Just a quick note to say that Dr. Sea worked his magic on my back this morning and I am so much more mobile as a result. I limped down to the beach and almost skipped home after my marine therapy. Feeling very lucky to have Dr. Sea on the doorstep.

Low Tide 00:56 (0.80m)
High Tide 07:47 (2.10m)
Low Tide 13:06 (1.10m)

High Tide 19:29 (2.20m)
Sea temperature: 14. 6 Saturday 16.4 Sunday
Sea conditions: Scary Saturday, Mill pond calm Sunday
Weather: Warm both days, windy Saturday with rain later, Sunday - best day of the year
Joined by: The Usual Suspects and a couple of LOTVs this morning
Topics of conversation:
This is a weekend round up and so begins with most swimmers feeling a little jaded on Saturday following DK's take over of the village pub on Friday night for 'D-Day with DK', when he entertained the assembled company with songs from the period and songs that began with a D. Only DK could play that hard and fast with the rules and get away with it. As special consideration to those of us who didn't remember most of the songs, Dancing Queen, by Abba was included and the Dancing Queen himself gallantly tried to steer me around and back out of the dining room before I made a complete fool of myself. The evening was very well attended and when I snuck out through the kitchen at 11.30 the Architect and the remaining GGB had just ordered whiskey, as had DK so it wasn't surprising that there wasn't much banter the next day. 
The sea was boiling, there'd been strong winds overnight and it'd really put some strength into the waves. The GGBs and The Architect had planned on taking their beautifully refurbished boat Greylag out to sea but I texted to warn them of the strength of the current. However The Pirate was keen to get in, and whilst I was happy to leave them to it I realised that The Poet, our strongest swimmer, was away, so we all went in en masse. The Pirate promised to stay in the shallows as we couldn't take out feet off the sea bed without being propelled a fews meters in both directions. There was lots of hollering of the usual excited kind but then suddenly there was a squeal. TBC had been floating in the wave when it changed direction and she made contact with The LE. Whilst The LE could see this coming TBC couldn't and so thought she was being approached by a shark, as you do...
The LE and I discussed her upcoming article in a local glossy, for which she need some photos so I'd been wandering around with my camera. Once it's published I'm sure we'll be able to link to it but these pics will give you a flavour of it's topic.

Jagger is in disgrace, he had stolen Sara's googles and eaten them on Friday and today he grabbed one of the LOTV's T-Shirst and took off with it. It was white, but by the time I caught hold of it it wasn't. He's going through his acquisitive phase, Willow did this at his age, she stole anything she could, ate Phillips' wash bag and ate most of it's (Liz Earle) contents - not cheap to replace, and had a penchant for knitting, which unravelled as she carted it around the house whilst I was out. The LE had given her goggles to Sara in the meantime and the ones she was wearing today had tinted glass, which came in very handy as the sun was very, very bright as it bounced off the water.
Today DK decided Mabel should have a swim. We're not sure if she enjoyed it, she looked mightily pissed off as she came out but wagged her tail furiously and ran about with it in the air. She's not on great form this evening though, I've just had Legs on the phone saying she got out and came back most unhappy with a leg problem and shivering, possibly been stung, she's so tiny that a bee sting would be very nasty for her. Hope she's OK tomorrow.
Hope I'm OK tomorrow too, I tweaked my back this morning and am wandering around with an ice pack tied around my waist. It went as I reached up to close the car boot, but I suspect it may have something to do with carrying 9 year old girls around on my shoulders in the sea, whilst a 7 year old climbed up my front and did a summersault. Whichever it was I'm very uncomfortable and had to dip out of a trip to watch Rebel Without a Cause tonight as I thought I might not be able to get up out of my seat at the end. My film club partner has an osteopath staying and she told me to listen to my body, pack the inflammation with ice and keep moving. I told her my body felt like wandering around the orchard in my dressing gown with a glass of wine and she condoned that 100%.

