swim suits, wet suits, hand warmers, clothing etc. Perhaps that way I too could make a living from blogging!

The Man on a Beach with a local

I've just returned from a late dusk walk, where I dumped into The Pirate's Wife and their house guests, apparently the youngest is planning to join us in the morning. I do hope that the sea has calmed a bit by then as the wind has changed direction and is whipping the water up. I can even hear it over the keyboard...

High Tide	03:22 (2.30m)
Low Tide	09:42 (0.90m)
High Tide	16:39 (2.10m)
Low Tide	21:40 (1.20m)

Sea temperature: 9.6
Sea conditions: calm
Weather: Another glorious sunrise
Joined by: Sara
Topics of conversation:
The Presidential election - this actually occupied most of our morning, having just heard the results so just some shots from my phone from the last 2 days as I'd had Tuesday off (exam time).

Monday sunrise 1

Monday sunrise 2

Going in

Tuesday 6.50 am

Tuesday 6.55 am

Tuesday 6.56am

Tuesday 7am

Low Tide	05:57 (0.80m)
High Tide	12:19 (2.40m)
Low Tide	18:02 (0.90m

Sea temperature: 9.7 - 10.5 over the last 24 hours
Sea conditions: low tide and little rolling waves today
Weather: promising this morning and it turned into a lovely day
Joined by: Sara and The Poet.
Topics of conversation:
Privates on Parade - DK has been in London for the first rehearsals and has reported back that all is going swimmingly (no pun intended) with the cast having been given their short back and sides and marching orders. Fascinatingly the director has had a drill sergeant in to train the actors in the art of square bashing, not a skill that The Poet excelled at in his national service in South Africa apparently, but they are clearly getting somewhere with it if the latest clip is anything to go by:

DK is not MD on this production, rather more a consultant MD, which sounds to me to be rather fun. His word is gospel and he obviously has final say, having written it, but he doesn't have to sit through weeks of rehearsals, once they've got the hang of it. He seems very happy indeed with the cast and has huge respect for the director (although he's mightily disappointed that this clip is out of synch) so we're booking our tickets for January, when the days are short and we're in need of cheering up, here's a link (and no I don't get commission!):
BOOK TICKETS HERE
The Factory Shop - Legs and I had bumped into The Pirate at this salubrious establishment yesterday and he had been very nervous about going in. They are purveyors of all things cheap and tacky and he doesn't shop, ever, but they stock a fine line in track suits, gloves, thermals etc. and it had been The Pirate's aim to find a warmer outfit. He said he'd tried to cope but had been drummed out by the muzak. This led to a long discussion about how some people find noises off easier to cope with than others. I have selective hearing, it comes from years working in a primary school environment and living with whitterers. My Father was brilliant at selective hearing and claimed to be able to zone out of women's voices altogether. Sara admitted that she hasn't listened to music much since she had her babies. Sara and I did agree on the temptation to shop almost exclusively for clothing to keep us warm on the beach and both find we are spending rather too much. I really have no excuse as I kitted myself out a couple of years ago for my first Arctic Trip, but it's become an obsession. Latest purchase: canadian waterproof/snowproof boots. DK benefitted though as I dragged Legs to TK Maxx and she got him some smashing gloves which we decided were very Lilyhammer but I have banned all discussion about the final episode as there has been a glitch on the iPlayer, so I haven't seen it yet.
On The Road - to go or not to go to the cinema to see it? No decision was really made. It has had such extreme reviews but I'll probably go anyway.
Golf - DK's son has been taking Mertz off to the driving range recently and yesterday they played a game (match? round? I'm not good with sport) and he beat him. Mertz was rather put out as he has 25 years on DK's son, but I did point out that he hasn't played for 18, so they are probably about even. The golf has also made him realise that his RSI crippled hands need sorting out so he went to the doctor, who told him what we've all been telling him - use a mouse and a wrist support. Sara has Alexander Technique magic at her finger tips and she could certainly help him, if he wants help that is. Hopefully the thought that it may help him to improve his swing might persuade him. I'm really grateful to DK's son for reigniting his interest in golf, I know this sounds odd and I should be thinking that I don't want to be a golf widow at my age but actually it's something he loves and used to really enjoy and I've always felt vaguely guilty that he stopped playing when he met me. His family were are real golfing team and used to go off on golfing holidays together and when his father died the clubs just sat in the garage looking sad and it's taken him this long to feel able to use them. It's hard when he can't share it with his dad any more, and I know he misses him dreadfully, so actually it's great, really great that he's out there again. It's been a bad week on the 'missing Father' front for me, with the anniversary of his death and a friend's father dying on that day, but as always the sea has got me through.

