On but not in The River Cherwell 21st July

My friend Peter makes coracles and on this Sunday morning he has invited me to join him on the water to try one out

In the afternoon I go punting further down river through the University Parks, with my nephew and his fiancee.

Guerilla Singing, and Mindfulness 13th July

Organised by friends who live on Otmoor, a group of us meet in Charlbury at the railway station - most of us have travelled by train - and walk to the local church for our first sing of the day. We walk about 8 miles through the countryside, popping up to sing in the village churches in Spelsbury, Shorthampstead, and Chadlington, ending up in the pub in Charlbury for supper in the pub before getting the train home. Along the way I have a chat about swimming with another singer. She has been swimming regularly since childhood - used to compete - and says for her it is essential regular exercise, when she can take time to think through things in her head. She describes how she can swim very efficiently length after length, the way most of us can walk for miles - on auto-pilot. It strikes me again how I am still at a stage where I have to stay focused on the process to swim 'properly'. This means I can't be on auto-pilot, lost in thought (at best) or troubled by an over busy mind: the mindful process of each stroke and each breath takes me out of myself (?) - my mind - into my body, breathing, the water.

First visit to Hinksey this year! July 17th

It's mid July already and this is my first visit of the season to Hinksey outdoor pool. It's a measure of the poor weather we've had so far this summer. It's gorgeous now, hot and sunny. I cycle down the Abingdon road after work and enjoy a lovely dip in the water. I swim about 250m

My birthday treat: Cycling down river

I cycle down the canal, joining the river near Binsey, just north of Osney Island, where I continue down the river to Folly Bridge. I am on my way to visit my new friend, Gina, the jeweller I met singing on May 1st. We have coffee in her studio looking over the water, while she shows me some of her wonderful collection of beautiful sea glass. I choose some gorgeous greeny turquoise bits of glass, polished soft and smooth by the sea. She is going to set them for me as earings and a ring. Bits of the sea to carry with me wherever I go.

To complete my birthday treat I cycle back up to Ferry pool in time to catch the end of the Swim Fit class, and do 10 lengths: 250m

Bathing in Bath July 8th

An overnight trip to Bath Spa with some girlfriends. We spend the afternoon in the Thermae Bath Spa, swimming in the open air roof top

pool in the naturally heated thermal waters. Well, not much swimmimg goes on. I have a lovely time floating on my back with my eyes closed, being gently pushed and pulled around by my toes.

Down in the Minerva Pool I do some swimming, going against the current of the gentle 'river' that flows around the central jacuzzi. I reckon I do about 250m.

July 1st: Swimmers are doing it for themselves

I go to the class but Johny's away today. I try to practise what we were doing last week - increasing the number of strokes per breath. It seems a lot harder this week but encouraged by my leaderless classmates I persevere and swim 24 lengths:        600m

June 2013:

3 successive Mondays I get to the class and do at least 500m each time.

On 24th I am working on slowing down my breathing. Johny the instructor suggests increasing the number of strokes per breath each length, breathing every 3rd stroke, then 5th, then 7th, then every 9th, and then reversing the process. It feels it is making me slower  - it is really that I am calmer, but actually more efficient. When I get back to breathing on every 5th stroke I feel much more relaxed and am able to swim successive lengths without collapsing at each end fighting for breath! I swim 30 lengths without feeling I've put in any more effort.