High Tide 00:55 (2.40m)
Low Tide 06:41 (0.70m)
High Tide 13:01 (2.50m)
Low Tide 19:12 (0.60m)
Sea temperature: last time it was taken 14.5
Sea conditions: like a mill pond
Weather: Glorious
Joined by: The Usual Suspects AND THE ARTIST
Topics of conversation:
The Artist had her first swim of the year. Most of us were already in the water when she arrived and didn't realise that she intended to swim, but once I saw her stripping off we raised cheers and whoops. We went back to meet her and guided her to the warmth of the shallow pool where she would be close to the changing area and could languish with her 'support', the banana. It was SO wonderful to have her back with us and the glow she immediately took on is proof that even if you've been stricken with ill health and new medication has been playing havoc with your immune system, there is nothing to compare with Dr. Sea! Oh, and she's 80 - just look at her! She's an inspiration. The LE sent me this image this morning, commenting that she looks as if she may be opening the local branch of MacDonald's  she just needs another banana. 

Sara and I met on the way to the beach as I was running without the dogs and had taken the marsh route, she was walking that way from her house and we stopped briefly to discuss our dog dramas, one of mine had been sick on the door mat, and Jess had crapped in the house. She's got an excuse, she's old and having a few senior moments recently (Jess, not Sara), but nonetheless, it's not a great way to start the day. 
DK is off 'down town' to a showbiz bash tomorrow, the 70th birthday party of his old mucka Robert Powell, he's always been my favourite Jesus.

Additional post

I've been kept in the loop whilst not swimming with The Swimmers recently by regular texts from The LE, some have included pictures, so here's a round up:

.... this morning.

The usual suspects foregathered – except The Poet, who’s in Colchester. But Sara had a younger man in tow. Rachel’s Fiance, the lanky and lovely Murdo from Dumfries & Galloway.

Just as we went in, Sara spotted a DOOR thrashing about in the shallows.

She and I  went in to drag it up. Boy, was that hard. There’s the suction, dragging it down to the shingle and the sheer weight of it.

We had a real struggle – all this, while the others were chatting about golf and obscure song lyrics  and taking no notice.

We finally staggered out and hauled the door upright – at which point Jess decided to stand under it and wouldn’t move.

Noooo........!!! We were losing our grip. Would it crash down on Jess’s slender and elderly head?

Fortunately, Murdo to the rescue. He came and helped us drag it up above the high water mark.

Finally went back in for lovely swim but completely knackered by salvage operation!

Not sure who takes things like that off the beach. Council? Coastguard? Tibbles? (The Poet dragged it over the tide line and I helped him lift it into a safe place)

 

See you tomorrow!

May have Gavin’s ex PA from SHE Magazine with us. She writes a lot now for gardening magazines....

Her name’s Paula. (Not here it's not - she's the She-woman from now on)

 

Off to the shops

The She-woman

The next day there was a 

A surfeit of S's in the surf

Low Tide 03:11 (0.60m)
High Tide 09:48 (2.40m)
Low Tide 15:35 (0.80m)
High Tide 21:40 (2.40m)
Sea temperature: not taken but it must be over 15 by now
Sea conditions: good, if a little murky
Weather: fine
Joined by: we overslept today so were late to the beach but all The Usual Suspect were there.
Topics of conversation: not much as I went to change in the hut, having left my swimming shoes there yesterday after an evening swim, and the othrs were leaving. (There's also been an issue with Blogger not talking to iPhoto since I did an upgrade this week so I've not posted since Wednesday as new readers to the blog will point out - won't they SBPFG?)
I'd played my joker yesterday, having a lie-in and sleeping through till 8.30, DK is horrified that I could do such thing, but around twice a year it is my ritual. The Sunday lie in. Mertz can't do it, so he sleeps in the spare room and lets the dogs out first thing, leaving me to snooze. It's bliss, primarily because it feels so very indulgent and as I'd been gardening all day Saturday and Sunday I felt I'd earned it (as did my back).
This morning was the first proper swim morning too, I swam from the huts to the swimmers and back, without feeling cold at all, next week it will be time to dig out the goggles so that I can put my head fully under and get into some proper distance. Also time to invest in some Five Finger running shoes and get back into pounding the beach before swim time, with these I can run into the sea and keep going. The dogs and I need to improve our fitness levels and running before the swim is possible for about 3 months, starting now!

