17 sept Day 30 A wet Monday afternoon in the pool

Back in the local swimming pool, working on breathing for front crawl. I'm struggling - don't seem to be able to breath out enough quickly enough to be able to breath in again! I keep going though, even if it is rather ungainly and spluttery, and reckon I do 400m.

The end of a long week. Day 27, Fri 14th Sept

My first full week back at work after extended hols! After being indoors all day for a week it's great to have the chance of late summer sunshine on a Friday afternoon to get in another swim in the lake. My mate Neil meets me there and I remove my top layer of clothing while he puts more on in the form of a wetsuit. Yes, he may be a wimp, but it does mean I have a swimming companion who will be able to stand the cold of the fresh water. He's all for swimming across the lake, but not being as confident I suggest we go around the edge - it's very deep wherever, but this way I'm always close to land.

We reckon we do about 500m. Heaven.

Swimming in Beer! 6th Sept day 19

Today we are heading back upcountry, but not before getting to the sea again.It's a gorgeous day. Beer sounds inviting for (a second) breakfast and a swim. It turns out I DON'T swim in Beer today. I have swum here before when the tide was further out, but I didn't like the way the beach was steeply shelving today, with an ominous swell in the water. No other swimmers, and Wilf happy to go with my decision after my recent scare. We have a scrummy breakfast at Chapple's on the beach, and then head off round the coast to Branscombe where the sea is more welcoming. Wilf dives into the water for his bracing 5 mins in the cold, and then has a sleep in the sun, while I, in contrast, get in slowly, but once there aclimatise and don't want to get out. It is perfect sea swimming - not the fun and exhilaration of jumping breakers, or body boarding, but simply lovely swimming back and forth across gently rolling waves of silky water with the white and green of Beer Head in one direction, and in the other, the red cliffs further west. I easily swim 500m and reckon I could have doubled that today, but time presses.

We have a quick sandwich lunch at The Sea Shanty beach cafe, and it's brought to us by Joe, the son of our friends, earning some money before returning to uni. A very nice way to finish our stay in Devon.

Day 18 5th September Falmouth Ho! Go, Megan, Go!

Wilf and I got toTipton near Sidmouth late last night, a stopover on our way to Falmouth to see an art exhibition. It's the BA Degree Finals Show of our niece, Megan. (Daughter of our brother Patrick who died of a brain tumour in his early 40's. I often think of him when I swim, or walk or climb. He was up for any outdoor adventures. I think he would have approved of my challenge)

We leave Tipton, after breakfast with the friends who have put us up, and after 4 hours driving round the top of Dartmoor, taking various diversions, get to Falmouth. We grab a quick lunch at a beach cafe with Megan and her mum who is over from the States for the exhibition. The sea looks beautiful but there's no time to swim, sadly. Another time! We walk up through exotic gardens to the exhibition site, spying tiny clay sculptures in the tree branches and roots.

Megan's main piece is a cave-like structure that she has sculpted from clay and branches, a copy of one she constructed on an eco site in the wilds of Cornwall - eco art in a Green landscape. We have fun exploring it,  inside and out.

Another exhibit - by Clare Thomas, one of Megan's friends - is a floor sculpture of a sea creature made of brightly coloured rubbish, Clare has been cleaning beaches - recycling junk and making the sculpture out of selected debris. Her words spoke to me:

You, who live by the sea, it is
a small thing to close your gate behind you and head to the beach. and once there, it is
a small thing to walk into the cold water or
lie on the beach, feeling the press of pebbles.
And once you have sunned yourself enough, and
let your body float in the sea enough, and
sunk your feet into the sand enough, it is
a small thing to pick up a few pieces of plastic, or foam
and take them away with you.

If we have souls, surely your soul will remember
the touch of air and water and pebble and
hold them for dark days later.
And if there are spirits, surely they will see you and remember
  that you took care of something greater than yourself.
And if there are gods of small things, surely what you have done
  will sustain them for just a little longer.


I leave the sea of Falmouth, glittering turquoise in today's bright sunshine, reluctantly. But we have a long drive back to Sidmouth. It's a quick journey and we have time for a swim in the river Otter before dinner! We walk past the local cricket pitch and along the riverbank upstream of the weir where it's deep enough to swim. I've learnt some tips - I remember to check I'lll be able to get out of the water further downstream. It's almost impossible(for me) to swim upstream, however slowly the river seems to be flowing, so you've got to be sure that you have an exit point from where you can walk back up stream to retrieve your clothes! I only went about 100m - a very easy swim - and stayed in quite a lot longer working hard to keep my place against the current, enjoying the late evening sunshine through trees across the fields.

Dinner with our friends at The Pea Green Boat on the seafront in Sidmouth. Fabulous.

Day 17 Sept 4th The Lake

My bro Wilf comes to Oxford from Edinburgh via train. He arrives at my house on foot having walked 2 miles up the canal from the station. I offer him a cup of tea and a swim in the lake We cycle/jog ( me on the bike, him jogging) the half mile to the lake north of the ringroad. It's an old gravel pit hidden behind houses, the only access through their gardens. I'm lucky enough to know M and N who live there and allow me to swim. Bliss. Fed by a small spring it's fairly clear and fresh, abundant with waterlilies. Wilf and I have our togs on underneath jogging gear, so its easy to go through my friends' garden and slip out of clothes and into the lake. Magical.

I reckon I do 200m back and forth the north end of the lake. Haven't got long unfortunately as I have to get down to Keble College Chapel for a choir rehearsal, before Wilf and I set off to Sidmouth.

day 11 29th september Paralympics!

Back home, lots to do that requires sitting in front of the tv on a regular basis. The Paralympics are fantastic aren't they? captivating, exciting and awe-inspiring. I'm hooked watching swimmers of all shapes and sizes breaking record after record. I don't get near any water myself for nearly a week.