Drowning.....

....is a silent business.

It was a cold day, made even colder by a brutally gusty wind. But that wasn’t going to stop me from doing a swim this morning. Victoria and I are swim buddies and we got in fairly quickly...ish! Vic felt a bit light headed with the cold as she was getting in, but it passed and she said she was okay, so we set off. There are two buoys set near the steps so swimmers can go across the dock and stay close enough to get out if they need to. At first Vic said she was going to stay there, but as we passed the first buoy we both decided that we had paid to swim and we were going to get our money’s worth and do the full course. Vic should have stuck to her first thought!

When we reached the furthest point Vic got into trouble. There is no scream, no thrashing about, no yelling, when the cold gets you and you can’t control your breathing there is not much you can do. Thankfully we were at the huge buoy as she couldn’t get her tow float in front of her to grab onto. She held onto the rope and managed a quick, ‘help!’ Another swimmer was nearby and we both waved to the safety boat. It seemed to take ages before he got to us, but in reality it wasn’t. I left Vic when I knew she was in safe hands and I battled into the wind with the challenging swim back. Vic was back safe and sound when I arrived, but I think it shook her up a bit. We all realised how easy it must be to drown in cold water, thank goodness we have a great team to look after us.

I sometimes feel a little lightheaded when I get out and I did today. Thankfully a swimmer getting in gave me helping hand as I stumbled out on frozen feet. Everyone is supportive and we look out for each other. It was the first time in the changing tent I’ve seen so many women having to sit down to change. We all found it challenging today....but it was brilliant too!

I needed the swim after this week. I had someone trying to break into my front door in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Fortunately, I heard them and the police arrived within five minutes of my 101 call, but it has shaken me up a lot. It cost me a small fortune to get new, far superior locks and new handles. I had the lock in the back door changed too. I hope the insurance will cover it all.

Then I had a fall one morning and crashed down on an oil radiator. I have bruises down my side.

Yesterday I attended a speed awareness course...my fault, so no excuses.

So... there you are. That’s why a blast in cold water is good for you, it wipes away the bad things and strengthens your mental health. Oh...and opening this month’s Outdoor Swimmer Magazine and seeing a half page pic of yourself with your letter printed there! Lol