Mini post

Sea temperature: 10.4 a big drop
Sea conditions: gentle waves
Weather: first frost of the year
Sara's record swim.


- Posted from my iPhone

Low Tide	03:17 (1.00m)
High Tide	09:18 (2.50m)
Low Tide	15:44 (0.70m)
High Tide	22:20 (2.40m)

Sea temperature: 13.7 on Thursday (last check)
Sea conditions: Full on surf, rollers, the lot
Weather: North westerly wind bringing a front of black clouds, but the sunrise was clear
Joined by: no-one, not even DK or The Pirate
Topics of conversation: None as I was alone on the beach for half an hour watching the sun rise. It's very unlike The Pirate not to turn up. I do hope everything is OK. I was also expecting to see DK regardless of the weather as he's been in London for the last week for the first rehearsals of his West End show and he got back last night. At least I hope he did because I returned Mabel to their house at 10.30pm ready for their return.
I didn't swim alone as there were some of the biggest waves I've seen on our shore, which were clearly being broadcast across the surfers' network as 4 turned up at a pace whilst I sat in the dunes, sheltering from the wind. 2 went in as I watched and that was the confirmation I needed that it wouldn't have been safe to go in. Watching them being thrown about on their boards convinced me to stay put. The sun rose from behind some horizon clouds and as I turned to walk home the contrast was remarkable, the sky inland was black with tiny whips of grey showing the wind direction - this way. I hurried home as the geese were struggling to fly overhead to the grazing fields below our house. They kept low and close to the rooftops, which I suppose must keep them out of the strongest winds but as the were buffeted over our lane it felt as if you could almost reach up and touch them, they were so low. The rain reached the house just as I turned on the porridge, what a perfect excuse not to do our Saturday job. Using a chainsaw on the fen in this weather doesn't fill me with joy, especially now that it's started hailing. Perhaps I'll light the sauna instead...
As I haven't had time to blog this week I'll try to remember some of the topics covered:
The sauna party - the latest Workshop project is complete and TPGF has done a wonderful job. He lit the sauna on Thursday afternoon for it's first proper burn and I kept it going till the late evening when it had it's first real test. I'm determined not to get the lurgie, which my student has been dragging into my home for the last 3 days and so the new Turkkilainen oil (rosewater, eucalyptus and lemon) was mixed in with the water which cleared any slight sniffle I might have had. It works, in fact it works well. My only concern now is whether I'm going to have enough firewood to keep it going all winter, so perhaps I do need to get the chain saw out after all. Legs and I are planning a sauna party for The Swimmers and their families for next month. She's a brunchmeister, being of American/Norwegian extraction and she used to host a weekly event at the local pub as her waffles are the stuff of legend. Happily she has offered to keep the kitchen going whilst those of us who are still swimming by then do, and I make sure the sauna is functioning at full speed. It's just big enough for 6 to sit in the fire room at one time but there is another space with a folding bench which will be for yoga and chilling (literally) so we can take turns.

Sara's assignment - we had a long and ridiculously deep conversation (for 7.30am) about her interpretation of a question about the interpretation of myths. It started with her saying "Plato doesn't know what he's saying most of the time" and grew from there. As it was just The Pirate, Sara and I we each had quite a bit to say on the subject, which then turned towards god shaped holes and whether there could be a 'shaped hole' if the thing that was missing had never existed in the first place, at some point The Pirate got into full flow as we'd mentioned Richard Dawkins, who he has little time for. We decided that had DK been here we would have ben steered away from the subject rather more rapidly.