The beach had been heaving yesterday and I'd spotted a young lad trying to dig out old posts on the dunes for a fire, we've been trying to get them out for years as they are partially submerged and are lethal, so I left him to it. He was with a large family group who had wind breaks, canoes, picnic rugs etc. so I assumed he wouldn't vandalise the huts. This was a mistake. After we'd left he obviously decided to take the nice new shiny posts that have been put up to replace the old ones and the evidence was still smouldering on the beach, complete with molten plastic, drinks cans and all manner of detritus when I got to the hut. Only in this village can such an incident be sorted by 11am - Mrs. Tibbles is on it already and is getting Whisk to put some new ones in and wire them up so that it's harder to pull them out.

High Tide 04:20 (2.30m)
Low Tide 09:56 (0.90m)
High Tide 16:16 (2.40m)
Low Tide 22:56 (0.60m)
Sea temperature: not taken - see below
Sea conditions: wonderful
Weather: cloudy, still, warm
Joined by: no one
Topics of conversation: none
I'm on the early routine for the foreseeable, not just due to work start times but because we have builders climbing all over the roof next door. The roof that overlooks the bathroom Velux window, thereby giving the team a view inside and meaning that the upstairs bedroom and bathroom are behaving much like a drum kit. This makes it hard to shower and meditate after my swim, so if I get home by 7.15 I can do both in peace. This morning however I could have swum at 5.30am as I was woken, for the first time ever, by Willow coming upstairs and standing in the doorway of the bedroom making small 'buf' sounds.  I have no idea why she did this, she doesn't do stairs, I trained them with a water pistol when they were little and they think the stairs squirt water at them, but today she clearly wanted me to get up, so I did - it was a lovely morning. As I type and feel the house starting to quake I suspect she knew this storm was on its way.
I tried out my new Summer clothing routine this morning as I use the beach hut when I'm on my own and don't need the big rucksack/stool. The idea is to stop having to carry stuff and involves wearing swimming shoes to the beach, costume under towelling robe thing, no gloves and thin towel round my neck. It worked well apart from the walking back home in the wet swim shoes, they picked up all the dust and muck from the road. I think I need a sheep dip style trough outside the front door.
There was a sense of the calm before the storm on the beach, a wonderful deep and brooding sky and a lack of movement in the water.

High Tide 00:45 (2.50m)
Low Tide 06:47 (0.60m)
High Tide 13:03 (2.50m)
Low Tide 19:15 (0.50m)
Sea temperature: 13.7
Sea conditions: on the turn
Weather: grey but warm, oddly calm
Joined by: The Usual Suspects (apart from The LE), Abs, The Artist, Sara, The Pirate's Wife, The Pirate's Granddaughter and a man called Mark.
Topics of conversation: 
Abs and I had met on the green and walked round the block to the beach and caught up on life and the universe, and most excitingly her previous evening's entertainment. She'd been to a circus performance at a theatre of The Ancient Mariner, in attempting to describe its brilliance she become tongue tied and so told me she'd asked her son (an 11 year old with the gift of the gab) to describe it in one word. He couldn't but had made a noise that sounded something like whhhhiiioosshhhhP! Here's a link to a taster from the company that is touring it: Rime - Square Peg
The tide was way, way out and Abs and I studied the shapes and depths and compared them to the way the shore was when we were kids and there was a spit from the end of the harbour. Children would often get marooned, as The Artist had, but much further out. We compared the changes we experience here with the changes inland, when swimming through the seasons. DK would have the wildlife, trees and plants at the edge of the ponds, when he swam there and their seasonal fluctuations  are so much more blatant than the subtle changes in the vegetation on the shore. The skies can be deceiving here too, dark and heavy in mid summer, with clouds whizzing across the sky and then a February day can present blue, clear horizons - only the temperature is consistent with the time of year. Abs remembered it being 14 degrees in and out of the water on the 14th of November last year and today seems a 13 kinda day.

The Pirate's Granddaughter made busy on the beach in her blue PJs and TBC and I decided that she looked like a sea sprite, tidying up the shoreline with Mabel.
As I type The LE must be walking, in fact she will probably be walking most of the day on her Hampton Court Pink Ribbon walk, fingers crossed for her. Mertz is also walking today, his biannual walk with his best man is in Essex this spring and whilst he's away I have B  staying. We're hoping to have a beach supper, now that the sun has come out, with food input from The Architect, the GGBs and Legs. Paella, cheese and brownies are on the list so far...