To the Port

I belatedly realised that if we got away sharpish from Edinburgh I'd be able to go swimming this afternoon. In fact, we got away even earlier than I had hoped, and I had time for a quick Teams meeting after we arrived in Tain before getting changed and heading off to meet the swimmers at the Port for an evening assignation.

Brilliant sunshine, as it has been all week, apparently, but chilly with an easterly wind, as in Edinburgh. The warmest place we came past on our drive north was Carrbridge, around 21 degrees, and my weather app suggests Aviemore will make 25 degrees tomorrow. Definitely the Scottish summer, and definitely warmer in the centre of the country or over on the west. But good sunshine here at least. A brilliant and bouncy swim out to the buoy and a slightly circuitous route back to extend the swimming at bit. The wind made it very hard going when swimming east. Lots of people in the water, both from the visiting Shandwick swimmers and also many of the "home" Port "team". Well, I mean, it would be rude not to swim in such conditions. I swam without my neoprene vest, but still wearing hat, gloves and shoes. The freedom of not wearing the vest was most pleasurable. It feels much more like "proper" swimming. I was in the water for 34 minutes and it felt really, really good.

The garden is, of course, going a bit bonkers, although perhaps less than it would have done if it were warm and wet. Everything we have moved, planted or transplanted seems fine. We watered it this evening after dinner, and I managed to get myself extremely wet by mismanaging the hose. I've added a couple of extras. The peony we bought two weeks ago is already out (but the resident one we inherited is not yet, but has many more flowers). I also added an extra of the fern in the bathroom. I bought two ferns in October last year, and to my surprise they have both survived the winter and are going fine now.