Keeping in touch whilst travelling - The Pirate had an email from No.1 Son this week entitled "specially for Dad" but when he opened it the message itself was clear, as in empty. Very disappointed. Sara had similar experiences with her sons and we reminisced about the old way of having post boxes around the world from which you collected your family's messages. When Mertz was travelling for 18 months he had a friend following in his wake, on the same route, but 2 months behind so he'd leave messages for him too. 
Alf - we talked about Alf a lot. He's The Pirate's 'other dog', as in not Bosco, who is always with us in the mornings. Alf, on the other hand is a law unto himself. He is a small wiry terrier of some sort (I'm not even sure if The Pirate knows what sort) who is blind and crotchety and who decides whether or not he will grace us with his presence in the morning, which he has been doing more often recently. I adore Alf. He's got such character but he only adds to the delays in the morning as he can't see his way home and bounces of the sides of the roads like a pin ball. The Pirate has begun to bring a lead down to drag him back with but I suspect that as it gets colder I shall be tempted to take my life in my hands and pick him up.
Just had texts from The Pirate's Wife and DK, all fine, DK had a lie in and The Pirate forgot to say he was working in Essex today, well he probably mentioned it earlier in the week but he clearly said "see you tomorrow" as we parted company on the green.

High Tide	02:55 (2.50m)
Low Tide	09:14 (0.70m)
High Tide	15:45 (2.40m)
Low Tide	21:30 (1.00m)

Sea temperature: 13.4 yesterday - not taken today 
Sea conditions: deceptive, got in and realised that The Pirate was crutchless (as in had no one to hang onto, not, you know, without - oh never mind) so went to drag him in as it was all over the place.
Weather: 50 shades
Joined by Sara and the Poet and Abs
Topics of conversation:
Welcome back Abs after such a long time away. She returned on a high, having come straight from an overnight meditation and was on flying form, but very hungry! She's had a really busy time recently and has been driving all over the country, one of the results being a speeding ticket, which she felt was only fair. She was so excited to be back that she ran to the shore with her red cashmere cardie still on over her swim suit, so we all called her back in chorus, apparently she was only going to test the water.
The happy camper - a few days ago I got down to the beach and realised I'd left my gloves in the beach hut and so went over to get them only to find a tent blocking the way. A young woman had found the sheltered spot in front of it ideal to pitch her tent as it had been so windy overnight. I'd had to step over her to get to the door and she had woken and been so embarrassed that she'd 'taken a liberty' in her words. She was very sweet and so apologetic and I'd assured her that I'd have done the same in the circs and then I'd had to apologise to her as the dogs tried to get into her tent with her. I told her that we really don't mind campers like her, it's the ones that destroy the fences, pull bits off the beach huts to burn and leave 45 smashed bottles in a pile on the beach that cause us grief, and showed her where the wood had been snapped off the side of the hut. Yesterday, when we had used the hut to change in because of the lashing, I'd found a tiny scrap of paper stuck to the door. The snails had eaten most of it but I was able to make out "... enjoyed your swim...thank you so much for being.... very much appreciated... the night!" I can only suppose that it was from her, I only wish I'd found it before the snails and that I'd seen her the evening before and offered her use of the stove.
The sauna's progress - it's nearly done and The Pirate's granddaughter's father has done a great job so far, he lit it for the first time on Friday and I kept it burning nearly all night to see if I could break a sweat, but as the door hasn't been fitted yet it wasn't easy. I also discovered that I don't get a mobile signal in there because it's so well insulated, which is a bonus. It's based on the shed in the mountains owned by our Sami friend Per Nils, so is very basic, we've clad the inside of an outhouse with cedar (smells amazing) and the woodburning stove is made from an old gas canister. I found a DIY sauna blog and TPGF has adapted it a bit, even giving it a monkey tail handle to match the window fittings.  Once it's finished I think he should patent the design.

The beach clean - today was the day and the weather got much worse as the morning progressed so we returned in full waterproofs an hour later to scour the sand and dunes with bin liners and pick-up sticks. As usual DK took the whole thing with a pinch of salt and came dressed as Paddington bear. The tides have been so hight that there wasn't nearly as much rubbish as usual and most people found they didn't even fill a bag. I found a strange fossilised bone, which seems to be tooled to form its shape. I'm going to see if my archeologist friend can shed any light on it.