Low Tide	05:08 (0.90m)
High Tide	11:16 (2.60m)
Low Tide	17:32 (0.70m)
High Tide	23:53 (2.50m)

Sea temperature: 16.5
Sea conditions: grey
Weather conditions: grey
Joined by: No one
Topics of conversation:
Transcendental Meditation - DK has taken it up again and has found a wonderful teacher, who has helped him to find a way back in. He is already sleeping better. I'm feeling left out as I'm the only one of us who doesn't go to meditation class, at least I do regular yoga practice - we are such a bunch of tree huggers.
Dreams and cheese - it all started with dreams and why we dream what we do and then got onto cheese and whether that made things worse, which led to personal cheese taste. Mertz has a theory that cheese makes his dreams worse and had emailed me during the week to say that he'd had a night of freaky dreams after a cheese fest, one of which included our very good friend Neo framing him for a murder, which he had committed himself. This is doubly unlikely, Neo wouldn't hurt a fly. I haven't really been dreaming much recently but had some strong, old cheddar last night and having spoken to a friend about a polar exploration that Laura is planning I'd had amazingly vivid dreams about walking on the beach with him and seeing the Northern lights. The dream was so real that it'd taken ages for me to realise it wasn't true, then I was sad, especially as one of my contacts in Kiruna had posted a shot of their night sky on Instagram this morning. It was full of aurora.

Åza Westén

The Pirate says that The Pirates Wife is hopelessly unromantic about dreams and insists that it's just our brain dealing with the crap we can't deal with during the day and I'm sure there is truth in that, but what about the cheese element?! We decided that the stronger the cheese the more powerful the dream, this is what lead on to cheese likes and dislikes. DK admitted that when he met Legs he could only eat M&S mild cheddar. The Pirate and I questioned the point of this - calories + no flavour - pointless. He and I like what we have termed 'gritty cheese' and DK claims that he is now educated in the finer nuances of other cheeses, but still hates Gestost, despite Legs's ancestry. I can't wait to try the new cheeses from Alex James having seen him on Buzzcocks last night discussing his tomato ketchup cheese. I'm a cheese heathen too.
Time off - I've just taken on a 3 week contract that means I won't be able to swim every morning, and have to admit that this was one of the things that put me off taking the job, but needs must and all that. The boys know that keeping a toe in the water on a daily basis is really crucial when it comes to keeping going through the winter and so I'm planning to go in the evening, when I get home. Matthew has bought me a wonderful storm lantern, so I'll be able to keep an eye on the shore but I won't be swimming with them, which is a shame. We've been talking about the  importance of our daily swim in practical terms: health benefits, getting us out of bed in the morning etc. but today we also recognised the importance for the soul. It really lifts my spirits to see the sea each morning, but DK and The Pirate are also instrumental in keeping me sane these days. you simply can't be miserable after 10 minutes in their company, regardless of the sea's conditions.
We broadened the topic then to encompass all those regular commitments, which one takes on and can be so important in small ways. The Pirate has a friend who posts a daily picture online, as I try to do on Instagram each morning. It is a tiny thing, and it gives a sense of purpose in a tiny way. More importantly these regular things help your community - whether it be online, family or a village - to keep you in mind. Redsnapper and I had been profoundly touched by the story of Joyce Carol Vincent, who died alone and was not missed for three years. Carol Morly is making a film, to be seen at the BFI about her life and death: Dreams of a Life